Polygamist Tom Green and his wives.



Polygamist cult sect.
"All they talk about is how sacred their men are."



Polygamist cult sect.
"They were underaged girls. Many were much younger than the men."


"Trapped on the compound against their will."

Basically, the Mormon polygamist cult sect is like Flavor of Love with very bad fashion.

Labels: a shot at love with kristina wong, america makes me numb, reality tv, to catch a predator

I'm in a cafe in Williamsburg. I will miss it here. Even in all it's hipster obnoxiousness. This has been a fun time. I leave Wednesday.

I just had a meeting with a writer and tech geek who offered to help me re-design that 1999 beacon of bad HTML... www.bigbadchinesemama.com. He feels really ambitious that a new design with better features could bring life back to the project which has just sat in dusty college feminist studies memory. Looking at the site is painful. It's so ugly. It's like looking at old pictures of yourself with bad hair-- literally. I said to him, "Take it! And do with it what you will! I can't stand looking at it"

So I did well in my last show in Flushing. A great big audience of very receptive people. A somewhat intense Q&A (why must these audiences ask such personal questions?!!) that I think I handled with a lot more composure than in the past. And I had enough energy to spare to go to a craft fair in Greenpoint later that day. Crafts!!!

I think I described it best when I said to someone, "After a show, my brain is running on adrenaline, but I have no feeling or energy from the neck down. So I just lie awake in bed for 12 hours staring at what magazines I can prop in front of me."

I am like the boy in the bubble... or something.

I'm sure there were other important things to add to this update. But I can't remember them. I do know that the Salvation Army on Bedford Ave has some pretty damn good books. But I must exercise control.

Oh yeah, here's my last thing I want to mention. I gave money to a politician for the first time! I must really love this man. I sent Obama $30 this morning and he's going to send me a t-shirt!

Check it out...

Labels: art talk, artist life, crafty, new york city, Obama is hot

Hey everyone, the "Yours Truly, Miss Chinatown" documentary in which you can see 5+ years of Kristina Wong bad hair is premiering in Los Angeles soon. See the trailer below....



Screening information for LA is here.

I'm actually scheduled to be performing as "Fannie Wong, Former Miss Chinatown 2nd Runner Up" on the Xin Lu Bus tour (the film fest on wheels bus tour) as part of the VC Filmfest, so I will miss the experience of dozens of people watching my innards spew outwards.

I actually feel quite nervous about seeing the documentary. Because I was sobbing so much at times for the camera and you best bet that over the last few years, she caught a lot of crap on me! A couple of folks who have seen it already say I have nothing to worry about, but I may just let it be and keep my copy of the documentary locked up in the bowels of history. But I knew it was important to me to record my life and intentions in some way. Even, if that meant forever cockblocking myself.

However, you are welcome to go and tell me what you think!

My first show in Queens was yesterday! What an experience! There was a power outage at Queens Theater in the Park and the lights were out all over the park and they had to hold the show for 35 minutes. I had to choose to do the show with the emergency lights on in the theater (which eventually turned themselves off.) But I was so grateful that the show wasn't cancelled that I put all my love out there for all 15 folks who took the train out to buttfreak Flushing to see me!

I ended the show with a bow, but also jumped into the audience and shook each person's hand individually... because well... I could.

One more show on Sunday!

I can't believe I've been living here in Williamsburg for so long. I don't know how to describe what's it's like to live in a neighborhood that's so trendy and where there are ridiculous trendy people walking around at all hours. It's like Burningman, or Disneyland-- at least in the sense of the immediate community moving around you. It's like barely 70 degrees and people are out sunbathing in bikinis and shirtless because they crave the sun so much.

Labels: artist life., i'm kristina wong, new york city, no more dong, oh my god, reality tv, sex is unnecessary when you have yarn

I'm listening to various commencement speeches online in preparation for my little 10-minute number that I'm given to the graduates in the English Department in June. Right now I'm listening to Steve Jobs who so far I've learned was adopted, dropped out of college, returned bottles for nickels and would treat himself to one meal at the Hare Krishna temple because he was so poor in college.

