This piece is dedicated to my two friends. We worked together senior year of high school to complete a group project of building a model. It seems like we have chose different paths and moved onto different opportunites and careers, but I truthfully hope we will remain in contact and remember everything we shared. The first two stanzas are for one friend and Stanza 4 and 5 are for the other friend. To you, my friends!
It seems just like yesterday,
When you came to the US,
And we became friends immediately,
We talked and laughed
At our secret jokes.
You didn't know much English,
But you were hardworking and willing to learn,
You studied hard and got
All the grades you deserved,
Then, we moved on for a few years.
We met back in high school,
It seems like middle school,
Never came between us.
Senior year, we worked on a project.
Winter break at my house...
It seems just like yesterday,
When you sat next to me,
In math class,
And we were
Laughing at the teacher behind his back.
You didn't know
How to solve the problems
I laughed at you
So you threw paper balls at me,
And I glared at you.
Architecture classes
Came at the end of our schedules
We laughed and talked like
There was no tomorrow
Everyday.
Friends, my dear friends,
I will always remember
The winter break we spent
Working on a project,
Building a model,
Which we could not have done without each other.
Now, just promise me
That we will
Remember the memories,
The laughter we shared, the jokes we told, and
The friendship between the three of us.
Dear friends.
Monday 27 June 2011
Creative Writing -- Chinese Phone Calls
I have noticed that whenever I have a Chinese conversation on the phone with another person, the last few seconds are always pointless in the phone call. It's always like "Oh, Aw, Ok, Good then, Oh, Ok, Ok, Bye". So counting back at the words, or rather pointless phrases, the two of us, I and the other person on the line have just wasted three to five seconds of our life.
The overall conversation during the phone call is great. We get to talk or discuss everything that is necessary, or the point of making the phone call. But, it is just the last few seconds that kills the entire phone call. It is the pointless five seconds before we say "Bye!" and hang up.
But, why is it only Chinese phone calls? Is it because we add other phrases to our daily language in the first place, such as "Ok la"? Perhaps...
The overall conversation during the phone call is great. We get to talk or discuss everything that is necessary, or the point of making the phone call. But, it is just the last few seconds that kills the entire phone call. It is the pointless five seconds before we say "Bye!" and hang up.
But, why is it only Chinese phone calls? Is it because we add other phrases to our daily language in the first place, such as "Ok la"? Perhaps...
Wednesday 15 June 2011
Teddy Bears
How many teddy bears do you own? I love teddy bears.
Seeing that my bucket of clay from last year is still here, and ready to use, I decided to make a teddy bear. It's just not as cute as the real ones though.
Somewhere Along the Rainbow
When was the last time you saw a rainbow, or better of the question, have you ever seen a rainbow? We were always taught that the colors of the rainbow were ROYGBIV, initialing for Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. But, have you ever seen a rainbow of that vibrant spectrum?
I've probably seen the rainbow, once or twice before and it is definitely not an easy view to catch. People often say the rainbow brings in good luck.
So, are we supposed to make a wish upon the next time we spot a rainbow? Or should we find the end of the rainbow and find the leprechaun's pot of gold?
While we are waiting for the next rainbow somewhere along the line, why don't we make a wish now?
*Photographs have not been retouched.
Snoopy and Woodstock
Where has the childhood days gone of watching Snoopy and Woodstock, the two cartoon characters that are simple, yet cute?
I also remember Snoopy and the whole group of friends. Whenever Thanksgiving or Christmas was near, the TV always aired a Snoopy special to celebrate the holidays. But, that has long been gone. Those days of childhood.
Medium:
Cover: Acrylics and Markers
Inside: Markers and Colorpencils
Wednesday 8 June 2011
Children of Invention Movie Review
So, I was watching TVa few weeks ago -- pretty late into the night, and I came upon PBS's airing of Children of Invention. When I first encountered the movie, I did not know what to expect -- perhaps a simple PBS movie, plain and boring.
But then, I saw Asians, and Chinese in particular. A little girl, a young boy and a mother. I checked the movie time slot: 1:00 to 2:30. Ok, fine, I'll stay up and finish watching it.
REVIEW:
The plot revolves around a woman, Elaine Cheng, who came to the States as an international student and stayed in the US with an expired working visa. She later married and had two kids, Raymond and Tina. Because she couldn't afford the house they lived in, due to the reason that she and her husband are divorced and she has two children to raise. Her ex-husband has not been paying child support up to date as well. Then, her boss, a man who owns a real estate company brings her to live in an illegal residence near Boston. It is a large building that is still under construction, however, everything is running fine, except for the phone, due to it still being under construction with supposedly no people allowed to occupy the building. The mother is trying her best to run and support her children, selling products, which were not always sucessful, such as beauty products and vitamin supplements.
