AAS Dreams

So, our group was assigned chapters 5 & 6 from Helen Zia's book, "Asian American Dreams". My first impression of the book wasn't too bad, I actually found it to be pretty interesting. Even though I didn't really start at the beginning of the book, chapter 5 titled Geeks, Gooks and Geisha's - or something along those lines- talked a whole lot about Asian American stereotypes imposed on society through popular media. And what was real popular back then were some TV shows/media and especially theatrical plays such as "Miss Saigon". In this chapter, I felt that it was unfair for many AAS to be turned down in regards to auditioning for a play, even though it was for an Asian role. I think our goals back then was to put and end to all the wrong stereotypes people had of us and show them that we're more than just prostitutes or whores.

Chapter 6 talked more about how Asian Americans became more involved with politics by means of fighting for our rights as citizens. Specifically, she mentions the struggles Filipino Americans faced working in canneries in Alaska. I was shocked to learn that the conditions enforced on them were similar to what African Americans experienced in slavery. In both cases, people were mistreated unjustly.

From these two chapters, it's very clear to see that Asian Americans have been struggling for so many nears for their voices to be heard in regards to their rights as citizens. It was really interesting to read about how Asian Americans solely feel responsible about all the stereotypes being portrayed about them and are trying to show the world that in reality, they're just as unique as everyone else. As Asian Americans, they struggle to gain their rights as American citizens while trying to preserve their Asian culture through their traditions, talents, and beliefs.

-Angel

The Cho Show

(Something I wrote last sem for my AAS200 class, hope this counts! lol)

I watched the first episode of the “Cho Show,” entitled, “Korean of the Year.” In this episode, Margaret is thinking about whether or not she should attend the KoreAM award ceremony. We see Margaret talking to her parents and friends about the award she’s going to receive at the ceremony. First off, she turns to her gay friends to figure out what she’s going to wear. Later in the episode, we see Margaret’s parents and her manager going shopping for some clothes too. Margaret then turns to her other two comedian friends and pretty much asks them for advice about whether or not she should go and tells them why she doesn’t feel too comfortable about going. In the end, Margaret shows up, receives the award, and everyone enjoys her show.

I feel that there were so many instances in the show that really depicted the usual Asian American lifestyle. For example, when one of her friends suggest Margaret to wear a spray painted dress, it was one of those traditional Chinese dresses. They made a comment that the general public wouldn’t notice that it was Chinese and not Korean, basically generalize that it was something Asian. I thought that the fact that people can’t distinguish the difference between Asian cultures is pretty common. People tend to generalize that anything Asian is Chinese. This is probably because the majority of people immigrating from Asia are the Chinese, especially when considering places like Chinatown, etc.

Another important depiction of the Asian American lifestyle was shown in the part when Margaret’s parents bought baby clothes for their future grandson. Her parents were pretty much pressuring Margaret into having a child, specifically a baby boy. Even though Margaret seemed really upset about it and explained to them that she doesn’t have the time to have one, her parents offered to take care of it. This just shows the importance of inheritance to Asian families. I felt that it’s pretty common for Asian parents to want to have grandchildren as they get older. Traditional parents seem to pressure their children to have children of their own in order to preserve their names. Also, in specifically wanting a grandson, Margaret’s parents pretty much emphasize the importance of males when it comes to preserving the family name in comparison to women.

In the end, I felt that this show does help shed light on Asian American issues especially when Margaret expressed how she felt like she didn’t fit in into her own Korean community because they didn’t like how she was Americanized. By showing her weaker side, I was able to realize that sometimes the Asian traditions being put down on us sort of hinder us from doing what we want. In Margaret’s case, she was fearful of attending the ceremony because she felt that her own community wouldn’t like or be supportive of her jokes. On the other hand, she has inspired so many people with her career, namely another famous comedian Bobby Lee. And just as he stated, through Margaret’s career, she pretty much has opened opportunities up for other Asian Americans who want to be part of the entertainment business. I felt that the show was very unique compared to other reality shows because it depicted how an Asian American lifestyle conflicts with both Asian and American customs.

With the addition of more shows like this one, I feel that America would be more aware of Asians in the country because how much Asian tradition and values are being publicized more often. For example, we see more Asian people on TV as they gain more popularity throughout the years. The entertainment business seems to have opened up and given more opportunities to the Asian communities residing in the US.


-Angel

Hoy Hoy Hoy!

