He came and went in less than a week, but Travis Ishikawa made an impression after being called up to fill in for injured regular San Francisco Giants first baseman Lance Niekro.
He showed some pop in his bat, going 5-for-10 with three doubles, a triple and three RBIs in four games after being recalled from the Giants' Double A team in Connecticut last Thursday. In his first major league start on Friday, he went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs against Colorado.
Ishikawa had a short stint earlier in the year, again filling in for Niekro.
His performance will probably earn him another call up if Niekro goes down again or if the Giants need another bat. It's nice to see some U.S.-born Asian baseball players doing well.
Posted by harry at 1:01 PM | Comments (0)
He came and went in less than a week, but Travis Ishikawa made an impression after being called up to fill in for injured regular San Francisco Giants first baseman Lance Niekro.
He showed some pop in his bat, going 5-for-10 with three doubles, a triple and three RBIs in four games after being recalled from the Giants' Double A team in Connecticut last Thursday. In his first major league start on Friday, he went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs against Colorado.
Ishikawa had a short stint earlier in the year, again filling in for Niekro.
His performance will probably earn him another call up if Niekro goes down again or if the Giants need another bat. It's nice to see some U.S.-born Asian baseball players doing well.
Posted by harry at 1:01 PM | Comments (0)
He came and went in less than a week, but Travis Ishikawa made an impression after being called up to fill in for injured regular San Francisco Giants first baseman Lance Niekro.
He showed some pop in his bat, going 5-for-10 with three doubles, a triple and three RBIs in four games after being recalled from the Giants' Double A team in Connecticut last Thursday. In his first major league start on Friday, he went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs against Colorado.
Ishikawa had a short stint earlier in the year, again filling in for Niekro.
His performance will probably earn him another call up if Niekro goes down again or if the Giants need another bat. It's nice to see some U.S.-born Asian baseball players doing well.
Posted by harry at 1:01 PM | Comments (0)
I bought myself a membership to the Center for Asian American Media, or simply "The Center" (also formerly known as NAATA).
I've realized lately that there are certain things I really enjoy - like good company, good food and good times.
And everything else is peripheral. And NAATA, or the Center, has given me lots of good times. Even if it only comes once a year, it's something I always look forward to.
The thing about movies, and movies that play at Asian American film fests in particular, is that along with good times is usually also good company. Sometimes good sushi or other goody food after the movies. So that basically fulfills the three things I enjoy in life.
And since I'm working again, that also means I have a little more money to spare. To me, it's worth every dollar to support an organization that brings me much joy. And I can't wait to get my t-shirt next year. Yeah! I was jealous of the nice green t-shirts volunteers/staff received this year with the Mr. Scubaman and heart design.
Speaking of Asian Am film fests, if you are in Houston, TX this weekend, check out the Aurora Picture Show, curated by our very own editor in chief, Melissa Hung.
I've also decided that for other people's birthdays this year, I'm giving gift subscriptions to Hyphen.
Part of it is because I write/edit for Hyphen occasionally, so being the self-centered, narcissistic person that I am, I want people to read what I write. And I'm sure everyone who works on the magazine, from writers to artists to designers to people featured in the magazine want people to read it. Also being self-centered, I like to impose my tastes on others. But, I have been told - to the people who I've convinced to subscribe - that they like it and are surprised they'd never heard of Hyphen before. But that's what happens when you're a indie media publication run by volunteers that's low on funds.
Speaking of birthdays - Hyphen is turning 3. That's right. Three years-of-age in magazine species is, like, 30 years in real life. It's triple dog years. Magazines come and go, turnover and fold. So even though we, like many magazines and Asian American media outlets, are struggling - we are still here. And that's definitely worth a birthday cheer.
So if you're ever scratching your head, wondering what to get your friend/co-worker/family members, remember Hyphen! We need subs. Or donate directly and get free stuff. Subs and donations not only funds us, but it also helps us grow. And isn't that what getting older is all about?
Posted by momo at 3:12 PM | Comments (2)
I bought myself a membership to the Center for Asian American Media, or simply "The Center" (also formerly known as NAATA).
I've realized lately that there are certain things I really enjoy - like good company, good food and good times.
And everything else is peripheral. And NAATA, or the Center, has given me lots of good times. Even if it only comes once a year, it's something I always look forward to.
The thing about movies, and movies that play at Asian American film fests in particular, is that along with good times is usually also good company. Sometimes good sushi or other goody food after the movies. So that basically fulfills the three things I enjoy in life.
And since I'm working again, that also means I have a little more money to spare. To me, it's worth every dollar to support an organization that brings me much joy. And I can't wait to get my t-shirt next year. Yeah! I was jealous of the nice green t-shirts volunteers/staff received this year with the Mr. Scubaman and heart design.
Speaking of Asian Am film fests, if you are in Houston, TX this weekend, check out the Aurora Picture Show, curated by our very own editor in chief, Melissa Hung.
I've also decided that for other people's birthdays this year, I'm giving gift subscriptions to Hyphen.
Part of it is because I write/edit for Hyphen occasionally, so being the self-centered, narcissistic person that I am, I want people to read what I write. And I'm sure everyone who works on the magazine, from writers to artists to designers to people featured in the magazine want people to read it. Also being self-centered, I like to impose my tastes on others. But, I have been told - to the people who I've convinced to subscribe - that they like it and are surprised they'd never heard of Hyphen before. But that's what happens when you're a indie media publication run by volunteers that's low on funds.
Speaking of birthdays - Hyphen is turning 3. That's right. Three years-of-age in magazine species is, like, 30 years in real life. It's triple dog years. Magazines come and go, turnover and fold. So even though we, like many magazines and Asian American media outlets, are struggling - we are still here. And that's definitely worth a birthday cheer.
So if you're ever scratching your head, wondering what to get your friend/co-worker/family members, remember Hyphen! We need subs. Or donate directly and get free stuff. Subs and donations not only funds us, but it also helps us grow. And isn't that what getting older is all about?
Posted by momo at 3:12 PM | Comments (2)
I bought myself a membership to the Center for Asian American Media, or simply "The Center" (also formerly known as NAATA).
