PCN`09

So I went to PACE’s annual Pilipino Cultural Night entitiled “Mahalaya.” I found the name of the production to be really creative since it was from one of SFSU’s professor’s daughter’s name. Mahalaya is made up of two tagalog words - mahal meaning love and malaya meaning freedom. So, the story was based on two lovers that were separated by class trying to the freedom to love amidst all the obstacles they have to face, mostly brought upon by their families and friends. It was taken place around the 1960s in which there was a lot of political activism in the US and in the Philippines.

The main character’s name was Isa, short for Isabella. Her destined lover’s name was Gusto, short for Gusto, whom she worked for. She was his family’s maid and therefore, their feelings for each other was unheard of. Being the gentleman he is, Gusto didn’t care about what his family and friends thought and still pursued his interest for Isa. Gusto’s sister was the main factor that pulled the two apart from each other. She couldn’t accept the fact that Isa and Gusto liked each other and so she pulled them apart using magic and nasty tactics. In the end, Isa and Gusto ended up marrying each other despite everything that pulled them apart.

In between scenes, there were so many cultural dances that I was never aware of. What I liked the most about the dances were the clothes that they wore. Although they were traditional, I liked how most were elegant and colorful, compared to what we wear now - baggy jeans and what not.

I also enjoyed how they show had some really funny parts where the characters would crack some Filipino jokes with the accent and everything. I just love how the audience could pretty much relate and understand it because we’ve experienced it with our own families.

I’d had to say that I truly loved going to PCN because not only did it bring out so many traditional factors about my own culture, but I became more appreciative of who I am as a Filipina. Shows like these make me feel really proud of where I come from and what I believe in.

-Angel

Roses are red, violets are blue?

Asian American Poetry

Aimee Nezhukumatathi

Aimee Nezhukumatathil was born in Chicago, IL to a Filipina mother and a South Indian father. She attended The Ohio State University (go Bucks!) where she received her B.A. in English and her M.F.A. in poetry and creative non-fiction. Aimee was the 2000-01 Diane Middlebrook Poetry Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing at UW-Madison and is now associate professor of English at State University of New York-Fredonia, where she teaches creative writing and environmental literature.

She is the author of At the Drive-In Volcano (2007), winner of the Balcones Prize which honors the most outstanding book of poetry each year, and Miracle Fruit (2003), which won Foreword Magazine's Poetry Book of the Year Award and was chosen by poet Gregory Orr for the Tupelo Press First Book Prize. Miracle Fruit was also named co-winner of the Global Filipino Literary Award, and finalist for The Glasgow Prize , and the Asian American Literary Award in poetry. Her first chapbook, Fishbone (2000), won the Snail's Pace Press Prize.

Other awards for her writing include an NEA grant, the Pushcart Prize, the Boatwright Prize from Shenandoah, The Richard Hugo Prize from Poetry Northwest, an Associated Writing Programs Intro Award in creative non-fiction, and fellowships to the MacDowell Arts Colony. Her poems are anthologized in Language for a New Century (WW Norton); Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief (Bedford St. Martin's); 180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Everyday (HarperCollins); New Voices: Contemporary Poetry from The United States (Irish Pages); 60 Indian Poets (Penguin); Seriously Funny: Poems about Love, God, War, Art, Sex, Death, Madness, and Everything Else (Univ. of Georgia); Beacon Best Writing of 2000; Babaylan: Filipina and Filipina-American Writing; Humor Me: An Anthology of Humor Writing; Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation; and Eros Pinoy.

Poems and essays are published or forthcoming in American Poetry Review, FIELD, The Antioch Review, New England Review, Black Warrior Review, Poetry Northwest, Prairie Schooner, Tin House, Shenandoah, The Southern Review, Chelsea, Mid-American Review, The Southeast Review, River Styx, Beloit Poetry Journal, Quarterly West, Crab Orchard Review, Virginia Quarterly, Slate, and North American Review.

