FaceTiming with Rebecca Wong In The Streets of New York City—Our International Jetsetter, Pie-Maker and TV/Magazine Writer

Among her many talents, Rebecca Wong recently started
and now teaches "air yoga"

By Daniel McArdle-Jaimes

It was an overcast day in the buzzing Big Apple, and Rebecca Wong graciously squeezed me into her busy schedule as she FaceTimed me immediately following her brunch in a cute, but cramped New York City café. She was in NYC with her brother to visit their grandparents for the week.

It was Rebecca’s idea to hold our call while she was in “The States” as it would be too difficult to coordinate a time in her now hometown of Hong Kong. As I peered into my small iPhone screen, I could see her wearing a super cool, black leather jacket. I saw her walk past the tables in the café and opened the door to step foot onto the city sidewalk. Her hair blew in the wind as she looked into the camera and smiled. Did she learn that move from Tyra Banks on America’s Next Top Model? Did she just do that on purpose? Geeze! Here I was taking notes on my laptop in my car, while she was out and about walking the streets of New York like she was in a music video (and queue the Alicia Keyes/Jay-Z song, “New York”).

“Rebecca, I want to be like you when I grow up.” I said to her. “You live such a glamorous life!” She immediately shuts down my compliment and deflects the attention. “No!” She starts. “I’m NOT grown up. I want to be like YOU when I grow up!”

Over the years, Rebecca and I have been doing a fairly good job at keeping in touch with each other. We last saw each other in San Francisco in June 2013. She was in town for just a couple of days visiting a various California cities on a road trip. To impress her, I took her a rooftop bar, The View, at the San Francisco Marriott to watch the evening fog roll in amidst the San Francisco twinkling skyline. Knowing that she was a foodie (and world-class baker), we strolled down to Bluestem Brasserie for some California-fusion American food.

With Daniel McArdle-Jaimes in San Francisco

Anyway, here is a summary of my conversation with our friend, Rebecca Wong.  

1)     Catch us up. What have you been up to for the last 15 years?

My life isn’t really that glamorous. You know me, Daniel...I feel like I’m such a wanderer. I moved three times to different colleges, and finally ended up at the University of Michigan (U Mich), where I majored in writing (communications - but in speech and technical writing). When I finally needed to declare a major, my mentor told me something that stuck with me ever since: “It doesn’t matter what you do with your life; just be very good at writing. It will take you to many places in the world.” He was right. I still believe that you cannot get anywhere in life without the ability to write.

While I was at U Mich, I landed a couple of internships, including working with the Detroit Pistons. After graduating, I started copy writing for an advertising company. While there, I worked as an account manager for Ford Motor Vehicles, among other clients. But I grew anxious to move and begin a new adventure. When I reached my mid-20s, I had lived in Detroit for five years, and it was the place that I lived in the longest (because I moved so much growing up). 

Posing with young teachers in Nachingwea, Tanzania

At that point, I decided that it was best I move back to Hong Kong because I missed my family. I have been living in Hong Kong for six years now working various jobs. I began writing for a television show for a luxury lifestyle program that took me to places all over Asia (technically some of Asia also Europe, and by Europe, I mean Italy. My show also went to Switzerland, Maldives, all over). We would set-up travel logs, activities, and go to fine dining restaurants. We covered things that I couldn’t afford, but it was fun to pretend. I was lucky enough to work with celebrities, and got to meet Pharrell, Mario Batali (Iron Chef and Food Network star) and Joe Bastianich (former judge on MasterChef, owner of the Lucca restaurant chain).

I met a lot of people in television, and then earned referrals for production jobs outside of the television show, including working on movie and video productions. I remember when I got to meet Mark Wahlberg during the Transformers Premiere. That was the first time I was star struck. I only took the job, because I wanted to meet Imagine Dragons, but I didn’t get the chance to meet them! I remember when Mark tapped me on the shoulder, I turned around and I got nervous. At that time, I was handling the press and was to doing a lot of back-end production stuff and quality control. I did this kind of work for four years.

