http://www.atimes.com/

A plane crashes on March 9 carrying over 200 passengers with some from china crashed on the coast of Vietnam (in the article they say ‘mysteriously’) It stated that the Vietnam planes for rescue saw oil near the beijing-bound planes location when contact was lost with air controllers. Sad and out of nowhere. 

Hello Kitty has been something I have loved since I was a little girl. When I was born the first thing I had was a stuffed animal hello kitty and a stuff pikachu. She gives me so many past childhood memories and she’s just so adorable, with how popular she is and seeing her everywhere in stores I sometimes wonder if people ever want to know how she started out and where it all began, the hello kitty sensation. Hello Kitty or Haro Kiti or Kitty white was made by the company of Sanrio, the designers name was Yuko Shimizu who is a designer for the sanrio company. Yuko’s design of Hello Kitty was introduce in 1974 and than made its way to the states in 76 just two years later. As we’ve talked about kawaii in class hello kitty is sort of one of the stables of that and is a huge piece of Japanese pop culture. “At age 36 as of 2010, Sanrio has groomed Hello Kitty into a global marketing phenomenon worth $5 billion a year.”

“Hello kittys ‘story’ “According to official character profile, she was born in the suburbs of London, England on November 1. Her height is described as five apples and her weight as three apples. She is portrayed as a bring and kin-hearted girl, very close to her win sister Mimmy. She is good at baking cookies and loves Mama’s homemade apple pie. She likes to collect cute things and her favorite sub jets in school are English, music and art. Hello Kitty is portrayed surrounded by a large family who all possess the surname White. Her twin sister Mimmy is described as “shy and very girly,” interested in sewing and dreaming of marriage. While Hello Kitty wears a bow on her left ear, Mimmy wears hers on the right. Also Hello Kittys dresses are normally red, whereas Mimmys are normally yellow. Their papa George is described as dependable, humorous but also absent-minded. Mama, Mary, is portrayed as a good cook who loved doing housework. Grandpa Anthony likes o tell stories and Grandma Margaret likes sewing. Dear Daniel is Hello Kittys childhood friend. His character profile describes him as born in london May 3 with the real name Daniel Starr. He travelled with his parents and was away from from Hello Kitty for a long time. He is portrayed as fashionable and sensitive, good at dancing and playing the piano, with an interest in photography and dreams of being a celebrity. Charmmy Kitty  is Hello Kittys pet a white persian. She is described as docile, obedient and fond of shiny things. Her necklace whole the key to Hello Kittys jewelry box. Hello Kitty also have a pet hamster name Sugar, who was a gift from Dear Daniel.

In my own opinion as a Asian-American I so much relate Hello kitty to my past and childhood, I see it as a reminder of my family in Japan and a relation to the culture that i’ve all my life loved and been so curious about.  I

This is a little background story on Hello Kitty, theres way more to the story than just a picture drawn up of a cute kitty that got popular all over the world

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Kitty

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAHEPky7uOI

I just have to at least share this video because I love kick the can crew and just Japanese music in general. The crew was established in 1996. Babymetal was another new band that was formed in 2010 and consists of 3 girls all around the ages of 14, 15. The music is a mix of metal and some electronic. It is hard for me to grasp exactly what the girls are saying but it was kind of explained as give me chocolate and than its sort of using Japanese expressions. I guess from my point of view since I don’t understand as much as I’d like it’s more of the show their putting on in their videos as well as the metal music aspect of it. It allows me to feel like I’m connecting to the modern pieces of the Japanese culture and some of the things that people my age are into over in Japan. Both bands or groups are something I found catchy or something that had some form of relatable sound to the American Music I listened too and I sort of just became obsessed and would get sucked into the rabbit hole for hours with related searches on YouTube

Cowboy bebop!!! OMG!! I’ve become a little bit obsessed with this show, the movie everything since we watched it. I’ve download all the episodes and probably watched the movie 4 times now. I’m loving it the story line is great, spikes cute (in a weird anime way) , i love the techy girly and the dog is cute. Up until this point I was never really fascinated or into the idea of anime, I used to love love love MANGA drawing when I was younger, I thought they were adorable , but I never got into anime shows. I feel that these shows have a wrong reputation and if people took the time and gave it a chance they might see that there are many versions. Cowboy bebop is a version that I would consider something for the older generation that has a deeper story line, something more serious and something that grabs your mind and draws you in. I absolutely love it and can easily find myself getting more and more into it as well as finding more shows I might be interest in, in the long run. I loved the amount of diversity in this movie with people of all colors, which from statements in class aren’t something that always happened, also I love the idea of it being based in the future and like their living on Mars. Shows like this sort of give you a reason to dream of things you may think impossible. OH and the music was awesome!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PneJzBpki-U&list=PL7CC54D0900E70FBA&index=3

I was also able to find the soundtrack on youtube^

This movie really took me back to some of the films watched last quarter and reminded me of the many different scenarios and situations mixed racial relationships have gone through to get where their are today with at least some for of acceptance. A quick summary of this movie is about a family sent way or banned from Uganda when Idi Amin take power who was the 3rd president of Uganda. After kicked out the family than movies to Mississippi where the daughter of Indian decent falls in love with a black man and over the course of them movie the families have to learn to cope with come to acceptance of their situation and love for one another. What i’ve taken out of the past two quarters was their was so many scenarios and probably many many more stories unheard with situations regarding people who fall in love with somebody their culture doesn’t usually ‘respect’ them begin with, weather it be are, color identity, sexuality etc. and i’ve found that it was a hard time for many. I couldn’t imagine someone in my family, especially my mother or father saying you need to leave your boyfriend because he is mexican, you guys are completely different people with different cultures etc. I would be unhappy and in the same exact situation as these individuals in the movie.