Aimee was named the SUNY-Fredonia's Hagan Scholar in 2005 for a junior faculty member with distinguished scholarship-- the 1st time a member of the SUNY-Fredonia English Department has won this award. In April of 2006, she also received the SUNY's Drescher Award and SUNY-wide Chancellor's Award for Scholarship and Creative Activities for excellence in her record of publications, art production and performance.

She is working on a collection of nature essays and her third collection of poems. She lives in Western NY with her husband, son, and their geriatric dachshund, Villanelle. As of Fall 2008, she is on sabbatical and will return to teaching in Jan 2009.

**INFO from http://aimeenez.net/page2.html

-Angel

Rhythm&Blues; asianamerican style

I Loooove RnB (:

Some Asian American artists I listen to include:
Asia Cruise
Jordyn Taylor
Stevie Hoang
Karina Pasian
Nikki Flores
One Voice
Reynard Silva
Gabe Bondoc
Passion<3

"Introducing the young and talented singer, producer, and songwriter: Jeremy Manongdo aka Passion. A R&B artist whose calm and soothing vocals have made him pretty popular throughout the San Francisco and Bay Area. With his talents ranging from singing, to song writing, the guitar, piano and to a strong presence on stage, its no wonder his fan base has stretched beyond California’s borders.

You could say people are captivated by his “Passion” for making beautiful music (thus how his stage name came to be). He’s even been an opening act for Bobby Valentino, which isn’t bad for a 20 year old Filipino who merely labels himself a “Church Boy.”

So if you like music of the Christian and R&B variety, try giving these videos a listen. You just might end up a fan yourself." -Andre Pascual

I came across Passion while surfing up some of my favorite RnB songs on YouTube and I found some of his videos. I've even heard some of my friends talking about these videos and his music. I remember the first time I watched his videos, I fell in love with his voice. The song I love most that he solely produced and wrote is "Lemonade."




Enjoy(:
-Angel

POP`Pinn!

OMG so POP!

Let me just say, POP was thee craziest thing next to the midterm because I haven't performed on stage like that for a long while now and I'm glad to say that we did good! Even though we had so many things going on in our lives especially since we're at the end of the semester, we pulled it off; just like we did for our inv`asian'.

Even tho POP took forever because the other classes took hella long, I enjoyed it. I feel that Ms. Pelaud's first class was really good. I really loved that one guy's spokenword about him being a hopeless romantic. It was sooo sweeet and I mean, what girl wouldn't fall for that? And, I really liked that one video about identity and how it was like a real movie.

Since the room was getting really stuffy while our class was waiting for our time to shine, the dance group went into the other room to practice. Even though at first I felt really nervous about getting up there on stage, I got more excited to get it over with; probably because we practiced the dance soo many times already.

What I liked most about our class's performance was that we were united. We didn't have a variety show like the other classes, but each group was incorporated into one big story line- and i liked that. It pretty much reminded me of last years PCN with the structure of the production. We had our own jokes and puns which were really funny and enjoyable. It was great to see the support we gave and got from each other. Our class has come a looong way.

So, in conclusion, i loved POP!
I learned about my own culture and how much I appreciate my own identity. I learned about what Asian Americans face back then and now. How even though the discrimination against us still lingers, we found ways to acknowledge the fact that what they say about us isn't true and we have the ability to prove them wrong through song, dance, and words.

