Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2010 (Day 21-31)

So I'm finally posting the rest of my APAHM notes. Sorry for the delay. It's been a roller coaster of a month for me. And ridiculously busy!

Day twenty one:
I like the smell of sandalwood incense; we burn it exclusively for religious purposes at home.

There are two types of of incense, “indirect burning” and “direct burning.” The kind we use at home is direct burning incense sticks (or known as joss sticks), where the incense is directly lit by a flame and the aroma is fanned out as the glowing ember smolders and releases the fragrance. Typically yellow, sometimes red and rarely black, most of them are long and thin. There are also spiral sticks, although those ones are not used as often as the thin straight sticks. And there are thicker sticks with intricate designs on them (like dragons) which are used for special ceremonies.

For thousands of years, the Chinese have used incense in religious ceremonies, ancestor veneration (in both cases, burned as an offering), traditional medicine and everyday life. In everyday life, before clocks were invented, incense were used as timekeeping devices (you can still get incense that will burn for a specific period of time, say to keep track of how long you've been meditating). Incense have been, and continue to be, used as mosquito (or other pesky bugs) repellant (also useful for when you are meditating). And of course, incense can be burned simply for its aroma (sometimes for obscuring other less desirable odors).

Whenever I'm out and about, and I suddenly get a whiff of it, I always smile and look around to see who is burning incense. =)

Day twenty two:
Dim sum with the family at Pearl (11666 Avena Place)!

Dim sum, which literally means “to touch your heart,” is like a brunch/late lunch type of meal consisting of various of dumplings, steamed dishes and other delicious goodies. Similar to hors d'oeuvres, servers push a small cart around and you order whatever you like. The dishes are either steamed or deep-fried, served with three or four pieces in a dish. It's customary to order family style so people can share and try a wide variety of food. Servers mark/stamp what you ordered on a bill to keep a tab going.

Originally a Cantonese custom, dim sum is linked to the tradition of “yum cha,” drinking tea, and was meant only as a snack, not a meal. You typically want to order the lighter, steamed dishes first, then some of the exotic items (ex chicken's feet), followed by deep-fried dishes and finally dessert. Of course, you have to have tea with dim sum. Anything other than tea is just ludicrous. Most commonly served with dim sum are jasmine, green, oolong, or chrysanthemum tea.

There is a multitude of teas produced, cultivated wherever there is a proper climate (humidity, sunshine and soil). Tea is classified in many ways, such as the quality, the method of preparation and even the place of production. There's a whole processing method which includes fermentation, heating, and drying the leaves, as well as adding other ingredients (like flowers, herbs or fruits).

Tea does not judge itself, people judge the tea. – JET LI’S FEARLESS

Day twenty three:
Watched MY SASSY GIRL and was really surprised by how similar it is to THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA. Maybe MELANCHOLY was inspired by MY SASSY GIRL?

MY SASSY GIRL is supposedly based on a true story, told through a series of love letters, by a man named Kim Ho-sik, who posted them on the internet. The movie is a romantic comedy about a guy whose life changes dramatically after he meets/saves a drunk girl.

THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA follows Haruhi Suzumiya, a not-so-ordinary high school girl who unconsciously changeS reality. She forms the club The SOS Brigade to investigate mysterious happenings.

Similarities:
People from the future/time travelers
UFOs
A really weird but pretty girl, who is also rather pushy
The push-over kinda-sorta-not-really boyfriend who has to please the girl
Magicalism (how everything the girl wants comes true)

Coincidence???? MY SASSY GIRL inspired MELANCHOLY????

Day twenty four:
Had the most insane craving for pho—unfortunately didn’t get any =(

Pho (pronounced like fuh) is a Vietnamese noodle soup dish, typically served with beef (although you can pick your own choice of meat) and vegetables. Alternatively, it is also amazing goodness.

