Mochi: For your larger orchestral covers, where do you find other people to play with you?

Chang: I attend Pomona College, which is a small liberal arts college located in Claremont, California. While we are pretty small, many of my friends have been involved in musical ensembles since K-12, and have continued to play in our college orchestra. I’m fortunate enough that many of these friends support what I do and volunteer to be in my videos when I need about a dozen of players for my larger productions. Not only do they spend their time learning and recording their parts, but they show a lot of enthusiasm and excitement while doing so. These collaborations with my friends exemplify the communal experience I enjoy most from playing music.

Mochi: Many of your videos contain clips shot at multiple angles and locations. How long does it take you to arrange, film, edit and produce?

Chang: For my videos, I conceive and plan them as early as several months in advance and start arranging and practicing them several weeks prior to the shoot. I record the audio separate from the video; for the full-string ensemble sound, it takes as long as 10 hours to record multiple parts and upwards to 20-30 hours to edit the audio, so the final mix sounds clean and balanced (the most parts I’ve had in one video is 80 parts!). For the actual video shoot, I spend roughly 3-4 hours filming from multiple angles, which includes transportation time and set up time. Finally, the video editing takes me roughly 10-20 hours, in order to sync the videos with the studio recording, as well as cutting and color correcting the individual video clips.

Mochi: Who are your musical influences?

Chang: If you’ve browsed through all my covers, you can probably tell that there doesn’t seem to be a single musical genre that I prefer. However, all my covers tend to draw upon a similar style; I really love the sound of full-string ensembles, ranging from quartets to a full orchestra. Regardless of the genre, there is an unmistakable classical influence to all my covers, drawing upon the chamber and orchestral arrangements of composers like Schubert and Borodin.

I am also influenced by several acappella arrangers and groups (I was in an acapella group in college). I particularly love the way certain acappella groups totally re-imagine pop songs—namely Pentatonix—through the use of interesting harmonies, rhythmic patterns, and musical effects. Therefore, when I try to make certain pop songs more musically engaging, I often listen to acappella covers for inspiration.

From a performer’s standpoint, I greatly respect both classical and pop instrumentalists. As a violinist, I love the recordings of old greats, like Heifetz and Milstein, as well as newer age violinists, such as Hilary Hahn and Ray Chen. From a pop/film music standpoint, I admire Time for Three, the Piano Guys, and 2 Cellos. These three groups I believe are the perfect examples of the successful fusion between classical and popular music; they are all extremely technically talented at their respective instruments and help get more younger audiences interested in classical music, which I think is absolutely phenomenal.

Over the past few years, their mission of “empowerment through entertainment” has taken off, expanding to twelve other talent competition shows in cities across the U.S. and Canada. Kollaboration has worked with musicians like John Legend, executive producer of America’s Next Top Model Ken Mok, and John Cho of Harold and Kumar, among others. It has also headlined top Asian artists like Far East Movement, Korean singer BoA, and the dance crew Quest.

This year, Kollaboration has changed things up and announced its top 10 finalists in advance of the show in September. You can read their bios here. From rappers and pop divas to folk-singing duos and R&B soloists, each finalist has a unique story and voice.

If you live in the New York City area, Kollaboration will be hosting a guest bartending event this Friday, June 21 at Butterfield 8 to help raise funds for their show. You can RSVP on Facebook.

So when beauty blogger Juli from Singapore, also known as Bun Bun on the web, shared her severe allergic reaction to a facial, it opened many readers’ eyes to understand that beauty truly is skin deep. After years of battling with acne, scarring, and hyperpigmentation, Juli shared with readers her ups and downs with skincare on her blog. But nothing prepared her for this unprecedented horrific post-facial experience. Within hours after getting her facial, Juli developed small pus-filled pimples around her face. By the next day, her face was filled with barnacles of pimples. Just when she went back to the salon to get the pimples extracted again, her allergic reaction got even worse and she developed a serious acne breakout all over her face. Although Juli still isn’t quite sure about the cause of her allergic reaction, there can be several triggers, including the products applied during the facial, the instruments and tools used, and the extractions.

Despite her horrific facial experience, Juli has learned how to move on and continue what she love and does best—beauty blogging. In her latest post, she writes, “Through the sharing of my story, I have come to personally experience the true human spirit and am humbled and touched by everyone who has opened their hearts and given me warmth.” Even though this traumatizing event has brought down her self esteem, Juli says she has still much to write. We wish her well and look forward to reading her future posts.

Photo via BunBunMakeupTips.com

My first-generation Chinese father set high standards for me, too—a particular “You’ve got 99 problems…and you have to do all of them” meme comes to mind—and he even has a similar hairstyle and glasses as the man pictured above.  But he wasn’t the epitome of the High Expectations Asian Father, either: He didn’t disown me when I got Bs, nor did he push me to be a doctor.

