Registration Issue 2011: Arts & Entertainment

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New class of film students makes the cut UCLA’s prestigious program is highly selective, accepting only about 30 applicants every year

BY TERESA JUE A&E staff tjue@media.ucla.edu

er for students within UCLA to get in. I always want to deter the myth that it’s impossible to get in, because even if there are It took Cou r t Soto fou r around 70 students applying, years, four applications and students will have about a 20 two appeals to be accepted percent chance of getting in,” into UCLA’s School Flener said. of T he ater, F i l m Third-year film and Telev ision as student Shamsi I’m excited Lu na, who transan undergraduate film student. to be collaborating ferred from Ventura Soto was rejectCol lege, sa id she ed the first time in with other stucried and could not 2007, when he was dents and meeting stop shaking when trying to transfer the professors.” she was accepted, from Santa Monica a nd she pla n s to College. He got into Shamsi Luna t a k e a 2 0 - u n i t UCLA the second Third-year film student course load her first t i me, t hou g h he quarter at UCLA to was accepted into take full advantage the alternate English major of the film program. instead of the film major he “The next two years will be applied for. Later, even though gnarly and insane. I’m excited he ignored his English major to be collaborating with other requirements in favor of audit- students and meeting ing and crashing film courses, the professors,” Luna Soto was rejected a third time. said.

After being rejected on his Anothfourth and final application to er transthe film school, Soto decided to w rite an appeal letter to reverse the decision, using a quote from “Rocky VI” about being denied to fight for his dream.

It was at his workplace at Boba Loca in Burbank that Soto decided to check the petitions page to see if his appeal letter went through. It did.

“I saw the appeal for admission say ‘approved.’ I ju st stared at it for the longest time because more than four years was boiled down to that moment,” Soto said.

According to undergraduate film adviser Erica Flener, the program gets anywhere from 50 to 70 internal applicants from UCLA and around 500 to 700 transfer applications in any given year. Approximately 15 applicants from the internal pool are accepted, along with 15 transfer applicants. Flener said the small number of acceptances each year gives the program an intimate setting in which students can foster a collaborative learning community.

“Statistically, it’s much easi-

fer student, third-year film student Rachael Lee, veered away from her original pre-law track at Reed College and applied to the film program at UCLA during a gap year from school. Lee said she thinks that her interest in the development aspect of filmmaking may have set her apart from other applicants.

“I know there are a lot of k id s out t here who say they wa nt to be the next Martin Scorsese or the next Quentin Tarantino. There are not a lot of kids who say they want to be the next Amy Pascal or the next development head of the Weinstein Company,” Lee said.

With alumni such as d i rector s F r a nci s Ford Coppola and Gore Verbinski, as well as renowned faculty in a nationally ranked film sc ho ol, m a ny s t udent s

clamber to enter the School of Theater, Film and Television.

For undergraduates, the Bachelor of Arts in film, television and digital media is a two-year intensive study for students who have completed two years of general education.

For the next two years, film students will go through a program of upper-division courses, where they will choose a concentration ranging from production to animation.

Soto, now a sixth-year film student, said he aspires to be a director and screenwriter after graduating. He said that it would not be out of the ques-

tion for him to write a screenplay about his four-year ordeal of getting accepted into film school.

“Would I repeat the process if I knew I had to go through all this?” Soto said. “Probably not, but at the same time I’m very glad that I made a goal for myself and went through hell and high water to get it.”

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Meditation gave him direction

BY LAURIE ALLRED A&E contributor lallred@media.ucla.edu In 2007, fourth-year ethnomusicology student Jaswinder Singh was working as a waiter at a 24-hour hotel on the Sunset Strip, feeling unfulfilled with the direction of his life. One day, his co-worker suggested Singh try yoga. Singh began to take meditation seriously and, after three months of 4 a.m. meditation lessons, Singh quit the job

he hated and enrolled at UCLA. Singh said that, with the help of meditation, he decided to make the dramatic change from living as an aspiring musician in Los Angeles to moving west to a different neighborhood and starting a serious relationship with his current wife. Singh said that meditation helped him realize his goal of returning to school.

“To reconcile myself with going back to music school (after starting meditation),

that was a big deal for me. (The cha n ge) basica l ly happened almost overnight,” Singh said. “I suddenly realized this is what I really wanted.”

