Worth a thousand words?

Recently the following photo has consumed my life:


For those who are unaware, the female sitting third from the left is none other than multimillion dollar pop sensation Miley Cyrus. (for more photo evidence see here).

As can be expected this photo has caused some controversy and a lot of debate not only in the entertainment blogosphere (with perez hilton and gawker being surprisingly sensitive in a turn from usual behavior) but also in the Asian American community and among my friends.

At first, my initial reaction to the photo was not one of outrage or insult. Because frankly, this is an image and a gesture that I have seen many many times in my life, in person, or depicted on screens. Even friends of mine have been guilty of it, so I am well aware that the gesture has been executed in a harmless manner with no malintent.

Yet at the same time, I have seen this gesture many times used (whether towards me or others) in a discriminatory manner, and while I may have let it slide among friends, I cannot let Miley Cyrus get away with it without any accountability. She as a prominent public figure with hundreds of thousands of young impressionable fans who look up to her who make think that from this incident this gesture is not only socially acceptable, but funny, or god forbid, cool.

Because let's be frank, the humor behind this imitation is antiquated and laced with a tumultuous racial history. It perpetuates stereotypes that all Asians have small eyes, and is an depiction that has roots in the Chinese Exclusion period of the late 19th century where characterizations of Chinese people as slanty eyed and buck toothed were used to transform Chinese immigrants into something foreign, other-worldly, and inhuman. These illustrations became propaganda that was used to legitimize excluding Chinese persons from employment opportunities, public schooling, scoial services, and ultimately even from immigrating the United States altogether in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which is the only act in American history that has ever specifically barred one ethnic group for entry into the United States.

While I was initially hesitant to endorse a vocal position by the Asian American community against Miley Cyrus (because let's face it, she's something of a Goliath in the entertainment industry), in hindsight I realize it was the right thing to do.

I do not think Miley Cyrus is racist. However I do think this photo represents how common Asian stereotypes are today and how these depictions are often overlooked compared to other groups because the Asian American community fails to speak out against them. Yellow face and over the line Asian stereotypes are much more common and socially accepted than other depictions because there is rarely a voice pointing out the inaccuracy of them. These images pose a threat to become the seeds of discrimination for future generations as failure to take a position would set a dangerous precedent for accepting discriminatory acts and gestures towards the Asian American community.

I do not find Miley's gesture inherently offensive because I cannot interpret the intent behind it, although I surmise it was a misguided attempt at humor than at racism. However that does not cancel out the number of times the gesture has been used as racial mockery and hopefully this incident will bring to light that overlooked discrimination.

What has offended me is the comments left on all these stories. Thus far this has mostly been on online news story, circulating in the whirlwind tornado speed of the blogosphere. Although I understand the veil of anonymous commenting allows many to reveal prejudices they would otherwise keep under wraps, it honestly shocked me how appaling some of the comments were. Many quote the stereotypes I have faced my whole life like truth making me doubt my previous hopes for progress. Whether it was people surprised that the "docile Asians" are speaking out, or asserting "it is a physical characteristic of our group, therefore not offensive" those comments only prove we were right to speak out.

Because as long as discrimination exists, we must and should be a loud voice against it. For if we don't we not only reinforce every stereotype but imply this kind of behavior and prejudice is acceptable so that those considering offenses more serious than Miley's will be less afraid of the repercussions.

The Year in Review

I realize that this blog is pretty much dead as I've been MIA for a semester due to a combination of taking 19 hours (never again, a very bad idea), working 2 jobs, and doing too many extra curriculars (again, I repeat, never again) and the fact that I have had horrible luck with computers this year. My Toshiba labtop has had so many Blue Screens of Death (whenever you move it really, which doesn't bode well), and then I was using my dad's old Toshiba which won't start up. So now I'm on a new tiny lenovo labtop, at least until my dad takes the other two computers back to China to get them fixed at which I'll trade him so he can take this newer one to conferences. But anyways now is time to revive this blog again, just in time for the general new year's eve rehash to summarize the year's events and propose some resolutions for next year.