I've realized lately that there are certain things I really enjoy - like good company, good food and good times.
And everything else is peripheral. And NAATA, or the Center, has given me lots of good times. Even if it only comes once a year, it's something I always look forward to.
The thing about movies, and movies that play at Asian American film fests in particular, is that along with good times is usually also good company. Sometimes good sushi or other goody food after the movies. So that basically fulfills the three things I enjoy in life.
And since I'm working again, that also means I have a little more money to spare. To me, it's worth every dollar to support an organization that brings me much joy. And I can't wait to get my t-shirt next year. Yeah! I was jealous of the nice green t-shirts volunteers/staff received this year with the Mr. Scubaman and heart design.
Speaking of Asian Am film fests, if you are in Houston, TX this weekend, check out the Aurora Picture Show, curated by our very own editor in chief, Melissa Hung.
I've also decided that for other people's birthdays this year, I'm giving gift subscriptions to Hyphen.
Part of it is because I write/edit for Hyphen occasionally, so being the self-centered, narcissistic person that I am, I want people to read what I write. And I'm sure everyone who works on the magazine, from writers to artists to designers to people featured in the magazine want people to read it. Also being self-centered, I like to impose my tastes on others. But, I have been told - to the people who I've convinced to subscribe - that they like it and are surprised they'd never heard of Hyphen before. But that's what happens when you're a indie media publication run by volunteers that's low on funds.
Speaking of birthdays - Hyphen is turning 3. That's right. Three years-of-age in magazine species is, like, 30 years in real life. It's triple dog years. Magazines come and go, turnover and fold. So even though we, like many magazines and Asian American media outlets, are struggling - we are still here. And that's definitely worth a birthday cheer.
So if you're ever scratching your head, wondering what to get your friend/co-worker/family members, remember Hyphen! We need subs. Or donate directly and get free stuff. Subs and donations not only funds us, but it also helps us grow. And isn't that what getting older is all about?
Posted by momo at 3:12 PM | Comments (2)
Hapa comedian and performer Brent Weinbach – featured in hot-off-the-press Issue 9 of Hyphen – performs in Los Angeles...
Thursday, June 1 – Los Angeles
Hapa comedian and performer Brent Weinbach – featured in hot-off-the-press Issue 9 of Hyphen – performs in Los Angeles with Boomtime, a sketch group of stand-up comedians from San Francisco. Also performing will be Moshe Kasher and Alex Koll. (8pm, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. For more information, go here. $5).
Thursday, June 1 – San Francisco
Learn poetry writing with Truong Tran. Thursday, June 1 is the registration deadline for the poetry workshop, which runs June 12-August 7: Mondays, 7-9pm. Find out more about the course here. (180 Capp St., SF. 415.503.0520. www.kearnystreet.org. $195 nonmembers, $175 members).
Friday, June 2 – Los Angeles
So you think you can shoot? Write, film and edit a short film in 72 hours from June 9-12. June 2 is the deadline to register for the 3rd Annual Asian American Film Shootout. Find out more here.
Email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.
Posted by momo at 2:31 PM | Comments (0)
Hapa comedian and performer Brent Weinbach – featured in hot-off-the-press Issue 9 of Hyphen – performs in Los Angeles...
Thursday, June 1 – Los Angeles
Hapa comedian and performer Brent Weinbach – featured in hot-off-the-press Issue 9 of Hyphen – performs in Los Angeles with Boomtime, a sketch group of stand-up comedians from San Francisco. Also performing will be Moshe Kasher and Alex Koll. (8pm, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. For more information, go here. $5).
Thursday, June 1 – San Francisco
Learn poetry writing with Truong Tran. Thursday, June 1 is the registration deadline for the poetry workshop, which runs June 12-August 7: Mondays, 7-9pm. Find out more about the course here. (180 Capp St., SF. 415.503.0520. www.kearnystreet.org. $195 nonmembers, $175 members).
Friday, June 2 – Los Angeles
So you think you can shoot? Write, film and edit a short film in 72 hours from June 9-12. June 2 is the deadline to register for the 3rd Annual Asian American Film Shootout. Find out more here.
Email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.
Posted by momo at 2:31 PM | Comments (0)
Hapa comedian and performer Brent Weinbach featured in hot-off-the-press Issue 9 of Hyphen performs in Los Angeles...
Thursday, June 1 Los Angeles
Hapa comedian and performer Brent Weinbach featured in hot-off-the-press Issue 9 of Hyphen performs in Los Angeles with Boomtime, a sketch group of stand-up comedians from San Francisco. Also performing will be Moshe Kasher and Alex Koll. (8pm, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. For more information, go here. $5).
Thursday, June 1 San Francisco
Learn poetry writing with Truong Tran. Thursday, June 1 is the registration deadline for the poetry workshop, which runs June 12-August 7: Mondays, 7-9pm. Find out more about the course here. (180 Capp St., SF. 415.503.0520. www.kearnystreet.org. $195 nonmembers, $175 members).
Friday, June 2 Los Angeles
So you think you can shoot? Write, film and edit a short film in 72 hours from June 9-12. June 2 is the deadline to register for the 3rd Annual Asian American Film Shootout. Find out more here.
Email events to: momo@hyphenmagazine.com.
Posted by momo at 2:31 PM | Comments (0)
By Sonny Le, Hyphen Advisory Board Member
Our personal identity is a reflection of how we see ourselves, based on family and ancestral history and growing up-experience and what we believe to be perceived by others. As Asian Americans, our identity is fraught with unintended and unwanted connotations. Given the diversity within the communities and how much of our experience has been defined by and filtered through popular media, inventing and/or reinventing who we are seems to have taken on a new dimension.
Compounding the problem is the fact that many of our parents are either reluctant to shed light on their past and their coming-to-America experience or simply offer inexact accounts.
I am not one who’s quick to resort to handy pseudo-intellectual labels such as “internalized racism” or so called “self-hatred,” but what’s with historical revisionism among young Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans? As a result it has become downright difficult to tell if we know who we REALLY ARE.