That midterm was crazzzzyyy! When Irene first told us about it, I couldn't imagine us out there doing all that we did. I, especially, didn't expect myself screaming out and chanting the way I did that day. Although I felt a rush of nervousness, it was pretty exciting too. I don't think I'd be able to do that on my own with out a whole group of us trying to achieve the same thing.

What I really liked most about the invasian was that we pulled through with it. Like we were discussing in class, we pretty much had some doubts about how we were gonna make it all happen. Although we were caught up and busy with our other classes, I agree that our ETHS210 class is just as important. So, we lacked the determination to get things done with enough time to rehearse it.

All in all, we did good in attracting a good crowd and getting people curious about what we were up to. I really liked all the skits and performances we had too. It was crazy to see that one random guy get involved with what the acting group was doing and it was real. As part of the singing group, I didn't feel as much support from the class but we tried our best to sing our stuff loud enough for people to hear.

In the end, we as a class came together and raised our voices for everyone else to hear. Since we realized the potential we have and proved to ourselves that we can come together and get things done - we deserve an A.

-Angel

SFIAAFF `09

So I went to the Asian American Film Festival with my boyfriend and we watched "Family Portraits" at thee Kabuki Theater down over in Japan town. This film shows a variety of short films by different artists and portrayed Asian American lifestyles. I'll just talk about some of the films I saw that really captivated me, but I felt that all of them were really cool.

The first film showed a picture of a Korean family - a mother and her two young daughters posing in front of a mountain. It then showed a film of them trying to take the same picture again 35 years later. In the first photo, they wore more traditional clothing and looked more foreign, while in the film, they were more Americanized where they wore jeans, etc. While the film progressed, the mother of the 2 started crying and it was emotional for me. I guess the film was trying to show how much the mother went through after leaving her homeland for the Americas. It showed that although people become more Americanized, their cultures from their parents are still a big part of their lives and who they are.


Another film showed the struggles of Indian American families here in the US. The story mainly revolved around three generations - a girl, her mother, and her grandmother. Her grandmother was the most traditional with the way she dressed and talked. She struggled to stay connected with her family in India and strongly held to her cultural values. The mother was a mix of both Indian and American culture. She struggled to move away from her traditional life as a housewife in trying to apply for a job as a police officer. The daughter was more Americanized than she was traditional as her grandmother. She struggled in her acting career and found it hard to put herself out in the world because her culture held her back. This film showed that every generation struggles with the idea of being an Asian American in various ways.

The last film was the most captivating, but its story was the longest. It was even made by a graduate student at SF State, so that's cool! It's basically a story about a Korean woman who during the war, lost her baby daughter due to malnutrition and fled to America with her son. Although she lived in America for the rest of her life, she could never forget that day she lost her child.

I really liked these films because it they all showed the importance of family especially in Asian American cultures and how we try to balance our lives between these two cultures.

-Angel

Mmm Mmm, GOOD!

(So this is my realllly late food challenge blog)

From what I remember, I remember feeling real damn good about what we made that day. I'd have to say that our competition was a close one. Before the challenge, our group didn't really have any idea to how we were gonna mix the Asian & American dishes together. We first came up with a list of some easy Vietnamese dishes we could make since there were plenty to choose from on the American side.

Making the dishes were pretty fun to do, but time consuming as well. Although we cooked up the foods for the first time the night before the challenge, our first batch turned out great. Our first dish was a mix of the cobb salad (American) and lemongrass chicken (Vietnamese). What I liked most about the dish was that the salad was a good and simple complement to the spiced up chicken and the sauce mixed both dishes together. The second dish was a mix of garlic shrimp (American) with Spring Rolls (Vietnamese. What I like most about it was that although the dish looked exactly like a regular Vietnamese spring roll, it tasted so different from it because of the shrimp.

What I enjoyed most about this competition was the fact that we, as a group pulled through in doing it. We made the most of what we had by means of skill and ideas and did the best we could with them. I'm glad that we made some awesome dishes to present to the class (:

-Angel

HYPHEN, what?!

I've never really heard about this magazine until it came up in class. Honestly, I was really suprised to hear about a magazine that consisted of Asian American artists, articles and stuff like that. Like, it wasn't as common as other magazines or books that portrayed "white" people or celebrities. Hyphen pretty much opened up my eyes to how involved Asian Americans are becoming especially in regards to media, and forms of art whether it be thru music, food, dance, etc.

