Southeast Asian pop culture has evolved--as have many other foreign youth movements--
by appropriating, reconfiguring and inserting Western tastes and attitudes into indigenous productions. The result is a familiar, fashionable and distinctly local codex of style. More global than independent, this pop culture is vibrant and growing.

Focusing on this trend is MTV Asia's IT'S MY LIFE, a variation on MTV's REAL WORLD wherein a film crew follows cast members in their respective countries for a year. After a highly-publicized contest attracted over 4,000 entries, seven eager participants were finally chosen: a waiter, two model/actresses, a journalist, a dancer and a pair of twins.

The winners were followed as they went to work, traveled to international locations, and had the time of their lives. All of the cast members were clearly aware that their intimate lives were immediately being broadcast to millions, but some of the most interesting were those who clearly used the opportunity for exposure and access to further their own media careers.

The two programs featured here are compilations from the 27 episode series. PROGRAM 1 visits cast members in their home countries and includes their initial meeting in Singapore. PROGRAM 2 continues with more adventures across Southeast Asia and the series finale where cast members reunite in Bali for one final surprise mission.

Although IT'S MY LIFE was produced independently from THE REAL WORLD, and the cast members were not put into conflict-inducing situations, the series confidently displays the highs, lows and unique joie de vivre of contemporary Southeast Asian youth culture.