In recent years I see more and more Southeast Asians, namely members of the 1.5 and 2.0 generations, whose bios state that either they or their families “immigrated” to the US. Unless pressed, Cambodians and Laotians claim to have been “born” in Thailand and my biggest pet peeve is Vietnamese Americans often claim that their fathers “worked” for the CIA. At times it sounds like the whole of former South Vietnam’s population was on the CIA’s payroll.
With the exception for a handful of students and members of the diplomatic delegation and their dependents who were trapped in the US when South Vietnam fell in 1975, the majority, I emphasize MAJORITY, of Southeast Asians came to the US as refugees. That means escaping, fleeing, or running away from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam either on land by foot or by water in rickety fishing boats, even for those who were “evacuated” by the American military. The term “immigrate” indicates an act of will with mutual agreement among all parties involved.
I understand that it might be impossible to extract information from our parents and in doing so might force them to relive a painful chapter in their lives that they prefer to forget. But being born behind barbed wire in No Man’s Land along the border of Thailand is not what I would claim as being “born in Thailand.” The same thing goes for Chinese Vietnamese who claim to have been born in Hong Kong. The refugee camps (Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand) during the height of the exodus were run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and those within the camps were wards of the UN.
Conditions in the camps in Thailand and Hong Kong were among the worst. Living quarters in some Hong Kong camps were nothing more than bunks separated by chicken wire mesh covered with a piece of fabric to provide a semblance of privacy. Gang violence, rapes, domestic violence and public drunkenness were commonplace. Though under the UN’s supervision and management, some camps in Thailand, especially those closest to the Cambodian border, were infiltrated by the Khmer Rouge, the same regime that the refugees had escaped from. There was freedom of movement within the camps but residents were kept behind razor-sharp barbed wire perimeter.
(I spent almost two years on an isolated and desolate island of Galang in Indonesia. There were beautiful white sand beaches and some vegetation but not much else. Three hundred and sixty-five days of this without being able to get off the island or doing much else can make one go stir-crazy. These were the conditions we had to endure after the harrowing sea-escape or dash through the jungles of Cambodia.)
And the CIA connection? By the time I arrived in the US in the early 1980s it had by-then become the accepted convention that Vietnamese refugees had to escape from Vietnam because of their ties to the old American-back regime of South Vietnam. I guess it would not be as sexy to say that we were farmers, fisherman or street vendors who came seeking better living conditions. Furthermore, to qualify for political asylum refugees had to meet criteria other economics. It did not take long for Vietnamese refugees to adopt similar reasons for leaving Vietnam.
I bought into it myself and for a while did tell people, whenever asked, that my father worked for the CIA and that he “spoke” both French and English. (I will go into the French connection in another post.) And to go along with the CIA connection, all the men were either captains or colonels in the old regime -- all officers, no grunts or conscripts.
In the late 1980s this reinvention caught up with one prominent member of the Vietnamese-American community in Seattle, a respected leader who had founded and managed organizations that provided services to newly arrived refugees and a business owner.
It began as a local English-language weekly wrote about his run-in with the laws – opening a night club without proper license, which he claimed was a private fundraiser for the local Vietnamese Buddhist temple. This led to the FBI investigating his various business holdings and spending of public funds. A pair of Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s reporters dug deeper and, lo and behold, they hit pay dirt.
Asides from misuse of public funds and mismanagement of the nonprofit that provided services to newly arrived refugees, the reporters also discovered that he had claimed to be a “colonel” on the Saigon Capitol Police force and holder of a degree from the London School of Economics, among other claims. According to the expose, he would have been 17 years-old when he became a colonel and that he was in a refugee camp in the Philippines at the time that he claimed to be attending the London School of Economics.
I am not advocating that we should corner our fathers and uncles and force them to fess up. They had their reasons to reinvent themselves once leaving the old country. Escaping Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam may have also meant leaving behind life of hand-to-mouth subsistence living, leaving behind grinding poverty and backwardness, leaving behind a life that befitting only that of a water buffalo, they would say.
Now that we are all grown up and have been educated at some of the world’s best universities and colleges. It should not take much for us to find out where we came from and under what circumstances.
Being a refugee or having born in refugee camps should not take away from our achievements or distract us from our ambitions. In fact, they can be a positive re-enforcement of our character and humanity. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with having been the off-springs of farmers and street vendors either. We all have to come from somewhere. Our past is what has shaped us to be who we are today. There is no need to resort to the modern equivalent of the Southeast Asian-American creation myth.
So why do 1.5 and 2.0 generations of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans feel the need to embellish their families’ histories and coming-to-America experiences?
Sonny Le is on Hyphen's advisory board.
Posted by Melissa at 2:26 PM | Comments (3)
By Sonny Le, Hyphen Advisory Board Member
Our personal identity is a reflection of how we see ourselves, based on family and ancestral history and growing up-experience and what we believe to be perceived by others. As Asian Americans, our identity is fraught with unintended and unwanted connotations. Given the diversity within the communities and how much of our experience has been defined by and filtered through popular media, inventing and/or reinventing who we are seems to have taken on a new dimension.
Compounding the problem is the fact that many of our parents are either reluctant to shed light on their past and their coming-to-America experience or simply offer inexact accounts.
I am not one who’s quick to resort to handy pseudo-intellectual labels such as “internalized racism” or so called “self-hatred,” but what’s with historical revisionism among young Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans? As a result it has become downright difficult to tell if we know who we REALLY ARE.
In recent years I see more and more Southeast Asians, namely members of the 1.5 and 2.0 generations, whose bios state that either they or their families “immigrated” to the US. Unless pressed, Cambodians and Laotians claim to have been “born” in Thailand and my biggest pet peeve is Vietnamese Americans often claim that their fathers “worked” for the CIA. At times it sounds like the whole of former South Vietnam’s population was on the CIA’s payroll.
With the exception for a handful of students and members of the diplomatic delegation and their dependents who were trapped in the US when South Vietnam fell in 1975, the majority, I emphasize MAJORITY, of Southeast Asians came to the US as refugees. That means escaping, fleeing, or running away from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam either on land by foot or by water in rickety fishing boats, even for those who were “evacuated” by the American military. The term “immigrate” indicates an act of will with mutual agreement among all parties involved.
