SCHEMA Magazine - Daily Dose

Ottawa Asian Heritage Month: Chinatown Remixed

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:00:00 -0800

Photo courtesy of chinatownremixed.ca Asian Heritage Month was launched last week in Ottawa, and while there are events throughout May, the crown jewel is defiantly Chinatown Remixed—a month-long street festival in Chinatown that celebrates local artists. Chinatown Remixed runs from May 12th to June 12th. Chinatown Remixed presents one continuous art gallery, Ottawa's Chinatown. Over 40 businesses throughout Sommerset West will be converted into art galleries for original artwork. These unusual venues range from restaurants and cafes, to back alleys, travel agencies and laundromats. There's nothing more wonderfully disjarring than browsing the work of local artists in a Chinese grocery while an old lady stands next to you assessing the bok choy. By bringing modern art into an environment like Ottawa's Chinatown, Remixed is able to create a space that Asian Canadians experience every day—A wonderful blend of modern, progressive art mixed up in a traditional space, celebrating both the old and the new. And if 40 art galleries aren't enough for you, there will be outdoor performances, merchants and exhibitions up and down the street. While Ottawa certainly isn't the multicultural city that Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal are known to be, we still know how to put on a great party for Asian Heritage Month. And if none of this makes you want to come check Chinatown Remixed, I should note that we have robots. You can find out more at chinatownremixed.ca.

Won Ho Chung: The Korean Arab Who Has Broken Cultural Barriers

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:00:00 -0800

Photo courtesy of todayshottopic.com Would you believe me if I told you that one of the most popular comedians in the Middle East is of Korean descent? What if I said that he performs his entire show in Arabic? It's hard to fathom, but his name is Won Ho Chung. Chung made his debut in 2007 as part of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. The group poked fun at Arab and Iranian cultural traditions and its creators decided to add a North Korean part to the routine. Chung was scouted while shopping at a Puma store in Dubai, basically falling into his new gig as comedy superstar. In the 1970s, Chung was born in Jidda to a Korean physiotherapist and his Vietnamese wife. The family later moved to Amman, Jordan, where he and his sisters studied. Since he grew up surrounded by Arab cultures, he has a genuine understanding that many outsiders lack. Chung's awareness of cultural nuances has been crucial for his success. Audience members are surprised at Chung's ease in the Arabic language and way of life. It also isn't easy being a comedian in the Middle East. Many subjects that are usual fodder for comedians, such as sex, religion, and politics, are highly taboo, making it a tight ropewalk to balance humour and local sensitivity. I love that it is impossible to place Chung in any specific cultural box. He is Korean and Vietnamese, but he was born in Saudi Arabia and carries a Jordanian passport. He speaks English and Arabic as a native speaker, and he is fluent in Korean. So is he Korean or Arab or both or neither? I would like to hear his answer. The world is too complicated to be divided into different groups. While we like to pretend globalization is a new phenomenon, it has been happening forever. We are all mixed in some ways and it is rare that a person comes from only one national or linguistic group. People don't belong in boxes, so let's stop placing our own expectations on other people's identities, and let them define who they are for themselves. *** Kait Bolongaro loves to write about cultures and how people occupy them. She aspires to be a culture journalist and photographer and to continue to discover new lands and adventures, starting with a Masters of Journalism in Denmark in the fall. To follow her on her crazy journeys, check out her blog or on twitter.