The mother comes upon a woman by the name of Betty, who seems to live a glamourous life, in a mansion, and has kids that have any toy possible. However, Betty is actually the one behind the whole pyramid scheme. Betty invites people over to persuade them to join 'Gold Rep' which will cost $2500 to join as a one time membership fee. Then, the member will be able to sell products under the company as well as selling memberships to other people. Betty guarantees that within the first week, Elaine will receive her payments in forms of checks.
Elaine joins although she can barely meet the needs of her family. She continues to sell memberships to other people and without knowing she has been caught in a deadly trap. One morning, she appears in a conference room, but finds that no one from 'Gold Rep' is there. She goes to find Betty, of which two men chase her down to the streets and bring her to the police. Her children does not know what has happened as Elaine has not come home for two days.
Raymond and Tina decide to go to Boston to withdraw money from the bank in Boston. But, by the time they reach the bank, it has already closed and they must wait for the next morning. They decide to stay over at their great-uncle's house for the night in Boston Chinatown. The next morning, they take money from Raymond's bank account and go back to their illegal residence. They buy supplies to build their inventions to sell to kids.
Meanwhile in jail, Elaine finds out from two other Asian women, whom she had met at Betty's party that this 'Gold Rep' thing is all a scam. The two women, American citizens, tell Elaine that every once in a while, police bring them to jail to investigate. After they get out, they change the name of the company and start brand new.
Shortly after, Social Services discover the two kids in their illegal apartment and talks to them. The person in charge of the case is amazed by Raymond's invention, a spagetti spinner that sells for $10 regularly, but for him, $5. Elaine seeks a lawyer and gets out of jail. She renuites with Raymond and Tina. The ending is rather vague, with Elaine promising she will make things better.
Main Characters:
Elaine Cheng: She is seen as a caring mother at times, but she is selfish at other times. Her products have not always sold sucessfully, yet she continues to join 'Gold Rep'. It's not that she doesn't have a job. She works illegally in a real estate company. I understand she is a single mother raising two children, but she should have just manage her regular job and forget about selling products.
Raymond: He is the best son and best brother in the world. He understands everything his mother is going through. He knows his father is actually in Hong Kong, and not Providence as he says. He is even willing to give up his bank account money ($500) so that his mom can join 'Gold Rep'. He cares a lot about his sister, although she can be childish and annoying at times. Raymond is a creative person, often creating new inventions, of which Elaine calls "toys", but he actually makes money off those inventions later in the film.
Tina: She is the younger sister of Raymond. She is a naive and childish girl. She believes that her father is in Providence and will come back to the family. She believes that they moved into the illegal apartment temporarily, until she sees a 'SOLD' sign at their old house. Sometimes she is demanding, as for food, but otherwise obeys and follows her brother.
Betty: She constantly has this hidden evil grin that drives me nuts. It's as if she had plotted for Elaine Cheng to fall on the trap the minute she walked into her house for the party. As a scammer, she takes no responsibilities of the others, but in other words, she is the villain of the film.
Chinese Woman 1: She appears at Betty's party. She reveals in the jail cell that every once in a while they get caught and are investigated. But, they will get out of jail, change the name of the company and start new again. She had known it was a scam all along, yet she did not help people of her own race.
Chinese Woman 2: She states at Betty's party that she came to the US by marrying an American citizen. She had known it was a scam all along, yet she did not help people of her own race.
Great-Uncle: He has Alzhemier's and lives in Boston Chinatown. He lets Raymond and Tina in at the middle of the night and tells Raymond stories of his younger adulthood years as well as Raymond's father, Charles. He has good memories of his younger years.
-------------------------------------------
The film overall, showed the struggles of a broken Chinese-American family. It showed how the mother had to manage all financial problems by herself, since her husband has long went back to Hong Kong. It depicted two sides of the Chinese in America. The first side is the nice side, such as Elaine Cheng's employer, the man with the real estate company. Although he is not making illegal arrangements for the family of three, at least he tries his best to help them. The other side is the ugly side. The two Chinese women, who Elaine meets at Betty's party is a disgrace to the Chinese race. They, not only pretend they know nothing of the scam, they also bring Elaine into the scam.
Luckily, Elaine was able to get out of jail and reunite with her two kids. Although the ending was rather vague, it is a documentary, so I don't blame the scriptwriters.
But then, I saw Asians, and Chinese in particular. A little girl, a young boy and a mother. I checked the movie time slot: 1:00 to 2:30. Ok, fine, I'll stay up and finish watching it.
REVIEW:
The plot revolves around a woman, Elaine Cheng, who came to the States as an international student and stayed in the US with an expired working visa. She later married and had two kids, Raymond and Tina. Because she couldn't afford the house they lived in, due to the reason that she and her husband are divorced and she has two children to raise. Her ex-husband has not been paying child support up to date as well. Then, her boss, a man who owns a real estate company brings her to live in an illegal residence near Boston. It is a large building that is still under construction, however, everything is running fine, except for the phone, due to it still being under construction with supposedly no people allowed to occupy the building. The mother is trying her best to run and support her children, selling products, which were not always sucessful, such as beauty products and vitamin supplements.
