Social Notes: A Thanksgiving Remembrance
November 30, 2009
What loveable bundles of joy we celebrated!
A Red Egg and Ginger Party was recently held for Somerah Cruz Louie, daughter of Scott and Herna Louie. First-time grandparents, Sam and Jennie Louie, are just delighted with their new granddaughter! Grandpa Sam says, “Somerah is 50% Chinese, 50% Filipino, and 100% adorable.”
Somerah will be a truly bi-cultural baby. Grandma Jennie will make sure that she’s steeped in the Chinese traditions. Herna is the co-founder and Executive Director of the American Center of Philippine Arts. (See website at www.phiippinearts.org) Somerah is lucky to have the best of two cultures!
Little Collin Ng welcomed baby brother, Brandon Ng.
Parents of the handsome baby boy are Sam and Jecina Ng. Proud Grandparents are Jeff and Cynthia Yee, and Ricky and Kathy Ng.
Proud grandparents welcomed Brandon Ng on April 4th. A Red Egg & Ginger party of 300 guests celebrated the happy occasion with entertainment by the Red Panda Acrobats, Mandy Cheung Zither players and the White Crane Lion Dancers. 
Aunts, uncles, and dozens of cousins joined family friends to celebrate the birth of Baby James Chun, my tenth grandchild, at a Red Egg and Ginger buffet celebration. Baby James was born February 26, 2009 to Vincent and Kristin Chun and is cute as can be. Grandparents are Carolyn Gan and Bill and Sylvia Chun.
Thank Heavens for all the little boys and little girls who have come to join their families of siblings, parents, grandparents and friends, giving joy and happiness to all.
I am always amazed by the many “new” ways of reinventing the wheel as each generation “finds” more convenient and easier ways to accomplish the cycle of life.
As the first social columnist for AsianWeek newspaper and as the last surviving member of the founding team, I have seen the change in attitude from a very harsh portrayal of Chinese people by the public media to a more reasonable and fairer portrayal of Asians as reported in today’s news.
Heartiest congratulations to Assemblyman Mike Eng and Sacramento activist Steve Yee who authored the legislation that commemorates the repeal of the anti-Chinese Immigration Acts of 1872, on Dec. 17, 1943, resulting in the new, first-time “Chinese Inclusion Act” to be celebrated on Dec. 17, 2009.
For over 60 years, the Chinese people were the only ethnic group to be excluded from US immigration. When the 1943 Magnusan Act repealed that despicable US law, Chinese could bring their wives and families together again. Thus, it is only fitting and proper that all Chinese should observe and celebrate their “Day of Inclusion” on Dec. 17, in their own way, thanks to Assemblyman Eng, Sacramento’s Steve Yee and all the California legislators who voted and passed their resolution.
As a Sacramento native, I appreciate the historic growth and immense progress made in my old hometown. The recent Chinatown Mall Culture Fair in Sacramento was a model of neat programs that served the community well with special programs of talent, music, dance, martial arts, fashions, lion dancing. Also, community services, demonstrations of hands-on activities, exhibit booths, noted authors’ stories and the experience of Angel Island fascinated the large crowd in attendance.
Leave it to the thoughtful Sacramento Culture Club members to plan an entire street devoted to children’s games and cultural activities, all managed by the older kids.
Themed “Gateway to Gold Mountain: Bridging the Past to the Future,” it was a wonderful way for the young and not-so-young to connect and share our Chinese culture and history
Socola Sisters and the Chocolate Factory
November 30, 2009
“Notorious H.O.G.,” ”It’s Getting Hot in Hia,” ”Give It To Me Guava”— sound like the names of rap songs, but are actually the clever names of chocolate truffle flavors from Socola Chocolatier. Founded by two Vietnamese American sisters, Wendy and Susan Lieu, Socola Chocolatier is the hippest and newest chocolatier in town.
What makes Socola unique from other high-end chocolatiers is that it has more Asian-influenced flavors, such as jasmine tea and lychee flavored truffles, seasonally. The truffles come in a sweetly packaged box, which has won Socola plaudits for presentation and design at the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon, the largest chocolate show on the West Coast. London Financial Times deems them as one of the “hottest” chocolatiers in California and Diablo Magazine awarded them Best Chocolatier of the East Bay. Currently, Socola sells its chocolates online (www.socolachocolates.com) and in various stores including Whole Foods in San Francisco and Oakland.
Chief Chocolatier Wendy, fondly nicknamed “Wendy Wonka” by her college friends, and Sous-Chef Susan, travel the world to find inspiration for their truffle flavors. When Susan traveled to Cuba as a humanitarian aid worker with Wendy, the two fell in love with the guava jelly that locals used on their toast and “Give It To Me Guava,” a truffle made with a guava pate de fruit layered on a dark chocolate ganache, was born.
Each Socola truffle is handmade with only the finest local and organic ingredients, including dairy products from the award-winning Straus Family Creamery. When it comes to ingredients, the sisters are always looking for the best. “We’re such hedonists,” says Wendy. “We use the best butter, we use the best cream. This is definitely the best chocolate you can have.”
