12.04.12

Monday Dare (& Giveaway!): I see you on that Facebook Grind

Every week, I challenge myself to a Monday Dare. Click on the link to see the complete list of Monday Dares or to learn more about its origin.

This week: Put down the goddamn phone

Sometimes, I like to play “What Would You Save If Your House Were Burning Down And You Could Only Take Three Things And Don’t Say Your Heirloom Dining Room Table Cuz Ain’t No One Strong Enough To Carry A Goddamn Solid Oak Table” with my friends. I’ve overheard a few snickers and complaints about the length of the title, but I don’t let it get to me. Hateful words often stem from jealousy. Not everyone has a flair for Game Naming.

My mint-condition collection of Yo! MTV Raps trading cards were part of My Three until recently when I had all the good ones matted and framed. I’ll be the first to admit my physical limitations. My shoulder muscles aren’t developed enough to carry an extremely large Rap Shrine.

I’d save Cal’s baby book even though I stopped updating it when she was four months old because clearly, I’m just too lazy to do even one thing right for my only child. Whenever friends and family ask to see recent pictures of Cal, I just tell them to “Facebook that shit, motherfucker.”

I thought about saying some socially acceptable answers for my other items, but that’s not how our friendship works, and I honor that.

I would save my iPhone. Everyone always responds with three items, but I don’t need that many. When you’ve got a mostly empty baby book and your best friend, what more do you need?

Vincent (don’t even try to pretend that your phone doesn’t have a name too) and I have been through a lot. We recently took a trip to San Francisco together:

I saved this picture on my computer as BestBuddies.jpg. It probably would have been a much better shot if my three friends from the Ghetto Genius Crew weren’t crowded around us. Jay Wunder, the Ghetto Genius himself, wrote afterwards on his site:Flo-Rich was glued to her fucking phone Facebooking, Twittering and Instagramming so much that Anonymous pulled her ass to the side and said she was two posts away from a goddamn intervention. 

I made an effort to keep Vincent in my purse the next evening, but my hands weren’t used to being unoccupied. My ears weren’t used to the silence. The constant ding of emails and texts and tweets and notifications from Facebook and Instagram and Words with Friends and phone calls and weather alerts is what lets me know I’M ALIVE, BITCHES.

I slipped away and locked myself in a bathroom stall. Maybe I took too long, but I’m sure there are perfectly good explanations for being in a public restroom for 47 minutes, none of which I could think of when I heard a knock on the stall door: “I SEE YOU ON THAT FACEBOOK GRIND. PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE.”The first step is admitting I have a problem. That’s what I learned from my friend H-Bomb during my intervention inside the women’s restroom at O’Reilly’s

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I FUCKING LOVE PRESENTS giveaway #3

I fucking love presents. Maybe you do too. To celebrate this holiday season, I’ll be doing a giveaway each week until the end of the year. Get connected on the Flourish in Progress Facebook page, on Instagram (username: flourishinprogress), and on Twitter (@ElizabethJLiu) for giveaway updates, (t)hug life thoughts, pictures, and other random shit.

This week: MNKR “Fuck the Fuckers” T-shirts Giveaway

I proudly wear this t-shirt in public all the time. Except when I have to go to PTA meetings. Then, I’ll throw a delicate cardigan over it, and all you can read is “UC H CKE.” Yesterday, I bumped into Kandace, one of the brains behind MNKR’s fierce line of apparel and accessories, and she generously offered TWO Fuck the Fuckers t-shirts (one women’s, one men’s) for this giveaway. Thanks, Kandace!

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with the three things you would save if we were playing “What Would You Save If Your House Were Burning Down And You Could Only Take Three Things And Don’t Say Your Heirloom Dining Room Table Cuz Ain’t No One Strong Enough To Carry A Goddamn Solid Oak Table.” Only comments left on THIS POST qualify. I’ll announce a winner next Monday.LAST WEEK’S SKULL NECKLACE WINNER: Danielle with the numbers 0212 in your email address. Please email me at flourishinprogress at gmail dot com.

first image via pinterest
December 4, 2012
11.27.12

Hustle Hard Interview Project: Gene Hong



To celebrate my 32nd birthday, I started the Hustle Hard Interview Project. Each month for the next year, I’ll be interviewing one Hustler who embodies a skill or a quality I admire. I hope to uncover some gems that bring me one step closer to being a fully-formed adult.

