Filipino Language Classes in High School

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Jeff

On our family vacation to San Diego, we visited friends in the heavily Filipino city of Chula Vista.  To my surprise, one of my friend’s sons was studying for his Filipino quiz the next day!  I blogged about language retention and Filipinos before as have others.  While I have complained about the lack of Filipino Language classes,  Otay Ranch High School apparently has done something about it.  This school has enough years of Filipino classes available to fill the University of California subject requirements.  Impressive.  Not a huge number of high schools offer Chinese or Japanese, which would have wider appeal, but in addition  to Japanese, this one offers Filipino.  I’d say that it is becoming useful as a diaspora language – I know I have heard it spoken in different parts of the world as Filipino immigrants and Overseas Foreign Workers are now all over the globe.

(Flickr photo credit: PHBascon)

One of the reasons that there are many Filipinos in the San Diego area is the heavy Navy presence there.  For a long time, Filipinos nationals could directly join the US Navy, and that is how my father came to the US.  Despite their numbers in the area, I didn’t think that Filipinos would have the political clout to do things like get Filipino language classes instituted, so this was a pleasant surprise.  There have been some issues with credentials for Filipino Teachers, but since the classes are still going on, it would seem that that they have been solved.  Other San Diego high schools like Rancho Bernardo also have Filipino as an language option.

It was both interesting and fun taking look at the kid’s Filipino lessons.   Note that Filipino is not the same as Tagalog, as there are some differences.  Our friend’s son was trying to remember common phrases, which I found to be extremely polite.  My comment to his dad was that The Wife would never talk to me like that.  To ask for  a drink of water, the lesson said “Puwede bang uminom ng tubig?” which is literally “Is it okay to drink water?”  The Wife would probably say to me “Tubig!  Bilasan mo!” which is, well, slightly less deferential!

Incidentally, if you want to learn Filipino, The Fililpino Channel has occasional lessons with their Filipino Ka Sabihin Mo segments, some of which are available online.  Another interesting point from the credentialing article is that despite the availability of Filipino classes, some Filipino parents don’t want their kids taking it!

Posted in Education, Local, Southern California | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Indian Muslim Actor Racially-Profiled in US (While Promoting Film About Racial Profiling)

Posted on August 17, 2009 by jozjozjoz

I don’t blame Indian Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan for feeling “angry and humiliated” for being detained and questioned at a U.S. airport. Khan is one of India’s best-known actors (he was named by Newsweek last year as one of the world’s 50 most powerful men) and was en route to Chicago for a parade to mark the Indian independence day on Saturday when he was pulled aside at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Friday. After a couple of hours’ interrogation, he was allowed to make a call, he said, and he got in touch with the Indian consulate who vouched for him and secured his release. Ironic, seeing as he’d just finished a monthlong shoot in the U.S. for his film “My Name Is Khan,” which is about a Muslim who suffers from Asperger syndrome who is arrested as a suspected terrorist in post-9/11 Los Angeles after the authorities mistake his disability for suspicious behaviour. Not surprisingly, the actor’s fans are mad. Some have even taken to burning the U.S. flag in protest. Justified? Maybe, maybe not. But I doubt this will do anything to help the animosity some people in the U.S. already feel toward Muslims.

Posted in (simple), Discrimination, Entertainment, Movies, WTF | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Shut Out at Home, Americans Go to China

Posted on August 17, 2009 by John

As the prolonged recession has gripped the United States, more and more Americans – especially college graduates, are considering working abroad. And a popular destination, according to the New York Times, is China:

“Shanghai and Beijing are becoming new lands of opportunity for recent American college graduates who face unemployment nearing double digits at home. Even those with limited or no knowledge of Chinese are heeding the call. They are lured by China’s surging economy, the lower cost of living and a chance to bypass some of the dues-paying that is common to first jobs in the United States.”

Last December I met up with a Taiwanese American friend of mine, Jon, who has his own startup in Beijing. He mentioned with the economic downturn, there were a ton of foreigners hanging out in Bejing – especially around Beijing University, trying to learn Chinese. Jon’s perspective was that if you didn’t have a good working knowledge of Mandarin, your chances of finding a professional job was kind of limited. There are plenty of sea turtles (“returnees”) who are both bi-lingual and bi-cultural. There are of course plenty of opportunities in China if  you want to teach English in China, but for many Chinese, they would prefer to learn English from a non-Chinese/Asian American. I really wonder if the majority of Americans who go to China, especially those who do not know Mandarin at all, have any professional success. And I wonder what the social life for an expat in China is anything like Sexy Beijing.

For those who are interested in working in China or Asia, you might want to check out ORIENTED.COM or Wang Li. Those who want to brush up on their Chinese might consider checking out ChinesePod.com.