-Angel

Lao New Year

I attended the first EVER celebration in San Francisco, Ca @ the Civic Center. To my surprise, my entire family came down from Sacramento to attend this important event. My father told me about the celebration and I knew I wanted to go, especially since in the first public celebration for everyone. There would be music, traditional lao food, entertainment. & It's comforting to hear since I've been so distant from the Lao culture since I've moved here. The celebration was outdoors and there were hundreds of people waiting in line for papaya salad, ordering thai tea, and just hanging out. My personal favorite traditional food is papaya salad. It's a dish including slices of papaya, fish sauce, lemon, chili, tomatoes. A couple of more ingredients too but it varies. I must say, its a heavenly dish with all the elements of spicy,sweet and sour. Yum! Anyway!
After waiting in line for half an hour with people cutting continuously, my sister and I met a few nice fellows that dug their way into the front of the line to get us the food we have been waiting for. It's all about hustling! Just like back in the country! Lol. After buying so much moneys worth of food, we watched the performances that were taking place. Performaces were very diverse. There was a fashion show, music perfomance , dance sequence.

The overall celebration was a nice and refreshing way to celebrate culture, especiall my own. & It was great to see my family again. I can't wait to go again next year!

Dolly

this is so not gangsta

This story is a couple of weeks old, but it's worth bringing up because it's just so damn sad... 35-year-old Xiu Ping Jiang, a mentally ill Chinese immigrant, has been stuck for over a year in the solitary hell of deportation limbo -- suicidal, emaciated and deprived of proper medical treatment or representation:

Her bleak experience in the immigration system has only come to light because of a fluke -- she happens to have the same name as the ex-wife of Jiverly Wong, the gunman who fatally shot 13 people in April at an immigration services center in Binghamton. Not the same person, but as reporters tried to find the ex-wife, her court records came up.

The situation illustrates the vulnerability of the mentally ill in the immigration system. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement keeps putting increasingly strict enforcement measures in place, more and more people with mental illness are being put into detention -- and no one is really looking out for them.

There are currently no rules for determining competency in deportation proceedings, and no way to ensure representation for a mentally ill person facing deportation. So what happens in the case of someone like Ms. Jiang? Too often, people in the system just disappear.

Jeffrey Ju

Senior

im a senior and cant wait to get out of this school. It will be the best day of my life thank god.
gggeyyyyyahhha

Gone are the days of the bowl cut and assimilating to other ethnic men’s hairstyles. When it comes to great hair, Asian men have some of the most versatile sets of locks around. Thanks in large part to its characteristically thick, ultra-straight texture, Asian hair lends itself to today’s most stylish haircuts, even setting the trend in some cases.

If you’re of Asian descent, you should know that your hair is very porous, so it can absorb more moisture and hold different styles. If you’re not happy with your hair, then you’re not tapping into its full potential. So, to put you on the fast track to a new modern look that suits who you are, here’s a list of six super-sharp haircuts that will really play to your advantage.

The total shave

Asian guys (or any guys, really) with a bald head make a bold statement. Whether you need to do it or not, taking it all off the top shows you’re a man of true grit and determination; you exude confidence and class. Being bald looks so tough, Mark Dacascos dons it for his role as the Chairman on Iron Chef America; it allows him to be both smooth as steel and tough as nails. If you want to set that tone, then make the decision to go bald; it’s the perfect look for the take-charge guy who wants to come across as sharp, confident and sophisticated. Bald-headed men command respect and a style all their own. What makes this look even better is the fact that a lot of chicks dig it.

What it says about you: You’re on top of your game, you know who you are and you’re not afraid to show it.

Textured short

Traditionally, short hair can be a bore, but adding texture makes it classically cool. Due to their simplicity, textured short haircuts are spot-on for guys who like to walk one step beyond conservative. Sporting this ‘do makes it abundantly clear that you have a crisp, professional image to maintain. You know what it means to be in style without going overboard. Textured short hair looks timeless and sophisticated. No one proves this point more than Lost’s Daniel Dae Kim; his well-maintained coif affirms his cosmopolitan, erudite disposition toward style. Kim’s not trying to push the envelope anymore than he has to because he doesn’t need to; his stylish, grown-up haircut says it all for him. And for the consummate professional, you should let this haircut do the same for you.

What it says about you: Steeped in traditional, classic style, you have a mature approach to fashion that translates into an air of confidence, class and simplicity.

