Frenemies and the curious- my worldly adventures.

tsibugan:

Interestingly enough, the white guy actually supported Tommie Smith and John Carlos. He was banned from the Olympics for doing so.

(via mycherieamour)

There’s been a lot of buzz in the online community about Zuckerberg’s wife, Priscilla Chan. The Facebook first couple wedded this past weekend in a surprise ceremony held in their backyard. Chan opted for a red ruby wedding ring, straying away from the traditional white diamond. Great, she chose something out of the norm. But someone should give me a legitimate reason as to why articles are highlighting the ruby as a reflection of her Chinese upbringing and her longiness to stay ‘true’ to her Asian upbringing.

As for Zuckerberg’s choice of a ruby, Arnstein is not surprised. “Red has more meaning and emotion in Asia,” he says, and Zuckerberg’s Chinese-American bride may have requested a ruby ring because it “identifies where she comes from culturally.” Rubies are a symbol of wisdom—what better for the new medical school graduate?”

Priscilla is American. 

In honor of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month—  the Huffington Posts’ article on the importance of Asian-American votes during this coming election season.

“Most important for the current presidential campaign is that three of the top ten states in terms of Asian population are also swing states (Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania) and all three had more than 60 percent growth in Asian residents over the last ten years.”

I’d like to think of myself as an extremely blessed individual. What I do for myself, what I do for my career holds weight when I think about the sacrifices made for me on behalf of the generation before.

During a dinner with my grandmother when I was telling her my over-the-top notions of what I would one-day do, she turned to me and let out a long, heartbreaking sigh. She then put down her bowl and took my face in her hands and skewered my soul with these eyes of hers that pierce (the same eyes that remain the strong and reassuring memories of my childhood). She then said so beautifully in perfect English- “Never would I have ever imagined my grand daughter so politically engaged. You could have never told me that in the refugee camp.” 

In a small moment, I realize that being politically active and informed is a lot more than something I like to do- its about giving a voice back to the community who made me. Its about being a culmination of my parents’ aspirations of America.

My story is not unique, but I’m proud to use the voice I was given to help communities that struggle to find their’s. I’m the American dream- living, breathing, and fighting for equality and against discrimination to give life to the dreams of my grandmother.

Its beautiful the ways in which we can touch the people who’ve sacrificed for our success. What do you do?

In honor of Asian American Heritage month, I’d like to share a personal story about politics and race.

When I moved to France, I remember feeling so completely overwhelmed but so very accomplished. It was an experience that finally bridged who I was and who I wanted to be, and I could not have been more satisfied with my year abroad. However, I quickly learned that no matter how proud and accomplished I was, a lot of my peers and people saw me just as a tourist from China.

I remember coming out from a very succesful French expose, feeling like I had a really accomplished, fat brain- walking down the street to a nearby cafe- and a man stopped me in the street and said “Ni-hao” in Mandarin. When I didn’t respond, he then continued to berate me with every other phrase he knew in any Asian language. Finally, I said, “I speak English” and he started speaking English to me as well. When he asked me what languages my parents spoke, I told him Vietnamese and Hmong. Then, he started to speak broken Vietnamese to me- like we weren’t just speaking English to each other 5 seconds prior.

Or when Guillaume and I were in NYC, and a street singer decided he wanted to serenade me in Vietnamese -___-  And the whole time we were thinking, why didn’t he sing to Guillaume in French? Why didn’t he ask the non-American where he was from?

Mind you, a lot of people would say I’m overreacting. But I argue, imagine defending who you are and what you do on a sporadic basis. A lot of these situations are so awkward too- like, I actually don’t know what to say to people who keep referring to me as “the token Asian”. Uh… Thank you? What a pleasure? I’m honored…? Or fuck you?

Moreso abroad than in California, I had to justify myself and my studies, and this is a minority experience- in that people of color always have to prove themselves in these positions. I had to justify how I was American- that my parents immigrated and got college degrees- and how my maternal language is actually, surprisingly, jaw-droppingly — English.

I was speaking with my boyfriend, who is white, and he said he’s never had to experience this as a white man. He’s never had to respond to “what country do you come from” or “you speak really good French” — all because of the color of his skin. And a lot of people wold stumble upon this blog and assume “Daisy hates white people” — but no. My goal is to put this into perspective, and growing up as an Asian-American, I’ve seen these types of undermining statements and ethnic questioning marginalise groups and hurt people.

I remember sitting in front of Cedric Richmond, Congressman of Louisiana, when he was speaking about the media about hounding him for owning a Rolex, when his white counterparts were never questioned about theirs. In his reflection, he concluded:

“But you know what- that’s whats going to happen whether you like it or not. People love my Rolex watch, and they’re going to love your Gucci shoes, too. People are going to try to minimize minority voices and make it seem like you’re overexaggerating. More power to you. More power to stand up next to anyone else, speak better English than them, be more educated, and be a better representative of your community.”

This year I had the opportunity to participate in a political leaders conference in New Orleans, LA. And one of the most memorable things I learned was the way minorities cope with racial slurs or subtle racism.

Their ignorance: “Wow, you speak such great English. What are you?”
Your response: Thanks! I see you speak English too, I’m American- what are you?

Often times, reverting the question from yourself to the person asking them makes makes a stark statement about the absurdity of their question.

So happy Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month- be mindful of what you say and what kind of history is behind the insinuations you make.

This is a post for the dearly departed. And one for the faithful dreamers who stayed alongside me (virtually and physically), while I went through a difficult transition from Fairytale to Post-Grad-Jobless-Homeless-Reality.

I stopped blogging, I stopped writing. And I stopped doing a lot of stuff that was signaturely me. My good friend, S recently asked me why I stopped. And I couldn’t even give her an ego-filled answer. So I came back to Tumblr and change my theme, to give me a pseudo-sense of new beginings (usually thats what people do for New Years).

But I’ll keep this self-indulgence very short. Next post will be enlightening … or my attempt to be.

I’ve been very inspired in the past several months since being back from the states. And for that, I thank those succesful, fabulous, sharp geniuses who make everyday a blessed one.

Yuck. I leave you with what I did this past weekend- napped in New York City’s Central Park. Days were filled with blue skies and a bite from winter’s refusal to say goodbye. Hello Spring, I’m ready.