One of the "perks" of having my friend Quentin Lee produce my short film is the feeling of professional obligation to go to some of his film premieres and social functions which I otherwise would likely be too lazy to attend. Tonight I went to the theatrical premiere of "White Frog."
A story exploring the relationship between a teenager with Asperger syndrome and his older brother, "White Frog" had some heartwarming threads to make it an entertaining movie. But the surprising moment of the evening came when the moderator of the Q&A, a white guy who coincidentally was a college classmate of Quentin, belted out phrase after phrase in perfect Mandarin.
The characteristics of Asperger syndrome are significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, which are exactly what I suffer from whenever I am in the vicinity of a cute guy with talents I admire. Needless to say, I was smitten by the moderator's charms and instantaneously became clumsy and speechless, hallmarks of many social disorders, let alone Asperger syndrome. He got away before I had a chance to say hello: actually, I found ways to sit alone and wait for the surge of heartwarming yet panic inducing thoughts to subside while he made his rounds greeting people and eventually slipped away. So typical. If my past is any indication, he's straight any way.
My evening ended at a bar in Hollywood, where I managed to exchange a few words with television star Harry Shum, Jr., who played the brother in "White Frog" and was in attendance for the Q&A. How does a guy who doesn't drink, dislikes loud music, and turns into a listless pumpkin at the stroke of midnight (I'm being generous - more realistically at eleven in the evening) learn to enjoy his time at a bar? I haven't figured that one out yet and probably never will. Unfortunately, I was at the mercy of my production manager Daniel since he drove me to the premiere, and the earlier feelings of awkward joy in the theatre had faded enough that I no longer felt the need to walk home. So I waited some more, chatting with Harry's adorable girlfriend, watching Quentin dance the latest hip hop beats, and pondering the meaning of a white frog.
When I arrived home, it was past 1 am. And that's when I realized this:
I'm a white frog.
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