Susan Aihoshi's Torn Apart | A New Japanese Internment Novel for Kids

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 -0800

Photo courtesy of nikkeiplace.org Looking to engage some young adults in your life to celebrate and learn more about Asian Heritage Month? Have them check out Susan Aihoshi's Torn Apart: The Internment Diary of Mary Kobayashi, the latest addition to Scholastic's Dear Canada series, historical fiction for young adults. Like all Dear Canada novels, Torn Apart takes the young reader through a girl's first-hand experience of a significant event in Canadian history—this one follows Mary Kobayashi, a second generation Japanese Canadian girl growing up in Vancouver, whose world turns upside down after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour. Declared as enemies of the state, Mary and her family, along with every other person of Japanese descent, are stripped of their rights, evicted from their homes, and split further apart as a family when they are sent to separate internment work camps across BC's remote interior—a state security measure to dissolve Japanese communities and prevent any potential resistance. In Torn Apart, Aihoshi's fictional character, Mary, lives at 2321 Oxford Street in Vancouver, but Aihoshi's mother, pictured above, actually lived there until 1942. Their home along with many others on that street were torn down. An apartment building stands there today. A sansei herself, or third generation Japanese Canadian, Aihoshi draws upon her family's experiences of internment during the 1940s to craft this important historical novel for today's youths. If you're a Vancouverite and you're interested in finding more about her or you'd like to introduce a kid to, oh yes, a real live author whose family actually lived through this tumultuous period in Canadian history, come see her at the following Asian History Month events as she reads from Torn Apart and answers questions from the audience. Thursday, May 24, 7:30pm to 8:30pm At Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver, Aihoshi reads from Torn Apart, shows photos, and answers questions. Admission by donation. Saturday, May 26, 2012, 3:00pm At the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre in Burnaby, B.C., she will read from Torn Apart and answer questions. Tuesday, May 29, 2012 At Cumberland Elementary school in Vancouver Island, she will read and talk to students about her research. Also, tune in at the end of this month for a more in-depth review of Torn Apart along with Maxine Trottier's Blood Upon Our Land, Gillian Chan's An Ocean Apart, and Karleen Bradford's A Desperate Road to Freedom, other Dear Canada novels told from the perspective of young women of colour.

North Carolina Pastor Encourages Parents to Use Violence on Effeminate Children

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:00 -0800

Photo courtesy of transgriot.blogspot.com Over the past few weeks, gay rights and gay marriage have been hot topics of contention and debate in the United States. With North Carolina's recent ban same-sex marriage and Obama coming out as the first President of the United States to announce his support for gay marriage, the LGBT community has become a key political issue for the upcoming 2012 election. Although Joe Biden jumped the gun and announced his support for gay marriage a few days before Obama's official announcement, it was inevitable that the Democrats would eventually have to take sides and out of the safe zone of tentativeness that Obama had maintained surrounding the issue. According to the New York Times, this move will have been financially lucrative for Obama in Hollywood. As a college student in Maine, a state that repealed its gay marriage law six months after the legislature was passed in 2009, I've been exposed to varying viewpoints on homosexuality and normative terms of sexuality on a college campus. This week, Bates College is hosting Pride Week during which gay-friendly programming is shared on campus. Today, the college screened a showing of Training Views, a documentary on Rene Portland, the former Penn State basketball coach who had three rules for her team: 1. No drugs 2. No drinking 3. No lesbians. Rene Portland, former women's basketball coach at Penn State, forbade lesbian activity among athletes. Photo courtesy of moviecritic.com.au Views and acceptance on gay marriage and homosexuality are most definitely generational with older generations holding more conservative opinions and younger generations gravitating towards increased support for the gay rights movement. Much of my generation grew up exposed to gay marriage and couples depicted in popular media. That's why it is sometimes a tad bit shocking to be reminded that not everyone is necessarily on the same spectrum. The other day, I stumbled upon North Carolina pastor Sean Harris' speech to a church congregation urging parents to use violence to curb their sons' 'effeminate' tendencies. In a very hateful speech full of spite, Harris says:

So your little son starts to act a little girlish when he is four years old and instead of squashing that like a cockroach and saying, 'Man up, son, get that dress off you and get outside and dig a ditch, because that is what boys do,' you get out the camera and you start taking pictures of Johnny acting like a female and then you upload it to YouTube and everybody laughs about it and the next thing you know, this dude, this kid is acting out childhood fantasies that should have been squashed....Can I make it any clearer? Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist. Man up. Give him a good punch. Ok? You are not going to act like that. You were made by God to be a male and you are going to be a male.

Photo courtesy of tmz.com While most people focused on Harris anti-effeminate attitudes towards young boys, I was surprised to see that there wasn't too much of an uproar on his attitudes towards young girls. He told dads to make sure that their little girls don't get "too butch" and to dress them up and perfume them "like girls" and make them objects of attraction. I'm pretty sure that it's 2012, Sean Harris. Taking femininity back to the 1900s is not what American suffragettes fought for. Overall, what left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth was that no one in the congregation stood up to defy this man or to question his backwards and potentially harmful notions. At least it's good to know that the administration in this country is changing.

Celina Jade: Top 3 Seduction Tips for Men

Sun, 13 May 2012 08:08:03 -0800

Image from IMDB In the spirit of Mr. French Taste, Celina Jade shares with Schema her Top 3 Seduction Tips for guys wanting (or really needing) to sharpen their approach. Celina Jade's 3 Seduction Tips for Men

The line, "How do you like your eggs in the morning: scrambled or fertilized?" DOESN'T work. Neither does anything like it. Ditch the pick up lines.

