let's shine some light on the asian art museum

Campaign for the "New Asian"???

If any of you visit the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, you'll notice as you walk into their front doors that the far right wall boasts an impressive plaque naming the donors to the campaign to build what I presume is the new Asian Art Museum, and NOT the new Asian, because, as I'd like to think, Asians have been defining and redefining ourselves for centuries -- as is every human being on this planet. I just felt it presumptuous and totally inappropriate for them to shorten the campaign name in this particular way. What is being suggested by the title, I wonder? What does it mean to intentionally choose to say the "new Asian" instead of the "new museum" or "the new Asian Art Museum" or even "the new Asian Museum" (which is not correct use of adjectives, but that's even preferable to what they currently have)...?

Sometimes, just to be a bit more interesting, I'd like to consider whether it is possible for us to campaign for the new Asian. How would that go? I wonder who could be the campaign manager? What will be our logo? Who will be our poster child? What the heck, which sponsors should we try to get on board? This might get interesting, folks. And, finally, what's the pitch?

Di dau ma khong nhin...?

Hom nay, moi doc duoc tin la hai chiec truc thang (news helicopters) cua dai truyen hinh Channel 5 News da co tai nan xay ra dang khi chieu report cua cuoc car chase. Ca 6 nguoi phong su vien da chet. Khi Bo cua minh nghe vay thi thot len "6 gia dinh gap chuyen buon." Minh khong hieu vi sao ma nhung nguoi phi cong (pilots?) khong de y hoac bi truc trac gi ma ho khong the dieu khien cai helicopter. Dau phai la thieu airspace ma phai bay gan nhau den noi de collide va explode? Bay gio thi gia dinh cua ho phai lam sao? Nhu the nao moi la hy sinh vi cong viec lam? Tai sao lai co tinh trang nhu vay o tren dat nay? Khong hieu duoc chut nao...

touching beans

At the farmers market, there was a stand that displayed a gigantic tub of beans with a sign that said "go ahead, you know you want to!" And it was true, anyone who sashayed by the stand was compelled to dig their hands deep into the pile of colorful beans, swishing around a bit to enjoy the texture. It was like being six all over again.

for fathers and sons

Hom Thu Sau vua qua, to bao SF Chronicle da viet ve mot cau chuyen that buon. Mot ong cha da bo quen dua con trai 11-thang o trong chiec xe sedan, va da dau o so lam suot ngay. Den khi ba vo goi dthoai hoi chong tai sao dua con khong co mat tai nha giu tre, ong ta moi chot nho va hoang hot khi kham pha dua con trai cua minh da chet o trong xe. Nhung chuyen nhu vay lam cho minh that dau long. Co nhieu nguoi nghe duoc tin nay thi len tieng oan trach ong cha, phe binh va mang ong ta la nguoi Cha vo tri den noi bo quen con cua minh. Minh thi nguoc lai. Minh chi co the cam thong cho khong nhung nguoi Me, nhung cung dau kho voi nguoi Cha, va ca gia dinh cua ho. Ke tu ngay t4 khi chuyen nay xay ra, gia dinh nay da bat dau mot giai doan moi. Mot la ho se gan bo hon, hoac la ho se bi tan ra. Mot viec that kinh khung nhu vay ma xay ra cho minh, lo rang minh co chieu noi duoc su dau don khong? Minh co the tro lai tu cai cho Dau Kho de tiep tuc cuoc song hang ngay? Co le minh se khong cang dam du, va co le khong ai cang dam du. Chi co the tiep tuc buoc toi tung giay phut ma thoi. Trong tinh than chia buon voi gia dinh nay, minh post tam hinh cua mot ngon den, de ghi nho rang trong bong toi la luc ta thay ro ret anh sang cua ngon den.

On the front page of Friday's San Francisco Chronicle was a story about the death of an 11-month-old baby whose father had forgotten him in the car after arriving at work. You can read the full story here. More shockingly, the article reports that nationwide, on average each year, there are about 3 dozen childen who die because they were forgotten and left remaining in cars. I can only imagine what the family must be feeling at this moment. For their grief, for their suffering, for the hope that they will carry onward, I light this e-candle.

things that kill

This is a very minor item of note, but I wanted to share it anyway, since it is a lesson learned for yours truly. I've learned that I am now allergic to three things which utterly baffle me, for I've only recently developed these allergies (say, the last 2 years). (1) Fish: After caring for my two goldfish, Wallace and Rilke, for about 6 months, I developed hives and rashes and began to itch all over. It turns out that my father is the same, and his doctor has confirmed. If I were to visit my doctor like I should have, she would tell me the same. After a short period of time, allergens just didn't like our bodies and vice versa. Not good. (2) Wine: I suppose it is the sulfite in the wine, but I've begun developing hives and rashes when consuming white and red wine. Much as I love muscato canelli, I cannot drink it. Poo. (3) Lobster: I've very recently developed an uncontrollable itch every time I eat lobster, whether it be "tom hum rang muoi" the way my mom makes it (picture shown above), or whether it is lobster meat stuff in delicious sole cooked in a fire-baked oven. Terrible itch. Tastes wonderful, but terrible, terrible itch.

