October 28, 2006
Life
The Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) | November 1-5, 2006
Does this mean they’ll serve that ubiquitous whipped cream fruit cake? After all, it’s the 10th anniversary of The Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) when the festival runs from November 1-5, 2006 at the Cinemark Tinseltown Theatres (88 West Pender St). VAFF features, shorts, documentaries, animation by independent Asian filmmakers from North America.
Listen to filmmaker Mina Shum (gossip about Sandra Oh!), and if your name is Grace Lee watch the documentary “The Grace Lee Project” which documents why all Grace Lee’s seem to be stereotyped as nice, dutiful, piano-playing bookworms, because you can get in free if you bring proper I.D. required (RSVP to: info@vaff.org). Otakus unite with the manga-based ”Train Man: Densha Otoko”, about a geek who falls in love and leaves the comfort of his technology. Relate to being a hyphenated Asian in Canada in documentaries “Canadian-Chinese” and “Between: Living in the Hyphen,” and end with the closing film “Ang Pamana: The Inheritance,” about a Filipino-Canadian teenager and his sister who travel from Canada to the Philippines following the death of their grandmother.
More:
On-site tickets and memberships @ www.vaff.org/festival.
October 24, 2006
Life
Decadence reigns - Shanghai Lounge Divas remixed
Before the Communist regime took full force in 1949, Shanghai was known as the “Hollywood of the East” and the “Paris of Asia”. Shanghai in the ‘30s and ‘40s was a city dripping with sophistication and decadence: showgirls, cocktails, intrigue, avant-garde artists, and the Shanghai Lounge Divas who cooed in whispers over jazz and swing.
Their voices would have remained whispers in the past, if not for a discovery in 2003 when over 1,000 original recordings of the Shanghai divas were saved from dusty obscurity in an Indian studio. The songs were resurrected into two albums: Shanghai Lounge Divas Volume I (2004) and II (2006), both a blend of the original divas’ voices remixed with electronica, jazz, blues, drum’n’bass, traditional Chinese opera and folk music.
More:
*Listen to samples of Shanghai Lounge Divas @ emi music.
*Read interview with Ian Widgery, producer behind Shanghai Lounge Divas at www.thetyee.ca.
October 23, 2006
Life
The Vancouver 86ers, the Philadelphia 76ers but who are the Hungarian 56ers?
October 23, 1956, Budapest, Hungary marked the beginning of the Hungarian revolution against Soviet communism. And when the revolution was brutally defeated by the USSR military, 38 000 political refugees from Hungary came to Canada and changed our policy towards taking in those escaping political violence and oppression.
Check out "the Fifty Sixers" documentary on CBC-TV, THURSDAY, OCT. 26 at 8pm and/or on CBC Newsworld on SATURDAY, NOV. 4 at 10pm ET/PT.
This other clip I found strait warms my heart up. Its about one of those Hungarian refugees, a man named STEPHEN TOMOSVARY, who settled in Toronto and who went on to sponsor of family of Vietnamese refugees when you-know-when. Too often, I see missed opportunities in those who call for attention to their specific ethnic/national/cultural cause when similar things happen to other people all the time. Tomosvary merely claims that his act was one of paying back a debt to the country that took him in and because of the kinship he felt with those displaced Vietnamese and not one of heroism.
Life
Joseph Park Lecture in Vancouver
Canadian painter JOSEPH PARK is in Vancouver B.C. for a special presentation by the Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver (CASv). For all of you that complain Asian Heritage Month is the only time we hear about Asian Canadian talent, don't miss this opportunity to hear and meet Joseph Park. Get your art-fix with one of Canada's most talented.
Thursday, October 26, 2006 | 7:30 p.m. at the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Admission is FREE. Design
1399 Johnston Street, Granville Island - click here for map.
Joseph Park was born in Ottawa, Canada; graduated with a BA from Cornish College of the Arts and with an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. He recently had a solo exhibition, Moon Beam Caress, at the Frye Art Museum, Seattle (2005), and his work has been featured in group exhibitions such as Drawn Fictions, The Art Gym, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR (2004) and Comic Release: Negotitating Identity for a New Generation, Regina Gouger Miller Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University (2003).
More:
Pics on artnet.
October 22, 2006
Life
Freedom in a tee – Arabic tee shirts make a point
The design of the tee, which says “I am not a terrorist” in Arabic, was inspired by Raed Jarrar’s experience at JFK, when he was forced to remove his shirt with Arabic writing on it or miss his flight (Democracy Now! Article).
