Light Packer: An Asian Stereotype Worth Unloading

Let me start off by introducing my friend Ian Cuizon a Humble Screen writer who recently graduated from UCLA. As others brag about what they have done and who they have worked with, Ian just stays quiet and lets his writing do the talking. Here is a little story he wrote talking about the Stereotype of the Asian Community.

This weekend I was forced by love to help my sister pack for her rookie attempt to move out of the house. My involvement in helping her organize too much unnecessary clutter known as "what a girl wants" into a TSA approved size of check in luggage space was purposely minimal. The reason being, I am Asian and take pride in being amazingly efficient in traveling, secure to carry nothing but the bare necessities of the 21st century or the ultra light Macbook Air Era.

But my sister, an aspiring actress much in need of a temporary hiatus from Hollywood made me think of anybody moving into the city of dreams. More specifically i thought of what has to change among aspiring Asians who want an A-list career in the reel world.

If we are to pack lightly, make sure when you fly from Shanghai, Tokyo or Manila that you bring nothing but your talent. The talent referred is not limited to your flexible joints, miraculous sense of balance and illegal range of voice pitch. Instead, you cannot leave home without the dynasty aged, multi-millennium tradition of Asian color, resilience, and persistence. This is all you will need to thrive in the still yet to be conquered city of studios. Food, clothing, and mansion sized shelter will be supplied by your too many relatives already residing in Southern California.

Or better yet, bring all your overweight furniture, kimonos, God's, Temple pieces, Buddha statues and balikbayan boxes with you. Carry a huge thousand dollar excess baggage penalty load so that you are forced to never want to pack and move out to another city again. Force yourself to be weighed down and never leave until you are rich and famous enough to hire people outside your kin to pack your walk in closets for you.

But if you are a struggling Asian artist without any glory even in your homeland yet then follow my first and preffered choice of someone who hates to pack. Continue to stay Asian and pack lightly. And to every dreamer colorblind of race and origin, be Asian like, and remember light is very different from empty. Make sure to bring something. "It" will suffice. If you do not bring this, and arrive empty handed without any check-ins, your stay in LA will be briefer than the express check out counter at your local organic grocery store.


-Ian Cuizon