This has brought several things to my attention (with more emphasis) and with which you, dear readers, might sympathize:

(1) I love things that can kill me.

(2) I learn my lessons very slowly. It took several tries before I could figure out what was wrong. I have not been attentive to find out what those things are until it is too late and I am beset by terrible, horrible hives and rashes, just so my body can say Do Not Eat.

(3) I like to take some risks. I enjoy these things so much, I'm a glutton for punishment and pain.

Why do we do these things, I wonder. I'm reminded of Mark Doty... True, isn't the scale of what we desire grander than what it seems?

thousand folds of cranes

As some of you know, I've been folding origami cranes for a long while now, without ever bothering to count how many I've accumulated and/or given away. According to Japanese tradition, the first 1000 cranes are to be folded and given in honor and memory of the survivors of WWII. The second 1000 cranes are to be folded and given away to friends, family, lovers, enemies, anyone you think would appreciate the splendor and grace of cranes. The third 1000 cranes are the ones you begin to keep. I appreciate that this tradition asks you to think of others before yourself. Here then, dear friends, are a handful of cranes for you...

Blush

Blackberries

Blackberry Eating
I love to go out in late September
among the fat, overripe, icy, black blackberries
to eat blackberries for breakfast,
the stalks very prickly, a penalty
they earn for knowing the black art
of blackberry-making; and as I stand among them
lifting the stalks to my mouth, the ripest berries
fall almost unbidden to my tongue,
as words sometimes do, certain peculiar words
like strengths or squinched,
many-lettered, one-syllabled lumps,
which I squeeze, squinch open, and splurge well
in the silent, startled, icy, black language
of blackberry -- eating in late September.
-Galway Kinnell

Flying kites

Folks, here are my mum and dad, who enjoy browsing farmers markets, eating plums, peaches, and chocolates, and love flying kites at the park. Here they are at Cesar Chavez Park, enjoying the breezes and cool air, too brief a respite from the blazing Texas summer sun.

Strawberries galore

Red, yellow, orange

Renovating our labyrinths

The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious traditions in various forms around the world. Grace Cathedral has two labyrinths. The outdoor labyrinth is made of terrazzo stone and is located just outside the cathedral doors. This labyrinth is open 24 hours daily for walking. The indoor labyrinth is open during cathedral hours, except during special events or services. The indoor labyrinth is currently being renovated, and will be open again and dedicated on September 30th.

Bun Suong

This is what you call good eating -- food that satisfies you on a chilly morning but doesn't make your stomach heavy. Bun suong is pretty easy to make, as well. There's vermicelli, shrimp paste rolled into little "worms" and fresh bean sprouts. For a little color, add green scallions, roasted/fried garlic and onions, and finely choppped peanuts. Top with dollops or swirls of hoisin sauce and red chili sauce. Order one of these at the restaurants and you can pay from $6.50 to $10.00 for a bowl. Make a big pot of broth and gather your own ingredients at home and you can eat it for $2-$3. Simply delicious. Mum says it's called "bun suong" because, maybe, the shrimp rolls are "suong" or straight, smooth...? Regardless, it's good eating, and it surely goes "suong" to the bottom of my stomach!

How can it be this beautiful!?

4.2 @ 4:43 a.m.

At 4:43 this morning, as I was fast asleep, Wayward Hayward faultline struck again. This time, it was a 4.2 magnitude quake, 3.6 miles deep, and 2 miles east of Oakland. Nothing was broken and nothing fell, but I was shaken a bit out of my weary sleep. The earth is changing, and here in the Bay Area, the effects are being felt in increasing depth and magnitude.

Wayward Hayward runs through the parking lot of the seminary where I work, and my office in the main administration building is about five paces from the parking lot. And, it's very close to home. I walk about 5 minutes and I reach the office, which means I'm much close to the faultline that I would like to be.

