life with jackie chan jan 1-5

[100pr00f]

dont know y but i really like reading things like this..were the stare shares thier day ..like bloggingabout them selves ...gives a better look at the person

so here is jackie blogs








Monday, January 1, 2007
I am back on the plane again, traveling from Hong Kong to the United States. I have to get used to speaking English once more. As usual, I brought newspapers (two) and magazines (four) with me. I sat down next to a family with children. I smiled at them and they giggled and whispered amongst each other.
As I read my magazines, different flight attendants greeted me, each with a story of how they had met me before. One of them said she saw me ten years ago when I traveled to Turkey. Another said she met me when I traveled somewhere within the United States. I chatted with them until the plane got ready to take off.
I got comfortable and continued to read the rest of my magazines. After reading five pages, I fell asleep. I slept the entire flight and did not wake up until we landed in Los Angeles. I don’t know why I was so tired. Since I slept so well, I guess it is obvious I haven’t been resting much during our Christmas holiday. In Asia, I always feel I don’t get enough rest because there is so much to do.
I went to the bathroom to freshen up. When I looked into the mirror, I scared myself. My hair was really messy and I looked like a punk rocker. The captain said to me after I came out of the bathroom that I looked so comfortable, as if I was in my own home. My legs were tangled in the blankets and I snored really loudly. He said to me, “You slept really well, didn’t you?”
I laughed to myself, wondering what kind of image I must have projected. A female passenger asked whether she could take a picture with me. I told her “Sorry, not now. Please wait until I have time to clean up a little bit.” Some children approached me and wanted to take pictures. I told them, “Please, not now, not now. Give me five minutes to wake up.” I straightened out my clothes, did a couple of facial exercises so I could smile naturally again.
I spent about thirty minutes taking pictures and signing autographs with various passengers. I asked them why they didn’t take a picture with me earlier when I was awake and energetic. Now, I look half asleep! They said they were afraid to bother me.
I thought there would be a long line at customs but there weren’t that many people. After they were finished with my paperwork, they told me to come back and visit again. They said that they were all excitedly waiting to see Rush Hour 3.
When I went home, I felt so relaxed. I don’t know why I felt that way. I should’ve been taking it easy in Hong Kong, but I had too much work for me to do there. My home in Los Angeles is really starting to feel like Home Sweet Home. My friend, Jay, was already in the kitchen preparing some tasty dishes. Osumi, Dorothy, and I sat down and enjoyed a light and healthy meal. After we ate, we all cleaned up the dishes and put them away in the kitchen.
I unpacked my bags and put away all my stuff. I lay down on my sofa, undisturbed. I felt so carefree. I had no phone calls from anybody and I was able to rest. But after a few minutes, I picked up the phone to take care of business in Hong Kong. There are always so many things to do, and so little time to do them. When I was finished with my phone calls, I suddenly realized that I actually missed being in America.
Life back home is so chaotic. I was in Hong Kong for two days, flew to China for five days, and then went back to Hong Kong for a day and a half. It was crazy. I did not have time to relax. I had so many things to do, business with so many different people. None of the projects that I’m working on will be complete for a couple of months but I still had to meet with different people for further discussions. Once again, I had meetings after meetings after meetings, non-stop.
I think one of the reasons I was so excited to come back was because I am enjoying my work on this film. I felt happy, knowing that I will be back on the set and working with all my friends the day after tomorrow.
My assistant asked me whether I was going to sleep and I said, “Maybe, I’ll try.” I went to sleep at 11:00 PM.



Tuesday, January 2, 2006
I woke up at 5:00 AM. I forced myself to go back to sleep and woke up again at 7:00 AM. I closed my eyes and willed myself back to sleep, but woke up at 1:00 PM. I finally told myself that I had better get up because I didn’t want to waste a day in bed. I turned on the television and went on the home shopping network (QVC). After finding some things I wanted to buy, I called Hong Kong to make sure that I did not already have these items. When they confirmed that I didn’t, then I bought all the products I felt my staff needed.
I decided to get some exercise so I jogged for an hour and trained on another machine for an hour. I felt so good when I was done. Exercising really is good for your mind and body.
Diana came over to prepare me for tomorrow’s scene. After looking at the dialogue, I told her that the scene would probably change. Whenever I choreograph an action scene, sometimes the dialogue scene has to change. Action and dialogue must complement each other.
I took a shower, got dressed and went out to dinner with my friends. I didn’t stay out too late since I knew I had to work the next day. After we finished, I went home and watched some more TV. I think it was around 11:00 PM, when I finally fell asleep.



