To tell the truth, I couldn’t finish reading this chapter The reason why it took long time to read and why I couldn’t read everything was because I hadn’t know about Kung Fu well or I hadn’t been interested in it before I read this book. Without the knowledge of Kung Fu, it was difficult to read this book. Even I am Japanese and I live in the same area with the origin of Kung Fu, I didn’t pay attention it. Until I read this book, I thought I already had enough knowledge of Asian American culture because I found a lot of new things. However, through this book, I felt it might be impossible only for one quarter that I could know all of Asian American popular culture. Even only about Kung Fu, there were so many things we had to study. We need to study not only Kung Fu but also other influences relating with it like movies, music, and so on. At the first class in this book, we discussed about the connection between globalization and popular culture, and at that time I thought globalization made popular culture in this world. Now, I’m clear that globalization affect many kinds of popular culture, and I’m more interested about the connection between globalization and popular culture. I’m sure I’m going to be back this book again after reading the last book.

Nao, the main character in A Tale for the Time Being, is forced to deal with many losses which have happened during her teenage years. These losses include her father’s mental and financial stability, her old life back in Sunnyvale, California which included her high status in school, loss of direction for her future, an emotional loss of family, loss of identity, and perhaps her own loss of mental stability. Connected to last week’s theme of death, Nao uses death as a way to cope (or to not cope) with her losses, and then later (around pages 168- 195) begins to use her great-grandmother’s symbolism of comfort and her techniques to emotionally cope instead.

After realizing Jiko’s powers in getting her to open up, Nao begins to accept and cope with her anger issues. ”Try it. Go to the water and wait for the biggest wave and give it a punch. Give it a good kick. Hit it with a stick. Go on. I will watch” p. 193- Jiko to Nao. “I got to my feet and attacked again and again, and each time the water crashed down on top of me, grinding me against the rocks and covering me with foam and sand. I didn’t mind. The sharp cold felt good, and the violence of the waves felt powerful and real, and the bitterness of salt in my nose tasted harshly delicious. Over and over, I ran at the sea, beating it until I was so tired I could barely stand” p. 193. In regards to this particular technique, Jiko is teaching Nao how to release her anger in a safe, healthy way. And it seems to be having a positive affect on Nao.

Towards the end of this weeks’ reading, Nao expresses her love for Jiko; which shows a massive improvement in Nao. “I was still thinking about what she said about waves, and it made me sad because I knew that her little wave was not going to last and soon she would join the sea again, and even though I know you can’t hold on to water, still I gripped her fingers a little more tightly to keep her from leaking away” p. 195. The only other person Nao has ever truly loved is her father. And when her father’s mental stability went out the door, she felt like what’s the point in loving someone if there just going to go away. But with Jiko in her life, a person who represents all the good things the world has to offer, Nao’s heart is softening and she both unconsciously and consciously comes to care deeply for her (Jiko).

The film Mississippi Masala is categorized most popularly as a romantic comedy. Should this really be the case though? Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find the film that funny or light-hearted. It’s interesting to see that Wikipedia and many other internet pages describe the film as a romantic drama instead. First let’s look at the difference between these two categories.

Romantic Comedies:

1. Usually has some sort of conflict or funny barrier keeping the lovers apart, normally solved near the end of film, and thus the characters can then be together.

2. Are known to have lighter content, and audience is rarely ever put in the position of worrying about the characters feelings. These films normally have light happy endings, where everything works out.

Romantic Dramas:

1. The obstacle keeping the main characters apart isn’t always solved, or even if it is, characters may never reunite.

2. Contains emotionally heavier storylines, such as affairs or life threatening illnesses, and are overall darker. Sometimes one of the main characters does not get a happy ending.

Ok, so after going over the differences between romantic comedies and romantic dramas, I would say Mississippi Masala does not fit into either category. And let me tell you why….

1. Yes, the film had some funny moments to it, but the storyline seemed a bit heavy to be considered a romantic comedy… Like Mina’s family along with the rest of the Ugandan Indians/South Asians being kicked out of Uganda (despite the film wanting and not wanting sympathy for them), the problems separating Mina and Demetrius were a mix of racism, gender relationships in communities of color, effects of post-slavery/emancipation experience, and post-colonialism (just to name a few); does that sound funny or like a light issue to you?

2. Similar to a romantic comedy, the main characters solved the conflict near the end of the film, and fortunately no one died or had a tragic ending. But on the other hand, the main characters didn’t exactly have a happy ending. Demetrius’s cleaning business and reputation was ruined, therefore he had to start from scratch, and both Mina and Demetrius felt forced to leave their loving family’s behind.  Yay, they got to be together, but was it really a happy ending?