The shakemap tells you where the earthquake occurred, and the litle shades of green fading to yellow to red -- that's where I am. We have had 4 earthquakes in the past year, and it would seem that California has "hogged" more than our fair share of these tremblers. I could stand to have a few less...

The following states have not had a 3.5 earthquake in the past 30 years:

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

North Dakota

Vermont

Wisconsin

District of Columbia

All this is to say that I grow more and more worried about the state of our globe. This reinforces the "magnitude" of our environmental issues. Greening our globe isn't just something to take up if we feel bored or if we need some sort of socialization mechanism. It is for survival.

Prepping the kites

The Berkeley Kite Festival will be held next Saturday at Cesar Chavez Park. There will be games, kite flying competitions, kite sales, kite flying lessons, etc. Even though we have more than a week until the fun-filled affair, people are already beginning to prep...

Ghiberti Doors

When I saw the Ghiberti Doors of Grace Cathedral for the first time, I was immediately struck by its magnificent size, as well as the intricacy of each of the panels. The stories are lifted from the texts of the Old and New Testaments, and are emblazoned in fine detail on each panel. Here, they tell the narratives of a people of faith. And since the doors at Grace Cathedral are replicas made from the molds of the originals, I can't help but think about our faith stories as being "replicas" of the many other narratives that have been lived and told then retold. There is a fine tension between original and replica, and oftentimes, it is this repetition -- this re-creation -- that gives meaning and significance to our lives. The Doors remind us of the community of which we are part, and they show us through art that we with shared faith stories, which make us one people of many different faiths. Each individual panel tells multiple stories drawn and carved as "merged" narratives. And then each door is built of panel upon panel of stories told in no particular order but juxtaposed next to one another. How wonderful that when we first approach the Cathedral, the Doors remind us of the stories that form our faith histories.




The Doors of Paradise are considered by many to be the first and greatest masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance. The magnum opus of Florentine sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), the doors were made for the Baptistery of Florence Cathedral (the Duomo) and told the story of the Old and New Testaments. Grace Cathedral's doors were made from the same molds - which were later destroyed - that were used for the originals. -Excerpted from Grace Cathedral Visitor Guide

Knock 'em socks off!

Wednesday evening, after the end of a fantastic night of jazz, blues music and cocktails at Top of the Mark, we took a walk along Pier 39, and I found this fantastic socks store. Doesn't it make your toes curl deliciously?

from Top of the Mark

This is a view of the city from the Top of the Mark bar and lounge in SF. We walked in and looked completely out of place. It was an impromptu stop for drinks and a great view, but we did not fit into that atmosphere. If we'd cared enough to look around, we would have felt the eyes of the place say this isn't just a bar where you can enjoy the view of San Francisco. It isn't just a place to hang out with a posh friend or two, sharing stories. It's not a place to loosen up with a glass of fragrant wine. Outside these walls, the view is spectacular -- so much architectural beauty encompassing the fast paces of daily living. Outside there are people revving up their cars around the winding caterpiller streets, drinking coffee by sidewalk cafes, droning away in high steepled houses, but making differences in their lives. Inside this place, though, is the space of marginalization, of discomfort, of not fitting in. Is this view -- and everything it represents -- enough for us to stand against that kind of marking?

Sunflower: to face the sun

This was also found at the farmers market at the ferry building in San Francisco. These are truly that huge -- it's not just b/c I zoomed in or anything. I took the photo manually and it's a testament to the sunflower growers that these beauties are just so. In Vietnamese, sunflowers are called "mai huong duong", and "huong duong" means to face the sun.

'Shrooms

Here are the mushrooms that really caught my eye at the SF farmers market. There's something very intriguing about mushrooms -- their taste, their colors, their textures. The mushrooms so individual and organic, growing as a unit and a family. This first photo shows mushrooms growing out of a block of pungent cheese. Here it is, viewed under glass:

a Comment on "Sieu Ba Lo"

A few days ago, I saw a youtube clip that was posted on this particular blog which irritated me considerably. I take issue with the way it was made (very poorly, given that it's produced by television station VTV6 in Hanoi) and mostly because of the content. I should also clarify that I do not know this person and take no issue with this person but I do find the clip objectionable, and the responsibility for this clip is lain on the VTV6 and the producers of the clip. See the clip, and please tell me if I'm completely bonkers or maybe, just maybe, there's some merit to my observations...? I'd love to hear what people's thoughts are -- post them or email them, but I'd appreciate your feedback.