Wednesday, January 3, 2006
I woke up at 1:30 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep again. I decided to stay awake until I had to go to work. I just couldn’t sleep.
I turned on the TV, wondering what I might find today on the QVC. I don’t know why, but I keep shopping. Sometimes I ask myself why I buy these things. They’re probably made in Hong Kong or China. I guess you can say that shopping makes me happy, especially when I know that I can make work easier for my staff.
At 6:00 AM, I came to the set. I got dressed and had my hair and make-up done and then waited for Anthony Steinhart, PA (production assistant) to call me to the set. I was really happy to be working again.
Brett (our director) and Andy (our producer) came to visit me in my trailer. After we all exchanged hugs, kisses and pleasantries, I suddenly saw Jamie, (our first Assistant Director) limp into the room on crutches. I laughed, “Ha! Ha! Ha! See, I told you! Never do anything dangerous when you are on a holiday, especially when you are working on a film!” He pulled a muscle when he went skiing with his family. Right before the Christmas holiday, I had shared my philosophy with him.

He laughed and gave me a letter written from a boy named Michael. He had come to visit our set and really appreciated all the gifts I had given him. Jamie told me that he didn’t take off the t-shirt I autographed for him for three days. Whenever I hear these stories, I always laugh to myself.
We didn’t film today because of some “technical challenges” on the set. It worked out really well because we did need rehearsal time to work out the fight sequence in this scene. We also had to work with twenty-five students from Eric and Debbie Chen’s National Wushu Training Center (NWTC (La Brea Studios)). Their studio trains students in wushu, but they also have an Impact Stunt Team, which trains people in the entertainment business using wushu in stunts. Eric also played an Imperial Guard on one of my films, Shanghai Noon.
We finished rehearsals around 11:00 AM so I decided to do some shopping. I went to Pasadena to buy some antique lamps. I was just going to buy four, but I bought eleven. I don’t know how heavy they are, but they looked like they each weighed a ton. Each lamp had to be carefully unwrapped to make sure there were no cracks or flaws. I didn’t want to send anything to Hong Kong that was broken.
I also went shopping at William and Sonoma for some kitchen items and at Home Depot for household goods. I don’t know why, but I keep shopping. I guess I just love all these unique products for homes, which I don’t see in Hong Kong.
When we were done, we all went out to have “Yum Cha.” It’s also known as “Dim Sum.” In Chinese Restaurants that serve dim sum, you can buy special delicacies. I like Bar-B-Q pork buns, shrimp dumplings, chicken feet and custard tarts.
Last night, I only slept an hour and a half. My assistant told me to stay awake because I shouldn’t go to sleep at 7:00 PM. I sat on the sofa, waiting for time to pass. I wasn’t in the mood to train. Around 9:00 PM, I laid down on my bed, turned off the lights and shut off my phone. I didn’t feel like buying anything tonight and I fell quickly asleep.

[100pr00f]

Thursday, January 4, 2007
I woke up at 6:00 AM. I slept really well all night. Today we will be filming with all the children from Eric’s school. I love all of them. They are so focused and dedicated. Twenty five of the children in the scene come from his school and about eight of them are the children of various crew, cast and friends of our production company. The students from the NWTC are very disciplined. When Debbie tells them to stand still, none of them move. They stood in their positions with their eyes focused on their instructor, waiting for direction. The children were mostly around 9-11 years old, but there were some as young as 6. Whenever they addressed their instructors, they would say, “Yes, maam or yes, sir.” Eric and Debbie have four children in the scene, and their children even addressed them in this formal manner.