So what do you think? Do you think Mississippi Masala was a romantic comedy, a romantic drama, or neither?

On several occasions Nao refers to trees as Time Beings. Ruth lives in Canada and mentions spruce trees. Playing with the idea that a tree– in this case a spruce– here is a look at how a tree can be a Time Being.

To put the reading into the context of my blog—guitars are made from trees—and not just any trees; many are built from those found in old-growth forests, 350 – 400-years old. These trees have survived storms, fires, droughts, wars, and humans… for hundreds of years. Some of these Time Beings have continued their lives as musical instruments capable of healing people, crossing political and cultural barriers, and creating social change; they have become guitars.

Consider this; that Sitka Spruce top on your favorite acoustic guitar, or the mahogany neck and back on your new electric is from a tree roughly 400 years old. What significant events have those trees lived through during that time? To put this into context, subtract 400 years from 2013 and our Sitka Spruce timeline begins in the year 1613:

1613
- Galileo observes Neptune but fails to recognize what he sees
- Russian Empire elects Mikhail Romanov Tsar of Russia, and establishes the Romanov Dynasty, ending the Time of Troubles
1623- 11 Dutch Ships depart for the conquest of Peru
1633- Astronomer Galileo arrived in Rome for trial before Inquisition for professing belief that Earth revolves around the Sun
- Charter for Maryland is given to Lord Cecil Baltimore
1643- First recorded tornado in US (Essex County, Mass)
- Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut & New Harbor form United Colonies of New England
1653- New Amsterdam becomes a city (later renamed New York City)
- German Parliament selects Ferdinand II king of Austria

1663- Great earthquake in New England
- King Charles II of England grants a charter to Rhode Island
1673- Regular mail delivery begins between NY & Boston
- Dutch battle fleet of 23 ships demands surrender of NYC
1683- First settlers from Germany to US, leave aboard Concord/ 13 Mennonite families found Germantown PA.
- Austro-Ottoman War: Battle of Vienna— the Ottoman Empire defeated
1693- Dom Perignon invents Champagne
- NYC authorizes 1^st police uniforms in American colonies
1703- St Petersburg (Leningrad) founded by Peter the Great
- Great storm hits Southern England, 1000s killed, Royal Navy losses 13 ships & 1500 seamen
- Tokyo Earthquake; about 37,000 die

1713
- French residents of Acadia are given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia, Canada
- King Frederik Willem declares war on Brandenburg-Prussia
1723- After a lasting siege and bombardment by cannons, Baku surrenders to the Russians
1733- Georgia founded by James Oglethorpe, at site of Savannah
- Joseph Priestly invents carbonated water (seltzer)
- France declares war on emperor Charles VI
1743- Comet C/1743 C1 approaches within 0.0390 AUs of Earth
- Coordinated scientific observations of the transit of Mercury were organized by Joseph Nicolas Delisle 
1753- 1^st official St Patrick’s Day
- English parliament grants Jewish English citizenship
- George Washington becomes a master mason
- 1^st steam engine arrives in US colonies

1763- Treaty of Paris ends French-Indian War, surrendering Canada to England
- Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon begin surveying Mason-Dixon Line between Pennsylvania & Maryland
1773- Big tea party in Boston harbor (Boston Tea Party) 
- Scottish settlers arrive at Pictou, Nova Scotia (Canada)
1776 - US congress proclaims the Declaration of Independence and independence from Britain
1783
- Hostilities cease in Revolutionary War/Treaty of Paris signed ending the war
- Earthquake in Calabria, Italy kills 50,000
- W.A. Mozart’s Symphony No.36 is premiered in Linz, Austria
1793- 1^st US fugitive slave law passed; requires return of escaped slaves
- Volcano Unsen on Japan erupts killing about 53,000

1803- Ohio becomes 17^th state / US Senate ratifies Louisiana Purchase
- 1^st performance of Beethoven’s 2^nd Symphony in D
1813 – 1^st pineapples planted in Hawaii
- Battle of Thames in Canada; Americans defeat British
- Battle of Dresden-Napoleon defeats Austrians
1823– R.J. Tylers patents roller skates
- “Home Sweet Home” 1^st sung 
1833– Re-establishment of British rule on the Falklands
- Boston Academy of Music, 1^st US music school established
1843– Mt Rainier in Washington State erupts
- “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens published; 6,000 copies sold