Though the business has been quite successful, the story of the Socola sisters has a humble beginning. Wendy and Susan’s parents grew up in Vietnam but fled the country in 1981 to escape communist repression after the fall of Saigon. They were part of the mass exodus of Vietnamese known as the “Vietnamese Boat People,” who left the country on boats to seek a better future. Wendy, the older sister, was born under these auspices at a refugee camp in Malaysia. Fortunately, the family was eventually sponsored to live in America and they started a new life in the East Bay.
As with most immigrants new to America, life was not easy. The family lived in low-income housing in Emeryville. Initially their father delivered newspapers and their mother was a seamstress. Eventually their mother opened her own nail salon after attending cosmetology school while their father started his own gardening business.
Early on the sisters showed the same entrepreneurial zeal. “We always sold things,” recalls Susan. “We sold friendship bracelets, Girl Scout cookies, wrapping paper, magazines.” It was only natural for the sisters to make and sell chocolate as well.
The chocolate making journey began in 2001 when Wendy was a freshman at UC Davis and Susan was attending high school in Santa Rosa. Wendy decided to try her hand at a simple truffle recipe she found in a gourmet foods magazine. The truffles got rave reviews from friends and family. Soon the Socola sisters were featured on a local radio station and were selling their chocolates at the local farmer’s market.
“In our initial years, we were making it up as we went along,” says Susan. The sisters started off making truffles on their kitchen counter at home. However, after being shutdown for not having an environmental health permit, Socola was forced to move. Luckily, a friend offered up his restaurant’s commercial kitchen for the sisters to use.
Part of Socola’s success has been because the sisters complement each other so well. Wendy, a graduate of UC Davis and pastry school, is mature and has a deep passion for chocolates. Susan, a graduate of Harvard, is spunky and extroverted—someone who does not hesitate to sing and dance during an interview to make a point. Susan takes care of the marketing and sales while Wendy focuses on making the best chocolate truffles.
Though each of the sisters have other activities that occupy their time, Wendy as a consultant and Susan as a Coro Fellow in public affairs, they both view making chocolates as a way of spending time with each other. “Socola guarantees me getting 3 hours of Susan’s time every week so we can hang out together and make chocolates,” says Wendy.
“I mean, we get into our sisterly fights—that’s natural,” adds Susan. “But we really love each other and it’s our moment together.”
Wendy and Susan hope to one day open a dessert café. “It’ll be a magical place,” Wendy says excitedly. “Somewhere where you can come and be happy with chocolates and desserts.” Many of us hope that day comes soon.
Chinese American Heroes Honor Professor Jean Pfaelzer
November 26, 2009
This is Week 35 of AsianWeek’s salute to Chinese American heroes, in strategic partnership with Chinese American Heroes, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to documenting the contributions of Chinese Americans to America and the world.
This week we are honoring Professor Jean Pfaelzer, PhD, who, to our knowledge, is not a Chinese American. Dr. Pfaelzer is honored, because of her extraordinary research which disclosed the long hidden, and nearly forgotten history of violent purges against Chinese immigrants in America from 1850 -1906. There were over 200 recorded incidents on those years and undoubtedly quite a number of unrecorded ones as well.
The result of her comprehensive research is the book, “Driven Out – the Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans” printed in 2008 by the University of California Press. The book was rated the #1 non-fiction book of the year by the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Bloomsbury Review, Choice, and the Globalist.
In her book, Dr. Pfaelzer also cites the legalized and bloody purging of Native Americans and the shameful treatment of African Americans. During the Gold Rush, Mexicans and Chileans were also rousted out of the gold mines, sometimes at the end of a rope. For all of these minorities there was unofficial and official violence and discriminatory laws to prevent them from competing on equal terms with white Americans.
Where did violent purges take place and what happened? Dr. Pfaelzer discovered that the purges happened everywhere that the Chinese settled spanning from Los Angeles up through the Pacific Northwest (Tacoma, WA) and into Wyoming and Colorado. The purging was widespread and systematic and it happened with the approval of local, state, and federal governments. “Thousands of Chinese were rounded up and violently herded into railroad cars, steamers, or logging rafts, marched out of town, or killed,” reports the author.
Reading “Driven Out” is heartbreaking and depressing. The Chinese worked hard and provided essential services in their neighborhoods. They also mostly kept to themselves and didn’t cause trouble. But working hard and for below standard wages were a severe threat to white Americans. The violent roundups were not perpetrated by just a few deluded people. Entire towns participated led by their elected sheriffs and mayors. Chinese were portrayed as an inferior race, one that “needed to be eradicated” in the best interest of the country. Few people were willing to speak out against the violence and even fewer risked their lives trying to save them.
The story of the victimization of the Chinese is not the only story Dr. Pfaelzer tells. Many Chinese immigrants fought back. Over 7,000 lawsuits were levied and some reparations were paid. In a few instances, the Chinese bought weapons, guns, rifles, and knives to defend themselves, but they were always outnumbered. Pfaelzer tells a number of stories of resistance and counterattacks.
The stories are ugly, but needed to be told. That is why we are honoring Dr. Jean Pfaelzer for her research to uncover that buried history. We certainly hope that we will never see that type of violence again, but history tells us that humanity tends to make the same mistakes again and again. Perhaps someday we’ll learn the lessons of the past and avoid such tragedies.
For information about Chinese American heroes, please visit the Chinese American Heroes website at www.chineseamericanheroes.org.