Jeffrey Ju

letter 2 the editor GEEEEEYYYAHHH JUPAC STYLE!!!!

Nearly 80 percent of Japanese-American 10th-graders passed the state's standardized math test last year in Seattle Public Schools. As a group, they did better than any other ethnic group in the district.

Only 14 percent of Samoan students passed the math portion of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning -- the lowest percentage of any ethnic group in the district.

There are vast social and cultural differences between the two groups that play into their success in school. Yet on a scholarship application, students from both would check the same box: Asian/Pacific Islander. So would students who trace their heritage to at least seven other Asian countries or islands.

The diversity of Asian/Pacific Islander students makes providing them scholarships complicated. Until five years ago, there wasn't a national scholarship fund for Asian/Pacific Islander students, even though funds for African-American and Latino students had existed for decades. A national group meeting Monday in Seattle is working to provide more scholarships to Asian and Pacific Islander students who need them.

"There are assumptions that all Asians go to college, that they are all good in math, that they are diligent, study hard, etc.," said Ted Mashima, the president and executive director of the group, the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund. "There's a lack of a unified thread other than geography that lumps us all together."

The scholarship fund, or APIASF, is holding a community reception today at the Seattle Asian Art Museum from 5 to 7:30 p.m. On Tuesday, the group will hold its annual board meeting in Seattle.

The scholarship organization formed in 2003, after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began its Gates Millennium Scholars program. The foundation had money for Asian students, but no group existed to accept the funds.

"That was a wake-up call to the Asian/Pacific Islander community to say, 'Hey, we need to get our act together to do something for our youth,' " said board chairwoman Wai-Ling Eng.

Today, APIASF, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, gives out about 200 scholarships a year and selects Gates Millennium Scholars. As a fairly new group, it has no endowment and spends a lot of time raising money. A comparable group for African-American students, the United Negro College Fund, has existed for 60 years and is working toward a $1 billion endowment.

jeffrey

Film Festival yea yea

“How has the media created a negative image of Asian Americans, and how can we, as a community, reverse this?”

This is the question I am studying. I personally feel that it is important that all minorities eventually become represented accurately in the media. Stereotypes in the media cause great problems for minority groups. Being Asian American myself, I explored the background behind our unsightly image that has been created by the media. As i learned more and more about the struggles of Asian actors and actresses, I wanted more and more to change it. Although it is unlikely that a single person, alone, can undo what has has been growing over the years, eventually, I hope that enough people will show a desire for more accurate representation in the media.

~Hollywood is not going to change for the sake of ideals. They will only change if there is an audience for it–if there is a demand for it.

There are many things that we can do to show our disdain for the negative stereotyping that occurs in mainstream media. As long as we express our desire for more accurate representation, we are doing our part to reverse the negative image that has been created.

Jeffrey Jupac

Victims of their own success

With the worsening economy, thousands of individuals are heading back to school to get any type of degree. The problem is that many school systems are unable to accommodate the surge of applicants trying to get in. As has been the case for a while, the UC system has come under some debate about their admissions. Many believe that the UC system lacks diversity. The growing pool of Asian applicants has continued to grow over the years due to a constant growth in the Asian population and their prioritization for education.

Although I believe that everyone does have a right to an education, awarding enrollment should be given to the highest qualified candidates. About 13 years ago, Proposition 209 was passed in order to get of rid racial discrimination. For the most part, it worked. Not surprisingly, Asian American’s compose a majority of the students attending the schools. Many opponents of Prop 209 say that the lack of affirmative action has resulted in a precarious drop in the number of African Americans in college.