When I look at them, I am reminded of my childhood in Hong Kong. Our master treated us one thousand times worse than how these students were treated. Debbie or Eric would verbally correct the students when they did something wrong. They often had to repeat themselves. Our master wouldn’t even say one word. “Paaaat!” With one hard, painful slap, one’s memory would come back immediately. I am amazed at the dedication of these children to wushu. They must really love what they do to put in the amount of time and hard work it takes to train.
One little seven year old girl caught my eye because she looked so serious when she did her routine. When her instructor said that her legs needed to be straighter when she performed, tears started rolling down her eyes. She quietly replied, “Yes, maam.” Even after the teacher walked away, she continued to mumble, “Yes, maam…yes, maam…yes, maam” under her breath. I thought she was so adorable.
Today I feel like I am still on holiday because we are spending a lot of time filming the children. They can only be on the set for eight hours at a time so we need to film their shots first. I was surprised to hear that their hours on the set were limited because the baby actor I worked with on Rob-B-Hood, Matthew, would be on our set from 6:00 AM to midnight. Of course we allowed him time to nap, eat, and get his diapers changed, but he was on the set most of the day. Whenever we couldn’t use him, we always had other scenes to shoot. This is the difference between a Chinese film and an American film. In Hong Kong, we have no regulations when it comes to children. I have much to learn about American rules and regulations. Maybe some day, I will incorporate some of them in my films.
There are a lot of people on the set. Because there are thirty something children in this scene, they all have to be accompanied by their parents or guardians. Some of the children brought their siblings or other extended relatives. The atmosphere is so relaxed on the set, I feel like I am on a holiday.
Jamie called out today, “First shot of 2007!” I can imagine this making it as one of the quotes of the day for our call sheets (a schedule of what we will be filming every day).
I didn’t need to be onscreen for most of the day but I had to be on set to choreograph. In this scene, Chris’s character, Carter, causes a disruption in a martial arts school. I try and teach him to be respectful, but he learns the hard the way. His character always makes trouble and I always have to bail him out. This is one of the comedic elements in our relationship.
Today, Chris and the children are all filming more than I. The children who are not the students of the NWTC, are having a hard time taking direction. The Assistant Directors (Jamie, Schroer, Vern) and Production Assistants (Brad, Shawn, Anthony and Matti) have to keep yelling, “Quiet on the set!”
Even though I wasn’t on camera most of the day, I still felt rather tired. When I went home, I changed quickly and worked out for an hour. “Wow!” I felt really energized when I was done. I made a few phone calls and decided it was time for bed. I turned off the TV, the telephone and closed my eyes. Because I haven’t been sleeping well, I needed to rest.




Friday, January 5, 2007
When I woke up at 6:00 AM, I felt so refreshed. I came to the set but I still didn’t have much work to do. We still had to film the children and Chris. After going on the set to give my feedback, I went back to my trailer to watch some TV.
I recently discovered The Science Channel. I’ve never seen it before and was fascinated by the show. You can learn how to do so many things by watching this program. You can learn how to make a car, a boat, chocolate or soda pop. Even the simplest looking product involves a lot of complicated procedures.
I have learned a lot of interesting things because I watch educational channels. There are also a lot of channels with terrible programs. You can’t learn anything from watching these shows. When a person watches educational programs, you can really enrich your mind.
Although I watch a lot of television shows, I feel that I don’t waste my time because I am getting an education. I am learning about things I normally know nothing about. If you watch programs about junk, you will fill your mind with garbage. You will waste your time. I hope you fans out there are selective when you watch TV. Try to pick programs where you can learn something new and useful.
This past week, Diana shared some sad news with me. Her mother-in-law, Christine Wong, passed away. She was ill for a long time and Diana’s husband, Bryant, took care of her for many years. I feel very sad for their family because it’s always terrible to lose someone you love. It is cruel, but we must all accept that death is a part of life.
I don’t know if my fans agree with me or not, but when a person is suffering, sometimes life is too unbearable. My mother was also in a lot of pain before she passed away. I was really sad to see her go, but I know she’s now at peace. I know in America, it’s against the law to allow a person to commit suicide. But I feel if a person is really ill and it’s painful for them to even breathe, isn’t it cruel to let them continue living?
I know that Diana will have to travel up north to be with her family. This will be a difficult time for them. The people we love, whether they are here on earth or not, are always in our hearts, in our memory. My mother is no longer around, but she will always be a part of me.
I wished Diana a safe trip. She was flying home this time, but often I know she spends eight hours driving up north to her home in Foster City, which is near San Francisco.
I still had to stay on the set because I was needed for one more shot. It wasn’t a difficult shot, but it took time to prepare. We’ve had a short week and I’m sure everybody is eager to begin their weekend.
After we wrapped, I went to dinner with a small party of people. There were only four of us, but we had a good time. When I went home, I took a shower and went to bed. When I don’t have much to do on the set, I always feel really tired.

Text and photos ©2007 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.