On the Scene: November 2009
November 25, 2009
Joys of Travel
When fall comes around, travel throughout the USA is the best. In search of fall foliage, I ventured to the bright colored hues seen in the New England area, and found New Hampshire’s White Mountains to be a feast for the eyes. Mountainsides of yellow and orange scenery surrounded us, and the small country roads led us to many new adventures.
John and Neta Howo enjoyed walking the world’s longest drive through covered bridge and I enjoyed visiting the home of noted American Sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens whose work is found on many of our U.S. coins as well as the Lincoln Memorial.
Golfing was a special treat at Owl’s Nest Golf Club which sits atop an elegant knoll surrounded by stunning panoramic mountain views. Director Chuck Wheeler proudly says it is listed as a Top 100 Must Play Course in New England. Head Professional Matt Madore welcomed us to his Stonebridge Country Club in Goffstown with its challenging 138 slope rating among another beautiful site of surrounding fall colors. In nearby Tilton, the Lochmere Golf and Country Club, Director Vic Stanfield proudly showed us its lush fairways which earned the course rating of 4 stars by Golf Digest.
Following the fall colors and into the holiday spirit, we next went to Branson, Missouri, which opens its busiest holiday shows with a parade featuring many of the stars of the 100 shows to be seen in this small Midwest town known for as an entertainment mecca.
The local theme park, Silver Dollar City, heralded its Old Time Christmas opening its 4 million colored lights and a five story special effects lit Christmas tree, earning well its many international awards as the largest family-owned theme park corporation in America. If you’re a sentimentalist loving to reminisce among the music and stars of the 1950s-1980s, Branson is for you.
Andy Williams is still a charmer at his own theatre with his winning personality singing all of his old favorites, and his adjoining restaurant features his mother’s favorite recipes. Had the thrill of meeting my old favorite, and he told me since moving to Branson in 1991, he has enjoyed performing in a theatre he built on his own and where audiences are eager to see you and are very attentive. Enthusiastically, he said, “I’m happy every morning to wake up among the beauty of this area where I live adjoining a lake and golf course and can continue my love for performing.”
Patsy Ja, Gerrye Wong, Andy Williams, Dali Jones and Jeanette Yee
Want to be entertained? Branson has it all. We loved hearing the old songs sung by the Lennon Sisters, the Osmond Brothers, Debbie Boone and the Platters in their special Christmas shows. As Chief Public Relations Director Lynn Berry and assistant Kim Heminger boasts, “Whatever your pleasure - musical entertainment, fishing, hiking, boating, celebrity watching - Branson has it for you. Christmas comes early in our Live Music Show Capital of America beginning in November, so join the throng to celebrate an exciting Ozark Mountain Christmas for all ages.”
We golfers enjoyed the famed Branson Creek Golf Club and Thousand Hills Executive Course in unbelievably warm 70 degree November weather.
This small town goes all out with holiday decorations and the attractive Sight & Sound Theater lets you experience Mary and Joseph’s journey in the musical production “Miracle of Christmas” with elaborate 45 foot high sets. At Mary Kellogg-Joslyn’s World Largest Museum attraction, Titanic, guests can experience an Edwardian Christmas learning the stories of the passengers of the tragic voyage. As said before - you name it, Branson has it!
Our next path went southward to Little Rock, Arkansas where our sightseeing juices were enlivened with visits to the Bill Clinton Library, the Governor’s Mansion, and the Arkansas State Capitol which is a facsimile of our nation’s state capitol. In neighboring Hot Springs, Ed and Margaret Lee, Susan Chang and I languished in Manager Dan Harper’s newly refurbished Quapaw Bath House to enjoy its famed rejuvenating mineral baths, reminiscent of its 1920’s heyday when high society as well as crime bosses flocked to this small town.
Visitors Director Jimmy Sample told us, “The historic row of former Bath houses now boasts 2 operating mineral bath spas. the Visitor’s Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art smack in the middle of the quaint old town filled with art galleries and antique shops. For nature lovers, the 210 acre Garvan Woodland Gardens features thousands of plantings, and its hillside Anthony Chapel is a serene glassed in sanctuary of native wood and stone.
For nighttime entertainment, Tom Wilkins’ Ray-Lynn Theatre features an enjoyable show mixed with comedy, country western, audience participation and 50s music alongside culinary treasures Beau d’Artes and Porterhouse Steak House.
Top off a week exploring the Arkansas countryside with a golf game at the prestigious Hot Springs Country Club, a golfer’s paradise with wide yet challenging fairways and hilltop hidden greens capably and proudly managed by Director of Golf Barry Howard. Enjoying the course and the sights and sounds of Missouri were fellow California sojourners Sherwin and Margaret Louie, Mel and Jeanne Lee, Clifford Chang, Wilson and Pauline Fong.
Back at home there is much to see and do in the Greater Bay Area. So get in the spirit of the holidays, and here’s some ideas for you to forget the shopping and enjoy the season.