This was the year...

of Obama.
As every major magazine or newspaper will attest, 2008 will be defined and remembered as the year Obama was elected. While I feel lucky to have been in DC at a very politically active campus while all the madness was happening, I have to admit I got election fatigue pretty early on. Although the introduction of Palin breathed some life into the most epic election ever, I have to admit I was probably one of the least excited of my friends to vote. This was because regardless of voting in DC or Texas, my vote was insignificant which didn't really inspire much civic participation on my part, compared to voting in the primaries and caucusing which was a much more exciting experience. In general I think absentee voting is less exciting and feels less procedural. But my dissatisfaction with the American electoral system only just further solidified my interest in international politics.

Regardless, the fact that Obama could be elected helps restore some of my faith in Americans that I've progressively lost over the past 8 years and I will remember election night for the rest of my life. Only thing now is to see if Obama can face the challenges before him, and to be frank, I'm not sure he is ready to deal with them, not that anyone is really ready to, but he's inherited a lion's share of problems that have very few obvious , easy, or politically popular solutions.

of the Olympics.
Before Obama, there was the Olympics. Since 2001, my family, my extended relatives, and the Chinese government have been eagerly/anxiously anticipating the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been in Beijing for all the madness, the flurry build up of preparation for the Games, the majestic and astounding Opening Ceremonies, to China's successful quest for the most gold medals. Unfortunately, school schedule meant I missed the closing ceremonies, but from what I have heard it failed to even touch the opening ceremonies. Like the election, I got Olympics fatigue while I was in China before the games had began. It's only natural, when you hear the Olympic welcoming song everywhere and at least 50% of the news is devoted to the Olympics, whether its Chinese preparation for the games or foreign countries' criticism or the back story of individual athletes. But once the games began I was mesmerized. I was watching sporting events all the time, including sports I had never known existed before the Olympics. Suddenly wrapped up in all the excitement I began to memorize atheletes' names, stats, back stories, and was constantly out at bars to find crowds to cheer with.

There is no sporting event equal to the Olympics, not just in number of extremely talented atheletes, but in the passion of the audiences who have flown half way across the world in dedication to a sport, a family member, or a countryman. But more than that I was in shock and awe of Beijing. That they pulled it off. From the amazingly intricate architecture which for the most part managed to blend into the Beijing skyline well and not look like a foreign transplant, to the lack of any major mishap, it definitely was a success as the biggest negative news story was just the tiny gymnasts. I had expected the Olympics to also be a flurry of protests--an opportunity for the world to air their grievances against China while the world was watching--but despite all the dramatic build up, Sudan and Tibet where hardly mentioned once the games actually began. Therefore I will remember 2008 as the year that I and the world, started to look at China in a different light. The Olympics was China's huge and ridiculously expensive coming out party, but it is one that will be difficult for London, or any future city, to match, nevertheless top.

I changed my major.
I said goodbye to economics by switching from international political economy to international politics and surprised pretty much everyone, all my family and my friends, but least of all myself. For while economics won't be in my major, it'll be in my classes, just on my terms. Ipol gives me the freedom to choose what classes I want to take-- like health care economics, developmental economics, international financial markets-- while IPEC forces me to take econ stats, econometrics, peco 201, which involve more nitty gritty math, theory, and micro-econ focus than I want or need. One thing I learned this summer is I'm not going into finance (long before the impending crisis) or getting an econ Phd, so it serves no purpose for me to know the intricacies of economic modeling. With international politics, came law school, specifically international law within which I'm interested in international environmental law and international trade law. While struggling with the decision took me ages, now it seems so much more comfortable, and my schedule so much more exciting now that I've switched. of the monster known as the financial crisis. Ironically, although I said goodbye to economics in my major it managed to have a greater presence in my life this year with the financial crisis. From going to conferences with my dad, to the increased flurry of articles he would send me, to winter break which we discuss the impending economic doom every day, economics has seemingly invaded my life. I don't know if I have financial crisis fatigue yet so much as financial crisis depression. As in, the more articles or data I read, the more I talk to my dad, the more I am depressed about the state of the world economy. Needless to say this is a good time to be in school and the state of the economy made it easier for me to decide on law school to avoid reality and job hunting for as long as possible.

of no piano.
Compared to the past couple of years the biggest thing in my life missing in 2008 was piano. While I used to be really sad about it, and to an extent I still mourn the piano pieces I can no longer play or will never get the chance to play, I've surprisingly made my peace with it. A lot of it has had to do with getting involved in other things so I have something to put where piano used to be. So while hearing Ballade number 1 yesterday tugged a little at my heart strings and I have my moments when I wonder what my life would be like if I was studying piano or if piano still played a part in my life, I've learned to live a life where music or an upcoming competition wasn't a focus and while it is different, it has been just as good, and arguably, even more busy.

