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I believe that when a country has been so good to you that you have to give back so after my shooting with Jefen and before flying off to London, I went to visit the Disabled Children's NGO that my friend Brian Zhang is running. The NGO teaches physically and mentally disabled children to sew, read, write, maths so that they can have a place in Chinese society. I really appreciate the work of Brian Zhang, when he could go out and be all commercial, having been schooled in the west and coming from a family well connected, he decided to come back to China and create some socially economically sound companies. I am really grateful that there are people out there like Brian Zhang with his other NGO, the Performing Angels Troupe, a group of disabled children that are taught to act and perform theater in order to get hired and have a place in society. The NGO that sews their costumes are the disabled people of this school. When they graduate from this school, now Brian is creating a farm community where they can live when they are older and he's building a bigger workspace atelier for them in that space along with a hospitality training and place that can be rented out by people or companies for events or retreats. Brian took me to the farm and showed me what it was like to be in the Chinese country side.

I got given a hat - love it!                                                      These are the costumes they make for the Acting Troupe

This is the school where they live and learn and work.

At first I was totally taken back by my own internal reaction to the Children. I really noticed inside myself that it is one thing to dream up a way to help people and a project, and to actually get your hands dirty so to speak and execute it. I went away from their sweet natures thinking how will I ever do anything to help them really but Brian said "Step by Step" we will find help. I was so discouraged. It was a really hard thing for me, a model, to see these kids in their disabled states. What a faker I am, I thought, when I saw my inner reactions to their disfigurement. Here I say in my project that "Being different is cool and not scary." and yet here I was scared--of what I do not even understand. I think that when we see someone disabled, we superimpose it upon ourselves and we try to put ourselves in their shoes with our mentality and then the whole photo gets really scary in your mind.

I think that if we could instead reprogram our own images playing in our mind to actually see the heros in front of us--people who have overcome so much physically, socially, and mentally--and instead see the image of a superstar from the disabled Olympics, we wouldn't have all those crazy recoiling feelings or helpless feelings. Yah, it's a lot of bla bla from me out of my mouth, because when I was there I was feeling helpless. Thank goodness Brian was there and he could get ahold of my fears and break it down for me how we are going to really actualize this project. I mean, again, egoistically my fear was that I was all talk but that I would not actually be able to do anything.

How would the kids sew the patterns for the project? How would they be able to do it? I was so discouraged. Brian said, "Step by Step and we will find the way to arrive." I"m really glad that people like Brian Zhang exist. A person that could go out like me and do a lot of commercial things in the world, and yet here he is rolling up his hands and digging them in the dirt to make his country a better place. So I'm excited to be back in China and be able to take more steps towards realizing this charity project to create an economic model for these persons to find a place in the society. It is a privilege to have the chance to catch myself and not be all talk.

More dresses that they made for the actors.

Returning from Sydney I rocked into Beijing with a booking for Jefen by Frankie. This year was really different as he had a foreign stylist booked from Paris to do the styling. The other model was local and we had a lot of clothes to shoot. I've been privileged to be booked for the Jefen Campaign for the last 3 times with Tong Kong Studio and photographer Li Tzi. This year I really fell in love with the clothes--they were totally perfect for me! The colors were burnt orange, deep plum, electric lime green, and so many perfect shapes for me. It is really awesome too when you feel beautiful on your shoot.

I'm always a little nervous to rock in with new haircut and I was so surprised when everyone came to me and told me the loved my new look! That is always a bonus. My x-Chinese agency said that I should never cut my hair like this and that I should only keep my long A symmetric look. Not true at all! I love my new cut and also the great color that Hamish Gallianos from People Hair Salon in Sydney cut for me! I am just not sure where I can find someone locally who can do such a sharp cut--then again it is a China look.

Li Tzi and I cant speak together--my Chinese is not powerful enough and he has only photographer English:

"Good!"

"Yes!"

"Errrrrmmmm" (makes an unhappy face)

"Move!"

"Anina! I love you!" (my favorite)

I have learned a few things in Chinese that we end up yelling at each other back and forth the whole day laughing, like "YOU ARE CRAZY!" We really love to shout that one and laugh hysterically. I believe that there is a universal language of the heart that transcends words and sound. Because I understand everything that Li Tzi wants and he loves working with me because I can read his photo-mind. The photos are always ground breaking and beautiful that we shoot. This year's photos no exception with Jefen's beautiful collection! The shoes ROCKED!

Definitly one of the perils of modelling is that you want to take everything home with you, thus rendering the money you earned equal to the money that you want and will spend when the collection comes out. Danger Will Robinson!

Before Shooting Frankie asked Li Tzi to to sign his portrait that he shot of him. The thing is that most Chinese characters are compact and small, not big and bravado like French or English handwriting.

So Frankie was asking (what I understood in the universal hand gestures and signs) was that Li Tzi make his signature a bit bigger and more artistic. It was just not really perfect so we all had a big laugh out loud when Frankie knelt down and did a bit of manual artistic retouching himself!

It is really a shock to any model who walks into an Asian studio for the first time and sees racks and racks of clothing with only being booked for one day. You inhale. You think, my gosh, it can't all be for me. Then you sit down to get your makeup done. You keep casting an eye over your shoulder or listening out for the words, "second day booking" and you don't hear it. You are relieved when the second model shows up...and then you both look at each other disbelieving when they wheel in her outfits. You get your makeup done and slowly start to put on your first outfit. You look in the mirror and you look great. The photographer puts on some super speed music and you straighten your shoulders, look yourself in the eye, and say in your head "This is going to be like lightening!"

The music starts and the other model is in hair and makeup. You start to groove in front of the camera and you are looking around not really knowing if what you are doing is right. Then you see the smile on the photographer's face and you know you got the right mood. When you finish in 6 shots everyone claps and actually applauds with the client having a big smile on his face. You rush back to the changing room and 4 people start to strip off your clothes. Those little fingers just flying to the buttons and down go your pants as if you are in a fashion show! Top is popped over your head, you shoot your arms through, they throw open the curtain and out you come just as the other model glides in after you and the fabulous four start stripping her down. Two new people come to you and throw on a belt and fly a scarf around your neck, tying the bow perfectly before saying a rushed "Ok! Ok!" and then you half run half walk to your X-marks-the-spot on the silo. Snap snap snap and you are back to the dressing room. You start to pull out your best fashion show moves by removing the belt and the scarf and thrusting it to the people who originally gave them to you.

You break for lunch and your head is spinning because the rack is not getting any smaller. By 5pm you have dwindled it down to the last 25 and you start to count your hail mary's down to the last 6. They are always the hardest because that is when the client starts shouting..."Go! Go! Go!" because they don't want to pay overtime. Your feet are hurting, you nearly crash into the other model as you were both rushing to the "stage"--you were putting on your belt, she was taking off her belt and you nearly head butt each other from looking down.

5, 4, 3, 2...the client is smiling at you because you are the fastest you think! Because you can do more poses in less time than the other girl. Your ego is trying to give you some extra booster power to make some emotions in your eyes for the last.....1!

Sent in for my Birthday from my family thinking about me while paddling in the Pigeon River. Can you spot the A?

It's 5am and we are all up and sleeping as makeup is being done. I've been waiting for some time to shoot with my model turned photographer friend! Finally she's free and we've got an amazing concept and styling. I'm so happy, even though I'm on perninant snooz as the makeup is being done. More to this story is to come as I actually shot it in Australia three weeks ago. I'm behind on my blogging and now that I'm in Europe I'm doing catch up!