Singh, who practices Kundalini Kriya Yoga, learned everything from his teacher, Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath, an Indian guru from the Himalayas. Siddhanath only visits the U.S. every summer, but Singh said practicing his techniques creates a strong relationship between the two of them.

One of Sidd hanath’s techniques is conscious breathing, which Singh said has a great effect on the body’s blood and brain chemistry.

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MEDITATION | Page 10

B R U I N S E N I O R STA F F

Fourth-year ethnomusicology student Jaswinder Singh decided to become both a meditation and yoga instructor after the two practices powerfully impacted his life. Meditation helped him return to music school.

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Falling for new TV

BY ARIT JOHN A&E reporter ajohn@media.ucla.edu Fall is an optimistic time for television viewers and studio heads alike. While established hits like “Modern Family” and “House” return for new seasons, there is a freshman

class on each station, hoping to survive into the next season.

Some of these shows will go on to become hits, while others will be cancelled after two or three episodes. Here is a small selection of the comedies, dramas and thrillers contending for best new program for the 2011-2012 television season.

“Terra Nova” FOX Premieres Sept. 26 at 8 p.m.

Possibly the most conceptually ambitious new show this season, “Terra Nova” is a futuristic show set 85 million years in the past. Jim Shannon (Jason O’Mara, “Life on Mars”) and his family are given the chance to leave behind the overdeveloped Earth of 2149 for the prehistoric colony of Terra Nova. The

ABC

“Pan Am” ABC Premieres Sept. 25 at 10 p.m.

Before pla ne travel w a s associated with long security lines and bad food, it had an air of luxury to it. Stewardesses were gorgeous and gra-

FOX

show promises to explore both the dynamics of the Shannon family and humanity’s attempt to start over on Earth. Plus, there will be dinosaurs.

cious and people dressed their best for a plane trip. “Pan Am” attempts to evoke the essence of that era, the Jet Age circa 1963. Christina Ricci (“New York, I Love You”) stars as Maggie, an artsy type with a taste for travel. Other Pan Am crew members include Dean (Mike Vogel, “She’s Out of My League”), the eager new pilot with something to prove and runaway bride Laura (Margot Robbie, “Neighbours”). And while comparisons to “Mad Men” are unavoidable, the addition of stewardesses moonlighting as spies gives this show something unique.

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“The Playboy Club” NBC Premieres Sept. 19 at 10 p.m.

Set in ’60s Chicago, “The Playboy Club” is one part p er io d d r a m a , one p a r t

mystery and one part mob drama. When Bunny Maureen (Amber Heard, “Zombieland”) accidentally kills a handsy mob boss in the club storage room, playboy Nick Dalton (Eddie Cibrian, “CSI:

Miami”) helps her cover her tracks. Meanwhile, there are a number of minor characters with mysterious pasts, hidden agendas and big ambitions, each with the potential to spark dramatic story lines.

NBC

“Person of Interest” CBS Premieres Sept. 22 at 9 p.m.

“Ringer” CW Premiered Sept. 13 at 9 p.m.

When J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Fringe”) is attached to a show, the odds are it will be complicated, addicting and fr ustrati n g, wh i le always leaving viewers with more questions than answers. His latest show follows Reese (Jim Caviezel, “The Prisoner”), an ex-CIA agent presumed to be dead, and Finch (Michael Emerson, “Lost”), the billionaire who wants to

S a r a h M ic hel le G el l a r (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) returns to cable as Siobhan and Bridget, estranged twin sisters living polar opposite l ives. Siobhan is wealthy, married and enjoy ing life in a world that knows nothing about her twin sister, a recovering drug addict. After witnessing a murder, Bridget flees to her sister’s home,

CBS

use him to prevent violent crimes. Through the use of advanced software, surveillance technology, Reese’s CIA know-how and Finch’s b ot t om le s s p o cket s, t he two stop crimes while also attracting the attention of the New York Police Department.

“Up All Night” NBC Premiered Sept. 14 at 10 p.m.

Starring Christina Applegate (“Anchorman”) and Will A r nett (“A r rested Development”) a s Reaga n a nd Chris Brinkley, NBC’s “Up A l l Ni g ht” ex plores what happens when an outgoing career woman and her husband raise their first child.

R e a ga n (Applegate) i s a new mother determined to not let her new baby disrupt her career or her nightlife.

