Most people stroll through their day, completely oblivious as to what is going on around them. Do people tune out their environment because they don’t want to experience a sensory overload, or is it merely a case of people being self centered or self absorbed?
I’d like to think it’s the former, but sadly enough (more often than not), the latter is true.
I came across Babaylan: An Anthology of Filipina and Filipina American Writers at a small library. I admit I hesitated. I didn’t much care for the last anthology of Asian American writers I read (and couldn’t finish), Charlie Chan Is Dead. But I picked one story at random, and was immediately sucked in.
“Preview” by Tara F. T. Sering starts out in familiar territory seen in movies like American Adobo (and don’t get me started on that one) or Soul Food, namely the dining table, where it’s mixed with a hint of stranger-in-a-strange-land. But instead of expository passages where the importance of food to Filipino culture is explained to the protagonist, a new bride married into a Filipino family, it stays with her and her perspectives sans (thank God) the “WTF?” reactions to balut or halo-halo. What we get instead, thanks to a small fantasy-type element, are genuine human reactions on the bride’s part that lead her to draw some very human conclusions about her new husband, his family, and her life.
5 halo-halo beans out of 5.
Asiafolks.com is a multicultural discussion forum which covers much interesting topics, a lot of interesting people and some interesting topics to read and reply.
It is a wonderful community of asians in asia and abroad, to meet and be in touch with their culture,
Not only asians but europeans and americans do also visit Asiafolks for a break
read more | digg story
Hollywood has often been unkind to minorities; great roles for blacks, Hispanics, Indians, etc. have been few and far between. However, you’d have to include Asians in that group as well. You may not realize it because you sees Asians flying all around in martial arts films these days; Jet Li, Jackie Chan.
Big Shirtless Rob knows some people may have a hard time believing this, but not all Asians know karate. It’s true. That’s why Big Shirtless Rob is going to celebrate the NKA (Non-Karate Asian). Hopefully with this little post, we can change Hollywood for the better.
Hong Kong emerged as the top destination for travellers based in Singapore, according to the latest figures released today by ZUJI, Asia Pacific’s leading online travel company, in its Q1 2007 Online Travel Report.
The travel report also revealed an all time high figure for online travel purchases. 87% of travel bookings made on ZUJI Singapore were made online in Q1 2007 as compared to 85% in Q1 2006.
“A high online percentage booking is great news for us. It means that more and more people are getting comfortable with the idea of paying for their travel purchases completely online. This is also an indication of the growing level of trust and confidence in the ZUJI brand,” added Mr Ho.
I just wanted to say, “hello”! It’s definitely been a while since I’ve posted here, but looky… we have a new layout that I hope you’ll love!
Anyway, I am hoping people will utilize this community blog to its fullest. If you have something to write about, whether it’s about Asian Culture, the Asian Experience from your perspective, or just to get something off your chest. Feel free to write an entry here.
For those of you have have logged in and registered already, be sure to add your own blog link to the blogroll. (Let me know, of course, if you are having trouble doing that.)
And also, be sure to upload your avatar as well, so we can see who’s posting.
Other than that I hope this community blog picks up once again.
Peace & Love,
Randomguru
The strongest bond of human sympathy outside the family relation should be one uniting working people of all nations and tongues and kindreds. —Abraham Lincoln
When a colleague walked into the room last Monday and told me about what had happened at Virginia Tech, I was a bit surprised, but the significance of her words did not sink in because the bell had just rung and I was trying to get my things ready for class. However, when I checked the news, I was horrified. It was worse when I walked out into the parking lot and saw a couple of staff cars with the VaTech decal on the back windows. Because where I am now is not too far from Blacksburg, this tragedy hit close to home for many people.
As I sifted through all the various articles and websites, I came across this article entitled, “Every Korean Person is So Sorry.” All I have to say in response is, “Why?”
When I heard that the killer was Korean, I was worried. Yes, this is selfish in light of all the deaths, but to be honest, Americans have a tendency to be less than rational in times of stress. We also tend to be very hypocritical when it comes to race and race relations. Remember what happened to many people of Middle Eastern descent after 9/11? Remember what happened to people who LOOKED Middle Eastern after 9/11?