8.8.08!

Yesterday was by far one of the most auspicious days we'll ever encounter, so I hope you all went out and did something with the lucky like buy a lottery ticket or something. The reason it is considered lucky by Chinese standards is that the Chinese character for eight (八) is pronounced ba1, which sounds like fa1 （发）and 发财 means to get rich and get wealthy. Chinese people are heavily superstitious, so when faced with decisions like buying a house, a car, or a phone number, how lucky the number is will come into play. For example, purchasing the Chinese phone number 8888-8888 costs around $270,000 US! The cheapest numbers are the ones with the most fours because four （四）is pronounced si4 which sounds like 死 (si3) which means to die. My chinese phone number here has 3 fours in it alone (I'm cheap, what can you say) although there's one 8 if that evens it out.

So that explains why China, fortunate enough to hold the 08 olympics, began the ceremonies on 8.8.08 at exactly 8:08 pm. And I have to say, it was amazing and blew away all my expectations.

Specifically for the occasion my father bought a new high definition television (as for him, the Olympics in China is a once in a lifetime seemingly impossible experience) so I'm confident in saying I might of had a better viewing time than those in the Bird's Nest as I didn't have to deal with the heat, humidity, or the pollution. I think it was a little disappointing that the skies were the all to familiar shade of Beijing gray, considering the amount of effort that was put into it. Beginning July 2oth, a pollution crunch down began. Work stopped at all construction site, mines, chemical plants in Beijing (except for the CCTV tower). Factories were required to cut emissions by 30%, neighboring cities Tianjing and Tangshan closed hundreds of factories. Government traffic was cut by 70% and private cars were divided into even and odd numbers so that if your license plate ended in an even number you could only drive on an even numbered day, and vice versa which was supposed to cut down on traffic.

While these measures did wonders for the Sino African summit in 2006, according to my dad skies were blue then and most of the roads were free I think they've had a limited affect here. I have seen maybe a couple days of blue skies (a first for Beijing which resulted in much excitement on my part) but other than that there have been limited effects. Public transportation such as buses and taxis have increased, as has bike traffic. While during non-rush hours there are significantly less cars on the road rush hours are still as bad. A day after the traffic measures had been enacted I was on a bus stuck in traffic so bad it took us 50 minutes to move one stop (keep in mind I probably could of walked this distance in 20 minutes). Our bus driver was in the inside lane and wouldn't let people off which started a semi riot on our bus of people late for work and appointments and took the opportunity to scream at the bus driver. Furthermore, on the actual day of the opening ceremonies everyone had the day off so as time got closer to the evening, private cars were few and far between.

My assumption is this 1) there significantly more cars than in 2006 so it has a limited impact and 2) Beijing traffic is normally so bad that rush hours doesn't really apply in some areas (rush-days we call em) and 3) to enforce these traffic measure the number of policemen patrolling areas has increased which means people are less likely to violate traffic rules, so everyone drives slower and more cautiously which doesn't really help to alleviate things. Also, this just may show the pollution has gotten to the point where short term solutions don't work. However, these measures will be in effect until the end of the Paraolympics on September 20th so I expect better results towards the end of the Olympics or the end of August.

Now, onto the actual ceremonies. They blew away my expectations, as they should have, for while the official estimate is not being revealed, it ranges from $100 million to $300 million for the opening cermonies alone, and seeing as Athens came in at $44 million it is obviously expected that China's be more impressive. My only wonder is if London will try to top China and outspend them (a hefty task) or just settle for second best. The whole ceremony was very mystical and magical, it was impossible to anticipate what was going to happen next, what was digital machine and what was man and a seamless integration of Chinese history, culture, art with modern technology.

Surprisingly absent were the Fuwas (China's olympic mascots) as well as references to more modern Chinese history and culture (communist or otherwise) but I think what surprised me is how despite the use of many modern gismos, how organic it all came across. The music was composed by Tan Dun, a Chinese composer most famous for scoring Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Hero. He recently had an opera, Tea, open at the National Theater in Beijing which heavily used the natural sounds of water dropping and paper ripping in the score (I wonder what the sheet music looks like) so its no surprise that in many cases the music was unobtrusive, using natural sounds and ancient Chinese instruments so as not to overpower the performance.

