poem
from jaime jacinto's camille's dream

let me listen to your song, i said...
still captive in that dream

---------
*hugged* by a song

not top 40
not from ur iPod

dancing 2 the
ears 2 the
eyes 2 the
heart

hip hop
hippity hop

2 ears turned towards each other =
heart (c it?)

hummm...
there go my feet.

heart beat.
hearts beat.

*hug*

l
i
s
t
e
n
.
.
.
hummm....

- posted by aileen @ 6:48 PM 0 comments

 
Tabio
What I appreciated from last week's discussion on Tabio's poem is what we referred to as her asking her readers to engage in language at a different level. Instead of conveying meaning, we said, her poetry is an experience, a mood, a resonance. Tabio is able to 'strut' her stuff, sorta speak, using her second language English, to say s'thing well. And she does. She also offers s'thing different and appreciated. Tired from others stuffing a new language down her throat, she is not pushing meaning on her readers.

Instead of analyzing the details, the words, the hidden meaning behind each nuance, I get to appreciate the whole picture, the poem, her poem. This is a poignant reminder to step back, breathe, and appreciate the big picture. Too often I get stuck in the minutae, analyzing each life's detail and decision.

- posted by aileen @ 1:21 PM 0 comments

 
Today's class
Howdy folks! As you prolly know, our class will be at The Richard Oakes Multicultural Center

Where? According to sfsu's student center website, it is located on the Terrace Level of the Cesar Chavez Student Center.

It was dedicated two years ago as a place for student organizations to hold programs that celebrate diversity. Named for Richard Oakes, one of the leaders of the American Indian occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969, the center intends to be a place to promote identity and awareness of the cultures and communities represented on campus.

See you there!

- posted by aileen @ 1:07 PM 0 comments

 
Greetings NOP's
Hey there! How are you all doing? Hanging in there with 6 (?) more weeks to go?

I updated our template so it's easier to read long postings. If you disagree with this change, feel free to select another one. I did want our blog to be as reader-friendly as possible.

- posted by aileen @ 2:03 PM 0 comments

 
I-Hotel
I've walked up and down the stairs of some of the "hotels" of the Tenderloin, bringing
some of their guests a Thanksgiving meal. With this glimpse in mind, I can only begin to imagine
life in the I-Hotel, as captured in the documentary we watched (Fall of I-Hotel.)

While there is definitely a time and a place, a rise and a fall to everything, I am thankful for the documenting of the I-Hotel. It reminds me that each immigrant community has a rich heritage that yes, tends to dissipate concretely (in the forms of declining ethnic enclaves or towns) as well as fade in the immigrants' minds (and passing of these generations).

With the passing of the manaos, like many pioneer immigrants, and the demolition of I-Hotel, I am further convinced of the role of non-profit organizations, such as ethnic associations in preserving our heritage.

In a completely other realm, for example, while it may not be economically efficient to maintain Yosemite National Park, I'm so grateful for its preservation by our government. Yosemite is a true gem, marvelled my millions each year. Imagine that without it being deemed a national park, it might very well be a bunch of homes....

Can we also preserve "gems" of our ancestors' immigration for the appreciation of future generations? While we can always think bigger, there are examples. One that comes to my mind is a museum such as the Japanese American National Museum in LA. Or ? Or ? Or is literature sufficient?

While yes, we are not in the past, but in the present, preservation of our ancestors' journeys celebrates our present as well as our future. Learning of our past, I cannot help but be grateful for the history that my ancestors were a part of. I cannot help but better understand my present, in view of the past.

Just some thoughts.

- posted by aileen @ 2:10 PM 0 comments

 
Gravities of Center
What I liked about Reyes' Anthropologic is that her format helped the reader come to their own conclusion re: the St. Louis Fair exhibition of Filipinos. For example, she simply presented facts, like newspaper headlines or photo captions. She depicted a type of form with the subject's names. Or she gently asserted her own opinion with "land of mo(u)rning". This subtle style was much appreciated. Even the blank spaces helped the reader focus on the facts and keep an even, consistent pace to taking it all in.

So often authors seem too much in a hurry to assert their point of view, which is often filled with bitterness and contempt for the past injustices. There's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes we need to help others come to that point for themselves by presenting them with facts and giving them the freedom to make up their own minds.

So again, I appreciate that she was not in a hurry to bash the majority for their past acts but she let the facts speak for themselves.

- posted by aileen @ 1:45 PM 0 comments