More:
*BBC article about Raed Jaffar’s Arabic tee shirt (“We will not be silent”) @ bbc.co.uk.
*To buy “I am not a terrorist” tee shirt, go to www.spreadshirt.com.
October 20, 2006
Life
Aboriginal Hip Hop Concert - Cris Derksen & Rapsure Risin
A young aboriginal cellist who mish-mashes hip-hop, rock, folk, and country + a hip hop group representing the Sto:lo Nation = Cris Derksen + Rapsure Risin performing @ the UBC Musuem of Anthropology this Saturday afternoon.
Cris Derksen is the young aboriginal cellist, who has collaborated with musicians far and wide, including Kinnie Starr and Kanye West. Rapsure Risin is made up of Carrielynn Victor (aka Numinous) and Theresa Point (aka T MelaD), who write and perform their own music for clubs, workshops, festivals, and Native youth in their own communities.
Hip Hop Concert: Cris Derksen & Rapsure Risin (INFO)
Saturday, October 21 | 2:00 pm
Museum of Anthropology at UBC, 6393 N.W. Marine Drive
More:
* Tune in to CBC Radio 690 AM on Saturday, October 21 between 7:30 and 9:00 am for a sneak preview of these musicians as part of Think Vancouver: Living Together.
October 19, 2006
Life
Allll...mmmoost there....Ramadan coming to a close by week's end, time for Eid treats
"For some, it’s sweet vermicelli pudding. For others, it’s semolina biscuits. Still others dive into a full-blown feast of curries and cakes. The food may differ, but one thing’s the same: it signifies the end of fasting...
There’s no specific foods that you eat on Eid,” says Sana Siddiqui, acting president of the Muslim Students Association of Simon Fraser University. “It’s the fact that you can eat during the day that’s exciting.” As she explains, “We’ve limited ourselves in our consuming of food during Ramadan, because we can only eat before sunrise or after sunset. On Eid, because food is permissible again, we want to celebrate with food.”
October 18, 2006
Life
Designer barcodes – Japanese aesthetics on your products
Normally known as the designers behind all things cute, Japanese designers have always been in the forefront of sleek, simple, innovative design. The team behind Design Barcode are no exception, taking the boring ol’ barcode and making it a little piece of art.
Take a peek at Design Barcode’s gallery of creative barcodes, and maybe we’ll be seeing them on products this side of the world too.
More:
Article about Design Barcode design award @ adage.com.
Life
TOMORROW! - Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Success Stories
Sure, bamboo is famous for roots that grow for miles...an ever persistent grass if there ever was one. It's also known for its strength, strong enough it doesn’t snap even when the most intense pressure is placed on it. And, of course, bamboo is an ever-popular symbol of anything Asian. It’s also fun to pronounce.
“Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Success Stories” is an enriching and inspiring forum featuring 3 of Vancouver’s top Asian female leaders. The evening is presented by NAAAP (North American Asian Association of Professionals) Vancouver, and features:
* Delia Laglagaron (Deputy Commissioner/Deputy CAO for the Greater Vancouver Regional District)
* Christina Lui (General Manager of Fine Choice Foods), and
* Susanna Tam (Executive Director of BC Institute Against Family Violence, Principal of Mango Communications)
They'll explore issues such as workplace discrimination, eastern vs. western styles of management and the influence of gender & race on leadership. The trio will also share stories about their unique leadership solutions and styles, and will answer audience questions at the end of the evening. A networking session will take place after the forum.
Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Success Stories
Thursday, October 19th, 2006 | 7:00-8:30 pm(check-in @ 6:30)
Oxford Room, Hyatt Regency Vancouver
655 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Cost: $25 NAAAP members, $40 non-members, $20 students with valid id
Register online at www.naaap.bc.ca. Refreshments will be served.
More:
Jane Hyun's book "Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians" @ Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling.
October 17, 2006
Life
Is musical tourism just exploration or appropriation? Depends on who's doing it probably...
“All tourists...embody a quest for authenticity, and this quest is a modern version of the universal human concern with the sacred. The tourist is a kind of contemporary pilgrim, seeking authenticity in other ‘times’ and other ‘places’ away from that person’s everyday life.”