Chi Am Circle honorees Andrea Wong and Kristi Yamaguchi are welcomed by by Wanda Wong and Gerrye Wong
Managing Director Nick Nichols and Artistic Director Rick Lombardo have brought in by popular demand A Christmas Story playing through December 20, a story where 9 year old Ralphie wants a rifle for Christmas against the wishes of his elders, and what finally ensues in his pursuit and longing. Tickets: www.sjrep.com
San Francisco Symphony brings in my favorite Colors of Christmas with Sheena Easton and Jennifer Holliday headlining this popular show Dec. 14 -16 If you like to hear the full Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Choral Christmas Spectacular is a must, and for your kids, the Deck the Hall Holiday Concert and Party. sfsymphony.org/holiday.
Once again the trademark blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau at AT&T Park of San Francisco will bring in Cirque du Soleil’s newest touring production OVO November 27. Great for family holiday treat. To see a unique show under the 62 feet high tent that seats more than 2500 people.
Resident Cynthia Yee tells me La Joie Des Chapeaus Holiday Ball hosted by the Chinatown Opti-Ms Dec. 5 is at the Empress of China Ballroom. For reservations contact Annette Leung 415-387-9753. Doris Grover will produce a Grand Chapeau promenade of fashions, Orange Caterpillar will showcase fashions and dancing fun for all.
Chinese Hospital Auxiliary, Friends of On Lok & Chinatown Opti-Ms Holiday Party at L’Olivier Restaurant December 12. A great time to meet the movers and shakers of these three non profit rganizations which do so much for our Chinese community in the Greater Bay Area. For more Info: 415-793-1183
I wish everyone the happiest of holidays, and will put on my wish list that AsianWeek will somday return to your mailboxes and newsstands in 2010. Hope to see you then, and thank you for your friendship and support.
My Journey with Alzheimers: A Caregiver’s Notebook
November 25, 2009
By Collin Tong
It was more than ten years ago, in 1999, when I first discovered that my wife was having serious problems with short-term memory. We were on a walking tour of Provence in southern France when I noticed that Linda had forgotten to bring several items for our vacation.
After we arrived in Paris, we spent a half a day wandering around the city looking for stores to buy contact lens solution, sunscreen, toothpaste, and a face cloth.
I didn’t think anything was amiss until we returned to Seattle that October. Unanticipated events had dealt us a major blow when her younger sister, who had recently had a kidney transplant, died from complications during a routine dialysis. Linda’s memory lapses only increased during her protracted grieving process.
Coworkers noticed that Linda was having more difficulty at Seattle City Light where she had worked for 20 years as an energy conservation analyst. A normally well-organized person, she forgot her appointments and drove colleagues to distraction by endlessly repeating questions.
This was the same Linda who had been so meticulous about gardening, cooking, taking care of the family finances, and just about every aspect of our 38 years together as a married couple. She was always upbeat, vivacious, with an effervescent gleam in her eyes, and the smile that won my heart when we first met in 1971.
Linda took an extended leave-of-absence so that I could take her to see a neurologist, clinical psychologist, and other dementia specialists. All had reached the same conclusion, namely that her short-term memory loss stemmed from clinical depression, a diagnosis that later proved to be incorrect.
I continued my communications director job at Washington State University and put Linda’s memory problems in the back of my mind. I didn’t realize it at the time but I was in denial and slow to face the dreaded possibility that she might be suffering from something more consequential than depression.
Indeed I was only living through the stages of grieving itself: denial, despair, frustration, and increasing isolation from family, friends, and even the person I was caring for.
My normal way of dealing with terminal illness was to not deal with it. Like many people who care for a loved one with dementia, I knew little about Alzheimer’s and was hesitant to learn more. I went to bookstores to scan medical books about the disease, but the more I read the less hopeful I became for any improvement in Linda’s condition.
The daily press of work left me little time to focus on her disability. Instead, I took on additional responsibilities, which was a way of coping with the demands of her slow but irreversible deterioration. My mother in San Francisco had died two years earlier of pancreatic cancer, and I was still in the throes of mourning her death.
As time went on, Linda’s behavior grew more erratic. Our lives became more challenging as her grief over the passing of her sister continued unabated. Overburdened by the demands of work and caregiving, I took early retirement from my university job.
My growing acceptance of Linda’s memory problems notwithstanding, I could not ignore the signs of her cognitive decline. By then, our familiar world was slowly dissolving. She was 57 years old in 2005 when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The news devastated our families and friends. Our lives were about to change profoundly.
Shortly after her diagnosis, I called the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline in Seattle and spoke with a very helpful staff employee, Karl Thuneman. Karl and I soon realized that we had been colleagues at the Eastside Journal-American newspaper in Bellevue many years ago. But his dedication to assisting me and Linda through our unexpected life crisis was obvious long before either of us realized we had a connection.
The physical and emotional toll of being a full-time caregiver are daunting. However much one tries to prepare for being a caregiver, nothing adequately prepares one for the challenges of caring for a loved one. I felt overwhelmed with the daily chores of cooking, cleaning, shopping, paying bills, mowing the lawn, doing the laundry, or just attending to the daily necessities of keeping our lives afloat.
We went to church less frequently and began skipping social activities, and even the unthinkable, missing my nephew’s wedding in California. Our absence was felt all the more keenly by our friends because we had been so active in the community before her debilitating illness.
Fortunately, our families in the San Francisco Bay Area and southern California helped us tackle the financial, legal, and related issues such as helping Linda to secure her Social Security disability and retirement pension, my health insurance, our living trust and power of attorney, and health care directive.
Linda’s brother and family spent a week with her when I attended my Peace Corps reunion in New York.