I understand that it might be impossible to extract information from our parents and in doing so might force them to relive a painful chapter in their lives that they prefer to forget. But being born behind barbed wire in No Man’s Land along the border of Thailand is not what I would claim as being “born in Thailand.” The same thing goes for Chinese Vietnamese who claim to have been born in Hong Kong. The refugee camps (Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand) during the height of the exodus were run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and those within the camps were wards of the UN.
Conditions in the camps in Thailand and Hong Kong were among the worst. Living quarters in some Hong Kong camps were nothing more than bunks separated by chicken wire mesh covered with a piece of fabric to provide a semblance of privacy. Gang violence, rapes, domestic violence and public drunkenness were commonplace. Though under the UN’s supervision and management, some camps in Thailand, especially those closest to the Cambodian border, were infiltrated by the Khmer Rouge, the same regime that the refugees had escaped from. There was freedom of movement within the camps but residents were kept behind razor-sharp barbed wire perimeter.
(I spent almost two years on an isolated and desolate island of Galang in Indonesia. There were beautiful white sand beaches and some vegetation but not much else. Three hundred and sixty-five days of this without being able to get off the island or doing much else can make one go stir-crazy. These were the conditions we had to endure after the harrowing sea-escape or dash through the jungles of Cambodia.)
And the CIA connection? By the time I arrived in the US in the early 1980s it had by-then become the accepted convention that Vietnamese refugees had to escape from Vietnam because of their ties to the old American-back regime of South Vietnam. I guess it would not be as sexy to say that we were farmers, fisherman or street vendors who came seeking better living conditions. Furthermore, to qualify for political asylum refugees had to meet criteria other economics. It did not take long for Vietnamese refugees to adopt similar reasons for leaving Vietnam.
I bought into it myself and for a while did tell people, whenever asked, that my father worked for the CIA and that he “spoke” both French and English. (I will go into the French connection in another post.) And to go along with the CIA connection, all the men were either captains or colonels in the old regime -- all officers, no grunts or conscripts.
In the late 1980s this reinvention caught up with one prominent member of the Vietnamese-American community in Seattle, a respected leader who had founded and managed organizations that provided services to newly arrived refugees and a business owner.
It began as a local English-language weekly wrote about his run-in with the laws – opening a night club without proper license, which he claimed was a private fundraiser for the local Vietnamese Buddhist temple. This led to the FBI investigating his various business holdings and spending of public funds. A pair of Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s reporters dug deeper and, lo and behold, they hit pay dirt.
Asides from misuse of public funds and mismanagement of the nonprofit that provided services to newly arrived refugees, the reporters also discovered that he had claimed to be a “colonel” on the Saigon Capitol Police force and holder of a degree from the London School of Economics, among other claims. According to the expose, he would have been 17 years-old when he became a colonel and that he was in a refugee camp in the Philippines at the time that he claimed to be attending the London School of Economics.
I am not advocating that we should corner our fathers and uncles and force them to fess up. They had their reasons to reinvent themselves once leaving the old country. Escaping Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam may have also meant leaving behind life of hand-to-mouth subsistence living, leaving behind grinding poverty and backwardness, leaving behind a life that befitting only that of a water buffalo, they would say.
Now that we are all grown up and have been educated at some of the world’s best universities and colleges. It should not take much for us to find out where we came from and under what circumstances.
Being a refugee or having born in refugee camps should not take away from our achievements or distract us from our ambitions. In fact, they can be a positive re-enforcement of our character and humanity. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with having been the off-springs of farmers and street vendors either. We all have to come from somewhere. Our past is what has shaped us to be who we are today. There is no need to resort to the modern equivalent of the Southeast Asian-American creation myth.
So why do 1.5 and 2.0 generations of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans feel the need to embellish their families’ histories and coming-to-America experiences?
Sonny Le is on Hyphen's advisory board.
Posted by Melissa at 2:26 PM | Comments (3)
By Sonny Le, Hyphen Advisory Board Member
Our personal identity is a reflection of how we see ourselves, based on family and ancestral history and growing up-experience and what we believe to be perceived by others. As Asian Americans, our identity is fraught with unintended and unwanted connotations. Given the diversity within the communities and how much of our experience has been defined by and filtered through popular media, inventing and/or reinventing who we are seems to have taken on a new dimension.
Compounding the problem is the fact that many of our parents are either reluctant to shed light on their past and their coming-to-America experience or simply offer inexact accounts.
I am not one whos quick to resort to handy pseudo-intellectual labels such as internalized racism or so called self-hatred, but whats with historical revisionism among young Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans? As a result it has become downright difficult to tell if we know who we REALLY ARE.
In recent years I see more and more Southeast Asians, namely members of the 1.5 and 2.0 generations, whose bios state that either they or their families immigrated to the US. Unless pressed, Cambodians and Laotians claim to have been born in Thailand and my biggest pet peeve is Vietnamese Americans often claim that their fathers worked for the CIA. At times it sounds like the whole of former South Vietnams population was on the CIAs payroll.
With the exception for a handful of students and members of the diplomatic delegation and their dependents who were trapped in the US when South Vietnam fell in 1975, the majority, I emphasize MAJORITY, of Southeast Asians came to the US as refugees. That means escaping, fleeing, or running away from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam either on land by foot or by water in rickety fishing boats, even for those who were evacuated by the American military. The term immigrate indicates an act of will with mutual agreement among all parties involved.
I understand that it might be impossible to extract information from our parents and in doing so might force them to relive a painful chapter in their lives that they prefer to forget. But being born behind barbed wire in No Mans Land along the border of Thailand is not what I would claim as being born in Thailand. The same thing goes for Chinese Vietnamese who claim to have been born in Hong Kong. The refugee camps (Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand) during the height of the exodus were run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and those within the camps were wards of the UN.
