wow i did have quite a journey this semester, I did manage to graduate this Spring lol i am getting old......geeeeeyyyyahhhh another day another dollar. I guess when i get out of school ill keep it 100 and start slanging houses. (Real Estate Agent) Hey a playa got keep it hood right? lol jk
But yes the semester was filled with good times, i met some real good ppl and they kept me sane through all the worst of the studying . Yea so my alter ego Jupac is just a way to release stress. lol I ddont really talk this way and act like this becasue then id just be dum. I hope that i get to see some of my classmates after this class but prob not cuz i am a senior and im outtie here....
If the point of the class was to learn about sterotypes and how to work as a team then
Mission Accomplished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do hope that Asian American Studies gets the attention it deserves....
Im bringing Sexy back this summer!!!!!
Im going to So cal straight putting it down for the BAy
and hopefully go t the beach and take a nap and never come back
yea right!!
Jeffrey Jupac
Thursday, May 21, 2009
what a playa learned this semester
Last hoooorah
So the last field trip was pretty cool i had a shitload of finals to do but , a playa can hang so dont even trip skip. i arrived at school late.... so i met the group at the first stop..in Chinatown, Portsmith Square, that was qutie educational, from there we took pictures and kept in 100% gangsta. Posed for some pretty snap shots. Then we took off to Japantown, where there was quite a few places to park..... Yes! and we met in the Miyako Mall and took a few more pictures! Kept it even more Gangsta!!! Then i was starvin like marivn and so a playa went to get some Popeyes near taht ghettoass Safeway almost got shot outside lol jk. But some guy tried to sell me some bootleg shoes. hahaGOddamn the dollar menu at Popeyes is goood! So I headed back to Jtown and ate most of the grop members had to go to some work, and SO me Josh, Dolly, and Donna headed to Little Saigon and tok more pictures. wow Little Saigon is small, Lees Sandwiches was pretty cool. I like how they throw the Sandwiches after they make them. Thats some Jupac stufff right dere.
So after all that I drove the remaing classmatesback to school.
I had a great semester
Jeffrey
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Inspired.
For my last blog, I'd really like to thank everyone in my group for getting thru all those projects and I really had fun working with you guys! Thanks to Irene & the TA's for a great and inspiring class (:
I'd have to say that this ETHS210 class has been pretty crazy. It's soooo different from what I'm used to - readings, quizzes, papers, tests and all. I honestly didn't even think that we'd do so much performances. What I liked best about this class was being able to learn so much more about who I am as an Asian American. Before this class, I never really looked at my self as being 'asian american'. I just thought of myself as a filipina that doesn't look like one, but whatever. In this class, I learned so much more about the struggles my grandparents, parents, family had gone through as immigrants trying to make a living here in the US. I'm honestly grateful for their support. I've also learned the importance of self-determination and how I gotta strive for my rights against so many factors that prevent me from being who I am.
This class has also given me the chance to learn more about myself and see my creative side. I feel that I've gained a whole lot more confidence in expressing myself especially thru our midterm invasian, POP, and even thru those class activities we had. I'd have to say that my favorite project would have to be the iron chef challenge, not only cause i love food, but our group just had a crazy fun time with it, and we kicked ass even though we didn't win.
All in all, this class was a great experience for me and I've learned to appreciate who I am as an Asian American. I've been officially inspired. (:
-Always, Angel
I hella <3 SF.
I really do (:
So, I couldn't stop thinking, "OMG, everyone actually came" while we were out touring SF cause schools almost over and everything. But anyways, I'm glad everyone pulled thru with this last project! Also, I'm glad that we got to do one more project with our original group.
Our first stop was Chinatown, and it was pretty cool. Even though traffic was a b*, we got thru. The car ride with julie driving and dolly & josh in the back was pretty funny cause we almost ran a red light and everything. Chinatown was sooo packed with people, it was crazy. There were so many alleys filled with laundry hanging from the fire escapes and I remember thinking to myself, "thats so asian". And like, it really is. Even my fambam still hangs our laundry out to dry in the backyard. It was a really nice community in that everyone seemed so together. For example, in the square, there were soo many little groups playing cards and gambling or old ladies walking around with their neighbors, maybe to do some grocery shopping. I have to admit, I felt like a tourist taking so many snapshots of every store we walked by.