Do I think it is right to allow an unqualified individual to usurp the position of someone who is competent and qualified? The answer is simply no. If anything, those who do not qualify or barely qualify need to reflect about what they want to do with their lives. Don’t get me wrong. It is possible to become successful without ever going it college; however those who want to go on to further their education need to show how serious they are about learning. For me, it is far too often that I come to class to take down notes for the lecture. I’ll admit it, the classes are usually boring, but I still make an effort to pay attention. Meanwhile, I see a shitload of other students sitting in their seats sleeping, talking, texting, and etc. Basically, they come to class just for the sake of being there. After the tests are given back, many often complain about the teacher included material that they never talked about. If anything, many school systems need to purge themselves of individuals who have no direction or have no motivation to be there.

ASIAN AMERICAN DREAMS yea yea GEYYYYYYAAHHHHH!

Chapters 5 and 6 were quite informative to say the least...
Stereotypical stuff like hollywood perceptions....

Helan Zia uses these in-depth studies to analyze the deeper implications for Asian Americans in the US. This tour de force novelization of history provides a canvass for Helen Zia's astute analysis of the underpinning sociological and psychological forces affecting the course of Asian American history. Helen Zia's intermingles her personal history into broader context of societal events in each section, engaging the reader but also tying the diverse topics into a whole.

Helen Zia's Asian American Dreams will be an eye opening experience for many Americans, given the dismal state of US history in our schools over the years. Even those who have kept up to date on current affairs will find themselves understanding events and political statements in a new light, with the deeper understanding of the history and the issues rarely covered in the media.

Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for Asian American Dreams is slightly marred by the sadly uninformed discussion of international adoption. It is a great loss to the adoptive families embracing Asian American ideals that this well written and vital book includes a few paragraphs of unsubstantiated, prejudicial statements about mixed race families, a practice which she rightfully condemns when directed toward Asian Americans.

If she ever undertakes a second edition of this worthy and enlightening tome, I hope that Helen Zia will rectify this misunderstanding. In addition, her views on the impact of globalization and more recent immigration history would be helpful for understanding the current situation in the US. Given her unique outlook, an examination of the tension over the participation of women in Asian society would have been interesting as well. Lastly, more attention could have been paid to the historical differences between the various Asian countries - as this will have a huge influence on what the term "Asian American" ultimately comes to mean.

Most of these suggestions are a very small part of what is sure to be a remarkable, landmark source for anyone interested in Asian Americans and Asian American affairs. I recommend Asian American Dreams highly to anyone interested in this topic. Its a marvelous work in terms of scope and depth that is unique in its field.

Jeffrey JUpac

....the swine flu....

so all this commotion going on about the swine flu and how everyone is so scared about it. blah blah blah, it's just like every other flu nothing different so i dont know why people are making a big deal out of it. yes some people have died from the swine flu but many has also from common flus. The news says that approximately 167 people have died but only determined 57 of them were cause by the swine flu, therefore, so stop tripping. All you gotta do is take care of yourself. After that incident, i've seen so many people wearing face mask everywhere like godamn are you serious??? && it has gotten into people's head where they don't even wanna go out to eat, party or anything. I mean if you're sick then stay yo ass at homee right? But yeah speaking of the flu, i'm sick myself which sucks. I have a very very weak immune system and i tend to get sick easily which is whack. But i'm trying to take care of myself so that I won't get as bad. I hate being sick because I'm usually stuck at home doing absolutely shitttttt when i rather be outtt partyyyinnnngggg.....feeel me? the only good part bout being sick is that someone is always there to comfort you and give you all the love and attention you want. muahhsssss* thankksssss babeeee and of course my mommmmyyyy....hahahaha.

POP

So i'm gonna talk about the POP performance. I think that the dance crew did a great job learning the dance and learning it in such a short amount of time. But anyways, so the big day comes and supposedly the shows starts at 7pm. but it didnt start til almost 7:30 and we were told that we would be performing around 8ish and guess what....we were the last group to perform was not able to til 9:45pm LITERALLY! omg i know everyone was exhausted from practicing and rehersal and just sitting there waiting for our turn. UGH. i must say i've never been at school on a friday for that long and i know there were many people that were irriated and annoyed. So it was finally our class turn to perform and everyone started leaving, i thought that was very rude because our class had to stay til the end and the others could have done the same for us and especially when they didnt even follow directions because each skit/scene was suppose to be only 5 minutes long and they went as long as 20 mins for each scene. If we knew that was going to happen, we could have done our performance first and go home after. I was so tired and so hot and so so so hungry at the same timeee...But thank buddah it's over.