Be yourself, be honest and you won't have to waste time remembering your lies or trying to get back into character before you next meet her.

Oh, and negging doesn't work either. Most girls have read The Game by Neil Strauss ... we have the anti-game. Game playing is a big NO-NO in my books.

Got it? If you think negging is working for you, you might want to reconsider the fantasy. According to Jessica Wakeman at thefrisky.com, "Negging is the herpes of the dating world." Ok, then. Images courtesy of RockGinger Limited Of course, you can see how Mr French Taste himself does it himself in next week's episode, "The Language of Love." And over the next month, we'll be asking the cast of Mr. French Taste for their seduction tips. If you'd like to share yours, share them in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or by twitter to @schema_magazine. More: Celina Jade's Official Site Watch Celina Jade in Episode 1 of Mr. French Taste. Do I really speak Chinese? (by Celina Jade)

Nadia Hatta: Tips on Being Fought Over

Sun, 13 May 2012 08:08:02 -0800

Image courtesy of RockGinger Limited One of the actors that Schema Magazine has met through Mr. French Taste is Nadia Hatta, who guest stars in Episode 6. Nadia is a television personality, film actress, travel show host, writer, director, jewelry designer, and self-proclaimed "health nut and yoga gal", who really might be the ultimate ethnic cool-maker. She's super creative, super talented and super-bended: a mix of Taiwanese, some Indian, Hainan and Arabic. Born in Taipei, and raised in Taiwan and Canada, Nadia is SO Schema! And as described in TheOtherAsians.com, "Ethnically ambiguous is the new sexy." We caught up with her as she was travelling out of Beijing. And as Mr. French Taste isn't just about pursuing, but about being pursued (and sometimes fought over), we asked her to share some advice on how to manage being chased by more than one admirer. Top-3 Tips on Being Fought Over

Really enjoy the moment. Maximize this phase. It rocks to be a goddess that is worshipped!

Maintain your workout/figure as you're likely to be on a lot of dinner dates.
Good time management. You still want to have time for your friends so the guys can miss you.

Sound advice, Nadia! We didn't ask if she was speaking from personal experience. But you can do the math. If you'd like to share your advice on being the centre of attention, leave a comment below, post on our Facebook page, or let us know by twitter to @schema_magazine. More: Nadia Hatta's Official Site Read a great interview by TheOtherAsians Facebook: facebook.com/nadiahatta Twitter: @nadiahatta YouTube: nadiahatta

Brishkay Ahmed's Story of Burqa: Second Screening!

Sat, 12 May 2012 17:23:46 -0800

If you didn't catch Story of Burqa the first time round, here's your chance! The film screens a second time on Sunday at noon. Details are below: Story of Burqa: Case of a Confused Afghan by Brishkay Ahmed DOXA Documentary Film Festival Sunday, May 13 12:00pm Pacific Cinematheque, 1131 Howe St & Helmcken, Vancouver BC Tickets available at: www.doxafestival.ca The film answers the questions: Who wears the burqa? Who wants them to wear it? And who has historically supported or opposed it? As importantly, what is it like being under the veil? Brishkay and Chris Hind (Sound, Music) discuss the making of Story of Burqa: BRISHKAY: I'm not that serious of a girl, no matter what subject it is. I like simplicity, but I come from a political background and I find politics very funny, and manipulative, and a little bit evil. There's one part in the film, where there's Brezhnev, an interesting character in Afghanistan's history. We animated him, but I wanted to make him more silly. He's such a strange character. He slurs, and I know that's because of his muscle, or maybe he drank a lot. We couldn't find audio that made sense. Chris came up with this concept... CHRIS: I thought of Winston Churchill, who was synonymous with a bulldog. I have a good sound effect album, but their sounds don't cut it. Brezhnev is this huge character. I found these attack dog sounds, German shepherds or something, and I put them in there. We had a pretty good feel of how the film should look and feel, etc. Only one animation ever really changed, and that was the [women in burqa dancing the] can-can. Originally I'd taken it and dissected the notes, and it had that can-can feeling. Then Brishkay decided we should take that down a notch. I had established a Middle Eastern feel with the oudh, and we thought we should stay consistent with it. This documentary is like a feature documentary film. There's a scene where I created a battle scene and there's at least 30 tracks of audio. BRISHKAY: The reason the stock footage comes alive is because of the music and sound effects Chris put on it. CHRIS: Originally, Brishkay wanted me for my modern sound. But when I was figuring it out thematically I said we can do some of the Western feel but we really need to keep some of the Middle-Eastern feel. For this I wanted to do real live instrument music. I wanted an instrument that really spoke to Afghanistan, and a friend of mine had an oudh, a traditional Afghan instrument, like a work of art. The trouble for me is that everything's made of wood and there are no frets, so I as a Westerner found it difficult. I taught myself to play it elementally. There was a real conscious choice on all of our parts to make this documentary 'wham-bam'. ***** For more on the film and a video interview with the filmmaker on InDepth, go to: Brishkay Ahmed: Story of Burqa.