I think it is easy to see Director Zhang Yi Mou's influence because it definitely felt like he was telling a story. Using the painting and scrolls as an on going theme to demonstrate some of the more famous elements of ancient Chinese history and culture he painted a portrait of China from an artistic perspective, but it evolved. My favorite segment by far was the printing press of characters. In part due to my obsession the the development of language, I thought it was an unbelieveable display. My father and I were debating if it was man or machine in the blocks but to discover it was men (if you noticed, the gender of the majority of opening ceremonies performers cough cough)--I was completely surprised. No doubt many of the elements of the ceremonies demonstrated China's impeccable discipline (reminscent of North Korea's Mass Games) to coordinate what were usually a group of 2008 performers, but I think to perform while in a block and thereby having your view of your neighbor restricted is even more difficult.

While some parts I think would have little significance for foreign viewers unfamiliar with Chinese history and art, the spectacle of the drummers and the martial artists won't be forgotten by anyone. Also, hard to miss was the theme of a green Olympics and a peaceful Olympics. The final song (a dud, I think, compared to Welcome to Beijing/北京欢迎你 although I may be biased because I've heard that song so many times while I've been here) was performed on a green globe (my favorite, and the least gimmicky of the modern gismos), the chinese characters made by the blocks were for peace. All 56 Chinese minorities were present in full form to present unity, and the peace dove (bad chinese to english translation of 和平鸽) made multiple appearances in the light formation or in the arms of the final dancers.

Many people I've talked to have echoed their sentiments. Before China wanted a 热闹 Olympics (there's no real english equivalent for this word, but can be equated with bustling with activity, a kind of crowded excitement fervor is how I describe it), but now they just want a 平安奥运 (a peaceful and safe Olympics). Be in bombs in the airports, the incident in Xin Jiang that killed 16 officers or the constant threats, be it peaceful protests or attacks, I think most are genuinely scared that something bad is going to happen. Most of my relatives are afraid for me and don't want me to take public transportation because they worry for my safety. My worry varies, I think the security measures are immense, and Chinese people in general always are concerned about the "what ifs" so have taken every possible precaution. But I expect something to happen during the Olympics. Not a terrorist attack per say, that's a worst case scenario situation. But I expect there to be an incident with protesters and it turn into a he said she said story with the Chinese media on one side and the Western media on another. That is just an indication of cultural difference of how protesters are viewed. In the US, even if you don't agree with them they have a right to be there. In China there is no idea of this intrinsic right and they are considered trouble makers equivalent to those who disrupt the domestic piece.

I also don't worry because under my best efforts, I can pass for a local Chinese (or at least go under the radar) with my language skills and if I dress in a less American way. Hopefully this incident of an American tourist getting killed will be the only one of its kind. However, I think it can be seen in the attendance that many foreign tourist are afraid also. I think this year more than ever the Olympic audience (just look at the opening ceremonies) have less foreign participation and more local participation than ever before. I think its not only because China has a huge population but because the government has done a lot to make sure the average citizen has a chance at seeing the Olympics with heavily heavily subsidized tickets (which explains how we have tickets for a front row tennis competition that cost 100 yuan which is approximately $14 US).

But I think for China, those little bumps of problems are only small imperfections. I was in China when it was announced that the Olympics would be held in Beijing. The celebrations then were already so ecstatic that in the minds of the Chinese people, they've already won something more precious than any gold medal. They see the honor of holding the Olympics as being viewed equally with developed countries and their Western peers and they have been willing to put extravagant amounts of time, money and man power into creating a spectacle that will impress anyone. If the Opening Ceremonies are any indication, they have already succeeded. Hopefully everything else goes just as smoothly and spectacularly.

中国加油！奥运加油！

I'm Alive!

Okay, okay, I realize I've been in Beijing for ...wow, a month already and there has been very little internet/skype activity out of me, but Beijing has been a blast and has kept me really busy. I usually have little time to even get on my computer nevertheless write but the Olympics is motivating me to make sure I keep a good record of things going on.