Posted in Business, Current Events | 6 Comments

DramaFever – Asian Television Dramas (and more!)

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Brian

Last Thursday, I was invited to attend the launch party for DramaFever, a new online video start-up focusing on fully licensed Asian dramas.  In their own words:

DramaFever will be starting off with over 50 Korean Dramas, adding Chinese and Japanese dramas later in 2009. All our videos are legally licensed, subtitled and streaming in high def. Viewers can watch for free with a few ads per episode. Later on we plan to offer an ad-free subscription model.

I sat down and talked with Seung Bak and Suk Park of DramaFever, as they elaborated some more on the site. You can read more, after the jump.

Continue reading →

Posted in 8Questions, Entertainment, Local, New York | 4 Comments

Asians, Westerners, and Hand Gestures

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Guest Writer

By Maricris

Color and facial appearances are not the only defining factor to being Asian. Neither are our facial expressions as covered by Linda in her recent post, nor the fact that we are notorious for eating rice in all our meals. But our gestures and manners do play a vital role, one that makes us unique and is an unique marker of our distinct culture; some people call it the Asian trademark.

For those who have been born and raised in Asia to later live in the US like myself, identifying the huge differences in gestures and manners between these two cultures take effort. And just like facial expressions, the cultural difference between gestures can cause confusion, if not outright frustration.

Norine Dresser and Roger Axtell are both experts in the field of multicultural customs and has successfully chronicled the intriguing contrast. A few sample of their studies reveals that:

  • A thumbs up sign means nothing in Asia, but is considered obscene in many Middle Eastern countries, Nigeria, Australia and Afghanistan.
  • Pointing with index finger – not a big deal in the United States – is very rude in Asia.
  • The two-finger V sign means victory when palm facing out. When facing in, it means the number two.

During my early days of being in the US, I would wave my hands downward, palm facing out, to say “come here.” To an American recipient, my signal will come across as me, waving “Hi.” Needless to say, this has caused so much annoyance on my end, especially when I’m asking for help from a distance! Or when I’m asked a yes or no answer, I would always nod my head upwards repeatedly, which to me, means both a yes or a no. To an American, that nod only means yes!

Undoubtedly, our gestures and manners, like DNA, are our identifying markers; the unique factor that defines who we are, our race and culture as a whole. But on the flip side, I have to re-train my hands and head. Have you? What other experiences did you have that involved conflicting gestures? Funny or chaotic? I would love to hear them!

ABOUT MARICRIS: Maricris shares her journeys in life through her personal blog ZenVentures, her views on being Asian in Toasty Brown, her insight as a working mother in Working Mother Magazine, and who’s creative side can be found at Golden Flower Creations.

Posted in Lifestyles, Observations | 4 Comments

Asian American Influences in Real Estate: Silicon Valley and Beyond

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Jeff

“You Asians Ruined Everything!”

My Brother-In-Law, a realtor in Silicon Valley, was taken aback when a white real estate agent suddenly said this to him.  The agent was complaining about the negative practices of some Asian-American real estate agents.  My Brother-In-Law (I’ll call him BIL for short – he lives with me as part of my extended family) told me about some of these:  giving a kickback/credit to buyers when working as a buying agent and encouraging double ending transactions (representing buyer and seller) by giving sellers commission discounts when this happens.  With lots of low ball commission rates offered by Asian-American agents, the clubby real estate world of 6% commissions is gone from the Valley forever.

The white agent didn’t talk about any of the positive aspects of Asian-American influences in real estate – such as helping to maintain prices and driving certain markets, particularly in those areas with good school districts.  Here in Silicon Valley, housing in well known “good” school districts such as Palo Alto, Cupertino, or Mission San Jose commands a premium, driven by education oriented Asian-American parents.  Even in areas with not so good school districts that are popular with Asians, such as where I live in North San Jose, houses go fast.   A house around the corner sold in a week.

Asian-American tastes are driving other changes in real estate.  Knowledge of Feng Shui is becoming a critically important part of selling and even in new house design.  A house at the cross point of a “T” intersection has bad Feng Shui, and many Asians won’t buy it.  Moreover, if anyone has died in a house, it becomes much harder to sell.  I remember a real estate agent we used who offered to thrown in Feng Shui services which would include detecting if anyone had died in the house. Some builders have learned to cater to Asian-American extended families by building new houses with a bedroom with a full bath on the ground floor, designed for housing older Asian-American parents living in extended families.

Outside of Silicon Valley, Asian influences on housing are appearing in places like New Jersey and Georgia.  This article from USA Today describes how Asian influenced mixed used developments and high-rises are sprouting up around the country, much like Asian influences have affected the architecture of Vancouver, Canada (when I first saw Vancouver, it reminded me of Hong Kong).  Gwinnett County in Georgia is building high-rises, encouraging higher density developments, and is actively courting Asian investors.

