Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large.

Bad news and good news

The thing about mass shootings is that you have to worry about copycats imitating the unholy deed. A deranged person seeing the news of someone similar to him committing a crime can be just enough of a push to make him follow through. That’s why the media have to balance between reporting on a mass shooting and also not glorifying the details of the shooter. It’s a tricky situation for sure.

Sadly, not two days after the horrific tragedy in Monterey Park, another shooting occurred close to home. A senior Asian male killed seven people in Half Moon Bay, motive unknown. I can’t help but wonder that this guy saw the news of a similar-aged Asian male shooting up a dance hall in Monterey Park, and thought that he also can move along with his evil plans. The Asian American community is hurting, our sense of safety is shattered everywhere.

In other news, Everything Everywhere All at Once leads all movies this year with 11 Oscar nominations! I’m particularly happy for Stephanie Hsu getting the nod in the supporting actress category. The numerous flowers for Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh during this awards season are well deserved, but Stephanie Hsu’s multi-faceted performance as the daughter has been somewhat overlooked. I’m happy the Academy gave her recognition with the nomination.

That said, if Ke Huy Quan doesn’t win the best supporting actor category, we riot! I look forward a merry Oscar watch party with friends.

A house is not a home

Hate crimes and attacks targeting the Asian American community are very much in the news lately. The worst of which occurred last week, when a lunatic shot up a few massage parlors in Atlanta, killing eight people. The entire community is on edge, lacking a sense of safety when we step outside of our homes. You always have to be on alert, a certain amount of underlying stress that shouldn’t be there in a civilized society.

As someone who grew up in the south-eastern side of San Francisco, I am innately familiar with that specific kind of stress. It only takes a few muggings for the young me to realize I need street smarts to walk around my neighborhood. The five senses are always tuned in to the surroundings, always on alert for anything - or anyone - untoward. You relax for one moment, and the next thing you know, you’re getting robbed of your iPod (remember those?) violently. I still have the scar on my chin.

The subconscious trauma never leaves, so long as I never the left the neighborhood. Even as the crime rate fall as the years advanced, I could never relax in that corner of the city. Surely that’s the same feeling felt by Asian Americans presently, especially our elders. I can attest it’s the worst not being able to feel safe walking around your home neighborhood. Is there even an area of San Francisco where an Asian person can feel completely at ease? I am not so sure.

One of the reasons I love traveling to Asia is because the aforementioned type of stress simply does not exist. In major cities of Asia, I can walk anywhere, at anytime, and feel absolutely safe. The lack of stressor is so freeing, a sense of calm that I miss dearly every time I step off the plane back onto American soil. Safety - isn’t that what living in the first world is about?

Never mind the fact that gun violence and gun deaths are uniquely American. The problem is both structural and cultural.

I understand and empathize greatly with the trauma and anxiety that Asian Americans are feeling these days. I don’t have much of the answers, but one of them has to be that perpetrators of crime need to be persecuted to the fullest extent. There has to be stiff penalty for doing harm to others. Robbery may only be of material loss, but I speak from experience: the mental harm can last for a very long time.

Attack on Asians

The recent rash of robberies and attacks against Asian Americans is (finally) receiving some attention in the news media. Every year around the time of the Lunar New Year celebrations, there’s an increase in robberies because the perps suspect that Asians are carrying around more money than usual. That’s been a trend I’ve noticed for as long as I can remember, especially having grown up in the southeastern side of San Francisco.

So it’s rather interesting to see people having discussion about the latest attacks and utterly dancing around the real problem. Lots of finger pointing at former President Trump’s rhetoric vis a vis the coronavirus. Lots of blame on white supremacy, and how the model minority myth breeds resentment towards Asian Americans from other minorities group.

All of that is fairly bullshit. The issue is, and have always been: young African Americans targeting Asians. I’ve seen plenty of it growing up, and have had it happened to me personally. Chicken or the egg: what came first? Asian American’s negative - often time racist - attitudes towards Blacks, or Blacks harassing and robbing Asians? I reckon those two things are innately intertwined.

Solving the problem is easy (in theory): alleviate poverty. These crimes are more about economics than pure racial hate. Asians are seen as easy targets with lots of money - especially our seniors, an attractive prey for those who have no life choice but to rob for sustenance. If they are otherwise gainfully employed and have the resources for a fulfilled life, I think the instances of crime against Asian Americans will drop dramatically.

That said, those who have perpetrated the crimes should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.

Quick thoughts on 'Crazy Rich Asians'

Last evening I finally saw Crazy Rich Asians, and it's everything I thought I didn’t need but my god is it ever so beautifully there. I've stated before that the whole Asian-American representation thing wasn't as big a deal for me as it is for others, but Crazy Rich Asians proved me utterly foolish: it was so awesome to see an English language film full of normal characters I can identify with on a cultural level.

I never thought the jubilation I got from watching Better Luck Tomorrow the first time could be found again, yet here I am, profoundly moved by Crazy Rich Asians.