Friends brought over hot meals and cared for Linda whenever I ran errands, visited friends, or needed a break. One retired couple helped mend a broken fence, fix a leaky faucet, and organize our disheveled home. Another bought a new carpet. Our church organized a weekend work party to mow the lawn, and beautify our weed-strewn garden. Still another even helped with more mundane tasks like doing our laundry.
Through trial and error, I learned that while being a caregiver is challenging, help is always available if one is intentional about seeking it. One only has to reach out to others.
Self-care is of utmost importance. Going out to lunch with friends, seeing a Mariners game, or just taking walks were replenishing. Equally important is developing a strong network of supportive friends.
Fortunately, the Alzheimer’s Association became our lifeline, along with our faith community at University Temple United Methodist Church. The Alzheimer’s Association put together a comprehensive care plan for Linda.
Most important of all for me was accepting the inevitable feelings of grief and loss as Linda changed, and acknowledging the things that were beyond my control while making decisions about things I could control.
At the encouragement of a social worker friend, I joined an early-onset Alzheimer’s support group in Seattle. Additionally, the Alzheimer’s Association’s Connections program helped put us in touch with a placement specialist to find Langland House, an adult family home located less than ten minutes away from our home in the Sunset Hill neighborhood of Ballard.
That year, I volunteered with the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2008 Champions advocacy campaign, began getting involved in advocacy work and staffed an information booth at the Memory Walk, the association’s annual fall fundraising campaign. Through the Association, I have met some wonderful, dedicated people. The Association has become an integral part of our support system. In a very literal sense, it became a part of our extended family.
Sadly, ours is not a unique experience. More and more people under 65, that is, baby boomers, are getting early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. At last count, Washington state has more than 110,000 people with Alzheimer’s. About 70 percent of those individuals live at home, and 70 percent are cared for by unpaid caregivers, mostly family and friends.
Worldwide, an estimated 35.6 million will be living with dementia in 2010, a number that is estimated to nearly double every 20 years, according to the 2009 World Alzheimer’s Report.
Because of the unrelenting demands of 24/7 caregiving, taking good care of one’s physical and emotional well-being is all too often given short shrift. Stress and anxiety inevitably lead to social isolation and the downward spiral of frustration, despair and hopelessness.
Fortunately, many organizations exist that provide respite care. I helped enroll Linda at ElderHealth Northwest, an adult day health program located at the Ravenna neighborhood, one of several sites in Seattle, where skilled and dedicated care professionals engage her in daily social interaction that helps maintain her health. Some 36 adult day health centers offer services throughout Washington state. In King County alone, ElderHealth NW serves about 1,400 elderly and disabled citizens.
Organizations such as Volunteers in America also provide invaluable respite care services. In many instances, I turned to friends and family for assistance with taking care of Linda when I needed to take time out from caregiving.
Navigating the formidable challenges of caring for a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease need not be a private, solitary journey. Indeed, as I learned, it is next to impossible to attempt to surmount those hurdles without reaching out to others. Because of our extended network of family and friends who went the extra mile to be our lifelines and safety net, ours has been a life-transforming and life-affirming journey.
Collin Tong is the former senior director of communications at Washington State University. He is currently pursuing graduate studies in theology and ethics at Seattle University.
*This story is reprinted with permission from Seattle Post Globe and first appeared here: http://www.seattlepostglobe.org/2009/11/12/my-journey-with-alzheimers-a-caregivers-notebook
Rain is a Nice “Ninja Assassin”
November 24, 2009
Rain is ready to slice and dice as Raizo in ‘Ninja Assasin’ (Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
When I meet with Rain, he is all smiles. You would never think that this guy would be the lead in Ninja Assassin, a gory, slice and dice joyride produced by Andy and Larry Wachowski (the Matrix trilogy) and directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta).
As I sit down and introduce myself, he is very conversational.
“Hi!” he says full of energy. “Do you live here?”
“Yes,” I answer. “But I am Filipino.”
For some reason, I felt the need to say that – I think it was because we were both Asian.
“Ah,” he smiles. “I love the Philippines. Cebu is my favorite island!”
He certainly is a charmer.
Wearing blazer, slacks and a concert T shirt, Rain (real name Jung Ji Hoon) is the epitome of a pop star. Actually, he is a pop star. In Korea, he is the equivalent of a Justin Timberlake. He dances, sings and acts.
The cover of Rain’s 5th Korean album, “Rainism”
Having been in numerous Korean films including Chan-wook Park’s I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK (which was his very first feature film), America first saw him in the live action film adaptation of Speed Racer, another Wachowski Brothers project. When they saw what he was capable of on set, the brothers called Joel Silver (one of the producers of Ninja Assassin) and were raving about him – and that’s when they started planning the movie.
Ever since his role in Speed Racer, he has been straddling crossover territory. But for Rain, he has always had his eyes set on being in the movies.
“When I was young, I wanted to be a Hollywood star,” he says. “That was my dream – and dreams come true. I love singing and I acting so I concentrate on both. I enjoy it.”
However, Rain holds a much heftier role in his newest project – a lead role to be exact. He plays Raizo, a man who was kidnapped as a child and trained to be an assassin by the Ozunu Clan at a hardcore ninja boot camp. Through training, he becomes one of the most badass assassins out there. But after the merciless execution of one of his friends, he escapes from the grasp of the clan and vanishes with revenge pulsing through his blood.