WTF North Carolina? Your Vote Isn't Going to Change Anything

Fri, 11 May 2012 20:26:16 -0800

Photo courtesy of someecards.com It boggles my mind that this is still going on—why are we continually trying to decide and control who has the legal rights to get married and who doesn't? Whether or not it's legal, members of the LGBT community are going to continue loving one another, living together, and raising families. As Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic points out so well:

Gays in North Carolina and everywhere else in the United States are never returning to the closet. Gay couples are going to be on television sitcoms, in movies, and dining at downtown restaurants on Saturday nights.

Friedersdorf's words couldn't be any truer. So WTF North Carolina? Sure, you've taken away legal, civil, and human rights for gay couples to wed, but so what? Your vote isn't going to change or stop anything. If anything were to happen, I would think it would enable a lot of gay couples in North Carolina to show off their love for their partners even more. In the face of adversity, push even harder, right? Love is just love. Period. *** Jocelyn is a graduate of English and Communications from SFU. She loves all animals, but her heart is cat shaped. She hopes to release her cat fashion line in the near future.

Sarah Lian: When Do You Feel Most Canadian?

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:08:08 -0800

OK, it's probably obvious now. We're HUGE fans of Sarah Lian. Not just because of her recent role in Mr. French Taste, or because it's awesome when a "girl from Vancouver" gets voted FHM Malaysia's #1 Most Wanted Woman on their Top 100 list. It's more because she's a cultural-navigator extraordinaire! Her success in Asia and North America, reflects her blended identity as Chinese, Malaysian and very Canadian. She oozes an ethnic coolness that reminds us ... well, of us. We asked this growing international star when she feels "most Canadian" (and who she was cheering for in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs). More to come on Sarah Lian in this special series profiling the ethnic cool cast of Mr. French Taste which airs on Koldcast TV over the summer.

Festival Accès Asie Opens With a Bang

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:00:00 -0800

May 3rd kicked off the 17th edition of the Accès-Asie Festival in Montreal, to celebrate Asian Heritage Month in the city. Senator Vivienne Poy, who played a key role in getting Asian Heritage Month recognized nationally, was in attendance and gave a brief welcoming remarks for the last time in an official capacity (Senator Poy will be retiring in September). Poy spoke enthusiastically of the "Flavours of China" tour, where participants will learn about mysterious products sold in grocery stores in Chinatown that often lack English packaging, and end with dinner at Tong Sing restaurant. Helen Fotopoulos, former mayor of Plateau Mont-Royal borough, also gave a brief word of welcome to the audience, emphasizing the positive impact of the festival bringing everyone together. This year's artistic component to the opening cocktail involved a mélange of two artistic mediums that can only be experienced live: a live-painting performance by artist Kakim Goh, alongside the Shawn Mativetsky's drum. Goh donned a labcoat (splattered with paint), then proceeded to splatter paint synchronically with Mativetsky's drum beats across the large sheet of paper that laid onstage. The final creation was abstract splashes of pinks, blues and yellows, which the captive audience watched with great interest. The festival continues until May 19, with a variety of activities including a dance performance "Yamyo" from the Sino-Cuban choreographer Julio Hong, a national videoconference featuring Beijing traditional opera, and a documentary screening of Tibet, Land of the Brave at Gesu. Visit the festival's websiteaccesasie.com for more information on location and ticket prices.

