An Rong

It’s been over 2 weeks since I’ve been back from California, and I just keep thinking about it. As an Asian-American, especially a Chinese-American, going to the western seaboard of the United States is very much a pilgrimage. It was California where many of my ancestors had come through to what we called “gum san”. Walking through the streets of Chinatown in San Francisco really stirred feelings in me. It’s a struggle everyday for many of the immigrants who came, are here and those who will come.

I spent a lot of time in San Francisco’s Chinatown, taking in the scenes and trying to experience it. What happened was a growing fondness of it like my love for my childhood NYC Chinatown.

A main reason for my trip, was for the photo project I am working on. I was fortunate enough to have a chance to photograph some Asian-American Royalty and Young Activist, while I was in the Bay Area and LA. It enhanced my experience of my trip to the West Coast. The conversations I had with them will be some of the fondest memories I will have to look back on. The knowledge and wisdom passed onto me by some of the older generation has given me new insight to life, and just an awakening of myself.

Charlie Chin

Helen Zia

Tad Nakamura

Nobuko Miyamoto

Angry Asian Man

In order to keep growing as human beings, we must always venture into new things and always be willing to learn new things. If we stop learning, we stop growing. Without the experiences in our lives, we would not be who we are.

Sometimes you can’t find yourself, until you’re lost.

Had the honor to photograph Yuri Kochiyama.

In the presence of her greatness, I squealed like a little fangirl and was all giddy. At the end, i asked her for her autograph, and she was laughed, and was like haha, you don’t need it!

My memory has been jogging lately with the help of my 3rd grade crush’s sister who i work with, both of them, we brought back memories that had been buried deep within my mind.

It was 3rd grade, P.S. 130 M, DeSoto School. Ms. Russo’s Class.

That’s me.

So anyway. I had been watching a lot of tv dramas a lot involving love. People falling in love, and over that summer I began to realize i was strangely more attentive and more interested in girls.

Then 3rd grade began, and something strange happened, I began to always want to bother this one girl, Wendy. She sat at another table, but I always liked her long hair. She didn’t really like to talk to me, but i would just push her or say hi a lot to her. She probably hated me, but i never got a hint that i should stop.

We were also part of the same after school program, soo from 9-6, 5 days a week, I saw Wendy. I kept thinking in my head, i do like this girl. What i learned from Zales commercials was buy girls presents, they like that, and she’ll kiss you and then go into a room and shadows happen, and i was kind of afraid of becoming a shadow and never being human again, so I thought, maybe she’d kiss me, or something or like me, maybe?

During a winter break i believe, our day camp class went to the Museum of Natural History. My mom had given me 5 dollars for the trip, and I really didn’t want anything, until i saw a pretty butterfly bracelet! I thought Wendy would like this bracelet, so i spent my 5 dollars and bought that bracelet, and gave it to Wendy. Apparently, I made it super public on the giving, and told Wendy I liked her.

Wendy was super embarrassed, and instead of liking me for the bracelet, she hated me. I didn’t know what happened to the bracelet, but i never saw it again.

Then back in day school, I was not paying attention in school, and at this time in history, James Cameron’s epic love story, Titanic was out in the theaters. I had seen some scenes and heard how it was super romantic, and how you had to do ridiculous things to get girls to like you. So i decided i’d write Wendy a note during class. I wrote the note, something to the extent of, “Wendy I really like you, will you like me to?”

Unfortunately, that note didn’t reach Wendy, my teacher, Ms. Russo, confiscated it, and read it out loud to the class.

Wendy, sorry i caused you embarrassment back in 3rd grade!

Wendy and I, Circa 2007, Courtesy of Louie Chin (West-Ate.com)

When I was in pre-k, my mother use to walk me from our apartment on Mulberry Street all the way to Delancey Street by the Williamsburg Bridge. I had disliked going to school, so I would complain if we didn’t walk to school the way i wanted to (which meant i would take the long way to avoid going). One day, as we were walking, the heaven’s flood gates opened up and a downpour began. My mother threw her jacket over me so that I wouldn’t get soaked and get sick, because no one could take care of me at home, and she couldn’t have a sick kid with her at the sweatshop. She had her umbrella up, but as soon as her umbrella was up, it was quickly blown upside down by the winds. My mother was carrying me on her back with her jacket covering me. As she dropped me off, she had realized her lunch had dropped on the floor. She was able to find her lunchbox, but the contents were on the floor. She only had rice for lunch that day. I didn’t get sick. Thanks Mom.

You’ve been on my mind lately,
What’s worse is that I don’t mind.
I think in some weird way you might have felt it.
Someone told me if you sneeze twice in a row,
It means someone is thinking about you.
I was reminded of the name you had given yourself,
Cheeks.
Thought about the way I totally embarrassed you on the first day of class
I remember you telling me tidbits about life
I remember you were the first person I ever drank with.
I hope you don’t remember my drunken call.
Even worse my drunken voicemail.
I meant every word I said.
We were suppose to hang out
A long time ago
I guess it was too long and you forgot
I hope you’re doing well,
I’d like to say I miss you,
But I don’t.
I’m missing the idea of you.
We haven’t spoken for so long
But I hope this will get to you safe,
Sorry if you sneezed a lot.

It’s one of those moments, where mother nature can’t decide what she wants. There’s this strip of light cutting in between these two buildings.  And you stand there.  You see suspended in air, water from the sky just there, not understanding how with sun there is rain. Unable to comprehend any of this, but thank you mother nature.  I stood there, amazed that I could be blessed enough to see such a magnificent scene.  A friend once told me that whenever it sun showered, tigers got married.