What have I been up to in the last month? It's hard to keep track because I feel like I've done a lot and very little at the same time. I worked for a conference for the top 100 finance/econ students in China focusing on Chinese countryside finance reform and became close with a bunch of them. The conference meant I did a lot of touristy things--went to the National Theater, the Great Wall, Rear Lakes. I've been to the countryside (and I use this term loosely because they were developed towns, not completely rural) near Beijing twice. I periodically up with fellow Georgetowners, old Beijing friends, high school friends, and usually have to rest the next day after an intense night out. I go to PKU (Peking University) a lot with my dad or to meet friends. I also go to the market to buy fresh vegetables, cook and clean (who would of thought?) so I kind of know how it feels to be a Chinese housewife. Every now and again I get dragged to dinner with my dad, his colleagues and/or some accomplished economists/business and I've gotten caught up in a couple Asian drama on tv. I spend a lot of time in Wudaokou， an area that's pretty much like a University district for foreigners as its close to PKU and Qing Hua and a ton of visitors/interners/study abroad students so it has good foreign food, cheap bars and clubs and KTV, so pretty much the works. A later post will be devoted to Haidian which has two of the biggest bookstores in Beijing because its right by PKU and Qing Hua (the Harvard and MIT of China, respectively) and is by far my favorite place to kill time during the day if I had two hours off of the conference meant for lunch and napping (a common Chinese past time I wish was adopted by the US) or if my dad has business at his office.

Having listed it all I feel fairly unaccomplished mainly because there's so many more places in Beijing I want to go and so many more things I want to do and I only have 10 days left. Most of those are going to be taken up by Olympics. Watching at home, at bars near by, or tomorrow I'm going to a newly opened place that is a 3 level sports bar/ restaurant/ hip hop club all in one and has 64 plasma screens. We have tickets to tennis, handball, and some kind of rowing that's in a leather boat? (I'm not that familiar with the sport, but that's a vague translation of the Chinese name). We're working on ping pong tickets, and if luck swings my way I might get gymnastics. Unfortunately, because I leave the 20th, I won't get to see a bunch of events my dad got for afterwards, and those should be amazing because they're finals, not prelims.

From the 13th to the 16th I'm going to be in Chengdu to visit relatives. Part of me is scared because my extended family in Chengdu is intense. That's where my mom's side of the family all lives (except for her, of course) and that includes her 6 brothers and sisters, all of whom have husbands and wives, all of whom have kids (the number depending on how far the one child policy had been implemented, it starts at 4 and slowly decreases down to 1), and at this point, most of my cousins are married and have their own kids (because they're around my sister's age). I am the extreme baby of the family and family gatherings in Chengdu are crazy enough, but this time I'm going by myself and I'm afraid of having to fend of the questions/criticisms etc. Because when we have dinner and everyone shows up, its pretty much like a small army of overprotective Chinese mothers who want to know everything about you and keep adding food to your plate. Without my parents and sister to form a protective shield my only defense plan is to pretend I don't understand what they're saying when I get overwhelmed.

The rest of me is really excited to go though. One of my closest friends in the conference lives there and we're going to hang out for 2 of the 3 days I'm there. Also, I love Sichuan food and have rarely eating spicy food in the Beijing because 1) Chinese food in the north is kind of bland (by my standards anyways) and 2) my dad's stomach problems means he can't anything really salted, nevertheless anything spicy. I worry because I haven't eaten anything spicy in a while if I'll be able to handle it but every time I go to Chengdu every meal is memorable (it says something that I can remember distinct meals from when I last went four years ago). Also things in Chengdu are really really cheap. China is cheaper than the US already, but things in Chengdu are a whole level cheaper than Shanghai and Beijing, and things are also more fashionable because its in the south and gets a lot of influence from Hong Kong. I'll also go see the special Panda area (Chengdu is famous for its pandas) and they've apparently just had two newborn Pandas! Although newborn pandas tend to look like pink rats at first by the time I get there hopefully they've progressed to the semi furry guinea pig stage.

Anyways, I'll do my best in the ensuing days to blog/take pictures for my last 10 days in China. I am going to miss it like crazy, but fortunately, I know I'll be back.

Asian Fusion?

So the other night my brother-in-law was craving mexican food so we went down to Alki Beach (a 3 block walk away) to go to Casa Feliz (located at 2620 Alki Ave SW). I was surprised that they decided to take me to mexican food due to the extreme availability of good mexican food at home, so I went with low expectations and little appetite. My sister, however, told me to remain optimistic, and not until we got there did I realize why.

...The Chef was Chinese.

Yes, only in Seattle will the chef of a Mexican restaurant be Chinese, as opposed to back home in Austin, when at most Chinese restaurants you'd be hard pressed to find a chef who wasn't Mexican.