NBC

CBS

With the help of her husband Chris, a stay-at-home dad, she nav i gates the waters of her demanding boss Ava ( Maya Rudolph, “Br idesmaids”), midnight feedings and the challenge of learning not to curse in front of an infant.

“2 Broke Girls” CBS Premieres Sept. 19 at 9:30 p.m.

Kat Dennings (“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”) stars as Max, a sassy, veteran broke girl all too familiar

CW

where Siobhan goes missing just as they begin to reconnect. In the end it turns out that the grass isn’t always greener: Being Siobhan is just as dangerous as being Bridget.

w ith living from paycheck to paycheck. She works at a Brooklyn diner frequented by hipsters and elderly Russians (who remember when the diner was owned by the Russian mob). There she meets Caroline (UCLA alumna Beth Behrs), a newly broke girl looking for work following the destruction of her trust fund and her father’s arrest for embezzling. Bonded by their desire for a source of income that does not require a hideous yellow waitress outfit, the two begin saving for a cupcake shop.

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Alumna finds gem of a job in establishing jewelry line

BY ALYSSA STANLEY A&E contributor astanley@media.ucla.edu UCLA alumna Misa Hamamoto is proof that a change in vocation and a little risk can lead to a flourishing, new career. With her own jewelry line, Misa Jewelry, Hamamoto has found happiness by pursuing a dream that was almost lost to a profession in the financial industry.

Ha ma moto sa id that her comfortable position in the jewelery industry did not come easily. It took years of hard work spent in classrooms and cubicles before celebrity clients such TV personality Giuliana Rancic from “E! News,” and actresses Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Anne Hudgens wore her pieces.

“When I started to feel comfortable, I would say it was about almost two years into it,” Hamamoto said. “And then, of course, starting out anything in any business was very difficult.”

Once set on a career in the corporate world, Hamamoto studied economics at UCLA, which she said gave her a solid understanding of how to run her ow n busi ness. Shor tly

after graduating, Hamamoto also received training through several internships and jobs in finance. She explained that her time at these positions taught her the foundation of business and money management skills which have helped her tremendously.

However, Hamamoto said she was never fully satisfied in finance. After taking the knowledge she gleaned from her financial internships and jobs experience and combining it with her artistic abilities, Hamamoto set her sights on developing her own jewelry line.

According to Hamamoto, M isa Jewelr y is i n f luenced by her island upbringing on Hawaii and in Micronesia, and by the different elements of nature that she has seen during her world travels. She became inspired to combine the colors and beauty that she witnessed at these locations with the modern lifestyle of Los Angeles.

“I use semi-precious stones like labradorite,” Hamamoto said. “It really reminds me of the ocean that I grew up with, so I tend to go after stones that remind me of the beaches that I went to or sunsets that I expe-

rienced.”

Labrador ite is a m i neral found in rock and is known for its natural sheen that refracts green, blue and yellow. Hamamoto also incorporates chalcedony, a light blue-colored stone, into many pieces of her jewelry so that they exude a coastal vibe.

Using the ancient method of lost-wax casting, Hamamato hand-sculpts all of her designs.

This multistep process involves making an initial mold out of wax and then pouring molten metal into the mold. After the wax mold has melted away, the molten metal solidifies to produce a piece of jewelry. Her Azteca collection, made from vermeil, provides an example of the intricate details and complex designs that are made possible through lost-wax casting.

“If I am just sculpting away, I could finish a piece in maybe a couple of days,” Hamamoto said.

“But sometimes it will take me up to a week just so I can just perfect the design. I also like to wear the design right after I make it so that I can give it a seal of approval.”

Sofia Kaman, ow ner and designer of Kamofie & Compa-

C O U RT E SY O F

MISA HAMAMOTO

Pictured are examples of Hamamoto’s jewelery, which is influenced by her island upbringing on Hawaii and in Micronesia. Hamamoto hand-sculpts all of her designs using a multi-step process called lost-wax casting.

ny, which carries Misa Jewelry, said she is impressed with Misa Jewelry’s accessible price range and its union of nature and the style of the modern world.

“I think that’s a really good angle for where we are,” Kaman said. “We’re in Venice, so we

have the beach and it’s just a nice fusion of style.”

Ke a A s ato, H a m a m ato’s childhood friend from Hawaii, said she is glad that Hamamoto is finally pursuing her dream.