Eighth-grader Petitions for Realistic Bodies in Seventeen Magazine

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:00:00 -0800

Photo courtesy of themarysue.com I didn't feel great about my body when I was in eighth grade. But unlike Julia Bluhm, I didn't do anything about it. Nearly half of girls between first and third grade say they want to be thinner. By the age of ten, 81 percent of girls say they're "afraid of getting fat," according to a press release from Change.org. The problem is made worse by front-page photos of celebrities on young adult magazines, where stars are airbrushed and photoshopped. Their skin looks flawless. Their faces and bodies are altered to be thinner. Photo courtesy of articles.latimes.com As a young teenager, I ran on a treadmill with a magazine opened to the skinniest looking model as motivation. I remember thinking, "I need to look like that. Keep running." Running may be healthy. But that kind of thinking is not. Julia Bluhm is in the eighth grade and she's leading the way by starting a petition to the editor-in-chief of Seventeen magazine to commit to printing one unaltered real photo spread per month. Julia Bluhm and Izzy Labbe ask girls at their highschool what they think of images in Seventeen magazine. Bluhm is involved with the girl-fueled SPARK Movement, which fights against sexualized images of women and girls in the media. SPARK fights to stop magazines, toy companies, and other big businesses from creating products, photo spreads and ads that hurt girls and break their self-esteem. Glamour has already made a pledge not to use Photoshop to "alter body size" on any of its featured models or celebrities. If you believe in a world in which girls grow up with realistic images of women's bodies, you can help the cause by signing the petition at change.org.

Seeing Stars: Kim Hyun-joong High-Fives 3000 Fans

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:00:00 -0800

Photo courtesy of fanpop.com Last Friday, Korean superstar Kim Hyun-joong high-fived all 3000 thousand fans who attended his concert in Singapore. Kim began his 2012 Asia Fan Meeting Tour and the island nation was his first stop. Other stops include Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Thailand. This is a major event for Singapore: No pop star who has performed there has ever attempted to make contact with each fan personally. According to concert organizer Running Into The Sun, Kim was supposed to high-five 500 fans randomly chosen from the audience to promote his tour and show his appreciation of his fans. However, he personally insisted on greeting each fan. Kim waited for his fans at the exit and told the Associated Press before the show that he had no security concerns. He is planning to do the same in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Although he is now embarking on his solo tour to promote his 2011 album, Kim skyrocketed to fame in South Korea as the leader of the boy band SS501. His fame in Asia has continued to rise with the Korean TV drama Boys Over Flowers. He is not only an actor and singer, but also a style icon. Kim has won several awards in South Korea for his fashion sense. It's great that Kim is trying to get in touch with his fans and show his genuine appreciation for them. Celebrities are often disconnected from their supporters, and from the world in general. Our society places them on pedestals; turning them into idols instead of recognizing them for the human beings they are. Some of them take this to heart and become caricatures of their famous selves, forgetting who they were before fame. I am glad that a star can remember that without their fans, they wouldn't be where they are today. *** Kait Bolongaro loves to write about cultures and how people occupy them. She aspires to be a culture journalist and photographer and to continue to discover new lands and adventures, starting with a Masters of Journalism in Denmark in the fall. To follow her on her crazy journeys, check out her blog or on twitter.

The Truth with Hasan Minhaj on Ashton Kutcher and PopChips

Tue, 08 May 2012 02:18:17 -0800

To be honest, I'm too busy to pay attention to all the stupidity in media. When I began to hear about Ashton Kutcher doing brownface, for a BIG snackfood company ... I was dumbfounded by the ignorance. Sometimes the best response is to just ignore it. You have to assume that everything in media, including (especially) advertising is intentional. This offensive material was not meant to be funny, it was intentional in the same way some magazine (our generation really doesn't find relevant anymore), got all of our attention by saying that UBC was "too Asian." Paying more attention to this is sometimes exactly what the campaign designers wanted ... your attention. I've tried to ignore this one (and avoided specific brand names) for that reason. But when YouTube provocateur The Truth with Hasan Minhaj posted their commentary on this, it was just TOO FUNNY to ignore. Just goes to show, even media stupidity can be used as a "learning moment." For the record, I will not be purchasing this brand of chips any longer (for now). Too bad. I liked them.