Since Father’s Day (Sunday, June 16) is this weekend, we thought it’d be fun for everyone to celebrate our Asian fathers, who can be absurd because they’re our fathers and perhaps because sometimes they resemble an Internet meme. Of course, the laughs we get are fond ones, because deep down we do know that our dads only mean best. So share the funniest, most memorable quote from your father or tell us which one’s your favorite High Expectations Asian Father meme with the Twitter hashtag #FathersDay4Asians. We’ll share the best stories on our blog early next week.

Final PSA: Don’t be surprised if you give your dad a Father’s Day card and he asks you for your report card instead!

Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, and Phillip Lim are some of the most prominent designers of this century and to celebrate the work of these Chinese American fashion designers, the Museum of Chinese in America in New York has put together a retrospective exhibit called “Front Row: Chinese American Designers,” featuring up-and-coming and established designers. Among the pieces featured are Phillip Lim’s neoprene patchwork designs from his fall 2013 collection and Vera Wang’s bright red gown that’s tripped with horsehair.  The exhibit is open now and runs until September 29, 2013.

On the West Coast, the Seattle Art Museum is celebrating the revolutionary work of Japanese fashion designers, such as Kenzo Takada of Kenzo and Rei Kawakubo of Comme Des Garcons. The exhibit “Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion” is curated by Akiko Fukai, director of Kyoto Costume Institute and shows the ultramodern designs that reinvent, deconstruct, and counter Western couture designs, challenging the way people thought about fashion. Among the designers featured are Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Kenzo Takada, Rei Kawakubo and more. The exhibit opens on June 27 and runs until September 8.

Photo via NYTimes.com

Summer Switches
India-Jewel Jackson offers advice on 3 Skin Care Products to Ditch When It’s Hot Out over at Glamour… and I totally agree. Her suggestions? Trade rich body lotion for dry body oil, heavy face cream for lighter serum, and creamy cleanser for foam or gel. Keeping skin healthy and hydrated is always important, even in the summer. But when you’re sweating just by being outside, there’s no reason to pile on thick products. I’ve always loved Neutrogena’s Light Sesame Body Oil ($9.99)—it offers a gorgeous sheen when applied after a morning shower to keep my arms and legs glowing all day long.

Mango Tango
I love munching on fresh cut mango during the summer months, but who knew there were so many beauty benefits in the juicy fruit? Beauty High recently featured Mango in their “Secret Beauty Ingredient” series and I’m tempted to go out and buy all the products they highlighted. Did you know that mango naturally reduce wrinkles and fine lines and treat blemishes? The fruit is also a great hydrator, which makes Korres’ Mango Butter Lipstick ($26) great for moisturizing lips while coating them in sheer color. Check out the slideshow and tell us which product you’re dying to try.

Beauty Guru
Fashionista did an awesome breakdown on Tipping for Summer Beauty Treatments, which is definitely a must-bookmark. The helpful guide outlines a description of the service (spray tanning, waxing, nail services, and hair services), the standard tip, what to expect, and when to speak up. This is great for those of you who may be trying your first spray tan this summer, or simply to use as a checklist to ensure that you’re receiving quality services. After all, if you’re going to splurge on a professional service, you deserve great treatment—you’re paying for it!

Crisis Averted
Prepare for every summer beauty crisis imaginable by studying Allure’s Summer Beauty 911. Chances are, you’ll have at least one or two (or more!) of these mini “emergencies” by Labor Day, and these tips are extremely useful to keep in mind when your skin gets blotchy or you’re suffering from ingrown hairs. Allure’s advice will speed up your sunburn recovery time or fix your melting makeup in a pinch. Definitely check this one out.

Any tips for beating the heat this summer, Mochi readers? Let us know in the comments!

MochiMag: How do you balance your full-time job as a pharmacist with YouTube?

Gerald Ko: Actually, it’s really tough to balance YouTube because my full-time job takes priority, which is why I’ve uploaded a video every other month. I would definitely recommend doing full-time one or the other, instead of trying to balance. It ends up basically taking a toll on both!

MM: How do you go about writing your original songs? Where do you find inspiration for them?

GK: I am not a very structured songwriter and am still hoping to truly learn more about the process. I usually write off of ideas/experiences or thoughts that randomly come to mind. Sometimes I might spend time empathizing with someone else’s experience and write a song based on that. But overall, I can’t really call myself a true songwriter. I have never really been happy with anything I’ve written so far.

MM: Did you find it difficult being the only Asian in your school?

GK: Yes, I would say that it was not as easy fitting in during my childhood. I also moved many times during elementary school, which didn’t help. There were definitely a lot of racist kids, but then again, we were kids and I learned not to take things too personally. I think school-aged kids are naturally more open and willing to say exactly what they think whether it’s offensive or not, and I’m sure I did the same thing right back at them! Looking back, I am still grateful for all the experiences during my school years.