The mother comes upon a woman by the name of Betty, who seems to live a glamourous life, in a mansion, and has kids that have any toy possible. However, Betty is actually the one behind the whole pyramid scheme. Betty invites people over to persuade them to join 'Gold Rep' which will cost $2500 to join as a one time membership fee. Then, the member will be able to sell products under the company as well as selling memberships to other people. Betty guarantees that within the first week, Elaine will receive her payments in forms of checks.
Elaine joins although she can barely meet the needs of her family. She continues to sell memberships to other people and without knowing she has been caught in a deadly trap. One morning, she appears in a conference room, but finds that no one from 'Gold Rep' is there. She goes to find Betty, of which two men chase her down to the streets and bring her to the police. Her children does not know what has happened as Elaine has not come home for two days.
Raymond and Tina decide to go to Boston to withdraw money from the bank in Boston. But, by the time they reach the bank, it has already closed and they must wait for the next morning. They decide to stay over at their great-uncle's house for the night in Boston Chinatown. The next morning, they take money from Raymond's bank account and go back to their illegal residence. They buy supplies to build their inventions to sell to kids.
Meanwhile in jail, Elaine finds out from two other Asian women, whom she had met at Betty's party that this 'Gold Rep' thing is all a scam. The two women, American citizens, tell Elaine that every once in a while, police bring them to jail to investigate. After they get out, they change the name of the company and start brand new.
Shortly after, Social Services discover the two kids in their illegal apartment and talks to them. The person in charge of the case is amazed by Raymond's invention, a spagetti spinner that sells for $10 regularly, but for him, $5. Elaine seeks a lawyer and gets out of jail. She renuites with Raymond and Tina. The ending is rather vague, with Elaine promising she will make things better.
Main Characters:
Elaine Cheng: She is seen as a caring mother at times, but she is selfish at other times. Her products have not always sold sucessfully, yet she continues to join 'Gold Rep'. It's not that she doesn't have a job. She works illegally in a real estate company. I understand she is a single mother raising two children, but she should have just manage her regular job and forget about selling products.
Raymond: He is the best son and best brother in the world. He understands everything his mother is going through. He knows his father is actually in Hong Kong, and not Providence as he says. He is even willing to give up his bank account money ($500) so that his mom can join 'Gold Rep'. He cares a lot about his sister, although she can be childish and annoying at times. Raymond is a creative person, often creating new inventions, of which Elaine calls "toys", but he actually makes money off those inventions later in the film.
Tina: She is the younger sister of Raymond. She is a naive and childish girl. She believes that her father is in Providence and will come back to the family. She believes that they moved into the illegal apartment temporarily, until she sees a 'SOLD' sign at their old house. Sometimes she is demanding, as for food, but otherwise obeys and follows her brother.
Betty: She constantly has this hidden evil grin that drives me nuts. It's as if she had plotted for Elaine Cheng to fall on the trap the minute she walked into her house for the party. As a scammer, she takes no responsibilities of the others, but in other words, she is the villain of the film.
Chinese Woman 1: She appears at Betty's party. She reveals in the jail cell that every once in a while they get caught and are investigated. But, they will get out of jail, change the name of the company and start new again. She had known it was a scam all along, yet she did not help people of her own race.
Chinese Woman 2: She states at Betty's party that she came to the US by marrying an American citizen. She had known it was a scam all along, yet she did not help people of her own race.
Great-Uncle: He has Alzhemier's and lives in Boston Chinatown. He lets Raymond and Tina in at the middle of the night and tells Raymond stories of his younger adulthood years as well as Raymond's father, Charles. He has good memories of his younger years.
-------------------------------------------
The film overall, showed the struggles of a broken Chinese-American family. It showed how the mother had to manage all financial problems by herself, since her husband has long went back to Hong Kong. It depicted two sides of the Chinese in America. The first side is the nice side, such as Elaine Cheng's employer, the man with the real estate company. Although he is not making illegal arrangements for the family of three, at least he tries his best to help them. The other side is the ugly side. The two Chinese women, who Elaine meets at Betty's party is a disgrace to the Chinese race. They, not only pretend they know nothing of the scam, they also bring Elaine into the scam.
Luckily, Elaine was able to get out of jail and reunite with her two kids. Although the ending was rather vague, it is a documentary, so I don't blame the scriptwriters.
Monday 6 June 2011
Totoro
Totoro has always been one of my favorite Japanese cartoons. Its big tummy was a good pillow for the two girls. And, it's ability to fly always astonished me.
I have two Totoro plushies myself. One is a big pillow and the other was a prize I won several years ago at a Japanese fair.
The cover of the card was actually created based on my two plushies. One is the father, as I call it and the other is the son. I imagine them standing on the ground, as one sees in a typical fairytale, tied together with a Japanese feeling.
Medium:
Cover: Acrylics, Cut-out Paper, and Markers
Inside: Markers, Colorpencils, and Acrylics
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