“I think the reason why she is so successful ... is that jewelry

is really her calling,” Asato said.

“She’s a more complete person because she’s doing what she loves and it’s very inspirational as her friend to see someone take that risk and follow their passion and to have it work out so wonderful for them.”

‘Transcultural Pilgrim’ shares world visions José Bedia’s exhibit at Fowler reflects his global sojourns in multiple media forms

BY METTE-MARIE KONGSVED A&E contributor mkongsved@media.ucla.edu For more tha n 30 years, Cuban American artist José Bedia has travelled the globe, seeking a deeper understanding of various cultures and their spiritual practices.

From today through Jan. 8, an exhibition tracking his journeys, entitled “Transcultural Pilgrim: Three Decades of Work by José Bedia,” will be on display at UCLA’s Fowler Museum. The title of the show refers to the artist himself and his sojourns in countries such as Peru, Mexico, Zambia and his native Cuba.

T he ex h ibit ion i s g ue st curated by Judith Bettelheim, professor of art history emerita at San Francisco State University. She said that exhibited artworks will unfold as a narrative of these transcultural journeys.

“For me, he is the quintessential artist who is able to blend a spirituality of his own religion w ith contemporary art practices,” Bettelheim said.

“His art shows how his spiritual horizons have been opened by his transcultural encounters, and how he has translated those experiences aesthetically.”

Bedia’s works include largescale vibrant acrylic paintings, downplayed, monochromatic charcoal drawings and installation pieces that mix various media such as sculpture art, collages and paintings.

Despite the variety of materials he employs, most of his works, some of which he has painted with his bare hands, are characterized by strong graphic lines with a frequent incorporation of spiritual symbols and sacred texts.

According to Beth Rosenblum, a doctoral candidate in art history currently finishing up her dissertation on Cuban ar tists i n the 1990s, Bed ia was one of the masters who emerged during the renaissance of Cuban art in the 1980s.

“Transcultural Pilgrim” Through Jan. 8, 2012 Fowler Museum, FREE

Rosenblum said that Bedia, who immigrated to the United States in 1993, represents a new kind of contemporary artist who explores a steadily growing multicultural society.

“I think that now, in this age of transnationalism and globalization, there is this new notion of the transient artist – an artist that represents countries other than his or her homeland,” Rosenblum said.

Robin Lee, a second-year global studies student, said he believes there is a way to understand a culture from an artist’s perspective.

“I think an exhibition like this is interesting, because you are presented with something more than just objective facts,” Lee said. “You also get to see the world through someone else’s eyes.”

Several works which will be on display at the Fowler are site-specific installations that have been newly commissioned specifically for “Transcultural Pilgrim.” One of these works, “Figura Que Define Su Propio Horizonte” (Figure Who Defines His Own Horizon Line), consists of a bronze statue set up to look like it is a painting on a large canvas.

“I would really urge students to stop by the Fowler, because these are installations that should be experienced corporally by the viewer,” Rosenblum said. “It’s a whole different experience feeling your whole body interacting with the work – an experience that reproductions of the work don’t do justice.”

According to Bettelheim, who said she has been dreaming of executing this exhibition for 16 years, what makes Bedia’s work so fascinating is the notion that he not only explores different cultures, he embeds himself into the different cultures he visits.

“He is not just a tourist; it is much deeper than that. He apprentices with people,” Bettelheim said. “He becomes fully initiated in the religions and cultures he explores, so on a lot of levels he goes way beyond what an academic anthropologist might do.”

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C O U RT E SY O F

BHAGWAN CHOWDHRY

UCLA Anderson School of Management professor Bhagwan Chowdhry played himself on a recent episode of the HBO series “Entourage.” Hear how he landed the appearance at dailybruin.com/radio

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Bruin Bash kicks off new school year The annual concert welcomes students back to campus with a high-energy lineup of performers

BY MARJORIE YAN AND REBECCA CHEN A&E senior staff and A&E contributor myan@media.ucla.edu and rchen@media.ucla.edu Over the course of a year at UCLA, students can partake in a variety of large-scale, schoolwide festivities, from the Beat ’SC Bonfire to Spring Sing.

Every Sunday of Welcome Week, the Campus Events Commission and Cultural Affairs Commission host Bruin Bash, a free concert that is followed by a dance and a movie screening.