He's like me, except way richer. I was pretty poor in college. And if not for the Hare Krishna people who fed people by donation, I would have subsided entirely on Tino's burritos, ramen and twix bars.

I actually wanted to drop out of college my first year. The bureaucracy was too much. I wasn't learning all the things I wanted to learn. Something I've noticed that happens to students at some of the universities I go to-- they get lost in the system. But I couldn't listen to my gut. Instead, I listened to fear that being a "college drop out" would damn me for life and make me the great shame of my family. And so I slugged it out in an rigid system. Perhaps this is the great speech I shall give.

"What are you doing here?!? We should be out in the world traveling and making art. Let's save our parents money and get out of this joint!"

I have no idea what my speech will be about. My mother forwarded me this really long email from her high school friend (a Chinese American baby boomer) with Chinese-American- Drill-sargeant-advice for my speech.

Here's an excerpt...

"Tell her to go for it. Keep the 10 min speech professional with a little humor; no off-the-wall jokes; tell the kids what it is like to "really survived" and make it in this tough world. No need to go into long-winded personal biography...the kids would care less. If they really want to know, Kristina could "jokingly" refer them to a website and tell them to read all about it."

My friend Isaac often remarks how irritating it is when people who don't work in our field give advice. I am thinking that perhaps I should send my mother's friend a video of me doing a speech that complies with her advice.... Other notes which include....

"Sticks to one issue, such as "how English helped me to survive and landed me a job in communication/acting/; how English helped me become a writer; etc." NOT SOME CONVULUTED SUBJECT that will take a lifetime to explain. Keep it SIMPLE."

Seeing as I don't actually have a "job" nor any stories of how English helped me survive (I credit my career survivial more to my savage cockroach survival instincts than what I remember of Beowulf), so I'll send her a video of the audience giving me the bird for being such a goody goody know it all.

Or maybe I'll tell a great story about my day yesterday, I locked in that mid-life crisis early with some pin-up photos!

I took the train to New Jersey to sit for pin-up photographer Viva Van Story. The most not well kept secret in the world is that I'm turning 30 in June. Which means I must finally come to grips with the fact that just maybe, I will never be discovered as a supermodel. That the whole supermodel career and becoming a real Miss Chinatown thing or a lingerie model will probably not pan out.

Plus my junk on the front and back are falling down.

The solution? Take hot pictures of myself to put up in my apartment! YES!

It was actually really hard to lie around in underwear and a corset on the floor looking good and now I find myself saying, "Wow, Tyra Banks is actually good at what she does." It probably didn't help much that we shot in a bowling alley where these high school kids were singing Jesus Christ Superstar songs really loud and their parents were circling us. But I did it. The day ended with me naked in a bubble bath making sexy face for the camera. The make-up lady blew bubbles while the photographer said, "Close your mouth. I don't need to see so much of your teeth." And I was screaming, "Holy smokes, so this is what it's like to be in a soft porn!"

That's right kids... I'm going to be your commencement speaker!

Anyway, nobody gets to see the pics. Only me, the two people who visit me a year, and the cat get to see.

Aaahhhh.... This is what it's like to age gracefully.

Labels: artist life, empowerment, hollywood wong, is unnecessary when you have yarn., sex is unnecessary when you have yarn, toastmaster wong, vision

Since I bought Harold (my car's name) almost two years ago, I keep getting questions about the car and whether or not I can recommend Lovecraft, etc. etc . And I've kept a tight lip about my REAL experience with Lovecraft's original owner (Brian Friedman/ Brian Lovecraft) who sold me my car. The reason why I didn't tell anyone how bad he was to me was I was scared if I talked smack, he would never fix my car (which he didn't fix anyway). The relationship we had as car seller and car buyer was like an abusive ex-boyfriend who has your stuff and a hapless ex-girlfriend who has to be nice to get it back.

Anyway, Lovecraft's new owner, Tacee, made good on Brian's loaded promises and repaired the car so it is now safe to drive.