Conditions in the camps in Thailand and Hong Kong were among the worst. Living quarters in some Hong Kong camps were nothing more than bunks separated by chicken wire mesh covered with a piece of fabric to provide a semblance of privacy. Gang violence, rapes, domestic violence and public drunkenness were commonplace. Though under the UNs supervision and management, some camps in Thailand, especially those closest to the Cambodian border, were infiltrated by the Khmer Rouge, the same regime that the refugees had escaped from. There was freedom of movement within the camps but residents were kept behind razor-sharp barbed wire perimeter.
(I spent almost two years on an isolated and desolate island of Galang in Indonesia. There were beautiful white sand beaches and some vegetation but not much else. Three hundred and sixty-five days of this without being able to get off the island or doing much else can make one go stir-crazy. These were the conditions we had to endure after the harrowing sea-escape or dash through the jungles of Cambodia.)
And the CIA connection? By the time I arrived in the US in the early 1980s it had by-then become the accepted convention that Vietnamese refugees had to escape from Vietnam because of their ties to the old American-back regime of South Vietnam. I guess it would not be as sexy to say that we were farmers, fisherman or street vendors who came seeking better living conditions. Furthermore, to qualify for political asylum refugees had to meet criteria other economics. It did not take long for Vietnamese refugees to adopt similar reasons for leaving Vietnam.
I bought into it myself and for a while did tell people, whenever asked, that my father worked for the CIA and that he spoke both French and English. (I will go into the French connection in another post.) And to go along with the CIA connection, all the men were either captains or colonels in the old regime -- all officers, no grunts or conscripts.
In the late 1980s this reinvention caught up with one prominent member of the Vietnamese-American community in Seattle, a respected leader who had founded and managed organizations that provided services to newly arrived refugees and a business owner.
It began as a local English-language weekly wrote about his run-in with the laws opening a night club without proper license, which he claimed was a private fundraiser for the local Vietnamese Buddhist temple. This led to the FBI investigating his various business holdings and spending of public funds. A pair of Seattle Post-Intelligencers reporters dug deeper and, lo and behold, they hit pay dirt.
Asides from misuse of public funds and mismanagement of the nonprofit that provided services to newly arrived refugees, the reporters also discovered that he had claimed to be a colonel on the Saigon Capitol Police force and holder of a degree from the London School of Economics, among other claims. According to the expose, he would have been 17 years-old when he became a colonel and that he was in a refugee camp in the Philippines at the time that he claimed to be attending the London School of Economics.
I am not advocating that we should corner our fathers and uncles and force them to fess up. They had their reasons to reinvent themselves once leaving the old country. Escaping Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam may have also meant leaving behind life of hand-to-mouth subsistence living, leaving behind grinding poverty and backwardness, leaving behind a life that befitting only that of a water buffalo, they would say.
Now that we are all grown up and have been educated at some of the worlds best universities and colleges. It should not take much for us to find out where we came from and under what circumstances.
Being a refugee or having born in refugee camps should not take away from our achievements or distract us from our ambitions. In fact, they can be a positive re-enforcement of our character and humanity. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with having been the off-springs of farmers and street vendors either. We all have to come from somewhere. Our past is what has shaped us to be who we are today. There is no need to resort to the modern equivalent of the Southeast Asian-American creation myth.
So why do 1.5 and 2.0 generations of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans feel the need to embellish their families histories and coming-to-America experiences?
Sonny Le is on Hyphen's advisory board.
Posted by Melissa at 2:26 PM | Comments (3)
from Bernice Yeung, Hyphen contributing editor
I am walking back to my office after running an errand to the post office. Dude sitting on the corner yells at me: "I love you, mama! Come back early because I love you! Sukiyaki! I love you! Come back! Chicken lo mein! Sukiyaki! Mama, I love you!"
So to tell you the truth, I'm not particularly bothered by the way that the dude interspersed his declarations of affection for me with miscellaneous food references (given my love for food, his approach might have worked in a different context). What offends me is his use of some of the most disgusting and cliched Chinese take-out dishes on the planet. I think that if he'd uttered the words "egg foo young," I might have physically beat him.
I read a great book in one of my sociology classes in which an interaction of this kind was described as "interactional vandalism." Needless to say, I feel completely defaced.
Posted by Melissa at 9:44 PM | Comments (43)
from Bernice Yeung, Hyphen contributing editor
I am walking back to my office after running an errand to the post office. Dude sitting on the corner yells at me: "I love you, mama! Come back early because I love you! Sukiyaki! I love you! Come back! Chicken lo mein! Sukiyaki! Mama, I love you!"
So to tell you the truth, I'm not particularly bothered by the way that the dude interspersed his declarations of affection for me with miscellaneous food references (given my love for food, his approach might have worked in a different context). What offends me is his use of some of the most disgusting and cliched Chinese take-out dishes on the planet. I think that if he'd uttered the words "egg foo young," I might have physically beat him.
I read a great book in one of my sociology classes in which an interaction of this kind was described as "interactional vandalism." Needless to say, I feel completely defaced.
Posted by Melissa at 9:44 PM | Comments (43)
from Bernice Yeung, Hyphen contributing editor
I am walking back to my office after running an errand to the post office. Dude sitting on the corner yells at me: "I love you, mama! Come back early because I love you! Sukiyaki! I love you! Come back! Chicken lo mein! Sukiyaki! Mama, I love you!"
So to tell you the truth, I'm not particularly bothered by the way that the dude interspersed his declarations of affection for me with miscellaneous food references (given my love for food, his approach might have worked in a different context). What offends me is his use of some of the most disgusting and cliched Chinese take-out dishes on the planet. I think that if he'd uttered the words "egg foo young," I might have physically beat him.
I read a great book in one of my sociology classes in which an interaction of this kind was described as "interactional vandalism." Needless to say, I feel completely defaced.
Posted by Melissa at 9:44 PM | Comments (41)
For some on this blog, it's a tired subject: stereotypes of Asian American men. But someone has made yet another documentary on the issue. The Slanted Screen is playiing at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco this week, and I saw it last night.
The film was produced by San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi and also screened at the recent San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. The documentary features a series of interviews with Asian American actors and directors along with clips depicting Asian American men, both good and bad images.
Same old story, really. Most of the time Hollywood will only cast Asian Americans -- male and female -- in stereotypical roles: the dork, the whore, the kung fu master, the gangster or someone who speaks with an accent.