Our next stop was Japantown, one of my favorite spots in SF, thanks to my boyfriend(:<3 Japantown was much more quieter and had its own way of presenting its history in comparison to Chinatown's population. There were a lot of monuments and such, like the Peace Pagoda. We walked around thee Kinetsu Mall in the Japan Center for a while. I sooo loove that sticker picture taking place on the 2nd floor, its so fun! People should try it out if they haven't yet, you'll love it (: Donna & Kim even bought some yummy-looking crepes. There was a great variety of Japanese Cuisines and I wondered how people were able to choose where to eat. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to tag along with the gang to the last spot cause they had to drop me off to work & i was late, but its okay haha. Overall, I'd have to say that it was pretty fun touring the city and going to these sites. It was a nice way to be with the group one last time before the semester ends.
And so, I made the slideshow/video thing we have to present to class tmr. I'll post it here as a sneek peak for whoever wants to check it out. Oh, stupid photobucket cut a little bit of the video off.. the rest of the members are: Dolene Simmalavonge, Julie Truong, & Amanda Whipple.
Hope you guys like it (:
-Always, Angel
The Last Quest..
MSG little do we know..
After reading this article in Hyphen.. i found it pretty damn amazing at the fact that the majority of people think that MSG is only associated with asian food. i am guilty as charged because honestly thqat is what i though before reading this article in Hyphen. i could not believe that MSG is in soooo many foods americans eat like KFC and pizza.
unbelievable. why doesnt the media say all of this? beats me. just like the media always wants to stick to damn stereotypes. no wonder KFC is so delicious? in this article i learned that MSG did not originate in china and it ws actually influenced by the German way of developing a low cost/mass producible form of nutrition. in 1908 a japanese chemist was able to isolate something called glutamate. i learned that large amounts of glutamate occur naturally in some food and that there are high quantities of glutamates in parmesan cheese. !!
one more thing i couldnt believe... MSG was added as an ingredient in majority of AMERICAN cookbooks!!
pshhhhh... another thing americans should realize before they start talking shit about asians right?
-Amanda
What home tastes like..
When i was little my home was basically Lola's house. a small ass apartment in downtown sf. i guess thats where my parents would leave me while they were at work? although my Lola passed away (r.i.p) my Papa still lives there to this day. its on the 8th floor overlooking the beautiful view of downtown san francisco. i would sit on the balcony for hours watching the crowds of people walk by. it amazed me. the smell of my Lola's cooking was never absent on those days. if i was there i could bet on a freshly cooked meal and a night watching jeopardy. when i was called inside i would wait patiently at the dining table for lola to bring me my delectable food. and trust me it was always delectable so i didnt have to worry about if i was going to like it or not.
my favorite dish= lola's adobo
i dont know what the hell was in it that made it so damn special and i never will to this day. (she refused to give anyone her recipes, even my mother)
all i knew was that i was content everytime she brought that plate of food to me. i will never forget the way it tasted, smelled, and felt as i consumed every last grain of rice. all i know was that meal was what i looked forward to everyday...it was home for me.
-Amanda
Walk out
The walk out was definitely not on my to- do list when i came to school but i guess thats why plans change and life goes on. who would have thought it would be so fun to walk in the middle of the street? well it was for me at least. most of mixedpersuasian was at the walk out so it was another group bonding time for us. thats always a plus ;) i couldnt believe how many people actually attended the walkout and how strongly people feel about the budget cuts and how we are all being affected by them. this was the first time i have ever participated in a walk out during school and im glad i did. i learned a lot of information about what was going on just by attending the walk out.
-Amanda
POP
POP was a huge improvement compared to our midterm i know that for sure. not only was it an improvement but it was a success. everyone did an amazing job and i still cant believe how well our class did in the time span we had to rehearse.
although we had doubts im so glad we all overcame them and came together as a class. the unity of our class was amazing and the only way we could have pulled this together was through all the positive attitudes we had from every individual. although this was really stressful considering we didnt have that much time to get everything prepared and settled like always. i feel like since the pressure to get everything together was so intense that it motivated everyone to get their own act together and work as a team.
i know that for the dance group it was once again an issue that people could not all learn and practice the dances at the same time but it was crazy how each person somehow managed to learn a part and contribute to the group.