Well, the LA Times article is out and now you can read about this whole hipster soap opera yourself. Yay! I have a nice little weight off me!

Labels: press, veggie oil car

I haven't even begun to chronicle the last two weeks on the road. It feels like it's been an eternity since I took off for this one month on the road. The days have been so packed. And it always seems to happen this time of year-- The Women's History Month/Asian Pacific Islander Heritage month rounds I call them.

I am compelled to blog because I was reading about the recent suicide of Daniel Kim on CNN.com. He was a Korean American student at Virginia Tech. After the shootings last year, he became fearful that he would become mistaken as Seung-Hui Cho, and he became very reclusive and isolated. He stopped going to classes. Preferred making friends in the virtual world. His friends tried to get him help. The school administration ignored all the warning signs. He bought a gun and killed himself.

I forget so much how I got into doing art for a reason. After the heartbreaking grantwriting process, the time spent apart from family and friends, the airport shuffle, and all the bureaucracy I complain about on a daily basis--- there is the opportunity to actually make and share my work.

Why did I get into this shit? Because there was a time that I knew so well that art provided the space to consider, critique, and contemplate our lives the way television did not. I forget so often as I do this as my living now. Art gave that space for that festering boiler machine called "the unspoken" to pop safely into something beautiful.

I watched Mike Daisey's "How Theater Failed America" yesterday at Joe's Pub and he goes into this one story about how he and some college friends lived on ramen one summer to create a rep theater company in Eastern Maine (where they were convinced they could change the landscape of theater as we knew it!). It's a familiar story. Of post-college ambition given a slave labor workout and and insane double and tripled cast roles in the attempt to make art like nobody had ever seen before.

He also critiques how the infrastructure of theater mirrors corporate structure. Bigger theaters need to appeal to the "bottom line." They can't take huge risks. And now, as I have known forever, the demographic of theater audiences get older and older and are fewer and fewer. The most "well-heeled" of theaters would never let themselves be considered "community theater" (though, paradoxically, it's the "community theaters" with the microscopic budgets that have the audiences that these large theaters should be wanting to cultivate).

So what is this work supposed to be doing? Who is it for?

Are we social workers? NO! But we do work that social workers can't with the tools they have.

I often tell my students, "This work is not therapy. But it is therapeutic."

Last week I was on a panel at Amherst College. There was a recent suicide in January by a Korean American student.

During the Q&A, I talked about my journey with the show. How stressful it can be. How proud I am that I am still alive after having taking up the enormous task. And I talked about a teenager whose class I performed for in 2006. She told me afterwards that she had been molested a few years ago. The class was getting out, I lost her in the chaos of the setting. I felt like I let her down.

As I recounted this story at Amherst, I started to tear up. And rather than apologize or hide it. I said in front of the audience at Amherst: "I'm feeling very emotional right now. And I think you can see it. And I just need to let you know that I can still take questions and comments."

And now, I'm in New York in the Lower East Side. I've had a very chill week and here. I get about a week to "relax" before the shows in Queens next week.


Some pics from last week.


You know God is a Woman when you meet Rhodessa Jones, founder of the Medea Project. A theater project for incarcerated women. She works so hard and does so much right by her work.



This is my friend Matthew who lives on a farm in Western Mass with his theater company. They have chickens. And I said, "I want to see if the chickens laid any eggs!" And there it was in the corner of the coop-- a fresh egg from the chicken's jaja.



Matthew cooked two eggs. The farm fresh egg and the store bought egg and we did a taste test. It was subtle but you could taste the difference! The fresh egg was more tasty.



I don' t know why, but tractors are funny.



I thought my tech Jen who didn't come on this show with me would get a kick out of the theater at the Charles B. Wang Center at Stonybrook U. They have a big garden window at the back of the theater. They cover it with the back curtain, but it's the oddest placed window in the history of architecture. Here I am with the folks who brought me out.

Labels: artist life, road wong

I really promise, a fuller update to come from my adventures from Texas to Massachusetts to tomorrow in Long Island where I have a show at Stonybrook U..