This year’s line-up includes Major Lazer, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar and Starting Six. Fourth-year international development studies student and CAC commissioner Kinnery Shah said that the on-campus event was started to provide something for students to do on their first weekend back.

“It’s a way to make sure that the first weekend at UCLA is a safe experience ... essentially to replace the apartment and fraternity partying with some-

a high energy,” Camacho said.

“They get to see the spirit that the Greek system at UCLA has at these school-wide events.” thing on-campus, that could be Bruin Bash is historically monitored, but would be equally held in Pauley Pavilion, but it as fun,” she said. has also been held in venues CEC and CAC work together such as Drake Stadium and the to choose the concert line-up. Los Angeles Tennis Center.

Shah said that with 25,000 stuAs early as 2005, the show dents attending the university, has left concertgoers wonderit is difficult to appeal to every- ing who will embrace the stage one’s musical tastes, but that the nex t. T h r ice a nd Com mon best way to do that is to have performed in 2005, Xzibit and multiple artists from different Rooney in 2006, T.I. in 2007 and genres.

Hellogoodbye in 2008. LMFAO “UCLA is always a big mar- and Clipse performed in 2009, ket … especially at an event and Travie McCoy, Ying Yang like this, a kick-off event with Twins and The Cataracs played so many students. ... If last year. (the artist) is available Shah said, “We and we have the kind of look at who can It’s a way money they’re looking put on the best for, it’s usually not dif- to make sure that show ... someficult to convince them the first weekend times if there is a (to perfor m),” Shah big name, but we at UCLA is a safe know they’re not said.

Gerardo Camacho, a experience.” a good performer, third-year psychology then that’s not Kinnery Shah someone we’ll go student, said he enjoys all the events that the CAC commissioner for. ... We look for campus committees put (genres) that are together, but Bruin Bash is one high energy: electro, techno, of his favorites because it’s a free rap, hip-hop.” concert that usually has a wellThe concert succeeds in planned line-up. drawing large crowds of new “The celebration welcomes and returning students. In new bruins into our family with past years, some students have

Symphony hails service South Korea’s national military orchestra aims to commemorate global relations with concert

BY JENNIFER NGUYEN A&E contributor jnguyen@media.ucla.edu In South Korea, all men aged 20-30 are required to enlist in the military for at least two years. But those who make a career out of performing music are given the chance to continue practicing their passion and honing their artistic talents in a government-assigned military music unit.

Armed with violins and clarinets, the Korean National Military Symphony will perform at

Royce Hall on Wednesday night as the formal opening event for the 38th annual Los Angeles Korean Festival.

The concert, which marks the orchestra’s first time ever performing on American soil, will serve to commemorate war veterans who fought to maintain peace in South Korea and provided aid to the country during the Korean War, according to C. S. Hah, who coordinates production and manages tour operation for the symphony.

Hah said that during the war, the United States and other

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lined up as early as four hours before the show to make sure they would get a good view of the stage.

Third-year political science student Florante Sarmiento said

that for him, Bruin Bash was an opportunity for students to get the college experience that a lot of students anticipate once they are admitted.

“It’s beneficial for first-years

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to attend because it’s a small step to opening up to people and experiencing one of the few great social events that UCLA has to offer to its students,” Sarmiento said.

Video: Rock out at The Smell

Korean National Military Symphony Wednesday, 8 p.m.

Royce Hall, FREE

U.N. nations offered substantial military support to South Korea, which at the time was not the globally powerful country that it is today.

“Now after 61 years, Korea has grown up into one of those countries with a very strong presence in the world’s economy,” said Hah. “Now (it is) able to send this entourage of a symphony to show gratitude to the U.S. military and to commemo-

KOREAN | Page 10

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Located in the midst of downtown L.A., The Smell is a volunteer-run art and music venue dedicated to creativity and art where grafitti, experimental rock, and ripped couch cushions are all commonplace. Catch a whiff of what’s happening at The Smell online at dailybruin.com/video

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De Wain Valentine’s creation stands tall at the J. Paul Getty Museum reflecting his fascination with light, the sky and the ocean. The exhibition is part of the “Pacific Standard Time” initiative, featuring works by L.A.-based artists.