A couple of years ago, I decided that I wanted to get back into writing and took on a managing editor position. It was a good opportunity, but i didn't enjoy the stress of managing people and didn't want to commit myself to a full-time position. I eventually demoted myself twice (from a managing editor to a contributing writer to a freelance writer) because I wanted to explore my pie-making business. So I did my freelance work, while building up a pie-making business.

Unfortunately, I broke my leg a couple of years ago and had to stop baking for a bit, which was when I decided to take a magazine job last year.

At a mutual friend's wedding in Australia with Liya Wang

As my leg began to heal, I took anti-gravitation fitness classes (air yoga) as part of my rehabilitation efforts. I became quite good at it, and now I teach a couple of classes twice a week. It’s my “happy moment” in my week, and I really enjoy it.

For a little more than a year now, I voluntarily serve as a mentor for high school sophomores and juniors in Chicago. As a mentor, I’m paired up with a few students to exchange letters and hold conversations throughout the semester about their career goals. I enjoy working with the kids and I am considering becoming a mentor for the Mid-Pacific class of 2017.

2)     You were only in Hawaii for a year. Remind us how you arrived at Mid-Pacific?

My parents were always moving around, and at the time my brother was living in Hawaii, so I decided to spend my last year of high school with him before starting college. Living in Hawaii and going to Mid-Pacific was where I spent the least amount of time in, but it was a place with a lot of people to identify with.

I was born in Hong Kong, but moved around a lot. I have now lived there for six years, but I am still considered to be very foreign there in terms of my appearance. Sometimes I feel like I’m not from there. In Hawaii and at Mid-Pacific, I was the most comfortable. I have been back to Hawaii a few times since graduating, and I don’t feel foreign when I’m there.

At Mid-Pacific, there was tremendous diversity in my friends. I remember the people being very welcoming, and that was important to me as I was the only new kid there. I didn’t feel ostracized, and it was reassuring to have other foreign kids go there. I knew that I was the new kid that wasn’t from Hawaii, but I wasn’t made to feel like I was the outcast. It was new and open, and I’m happy to have gone there.

3)     What does alumni relations mean to you?

Alumni relations has a lot to do with having someone to connect the dots. I am a person who is all over the place, all the time! For me, alumni relations is what you (Daniel) are doing. It is a good reminder of where I am and where I came from. I’m terrible at maintaining my connections. As an example, there are plenty of U Mich events in Hong Kong, but I don’t go to them. At the end of the day, alumni relations is about keeping the community going and having a person (or people) share updates that are interesting and meaningful.

4)     What was your favorite high school memory?

There were so many. I think the one that comes to my mind that makes me the most happy was when I would get morning bagels with Serena (Twu) Murray (class of 2002). She was the person I could count on to “get fat” with. I remember when we would wake up early to get bagels in the morning. Those were always happy moments and great starts to the day.

5)     Who was your favorite teacher?

Mr. Vogel. I liked him because he was tough and made you write a ton of journals in class. He had a cynical teaching style. I personally appreciated cynical teachers because they had a way of keeping you awake and on your toes. I remember his kindness to me because he gave me some slack when I needed it during my last quarter of the school year…and I needed to graduate!

6)     Name a classmate that you admire. Why do you admire him/her?

I admire you (Daniel McArdle-Jaimes)!

From the day we met me and all these years later…you are still the same upbeat/positive person that I remember. We had so many interactions between high school and now. Each time I see you, things have changed in your life (your engagement, marriage, career, moving states, etc.). Your personality hasn’t changed which is really cool and admirable. It appears that everything you do, professionally or voluntarily, you do it with great confidence, joy and conviction. You don’t conform at all and that’s really cool to watch.

7)     If you were to go to the reunion, who would you want to see and why?

 Chad Nishi. I hope he brings all of the puppies he secretly keeps in his basement.

Actually, I really would love to see anyone and everyone! I see all of these faces and names in my head, but it would be neat to catch up with all of them in person so many years later to see them as grown-ups.