-- John Urry, The Tourists Gaze
An interesting read into 20 year old, Sante Fe, NM native, Zach Condon's musical project under the name "Beirut" which explores gypsy and other Balkan folk music.
READ ARTICLE HERE
More on modern gypsy and Balkan music: Gogol Bordello, DJ Shantel
Life
If you build it, they will come? The 3rd annual Reykjavik International Film Festival
"If you build a film festival on the French Rivera, they will come. (Because everyone loves a vacation.) If you build a film festival in Toronto, they will come. (Because the Oscar season has to start sometime.) If you build a film festival in New York, they will come. (Because many of them are already there.) But if you build a film festival in Reykjavik? In the dead of autumn? Right in the middle of the New York and Copenhagen Film Festivals?"
Life
Riddim Retrospective: take a look at the history of reggae thru 2 of its most instrumental figures - Sly & Robbie
"Ever since its incarnation it’s been an uphill battle for reggae to make serious inroads in the mainstream music pantheon, largely because it has faced below the belt criticism that has claimed all reggae sounds the same and suffered infantile stereotypes that propagate the notions that reggae is first and foremost the product of stoner culture, and is largely a feel-good novelty genre not fit to sit on par with serious music.
Enter Sly & Robbie. Here’s a duo that has made it their mission to see to it that the reggae beat does not remain stagnant, to break stereotypes and constantly move the goalposts of reggae music..."
October 16, 2006
Life
Petrol Records
Just caught this on the New Music tonight (love you, new Hannah!). Obviously as band manager for 15 years with INXS, Chris Murphy has done his share of touring the globe. Well, after those 15 years, it was apparently time to go onto his "own musical venture" and founded Petrol Records in 2001 "with a mandate to create Seriously Good Music for those eager to start their own musical journey."
Now, lots of people dis "world music" and world music labels and the whole jet set compilations thing but lets not forget either that there's still a lot of good stuff to be heard around this planet, ya? And Murphy seems to have worked his ass of in actually finding this music from actively hunting for it around the world (by traveling it). Huge compilation series here from the Greatest Songs Ever: Africa, Argentina, Greece, Mexico, etc to the Sex, the Music, the City: Barcelona, Istanbul, Moscow, Tokyo, etc and the Greatest Moments Ever: Blues, Classical, Latin, Opera to the Greatest Cuban Collection Ever or Reggaeton: the Cuban Revolution
Life
Feature: The Most Beautiful Woman in the World?
Lisa Ray discusses race, beauty and the humanism of film
It's just one of many Features that Schema Magazine will be publishing in the near future.
Read "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World?" (by Jackie Wong)
Life
The greatest video game eva? A look back at the original Street Fighter II
"In the twilight days of the old video arcades, a coin-op game emerged that changed everything about the way fighting games were played and created a minor renaissance. Ryan Smith reflects back on the heady youth of global warriors, quarter match challengers, and "shoryuken!" with the original Street Fighter II."
October 15, 2006
Life
Ladytron, CSS review/pics
So someone tell me how the hell a DJ (even DJ F'in Shadow) can command over $50 to play records and MP3s where as you can see 2 wicked full live bands for $34.20? Yeah, yeah, the Shadow show is over and done and no, I dont actually regret not going (almost) but this show blew any memory of not going to that off the gate. Simply put, Ladytron was one of the best bands I have ever now seen.
Life
Iñárritu takes his 3 story plot staple global in Babel
Mexico's Alejandro González Iñárritu, the guy who plotted 3 interweaving stories in 21 Grams and Amores Perros is this time taking that same 3 story frame into 3 different countires altogether in Morocco, Mexico and Japan in the upcoming Babel. Ladykiller Gael Garcia Bernal is back in this one with Inarritu (he was in Amores Perros) along with Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Koji Yakusho (from Shall We Dance?) and Japanese newcomer Rinku Kikuchi, already making the rounds in the mags (and sure to get Asian bloggers complaining about white guys fetishizing Asian chicks).
Pitt and Blanchett play a married couple on vacation (presumably in Morocco), Yakusho and Kikuchi play father and daughter where Kikuchi is a rebellious, deaf teenager and a Mexican nanny (not sure who) illegally transports 2 American kids cross the border and 2 Moroccans kids. The different sets of characters apparently wont meet or intersect as in 21 Grams and Amores Parros but its a tragic accident, yet again, that will somehow tie them together (or something like that).