BIL tells me that Asian and Asian-American buyers have sensed the bottoming of the Silicon Valley real estate market and are driving a pick up in sales.  Many are backed by investors or family from Asia and are buying foreclosed houses cash and bidding up prices. I think we will continue to see a growing influence in real estate by Asian Americans, both financially and in housing design.

(Flickr photo credit: Ernie)

Posted in (featured), Business, Lifestyles, Local, Real Estate, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

East Asians, Westerners, and Facial Expressions

Posted on August 15, 2009 by Linda

facesAccording to a new study done by Glasgow University in Scotland, East Asians and Westerners may read facial expressions completely differently — Asians might look at a face and see surprise, while Westerners would look at the same face and see fear. That’s because Asians tend to focus on the eyes, while Westerners take in the face as a whole.

For the same reason, Asians may have trouble distinguishing certain expressions; narrowed eyes could suggest anger, but they could also suggest confusion. Interestingly, the Asians in the study often chose the less socially-threatening emotion. Confusion, not anger. Surprise, not fear.

This study makes all the more sense when you look at emoticons used by Asians and Westerners. Check out the chart in the article, which uses the example of :-) (Western) versus ^_^ (Eastern). I’ve never read much into emoticon styles, but this is pretty neat!

Now I’m wondering if there’s any connection between this study and the drawing of people in Japanese animation, with the emphasis on large, emotive eyes. Thoughts?

Posted in Lifestyles | 5 Comments

The Snack Foods Brands You Know, with a Chinese Twist

Posted on August 14, 2009 by jozjozjoz

American food companies are blazing new trails in China — with flavors, according to this CBS News Report by Celia Hatton. I enjoyed this story because she showed us examples of foodstuffs that Chinese consumers can find which look familiar, but really are not.

Citing blueberry-flavored potato chips, strawberry and milk-flavored Cheetos and aloe juice from Minute Maid, Hatton says that it seems like every major U.S. food label, “is trying to bite into China’s $186 billion fast food and processed food industries by creating new products made just for Chinese taste buds.” Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group, said China is going to be the second-largest or largest consumer market in the world in the next five years. He said, “If American companies don’t figure out how to get it right in China, they’ll be missing out on what should be their major generator for growth.”

Other strange American-Chinese products? Tropicana cantaloupe juice, orange-flavored Chips Ahoy cookies, Chinese herbal medicine Wrigley’s gum.

But, she [Hatton] said, it’s Frito-Lay potato chips that really push the boundaries.

Taste tests, Hatton reported, revealed Chinese people didn’t like popular American flavors like sour cream and onion. So, to reach their audience, researchers developed new flavors inspired by traditional Chinese food, such as savory Sichuan spicy, sweet and sour tomato and sugary options like cucumber, lychee and mango.

Of course, we’ve discussed how popular American fast food chains like McDonald’s have different menus for different parts of the globe, so it shouldn’t surprise you that McDonald’s has a purple taro pie in China. But could you imagine getting your Starbucks coffee with jelly cubes in the bottom? How about getting spicy squid on a stick at KFC. Does that make it “Kentucky Fried Cuttlefish” instead of “Chicken?”

Hatton even cites toothpaste companies which cater to the Chinese market with flavors such pointing out lotus flower Crest and salty Colgate.

I will admit that I like my toothpaste minty and I hate the taste of taro, but beyond that, nothing in this report sounds TOO scary for me to try. In fact, I’m really tempted by all those flavors of chips. Are you tempted by these “Chinese” flavors? Do you think that any of them would work here in the States?

All I know is that most of these snack foods don’t remotely resemble the Chinese snacks I knew while I was growing up!

Posted in Food & Drink, Health, Lifestyles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Young Christians Try to Convert Indian Girl on YouTube

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Ben

When I saw this video off of one of my Facebook feeds, I just had to say… “wow.” While I respect religious beliefs, if this is what we’re teaching our children, then sometimes I just don’t know what to say.  I have to wonder what it is that children are actually being taught, whether  they understand that you can still be friends without having the need to save everyone; it’s like trying to convince a Republican to become a Democrat or vice versa. Beliefs are there for a reason, be it Christianity, Hinduism or whatever, and convincing people to convert is just like what one of my good friends told me once:

“I can beat it into you with a bat, but in the end, I just end up with a bloody bat.”

Personally, there’s some truth in that statement; each person is responsible for finding their own way. But I can tell you that this type of behavior is one of the reasons why Eastern and Western cultures clash: when one side doesn’t view the others’ perspective and instead tries to deduce their reasoning through their own eyes, there’s a serious failure in communication. It’s the same reason why Matteo Ricci was one of the most successful Jesuit priests in China, due to his explanations of Christianity using concepts that stemmed from Confucian beliefs.