Reflecting a lifelong fascination

BY MICHAEL PALUMBO A&E contributor mpalumbo@media.ucla.edu A visitor walking into the J. Paul Getty Museum’s new exhibition “From Start to Finish: De Wain Valentine’s Gray Column” will notice a quote from artist De Wain Valentine printed across the wall: “I would like to have some way, a magic saw, to cut out large chunks of ocean or sky and say ‘Here it is.’” In the center of the room stands the towering, prismatic sculpture known as the “Gray Column,” the form Valentine, who once taught at UCLA, chose to represent his vision.

According to Emma Richardson, co-curator of the exhibit, “Gray Column” encapsulates Valentine’s fascination with how the light refracts with the sky and the ocean.

“Valentine was greatly influenced by the water and the ocean, and also by the air and the sky and how it changes with light,” she said.

The Getty Museum unveiled “Gray Column” on Tuesday. The 12-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide sculpture is striking because the artist developed his own form of polyester resin to construct the

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piece, according to Tom Learner, lead curator of the exhibition and head scientist of the Modern and Contemporary Art Research at the Getty Conservation Institute.

The exhibition is part of the “Pacific Standard Time” initiative, in which more than 60 art institutions across Southern California will feature works by Los Angeles-based artists from around 1945-1980.

According to Learner, Valentine was one of the many prominent sculptors who created art from materials that were originally intended for industrial use, particularly polyester.

“When he first came to Los Angeles ... polyester was something no artist was interested in using. But it could hold pigments of color and had beautiful, smooth surfaces, so he loved to work with the material,” Learner said.

Richardson said that the material was inherently difficult to work with because it is toxic and has a long curing process, meaning that it cracks easily when it hardens.

According to Learner, while Valentine was teaching a course in plastics technology at UCLA in 1965, he wanted to produce

“From Start to Finish” Through Mar. 11 J. Paul Getty Museum, FREE

a resin in large volumes that wouldn’t crack from curing. He began working with Ed Revay, a representative from PPG Industries, and they discovered the Valentine MasKast Resin in 1966.

“Gray Column” was originally commissioned to feature two 12-foot columns that were supposed to be cut standing side by side. However, the building’s architect changed the floor plan so that the ceiling was lower than 12 feet high, and the columns had to be oriented to their sides so that they stood at 8 feet tall. The pieces were renamed “Two Gray Walls.”

As Learner and his team worked to restore the piece, they discovered once they erected the Gray Column that this was the first time the artist saw the column in its original orientation.

“We originally chose (“Gray Column”) because it was the largest piece that De Wain had ever done ... but it was lovely to

VALENTINE | Page 10

no color

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KOREAN from page 8 rate the U.S. veterans.”

UCLA alum, music director and conductor Jong Hoon Bae said he hopes that the concert goes beyond being merely a show of appreciation. He also said he anticipates that the performance w ill bring the two countries closer together and facilitate a relationship between Koreans and nonKoreans alike.

According to Bae, music is about more than just producing beautiful melodies – it is a means of connecting people to people, regardless of nationality and borderlines.

“My sloga n i s, ‘creat i n g harmony and peace beyond sounds,’” said Bae. “Music is a global language. In doing our performance, I want the audience to feel as one, and that the Korean and American friend-

ship is stronger than ever.”

The symphony will perform a broad repertoire of music that includes pieces by Russian and Mexican composers, as well as American composer George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”

The show will open with a percussion act from a Korean traditional band and will include appearances by Korean celebrities, such as contemporary pop singer Hyo Shin Park.

According to Bae, the event is particularly meaningful and appropriate since the symphony itself consists of active duty military soldiers.

Bae, who will lead the symphony on its U.S. tour that begins at Camp Pendleton and ends at the USS Midway, said that the sy mphony’s series of performances will create a strong military-to-military bond between Korea and the United States.

Francis Hur, executive director of the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation, said he

feels extremely honored that the symphony agreed to perform the opening ceremony for the festival and is looking forward to the new sound that they will bring to this year’s celebration.

“Everybody wants to come to see the orchestra and the concert. They’ve never seen this kind of event before,” Hur said. “A lot of Korean people, musicians and artists have come by and performed here, but never a military orchestra.”

The Los Angeles Korean Festival, which hosts about 300,000 visitors over the span of its fourday duration, celebrates Korea’s culture and heritage through food booths, musical performances and interactive activities such as dancing contests.