ALL of the groups did an amazing job and i honestly had so much fun that night. i know that this performance not only made the dance group a little closer but unified our class. im very proud of our class and the performance and i am definitely not ashamed of the outcome of pop.
-Amanda
iLL-Literacy
The asian american artists that i came across were in the latest Hyphen magazine. their name is iLL-Literacy and what is really cool about them is that they are unique. the reason why this group is so unique is because they are mainly spoken word artists they just incorporate hip hop and music into their poetry.
the group started at UC Davis and evovled to incorporate funk/soul/hip hop and electropop. they have made it so that not only do they have spoken word fan's attention but the music community as well. this enables people to dance to spoken word which i think is amazing. they record their music in sacramento ca and are currently finishing their first EP.
since this group is so different from others i believe that they will really suceed. i hope to hear their music in the future and possibly see them make it big. i think that a group like this deserves a whole damn lot of credit because you can imagine how many stereotypes and molds this group has broken. i definitely respect the fact that this group is so dedicated to what they do and it seems to me that their creativity will tkae them to the top.
- Amanda
Midterm- Dance group
I would have never thought that the midterm would have ended up the way it did. that is good by the way. my first thoughts were that we were going to do horribly considering we barely practiced and when we did we didnt know what the hell we were doing. thanks to jon and butters for the choreography, without their effort we probably wounldnt have pulled it together in time. the overall experience of the midterm was crazy to me.
i would have never thought i would be walking around campus with my class screaming chants and performing in front of SFSU students. i know that if i had not performed before i would have been pissing my pants. being the center of attention at lunch time was not one of my goals here at SFSU. im so surprised as to how many people were watching us and how much attention we actually received from the student body. we had so many people encouraging us and asking us questions about what was happening and what our purpose was to begin with. i think that when we first walked towards the plaza the whole class didnt really assume that we were going to get as much attention as we really did. we definitely exceeded our goals as to how much attention we got and how many heads turned as we walked by/ performed.
i know that when the dance group performed we all didnt think we would see such a big crowd we had in a circle around us. we had so many people watching around us that most of us didnt even have enough room to dance! im so proud of all the groups because you can clearly see how much effort was put into this midterm and everyone did an A+ job in my eyes. i know that the only room for improvement in the dance group at least is to make sure EVERYONE knows the dance and that everyone is willing to practice at the certain and limited times we have.
-Amanda
Fashion Show
The fashion show was another fun activity and another great time for group bonding. im so proud of our group and was more than thrilled with the outcome of our dress. the best part was realizing how talented our group members are and how many skills it takes to put everything all together.
i loved seeing all the other outfits that everyone else created and how everything came together as a whole. at first when we were given this project i was a little skeptical as to how everything would turn out because i didnt really know how we could turn the fashion in vietnam into our own style and put that american twist in it. luckily my group knew how to put the puzzle pieces together and make some fabric and embriodery into a dress i could actually find in a store! this challenge was well worth all the time we spent putting everything together and researching all the backgroung information. when we first started on the milestones i was a little confused and didnt know where this fashion show would end up. i didnt think that all the groups would end up with amazing ideas and turn those ideas into something tangible. it is always easier to think and or put something on paper than it is to actually physically MAKE.
once again this was an experience i will always remember and it was definitely the first time i had ever seen fashion show in a classroom at school.
-Amanda
Asian American Dreams
When reading asian american dreams i not only learned a lot about a few of the struggles asian americans have gone through but i learned how strong some people can be and how determined you become when you are faced with denial of your own rights. In chapters 5 and 6 the asian american people were faced with standing up for their rights and finding a way to beat the system and learning to get what they deserve. many asian americans had to fight for what was rightfully theirs and for what they truly deserve. in some cases asian americans are still fighting for what they deserve and for rights that should have been granted to them many years before. i realized that things do not some so easily and that it is worth the fight because when you finally attain what you are fighting for you make history. the fight for their rights just made the strive within them stronger and set goals for the generations that came after them.
-Amanda
Asian American Poem
I am
I am a stranger, an apparition at the peripheral of your vision, someone to pass over, a non-entity to be glanced at once then immediately forgotten. I am a pedestrian, someone moving in the flow of traffic a little awkward in movement, and when our shoulders brush in passing, you look back but see nothing. I am silent even when you hear me speak, you put up an invisible shield so my voice crumbles, oh dear oh dear. I am a man typecast into a race, I am a man who carries a country on his back, I am a man who sees everything but is never seen.