One thing The Slanted Screen brought out that I didn't know much about was that Sessue Hayakawa was one of the top leading men during the silent film era. Somehow he was able to overcome the racism of the day and be a big star and romantic lead.
The conclusion or solution that The Slanted Screen leaves viewers with is that it's going to take time, and that more Asian Americans have to join the ranks of writers, producers, directors and Hollywood executives in order for things to change in any meaningful way.
I understand the argument that maybe some people spend too much time worrying about issues that The Slanted Screen brings up. Sure, things like immigration, education and poverty are seemingly more important. I think they all have synergy with each other, so you can't ignore one for the other. The images that are put out by Hollywood are engrained into society, and that in turn affects how Asian Americans are viewed when it comes to the "big" issues like immigration or politics.
At the very least, The Slanted Screen makes you want to applaud the actors, writers and directors who are trying to make it. It's good to see that they are still plugging away, despite all the obstacles, and that they still have hope that things are changing, however slowly.
Posted by harry at 8:47 AM | Comments (4)
For some on this blog, it's a tired subject: stereotypes of Asian American men. But someone has made yet another documentary on the issue. The Slanted Screen is playiing at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco this week, and I saw it last night.
The film was produced by San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi and also screened at the recent San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. The documentary features a series of interviews with Asian American actors and directors along with clips depicting Asian American men, both good and bad images.
Same old story, really. Most of the time Hollywood will only cast Asian Americans -- male and female -- in stereotypical roles: the dork, the whore, the kung fu master, the gangster or someone who speaks with an accent.
One thing The Slanted Screen brought out that I didn't know much about was that Sessue Hayakawa was one of the top leading men during the silent film era. Somehow he was able to overcome the racism of the day and be a big star and romantic lead.
The conclusion or solution that The Slanted Screen leaves viewers with is that it's going to take time, and that more Asian Americans have to join the ranks of writers, producers, directors and Hollywood executives in order for things to change in any meaningful way.
I understand the argument that maybe some people spend too much time worrying about issues that The Slanted Screen brings up. Sure, things like immigration, education and poverty are seemingly more important. I think they all have synergy with each other, so you can't ignore one for the other. The images that are put out by Hollywood are engrained into society, and that in turn affects how Asian Americans are viewed when it comes to the "big" issues like immigration or politics.
At the very least, The Slanted Screen makes you want to applaud the actors, writers and directors who are trying to make it. It's good to see that they are still plugging away, despite all the obstacles, and that they still have hope that things are changing, however slowly.
Posted by harry at 8:47 AM | Comments (4)
For some on this blog, it's a tired subject: stereotypes of Asian American men. But someone has made yet another documentary on the issue. The Slanted Screen is playiing at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco this week, and I saw it last night.
The film was produced by San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi and also screened at the recent San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. The documentary features a series of interviews with Asian American actors and directors along with clips depicting Asian American men, both good and bad images.
Same old story, really. Most of the time Hollywood will only cast Asian Americans -- male and female -- in stereotypical roles: the dork, the whore, the kung fu master, the gangster or someone who speaks with an accent.
One thing The Slanted Screen brought out that I didn't know much about was that Sessue Hayakawa was one of the top leading men during the silent film era. Somehow he was able to overcome the racism of the day and be a big star and romantic lead.
The conclusion or solution that The Slanted Screen leaves viewers with is that it's going to take time, and that more Asian Americans have to join the ranks of writers, producers, directors and Hollywood executives in order for things to change in any meaningful way.
I understand the argument that maybe some people spend too much time worrying about issues that The Slanted Screen brings up. Sure, things like immigration, education and poverty are seemingly more important. I think they all have synergy with each other, so you can't ignore one for the other. The images that are put out by Hollywood are engrained into society, and that in turn affects how Asian Americans are viewed when it comes to the "big" issues like immigration or politics.
At the very least, The Slanted Screen makes you want to applaud the actors, writers and directors who are trying to make it. It's good to see that they are still plugging away, despite all the obstacles, and that they still have hope that things are changing, however slowly.
Posted by harry at 8:47 AM | Comments (4)
Robin Sukhadia was named the first Mr. Hyphen on Friday at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Along with the glory of being the inaugural Mr. Hyphen, Robin took home $500 for Project Ahimsa, the nonprofit he was competing for.
In the photo above, Robin is presented a check from Miss San Francisco Chinatown 2006, Tiffani Mah.
Robin beat out a very talented field of contestants for the crown. Here are some photos from the contest. Stay tuned to Hyphenmagazine.com for more pictures and coverage of Mr. Hyphen.
Thanks to everyone who attended on Friday!
Posted by harry at 1:40 PM | Comments (3)
Robin Sukhadia was named the first Mr. Hyphen on Friday at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Along with the glory of being the inaugural Mr. Hyphen, Robin took home $500 for Project Ahimsa, the nonprofit he was competing for.
In the photo above, Robin is presented a check from Miss San Francisco Chinatown 2006, Tiffani Mah.
Robin beat out a very talented field of contestants for the crown. Here are some photos from the contest. Stay tuned to Hyphenmagazine.com for more pictures and coverage of Mr. Hyphen.
Thanks to everyone who attended on Friday!
Posted by harry at 1:40 PM | Comments (3)
Robin Sukhadia was named the first Mr. Hyphen on Friday at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Along with the glory of being the inaugural Mr. Hyphen, Robin took home $500 for Project Ahimsa, the nonprofit he was competing for.
In the photo above, Robin is presented a check from Miss San Francisco Chinatown 2006, Tiffani Mah.
Robin beat out a very talented field of contestants for the crown. Here are some photos from the contest. Stay tuned to Hyphenmagazine.com for more pictures and coverage of Mr. Hyphen.
Thanks to everyone who attended on Friday!
Posted by harry at 1:40 PM | Comments (3)
Pre-purchase tickets for Mr. Hyphen are available only through 7 p.m. today! (Click on Events above) Get 'em now or they'll be $20 at the door.