None of this matches up with the kindness of Rain. His boyish good looks and Converse sneakers tell a different story- but he had fun with the cinematic bloody amputation fest of Ninja Assasin and though that Raizo was way cooler and sexier than Taejo of Speed Racer.
“When I first saw the script – it was a new style,” says Rain. “The Wachowskis were producing and James (McTeigue) was directing. They have amazing abilities and powerful imaginations. How could I say no?”
Rain clothed and less bloody with co-star Naomie Harris in the background
For 8 months, Rain trained 5 days a week and 8 hours a day to embody the role of the brooding and vengeful Raizo. The junk food lover lived on a diet of chicken and vegetables to maintain that super-cut body which many ladies will swoon over when watching the movie – even if it is covered in blood and lacerations half the time.
In addition to learning tae kwon do, tai chi, kung fu and kickboxing, he trained to use various pieces of weaponry including swords, shuriken and his character’s favorite killing instrument: the chain.
The chain is – well – a long chain with a hooked dagger at the end; suitable for mutilating ninjas. One can only imagine what damage this could do if used properly. It took Rain 8 months to become a master of the chain.
“It was so hard,” he laughs. “When I was doing stunt with chain, I hurt myself all the time – but I got to keep the chain after we were done with the movie.”
In terms of singing and dancing, Rain’s role model is Michael Jackson. When it comes to movies, he admires martial artists/actors like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, but his go-to guy is Al Pacino.
Rain says he’s been so grateful for his work in the US. He is currently reading a couple of scripts and has loved working with the Wachowskis and with McTeigue. He hopes that the ball continues to roll in his favor.
“I want to challenge myself to see my limits. I’ll try my best and hopefully there is a better future ahead.”
Of course, he says all of this with a smile.
Ninja Assassin opens nationwide on November 25
Dino-Ray Ramos is a fashion, entertainment and pop culture writer based in San Francisco. Read more from Ramos here: http://blog.dinoray.com/
New Leadership Success Series Blog
November 23, 2009
View Extended Articles and Download Free Resources
The new Leadership Success Series blog is now on-line. The blog includes extended versions of many of my articles published in Asian Week, as well as new writings.
Categories include:
· Communication success
· Financial success
· Job security
· Life purpose
· Life resiliency
· Women’s studies
· Multicultural America
· Time management
· Accent reduction
· Voice improvement
Come and visit the blog at www.nipreston.com/blog. You can also download free excerpts of most of my publications at www.nipreston.com/publicatons.
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Preston Ni is a professor of communication studies, Fortune 500 trainer, executive coach, and organizational change consultant. Write to Preston at commsuccess@nipreston.com, and access free resources at www.nipreston.com. © 2009 by Preston C. Ni. All rights reserved.
Dong Becomes First Chinese American Chairman of SF American Legion War Memorial Commission
November 23, 2009
Roger S. Dong, was unanimously elected Chairman of the San Francisco American Legion War Memorial Commission (ALWMC) on November 17, 2009, becoming the first Chinese American to head this 77 year old veterans’ organization.
Born in San Francisco, Dong retired after 32 years in federal service, including 25 years in the commercial world, and concurrently with more than 10 years involvement with non-profit organizations.
Dong attended San Francisco State University, and in 1967 was one of the earliest graduates from the Chinese language department. Upon graduation from SFSU he was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force and retired in 1993 as a Lt. Colonel with 11 years of active duty and 17 years as a Reserve officer. After completing active duty in 1978, he joined IBM Corporation and was a Marketing Representative and Systems Engineer. Following IBM, he returned to San Francisco and was with On-line Business Systems for 10 years moving from Account Manager, to General Manager, and then President of the Software Division.
He is very active in the community, serving as the Chairman/Founder of Chinese American Heroes, a Lecturer and Noon-time Lecture Series Coordinator for the World Affairs Council, a Board Member of the Chinese American Forum, a docent at the Chinese Historical Society of America, the Commander of American Legion Post 333 and the official historian of American Legion Cathay Post #384. He is also a member and Mentor with the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a member of the San Francisco Committee for Foreign Relations, a volunteer for the Asia Foundation, and a few other non-profit entities.
Daily Dose & Announcements: 11/23/09
November 22, 2009
>>Asian Pacific Islanders Call to Action for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
>>International Expert on Diabetes to Launch Initiative for Cambodian American Survivors of Genocide
The Fort Hood Shootings Have Al Qeda Written All Over It
November 20, 2009
When the first reports came out of a terrible shooting at Fort Hood, there was no hints of who might have committed such an act. Then a television station reported that a woman called her parents saying “we’ve been attacked by terrorists” and she heard the shooter cry “Allah Akbar”, which has become known in America as the signature war cry of the 9/11 hijackers. When they finally announced the name of Nidal Malik Hasan, a lot of people instantly knew that it could explain a lot of things. If you’d believe his family who lives “near Jersalem,” he’s a nice all-American boy who wouldn’t harm anybody and never said anything radical or bad about America that was picked on for being a Muslim who was a psychiatrist deeply affected by horror stories of returning veterans.