Apparently, all the waitresses used to be Chinese, but the owner switched up the authenticity by hiring a Mexican staff and placing enough Mexican cultural items to make it seem artificial. A painting of a donkey here, a poncho there, a sombrero here, it reminds me of other restaurants that try to be Asian by buying random "cultural" items for decoration. For example, P.F. Changs, which goes for the upscale Chinese restaurant yet randomly places giant terracotta soldiers inside (something Chinese people would never do, as those terracotta soldiers are from a tomb, therefore symbolize death, and most people don't like death and bad luck with their dinner) and giant horse sculptures outside, which is just inaccurate, as they are usually lions instead as lions were considered lucky (hence their appearances on new year) and scare away bad luck, while horses to Chinese people were just a means of transportation.

Anyways, at Casa Feliz my sister ordered something that was essentially supposed to be a chicken fajita sans tortillas-- just imagine chicken, peppers, etc, and she said she ordered it because it was essentially sweet and sour chicken. When it came out, it definitely looked and tasted the part. My sister continually referred to it as her stir fry which my brother in law found hilarious and the staff found peculiar.

But that's what it was. Chinese food in Mexican food clothing.

Felicity Wang, the enterprising member of the Taiwan
Chamber of Commerce who opened Casa Feliz (pictured)
when she realized there weren't any Mexican restaurants
on Alki Beach.

Right now I'm in Seattle visiting my sister/babysitting my two nephews Justin (on the left) who's almost 2 and Kevin (on the right) who's almost 4 months. They're definitely a handful, Kevin weighs like 17 pounds (he's big for his age) and I spend most of the day carrying him which has taken a toll on my arms.

If not carrying kevin, I am resident entertainer. Justin runs around and plays with toys and talks which means he's more fun, but more tiring. I read books to him, make origami, we play basketball (I know, he's barking up the wrong tree, and I had forgotten how bad I was at shooting until I tried), feed him, make faces, teach him what things are in english, chinese, and sometimes japanese and french for kicks. My mom also wants me to teach him to play something on the piano and some history as well as some map of the modern world knowledge (when I told her what the class/studying entailed, she decided I needed to pass all that knowledge onto my nephew...right), so it's a pretty full plate. He's a quick learner and has good pronunciation of everything although the 2 chinese words he's really mastered so far are "Ai Ya" so that doesn't really come into much practical use except for the fact that I say it whenever he makes a mess, so now he likes to destroy lego creations and then say it, for kicks.

These two means my day begins at 7 am which has been pretty painful but it's getting better thanks to being on Seattle time and it bodes well for forcing me to have a sleep schedule after the last 3 weeks of school which were just a shit show for sleep. But all that's over now, and a distant memory. My freshman year of college is over, which is crazy because I feel like it happened in a blink of an eye.

While a lot of residual knowledge is still there from cramming for finals-- like various facts about the History of China or Map of the Modern World--now instead my brain has started regressing because I talk like a two year old to my nephews. The songs that have been stuck in my head recently include "I'm a little Teapot" and "Old McDonald Had a Farm," but regardless, "domesticated" life has been good, while it is tiring it has its relaxing moments and it comes with the benefit of getting dimsum, sushi and coffee for free (courtesy of big sis), and the way seattle is, I've been having like 3 coffee drinks a day as there are coffee shops everywhere. Plus the coffee helps me keep up with the kids :) While being an Aunt is the antithesis of pretty much all things i've done over the school year, its a refreshing change of pace. And the change of place is pretty nice too, as DC is cold and Austin is the high 90s seattle is hovering in the perfect 70s-80s range. I <3 the West Coast.

An ABC in the PRC

So I am beyond excited about my summer plans. I'm going to be in China from 7/08-8/20 and here are the plans that I have so far.

- Olympics (of course)
My dad's getting us tickets, and while I'll miss the tail end of the Olympics (they end the 24th), as long as I get into opening ceremonies, gymnastics and diving I'm good.

- Auditing some courses at 北大(Peking University)
I'm thinking Japanese, which might actually be better than taking it at Georgetown because they assume you know kanji (chinese characters) and will focus on the differences between Chinese and Japanese. There will probably be Econ courses, and I'm hoping to sit on a Film course, a History course, as well as pick up some practice hours on the piano.