And the show is tomorrow! Our contestants have met, and the shit-talking has begun. Don't miss the action -- or the celebrities:
- Tiffani Mah, Miss San Francisco Chinatown 2006 (judge)
- Brian Tong, host of Night Shift & before that Stir TV (emcee)
- Ali Wong, ittle-bitty new comedy phenom (emcee)
So get yourselves a seat, have your cheering voices ready, and your panties/ boxers ready to throw! Uh, we mean, no. This is a family show.
Posted by erin at 11:39 AM | Comments (4)
Pre-purchase tickets for Mr. Hyphen are available only through 7 p.m. today! (Click on Events above) Get 'em now or they'll be $20 at the door.
And the show is tomorrow! Our contestants have met, and the shit-talking has begun. Don't miss the action -- or the celebrities:
- Tiffani Mah, Miss San Francisco Chinatown 2006 (judge)
- Brian Tong, host of Night Shift & before that Stir TV (emcee)
- Ali Wong, ittle-bitty new comedy phenom (emcee)
So get yourselves a seat, have your cheering voices ready, and your panties/ boxers ready to throw! Uh, we mean, no. This is a family show.
Posted by erin at 11:39 AM | Comments (4)
Pre-purchase tickets for Mr. Hyphen are available only through 7 p.m. today! (Click on Events above) Get 'em now or they'll be $20 at the door.
And the show is tomorrow! Our contestants have met, and the shit-talking has begun. Don't miss the action -- or the celebrities:
- Tiffani Mah, Miss San Francisco Chinatown 2006 (judge)
- Brian Tong, host of Night Shift & before that Stir TV (emcee)
- Ali Wong, ittle-bitty new comedy phenom (emcee)
So get yourselves a seat, have your cheering voices ready, and your panties/ boxers ready to throw! Uh, we mean, no. This is a family show.
Posted by erin at 11:39 AM | Comments (4)
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof wonders why Asian Americans are so good in school in a Sunday New York Times op-ed piece, but I'm not sure he found the right answer.
You can read it here on the Times site, but you need a subscription. Here's the text posted on AngryAsianMan.com.
His column is all anecdotal. He interviews one Asian American kid, and kind of just concludes that it's something in the culture passed down from the collective Confucian history of those from East Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam). He ignores South Asians and the fact that many Southeast Asian Americans don't fall into the "model minority" stereotype of being smart, high achievers who all go to Berkeley and Harvard.
This is such a broad and complicated subject full of landmines that I don't know why he would try to tackle it in the limited space of a newspaper column. Whole books are written about this and there is still no real answer, and maybe there doesn't have to be. Why is there so much obsession over this subject?
Posted by harry at 11:46 AM | Comments (5)
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof wonders why Asian Americans are so good in school in a Sunday New York Times op-ed piece, but I'm not sure he found the right answer.
You can read it here on the Times site, but you need a subscription. Here's the text posted on AngryAsianMan.com.
His column is all anecdotal. He interviews one Asian American kid, and kind of just concludes that it's something in the culture passed down from the collective Confucian history of those from East Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam). He ignores South Asians and the fact that many Southeast Asian Americans don't fall into the "model minority" stereotype of being smart, high achievers who all go to Berkeley and Harvard.
This is such a broad and complicated subject full of landmines that I don't know why he would try to tackle it in the limited space of a newspaper column. Whole books are written about this and there is still no real answer, and maybe there doesn't have to be. Why is there so much obsession over this subject?
Posted by harry at 11:46 AM | Comments (5)
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof wonders why Asian Americans are so good in school in a Sunday New York Times op-ed piece, but I'm not sure he found the right answer.
You can read it here on the Times site, but you need a subscription. Here's the text posted on AngryAsianMan.com.
His column is all anecdotal. He interviews one Asian American kid, and kind of just concludes that it's something in the culture passed down from the collective Confucian history of those from East Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam). He ignores South Asians and the fact that many Southeast Asian Americans don't fall into the "model minority" stereotype of being smart, high achievers who all go to Berkeley and Harvard.
This is such a broad and complicated subject full of landmines that I don't know why he would try to tackle it in the limited space of a newspaper column. Whole books are written about this and there is still no real answer, and maybe there doesn't have to be. Why is there so much obsession over this subject?
Posted by harry at 11:46 AM | Comments (5)
British Sri Lankan rising superstar M.I.A. has been denied a visa to visit or work in the United States.
The reasons for this move are unclear but speculations abound about the denial being linked to her "terrorism"-supporting lyrics. The article states: "She attracted controversy with her song lyrics, particularly of "Sunshowers", because it allegedly expresses vague support for the terrorist organisation LTTE, which is banned in the USA. MTV USA refused to play the video without a disclaimer against the lyrics."
She was apparently coming to the States to work on her next album with Timbaland. Here's her reaction from her MySpace blog:
THEY TRY SHUT MY DOOR!
Roger roger do you here me over!!!!
the U.S immigration wont let me in!!!!!
i was mennu work with timber startin this week, but now im doin a Akon "im locked out they wont let me in" im locked out! they wont let me in! Now Im strictly making my album outside the borders!!!! so il see you all one day, for now ill keep reportin from the sidelines.
to my people who walk wiv me in the America, dont forget we got the internet! Spread the word! or come get me!!!!!! ill be in my bird flu lab in china! liming and drinkin tiger beer with my pet turtel. I love everyone for the support, now i need it more. ill stay up spread out else where.
----
Over the past two years, I have been interested and sometimes slightly wary of M.I.A.'s fame as related to her politics and Tamil Tiger name-dropping. But I came to the conclusion that wrapping up radical politics in baile-funk beats or spray-painting pink tanks does make a statement, it does stir things up in a way that makes sense in this day and age. I thought perhaps by doing so, and being a pretty girl, the powers that be wouldn't notice so much. I guess I was wrong.
I hope this M.I.A. ban is over-ruled soon because I am really kicking myself for missing all the shows she had in the Bay last year.
Posted by neela at 1:18 PM | Comments (8)
British Sri Lankan rising superstar M.I.A. has been denied a visa to visit or work in the United States.