Expect more dark and heavy depths, I'm thinking. Bernal's quality resume also seems to eclipsing the amount of females that think he's hot. This should be out around November.
October 14, 2006
Life
Beyond the Outernational, sometimes you dont have to look any further than the Inter-national
"Cool" is up to the eye of the beholder but sometimes you dont have to look beyond your own border or beyond the ethnic majority of the land for a little ethnic culture of our Canadian own. If the trailer park isnt an ethnic sub-culture, then what is? As mentioned though, whether one is to find it "cool" or not is, yeah, up to the beholder of the opinion.
And so out on the big screen is Ricky, Julian and Bubbles in the Trailer Park Boys: the Movie and while I think its worthwhile to point out that there may be some justified debate and criticism about the existence of the William Hungs, etc of this world, I also think white people do a pretty good job of making fun of themselves. Perhaps William Hung himself and the boys of Ricky, Julian and Bubbles may not be the exact same comparison but I'm willing to bet there would another one of them petitions out if there was an existence of a identical show called Chinatown Boys or something.
Life
Just another "Hollywood" bite?
Maybe people forgot who Martin Scorsese was?
I dunno, although I thought Infernal Affairs (the Hong Kong movie for which the Departed is based on) was good, it just wasnt great, I thought, as every single person who'd I knew had seen it said it was. Case of too high expectations or was it really just not that great?
At any rate, not that I really blame HK cinemaphiles for getting a little skeptical about another eastern inspired Hollywood production but, as mentioned, its Marty F'in Scorsese, man without airplanes or old school settings. Whether you thought the Aviator or Gangs of New York were trash or treasures, I dunno how any self-respecting movie fan could not be excited of the prospect of Scorsese returning to the gritty crime genre pic but with a change of scenery and ethniticty as well (from Italians in NYC to the Irish in Boston).
October 13, 2006
Life
XR2 808 MP3 MC8 XOX THE MC5 MTV HAS ADD...
And what the hell does them 3 letter acronyms mean? Not really sure, hombre, but the first one is the title of Ms. M.I.A.'s (another 3 letter'er for ya) new track. Its up on Diplo's myspace page and was blogged by a former DFA records guy somewhere. Not sure if the Dipmeister did in fact produce this but its def up his alley with the baile funk/Baltimore sounds although M.I.A. is said to be self-producing all or most of the upcoming album.
And was this leaked or set off unto the e-sphere? According to her myspace page , she was working on and filming the video for the track "Birdflu" but, whatta know, just checking her page today and XR 2 is now up in thurr, with accompanying message in tact.
And with that, now I'm real confused and not just because I'm in love with her but because I thought the XR 2 title (which is a type of Ford Fiesta in the UK and Europe I think) was in reference to...
Continue reading "XR2 808 MP3 MC8 XOX THE MC5 MTV HAS ADD..."
Life
Oh la la! – Le French survival kit T-shirt
For all you Francophiles out there, Monsieur T has designed a “Le French survival kit” tee shirt to poke fun at all the French stereotypes out there. It features 9 graphic items essential to survival in la belle Paris. Oui, oui!
Monsieur T is a small streetwear label established in 2004 by in Portland, Oregon, by Quentin T who was born and raised in France.
Snag one of these 100% cotton silver tees with navy and white screenprinting! They’re now on sale!
More:
Monsieur T “Le French survival kit” tee on sale @ www.monsieurt.net.
October 11, 2006
Life
Feel your boobies! – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Did you know the most common in cancer in Canadian women is breast cancer? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so think pink and support awareness by sporting a pink ribbon. This year it’s estimated a whopping 21,400 women will develop breast cancer, and 5,300 women will lose their battle against it. That’s about 407 Canadian women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer every week.
Best defense? The pink ribbon campaign promotes prevention and early detection, more research, supporting women and families living with breast cancer, and educating women to “feel their boobies” to stem breast cancer.
So, what’re waiting for? Feel your boobies!
More:
*For more info about breast cancer and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, click www.cancer.ca.
*Science Daily article stating "Breast Cancer in Asian Americans is Rising Faster than Other Ethnic Groups" @ www.sciencedaily.com.
*For “Feel your boobies” products, check out www.feelyourboobies.org.
*Check out the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation website to find out more ways to you can help @ www.cbcf.org.
