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