The reasons for this move are unclear but speculations abound about the denial being linked to her "terrorism"-supporting lyrics. The article states: "She attracted controversy with her song lyrics, particularly of "Sunshowers", because it allegedly expresses vague support for the terrorist organisation LTTE, which is banned in the USA. MTV USA refused to play the video without a disclaimer against the lyrics."
She was apparently coming to the States to work on her next album with Timbaland. Here's her reaction from her MySpace blog:
THEY TRY SHUT MY DOOR!
Roger roger do you here me over!!!!
the U.S immigration wont let me in!!!!!
i was mennu work with timber startin this week, but now im doin a Akon "im locked out they wont let me in" im locked out! they wont let me in! Now Im strictly making my album outside the borders!!!! so il see you all one day, for now ill keep reportin from the sidelines.
to my people who walk wiv me in the America, dont forget we got the internet! Spread the word! or come get me!!!!!! ill be in my bird flu lab in china! liming and drinkin tiger beer with my pet turtel. I love everyone for the support, now i need it more. ill stay up spread out else where.
----
Over the past two years, I have been interested and sometimes slightly wary of M.I.A.'s fame as related to her politics and Tamil Tiger name-dropping. But I came to the conclusion that wrapping up radical politics in baile-funk beats or spray-painting pink tanks does make a statement, it does stir things up in a way that makes sense in this day and age. I thought perhaps by doing so, and being a pretty girl, the powers that be wouldn't notice so much. I guess I was wrong.
I hope this M.I.A. ban is over-ruled soon because I am really kicking myself for missing all the shows she had in the Bay last year.
Posted by neela at 1:18 PM | Comments (8)
British Sri Lankan rising superstar M.I.A. has been denied a visa to visit or work in the United States.
The reasons for this move are unclear but speculations abound about the denial being linked to her "terrorism"-supporting lyrics. The article states: "She attracted controversy with her song lyrics, particularly of "Sunshowers", because it allegedly expresses vague support for the terrorist organisation LTTE, which is banned in the USA. MTV USA refused to play the video without a disclaimer against the lyrics."
She was apparently coming to the States to work on her next album with Timbaland. Here's her reaction from her MySpace blog:
THEY TRY SHUT MY DOOR!
Roger roger do you here me over!!!!
the U.S immigration wont let me in!!!!!
i was mennu work with timber startin this week, but now im doin a Akon "im locked out they wont let me in" im locked out! they wont let me in! Now Im strictly making my album outside the borders!!!! so il see you all one day, for now ill keep reportin from the sidelines.
to my people who walk wiv me in the America, dont forget we got the internet! Spread the word! or come get me!!!!!! ill be in my bird flu lab in china! liming and drinkin tiger beer with my pet turtel. I love everyone for the support, now i need it more. ill stay up spread out else where.
----
Over the past two years, I have been interested and sometimes slightly wary of M.I.A.'s fame as related to her politics and Tamil Tiger name-dropping. But I came to the conclusion that wrapping up radical politics in baile-funk beats or spray-painting pink tanks does make a statement, it does stir things up in a way that makes sense in this day and age. I thought perhaps by doing so, and being a pretty girl, the powers that be wouldn't notice so much. I guess I was wrong.
I hope this M.I.A. ban is over-ruled soon because I am really kicking myself for missing all the shows she had in the Bay last year.
Posted by neela at 1:18 PM | Comments (8)
This week: Who will take home the title of Mr. Hyphen? And more...
May 12-20 – Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s first annual Silk Screen Film Fest continues through Saturday. Check out the complete schedule here or call 724.969.2565. Tickets are $8.
Wednesday, May 17 – Oakland
Asian and Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL) youth and allies bring educational inequity issues to the forefront on the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. Youth call meeting with State Administrator Randolph Ward. Hundreds of Williams’ Settlement complaint forms have been collected and will be submitted to the School District to demand concrete changes in the Public Schools in Oakland. (4:15-5-30pm, Lincoln Recreational Center, 250 10th St., Oakland. Free).
May 18-20 – Philly
Spoken word due and artists-in-residence Michelle Myers and Catzie Vilayphonh perform and release their new CD, “Yellow Rage, Volume 2.” (Open rehearsal: 7-8pm Thursday. Free. Performance and CD release with guests DJ Phillee Blunt of Ill Vibe Collective and Dan Kim of Asians Misbehavin’: 8pm, Friday & Saturday. $5-10. Asian Arts Initiative, 1315 Cherry St., 2nd Floor, Philadelphia. 215.557.0455 or www.asianartsinitiative.org).
Thursday, May 18 – SF
http://www.thirdthursdays.org ’s
panel, discussion and dinner presents Aftershocks: Destruction, Rebirth and Art Untold stories of the Earthquake and its impact on Chinatown and Japantown. After the devastation of the 1906 earthquake and fire, the Chinatown and Japantown that we know today were built. Both are now landmark cultural destinations for both residents and visitors, but their mere existence was called into question during the rebuilding efforts. (7:00-9:30pm, Japanese Cultural & Community Center. 1840 Sutter St., SF. RSVP here. $5-20. Co-presented by AsianImprov Arts).
Friday, May 19 – Oakland
Activists, organizers and leaders of various Asian American nonprofit organizations will compete to earn the crown of the first-ever Mr. Hyphen Mr. Hyphen. Participants compete in several rounds including talent, fashion and Q&A. Winner takes home cash donation of $500 from Hyphen for the nonprofit he represents. (7-10pm, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 510.637.0455, 388 9th St., Suite 290, Oakland. $15 presale, $20 at the door).
Saturday, May 20 – SF
Asian Heritage’s Street Festival is this Saturday – check out booths, food, families and cute peoples. Local arts and craftists, chefs, and entertainers, community groups, and media – including Hyphen – check us out here. (11am-6pm, Sunset District. Irving St. between 20th and 25th Aves., SF. Free).
Posted by momo at 10:43 AM | Comments (7)
This week: Who will take home the title of Mr. Hyphen? And more...
May 12-20 – Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s first annual Silk Screen Film Fest continues through Saturday. Check out the complete schedule here or call 724.969.2565. Tickets are $8.
Wednesday, May 17 – Oakland
Asian and Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL) youth and allies bring educational inequity issues to the forefront