Background details:

1. This clip was produced by a tv station (VTV6) in Hanoi for a special program that they ran a long while ago, and it features this particular blogger

2. This blogger is Canadian and has been living in Hanoi for 3 years

3. He speaks w/ a heavy accent, but it is definitely a northern Vietnamese accent which I have to try very hard to imitate -- if I wanted to (and of course, this is b/c the Hanoian accent is often considered the post accent of the "cultured")

4. His Hanoian accent is definitely laced with the pronunciation of a non-native born Canadian/English-speaker, but writes very well -- his writing skills as I see it on the blog is like a well crafted personal essay chock full of idiomatic expressions, slang, and even a bit of Vietnamese-infused humor -- all very enviable

5. The blog is written entirely in Vietnamese, as far as I can tell, and has a cult-like following, with a hit-count of over 2 million.

6. I only discovered blog b/c it was named as one of 3 most popular Vietnamese blogs on the net (imagine my surprise when I discovered the identity of this blogger). Granted, that's because nobody reads blogs written in Vietnamese by Vietnamese, I think. But, that's for another day...

7. "Sieu" is the word of the day for "super". Something that is super fast "sieu nhanh". A super man is "sieu nhan". A super market is "sieu thi".

8. "ba lo" refers to the Western backpacker -- usually the non-Vietnamese, non-native backpacker trekking through Southeast Asia, but Viet-Kieu will also be called "tay ba lo" if they are from westernized countries. The word was derived from another word, "botalay" (I think).

My most humble thoughts:

Perhaps my identity as an Asian American immigrant, hailing from a Southeast Asian country formed by about a thousand years of colonization and war, and perhaps my meager studies in post-colonial Vietnam have shaped my consciousness in such a way that I am always (hyper)sensitive to anything involving a white/caucasian super-anything saving the day. (Friends, I know you come from different corners of the world and exist in very complex spaces of identity, too, so I recognize and respect that others may come to similar conclusions and have similar sentiments even though not all are Vietnamese American immigrants.)

Consider the two scenarios presented in the v-clip:

(1) Sieu Ba-Lo (SBL) comes to the aid of the young, helpless maiden by rescuing the fish from the enemy. The villain here, of course, is non-white and is most likely a fish-hating tyrant completely insensitive to the cries of the young, helpless maiden, who, naturally, is incapable of doing anything other than standing by helplessly, crying.

(2) SBL arrives in the nick of time to provide a pillow for the homeless. He is always on the move, traveling from place to place, always observant, always considerate, coming to the aid of anyone in need. Like a "sieu nhan" he happens to be carrying a pillow in his "ba lo" just so he could whip it out in time for the homeless man -- a pillow for a tired body, a sanctuary for the weary soul.

What might be so objectionable to this, I asked myself. I keep thinking about a couple of things:

(1) Why is Indiana Jones music being played? It reinforces the idea of the Indiana Jonesian white hero who travels (backpacking?) to "other" parts of the world to "rescue" something "other" whether it be artifacts or people, in order to "preserve" that object for observation (and that's stating it gently). Or, he's there to comment on the civilization (or lack thereof?) and culture of the "other" in order to save it.

(2) Why is the woman always portrayed in these contexts as the helpless victim? This first character (I'll call her Fish-Maiden) is balanced (and marginally so) only by the second female character (I'll call her "Xe Om" because she drives a motorcycle for hire, called a xe om). In contrast to Fish Maiden who merely stands in the alleyway being helpless, Xe Om actually drives SBL around -- so she is mobile, at least -- acting as the vehicle for his salvific mission. And yet, even Xe Om falls into the traditional roles of the "forgotten woman". She falls into the stereotypical role of the under-appreciated female companion who pouts at her unrecognized contributions to his hero-making efforts. But here, we fall into a trap for if she were to remain silent, she plays the role of the sacrificial lamb, the woman who silently supports her "hero", (the shadow beneath his wings?) allowing him to successfully carryout his heroic missions.

(3) It's often said that in Vietnam, men only ride motorcycles, and never take the back seat. If you see a man sitting in the backseat, someone once told me, it means he's a Visitor or injured. SBL rides the back seat, but he gives direction to his xe om as if he knew exactly where to go & what to do. In this, he subverts the traditional definition of the backseater, but it's in a different context when you add it together with his "sieu" mission. Here, it is a female driver being directed by a backseat riding white hero on a rescue mission.

