Gold N Rongs

It has been quite the productive year. I know some people hated 2009 for some reason, but i feel that it is what you make it to be.  I am currently engulfed in photography.  I have never felt so passionate about anything in my life, and it makes me feel good, that i know what i live for.  As in any year, i had my ups and downs with 2009. But to make myself more photo related, I’ll update you on what I’ve done haha.

Many of you know that i had been working on a project with Asian American Immigrant Families, well if you did not see my awesome reaction to winning a scholarship for it, you should. But yes, for those of you who want to see the sort of final product, I have the show coming up in February. It’s going up February 21st, and then the reception will probably be that upcoming Friday or so.

Next Project, I believe i had finished what i believe is my first body of work. By this i mean, it is actually something that i feel is complete, and i don’t think there are any loose ends. I had followed the Brooklyn Tech Engineers Football Team, for their first season under Coach Kyle McKenna. In my time with the team, these young men brought back many memories of my high school days, and being in the same position that they are in. It really struck a chord in my heart, how dedicated and determined these young men were, and how much they all sacrificed to step on this field every week for 48 minutes of memories, to be reflected on for a lifetime. I’m still reflecting on mine.

I am working on about 3 projects at the current moment. I am spending great amounts of time on this one, that i am not ready to present to the internets yet, but one day will. However, here’s a little preview, in no particular order.

I feel that i have matured over this year, and that I have many people to thank for that. Thank you for everyone who has given me the opportunity to be part of their lives, and for them to be part of mine. Special Thanks goes out to my 3 1/2 Chinamen group, James Weber, Corky Lee, Karen Zhou, Taiyo Na, Magnetic North, The Brooklyn Tech Football Team, My Critique Class, SVA BFA Photo Cage, The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, and to all my Hing Dais and Muis!

Happy New Years, and let’s make 2010 even better!

As we all know, recently, Tiger Woods, got into a car accident. All the “comedians” are trying to take advantage of this, and most of them have made terrible racist jokes about what happened.

It goes around the lines, of his black side bought the cadillac, and his asian side crashed it. To be specific, George Lopez, Wanda Sykes, and Jo Koy(Yes I know what your wonder, WHO THE HECK IS Jo Koy)

George and Wanda, make the joke, but you know what i can take a joke like that, because i know their just trying to make a living, and no one is watching their shows. Jo Koy, makes the same exact joke on E! which you know half the country is hooked on because America loves celebrities so much, that we can’t focus on what is actually worth while on focusing on.

Jo Koy, makes the same joke, however he takes it a step further and makes the mickey rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and makes that extremely racist face that was considered how all Asian people looked like in the 1900s. I was alright with his shitty stolen joke, but really? Are you that desperate as to make such a racist expression, the face he made, brings us back to the days of the Chinese Exclusion, the demonization of Asians, the yellow peril, and all that bullshit, that this Great country has done to persecute our people, because we believed in capitalism.

You can view his terrible attempt at a joke here, http://tv.gawker.com/5416361/george-lopez-and-wanda-sykes-make-the-same-exact-racist-joke-about-tiger-woods-updated?skyline=true&s=i

So i went on youtube, to see other material from this guy, and he has this other bit on asians being bad drivers, and a bit on Chinese people.

And that is when I got angry because of one line ” Chinese people just wake up and want to serve you and sew shit for you, for no reason”, Keep in mind he is Filipino American himself.

Here is my email to this asshole

Dear Jo,

I recently, watched a clip of you on E! Trying to poke fun at Tiger Woods crashing his car. When you stole the line from George Lopez and Wanda Sykes, about his Asian side coming out when he was driving. It was not funny, but I was fine with it, until you decided to make the EXTREMELY RACIST FACIAL EXPRESSION, like that of Mr. Yunioshi from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I thought being Asian, we have come a long way since this 1900’s Chinese Exclusion, yellow peril, false propaganda nonsense, however, obviously you think it is funny to make such racist jokes and faces. Think of how many people who saw your little clip, and will start making those faces when talking to their Asian friends because of your actions.