A tale for the time being was a book that definitely sent me through a loop, I had a lot of scenarios form in my head throughout the book but it also drew me in and didn’t throw me off as much as i’d think something like this would. With so many characters having different connections and communicating in such ways that seem somewhat impossible and mixed up like the relationship between ruth and nao. I really loved the idea of ‘ghosts’ in this book, i’m not sure why but my friends and I formed a bit of an obsessions with ghosts back in high school and up until now I truly believe in them, to an extent. One idea that came up with me was the situation with Kayla and her completely blocking off Ruth. As she is IMing her but can’t figure out if she’s ignoring her, hates or, blocked her etc. but it feels how I feel with my culture as an Asian-American or half, I feel like a ghost or that my ancestors and culture is a ghost to me or even that being an asian-american I am a ghost to the Japanese culture as well as being white, but I also feel like its the one thing that allows me to see my own identity. I don’t have a 100% connection with either one of these pieces of myself and overall it makes me feel hidden, shied away from, stereotyped with unformed stereotypes as i’m just another ‘multicultural’ person. I had a very personal feeling when all these ideas of ghosts were going on. Another thing in this book that really put me through a loop was Ozekis control between so many characters and making their characters seem so distinct with strong, opposite personalities even in different pieces of time, as the reader if felt like she was pulling me into the book, allowing me to go inside the mind of these characters, feeling like a part of their stories, and for some characters I felt like I formed a relationship where others like Nao, I didn’t really care for. Another connection for me and Ozeki’s was the movie we watched after reading when Oseki is able to bring all her grandmothers things to her mother and speak to her about those things, asking questions, bringing up old memories and just connecting with her mother. Throughout the past two quarters my grandmothers health conditions have gone a bit down hill and I personally believe its a sign to take advantage of this time with her, theres so many things I want an need to know and i’ve opened up and finally have things I can relate to her with. Ozeki does this in the movie by sort of making up some scenarios with her, making up stories with the artifacts and going in to the past of her moms experiences. It also let me connect this to the book with if I truly believed some of the situations that were portrayed in the book, the stories Ozeki had with her mother, and some of the feelings I feel as  half.

Also can I just point out the whole time that I read this book and heard Ozeki it made me think of Sake because Ozeki is a brand that makes it that my uncle buys. (Random thought)

My name is Khan was a very heart felt and emotional film that was something easy for me to relate to as I was alive during this time period. As the incident of 2001 one happened the  views and actions towards the people of middle eastern decent was a quick run around. I clearly remember through school all the comments I heard regarding ‘rag heads’, comments about plans and being unsafe even if you saw someone that looked remotely close to that stereotype etc. (need I remind you I was from a smaller town that was more so closed off to this type of thing and it sadly was a predominately white town). My Name is Khan gives you the connection all these feelings felt every since the sad day of september 11th, 2001. In this movie on top of someone dealing with these stereotypes and they end up being question by authorities who take his disability of Aspergers syndrome which makes it hard for him to act socially ‘normal’ (what is normal?) and leads to them believing he has suspicious behavior. This leads to so many events throughout the ultimately the goal of him meeting Mr. Bush so that he can convey his name and prove that he is not a terrorist. Throughout this movie so many so many stereotypes, assumptions and distinctions are made and this is quoted as well as discussed in an article in the NY times “The message of “My Name Is Khan,” an effective exercise in Bollywood high emotionalism, is less political than movie-ish: there are two kinds of people in the world, good and bad, a distinction more important than any other differences, like those between Hindus and Muslims.” I truly believe this, its sad to see how much media can affect people and their thoughts on an individual, as well as how much of a appearance based generation is formed..if you ‘don’t look the part’ that an individual would normally ‘clique’ with than people usually shut you down, i’ve struggle with this constantly and its sadly true, unfair and and truly wish their was more of an understanding, open minded and realization upon people today.

Before the film: -possible speaking point for posting.

-”Clouse confesses yet another episode during the shooting of enter the dragon,in which close himself became the colonial attitude displayed by the American “foreman.”

“The story of his sisters death, caused by Hans gang, if we are to follow an established kung fu narrative, is a plot for the story of vengeance that seeks rebuttal of the violence, destruction, and loss inflicted on the protagonists family.”

“The contradiction in the production process, which instigated the explosion of real-life kung fu, is embedded in a larger social, historical, and political context. The legacy of colonialism that constitutes the foundation of the transnational production is a vital part of the unconsciousness.”