One thing that really caught my attention was all the slang some articles used. I think that it was what made the stories have an impact on me. I mean, how often do you see the f word published on a magazine, a book, or something of that sort? Rarely. And so, that really did take me by surprise.

I also really like the magazine's cover art. It depicts both Asian and American aspects, values, and traditions. I like how Hyphen doesn't emphasize just one culture, but incorporates both in a mix. This helps show that although we, Asian Americans, strongly believe in traditional values we gained from our parents, we also have our own as we've learned and accomodated through our American habits and what not.

Lastly, I guess I can say that Hyphen's pretty much boosted my self-esteem when it comes to how much I appreciate my own culture, background and where I came from. It gives me the chance to explore who I am as an Asian American and learn that there's a community out there that shares what I feel and what I'm experiencing.

-Angel

Letter to the Editor

sorry for the lateness :/

Dear Hypen editor,

First of all, I'm truly proud to say that I am Asian American. The distribution of Hyphen magazine is another reliable source of cultural information. Not only does Hyphen explore a variety of Asian American stories, but its articles "keep it real". It keeps away from that traditional format we see from books, newspapers and shows people what's going on right now. What sets it aside from other magazines is that it emphasizes that Asian Americans are more than stereotypes thrown at us on a daily basis. We too have skills, talents, and unique voices just like everyone else. Hyphen give us Asian Americans the chance to speak up in society and show ourselves for what we value and accomplish. Most importantly, I feel that it shows that we aren't just solely Asian or solely American, but a real good mix of both.

Angel Gaurano
SF,CA

Doki Doki

So a couple weeks ago, we were supposed to attend the San Francisco International Asian American Festival (what a mouthful). Unfortunately, they were in town during a very busy week for me, so I was unable to attend any of the shows. After this mishap, I began to google some of the films. One thing led to another and I ended up getting an older short film called Doki Doki. The movie was produced in 2003 but played during the 2004 SFIAAFF. The title of the film is an onomatopoeia that is commonly used as a slang term by women to describe having butterflies in your stomach, however; that can also mean the individual is having high levels of anxiety.

In a quick synopsis, the movie is about a group of Japanese “strangers” that have ridden the same train for a number of years. Everyday, they depart on the same train, sit in the same seats, and go about through a daily routine. Through the many years they have been together, there was never any real interaction amongst the passengers. The plot begins to take shape when the main character (Yumi) decides to break from the norm. She begins to write down notes about each commuter in hopes of learning who they are. One commuter in particular (Yosuke) has caught her eye, and she ends up following/stalking him in hopes of learning more about him.

Despite not following the main flow, a sub plot develops through another character (Makiko). She brings the title’s message through a different path. She is a high school student that rides the same train, but her story follows a more somber path. Through the movie, she experiences a number of traumatic events that torture her psyche. Not only does she have to deal with the perverts on the bus and the bullies at school, she is still tormented about her father’s suicide. With the surmounting problems, Makiko contemplates her available options. Among the list, it seems as if suicide is a very probably selection.

The two prominent ideas that the director accentuated through the movie were the expression of the individual and suicide. The concept of “breaking out of your shell” is one that practically everyone can relate to. How often have we had missed opportunities? Let’s face it; sometimes we don’t see these windows until they are gone. We, as individuals, are shaped upon the experiences we have had and will have. Without a doubt, it is hard to fathom how a single missed opportunity can have changed your life so profoundly.

On the flip side, a grotesque, yet common practice in Japan is suicide. During the beginning of the film, the train that the characters are on suddenly stops. Another unidentified individual decided to take their life. The intercom on the train suddenly turns and reports the suicide as a 30 minute delay. Everyone knows what just happened, but no one shows any remorse.

This scene made me wonder just how different Japanese society is compared to those in the United States. Upon further thought, it is fairly obvious that they are two worlds apart. The daily problems we face are similar (lay offs, bullying, deaths, and Etc.), and the manifestation of our subsequent actions are heavily influenced by culture. Although somewhat stereotypical, Americans are seen as an extroverted society; we wear our emotions on our sleeves. The center of concern for the individual is themselves. When problems arise, we are quick to blame others while glorifying ourselves. The Japanese, on the other hand, have maintained an introverted culture. When problems arise, blame is quickly shifted towards the individual. Hence, it is somewhat understandable why Japan has the highest suicide rate in the world.

**Sorry for the sloppiness of my writing. I was writing (and watching =D) this at work and was too lazy to write a formal report on the movie. My ideas are just jumping around everywhere