I hope we are all off to a good new years. This is the first new years i actually tried to photograph in chinatown during the celebration. It was heavy confetti, a lot of white people treating the place like a zoo, but its good for business, i guess. The night before, 3 1/2 was at THE NOTORIOUS MSG concert at Santos Party House, it was quite worthy of a New Year’s Eve celebration. Because you know we all got a little no good muthabitch in all of us. Here’s the Pictures.

And here’s a photo from Chinese New Year!

May you all have a prosperous year, and stay tuned for new updates, because 3 1/2 has a things stirring!!!

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!

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

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.

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.

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!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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 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!