This is what life's felt like:

Challenging! But exciting!

Greetings, friends! There's about one month left to my show! Jesus. Life seems to have become a series of countdowns! BUt I really enjoy the urgency and the idea of creating things out of nothing. It's either the artist or carpenter in me...I'm not sure. However, some folks and I will be planning the 2007 APIA Spoken Word and Poetry Summit! This is an unofficial announcement and all, but yes! So happy to have such wonderfully talented and able friends! They make my day <3

AND! I was asked to join Mango Tribe! How exciting is that?! I get the chance to join some really amazing women on stage AND behind the scenes! I get the ask in a couple of days, so send me some good vibes! :)

A PERFECT SEGUE INTO: tix to my show, which i share with a co-founder of mango tribe (anida youe ali), are now available for three different show times!
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/5993

Now, onto important things, I am totally already missing my girl, Sandy, who will be moving to London to go to a really fancy school and join the upper eschelon of academia. She has been a monumental figure in the development of FiRE, and it is devastating to see her go! Because that is our girl, forreal forreal. I'll miss you Sunnnnnndeeeee! <3<3<3 But I am grateful for this time!

Here is a picture from the Stop the Killings benefit with Val and Sandy. And yes, I am holding a beer in that picture. Why? Because I'm a grown-ass woman who isn't ashamed of the part of me that likes teh chug. CHEERS2U! OMOGMGOMGOGM <3<3<3

Rounding it out...

Some really tragic things have happened since our last exchange. With that, I've had to take a week off the show in order to regroup, and focus energies elsewhere. Fortunately, this has resulted in pouring a lot of myself into things and stuffs that have required my attention, but have been put off for reasons XYZ. (projects include a new "work" section!) So, now...onto some pictures of how the season rounded itself out for me:

Haverford
Thanks to Deepa for the pizza and having our checks ready on delivery. That makes me feel good and not poor <3

This is Sham-E-Ali under the gorgeous and strange Haverford dorm basement. Did/do you have this at your college?


The great student body of the Haverford which hosted us and bought our merch! (They are dressed up because there was a killer dance at the cafeteria later that night.)


We had the wrong time for our departing regional rail train back to Center City, so Alison and Taiyo whipped out his guitar, and we did the hippie thing and played some Cranberries acoustic jawns. See here:

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Arkipelago!
The basement space of Lolita Bar was packed! I had a great time with my friends, and thank you very much for coming out and watching me read. It was a great time, with great homemade lumpia. <3 I'm still missing this pretty funny picture of me and Anthem, but that will be sent eventually. Thank you so much to Emmy for having me! She did a great job organizing this event, and we even found that we have the same growth spurt condition on the same knee! We are Osgood-Schlatters Sisters <3

Randomly (or maybe not so randomly) hosted by my cousin Steph. My god. I run into her at the funniest times. Also, my teeth are currency in this pic. Do not play.


My BFF since age 15, binkybianca! 2007 and still cute.


Circle of friends circa 2003. Omar is one of my faves.


My fellow FiRE founding member, Kimmiecakes! Getting her ASian blush on. I know I also have a picture of Sandy here somewhere... I loves me my FiRE folks.



And also, why does NO ONE EVER TELL ME THAT MY HAIR IS MESSY AS HELL at these events? I am mad at all of y'all.

I return bearing gifts!

And hello! The site was down for a little bit, since I exceeded my bandwidth limit! It was surprising, the sudden jump in visitors I received in the last month! But I am not complaining. While the site was down for the last week, I negotiated and doubled my hosting package, and here I am. TA-DAA!


Taken the exact same night the below video was taken!

So, from the comfort of my cousin, Lori's (pictured above with me in 2005!) home, I am blogging on her lovely Mac. I still owe you some pix from the Lolita and Haverford gigs, but that won't be til next week! I'll tell you this much, though...I had a great time (as usual.) In lieu of pictures from my end I will leave you with the link to Arkipelago's maarte.org where you can flip to the page where I am rocking some cute bone-white flats. (You actually FLIP through the album. It's super cute!) AND! Some recently uploaded video of a very rare collaboration that's only been performed once! It's Stephen and me from ECAASU 2004! Keep checking back for more videos in the coming weeks. Trust me. You want to see these videos.


and here's the link: http://one.revver.com/watch/253332

p-p-p-p-POISON!

Happy May Day, y'all! Blogging from a rehearsal break, but I am with you in spirit at the march! I miss you FiRE folks! <3 May Day and the Dirty Dancing 20th Anniversary on the the same day: coincidence? I think not. Before I head back to the rest of my afternoon: here's some footage of me, Bev, and Cisco on my birthday!



oh, great times <3

ALSO! you can go ahaead and purchase tickets for Guns and Tampons in June!
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/5993

My Time in Philly <3

 

This building will be demolished sometime in the next couple of months. A lot of really great things have come out of the Asian Arts Initiative. Its support has been THE element propelling my artistic career, and for that, I am extremely grateful! Thank you so much to Gayle and Gary for all their work and committment to Guns and Tampons. THere really would be no show without either of them.

 

Because I was in Philadelphia, I HAD TO get the BEST falafels EVER. I mean EVER! On the corner of 16th and JFK, on any given weekday from 11 am to about 330 pm, you should go to the KIng of Falafel cart! I still haven't met another falafel capable of matching this one! I went twice this past week. For $3.75 you can get a baby-sized falafel with tabouleh! Ps: do not sleep on the lentil soup!

 

And this was the wonderful rehearsal space lent by Highwire Gallery! Thank you! Just being in this amazing loft space was a treat!

 

And the fruit of a week's worth of labor: my final show order. WOW. IT's just embarrrrrasssingly amazing to know that I have the backing of so many folks who genuinely believe in my work---the constant affirmation that I don't suck as a writer. To have started at 18 with a poem about my broken heart, and now...all this success? I am blessed. As I told Rohan on the drive over to Auburn, who would've thought that I'd be doing a one woman show?

I am a lucky gal.

This weekend in CRAZY:

Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment just had their founding retreat, and BOY OH BOY, we got a lot done. Check us out on myspace and blogspot, please! KTHNXBYE!

other than that, facebook photos of the wonderful gig at SUNY: Albany via KPL have surfaced! Please find me on facebook and myspace and all that. <3 BUT! thanks again to the wonderful women of KPL and Spread the Word! I had a great time listening to your work, and couldn't have asked for better fajitas <3 Special thanks to Mieko for really working with me to get this show to Albany! And of course! To Jessie who did my Little Brown Fucking Machines/Pussy piece all those years ago! who read her work and referrrrrred me to her KPL SUNY ALbany sisters. Yay!

OH HEY LOOKIT! it's like i'm PART of the sorority!


they even got me flowers! isn't that sweet?


come back soon to some major updates all up in here! <3

Gig RoundUps!

(UPDATED!)


Fellow performers, if the Asian Student Association of Auburn University hollers at you, take the gig! They know how to treat a lady <3 One of the nices bunch of folks in the history of ever, and they are all on facebook to KIT post-gig. Surrriously, all these ppl at the table are BFFsfoLYFE! Thank yous to Gayatri, Suresh, Rohan, and Erin Kelly! Really appreciate the hospitality and warmth; makes me all in luuurve with the Souf.


Here's another photo courtesy of Sri Devi! Again! Thank you! I had a wonderful time with you all,and it was great to hang out with Stephen and Ill-Lit. If you have any pix you'd like to submit, please do! I am thisclose to adding a portion of my site called "audience participation" where all of OUR pix will be posted! <3

I'm just an idea machine over here. SO, send those pix (or their uploaded links) to me at girl@hanaleihanalei.com !