Honestly Enter the Dragon was one of the first Bruce Lee movies i’ve watched thoroughly. I absolutely loved it. I found it interesting that all the girls in the movie are asian except for on of the ‘top’ girls or ‘main’ girl always found next to the bad guys side who was white. I’m not sure what idea that was trying to give, but it was interesting.

First off the article I am posting about is referring to a television series called Nikita. I got a summary off of wiki for reference of those who don’t know what the show is or haven’t heard of it. “Nikita is an American television series that aired on from September 9, 2010 to December 27, 2013 in the United States. The series focuses on Nikita (maggie Q), a woman who escaped from a secret government-funded organization known as Division and, after a three-year hiding period, is back to bring down the organization.” Actress Lucy Liu is where the basis of this post begins.

Heres the article for the link (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/22/arts/television/maggie-q-and-lucy-liu-asian-americans-as-leading-ladies.html?_r=0 ) Otherwise the rest of the post will be summarizing the article as well as my thoughts.

Even Maggie Q and Ms. Liu haven’t completely escaped those archetypes. Both are playing the latest iterations of durable characters traditionally inhabited by white performers, so it would seem that race shouldn’t have any particular bearing. But the truth is that they resonate with two of the most common sets of images — or clichés — about Asian women: the high-achieving, socially awkward Dr. Joan Watson is a refined example of the sexy nerd, and the lethal, sometimes icy Nikita, able to dispense violence while wearing tight, microscopic outfits, evokes a long line of dragon ladies and ninja killers.

In both cases, though, the actresses and their writers have avoided or transcended easy stereotypes. A lot of effort has gone into humanizing Nikita,

That’s the fate of some other Asian-American actresses in roles that play more obviously to geekiness or braininess, and are visually coded for easy comprehension. Liza Lapira wears fright clothes and dowdy haircuts as the sidekick Helen-Alice on “Super Fun Night” (ABC), something she already endured as the eccentric neighbor on “Don’t Trust the B — — in Apt. 23” last season. On “Awkward” (MTV), Jessica Lu, as the rebellious daughter of strict Chinese parents, sports a hat with ears while Jessika Van, as her Asian rival, is dressed in starched outfits that make her look like an Amish schoolteacher. Both Ms. Lapira and Ms. Lu are accessorized with glasses — big black ones — something neither appears to wear in real life. Also occasionally donning glasses is Brenda Song as a video-game company executive in “Dads,” on Fox, though her most distinctive costume remains the sailor-girl outfit she wore in the pilot, part of an extended joke about the sexualization of Asian women that didn’t accomplish much besides sexualizing an Asian woman.

Still writing

Kung Fu has always been something i’ve seen in movies, traveling in china, on television etc. but never something I looked at in the aspect of it helping individuals in the long run, not to say I rolled out that option. I’ve had personal connections in a distant form that allowed me to be somewhat open to the effects it has had on individuals and the strengths it allows people to bring out in themselves.

First off my brothers (10 & 9) are currently in martial arts, i’m not sure if its Kung Fu, but I believe it is. From a different stand point now I can see that it has helped them become more patient, focused, relaxed and well mannered (well as much as a young boy could be lol), but overall I can see that it allows them to take out their boyish energies away from the house so we don’t have to deal with it along with teaching them self defense, again patience, and obedience. Secondly, my significant other went through a rough time in his life as a younger kid at the beginning of high school, he was constantly bullied, experienced suicidal thoughts, felt distant from his family..sort of like an outcast as the quiet one and began getting into trouble along with other things (not so good of course). After finding martial arts it allowed him a place of safety, focus on something other than the negative thoughts, obedience, manners and a push within school to get back on track and graduate. His grandmaster whom he looks up to in so many different ways make an great impact on his life, as well as saving him from himself and that really allows me to see the great outcomes you can take away from this form of art.

In the movie all the young men and woman you see seem so happy, content and hard working within this hobby and it has allowed each other them to sort of overcome something within their lives weather it be good or bad. It allows an adult figure in peoples lives that isn’t a parent or family member that is letting them see things from a different view than just a mother constantly ranting off whats right and wrong etc.

I personally have so much respect for the length each of the main role individuals from the films are going to try and bring kung fu to the US and make it a well known practice to allow individuals these key elements into their lives, almost eliminating a lot of the bad things and being able to move forward with positive thoughts and a hobby to focus on when the going gets bad.

Also, not only does it allow a form of mental stability but if you look at the individuals taking part their all so fit, healthy and quite good looking for some of the older people partaking. And, well, considering the way America is going with health wise and the rates of obesity occurring it would allow so many people to succeed and grow and live happy lives, if thats something they are interested in. I personally am a golfer and can relate this go Kung Fu as I know what its like to find a hobby thats such an ease for the mind, something that tests you within all different abilities and has allowed so much focus as well as meditation in my life.

I hope to see Kung Fu slowly grow in the states, the awareness of the art and sport and what it can do for all different individuals weather they be trouble, or just looking for a hobby in their spare time. I have so much respect for all the individuals that allow this to take up hours and hours of their days and making it the main push of their lives.