By: Yin Chu
I liked this poem because it reminded me a lot about all the issues that we talked about during this whole semester. i feel like the author is trying to portray the fact that asian americans are put into a certain stereotype just as we discussed in class. he mentions that he feels invisible and that although he may see everything he is never seen. most asian americans feel the same way and they feel as though they never have that time to shine through and show their true colors because they are automatically put into a certain role or stereotype that is impossible to break. asian americans do not get the credit they deserve and most of the time this enables the feeling of isolation and weight carried upon them. i know as an asian american i sometimes don't feel as though i am taken seriously and sometimes what i say is heard but is quickly forgotten.
-Amanda
Letter to Hyphen editor
Dear Hyphen Editor,
I have just read the latest issue of Hyphen (the family issue) and I wanted to comment on how great and inspirational the issue really is. I was impressed by majority of the articles and I basically wanted to read every page. Unlike other magazines I usually skip through them or look at all the pictures like a child with a picture book. This issue really captivated me and drew me in. I feel like if a People magazine can't even make me read all their magazines than who figures Hyphen magazine could? I basically want to encourage the writers to keep doing what they are doing and that Hyphen magazine will only have good things to come in the future. After reading a couple of issues it has now become one of my favorite magazines. I look forward to reading more about the Asian American culture and learning more about myself and the issues my ancestors and fellow Asian Americans go through. Hyphen enables Asian Americans to break the molds and stereotypes placed and gives courage for people to move forward. I'm confident and know there will be many more issues to come...
From,
Amanda Whipple
Now thats a wrap
So the semester is finally over. Chances are everyone is relieved that summer is upon us. I for one am glad that I have nothing to worry about besides work, GREs, and bills. Actually on second thought I have plenty to worry about still 0¿o. As a final blog, I just wanted to reflect on my experience in the class. Initially, I thought the class was an ethics class (ie right and wrong, good versus bad, etc.) and I was surprised after the first two classes. Although not the class I had in mind when I signed up for it, the experience in here has been a lot different from what I am accustomed to. I’ve always been the type that excelled in solo assignments, papers, tests, etc. For the most part, I’ve never really had to work with others. Never before have I been in a class that does not focus on the individual, but rather on the collective body. Let me just say, it has been a very humbling experience.
On a side note, I want to express my heart felt gratitude to the individuals in Mixed Persuasian (I have a feeling I won’t be able to spell that word correctly ever again). Coming into the class, the majority of us was strangers with our own agendas and probably wouldn’t have given a damn if we weren’t in the class. Through our assignments, we have not only learned how to communicate as a cohesive unit despite a couple gaffs here and there. If anything, it was the adversity from these challenges that united us. To everyone: It’s been great learning about who you are as a person. I know that there were times when everything seemed like nothing was going to get done or work. This was especially true during the Iron Chef night. We didn’t know what the hell we were going to make and when we finally got our act together, the chicken took 3 hours to cook!!! Even though these unforeseen problems arose, we still managed to pull through. Not only that, but the results were often times damn good. I know that if I was placed in a situation where I had to sew a dress or dance in front of strangers alone, I would flounder and fail. In closing, I just want to say that I hope everyone has a great summer and I hope to see everyone around sometime in the future, perhaps drinks at Jeff’s again?.
Some closing words...
I’m writing this blog in hopes that it will be taken as constructive criticism. I have an opinion and I believe that everyone has a right to their opinion. So here's mine on this past semester and my experiences in ETHS 210.
Overall, the class was ok. It had its ups and downs for me. There were some things that I found to be a bit unfair at times and some projects got a little far fetched. At some point I would have been just as happy reading a book, taking quizzes, and writing papers. Call me boring, but that's just me.
I understand that Irene’s reasoning for setting up the class the way she did this semester was to enlighten us and make the class fun and exciting as well as educating. And it was fun. But at times some of the projects got a bit annoying, I have to say. And I’m sorry if this hurts anyone's feelings, but just felt like the projects needed to be more thought out. Deadlines needed to be more enforced. Criteria needed to be carefully explained. I felt like some of the assignments for our projects seemed a bit vague at times.