Furthermore, I watched your bits on Asians on youtube, and I did not find them funny either. They were not tasteful, and obviously if racism isn’t involved, your comedy sucks. For example, your bit on Chinese people, the line when you said, “Chinese people just wake up, and start sewing and serving you for no reason….” I am appalled by this. What do you mean Chinese people serve us for no reason! Chinese people have come to this country to work hard, so that they could give themselves, and their children a better life. They swallow their pride and work demeaning jobs, in hopes of one day achieving their American Dream. I would think a fellow Asian, would understand the struggle that our ancestors have gone through, and would understand you have pushed it too far. Maybe you’ve lost your pride or your identity, but I think you owe the Asian American community an apology for your horrible joke and faces. I just wanted to express my feelings to you on your terrible sense of humor, and hope in the future, you would make better jokes and not have to resort to racism to be funny, because all you are doing, is just spreading ignorance, the world has enough of that.

I don’t think it’s going to do much, but I just got soo frustrated, that i had to do something. I really can’t believe such ignorance. Angry GNR IS BACK

It has come a point in time, where you have turned the age of 20. The 2nd of us 3 and a half Chinamen. Through these years, we’ve known each other, we have all grown in our own way. You have been a major inspiration to who i am today, and probably are the reason, where I am today, happy.

I remember how hard it was for yourself, kingston, and the trifler, to trust me to work within the group, that we now call Three – Half. Thanks for taking the gamble. As we are now 3 years out of high school, and we’ve grown so much since DePinto’s shitty as windows XP running on pentium 2 processors, and 256mbs of ram, computers.

You were the first one to explain photography to me, and get me started on this journey for me to become a photographer. Struggling to explain the concept of f’stops and how to have a short depth of field, or as i said to start with, ‘How I get that shit where the background is all blurry and shit, and you make something look all pretty and shit’. I can imagine, how frustrating it must have been for you, thanks for bearing with me. You have the patience of a saint sometimes i swear.

Also, your help in introducing me to the computer word, like explaining to me how things worked, and helping me build my computer really saved my ass million times over.

Anyway, without getting to specific, thanks for being alive, you’ve been a great friend, and inspiration, and I wish for many years to come.

Happy Birthday Allen.

My family is part of a Tong in Chinatown, Chew Lun Association, everyone there is from the same part of taishan, and either has the same last name or is related to someone with one of the last names. My Grandfather joined this association, when he first came to America, because if you wanted to stay safe, that’s what you did. Anyway, eventually by association, more of my family became members. I became a member on my 18th birthday. Every year, they give a scholarship to the members who are still students. The scholarship means 500 dollars and your name in the SingTao Daily.

If your Chinese, or Asian, you would understand this concept of Face. Since my name was published in the Sing Tao Daily, it means, it is legit. It means my mother and father can brag as much as they want, because its on a legitimate publication. It means they can take the newspaper and show their co-workers and go hey, look my son just won a scholarship. The best part is, the person being bragged to, can’t deny it, and has to give face to my parents and go, wow your son is smart.

Hence, the 500 dollars is little compared to all the Face, that they will be getting haha.

That’s me i drew a box around my name, WOOT! can’t wait to show my grandpa haha.

The fall be here me mateys! Apparently according to me matey over yonder in the land known as Sacramento, it be Talk like a Pirate Day.

Okay enough of that. Anyway, the fall is here! Fall and Spring are my 2 favorite seasons. Why? Because you get overcast light and also amazing low light situations at sunset! Also, you get to layer up and wear light jackets and look super spiffy instead of the summery shirt and jeans or shorts.

Classes started 2 weeks ago, and I love all my photo classes! My 2 humanities courses are meh, I fall asleep in them. Hopefully i can stay awake thru them, i think i’m going to try to, i need to haha.

Here are 2 polaroids i took in my studio class with The Godfather of Chinatown.

this was my fancy attempt at Schnflooging. This is where i like move the bellows on the 4 x 5 camera and try to make it look at weird and such haha.

Then we had another class where we had to shoot complete strangers, which happened to be models!

I don’t know i hope i get really good with this 4 x 5 i want to go around chinatown and photograph with it haha. This should be interesting!

Also i won a scholarship, watch the video to understand!

Back from Boston!  I was in Boston last week for the Asian American Journalist Convention for those of you who don’t know or don’t care haha.

But yea, it was a crazy week.  I met many famous photographers, got critiqued by one of my idols!

So there was this contest called the photo shoot out, where you were given 2 days to make a photograph that pertains to the theme of the Freedom Trail.

Here are the 5 final photos that i submitted.

This photograph is of Airman Alexander, who was on duty at the gate of the Boston Navy Yard.
The photograph also won me 2nd place! I won this awesome photo bag, and memory card, and mad props from the pros haha.