I’m not a particularly picky eater, nor do I have a favorite place to get pho, but I would recommend Pho Hoa Restaurant (4717 El Cajon Boulevard). It’s a hole in the wall type of place that only serves pho. ONLY PHO. Got it? No rice, no appetizers, no desserts, nothing but pho. So you KNOW it’s going to be a decent pho spot. I don’t ever remember it being completely empty (ex I’m the only patron) and I always see people coming or going. So the meat is usually fresh. They don’t skimp on the portions either. =D And they’re fast.

Day twenty five:
Had our last ACF meeting at Cali Deli, a Vietnamese sandwich and coffee place in Hillcrest (3852 5th Ave). I haven’t had a Vietnamese sandwich in a while, and Cali Deli was ok.

Vietnamese Sandwiches are like subs. But they taste nothing like your typical Subway/Quiznos deli subs. Other than the French bread, they don’t look much like them either.

Day twenty six:
Loving the webisode series K-TOWN COWBOYS. Directed by Daniel "DPD" Park and produced by Liah Kim, Lillian Ng, and Ellen Ho, the series follows a Korean American who recently moved to L.A. from Richmond, VA and is trying to survive a Friday night evening in K-Town with his cousin’s buddies. So far, it’s pretty good, and since each webisode is only 5-6minutes, it definitely leaves you wanting more. Definitely check it out.

http://ktowncowboys.com/

Day twenty seven:
My brother just left for LAX. He’ll be going to Shanghai for a little bit for school and of course, to party it up for his birthday! =D I’m so jealous, but so happy for him that he’s able to go abroad. That’s the one thing I wanted to do in college, but didn’t get to. Ah well, I’ll have my time soon enough. Even the fortune cookie said so. “YOU WILL ENJOY A TRIP TO ASIA”

Hm, I wonder what part of Asia? I definitely want to hit up Hong Kong. But I need to brush up on my Hong Kong movies – it’s so jarring when they jump from Cantonese to Mandarin and back again. My brain isn’t processing fast enough!

Day twenty eight:
Voting begins today for the Asian Heritage Awards. http://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Contact/ContactUs.asp?ievent=428337&en=jtINKYMHLfKOLXOLJhKLLXOMIoI3JcOKJjLWJ4POKqI0K7NLIeKQJ8NNJgJSLaN2H

The Asian Heritage Awards strive to honor achievement, accomplishment, heritage and legacy by recognizing individuals and organizations that connect with the community. There are 14 categories in which individuals/organizations may be recognized by their peers:

Education
Community Service
Art and Literature
Business Enterprise
Cultural Preservation
Entrepreneurship
Government
Health and Medicine
Humanitarian Outreach
Innovation and Technology
Legal Affairs
Media
Military
Performing Arts

In addition to the 14 categories, we also have a Special Recognition Honoree is Tom Hom, one of San Diego's most influential Asian Americans.

Winners will be announced on July 10, 2010 at the awards ceremony (on the USS Midway).

If you’re interested in getting a seat/table/sponsoring/volunteering/etc, let me know, as the website is rather chaotic.

Day twenty nine:
Saw THE GRUDGE for sale at the store. For $3 in the discount bin. I never saw the film (really over active imagination), but was always under the impression that it was ok, but not as scary/good as the original Japanese film. I don’t understand why there is a need for American filmmakers to “remake” good Asian films. I mean really, they’re just copying the entire story and just replacing the Asian cast with an American cast and changing the language to English.

Day thirty:
This is from a couple weeks ago, but I thought I’d share.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-05-17/fishermen-left-behind/

Day thirty one:
In accordance to Memorial Day, I’d like to recognize the 442nd infantry regiment. During the Second World War, Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps. Some of the young men, refusing to let that stop them from being Americans, and to prove to the rest of the country their loyalty, lobbied for and volunteered as soldiers in a segregated Asian American unit. The unit was comprised almost entirely of Japanese-Americans and today, is still one of the most highly decorated regiments in US history.