Summer in LA, 2006

How much can I do in one weekend?

2006-06-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to cover everything I've experienced so far because I've just been so busy with my classes, internship and exploring the city. But here is my activity for one weekend, which should give you some idea of how much there is to do in LA:

Friday
- went to a concert at a yoga center

Saturday
- went to a south asian art festival with films, music, plays and spoken word artists
- walked through Little Tokyo and Chinatown

Sunday
- had brunch with some friends at 'Mel's Drive-In' a famous diner in the heart of Hollywood
- went to a free kundalini yoga class
- hiked up Topanga canyon with a friend I just met, Tory

And that's just one weekend! My sister is coming in this weekend for the July the 4th and it will probably be another whirlwind of activity.

This doctor in Chinatown analyzed my pulse and blood pressure for 'free', then told me I have blood clots in my brain and penis and need to buy an herbal supplement for $40 and take it every day. Thanks, but no thanks!

Chinatown in Los Angeles. There was a festival going on at the time and I was able to buy some delicious cherries and lychees, plus get a free massage.

Later that night, I met Tory who had invited me to go hiking up Topanga Canyon with her at sunset. At the top of the mountain we were able to see the ocean, city and sunset at the same time.

The Topanga Canyon trail. You can see the ocean to the right.

Nice view from the Topanga Canyon trail.

My first Hollywood 'Lunch' with Barnet Bain!!

2006-06-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

One of my professors recommended that I come to LA with a 'hit list', a list of people that I would love to meet while here. Well there was only one person on my list and that was Barnet Bain, producer of such great films as 'What Dreams May Come,' 'Celestine Prophecy' and many others. He's a writer as well as a producer and I knew I could learn a ton from him.

Luckily, one of my friends back in Washington, DC had Barnet's email and gave it to me. So one day I sat down at my computer and composed a nice email telling him a little about myself and how I admired his work. I also asked him if he could use an 'intelligent and motivated' intern for the summer. I wasn't sure if I'd ever hear back from him, but he replied to my email almost immediately and said 'Pleasure to hear from you. Why don't we meet for a bit on thursday if that works for you. Lunch.'!! I couldn't believe my luck- we were actually going to meet for lunch!

Barnet Bain when I first met him at a Sushi place in Studio City.

At lunch we talked for nearly an hour and a half and he peppered me with questions about my education, family, background, favorite films, and interests. He told me about several great films he was working on and how he could use my help.

To make a long story short, I started interning for Barnet Bain and am working on a film in the very early stages of development about a famous anthropologist. I've read a biography of her and many of her personal letters and send my thoughts to Barnet. We are both busy trying to figure out what the story is going to be for the movie. He wants me to figure out 'the lens through which we can view her entire life.' It's a challenging and great assignment for me and I enjoy meeting with him.

Later that week, Barnet invited me to his house in the Hollywood Hills and gave me my first reading assignments.

Before coming to LA, I heard a lot of horror stories about how hard it is to 'break in' to the industry and how mean-spirited and cut-throat it could be here. But so far my experience has been the total opposite. The people here have been nothing but helpful to me and even seem happy to help out. One day, I was sitting out in my garden and my neighbor comes out with his dog. We started talking and it he told me he was born and raised in Maryland and noticed the Maryland tags on my car. We bonded instantly and it turns out he's a director with his own production company. Within a few minutes he asked me if I wanted a job at his agency. He said an agency is a great place to start out and he could get me a job there with one phone call. I thanked him but said I already had an internship and wasn't really looking for a full-time job. Maybe it's just beginner's luck, but the people here seem really nice.

Spiritual Resources in LA

2006-06-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

LA has an active and thriving spiritual & holistic community with countless yoga centers, book stores, meditation centers, health food stores and others.

Here I am at the Bodhi Tree bookstore on Melrose Ave, a fabulous resource with books, magazines, video rentals, a meeting space and full calendar of events!

My friends Ahreum and Sabrina at the Bodhi Tree bookstore. Ahreum is an aspiring cinematographer and Sabrina is a comedy writer.