1853– Transcontinental railroad survey is authorized by Congress
- Olympia forms as capital of Washington Territory
1863- US Civil War continues 
- Emancipation Proclamation (ending slavery) issued by Lincoln
- 1^st military draft by US (exemptions cost $100)
1873- 1^st US postal card issued
- Indian Wars: Col Custer clashes for the first time with the Sioux. Only one man per side is killed.
- San Francisco Cable Car service begins on Clay Street 
1883- Buffalo Bill Cody’s 1^st Wild West show premieres in Omaha
- Brooklyn Bridge opened by Pres Arthur & gob Cleveland
- US Supreme Court decides Native Americans can’t be Americans
1893- Gandhi’s first act of civil disobedience
- 3^rd worst hurricane in US history kills 1,800 (Mississippi)
- Great stock crash on NY stock exchange
- Tchaikovsky conducted 1^st performance of “Symphony Number Six in B minor

1903- Pres T Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola Miss, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black
- Two New Yorkers buy Baltimore baseball franchise for $18,000 and moved it to New York
- New bicycle race “Tour de France” announced
1913- British House of Commons accepts Home-Rule for Ireland
- Brooklyn Dodger’s Ebbets Field opens
- The US introduces an income tax
1918 - World War 1 ends/ Armistice Day (11am on the Western Front)
1923– Union of Socialist Soviet Republics established
- 1^st “Reichs Party” the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) forms in Munich 
1933– Work on Golden Gate Bridge begins
- “Lone Ranger begins a 21-year run on ABC radio
- Adolph Hitler named German Chancellor

1943- Canadian Army troops arrive in North Africa
- Hitler declares “Total War”
- 1^st transport of Jews from Amsterdam to concentration camp Vught
- 1^st US air attack on Germany (Wilhelmshaven) 
1953- 9 “Jewish” physicians arrested for “terrorist activities” in Moscow
- Flooding in Netherlands, kills 1,835
- Joseph Stalin suffers a stroke and collapses. He dies four days later
- North Korea & UN sign armistice
1963- CIA Domestic Operations Division created (pretty scary!)
- USSR launches Luna 4; missed Moon by 8,500 km
- Beatles meet Rolling Stones for 1^st time
1973

- President Nixon signs Endangered Species Act into law
- OPEC oil embargo begins
1983- Wayne Gretzky sets NHL all star record of 4 goals in 1 period
- Final episode of M*A*S*H airs; record 125 million watch

1993- Sears announces it is closing its catalog sales dept after 97-years
- Gun battle erupts at Waco Texas between FBI & Branch Dravidians
2003- Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on Re-entry
- The US Department of Homeland Security officially begins operations
2013- Canadian power-trio Rush finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

2014 Ruth Ozeki “A Talke For the Time Being” is reviewed by Passion Bass-ics

“And it occurred to me that a tree is a Time Being…” ~Nao (p24)

“On all sides, massive Douglas firs, red cedars, and big leaf maples surround them, dwarfing everything human. When Ruth first saw these giant trees, she wept. They rose up around her, ancient time beings, towering a hundred or two hundred feet overhead. At five feet, five inches, she had never felt so puny in all her life.” (p59)

“The home is where heart is.”

I was really impressed by Jay’s words at the end of the movie. This movie made me consider where their homes were. Everyone in this movie was very complicated. I should say people not only in this movie but also in America. However, thinking about these words, I found that hearts were important to know where their homes are, and it doesn’t matter if they knew the place. This is because the heart makes the home. In the last part of movie, even Mina’s family separated from each other, they still had their home with their connected hearts. Before I watched this movie, I only tried to find which place they identified as being from. However, now I assume they are thinking about their hearts as the best way to find their identities. In my analysis of this movie, Jay’s heart was in Uganda because he was born there and he had his best friend there. Kinnu’s heart depended on where Jay went to, because she loved him. And, Mina’s heart was in nowhere. She would find or create the place where her heart was. The identities was in their hearts. In other words, the identities move anywhere their hearts are. Now, my heart is in Japan, because I’m Japanese and proud of my identity as Japanese. However, I don’t know the future. Nobody knows where my heart is going. And more, I assume my heart isn’t the only one. I’m finding another heart in believing that the heart will exist somewhere. Thinking like this, I believe my life will be more amazing. When Mina decided to do travel with Demetrius, I found the movie wanted to say that the life is like a journey to find the heart.

What can I say about this movie?  First I have to say that I wanted to break down and cry so many times throughout it.  I literally could not deal with it.  But I was in class so I had to control myself.  But I didn’t want to.  Just to make that clear.  However, my first impressions of this movie were a little biased.  I was judging it as any other Bollywood film.  But I was very wrong.  It was so beautiful is so many ways.  One of those ways was Khan’s character.  I think if I tried to analyze his entire character it would take me forever, so I’m just going to talk about how adorable he was.

When I say adorable, what I mean is how sweet, gentle, and caring he was.  Like when Mandira kissed him on the cheek and he ran away.  So adorable.  Or when he told her that she sucked at singing, but she couldn’t get mad because he was so damn adorable.