Hur also said he believes that both the festival and the performance by the military orchestra will celebrate the racial heterogeneity of Los Angeles, while maintaining the distinct identity of Korea.

VALENTINE | Exhibition preserves artist’s vision from page 9 see his vision finally materialize,” Learner said.

Instrumental in bringing Richardson and Valentine together was Beau Ott, one of Valentine’s most active collectors. After meeting Richardson at an art gallery, Ott showed her Valentine’s work and explained his work with the resin.

According to Ott, Valentine had a fascination with plastics at an early age.

“Valentine was introduced to plastics in school, and was intrigued by it. He made jewel-like pieces in school and for him it was something new. (His fascination) never really left him,” Ott said.

“Gray Column” also serves

as a platform to discuss certain issues of art conservation, especially because Valentine, now 75 years old, initially wanted the conservation team to remove all the scratches on the piece because he did not want the audience to fixate on only the surface, according to Richardson.

“From Start to Finish,” is an exhibition that shows both the artist’s and the curators’ journey in bringing the work to the public. “(We grappled with) how to improve and polish the artwork, because the artist’s vision can change from one day to the next. We as conservationists want to maintain the artist’s hand,” Richardson said.

MEDITATION from page 4 “Some ( breat h i n g techniques) will relax the brain.

Some cal m the ner ves and remove toxins in the nervous system, (which are) the number one reason why people can’t sit still,” Singh said.

Meditation not only motivated Singh to go back to school to study music, but also improved his academics and study habits.

Singh said he went from being 2.0 GPA student to a 4.0 GPA student entirely through meditation.

Fourth-year ethnomusicology student Joseph Chavez, who has been taking meditation lessons with Singh for about a year, said starting the day with meditation is helpful because he goes to class with a fresh mind and retains a lot of information without taking extensive notes.

“When you’re rushing around the house, trying to scramble food down your throat, that’s your mind frame in class. ...

But if you start your day off meditating with a clear mind, that’s your goal. You create that pattern throughout the day,” Chavez said.

According to Singh, he has also stopped taking naps, experienced an increase in energy and has even stopped consuming caffeine.

“Basically, when you’re in a meditative state, your brain is more rested than when you’re sleeping, so your energy is much more consistent. ... You also don’t need as much food or sleep,” Singh said.

Singh, who meditates up to six hours a day, said that he suggests an average student try setting aside 10-15 minutes a day to meditate. According to Singh, the best times to meditate are before studying, before going to bed after studying or waking up a few hours before an exam. “(Meditating) daily is ideal because the mind can start relating to that way of being more quickly,” Singh said. “It switches your brain from an insecure, anxious state to being calm, collective and self-aware.”

Frank Garvey, a library assistant at the UCLA music library, also takes private lessons with Si n g h. He sa id med itation changed the way he reacts in certain situations.

“You re-evaluate the moment.

If someone cuts you off on the freeway, you don’t have to react im mediately w ith anger. ...

That’s where meditation comes into my life,” Garvey said.

Si ngh said meditation is something everyone can do, and that anyone can start simply by taking the time to breathe deeply and focus on the present.

“I’ve never met anybody who couldn’t do something that these techniques can offer,” Singh said. “The only tool you need to meditate is your consciousness ... (of) where you are ... right now, and that’s enough.

There’s not one area of my life that hasn’t improved with meditation.”

Meditation for Beginners: Meditation of the Golden Lotus (Originally taught by Siddhanath) 1. Sit down with a straight spine in a comfortable position. Relax your hands on your lap, one hand on top of the another, palms facing up.

2. With your eyes closed, focus your eyes at the point between your eyebrows. This increases blood flow to the frontal lobe of the brain.

3. Breathe completely relaxed; don’t lengthen the breath. Inhale through your nose, and mentally repeat the syllable “sa.” As you exhale through your nose, mentally say the syllable “ham.”

“Hamsa” means “swan,” which symbolizes control.

4. Focus all of your concentration on the center of your chest, near your heart. As you are doing this, visualize that a golden lotus flower is in your heart.

5. And you inhale your breath (“sa”), the lotus flower blooms.

As you exhale (“ham”), the golden lotus closes. This technique is done for approximately 10 minutes.

SOURCE: Jaswinder Singh Compiled by Laurie Allred

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