Tokiya To Me (03.19.16)

I write to you from the future... No, not really. I'm in PingTung, Taiwan, so I'm 15 hours ahead of those of my friends in my life in Los Angeles. I've adjusted my jetlag over after the 14.5 hr flight from LAX to Taipei! I took two days in Taipei to chill and then took the high speed rail to KaoShiong, a 40 minute train ride later, I arrived in PingTung and made it to the home of my paternal grandparents. They were gracious, kind, and not really home, which made things easier but busied my schedule!

My paternal grandfather recently had surgery on his left knee. As he stays in the hospital, my paternal grandmother, who suffers from dementia, is at home all day long with a live-in caretaker. All morning and afternoon long, between meals, she does the same puzzles over and over again, reads the same newspaper over and over again, but after about 5-10 minutes, she has no recollection of doing it, so when she does it over again, she says, "It'll take me a while because I've never done this before." And even as I type this, all I hear her say is, "Does this fit? It doesn't fit. Does this fit? It doesn't fit? Can this fit? This part fits but not this part. How about this piece? Nope, it doesn't work. Does this fit? No matter how I push, it won't fit. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit. Does this fit? It doesn't fit." Over and over again, with each and every puzzle she does, she repeats these lines over and over again. So, I'm taking this time to blog about a GRAND meal I just had!!

In a building close to the mall, on the 4th floor, there is a lovely Taiwanese steak house to be experienced by the meat lovers of this world!! (HERE is a slideshow of the photos I took!) From the floor to the ceiling, there are careful decorations that put into the more modern scope of what we can expect from this location's meal.

First comes the salad, garden or fruit, and then comes the beverages of your choice. No free refills, but that's why they also have barley tea that is quite endless. Then comes the snack, I recommend the mushrooms, then the soups, all of which are delicious, and last the appetizer. I got the chicken skewer, but there are other options that truly whet the appetite for the main course. What would a steakhouse be without steak, right? Cooked to a good medium well done, a gentle blush deep in the center, and crisp garlic chips to go with it. There are sauces you can try, one more with tomato taste, the other a black peppered saltiness Americans like. I also got to see a barbecue chicken option that was quite pleasing to the eye and taste, tender and a sweet saltiness that comes from well cued chicken and veggies.

Last came the dessert, four options we all got, check it out in the slideshow above. Mine was the chocolate cake around the mint cream and it was delightful to the max. Nothing beats a heavy meat lunch than the minty goodness of cake and cream. Along with my caramel latte, it was delightful and wonderfully light. I heard the others were sweet as well, but as for me, what caught my attention the most wasn't the food, as delightful as it was, but the service. #OMG

From the moment I entered, with my limited Chinese and troublesome dining party, to the moment we left, we were fully satisfied and cared for the entire time. The server not only waited, but recommended accordingly. Someone brought me a basket to place my belongings in, because I had a bag and a camera. My teacup never ran dry, my empty plates never lingered long, and most of all, because my grandmother couldn't eat and kept spitting things out, they cleaned it away with a smile and quickly. Instead of being disgusted and letting it linger there until the end of the meal, they worked quickly, quietly, and all with a smile. We had four full six-course meals and everyone was kind to us.

It's rare for me to find Chinese people hospitable because of their rough and pressed nature of doing things, but Tokiya is somewhere I would want to take my American friends who don't have much understanding of the Taiwanese culture. From ordering to navigating the restroom, there were more than enough helpful people and clearly marked signs. I liked the cleanliness of the restroom and the squattie and toilet option for the Eastern and Western cultured patrons. They had toilet paper in the stalls (yes, it's noteworthy), and soap at the motion-sensored sinks! The meal is reasonably priced and the menus are easy to understand. The photos of the food in the menu were quite clear and precise, to my great thanks.

If you have a chance to stop by PingTung in Taiwan, I highly recommend stopping by Tokiya!! I don't know if the other restaurants in this chain are as gracious and kind, but I know that if I have a chance to come back and eat at this specific restaurant, I would bring my posse in a heartbeat! Of all the places I've dined, I truly rate this place 5 of 5 Stars!! YES -- IT IS THAT MEMORABLY GOOD!! I would expect to find it in LA... I have to write more reviews of places I eat! Because go place to eat a lot, I do!!

Oscar [Shameful] Reflection (03.17.16)

I’m a female Asian American writer/director hoping for a chance to prove myself in the dark industry that is Hollywood. So, Chris Rock addressing the #OscarsSoWhite meant a lot to me. I thought everything went well until he pulled three young Chinese boys onto the stage for his skit. That shocked me into silence. As the world laughed at the joke, I sat there in silence, surprised that such a blatant racist joke could be cracked by someone meant to redeem the under-represented at the world’s choice film awards.

It was THEN that it hit me, he only meant to make Black people feel better, not the Asian people. No, no, we were still laughable and jokes on us were still allowed. Did our nation forget that hundreds of Chinese were the ones that connected the East to the West? Whether it be robbed from their homes, kidnapped, or recruited, thousands were recruited, hundreds died, and those left over were seen as less than humans. Doesn’t that sound familiar? So, how were Black slaves and Asian railroad workers different?

I just wonder why we are so differently treated when our histories and discrimination are in the same league of horribleness. Where is the justice for ALL minorities? I know I’m not alone in this frustration!

So Not Ready (03.16.16)

Not ready to be parent, this much I know. And I was reassured of this when I returned to PingTung, Taiwan to visit my paternal grandparents. How this could connect, well, let me just put it easier for you to understand without a tumultuous amount of storytelling...