- Visiting Hong Kong
I think I'm going to go to HK for my birthday (7/27) for a week that way Alex and Nancy (friends from HK at Georgetown) can help me celebrate the big 1-9 (yay for no carding in China) as opposed to whatever my father and I would do (aka nothing). I've never been to Hong Kong before, and because of Alex and Nancy I won't have to do the boring, expensive tourist thing and can do the exciting, cheap, local things.

- Visiting Relatives
This isn't anything out of the ordinary and is required every time I go to China. This means Shanghai and Chengdu, good food, and belated graduation money, so it's all good.

- Photography
My non-China summer plans involve working a lot. Not only to save up money for fall semester, to pay for my excursion to Hong Kong and spending money, but also because I want to get a really nice camera. Taking photos for the Voice has spoiled me as I've gotten used to nice cameras and nice lenses (including a ridiculously heavy and ridiculously awesome zoom lens), so I want one to take with me on my trip as I plan on taking lots of photos, and hopefully good ones too. And I will start a flickr.

- Blogging/Writing
Of course! China travels will be heavily documented. There are only a couple obstacles. First, internet availability is scare and when I do find it its ridiculously slow. Second, blogspot will probably be blocked while I'm in China although I'm looking for ways around that. Third, I'm going to try to document things in both languages, although it may end up being Chinglish, but that's part of my personal side goal to get more fluency in Chinese although I've already passed SFS proficiency, and to learn some Shanghainese from a friend (I'm teaching him Mandarin in exchange).

-Hang out with everyone that's in China
Honestly, this is a lot more people that I anticipated. Whether its family friends, friends from Georgetown, or friends from home, I feel like everyone I know that is Chinese or is interested in China is going to be in China this summer. It's probably going to be a clusterfuck of people, as Beijing is crowded enough without the thousands of tourists/athletes/translators that are coming but I hope we'll all make it through.

Whether the Olympics end up a success or a mass of protests (I can add it to my list of protests I've covered), I'm excited.
And to share a little more excitement, I've got some politically incorrect love from the Daily Show, including adorable Chinese kids!

A Forbidden Pairing?

When I first heard that Jet Li and Jackie Chan were going to be in the same movie I was ecstatic. It's pretty much every martial arts movie lover's dream, although I wasn't sure if the big screen would be big enough to hold them both. However, this pairing comes, of course, only when both are past their prime a little bit. In Forbidden Kingdom, there are glimpses of stunt doubles, which would never have happened some 10 years ago. Now they have elaborate costumes (or in Jackie Chan's case, dreads) to hide their aging flaws and to make the use of doubles easier, although I don't think their star glow has faded at all.

The disappointment of Forbidden Kingdom comes in the inclusion of another "star" (I use this word loosely), Michael Angarano(see right). His body of work includes such highlights as Sky High and guest roles in 24 and Will and Grace, so he is obviously the least experienced of the three. He spends most of the movie, as the picture suggests, battling with Chan and Li for screen time, and he just fails to measure up. Chosen for his innocent white boy good looks, he spends most of the movie with a look of bewilderment on his face, which is the only look he really masters well. He attempts anger, sadness, and even that ever-so-cool-martial-arts stare down, with little to no success. Most are contortions of possible constipation.

Angarano's role in the film is of the "white boy who wants to learn kung fu" (as described in the film) and I feel like he's a projection of John Fusco, the writer of The Forbidden Kingdom. Fusco apparently has the advanced rank of Red Sash in Shaolin Kung Fu and obviously is an avid fan of martial arts and kung fu movies to be able to throw around terms like Buddha Palm, No Shadow Kick, and Drunken Fist (a reference to Chan's famous film Drunken Master). Fusco has even picked up on quite a bit of Chinese culture as he integrates characters such as the Jade Emperor, the Monkey King (孙悟空!) and Lu Yan into the film. Though they may sound like caricatures, they're actually from Chinese mythology, famous Chinese literature, or Chinese history. There's even a shout out in the opening credits to a character from my childhood story time, 猪八戒 (zhu ba jie, a pig who does martial arts and is always brining Sun Wu Kong down).

Fusco does not seem to care much for accuracy, as this alternate kingdom Jason (Angarano's character) travels to looks like an amalgamation of all the ancient Chinese dynasties in the costumes and architecture, yet all the characters either speak perfect mandarin or English. But once you get past those inaccuracies, you realize that Fusco isn't trying to create a legitimate martial arts movie (probably because he realizes he isn't capable of creating one), but instead a modern redo of the Wizard of Oz.