What a wonderful adaption of the novel by director Jon M. Chu and company. Speaking as someone who have read the book, the movie excellently cherry-picked the major components of the story, presenting it with a simplistic fluidity that's equally satisfying for those who haven't read the source material. The minute details on how particular plot-points came to be are all in the novel, should audiences choose to dive deeper.

I especially loved how even when the film deviates from the book - like the final arc, little homages are sprinkled in as a nod to those that have read it. It's brilliantly done.

There were two moments in the film where someone in the theatre was for sure chopping onions: when Kina Grannis (as herself) started singing Can’t Help Falling In Love during the wedding sequence, and in the ending scenes where a cover of Coldplay's Yellow is sung in the background.

I really dig how Crazy Rich Asians is unabashedly, well, Asian: the themes and motifs are just as they are, pure and unexplained. Particularly, the crucial mahjong scene is sheer genius in it’s absence of how the game is played and what the individual tiles stood for. The creators didn't care you don't know mahjong: it's simply there, unreservedly. The intertwining of Chinese culture within Crazy Rich Asians is deeply heartfelt because it's such catharsis to see it presented without patronization.

The sequel cannot come soon enough.

'Crazy Rich Asians' tops the movie charts

Crazy Rich Asians is the number one movie in America, taking in over $26 million dollars over the weekend. Good job to Warner Brothers for carving out a release date that didn't coincide with any other traditional "blockbusters", because $26 million is but a drop in the bucket for the likes of a Marvel super hero film. Apples to oranges comparisons aside, I'm supremely happy to see Crazy Rich Asians get so well received and a certified critical and financial success.

No thanks to me because I will not be seeing the movie until this Wednesday. Why so late? Because a friend of mine did not return from her European vacation until late into the weekend; usually I'd watch it without her but she's the only person I know that has read the novel so the whole point was to see the movie together. Is it difficult to wait a few additional days after having already waited a few years for this film? Yes, it really is, because as per usual the Internet doesn't help.

It actually behooved me to watch Crazy Rich Asians during opening weekend because that's the most important measure according to the studio. Being the first major studio film with majority Asian cast in 25 years, there's a ton of future possibilities for the Asian-American community riding on Crazy Rich Asians. By failing to see it this past weekend, I did a major disservice to my people.

You know what though, my brother went to see it. I'll enjoin my intentions with his actual contributions and count that as one package. The fact Crazy Rich Asians outperformed even the highest of expectations in the box office lessens my guilt considerably.

So does this mean sequels? Kevin Kwan did indeed write two more novels to the series, and Netflix had offered him a three-picture deal that was ultimately rejected. I'll have to see for myself what sort of changes they've done in the adaptation to film, because the second book largely hinges on a crucial plot-point concerning the main character Rachel. If that is missing from the movie then I don't see how a sequel can be done, assuming basis on the second book China Rich Girlfriend.

I shall see on Wednesday. Excited.

Here we have the SF MOMA in its natural habitat.

On the 'Crazy Rich Asians' movie

As soon as I finished reading Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians, I immediately thought that it'd be great if it were adapted into a movie. Fast forward a few years later and it's the opening weekend of said movie this weekend. I've been eagerly waiting for it since the project was announced almost two years ago, and I cannot wait to completely obliterate the film for any deviation or omission from the book.

Kidding not kidding; what do you mean Astrid is a Young and not a Leong?

Anticipation for a good nitpicking session aside, the Crazy Rich Asians movie is getting massive buzz for being the first major studio-backed film to star a majority Asian cast: 25 years since The Joy Luck Club. 25 years! If you thought African-Americans had it difficult with representation in Hollywood with the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, Asian-Americans are might as well be invisible. I'm still waiting for the first Asian-American cast member to feature on Saturday Night Live, a show that's been airing for four decades.

So it's a great occasion, and if you are any parts Asian at all we owe it to our culture to support the Crazy Rich Asian movie, because it must succeed: Hollywood simply won't tolerate its failure. We know the chance is high if Crazy Rich Asians bombs at the box office it'll be another 25 years until the next movie with an Asian cast. That's just how it works and has worked.

I'm especially happy for the people who are moved to great emotion in seeing Asian representation on the silver screen. Personally I grew up watching Asian movies and television shows so the issue of "representation" was never a big deal for me, because I easily recognized myself in the media I was consuming. That said I greatly appreciate what Crazy Rich Asians symbolizes for many Asian-Americans, and I hope the movie opens the floodgates for many more art projects by Asians to come to the mainstream.

A quick shoutout to Justin Lin and his seminal Better Luck Tomorrow. It wasn't a major studio film, but it was the first American movie that I saw proper representation: Asian characters as every day people I know, and not the usual kung-fu fighting or submissive damsel. Crazy Rich Asians bows its head to Lin's achievement.

Early morning setups are always fun and drowsy. Good thing there's catered breakfast which means an abundance of coffee.