Clearly the government was concerned about Muslim connections when Obama to asked America not to ”jump to conclusions.” Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano vowed to stamp out the imminent threat of Islamaphobia, while General George Casey bravely stated “as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.” It’s bad enough FBI officials still state the “motivation has not been determined” but the booby prize has to go to Max Fisher who wrote on the Atlantic “Why Home-Grown Islamic Terrorism Isn’t A Threat.”
There’s no need to immediately expel or investigate all Muslims in the military, but what’s with all the op ed pieces that point the blame on Post Traumatic Stress disorder while either leaving out or condemning any mention of Islamic terrorism? We don’t need to get rid of all Muslims, just the ones that think they are on a mission to kill people. The whole problem with the Japanese internment of WWII is that it didn’t stop any real bad guys like the embassy officer who flew around Pearl Harbor taking pictures. Surely Virginia Tech’s Seung-Hui Cho, Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, and anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder acted didn’t need a Quran, but that hardly proves this wasn’t terrorism, or wasn’t motivated by radical religiouis beliefs.
If we had proof or reasonable evidence that Hasan was directed or influenced by an affiliate of Al-Qeda to kill soldiers justified by radical Islamic beliefs, then we call it an act of Islamic Terrorism. We don’t need a smoking gun CC of the actual order when “Blind” Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman issued a fatwah, but it was his followers who first bombed the World Trade Towers based on his Rahman’s instructions and religious justifications. The fact that he had advocated an act which had influenced his followers was good enough to justify a life term and making him the one responsible for the attacks. Now if we know that Hasan had been convinced by his spiritual leader to put god first, and that god wanted all good Muslims to kill soldiers, how is that any different?
Though Hasan is a native born American, both of Hasan’s parents are from the same Palestine (as in PLO which revolutionized modern terrorism) which has served as poster child to those with grievances against Israel. His mother was traumatized by her experience in the 1967 Six-Day war as Israel captured the “occupied territories” when she was 15. Hasan’s family still owns land “near Jerusalem” in Ramallah, which is in the occupied West Bank, and the capital of the Palestinian National Authority. While his family states that his parents opposed Hasan’s joining the Army, one wonders if Mom and Dad might have set up little Nidal as a Manchurian Candidate planted in the Army.
Hasan wasn’t just any muslim, he was considered a devout radical even by friends in his own mosque and fellow muslim soldiers. His favorite flavor of Islam was that of his personal spirtual mentor Anwar al-Awlaki, who is widely considered to be the leading English language clearance house for iihadist publications from al Queda, and author/translator of the virtual “lone wolf jihadist bible.” Unlike most of Awlaki’s internet fans, Hasan was an in-person follower at one of Awlawki’s mosques, where the FBI also notes that 3 of the 9/11 hijackers had “developed close relations” and may have had “closed door meetings” with the imam. By continuing to seek out Awlawki in Yemen, Hasan stumbled over a national security trip wire because Awlakwki was on FBI terrorism radar even before 9/11, and he was still deemed worth gathering signals on by US intelligence agencies. The FBI first conducted a counterterrorism inquiry after he was visited by Ziyad Khaleel who helped buy bin Laden’s satellite phone. The FBI also belives Awlawki has contacts with the Holy Land Foundation and others raising money for Hamas, but there was not enough evidence for criminal charges.
Hasan’s 10-20 e-mails worth of “spiritual guidance” starting in December 2008 were handed over to a joint FBI / Defence Department terrorism task force. But investigators promptly hit the snooze button when they didn’t see anything that wouldn’t be at home in a research paper about “Islamic Jihad in the US Army”. [”Imam From Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided Al-Qaeda” By Susan Schmidt Washington Post February 27, 2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022603267_pf.html ] One source told the London Telegraph that they decided to keep in in place and monitor him. It was hoped that his contact with Awlawki would lead them to a “big fish”, though they could have known Awlawki was already a pretty big fish. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6532904/Fort-Hood-massacre-Gunman-linked-to-al-Qaeda-as-he-awakes-from-coma.html
London Telegraph Fort Hood massacre: Gunman linked to al-Qaeda as he awakes from coma Nick Allen Nov 9, 2009]
The National Security Agency couldn’t find anything over Bin Laden’s satellite phone either until they figured out the code phrases for terrorist acts.[PBS: Nova The Spy Factory] But there are no hidden messages when Awlawki has called for the faithful in clear text to serve Allah by killing US soldiers. In case there can be any question if he was just kidding, Awlawki’s website announced that Hasan was “a hero” and declared “The American Muslims who condemned his actions have committed treason”. It isn’t hard to guess what kind of spiritual guidance went into the powerpoint slide that warned of “adverse events” if Muslim soldiers were called upon to fight in Afghanistan. Duane Reasoner who had accepted Hasan as his spiritual mentor eerily echoes Awlawki’s statements. Whether it was from Hasan or reading, the notion “They were troops who were going to Afghanistan and Iraq to kill Muslims” could only have come directly from the radical Imam.