I just got to New York City today and am subletting in the heart of Hipsterville for the rest of the month. I am sleeping in my friend's loft bed in a place at 4th St and Bedford Ave in Williamsburg! I swear it's so Disney Hipsterland here that I piss Pabst beer (ironically, of course).



Here's a picture of me at Smith College last night. I'm taking pictures with my Crackberry lately. Which is why they are so blurry. More updates to come, with scant pictures. I promise.

In the meantime, enjoy this funky translation below of another Chinese Press News piece on me. I am really excited that the Chinese press is taking a liking to me or at least my work. Because even if Chinese speaking people won't be able to understand my show... It puts the themes of the show on the table and hopefully gives my work some impact for them, if just through the press. I hope it will get dialogue started in Chinese speaking communities about issues of depression. Especially, if it will keep them from taking their own life!

The reason that my name is "Mr. Huang meter" in this translation below is that my Chinese name ("Wong Gwun Yee") translates roughly to "Measured or Even-keeled Gentleman." Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for picking this name! The character for "Wong" means "Yellow." So I am actually a "Yellow Measured Gentleman."

One more thing you now know about the Wong.

Leap cuckoo nest Mr. Huang meter one-man show
Participates in the New York Asian culture festival performance description melancholy Asia females to be easy to seek the shortsighted view

[ Article: That insults ] is born in San Francisco's person of Chinese descent performing artist Mr. Huang the meter (Kristina Wong), future New York will participate in "the Asian cultural festival" (Asian Cultural Festival), will perform its work "Mr. Huang the meter to fly over the cuckoo nest" (Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), will describe the Asian female because of the life condition which melancholy will commit suicide. Mr. Huang the meter said that, she is engaged in artistic the goal is for break through the limitation, the help populace, even saves the life.

Place of performance for empress area park theater (Queens theatre in the Park) and stone brook New York State University Charles Wang center.

Mr. Huang the meter ancestor parents come America in 194 ○ ages from Guangdong, the grandfather first in the laundry works as the labor, the grandmother to do odd jobs in the restaurant, afterwards two people accumulated the money to come, the end could buy a laundry. Mr. Huang the meter father sells the insurance in the bank, the mother is accountant. The whole family goes through many hardships in US, the meter must choose the performing arts path to Mr. Huang truly to be surprised.

Mr. Huang the meter once went study the Los Angeles UC'S English literature and the world art department. She said that, own study specialty and the play specialized different are, the play specialized content extremely westernizes, by the European lineage Caucasian culture primarily, makes her to be very difficult to approve. Mr. Huang the meter also contacts Mexican and the Latin American lineage dramatic art, displays the farm hand, the workers living conditions, she thought the ink lineage, the Latin American lineage life struggles, with Asian is extremely similar.

Mr. Huang the meter play frequently is the one-man show (solo performance), script write oneself develops, moreover non- tradition. She said that, her play frequently with an under audience interacts, for instance converses with the audience, makes the note, has the person her play for the behavior art (performance art).

This leaves "Mr. Huang the meter to fly over the cuckoo nest" the play conception, receives touching which the Asian feminine suicide rate stays at a high level. Mr. Huang the meter indicated that, the Asian female always smiles in the life, very can hide the painful the sentiment. In others' eye, the Asian female lives well, how can commit suicide? "Mr. Huang the meter flies over the cuckoo nest" by Mr. Huang the meter (non- artist's) the alone angle performance, starts when the play always says oneself very well, must own solve the problem, but afterwards finally supported, entire collapse.

She said that, she saw some families commit suicide after the family member, cancelled all to seek the trace which short once existed, why the mistake lies in Asian does not discuss commits suicide can occur. "If the automobile makes the unusual sound, we may follow the sound to find the problem, early repairs a vehicle; But the Asian female does not make noise, only perishes own."

Mr. Huang the meter said that, how she does want to explore the Asian female in the play to establish the relations with the other people, how also hides the heart of hearts the sentiment.