I can't believe this semester is going to an end. And I'm glad it is because school was so stressful for me. I'm not even excited for summer either because I'm taking summer school from June 8 to Aug 14. Wow what a summer right? Whatever. FUCK MY LIFE ! :)

xoxo,
Julie Joi

THE SOFTER SIDE OF JUPAC.......SHIEEET EVEN GANGSTAS NEED LOVE TOO

AS I TAKE A MOONLIGHT STROLL DOWN THE BEACH, I WONDER WHEN A TRUE TO LIFE PLAYA WILL MEET....... MY SOULMATE ON THAT ONE DATE ALL... THESE CORNY ASS BITCHES GONNA HATE....
SIIIIIIIKKEEEE! I BET YOU THOUGHT PAC WAS GOING TO SELL OUT TO THAT NO GOOD COOKIE CUTTER R&B SHIT.... I THOUGHT YOU KNEW JUPAC WAS ROBBING MORE HOODS THAN ROBIN.
YES IT IS TRUE THAT EVEN GANGSTAS NEED LOVE...
I THINK ID RATHER SELL A SACK OF WEED SO I COULD BE ROLLIN ON SOME DUBS...
YES I THINK I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THAT SPECIAL BITCH TO A CANDLE NIGHT DINNER...
BUT ID RATHER COP A PIMP MINK COAT FOR THE WINTER....
SO WHILE IM SPITTIN YOU SILLY MUTHAF**KAS CAN PONDER....
WHILE IM HITTIN DOUGHNUTS IN MY RICED OUT CIVIC HOND-ER.......
SHIIEETT... I BET U DIDNT KNOW JUPAC COULD RHYME SO FU**CKING SWEET....
PLEASE EXCUSE MY NO GOOD BIT** SHES A HOODRAT THAT NEEDS A BEAT....

JEFFREY AKA PUTTIN IT DOWN LIKE A MUTHAFUC** POUND (OF WEE*) THAT IS.

POP!!! POP!!! THERE GOES THE SOUND OF MY GLOCK!!!!

POP!!! POP!!! THERE GOES THE SOUND OF MY 9MM SHOTS....
AS WE PERFORMED ON OUR FINAL/ KINDA FINAL... BUT NOT REALLY.
AS USUAL I WAS KEEPIN IT HOOD WITH MY GANGSTA RAP AND MY FLAGRANT DISREGARD FOR SAFETY. IT WAS A SMOGGY FRIDAY NIGHT AND I PACKED UP MY GANGSTA ESSENTIALS ASIAN STYLE THAT IS. ( POCKET PROTECTOR, SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR, CHAPSTICK, EVEN GANGSTAS GET CHAPPED LIPS, YOU KNOW REAL NI**A SHIT...) I GOT INTO MY LEXUS GS 300 AND PROCEEDED TO TAKE A RIDE TO SCHOOL ( ONE HAND ON STEERING WHEEL, GOT THAT GANGSTA LEAN GOING ON, SHIT.......)
SO A PLAYA WAS 39 MINS AND 24 SECONDS LATE FOR REHERSALS ( THATS HOW I ROLL SON!!!!) AND I WAS LIKE, " A YO!!!!! WHERE THE SHORTIES AT??!!!!!! ILL HOOK IT UP WITH SOME BACKSTAGE JUPAC PASSES!!!" AND AS USUAL THE HOOD RATS CAME FLOCKING.... BUT THATS THE LIFE OF A CERTIFIED G.
OH YEA BACK TO THE PERFORMANCE...... THE GROUPS WERE PUTTING IT DOWN BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, THE SPOKEN WORDS WERE OK, BLAH BLAH BLAH.
SHIIIIEEEEET. JUPAC WOULD HAVE SMASHED THAT BY THE WAY
IRENE WAS ILL WITH IT SOOO THAT SHIT WAS REAL HOOOOD.
SO I GOT ALOT OUT OF IT
JEFFREY AKA LEVEL 30 MAD HOODRAT SLAYER JUPAC SHAKUR
SIGNING OUT PEACEEE!!!

