Jame's first Acting Experience

James hears the radio alarm clock shouting Christina Aguilera's song "Stronger" turns off the alarm and rolls out of bed. He yawns and puts his pants on. He straddles out his Davis, California bedroom door and goes to the kitchen cabinet, grabs the Wheat cereal with Kobe Bryant on the side of box and moves over to the dining table, with his bowl and spoon. Sally, his girlfriend is still in bed, undisturbed by his waking. She is a U.C. Davis Grad Student working on her Master's degree in Biology. Today is James's big day, his first College play rehearsal is tonight. He has waited 7 years for this moment. In high school, James wanted to be apart of the performing arts department, but was never cast in a play. He remembers the first time he attended a play, in High School, the power and emotion of the show moved him like nothing had ever done before. He looked with envy and awe at his fellow high school students who were given a part in the play. Now in the Fall of 1999,at a University, he was cast in a play. He looks at the clock on the wall, "7 and a half hour till rehearsals starts". It is now 11:30am. What is he going to do before that?
James plops on the living room sofa, smiling, and thinks about what rehearsal was going to be like. What was it going to be like getting the script, table reading and rehearsing with the other actors and actresses. The play was called Screens and was written by artist Jean Genet, a french writer and artist. A week earlier when he saw his name on the casting sheet of paper stapled onto the wall of the U.C. Davis Green Room.

James Tang: Policeman, Larbi and Revolutionary soldier.

It was the proudest and most exciting moment in his young life.
To kill some time, before rehearsals, James decides to go shopping.
"Sally"... "Sally" I'm going shopping, babe, is there anything you want? She replied "huh?"
"What?" "I'm going to the store babe, is there anything you want?" "Oh huh, get me a twix candy bar and some cheddar cheese." She rolls over and goes back to sleep. James kisses her on the forehead, "Will be right back babe, sweet dreams."
On his way to the neighborhood market, James reflects on how fast life has changed for him. A year earlier he was depressed, living in his parent's basement, sleeping 20 hours a day avoiding all human contact. Now has his own apartment, living in Davis California and dating. It was as if the whole Universe was available to him and he could do anything he wants with it.
When he arrives at the store, he is again moved by how beautiful his life was now. Before he met Sally, life was flavorless each moment flowing from one to the next as if it was a choire now everything had a unique feeling, smell, taste, sound to it. Music was emotional, the cold brought out life in him, juice tasted sweeter than ever.
James met Sally when he moved to Davis California from San Francisco in the Spring of 1999. James had withdrew from The University California of Davis in the previous Fall. For the next 5 months James was so depressed he rarely got out of bed except to eat and Go for a short walk. All his life James had been a great student. James's parents were Chinese and they were poor. They were probably one of the poorest families in Menlo Park, where he grew up. All his life he was ashamed of his family's financial troubles.
Sally's family was very rich, not that it kept problems and suffering that no one can escape, rich or poor, but she did have a lot more opportunities afforded to her because of her families had money. She often told James that she resented and was disgusted by her families superfluous spending and superficiality, which is why she tried so hard to live a more frugal life than her family.
The supermarket was that of a wealthy area, unlike some of the poor grocery stores James came across in San Francisco. The Market was brightly lit and had Air conditioning. But now it is the Fall so the store usually had heat even in the morning when it is overcast and raining. James, grabbed a basket as he entered the store walked first to the frozen dinner area first. He loved buying frozen dinners because he never had the chance to when he was young. His family's early finances forest them to buy bok choy, rice and meat that was not already marinated. Now that James had a little more money from his Coaching of Table Tennis he was able to buy more of the food he wanted. James's father was also helping him out with paying half the rent. James was also working at a Mexican Restaurant on B-street, downtown Davis. Sally always said, "I would never date anyone who is neither going to work or school."