#3: HUMOR
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I discovered Gene Hong while clicking around on Twitter instead of doing honest work. I’m not gonna lie: Reading one tweet turned into checking his entire Twitter stream. I appreciate a good laugh, and Gene’s tweets are refreshingly original and consistently funny. Gene is an accomplished writer, actor, and producer who majored in chemistry and environmental science in college, but decided to pursue a career in writing after a summer writing internship. “If you’re spiritual, you can call it a gift. If you’re not spiritual, then you can call it a skillset. But whatever it is that you’re good at, you have to do it, and that becomes your contribution. “While I search for my own way to contribute, it’s thrilling to see others like Gene who are dedicated to honing their talents and taking “big things poppin'” to a whole nother level.

EJL: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given, personal or professional?

GH: I went to Six Flags last year and rode X2 four times in a row. It was awesome, but it gave me a huge headache, so my friend gave me a few over-the-counter pain relievers. My headache was immediately gone. That’s probably the best Advil I’ve ever been given.

EJL: I think you misheard my question. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

GH: Oh. No matter how little or much success you get, always be kind.

EJL: And writing advice?

GH: Writers write.

EJL: So do you write every day even when you don’t feel like it? Do you go by time or word count?

GH: Yeah, I pretty much write every day. Weekdays, I write for a TV show, so the only time I have to work on other projects (features, pilots, etc.) is nights and weekends. I don’t go by time or word count as much as the general feeling of having accomplished enough for the session.

EJL: The TV show you’ve talking about is NBC’s Community, right? How has your experience been this season?

GH: Community has been great. I’ve met some incredibly talented and nice people. I got to write an ambitious musical episode this year, which has been a blast.

EJL: What are some challenges you’ve faced in Hollywood?

GH: The biggest challenge I’ve faced in Hollywood is understanding San Vicente Boulevard, which curves diagonally and cuts through both the north-south and east-west streets of Los Angeles.

Also, racism.

EJL: You don’t seem very crazy to me. Strike that. It came out wrong. English is my second language, and I have trouble communicating sometimes. Wait, was that racist? Let me try that again. What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

GH: This might be one of those “the answer’s in the question” questions because actually, being a writer can be therapy for certain people. There is so much out of our control in Hollywood, especially if you’re an aspiring artist. Writing at least gives you some semblance of control, something tangible to quantify your work, which can be therapeutic.

Also, racism.

EJL: Your tweets are hilarious. I have to make a concerted effort not to retweet every single one. Have you had any interesting opportunities or interactions because of Twitter?

GH: I’ve actually become real-life friends with a couple of people through Twitter, which I think is awesome. The coolest interaction I’ve had is finding out that Jerry Seinfeld follows me, then tweeting back and forth with him. I didn’t have to humblebrag that to my friends, I just straight-up-bragged about it. So cool!

EJL: I recently saw a friend tweet, delete, and rework a tweet three times. Do you ever do this?

GH: All the time. No.

EJL: Your longtime best friend/roommate happens to be Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. In what ways does having a friend committed to his own creative pursuit influenced you?

GH: You know those people who after you spend time with them, you feel drained? Energy Vampires? Adam’s the exact opposite of that. He’s extremely energizing and positive which makes for a great creative environment.

EJL: Do people in your personal life get nervous you’ll include your shared experiences with them in your work?

GH: I don’t think so. I’d never share anything negative about the people in my life. But that does remind me…this one time, I watched Adam kill a hobo.

EJL: Tupac or Biggie?

GH: “Ain’t a woman alive that can take my momma’s place.” -Tupac Shakur

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I FUCKING LOVE PRESENTS giveaway #2. I fucking love presents. Maybe you do too. To celebrate this holiday season, I’ll be doing a giveaway each week until the end of the year. Get connected on the Flourish in Progress Facebook page, on Instagram (username: flourishinprogress), and on Twitter (@ElizabethJLiu) for updates and random (t)hug life thoughts.So many of y’all raved about this skull necklace on the Flourish in Progress Facebook page that I’ve decided to give one away.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with your favorite TV comedy show. What makes it a stand-out show to you? Only comments left on THIS blog post will count. I’ll announce a winner next Monday. LAST WEEK’S MYSKIPPER GIVEAWAY WINNER: Carolyn Hampton. Please email me at flourishinprogress at gmail dot com.
November 27, 2012