I thought that having four TA's was a bit unnecessary. Two would have been fine. And there seemed to be a conflict of interest with the TA's. I found it interesting that 3 of the 4 TA's were known to be associated with PACE and a good amount of students in the class were also in PACE and were friends with the TA's prior to taking the class. Since none of mixed persuasian is either, I felt that this may have given other groups a higher advantage when it came down to group competitions or projects.
In all honesty, I did not learn much in this class this semester, and I wish I had. Although I found our activities to be fun, I did wish that there may have been more reading and analyzing involved in the curriculum.
In spite of all of this, I did enjoy, for the most part, being in this class. I met new people, made new friends, and had new experiences. I’m sorry if this blog hurts anyone's feelings and I hope it won't affect my overall grade. I just hope everything I said is taken into consideration for the future ETHS 210 classes.
Take care,
Donna
Learning Outside
So yesterday, the entire group managed to come together for the final assignment. Our first stop was Chinatown in San Francisco. Originally erected in the 1850’s, this community served as a home for the migrant workers that laid tracks for the Central Pacific or Transcontinental Railroad or became gold prospectors during the gold rush. When everyone arrived there, we visited a couple of the local shops. Coming to the area on a weekday proved to be more fulfilling, because we were able to see how the local residents lived on a daily basis without the usual flow of tourism. Throughout Portsmouth Square, elderly individuals were seen gambling on any surface they could. Storefronts weren’t as packed with outsiders coming in for groceries and other trinkets. Before we left Chinatown, we decided to stop by the cultural center to learn some historical facts like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
The second stop on the list was Japantown. Compared to Chinatown, the surrounding area was a lot calmer and much less busy. Just like the Chinese, the Japanese were brought over to initially work on railroads. They originally did not nestle in this area until after the 1906 earthquake. The buildings in the area underwent renewals in the 1960s and 1970s to accommodate an authentic feel. Nowadays, many of buildings are outdated and more changes are said to be coming to the area. Once again, we started to do a bit of exploring in the area. We started near the Peace Pagoda, which was designed by a Japanese architect and given by the people of Osaka. Inside, glanced at the specialty and novelty stores in the mall. Along the bridge connecting the two malls are a number of specialty stores that are locally owned. With the exception of the restaurant, the stores on the bridge are filled with traditional Japanese crafts.
The final area we went to was Little Saigon on Larkin Street. Although it is literally only two blocks long, the area hosts a lot of cheap eateries. The area itself has no real history unlike the previous destinations, but the area does serve as a central hub for many Vietnamese merchants. For the most part, we stopped by Lees to pick up some uber cheap food and looked around the surrounding area. Not too many historical buildings or landmarks for us to see.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
To China, Japan, Vietnam and back... Well Almost :)
For our last assignment in eths 210 we were told to go visit three Asian American destinations. We were told that we could go to restaurants, shops, museums, and what not. We decided we would visit all of the little versions of Asian countries that we could find in the city: Chinatown, Japan town, and Little Saigon.
We first arrived at Chinatown. Me, Amanda, and Kim checked out some shops while we waited for the rest of our group. Once we all got together we walked around a bit more looking at all the restaurants and shops. although i've never been outside of this country before, Chinatown gives you a feel of what the real china would feel like, even how crowded it can get. You get a sense of Chinese culture when you’re there, although I know that for those who have been to china, they’ll probably say it’s nothing like that.
Our next destination was japan town. Japan town was much more quiet and not as crowded as Chinatown. Once again we walked around looking at all the shops and all of the cute trinkets in the stores. Me and kim got crepes. Japantown gives you a sense of modernization. Everything is very clean and simple. Me, Julie, Dolly, and Angel went to Sanrio. sanrio is like a link from the asian world to the American world. Hello kitty has become an icon in America for most young American girls asian or not. We all walked around a bit and went into different stores. We walked into this one place that had all of these picture booths. Japan has a niche for coming up with cute things.
Our final destination was little Saigon. We didn’t spend too much time there because lots of us needed to go somewhere after our little outing. We ended up at lee’s sandwich shop where dolly and josh got food. We took a couple of pictures but little Saigon wasn’t as extravagant as Chinatown or japantown. It almost looked like just a block with lots of Vietnamese restaurants.
Out of all of these venues, I would have to say I enjoyed japantown the most. And although our adventure into the city was to visit these little versions of asian countries, living in daly city makes me feel like I’m in one of those already. Afterall, a lot of people say that daly city is a little manila. Or maybe it’s just a little asia. Although our outing was a bit short, I had some fun. It was a good day.