A fountain in a meditation garden at the Self-Realization Fellowship in Hollywood. Founded by Paramahansa Yogananda.

Deva Premal in concert at the Golden Bridge Yoga center. I also took my first kundalini yoga class there later that weekend.

My Birthday in Malibu

2006-06-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

June 12 is my birthday and I decided to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) along Malibu Beach. It was a beautiful drive and there are dozens of coves, beaches, hiking trails, and viewpoints that I have yet to explore.

The Pacific Coast Highway winds along the coast between the ocean and the mountains. Even if you don't stop anywhere, it's a beautiful drive.

As I meditated on the beach, I wrote a happy birthday message to myself in the sand.

Just north of Malibu is a town called Oxnard with a quiet beach and pier.

Palm trees are everywhere in LA.

Sunset at Venice Beach

2006-06-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Luckily, our school is just a few minutes away from Venice Beach. I love how convenient it is to get to the beach in LA! The sound of the waves and cool ocean air always has a way of making me calm and peaceful. Bike rentals are only $6 an hour and a paved trail goes for miles and miles along the water.

Sunset at Venice beach.

Exploring the neighborhood

2006-06-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

We live in a historic preservation zone and the people have taken great care to keep their houses and gardens beautiful. As I walk through the streets, I'm reminded of Spain where I lived at one time. Here are some of our neighbor's houses:

First days in LA

2006-06-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

After spending 14 days driving cross-country, my mother and I finally arrived in LA yesterday. So much has happened since then, it doesn't seem like I've been here only 1 day! We checked into a seedy motel in Hollywood and my first priority was to find a decent sublet for the summer.

First thing this morning, I went to Venice to see a room that sounded perfect when I found it on craigslist.org a couple of weeks ago. But when I got there it was a bit of a dump- the room was actually a storage room/ office and I would have been sleeping on a dusty floor! So I came home and posted an ad on craigslist under 'Housing Wanted' and within 10 minutes a nice guy named Chris called me up and told me he had a big, beautiful house in a good neighborhood with an internet connection, several empty bedrooms and lots of space and light. Sound too good to be true? Well, I went there immediately and the house was perfect and was only a few miles from several major highways and the beach. Chris is a web developer who's into spirituality and travel just like me, so we hit it off immediately and agreed to a rent of $750/month- a great deal! Thank you craigslist! I couldn't believe how quickly things happened, and I'll be moving in tomorrow. Stay tuned for some pictures.

My house for the summer: a Spanish style villa with lots of fresh air, sunlight and a private garden.

Our garden is full of flowers and fruit trees and is the perfect place to rest and relax.

I knew I had come to the right place when I walked into the apartment and saw this statue of a Hindu goddess.

One of our sun-soaked patios.

One of our rommates, Rusty the cat, who is probably the most affectionate cat I've ever met.

This summer, I'll be attending a 'Summer in LA' program organized by my film school (American University). In this two month program, we'll have an internship during the day and attend a class during the night. In our class, we meet with producers, writers, executives and other filmmakers who have experience in the industry and will be visiting most of the major studios in town. This Wednesday, we'll be visiting the Dreamworks studio which we're all really excited about!

The Loyola Marymount campus, where we will be attending most of our classes. We'll also be visiting many of the major studios like Dreamworks and MGM.

Tonight, we attended a special screening at the DGA Theatre in Hollywood sponsored by the North Carolina School of the Arts. The student films from the school were very impressive and afterwards there was a reception with drinks and fancy orderbs- it was my first Hollywood style 'mixer' and I had a lot of fun. The people were laid back and friendly and I saw some familiar faces from American University.

The DGA Theater in Hollywood.

Some of the AU crew at the DGA screening. From left to right: Ahreum, Russell, Navin, Liang, Matt, Sabrina.

Tomorrow is our first official class and we'll be going over the syllabus and our plan for the summer- I'm looking forward to a lot of fun and hands on experience in the movie capital of the world! Stay tuned....