This experience was very different and from it I have learned a lot. It was invaluable the information i had learned from everyone while at the convention.

Anyway, just updating for those who still follow haha.

Also, before i left for Boston, I had shot the photo for the new single, Summer Time, for Magnetic North and Taiyo Na, featuring Conchita Campos.  The song is hella tight, and you should all check it out, its free to download, and here is the link!  http://www.magnetichiphop.com/summertime.html

If you want to be the in MV, give me a holler!

It’s been a while, sorry, i’ve just been lazy.  I haven’t really worked on anything real for a while.  I’ve just been roaming the streets with a point and shoot and just doing the normal.

It’s odd, being out of school and not really having access to the facilities.  Then their making me pay for the month of August where there is no classes going on but I am paying for the month of August, well I’m going to find out if i can get access to the facilities cause i’m paying for it shiet.  I’m thinking i’ll get a response along the lines of YOU WISH!

Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer break and see that it really gets dull after a while haha.  But here’s some photos that i’ve taken recently.  Enjoy, I am going to start up the, make up a story with the photos and win a prize!!

Best STORY WINS!

On 5 Islands a little more than 300 miles in area, millions of people come and go.  I could be sitting next to someone on the train, and i am pretty sure, i won’t ever see them again, unless its the same time everyday train person, then yes, i might see them again, but other than that i am pretty sure i won’t see that person again.  So when a person who has lived his whole life in the city, experiences one of those moments where you wonder, is this the gods of new york city, giving me a sign.

In a city with more than 8 million people, it shouldn’t be hard to  find love, should it?  We’ve all had our run ins and our moments.  But i swore i had a moment, one of those, this is going to have some signifigance on who i am moments.  Yes, one of those.  It was quite serendipitous.  She was on my mind for a while.  A few calls and text later, it seems serendipity has pulled a prank on me, so thanks.  It funny how things will work themselves out.  We don’t always know what to expect from the next day.

I’ve watched enough New York Love story movies, and each one just makes it seem possible to find love in this city that at times can be so cold.  The idea of being able to meet a complete stranger and in those brief hours, minutes, or even seconds we can get this sense that this person may be the one.  That moment where you accidentally got off at the wrong stop on the train, but you end up meeting someone, or when your feeling down, and your going to your emo spot, but then your best friend calls you to hang out, and you meet someone that night.  Or in recent news, the guy who swore he found the love of his life on the 4 or 5 train, and made a video and sent it all over the internet, just so he can find this girl, that he feels might be the one.

In this day and age, its hard to see things last forever, but for this one New Yorker who’s watched Serendipity, Enchanted(4 times), When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, and many other chick flicks that can provide the cheese, i believe in serendipity, and it’s going to happen, and hopefully this time, she won’t be playing me.

So I saw the Documentary, How Bruce Lee Changed the World

It reminded me, of the simple, basic, movement, water, and such things.

So I shot a roll of black and white that i finally got to scanning, soo please, enjoy the back to basics of it.

Feed back is welcome, make your own captions and shit.  And i guess Bruce Lee did change me too!

I am currently suffering from withdrawal.  The drug, School.  I miss using all the school’s facilities and equipment.  Also, i’m not really too happy, i don’t really have anything to do after work or before work.  So now, I fill it in with lunches and dinners with friends, and then go home and realize i didn’t tell my folks that they aint need to cook my meal, so i gotta eat 2 meals, haha.

I recently purchased a camera off the internetz, it is a Leica C1, its a point and shoot camera, meaning everything is auto, i just figure the composition and shoot, and its a film point and shoot.  I am enjoying it so far, 1) cause its a Leica, 2) cause its a Leica, and 3) cause its a Leica.  Here is some machine prints that i paid for at ELIZ PHOTO CO. this chinese photo place in chinatown on Elizabeth street.  Enjoy

This is an uber cool kid i work with.

Kingston and Nick are trying to make my model face, which idk it’s not working for me haha

This was a creepy looking barbie portrait at Dylans Candy Bar. Funny thing about a restaurant near Dylan’s Candy Bar Serendipity 3, every couple that i know who has gone to Serendipity has ended up breaking up, soo if you want to keep your relationship, i’d recomend you not go for their oxymoronical frozen hot chocolate.

I was going to visit my grandfather, and happenly, the roof door in his building was open, soo i went up and saw how he has such a great view of the heart of chinatown.

I’ll probably shoot with this camera as a walk around camera, so more to come!

Feedback always welcome!