Mr. Huang the meter said that, writes "the Nanjing massacre" person of Chinese descent writer Iris Chang (Iris Chang), finally unexpectedly steps onto road of the suicide, inspires her to create this play. Iris Chang once visited Los Angeles to enlarge, her at that time as if extremely exhausted, was numb. Some people suggested she writes about woman being forced to comfort the war soldier with sex's book, Iris Chang's reply is: "I need to protect in the sentiment oneself". Iris Chang has gone, the literary world also was short bravely, the successful writer, Mr. Huang the meter heaved a sigh for it.

Mr. Huang the meter indicated that, she is the person of Chinese descent third generation, some people felt she does not like the person of Chinese descent, but she chooses the performance to work as the occupation, in the others eye, this occupation is unstable, even is restless. Mr. Huang the meter calls oneself Asian, also not sedulously pursues some kind of cultural identity. She said that, the performance makes her not to stop the journey to rush about, does not calculate on the road, also is for starts off prepares, this kind of life is actually lonely, therefore she writes the one-man show. She said, because the funds is limited, not the impossible please very many people together to perform. But she is engaged in the artistic performance, is wants to bring the good transformation to the people, the surmounting limitation, even cannot cause the artistic person also to fall in love with art.

"Mr. Huang the meter will fly over the cuckoo nest" to perform two in the empress area park theater, the time for April 24 evening 8., on 27th afternoon 3.. Ticket price all 10 Yuan. The empress area park theater is located the farad abundant prairie to be possible in the happy elegant park. Stone brook New York State University Charles Wang center performance time for April 10 evening 7 o'clock, after the performance and has the symposium. (New York leisure/art)

Labels: artist life, new york city, press, road wong

Holy Smokeroos! I just got into Amherst, MA last night where I'm hosting this conference showcase. I'm jumping up and down because I got this email...

Dear Kristina,

The year after you graduated from UCLA, the English department began a tradition of inviting one of our alumni to give a commencement address. For 2008, we would very much like you to be that person! Our department commencement is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 15th (Father’s Day) at 12:30pm in Pauley Pavilion. The event will last approximately 2 hours, and we are asking you to prepare a 10-minute speech to the graduating students on the topic of how your undergraduate education in English has been helpful and relevant to you in your years since graduating. Of course, you are welcome to make your address as serious or as entertaining as you would like! And we would be happy to accommodate any guests (friends or family members) you might like to invite as well. We realize your schedule for June may already be full, but we fervently hope you will be able to join us and contribute to the joy of the day for our graduating majors. Please let me know if you’ll be able to participate at your earliest convenience, and also if there is anything we can do to facilitate your being able to participate, please let me know!

Sincerely,

Janel Munguia
Undergraduate Advisor
UCLA Department of English


This is so validating! Especially since I was such a crappy and scatterbrained English major when I was there. I am not sure if I can do it or will have to take a raincheck (supposed to be in Florida for six weeks for a residency and need to see if they can fly me and if I can get away for a couple days). They said they would take a rain check for 2009 if they cannot fly me in this time around.

I also think it makes sense that this invite came when it did. I'm really wanting to change my life more and more to live by example and be a better role model. To live with more hope and vision like Obama says we must. (But please, I'm not perfect, so forgive me as I make mistakes along the way. And I will.)

I think the universe sent me this invite because I was buzzing from a great week in San Antonio and found myself writing in my journal, "I am so lucky to be Kristina Wong." I am so so lucky!

I really am happy to be who I am right now. Thank you universe!

"....Esteemed Class of 2008, now that I've told you how much money I actually make, and how I've managed to humiliate myself and my family for a living, let's spend the next 9 minutes watching this clip from 'The Secret'!"

Labels: i'm kristina wong, the secret

So, I've been staying at my friend D'lo's in Santa Monica for the two day stint I'm here. (I'm frantically packing now by the way.) I parked my car by 9th and Washington and come back to see a note on my car in serial killer writing that says "I have cleaned WVO for you. -Mark" With a phone number.

"Cleaned WVO" for those not in the know is clean, usable vegetable oil that can be used for fuel.