Cat Cafés in Japan : More than Just Coffee

Mon, 07 May 2012 09:00:00 -0800

Photo courtesy of vice.com The Japanese know how to take things to the next level. I am constantly wondering where they come up with their many ideas, and at the same time I find myself shaking my head in disbelief. This is one of those ideas I wish North America would adopt: cat cafés. Cat cafés, a place where you can sip on a latte while in the company of a kitty, sounds absolutely purrfect to me. There are about 100 cat cafés in Japan, while there are none in Vancouver. Cat lovers in Japan have flocked to these cafés, craving the companionship of the furry feline because many of the apartments situated in the metropolitan of Japan forbid pets in the buildings. Talk about having an un-domesticated bliss! If you think the idea of cat cafés is unsanitary, think again: all cafes must comply to strict regulations of Animal Protection Law, that include treating the cats felines with care and respect. Cat abusers will be punished! *** Jocelyn is a graduate of English and Communications from SFU. She loves all animals, but her heart is cat shaped. She hopes to release her cat fashion line in the near future.

Never Too Late to Right a Wrong | Japanese Canadian UBC Students Receive Honorary Degrees

Mon, 07 May 2012 09:00:00 -0800

Photo courtesy of roadcs.com Canadian. Japanese. UBC Alumni. Just a few words that might be found on my Twitter profile (if I took the time to write one). Words that I identify with, some more strongly than others. Also words that, regardless of the varying importance they may play in my identity, are all equally reasons why I am excited, proud, and shaking my head to see UBC finally awarding honorary degrees to those Japanese Canadians whose post-secondary education was cut short by the Second World War. It surprises me to find out how many Canadians are unaware or have little knowledge of the internment of Japanese Canadians during WWII. Sure, I may have a slight bias and know more about the internment than the average Canadian, given that both my grandparents were sent to internment camps, but my bias may surprise you. I grew up spending a lot of time with my grandma, visiting every Saturday evening for dinner. A visit to my grandma's house was not complete without at least a few mentions of her memories before, during, or after the internment. In a way, I almost became de-sensitized to the internment, after hearing about it so many times. And my grandma's experience didn't help my understanding, as she was just a pre-teen at the time and perhaps didn't fully understand the injustices being experienced by her and her family. My grandpa was another story. I never had the privilege of meeting him, but I've heard stories from my mom that throughout his life after the war, he carried a chip on his shoulder from the internment. He was much older than my grandma, and came out of the camp with little to nothing to his name, at a time when most Canadian men would be starting their families, careers, life. He had to start all of this from nothing. Photo courtesy of ubyssey.ca It was after hearing stories like this that I began to understand the injustices experienced by Japanese Canadians during WWII. Imagine, being forcibly removed, all possessions taken from you, just for being associated with a country that you have never seen and a language that you cannot speak. Now, imagine you are a Japanese Canadian in 1942, and in university. Not only are you associated with the enemy, but you are also bright, educated, and may likely go on to be a leader of the community. Heaven forbid. So in 1942, when all Japanese Canadians along the West Coast were forcibly removed from their homes, so too were the JC university students, meaning they were also stripped of their degrees, or denied the opportunity to attend graduation ceremonies and officially "cross the stage". On the 70th anniversary of the internment, UBC will finally award these students with honorary degrees. As an alumni, this makes me beam with pride. But 70 years is a long time to wait for a degree, and many of these students have passed on, with their families accepting the degrees on their behalf. It's a shame that they can't be there to witness the righting of the wrongs they experienced in 1942. Mits Sumiya, one of more than 70 Japanese Canadians who will receive honorary degrees from UBC. Photo courtesy of ubcapro.hk When I mentioned this ceremony to my grandma, she immediately listed off names of people she knew receiving honorary degrees. She told me exactly where and what Mits Sumiya did after the war. She told me where Henry Okada was before the war, and where he ended up after. Moments like this have me in awe of the connections within the Japanese Canadian community. I can almost give my grandma the name of any Japanese Canadian from Vancouver and she will quickly figure out who their grandparents are, where they lived before the war, where they were interned, the whole nine. I'm sure connections like this helped Mary & Tosh Kitagawa compile the list of 70+ students who will receive honorary degrees at the end of the month. For those interested in attending, the ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 30th at 4PM at the Chan Centre. For more information on the ceremony and how to get tickets, please visit japanese-canadian-student-tribute.ubc.ca/the-ceremony/. The ceremony will also be broadcast live online at graduation.ubc.ca/ubc-vancouver/live-webcast. I really couldn't think of a better way to round out your Asian History Month. Although no one from my family will be receiving degrees, we will be there in full force. It's really the gesture that counts, and we (as Japanese Canadians) have been waiting 70 years for this. More: Official UBC Japanese Canadian Tributes Website *** Kayo Homma-Komori is a Toronto-born, Vancouver-bred UBC marketing graduate who moonlights as a drummer with Chibi Taiko