CHECK OUT MY FREESTYLE YO!!!!GEEEEYYYAHH! PREPARE FOR TAKE OFF BITCHES!!!!!!

FIRST OFF I WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO ALL THE ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES MAJORS GEEEEEYYYYYAAAHH!!!!!! SKEET SKEET SKEET! IM OUTTA HERE U SILLY SALAMI EAT BASTARDS. I JUST FINISHED MY POWERPOINT ON ASIAN AMERICANS IN THE MARINE CORPS AGES 20-29. SHIT WAS ILLER THAN AN AID PATIENT SON!!!! JUST KIDDING. SIKE!
I WOULD HAVE RATHER BEEN AT THE DENTIST TO BE HONEST. THE CHICKS WERE DIGGING MY SWAG LOLOLOL. YEA IN THE MIDDLE OF MY PRESENTATION I BUSTED A FREESTYLE, WOULD U LIKE A SAMPLE YO? " A JOSH DROP ME A MUTHAFUCKING BEAT!!"
A YO!! A YO!!
IM THAT SICK PLAYA FROM MIXED PERSUASIAN ! YOU SO BLACK YOU LOOK LIKE A SUNBURNTN HATIAN!
BREAD AND BUTTERS PSSSSH! U LOOK LIKE YOU LIKE IT IN THE BUTT! LIKE THAT GUY FROM NSYNC WHO WAS ADDICTED TO ANIMAL SMUTT!
I THINK HIS NAME WAS LANCE, HOW THE HELL YOU GONNA BE A WHITEBOY AND THINK YOU CAN DANCE????!!!
YOU LOOK THIRSTY, HOW ABOUT A HANSEN?! BITCH HOW U THINK YOU GANGSTA WHEN I HEARD U BUMPIN HAN-SON?????!!!!!!!!!!
I HEAR YER CORNY ASS LISTEN TO LIVE 105!!! BITCH!!! ILL BATTLE RAP YER MOM AFTER SHE TAKES A DICK DIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!
PEACE!!! IM OUT FOR DUECE ZERO NINE!!!!!

JEFFREY AKA "JUPAC" SPITTIN HOT FIRE ON THE MIC

Filipina American Poet: Luisa A. Igloria

Luisa A. Igloria is a Filipina American poet and author of various award-winning collections. Originally from Baguio, Luisa A. Igloria is now with the faculty of the English Department and the Institute for the Study of Minority Issues at the Old Dominion University in Norfolk Virginia.

She received her undergraduate degree from the University of the Philippines, Baguio in 1980 (B.A. Humanities - Cum Laude - major in Comparative Literature, minor in English, cognate in Philosophy), and the M.A. in Literature at Ateneo de Manila University at Manila, Philippines in 1988 as a Robert Southwell Fellow. She received a Ph.D. in English/Creative Writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago in July 1995, where she was a Fulbright Fellow.

While in Chicago, Igloria was an active member of PINTIG, a Filipino-American cultural and theatre group. She was a member of PINTIG's cultural and education committee and co-wrote some scenes for Chris Millado's stage play, Scenes from an Unfinished Country: 1905-1995. She was a Visiting Humanities Scholar in 1996 at the Center for Philippine Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She also taught briefly at De La Salle University where she became the Graduate Programs Coordinator and Senior Associate for Poetry at the Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center at De La Salle University.