I threw caution to the wind and decided to call the number. The guy who answered told me to meet him at night in the alley way behind his building to buy some of his oil at 50 cents a gallon.

Was it a hoax? Perhaps he knew me by my car and the LA Times story and was luring me into an alley way.

But it was so cheap! I couldn't back down!

Practicing standard safety precautions, I told like 8 million people by phone: "Ok, please call the police if you don't hear from me by 8:30pm. I got a tip on a hot used vegetable oil source and for only 50 cents a gallon. I gotta look into this, even if it's taking a chance with my life."

So anyway, long story short. I did go into the dark alleyway and there he was! A perfectly normal dude with way too much clean used vegetable oil. I slapped him over 8 bucks and he filled my tank.

And now it looks like I got the cheapest oil source in town! I will only share him with people who come to my shows and love me to death.

Selfish? Yes. You have to be when it comes to fuel at 50 cents a gallon!

She shoots, she scores!

Labels: veggie oil car

Back in LA for all of two days after a great trip to San Antonio. An update with photos to come. I am trying to get ready to leave town for the month!!

My friend and videographer, Paul, figured out how to translate that Chinese article that was done about my show using Babelfish.

The result is pure poetry! I may use it in a future show. Check it out!

The stage play demonstrated the Asian feminine psychologically healthy question directs the intense sympathetic chord The king leaps the insane asylum broken taboo

[ Newspaper Reporter Wu Jian on March 5 Los Angeles reported ] person of Chinese descent free writer concurrently performing artist Wang Tina (Kristina Wong) from arranged self-directed had reflected the Asian feminine psychological question "King Leapt Insane asylum" for the subject stage play (Wong Flew Over Cuckoo Nest). This play has caused the Asian feminine teachers' and students' intense sympathetic chord in 南加州 the universities, colleges and institutes. Wang Tina through the stage play form, unfolded to the audience to think aloud acted like a madman Asian feminine image. This play explained about the Asian feminine psychologically healthy taboo topic, obtained many person of sympathetic chords. The body for third generation's people of Chinese descent, Wang Tina is a free writer, the actor, the social activities and the movie producer. "My paternal grandmother now or did not know I am making any." According to Wang Tina introduced that, her ancestor parents generation long ago from Guangdong immigrant US, found the work on the American this foreign land land which supports the family gets by was they strongest wish, also is they to the descendants later generation's expectation. Therefore, when she starts is engaged in the free artist's occupation, in the family the person extremely did not understand. Says regarding the person of Chinese descent, the traditional work is engineer, attorney, doctor and so on, likes her such "to be free" really is in addition the kind. 12 year-old time, Wang Tina thought own state of mind is not very good, thereupon says with the mother must go looks at psychological doctor. But the mother actually did not agree she looks at doctor, because "such speech, later will not have the employer to dare to hire you." She has not thought, in mother's heart, her in the future duty cycle her health will be also important. Wang Tina said, "in general Asian family, if some people have the psychological problem, everybody first response is the denial." She also has some friends and in relative's family all has left the similar situation. Wang Tina believed, the psychological question therefore in the Asian female the especially obvious main reason, is the social family especially is in particular high regarding the Asian feminine role expected value, but they also can gradually "in" pair this kind of expected value own request. "For instance at the meeting, the Asian hostess often also wants the splendid attire attendance except preparation sumptuous meal, looks after each visitor, but she are joyful?" Wang Tina thought 前些时候 pretended to be in the UC in the school student's Han lineage female student was a very good example. They because do not think the transferor person disappointedly, thereupon on is easy to live in an unreal world. This play inspiration came from in 1976 the Oscar best movie "Leap Insane asylum" (One Flew Over Cuckoo Nest). After the performance, many people all narrate own question to Wang Tina, some are is lovelorn, some are the pressure and so on. "But I certainly am not a psychological doctor, I am unable to solve their problem." Afterwards, she requested each time performs when all has the specialty psychological doctor arrives assists some audiences. Wang Tina said, "certainly is not to the collapse when only then may seek the help, should jump over is early better."

Labels: press