-Donna
my point of view of ETHS 210 spring 2009
so this semster went by quick and i must say that this is one of my easiest and fun class to be in. And this is my first class that i actually was involved in performances and activities and social to my classmates because usually i'll just go to class, listen to my ipod or on my phoneee and i'm out when class is over. i usually dont talk to anyone in classs but this class, i've met many many peo0ple that i enjoy conversating with. I've never perform in front of a crowd at State before or a big performance like POP. this was my first and i thought i would be shy and afraid but i wasn't and i am so proud of myself. :) i enjoy almost everything in this class but sometimes i would think that we may not have enough timee to practicee or reherse since everyone schedule is so bussy and always conflicting. I L0VEEEEE the fact that we didnt have to write any papers and tests :) LOVEEES IT MAN ! ! ! i would definitely reccommend this class to others and i have already because i think they would enjoy it as much as i did and our professor IRENE.....you'reee awesomeeee ! ! !
theeee nameee is julieeeeee joiiiiii, i'm frommm oaklanddddddd and i'm outsss !!!!! see everyone on campus:)
xoxo,
Julie Joi
....people in general....
okay so i just wanted to get something off my chest...."I cannot stand fake ass lil immature girls" :) i mean shit i'm pretty sure if you have something to say about someone i'll be there instantly to hear you out. but if you're going to talk behind someone's back then you're better off looking in the mirror saying it to yourself. don't act friendly in front of someone and laugh blah blah and go behind someone's back then talk shit. come on growww upppp. im not pointing no fingers but this is just in general and i KNOWWWW everyoneeee agrees with me. i'm a very straight forward person and very blunt. if i don't like you, i'll let you know up front. if i think you're annoying or irritating, believe me you'll knowwwww also. i think the talkin behind someone's back, myspace or facebook messages, away messages are hella immature and childish. COLLEGE students don't do that. get a life, deal with it or just shut the fuck up. right???? yes tell meee i'm righttt......hahahahahahahahaha...
i'm not a mean person. i'm very nice and friendly but pleasee pleasee don't get on my bad sideee.....trustttt meeee. other than that i'm willing to meet anyone that's nicee and friendly themselves.
xoxo,
Julie Joi
Final Adventure
so our final was to attend 3 asian places. blah blah so of course we went to chinatown, japantown and little saigon. everyone attended and it was a shock because usually there would be one or two person missing. well i must say that this was my first time going to japantown, i know i know i'm lateee but oh wellls.....but it was coool and i'm glad this semester is over. :) all the sressing ugh.
but anywho so we met up at school and i drove angel, dolly and josh. and of course i dont know my away around the city and i hate the their streets so josh had to give me directions to chinatown and he gave me the wrong direction and almost ran a red light ! THANKS JOSH ! hahaahahah.....i hate driving. literally. but you're welcome to drive my car. ah.
i'm finally done with my 10 page essay for my other ethnic studies class. YAY ME ! and thursday will be my last day of finals :) than i have a 2 week break til summer schoool. :(
i'm am in need of a shopping spree literally ! summer is almost here and i neeed mucho mucho summer clothes. feeel me? some shorts, tanks, flip flops and swimsuits. then i'm satisfied. !
xoxo,
Julie Joi
Monday, May 18, 2009
summer plans
so summer is right around the corner. literally ! ! ! sucks that i have summer school from june 8- august 14. booooohooooo. kissing my summer gooodbye. but this summer, i plan to do alot of swimming, bbqing, camping and hopefully tahoe since i will not be working until august. i must say that i am proud of myself this semester because i have balanced my work, school and partying. :) 10 points for me ! it make seem as if i partied alot but i gets things done.
well this weekend is gonna be great ! i cannot wait. memorial weeekend here i come. nothing but fun fun and lots of fun. life is what you make of it right? so of course i wanna make it gooood and worth my time. anywho, i have about 2 years lefted of school? hopefully i graduate sooon and get my dreammmm carrrr....a mercedes benz or bmw. and my goal this summer is to learn how to ride a motorcycle. :) yes i'm such a dudeee.
i've beeen eating alot lately. ugh. i've been craving for like everythingggg......i'm such a fatassss.....but damn ....i had some steak fries earlier and it was daaaa bombbbb...
labtop is running out of batterryyyyyy n i cannot find the charger at the momenntttt sooo i'll continueee laterr....
xoxo,
Julie Joi
POPPPPP!!