And where is Awlawki now? His website has gone dark, and authorities have been searching for Awlawki who has disappeared for eight months after having been released from prison. The government’s counterterrorism sweeps have killed many al Qaeda fugitives, and detained hundreds of suspects, possibly provoking the Yemen US Embassy bombing in 2008. Awlawki only popped up in Shabwa province which is part of the ”triangle of evil” so named because it has become a known refuge for extremists, and recruiting al Queda members fleeing other nations. The Washington post learned that Awlawki confirmed that he blessed the killing of soldiers who were about to be shipped off to combat anyways. But since he “neither ordered nor pressured Maj. Nidal M. Hasan to harm Americans”, and insists that it was actually Hasan’s idea that Islam demanded shooting soldiers, we still can’t tie anything to al Queda.
The FBI probably didn’t notice that Hasan’s favorite imam was also a visiting professor at Yemen’s Iman University. Sure, they’ve claimed to have cured 20 cases of AIDS completely, this Institute of Terrorist Technology is runs the ROTC version of the training camps that were shut down in Afgahnistan. Among its notable alumni are people thought to be responsible for killing three American missionaries, the second in charge of the Yemeni Socialist Party, and John “Jihad” Walker Lindh who is prison for being picked up as part of the Taliban army.
The man who founded and leads this fine institution of higher armed resistance in 1995 is none other than Awlawki’s former boss, the red-bearded Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Zindani. This fellow has managed to get himself on the al Queda / terrorist / banned lists of no less than the US Treasury Department, United Nations and the United Kindom. Zindani is still wanted for questioning by the FBI over the attack on USS Cole in Yemen which killed 17 and injured 39. In the good old days when the United States backed the Mujahdeen against the Soviets, Zindani was a recruiter for fighters who was reputed to have fought alongside and was one of Bin Laden’s most trusted “spiritual advisors”. He later helped raise funds and recruit volunteers for the Bin Laden organization.
While Kevin Bacon might be only six degrees away from everybody, Hasan was only two connections away from Bin Laden through Awlawki and Zindani. Zindani is now a prominent businessman and leader of the most radical wing of the Islamic reform party. Back in the early 2000s Zindani ran a Charitable Society for Social Welfare (CSSW) which the FBI called “front organization to funnel money to terrorists” where Awlawki served under him as Vice President. That outfit also had ties to the Islamic Cultural Institute in Milan, Italy which is a center for al-Qaeda in Europe.[ [Burr and Collins, 2006, pp. 243; Washington Post, 2/27/2008] Zindani’s office is now the contact for the Ansar al-Sunna group that took credit for the explosion at an American base in Mosul, Iraq that killed 22. Military commander Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar is Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh’s half-brother who recruited mujaheddin fighters for Bin Laden who established establish training camps in Yemen. The US Justice Department believes Zindani suggested using charities in Pakistan to bin Laden as a front for terrorists.
In the Yemen Post, Zindani largely denies all of the accusations made against him, adding “America has proved to the world that it is the most oppressive nation in history. It is the country which killed two million and displaced five million in Iraq by a lie it spread to the world. In all its accusations to its enemies it fabricates lies and depends on its arrogance of power”.
Given Zindani’s position as the leading radical Islamist in Yemen and his recent ties to Alwaki, it can only be assumed that any investigation of Awlawki must also look into Zindani whether or not they lead to Bin Laden himself.
Only a terminal case of Political Correctness can explain why nobody (that can’t immediately be dismissed as a right wing kook) from President Obama down can utter the obvious. Fox news contributor Walid Phares was quick to call it a “terrorist act”, and possibly the “largest terror attack on America since 9/11. Phares believes that the Obama admininstration can’t use the t-word because of its rebranding of the “global war on terror” to the “Overseas Contingency Operation”.
Once I heard the name of the Virginia Tech shooter, I instantly knew he was a Korean whose parents worked too many hours in a dry cleaning store who were dissapointed he didn’t get into Princeton. NASA could have recognized and announced in a minute that the “foam strike” people were right about the Space Shuttle. Nobody wants to even speculate about who might have sexually assaulted and stabbed Robert Eric Wone in DC in a house full of the people and devices that could have done the job. Yes, our initial hunches can be wrong, but it doesn’t mean they are wrong, and we can’t get to the truth spending all our resources on everything but the obvious. We have a complete picture linking Hasan to known al Qeda terrorists who all show us their party membership cards and send telegraph a declaration of war to Obama. Few have seen the cartoon “Invader Zim” where a thinly disguised alien invader is liked by everybody except when he continually rants about wanting to destroy the planet. But he is cruelly harassed by a troublesome boy who is the only person crazy enough to realize Zim’s true identity. That explains everything about how the US authorities dropped the ball with the Fort Hood shootings. If McCain or GW Bush were in charge, the US would have sought and charged Awlaki and Zindani within hours. But at this rate our Commander in Chief is clearly in charge of an outfit determined NOT to connect any dots.
Daily Dose & Announcements: 11/20/09
November 20, 2009
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>>KCI 2009 Holiday Gala
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Hong Kong Pop Star Ella Koon to Appear in SF Saturday
November 19, 2009
Hong Kong singer and actress Ella Koon will be making a special appearance in San Francisco, this Saturday Nov. 21 at Lot 46, located at 46 Geary St.
Koon has released several albums – “Original,” “Ellacadabra,” “Abnormal” and starred in the popular TV drama series “Revolving Door of Vengeance” in 2005 and “Survivor’s Law II ” in 2007.
For tickets call 415.489.8869 or visit //www.sfrendezvous.com/?p=260