After doing some research on the director of the film, Karan Johar, I learned that this film is very different to other films that he has directed.  Usually his films follow the same Bollywood style of romance, singing and dancing, with elaborate clothes.  This movie however, is meant to portray a message.  He purposefully portrayed it in the mainstream format, and I think he did this so that it could break out of the Bollywood audience and reach other audiences as well.

I think that the reason the director made Khan’s character disabled was because sometimes it’s the innocent people in the world that make the most difference, and have to most affect on us.  And I believe that Khan’s character was innocent because of his disability.  He loved his family without question, and determinedly set out to do what Mandira had told him to do because he loved her and Sam so much.  There was a quote at the end of the movie that Mandira said that made me understand this more.  ”Sam..Our Khan has managed to achieve, with his love and humanity..what my hatred could never achieve.”  I think that this is one of the major themes in this film.  Every action that Khan took was done in love and loyalty.

sources:

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

http://www.subzin.com/search.php?title=My+Name+Is+Khan&imdb=&q=sam+&search_sort=Popularity&genre=-1&type=All

My initial reading I didn’t really enjoy the voice of Nao and it was for me personally, a boring read, especially Ruth’s section. However towards the end of the reading in regards to her interaction of the funeral and the kitchen knife I had to find out what happened next.

A lot of Nao’s pretentiousness gets annoying throughout the reading. I understand that given the context of her situation and the age Nao is it makes more sense that she is judgmental and feels the way she does. The occasional “OMGs” really shows the age that Nao represents. Some of her views don’t make sense to me however such as on page 75 “I didn’t pray to Lord Buddha because back then I used to think he was like God, and I don’t believe in God, which isn’t surprising given the patheticness of the male authority figures in my life.” I feel like if she doesn’t finding praying to a God effective or doesn’t make sense to her then how is praying to her grandma or her Shaka-sama make her feel better.

In other news, I can’t believe how horrible she is treated by everyone at her school. I can remember in my childhood the “weird kid” or some one no one really liked. But it turned into an obsession for her school and even her damned teachers. Which is insane to me given how teachers should be held to a higher standard and should be able to be a safe haven for a student. Instead she has no real sanctuary given how she feels bad for her pathetic father at home. On the flip side even though they’re a side character I enjoy Oliver’s relaxed state and calm nonchalant dialogue.

The genre of gangsta rap was key for L.A. ghetto youth and was used as an inspiration and as a way for the hip hop industry to be able to relate to the youth in urban areas. The ability for hip hop artists to speak upon their struggles was easily relatable to the youth because they were able to relate to what artists were rapping about. More specifically, the struggles of being black in America and growing up especially as a black male with all these stereotypes. Moreover, during the 80′s the rap group N.W.A.  spoke to  L.A. youth and rapped about the realities of being black in America. They were a larger representation of blacks and were a key group that was an inspiration towards the black power movement.

The seminar we had delved into a few really cool comparisons between the kung fu movement and the hip hop spread in America to the rest of world.They both followed they same formula of spreading from one region to the next until it became a global culture. When we watch those movie clips even more than just the hip hop music mixing of Arabian chants and local sounds the artists still wore styles from hip hop artists in America big t-shirts, long gold-chains, baggy jeans, etc. Kato reused a few key words throughout the reading which showed the connection he was trying to make. Such usage such as “groove” and “flow” showed how connected these two big movements really are. Bruce Lee also uses flow to describe mastery over kung fu, the unconsciously conscious way of thinking while performing some task, the groove, the zone, “He’s on fire!” etc.

On a slight detour the graffiti relation to Tsang Tsou Choi’s street calligraphy demonstrated how language and writing are so critical in one’s culture. Both are being used in a way to demonstrate their individuality, skill, or message for the public to see and absorb. Kato strengthens this idea with similar views “The uniqueness of style and individuality was of utmost importance to a writer’s signature, for it was at one time, the only significant vehicle to represent one’s ‘existence.’”

I enjoyed the philosophical analysis Kato does with Bruce Lee and Game of Death. One example being from Bruce himself “To express yourself in freedom, you must die to everything of yesterday. From ‘old’ you derive security, from the ‘new’ you gain the flow.” This was relevant to Game of Death which attempted to set up new ideas and standards to the kung fu movement.  Kato asserts “With the absence of dialectical constraint, the combat choreography, albeit its deadly performance, becomes an arena of artistic contestation much like the street aesthetics of hip hop, in which a new concept is produced through a competitive exchange of styles.” The new “styleless” style of Jeet Kune Do from Kareem Abdul-Jabbal made for a worthy opponent for Bruce Lee.