Hey everyone,
This blog is kinda late, but better late than never, right? [=
Anyway, I felt like everyone did a great job for our final - POP! Although ours was short - it was short and sweet. We were able to provide a vast variety of entertainment in 20 minutes, rather than taking an hour and 15 minutes to do so. I mean, don't get me wrong, the other classes had some great performances, but I felt like theirs were WAYYY too long and they definitely weren't up to par with what we had.
I had friends [who actually STAYED to watch us perform rather than RUDELY leave after the first two classes] say that ours was hands-down, the best of the night! They told me that our performances were the best because they all went together - rather than appearing like a talent show, it was a cohesive story which made it much more interesting to watch. Just to put it out there, I think we should've performed first because ours was the shortest and the best, and I thought it was really rude that a lot of people just left before we even had the opportunity to perform.
Anyway, I can honestly say that our class works extremely well under pressure! We pulled everything together not ONCE, but TWICE! Even though we begin unorganized and disarrayed, we pull it all together as a team. Anyway, I know that the dance group was struggling because it was difficult for all of us to meet to learn the choreography and to practice, but in the end, we still managed to do it. Most of us learned the choreography in a few days, and I want to thank Jon for making up the choreography for us! Yay Jon! *claps* All the other groups that went did extremely well because everyone was really into and played the part that they were supposed to play. Overall, our class kicked ass in POP, and we didn't take a lifetime and a half to do it! =D
-- Kim [=
Asian American Poet - Marilyn Chin
Chin has won numerous awards for her poetry, including ones from the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She has received a Stegner Fellowship, the PEN/Josephine Miles Award, four Pushcart Prizes, the Paterson Prize, a Fulbright Fellowship to Taiwan, as well as residencies at Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the Lannan Residency, and the Djerassi Foundation.
She has read and taught workshops all over the world. Recently, she taught at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop and was guest poet at universities in Singapore, Hong Kong, Manchester, Sydney and Berlin and elsewhere. In addition to writing poetry, she has translated poems by the modern Chinese poet Ai Qing and co-translated poems by the Japanese poet Gozo Yoshimasu. Presently, she is writing a book of poetic tales. She co-directs the MFA program at San Diego State University.
Oh, how I love the resoluteness
of that first person singular
followed by that stalwart indicative
of "be," without the uncertain i-n-g
of "becoming." Of course,
the name had been changed
somewhere between Angel Island and the sea,
when my father the paperson
in the late 1950s
obsessed with a bombshell blond
transliterated "Mei Ling" to "Marilyn."
And nobody dared question
his initial impulse--for we all know
lust drove men to greatness,
not goodness, not decency.
And there I was, a wayward pink baby,
named after some tragic white woman
swollen with gin and Nembutal.
My mother couldn't pronounce the "r."
She dubbed me "Numba one female offshoot"
for brevity: henceforth, she will live and die
in sublime ignorance, flanked
by loving children and the "kitchen deity."
While my father dithers,
a tomcat in Hong Kong trash--
a gambler, a petty thug,
who bought a chain of chopsuey joints
in Piss River, Oregon,
with bootlegged Gucci cash.
Nobody dared question his integrity given
his nice, devout daughters
and his bright, industrious sons
as if filial piety were the standard
by which all earthly men are measured.
*
Oh, how trustworthy our daughters,
how thrifty our sons!
How we've managed to fool the experts
in education, statistic and demography--
We're not very creative but not adverse to rote-learning.
Indeed, they can use us.
But the "Model Minority" is a tease.
We know you are watching now,
so we refuse to give you any!
Oh, bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots!
The further west we go, we'll hit east;
the deeper down we dig, we'll find China.
History has turned its stomach
on a black polluted beach--
where life doesn't hinge
on that red, red wheelbarrow,
but whether or not our new lover
in the final episode of "Santa Barbara"
will lean over a scented candle
and call us a "bitch."
Oh God, where have we gone wrong?
We have no inner resources!
*
Then, one redolent spring morning
the Great Patriarch Chin
peered down from his kiosk in heaven
and saw that his descendants were ugly.