Though I am very sympathetic about what happened last week, I don’t think it’s fair that I need to apologize for the behavior of one person who happened to be ethnically Korean. I never met the guy nor have I heard of him until last week. If the one similarity between us, race, is enough to make me culpable for his actions, then I want an apology from all the African Americans for the actions of the Washington snipers. I wasn’t in the area, but I have friends who were. I want an apology from all the whites for Timothy McVeigh. While you’re at it, apologize for Hitler, too. See how ridiculous this is? It’s unfortunate, but our national psyche is wired to accept the aberrant behavior of a few members of the dominant culture as just that, an aberration. However, when a minority acts out in unspeakable ways, it’s a characteristic of the entire racial/ethnic group. (I do realize this is a bit of a generalization, but if you watch or read the news, you’ll see that I’m not too far off-base).
Do you see why I was a bit concerned last week? Perhaps I’m just paranoid, with a tendency to see trouble where there is none; after all, nothing happened to me last week and I even received a formal offer from another school for next year.
Regardless, when you read articles like this (”Korean Americans Brace for Problems”), you can empathize with the fears felt by the Korean community. So when I read this nice editorial from the Philadelphia Inquirer, it was with a sense of relief, a sense that there were some people out there who could look at this situation objectively and compassionately (I know this is an oxymoron) and not focus on just one minor aspect of it.
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there… I do not sleep.
I am the thousand winds that blow…
I am the diamond glints on snow…
I am the sunlight on ripened grain…
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you waken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of gentle birds in circling flight…
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry—
I am not there… I did not die…
-An Irish poem
My favorite time of the day has always been 3 a.m. All the night owls have called it a night, and the day people are still in dreamland. Then, there are the rest of us. We’re up later than night owls, and we’re still up when the day people are about to get up to grab a bowl of Grape Nuts.
There’s something about the solitude between three and four o’clock that I enjoy. It’s about the only time of day I can think to myself without outside interference.
I used to really savor this time of day when I was working in nightclubs. Sure, there were the after-hours tweakers twitching throughout the city, but they are a category onto themselves, and I really wasn’t trying to hang with them.
There were many times I found myself a 24-hour diner and got myself a late night snack after leaving the club. I must have looked much like the lone diner in Edward Hopper’s famous painting, “Nighthawks.”
These days, I’m up later than ever. I have been discovering that that 3 a.m. is more fascinating than it’s ever been. Overall, it’s as quiet as it’s ever been; however, there are some really bizarre people out there lurking around. I wonder why I’d never noticed them before.
Why do people make simple things so complicated? Why do we make things so complicated for ourselves? When logic dictates its illogical, why does the heart contradict? Why is the heart so important? Why is the heart stronger for some of us than it is for most of us?
Why do we love or fall in love with the wrong person? Why do we love or fall in love at inopportune times? Why does the other not feel the same for us as we do for them?
Why do we live the way we do? Why do we hide who we are? Why do we hide the way we feel? Why do we play games? Why do we resort to lies and deceit? Why do we feel alone despite being surrounded by hundreds of people?
Why are things the way they are? Why did things turn out the way they are? Why do we have to accept things the way they are? Why dont we see that having everything worth having is more important than having everything? Why is it so hard to accept the things we cannot change?
Why do we dream such beautiful dreams yet live such dreary lives? Why do we start out bright and full of hope yet end up empty and disillusioned? Why do we waste the best years and spend the remaining years yearning for the ones we waste? Why is life sometimes so hard to live?
Why are there more questions than there are answers?
There were some Average Asian video jokes from Mad TV which i wanted to share here. Some of the stereo types are quite funny.
http://www.madtv.com/html/classics/classics_main.html
This is my first time posting here, by the way!
And, sorry if it seems insensitive, but maybe it will also show in a way, how stupid people seem when we try to stereo-type and generalize… :-))
Here’s hoping you have a good laugh! 
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