Sometimes, it’s a miracle that there are not more bloody bats in this day and age.

Posted in (featured), Lifestyles, Observations, WTF | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Sophie’s Revenge: Zhang ZiYi Finally Does a Comedic Film

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Xxxtine

I remember having a conversation with a paparazzi friend of mine during the Toronto International Film Festival where that night he had chosen to “stalk” Zhang ZiYi during her film screening of The Banquet. By that time I had grown incredibly tired seeing her in period pieces and loudly remarked someone needs to throw a T-shirt and jeans on her and into a romantic comedy. He agreed. After the screening that night, I looked down below from our balcony seats to find Zhang ZiYi seated just below us.

Now sporting both leading actress and producers cap, Zhang’s first film is a China-Korea co-production entitled Sophie’s Revenge about a comic book artist (Zhang ZiYi) plotting to get her fiance (South Korea’s heartthrob So Ji Sup) back who left her for an actress (Fang Bingbing). Her vivid imagination runs wild along with her bandit of co-conspirators – high jinks and hilarity ensue.

I’m not much of a Zhang fan — anymore at least — but seeing her in a film like this doing campy comedy is refreshing and certainly different than her glamour-pouty image. From the trailer, previews and a five minute camcorder clip, it LOOKS entertaining and fun to watch. I’m guessing it’s also the same production company that also produced the Fitted for Love romantic-comedy films* which did very well in the China box office because it has that same quirky fluffy feel. I just hope the censors don’t keep it too PG.

(* Fitted for Love 2 starring Karena Lam was a good film with the worst ending pay-off.)

Posted in Entertainment, Movies | 1 Comment

Events: Queer Conferences in Seattle, Free Outdoor Movie Showings in SF

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Guest Writer

To get your event blogged about on 8Asians, join our social network!

  • Queer Asian Pacific Islander Conference – TRANSGRESS, TRANSFORM, TRANSCEND is a national community and activist convening of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Asian American, South Asian, and Pacific Islander (API) individuals and organizations. Join us for a transformative learning, sharing, and cultural experience — as we inspire and sustain each other and ourselves beyond our imagined capacity. (8/14, Seattle WA: More info here.)
  • Kamikaze Girls Outdoor Screening – Celebrating the grand opening of the NEW PEOPLE building in San Francisco’s Japantown and the presentation of the J-Pop Summit Festival 2009 with a free outdoor screening of Kamikaze Girls. Written and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, it is one of the best reviewed Japanese films to be released in the US in recent years. (8/14, San Francisco: More info here.)
Posted in (simple), LGBT, Local, Movies, San Francisco Bay Area | Leave a comment

Wing Pang: Conan O’Brien’s “Favorite Person Ever”

Posted on August 13, 2009 by jozjozjoz

This video (Conan Visits The NBC Store from 08/07/09) has been circulating our office and been cracking us up for days. I think I’ve seen it five times and I still bust up every time I see it.

The thing is, I’ve totally been in that store. I was on the Lot when they were still constructing Conan’s soundstage. And I’ve met Wing Pang. We were in the same meetings during the early phases of a project my company was doing at NBCU about a year ago — which makes it all the more funny to my coworkers who have met him and worked with him throughout this project, too.

Seeing someone I know Conan is not only kind of weird, but kind of cool. It would be a stretch to call Wing a “friend” since I only worked with him for a few weeks, but I can tell you that what you see is what you get with Wing. He’s not acting and really is just like that. I don’t know how I’d do if Conan suddenly showed up with a camera crew asking me about my lunch — I’m guessing I’d get really nervous and worry about my hair looks on TV — but I think Wing was funny, genuine, and definitely held his own with the new host of the Tonight Show. And to put it in context… that crack at the end about “Facebox” wasn’t Wing being dumb or anything. It was actually a jab at Conan for a mistake he had made earlier in the show (see Conan’s reaction).

But I guess I’m not the only one who thinks Wing is hilarious. Patrick Sauter at the Daily Tube says:

Wing Pang needs to become part of the Tonight Show’s merry band of idiots. Sooner than later. He’s got a sarcastic potty mouth, loves discount chicken, and drops the kind of idiosynchratic[sic] bon mots that meld perfectly with Conan’s workaday weirdness.

Exhbit[sic] A: “I have no reason to hate Santa.”

Wing Pang, coming to a profile in Facebox near you.

So anyway, to “Wing Like Chicken Wing,” who is probably too famous now to take my calls or read my emails: I hope to see you again as a recurring friend of Conan’s on his show! Maybe if your bodyguards will let people near you, Moye and I would each like to get your autograph. Please sign them to “Joz like Jaws” and “Moye like Annoy.” Thanks!

Posted in Entertainment, Southern California | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments