I have a little dream-box on the nightstand next to my bed. It was a gift. The idea is to write down your dreams, put them in the box and they will seep into your every human fiber as you enjoy a lovely night of golden slumbers. Then when you wake up, you make that … More I threw a dream in the garbage.
I cried in the middle of a class. Again. That’s happened more than I would’ve expected in my life. This time, it was a Friday morning, before a really important exam. In medical school, we have these yearly exams to make sure that we kind of know what we’re doing when it comes to patient … More Maybe you are actually something special.
You were made to dream. Made to believe. Made to have unbreakable faith. You were made to put everything you have into something. Made to count on it. To rely on it. To know it will always be there. You were made to be wrong. You were made to be let down. Made to question … More Don’t forget what you were made for.
My time living in Portland, OR has felt like a single blink of my eyes. I moved here in late August of 2013 and since then, I have constantly been studying for an exam or training for a martial arts competition. It’s been relentless and exhausting. That is, until a few weeks ago. I took … More A few words on my goals and accomplishments.
I knew I was pushing myself to my limit, but I thought I could handle it. My plan was to take my first set of board exams to become a licensed naturopathic doctor on a Tuesday and fight at a Muay Thai event on the following Saturday. From the moment my school term ended until … More It’s not about being unbreakable.
I’m a second-year medical student. And a fighter. Some would say I lead a dual life. I don’t see it that way, but there is definitely a giant gap between these two aspects of my life. I end up feeling a bit misunderstood. The people I train with mostly assume that I take a part-time … More 5 profound life lessons I learned from losing a Muay Thai fight.
The biggest component to making a living at something is as simple as giving it a really solid attempt. You aren’t going to be a world famous accountant if you don’t spend your days, ya know, accounting or whatever and you aren’t going to become a famous performer without performing. So last week, I entered … More Playing for an empty room.
Being part of the Legends in Concert show is not really a route to superstardom but it would definitely pay the bills while perfecting my craft. Legends is the longest running impersonators show. They are all over the country and they’ve recently started one here, in Waikiki. At the Waikiki Rock-a-Hula, as it’s called, they … More Legends in Concert Audition
From the moment I graduated from the University of Hawai’i, I thought about art, and beauty and how to make that my life. I joined a band. I played music or wrote or watched movies in every free second. It’s what I want. It took a while to get the courage to start sending out … More Being Rejected and Yelling at My Girlfriend.
Part of shooting for an outrageous goal is failing big. I auditioned for the Blue Man Group and I totally crashed and burned. I can’t say that there was ever a point that I really believed I was going to get the role, but it is way too easy to fantasize about moving to New … More BMG Audition: It turns out I can’t act
James is Trying 