(4) Why, of all things, would VTV6 choose to make this clip? I am assuming, given the context of this VTV6 program, that this is not a satirical commentary on the cultural complexity of Hanoian life. Hanoi as a city is considered in many circles and by many people to be the cultural center of the north. It is also filled with Tay Ba Lo like SBL who trekk through "36 pho phuong" of the Old Quarter. They make a good living in Hanoi where they are embraced by the locals because, in some ways, they make Hanoian life very "western" -- a spiced up "east meets west" if you will. I find it interesting that I've only read comments from Vietnamese people who find this video clip positively funny. Over 100 comments from viewers and only 1 person disliked the video.

I'm uncertain what to make of this, but all in all, I find the clip very problematic. The thoughts are still percolating, and there will be other thoughts that arise. Perhaps I'll come to a different understanding after hearing from others...

Inside Grace

Last week, we were able to visit Grace Cathedral in SF. The beauty of Grace is impossible to show via some photographs, but it's worth a view. Here are three snapshots from inside Grace:

Grace Cathedral

Sundays are days of worship, reflection, and meditation. Wherever we do these things doesn't matter so much as the manner in which we bring ourselves to that sanctified space, that holiness that makes us one with the Creator, the Universe, and which brings us closer to Humanity, allowing us to embody the Divine and the Human within us. For this Sunday, I bring to you Grace Cathedral -- the most stunning Episcopal cathedral in San Francisco, and dare I say it, in the Bay Area. The insides will be shown to you later, but for now, simply marvel at the majesty of this artifice...

Peaches, strawberries, plums: yum yum

Ashley asked what I purchased at the Farmer's Market last week, so I'm posting some of the sweetest, most delicious organic fruits that I sampled, purchased, then promptly consumed on the premises:

Changing Identity: Recent Works by Women Artists from Vietnam

On Wednesday evening, we went to an incredibly thought-provoking art show/exhibition/installation/performance at Mills College. It's all about "nghe thuat duong dai Vietnam" (Vietnamese contemporary art). Very curious and intriguing. I will post thoughts and photos up shortly. Stay tuned!

TRAN/TRON

This is my photo of the day. Several months ago, a friend of mine asked her sister to photoshop my pic to create "TRAN/TRON". Have you seen the film? It's a classic! I may not appear as fetching as Bruce Boxleitner in this outfit, but I kind of like the look.

"Immortal, invisible, God only wise"

This hymn is one of my most favorite hymns. The Welsh melody uplifts me every time I hear it, and when the choir joins in with the sopranos and their descant, the moment is absolutely breathtaking. The music surges, and everyone around you is singing, and singing with great heart in praise of the Holy One, the Creator God. Some of the verses are really quite astonishing, especially the naming of God as "the Ancient of Days." But, of course, the non-inclusive language and the theology inherent in his lyrics are indicators of the different socio-historical contexts of Smith's time. Nevertheless, I find that I am able to sing to God "the Father" with as much faith and heart as to God our "Mother" -- and I do so while cognizant of the definitions, associations, and meaning infused into those lyrics and also the meanings absent from the language used in those verses. It is the language that catches my attention, but it is the melody that sweeps me away.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

- Words by Wal­ter C. Smith, Hymns of Christ and the Christ­ian Life, 1876. Music by St. Den­io, Welsh mel­o­dy, from Can­ai­dau y Cyssegr, by John Ro­berts, 1839.

Legumes red, green, yellow

Pick your own, juiciest veggies in town!I know that legumes aren't the most exciting objects to image, but I was sorely tempted by these vibrant colors, so I did what any tourist would do (and did!). Here are some of the freshest colors found at the SF farmers market at the ferry building.

All things lavender

Last Saturday, I was able to wander about the farmers market outside the ferry building in San Francisco. Every Saturday is a big affair, with local artists and farmers and grocers setting up shop inside and outside the ferry building selling their wares. It is a lovely, beautiful, visceral experience. We're at once under the sun and smelling the fruits, flowers, oils, nuts, foods, etc. Everything is everywhere and all your senses are popping; it feels good to be alive when you're jostling into the midst of the crowd, knowing that strangers' hands are being shoved this way and that into baskets and buckets and bowls of samplers. The organic nature, the openness of the atmospher, the hustle and bustle of the crowds -- all of that combine into a very physical sense of self, of being. I love going to farmers markets because they remind me of the connectedness of things, and I feel good, and happy, to be a part of community (even as I am a completely individualized stranger among others).

Are these not the biggest, fattest torpedo onions you've ever seen? I found these while wandering around the farmers' market at the SF ferry building. I love the fact that I can go anywhere on any given day and be able to find a farmers market. It's lovely!