She has published five books under the pseudonym Maria Luisa A. Carino, and received eleven Palanca Awards since 1984, including its prestigious Hall of Fame distinction. She has been a recipient of numerous grants and honors, among others the 1998 George Kent Prize for Poetry (donated by the poet Gwendolyn Brooks) and the 1998 Illinois Arts Council Award.

Regarding History
by Luisa Igloria

A pair of trees on one side of the walk, leaning
now into the wind in a stance we’d call involuntary—
I can see them from the kitchen window, as I take meat
out of the oven and hold my palms above the crust, darkened
with burnt sugar. Nailed with cloves, small earth of flesh
still smoldering from its furnace. In truth I want to take it
into the garden and bury it in soil. There are times
I grow weary of coaxing music from silence, silence
from the circularity of logic, logic from the artifact.
Then, the possibilities of sunlight are less attractive
than baying at the moon. I want to take your face
in my hands, grow sweet from what it tells, tend
how it leans and turns, trellis or vine of morning-glory.
I wish for limbs pared to muscle, to climb away from
chance and all its missed appointments, its half-drunk
cups of coffee. Tell me what I’ll find, in this
early period at the beginning of a century.
Tell me what I’ll find, stumbling into a boat
and pushing off into the year’s last dark hours.

-Donna ;]

AA Poet Jessica Hagedorn

Jessica Hagedorn is a poet, playwright, storyteller, and musician. Born to a Scots-Irish-French-Filipino mother and a Spanish-Chinese-Filipino, she was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. In 1963, she moved to San Francisco to learn at the American Conservatory Theater training program. She eventually moved to New York to pursue other opportunities in playwriting and music.

One poem that caught my eye was published in her book Danger and Beauty. It was published in 2002, but it has a collection of poems that date back to the late 1960s. In particular her poem Sorcery caught my eye (and I don’t know why).

Sorcery

there are some people I know
whose beauty
is a crime.
who make you so crazy
you don't know
whether to throw yourself
at them
or kill them.
which makes
for permanent madness.
which could be
bad for you.
you better be on the lookout
for such circumstances.

stay away
from the night.
they most likely lurk
in the corners of the room
where they think
they being inconspicuous
but they so beautiful
an aura
gives them away.

stay away
form the day.
they most likely
be walking
down the street
when you least
expect it
trying to look
ordinary
but they so fine
they break your heart
by making you dream
of other possibilities.

stay away
from crazy music.
they most likely
be creating it
cuz
when you're that beautiful
you can't help
putting it out there.
everyone knows
how dangerous
that can get.

stay away
from magic shows.
especially those
involving words
words are very
tricky things.
everyone knows
words
the most common
instruments of
illusion.

they most likely
be saying them.
breathing poems
so rhythmic
you can't help
but dance.

and once
you start dancing
to words
you might never
stop.


I am far from a literary critic/interpreter, but I managed to get a feeling that she was questioning contemporary views of the times. In the first stanza, she goes on to say that there is a certain beauty that is on the border of brilliance and despair. I believe that has something to do with the way beauty has traditionally been seen. Particularly, many try to envision the western concepts that are commonly associated with beauty. In this poem, however, she speaks about a different type of beauty. One that does not fall under the same accepted standards. Those who see it for the first time are wary of the looks, but there an alluring aura around it.

As we stare longer, we begin to accept this other standard. Conformists on the other hand tell us to heed their warnings. They say that what we see is a mere illusion. They believe that we have become disenfranchised. The more we believe in our own idea, the further from their reality we get. Eventually, we fall into a sort of slipstream. In a sense, we liberate ourselves from traditional levels of thinking. Once we find our own truth, we pursue it harder, faster. Eventually it comes to a point were we no longer look back at the ideas that we were taught to accept. Instead we get caught up in our own realm; a realm where we set the rules and create our own reality.