October 10, 2006
Life
Yellow humour – Soy Sauce Comics by Wayne Chan
Bay Area artist Wayne Chan’s comics, in particular his Soy Sauce Series, feature his life story (hmmm) in a comic format. Laugh and cry as he makes jest of his penchant for white girls, his annoyance with racism and Asian stereotypes, his humorous take on the world today.
He also wins points for designing some of the funky signs at (Bay Area) Trader Joe’s!
More:
*More Soy Sauce Comics (part II) @ here.
*Check out Wayne Chan’s other Turtle Comics, including Fuz, and take a look at his signs for Trader Joe’s at www.turtlecomics.com.
October 06, 2006
Life
'Tis the time for TURKEY and MOONCAKE!
As many of us are getting our guts ready for the turkey gorge of Thanksgiving Weekend, this is also the weekend of the Chinese Mid Autumn Moon Festival.
Did you know the first Thanksgiving was in Canada? Unlike American Thanksgiving (which commemorates the settling of the New World), Canadians celebrate the start of the earlier harvest: "First Nations would hold fall feasts thanking the great spirit for the bounty of nature." (from Celebrate Canada).
The Mid Autumn Moon Festival is the "most romantic outdoor Chinese cultural celebration which includes a colourful lantern festival, myth telling, music, and complimentary tea and mooncakes.
"The moon is closest to the earth and appears larger and brighter than any other time of the year, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Then, Chinese families around the world gather to celebrate the moon in a 1000-year-old tradition known as the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. This ancient tradition allows time for the family to unite in a perfect circle like the moon - unbreakable, never-ending, and harmonious."
All of us at schema wish you a warm and belly-filling Thanksgiving, and as much mooncake you can eat this Mid Autumn Festival!
More:
A festival of romance and harvest activities, including a night-time lantern event.
Origins of Mooncake
History and Origin of Canadian Thanksgiving
Fusion gone Luney: Canadian Embassy joins Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations with distinctive mooncakes (2005)
October 04, 2006
Life
Send a message of Aloha – Interactive hula postcard from Hawai’i.
You want to tell that special someone that you’re into them…and you want to be creative, right? Maybe temper the nervousness with some humour? Then, send a message of Aloha with a interactive hula postcard from the Go Hawai’i website.
Choose a message of luuurrrve by dragging and dropping a selection of words or phrases onto a platform. The virtual hula dancer will translate them into an interactive hula with her graceful dance.
The lovey dovey words and phrases include: “I can feel your soft caress” / “The swirling winds” / “Will you be mine?” / “sweetheart” / “I love you” / “I miss you” / “Sending you aloha” / “Swaying palms” / and more…
Now, go get 'em Tiger!
October 03, 2006
Life
The Suburbia Clothing – Tees that rock your body
Yulee Hong grew up in the suburbs of Vancouver, hence the SUBURBIA CLOTHING company. Yulee seeks to cover your body in “whimsical/swanky/comfortable clothing that will keep the body rocking”.
Each tee is silkscreened with an original SUBURBIA design…on a fabric so soft “you’ll have to stop rubbing the fabric against your face if you want people to stop staring”. The line has graphic tee shirts for men and women, with future plans to include tanks, hoodies, hats and more.
SUBURBIA original tees are in such demand, you’ll have to fight for ‘em at local boutiques or online…but please do, after all The Suburbia supports the Vancouver Downtown Eastside Women Shelter and channels 10% of all profit towards this deserving charity.
Their catchphrase is unique for fashion: Indifference, not hate, is the basis of much suffering.
More:
The Suburbia website @ www.thesuburbia.com/.
Life
Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks!
“Sounds like something along the lines of a joint gig between a Gypsy wedding band, the Sex Pistols, the Jamaican dub impresario King Tubby and Kraftwerk.”
- The New Yorker
Get more Gypsy Punked?
Village Voice
Arts Guardian
Rhino Records
Dusted Mag
October 02, 2006
Life
Jin Killed the Chinese Radio Star? - MTV Chi now on, MTV K round the corner
Bit of old news now (this ones been in the draft box for months and months) but still a significant point in time, no less: Jin's "Learn Chinese" was the first video set-off on MTV Chi earlier this year and so starts the MTV revolution in mainland China.
Much of the crew of hosts on the show are no different than the assortment of other western raised Asian descendants who are taking celebrity spotlights back in the old countries.
Read on HERE (article by Jeff Chang, author of Cant Stop, Wont Stop)