One had a squarish head and a nose without a bridge
Another's profile--long and knobbed as a gourd.
A third, the sad, brutish one
may never, never marry.
And I, his least favorite--
"not quite boiled, not quite cooked,"
a plump pomfret simmering in my juices--
too listless to fight for my people's destiny.
"To kill without resistance is not slaughter"
says the proverb. So, I wait for imminent death.
The fact that this death is also metaphorical
is testament to my lethargy.
*
So here lies Marilyn Mei Ling Chin,
married once, twice to so-and-so, a Lee and a Wong,
granddaughter of Jack "the patriarch"
and the brooding Suilin Fong,
daughter of the virtuous Yuet Kuen Wong
and G.G. Chin the infamous,
sister of a dozen, cousin of a million,
survived by everbody and forgotten by all.
She was neither black nor white,
neither cherished nor vanquished,
just another squatter in her own bamboo grove
minding her poetry--
when one day heaven was unmerciful,
and a chasm opened where she stood.
Like the jowls of a mighty white whale,
or the jaws of a metaphysical Godzilla,
it swallowed her whole.
She did not flinch nor writhe,
nor fret about the afterlife,
but stayed! Solid as wood, happily
a little gnawed, tattered, mesmerized
by all that was lavished upon her
and all that was taken away!
Asian Amerien Poet
Bryan Thao Worra is a Laotian American writer. His books include On The Other Side Of The Eye, Touching Detonations, Winter Ink, Barrow and The Tuk Tuk Diaries: My Dinner With Cluster Bombs. He is the first Laotian American to receive a Fellowship in Literature from the United States government's National Endowment for the Arts. He was born as Thao Somnouk Silosoth in Vientiene Laos during the Laos Secret War. Bryan Thao Worra has written creatively from an early age, but began seriously writing in 1991. A widely published Laotian writer, his work appears in the Bamboo Among the Oaks anthology, as well as Whistling Shade, Urban Pioneer, Unarmed, the Asian Pacific Journal and the Journal of the Asian American Renaissance and the anthology Outsiders Within. Thao Worra's writing explores many themes including transience, identity and home. His style is frequently experimental and draws from a variety of modern and contemporary influences, including science fiction and horror. His first full-length book of poetry, On The Other Side Of The Eye was released in August 2007 from Sam's Dot Publishing, based in Iowa. He often writes as a freelance reporter for several Asian American newspapers including Asian American Press, interviewing numerous Asian American writers and artists as well as covering community events and programs.
xoxo,
Julie Joi
finally school is over !
i must say that this semester went by quickly. but i think fall is gonng be a drag for me because i may have to take classes everyday. weak ! so i got my final paper back for my SW 350 class and got a 95% ! ! ! i am so proud of myself. staying in on a friday and staying up late working on my paper did pay off ! ! ! now i just have to do good on my final exam tomorrow morning ! wish my luck. work is coming to an end in about 2 weeks or less. Boooooo cos no more paycheck until august. sucks asss man. no more shopping :( Friday night we held a special dinner for the SYTFU members that helped out with the childrens hospital fundraising and dinner was delicious. Saturday morning was sooo not fun at all. Had to wake up super early to do my walkathon fundraising for work which was not the businness. Walking 6 blockssss around the school in the heat was sooo not cooool. But the water fight afterwards was awesome. Headed home and showered and straight to the nailshop. I needed to get my nails, eyebrows and toes done for my friend's bachelorette party ! it was soooo packed at the nailshop because everyone and their mamas were getting theirs nails done for prom. After the nailshop went to the mall to pick out an outfit for the party and after 2.5 hours i finally did !!! I must say that i hate going to the mall when its packed with peopleeeeeeeee........the night finally cameee and we was up in the pink stretch hummmmer y0 ! it was so nice insideee and the night went pretty koooo....nothing tooo biggg but lets see what happens at the wedding next weekend ! Sunday came and woke up early because the AC was on sooooo high that i was super cold....I felt like swimming so my boo and I went swimming at cull canyon. It was packed with lil kidsssssssss and hellllaaaaaaa peopleee.....but it was funnnnn.....I got hungry and was craving for bbq foood so i decided to do a mini bbq and it was delicious. :) yes i eat alot huh? well there was my weekend, can't wait for the next weeekend and helllo reality .
xoxo,
julie joi