SFIAAFF `09

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

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


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

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

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

-Angel

Mmm Mmm, GOOD!

(So this is my realllly late food challenge blog)

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

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

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

-Angel

HYPHEN, what?!

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

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

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

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

-Angel

Letter to the Editor

sorry for the lateness :/

Dear Hypen editor,

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

Angel Gaurano
SF,CA

Doki Doki

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

asian american women in the modelling industry

i realized i only posted 5 blogs prior to this blog. and we're supposed to have 14 blogs by the end of the semester? and we have 6 weeks of school left. i need to step it up!

my reason for blogging at the moment is because i don't want to clean the house... :)

i was watching a re-run of ANTM (america's next top model) the other day and i forgot which "cycle" it was but they talked about how asian models aren't usually successful in the modelling world. my first reaction was "that's not fair." why is it that tall skinny caucasian women are considered "ideal"? i don't think this model issue applies to asians alone but to many women of color. i think society's acceptance of the color white being associated with the term "pure" and "good" makes people think of that color being ideal. and that's with anything. but i hate when it's applied to people. whenever you see a bad guy in a children's show or movie they're always dark colored, and sinister. the good guy is always in something shiny, white, light. i'm going off on a tangent.

another thought that came to mind while i watched this episode of ANTM: "do asian women result to import modeling because of the fact that they won't be successful in the modelling world?" how come asian women have to resort to this type of degrading, stereotypical, type of modelling? i wouldn't even know if i consider import modelling, modelling. i have a few friends who are "models" and most of the time they have to model almost naked. and these are both asian girls. if they were in a photoshoot, they have to be almost, if not completely, naked. very rarely do they get to model actual clothes. i would guess that part of the reason is that they aren't tall enough to meet the height requirements of a model that ANTM made up. i believe it was that you need to be taller than 5" 5' or 5" 7. something crazy like that. and most asian women are known to be small and petite. (i'm 4" 11'. i could never be a model in my life unless it was for children's clothing lol)

and can i just add that i hate the stuff that the asian import models have to wear. such skimpy clothing. it's just something that keeps us asian american women stuck to that slut kind of stereotype. it's these pictures and skimpy outfits that make men think we'll "love you long time."

the girl who was asian on ANTM was only half asian too. and she still didn't get even close to winning that season. just another issue for asian americans to make a change in.

-donna ;]

walk it out & the asian invasian

sorry guys i have failed at trying to make our layout pretty again.

in my closing 30 minutes before my second physics exam, i guess i'll talk about both the walk out (which i know was weeks ago) and our midterm.

as far as the walkout goes, i felt like we were a bit conned in going (scott.... lol) but we ended up having a pretty fun time. i mean i know it's not supposed to be fun and games. i know we were supposed to be protesting for a serious cause. i guess the part i found most exciting was walking down the middle of 19th avenue. that part was pretty amazing. what can i say, i'm not very activist, sorry. can i just state the hypocracy of not going to classes that you paid tuition for to protest the budget cuts and the raise in cost of tuition? let's not go to the class we paid for and lose even more money! yes, that's very convincing and helps us prove our point! it kind of seems a bit ungrateful. ehhh too controversial... i don't want to get all into it. i'm a bit passive when it comes to issues.

and as for our midterm, i would say that i found us to be pretty successful as a class. i mean we pulled through with the little amount of time and preparation that we were given. and i mean for the TA's to compare us to their classes is just a bit harsh. we made it by our deadline afterall. i think we should get some sort of credit for that. i think every group had their goods and bads. i know what ours were in the dance group. but over all i would say that as a class we deserve at least a A-. to get an A+ means you have to go above and beyond and everything has to be perfect. and let's face it, we weren't perfect, BUT we met all the requirements, all the criteria, and we did a pretty good job at it. the effort was there, the hard work was there, the pride was there. as a whole, this is how i feel. as individuals i know there were some who could care less about what we did for our midterm... that's their problem. i just hope they know that they're being carried by everyone else who did care in the class. that should make them feel guilty enough i suppose.

both events were good experiences. and that's it for now.

-Donna

(i'm so sleepy lol...)

A little late

Holy H-E- double hockey sticks. It’s been nearly 3 weeks since I’ve posted anything relevant to the class, but I’ll try today. Unlike many of my compatriots, I have been stuck in a ruck (work) and was unable to really do anything. At my age, you no longer get to experience the perks of being a college student. No longer am I afforded the luxuries of taking afternoon naps or hanging out with friends during the weekday. My free time is now taken up by work, work, and homework (in that order). Anyways, I digress from the main point of this post, which is a reflection of the mid-term.

The class period prior to the mid-term had me extremely concerned. Not only was the class graded on a joint collaboration, but we were also in such disarray during that time frame. It seemed as if everyone was in one of two states: panic or indifferent. As the time on the clock came to a conclusion, it seemed like there was an inkling of cohesion amongst the groups, but it was not enough to put me at rest. Just like everyone else, I had a couple mid-terms that needed to be handled (and handled them I did =D)

For the mid-term itself, I was working with the visual arts individuals. We ultimately decided to plaster stereotypes of Asians and somehow look the part. My stereotype was “All Asians eat cats and dogs.” At first, I didn’t really know what to do, but then decided to find an adorable animal that no one would even think of eating. I was really reluctant to bring my cat with me because she is a house cat. Luckily for me, Jeff was more than willing to let me hold his dog Keno for the midterm. As we prepared for the tasks at hand, I couldn’t help but feel terribly sorry for Keno. Although he(?) received plenty of loving attention, it was way too much for her to handle. Consequently, she ended up laying a liquidy goop of love on the front table.

After the logistics were finally finished, we set forth on our merry journey to spread some awareness about Asian adversity and discrimination. The group was large and the chant was loud. Without a doubt, it grabbed the attention of just about everyone outside, and many had puzzled looks on their faces. As we moved from one station to the next, a lot of people stared, but it did not seem to faze the individuals performing at the time. Since I had a sign around my neck and Keno in my arms, many people walked up to me. Some asked what was going on, while others just stopped by to pat Keno on the head.

By the end of the class period all groups had finished doing their respected section of the final. In a closing ‘ceremony’ we called out to a final “Isang Bagsak” and ended the class. The hands clamped down, and everyone let out an exhaustive cheer. The mid-term was over.