In the next month, we’ll be launching our Fearless issue, where you’ll meet Asian Americans who have taken risks and are reaping the rewards. In preparation for our Fearless issue–and to celebrate our fifth birthday–we’ve revamped our site with the help of our friends at Barrel, a New York City-based web design and strategy agency, to give the magazine a new look and navigation. We’ll still be making some minor cosmetics changes until we launch our next issue, but in the meantime, we hope you enjoy the site. As always, please email us at info@mochimag.com with any feedback or thoughts!

Before heading to Cannes, my mom took me to Paris for a graduation gift. I’d never been outside of the country, so she thought this would be the perfect time to visit a city I had been in love with since I was a little girl. We stayed near the Place du Vendome and visited the Eiffel Tower, Les Hotel des Invalides (SO COOL!), The Musée D’Orsay and the Louvre, where we spent an entire day. The Pharaonic Egypt wing was my favorite part of the museum.

After three days in Paris we flew to Nice and then drove to Cannes. The drive is pretty simple—it was mostly highway—but when our driver finally got to La Croisette, the main street in Cannes, nothing seemed simple anymore. One side of the street was lined with luxury hotels and designer storefronts like Prada and Roberto Cavalli. The other side was a beautiful vista of sandy beach and aquamarine water with yachts and speedboats.

The next few days were filled with more interviews than I can remember. There were many different photo shoots with my castmates and Sofia, and, of course, amazing food. All the while I couldn’t really comprehend that I had just been sitting in my AP Environmental Science classroom in Winnetka, Illinois, a week ago, and now here I was sitting in a fancy room at the Palais des Festivals talking about how much I loved the movie.

When we opened Un Certain Regard on Thursday night, I found out that the famous Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi was a member of our sections jury. I met her briefly but was overwhelmed by her poise and kindness. It was very exciting for me to see a well-respected and talented Asian actress being given such an important role in the festival.

At the end of the day, I would take my quiet life in Illinois over a life in Cannes, but I can’t deny that I loved being at the festival and would die to go back one day. I think my mom would like to go back, too—her eyes were peeled for Steven Spielberg, Julianne Moore, and George Clooney.

Photo by Emily Jaffy

Patriotic Tips

Credit: Buzznet via Beauty High

As the girl who always matched her middle school braces to upcoming holidays, I now participate in the festivities via fingertip decor. In the spirit of Memorial Day, Beauty High has rounded up 10 lust-worthy patriotic manicure ideas, and I can’t decide which look to copy. Nail art requires a little bit of patience, and painting your digits can be fun and relaxing—a perfect way to spend a Monday off! Will you be sporting a red, white, and blue manicure to show off your U.S.A. pride?

Stripping down

Credit: Laura Mercier

No one wants to wear heavy makeup in warm months. Laura Mercier’s new Summer Nudes Collection, launching this June, is awesome for those days when you want to subtly enhance your natural beauty. Featuring six limited-edition nude nail lacquers ($18)—ranging from sheer pinks to deep espressos—plus six lip glacés ($24), there’s something in this collection to complement every skin tone. I love Laura Mercier’s non-sticky lip glosses that promise long-lasting color and gorgeous shine—I’m eagerly waiting to add the limited edition Bare Baby Lip Glacé to my collection. What are you loving?

Crisp, Clean Nails

Credit: Zoya

If you couldn’t tell already, I’m obsessed with white manicures for summer (see here and here). White is so crisp, fresh, and summery—the perfect way to subtly transition from spring to summer. But they’re tough to perfect since white is often streaky and can appear too harsh or chalky on the nail. Right now, I’m loving Zoya’s Purity ($8), which has a creamy, opaque formula. Smooth out your nail using a ridge filling basecoat, like Zoya’s Get Even ($9) and let it dry before applying two layers of the white polish. And be sure to finish with a top coat to get the perfect glossy finish!

Funk it up

Credit: Revlon

Revlon’s Nail Art Moon Candy Nail Lacquers ($8.99) are made for spazzes who want to spice up their manicure (no shame, I have a hard time putting polish on my right hand). One side of the double-ended stick contains a rich crème base color while the other has a playful glittery overlay that adds interest to the nails. Go all out by applying the sheer glitter coat on all your nails or create a more subtle look by adding the party to a single finger. Glitter is super forgiving and great for covering up streaks and smudges—the stick is also great to stuff in your when you need a quick manicure in a pinch.

Book it now

Credit: Lifebooker

I’ve just discovered Lifebooker, a total time (and budget!) saver for any pamper-loving gal. Catering to major U.S. cities like New York, Boston and L.A., Lifebooker not only allows you to book beauty appointments online for free, but will also help you find exclusive local deals. If that’s not enough to lure you into the service, each time you show up to an appointment made via Lifebooker, you get Reward Dollars to use toward other appointments on the site. I’m loving this as a tool to discover new spas and salons in my area. It’s so easy to use and there are so many benefits! Will you be trying this service?