Jason is Dorthy, the Jade Emperor is the Wizard, the Jade Warlord with his terrifying blue eyeshadow is the Wicked Witch of the West who dissolves instead of melting, the Good Witch is the Monkey King, etc etc. And for the most part he succeeds. Jason's home is a place where he is bullied and takes refuge in his shrine to martial arts movies instead of facing the real world, while the Forbidden Kingdom is a magical place where he finally fulfills his martial arts dreams. Although Jason doesn't have ruby slippers, he has "the gate of no gate" (if this is a reference to something, I'm missing it) as a way home, only this time, he doesn't find out that it's only a dream, but instead a dream come true as he can use his new kung fu prowess to deal with his bullies.

Fusco lives out his dreams in this movie, where anyone can become a Karate Kid. The sense of adventure is there, so are the exciting fight scenes and the movie's rapid fire pace means it never lags. Chan and Li each pick up two roles in the film, and both attempt a good amount of comedy for their roles. While this isn't new territory for Chan, this is the most animated and silly I've seen Li (especially as the hairy, and for some reason, blond Monkey King who looks nothing like the typical illustrations), which is a nice change of pace from his usual serious and largely blank stare. Unfortunately, Li's comedic timing isn't as honed as Chan, and most of his jokes fall a little flat while Chan manages to keep all ages in the audience roaring.

Ultimately, the Forbidden Kingdom is a fun romp that will be popular with young boys and its family friendly tone will keep it at #1 at the box office this week. While this wasn't the epitome of a martial arts movie as I had hoped it would be when I heard of Li and Chan's pairing, the reality is, Li and Chan are at the point to where they can no longer make legendary martial arts films, and that's probably the main reason they decided to work together. Surprisingly, I found the fluff of Forbidden Kingdom to be fulfilling. I was laughing throughout the film, although some of those jokes were undoubtedly unintentional and borderline parodies. Yet as an homage to martial arts movies and "white boys who want to learn kung fu" everywhere, it succeeds. And as long as you can suspend your disbelief and embrace your inner wonder and curiosity, you will find the Forbidden Kingdom a journey worth taking too.

Giving a fuck about the Oxford Comma.

So today was the day for Voice Elections. Its a long, entertaining but tedious process where we vote in people for all the positions on the board, come up with columns, column names, and columnists as well as vote in constitutional changes.

The person being voted in sits in the green chair and gets asked all kind of questions-- the serious, the pointed, the pointless, and the in-jokes. For the fun questions, most are asked in the form of "If the Voice was a collection of _______, which would you be?" Such as, if the Voice was a collection of Beer Slogans/Buffy Characters/Adverbs, which would you be? (just to give a few examples). Elections were a little sparsely attended this year compared to others, and the missing seniors had a huge impact on things. Although we finished ridiculously early-- 5:30 I think, which must be a record, probably because we did so many elections yesterday.

So now I'm officially assistant leisure editor, and this upcoming week is going to be hell. Not only do I have a lot of school work (a paper, a problem set, many missed readings, and need to start studying for finals), we have to fill 3 pages this week (as opposed to the normal 2) and there's nothing going on. We'll have the drinking column, One for the Road, and the music column, Beat it. there are no plays, the only movies out are Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 88 minutes, and the Forbidden Kingdom. I feel like nothing's going on in DC too.

Also, we decided to officially add the Oxford Comma to the Voice constitution. Believe it or not, this amendment passed almost unanimously, as we all agreed that the Oxford Comma not only makes sense, but its what we were raised on, and what we feel the need to either edit into pieces or feel wrong editing out of them.

All in all, I feel like our elections are still more exciting than The Paper's, which is a new MTV reality TV show about a high school paper that is absolutely delicious. I'll grant you, their elections were more dramatic because its decided by a faculty sponsor, but while there's had build up music, ours had alcohol! and cookies! So I think its an even swipe. But yeah the "in-chief" of The Paper is this highly obnoxious girl named Amanda, who says, "Journalists are like...the most important people in the world." Needless to say, this show is hilarious, and filled with much more drama than Frontline's documentary about a college newspaper. But I'm sure everyone would contend that the Voice definitely has enough drama to merit its own show.

MTV, here we come?