My paternal grandparents live in PingTung, Taiwan. My grandfather has been in the hospital for two weeks and getting better as time goes by. My grandmother, however, has been at home with a live-in caretaker. Due to her dementia, she only remembers things five minutes at a time, and then repeats it. It first started happening when she lived with my family in Los Angeles, California, and then got worse. And as things took that turn, my grandfather made the decision that it would be better for them to return to their home, here, because if she were to get lost, she could speak to everyone and they would understand her. Whereas, if she got lost in America, not as many people would be able to help her. The idea of having a round-the-clock caretaker was offensive to my grandfather, but he gave in after he found himself too tired from doing everything she used to do for him.

My paternal grandma fled China in the old days and made it to Taiwan. She had a daughter, 5-6 abortions, and then a son, my father. She dedicated her life to Church and her job as a librarian. She raised my sisters and myself and worked hard to make ends meet for her family. A master chef in the kitchen, a loving housewife to her husband, and a creative genius otherwise, none could compare to her diligence and humbleness. And yet... now... To hear her speak incomplete stories, I feel a sadness in my heart. None of them make sense, none of them are complete, and some of them may have happened, but none of them happened that day. Many of the stories she says aloud happened very long ago, but because it’s in her mind, she happened to say it out loud. Whether or not there are names or just memories muddled together or not, then she goes on, making things up, and then repeating it. A bit like Dory, if you really think about it.

And when I thought the ice cream truck was coming by, boy was I surprised to see that it was the trash collection truck! My hopes and dreams of something yummy turned into something yucky! What a horrendous discovery that was, indeed!

So, when her reading is done, from the newspaper to pre-made pamphlets of Bible passages and stories, she also pulled out a huge bible with large words, all in Chinese. So, not only does my grandma's literacy rate go up, time passes rather quickly and she wastes away the day reading instead of doing anything. And the most interesting part is that, she has no recollection of ever reading the material. Instead, she thinks she is reading it for the first time, learning and discovering as she goes.

This is strange to me because my maternal grandparents are both quite sharp as whips, but my maternal grandfather just is a bit hard of hearing. They never leave their apartment but have enough family around them to send people out to bring things back for them. They're never lacking anything and very independently surviving. They live quietly, together, and are quite cute, funny, and wrinkly. My maternal grandmother is a bit like Master Oogway from "Kung-Fu Panda" physically and personality-wise. And my maternal grandpa is something different altogether for me. To put it so that you can understand just how much this man means to me... my very first memory, when I was 3, was with him. I thought it was just a dream, but, I REMEMBERED more than they told me and shocked them all! Yes, for the man who I first remembered holding the hand of and walking over green grass by a pond, all my love and hope for approval goes to him.

WELL... I'm not completely out of touch with my life in LA, though!! Here's a trailer to a film I want to see, for sure!!

As for the CoTangent, well check out Ed on his own in LA, recording!!

Enjoy and watching my paternal grandma fit shapes into a puzzle for kids... Once the greatest mind... Am I to face a similar fate?

"The Book Of Life" Movie Review (written on 03.12.16)

I left Los Angeles (CA) in the afternoon on the 12th for a 14.5 hr plane ride to Taipei, Taiwan. Since I managed to watch a highly recommended movie, I decided to write a review. It's much later than the release, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!! 

But first, I want to gripe! I got on the plane and someone was in my seat. When he moved, he acted like I had stolen the seat from HIM. WTfudge, right? So as I'm sitting there, the guy moved ENDLESSLY. When I tried to sleep, his elbow found its way over to my side, and he kept it there. He was the WORST plane seat neighbor I'd ever had!! Most people keep to their side of the arm rest, and yet, he acted like I had less of a right to sit there. So, I moved and kept to myself, but, eventually, I couldn't help but want to smack him. I didn't... or did I? No, I didn't!! I'm not like that!! And when he woke up, he had the WORST BREATH ever!! Man, and he kept talking and yawning, I was eating cough drops just to breathe out and kill that disgusting smell!! Ok, griping done!! Here's my review!

A truly sweet and cultured story is this tale of life, love, and all that is precious in the moments we pass with those we are close to. Featuring Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum and an array of voices, this story is sweet, touching, and relatable to everyone who watches it. Naturally, many are unnoticed due to the nature of the films, but as for promoting Hispanics and Mexico, I really find new love for the culture.

The light and colors that differentiated between the worlds was most mesmerizing. I wanted to watch it to no end and found it a delightful viewing experience. As many films with such goals tried to do in the past, this film truly illuminated the visual experience with bright colors contrasting with the dim and darkness of the World of the Forgotten. Despite the darkness and sadness, there is so much for the eyes to see. Proud should be the creators of wuch a film. I think it was superbly done and I would readily watch it again. Indeed.

The dialogue was expertly woven together. From the colloquial language to those of children, I found it pleasant and easiy to understand. With everyone talking, with accents and not, I wanted, I was left without want. The different styles and tones really stimulated my thoughts and imagination. If only we could have such stark contrasts in our world, right? Overall, I found it always a pleasure to hear and learn from the story.

Character development was nice and very easy to follow along. With the color and appearance differences, the consistencies were enogh well done so that I could follow along easily, as could any child. The love story from childhood to adult was brief for a moment and then everywhere, which made things all the more interesting. I did wonder, at some point, why their forms changed so dramatically, but there were definitely some things in the story that I didn’t like. Physical depictions of how Mexicans ought to look disturbed me, which seemed to go unnoticed by some. I guess, reading into things is just like that, then?

Sound was key, definitely! With cool music and sound effects, the foley and more made me feel like each experience and movement was real. I know @MoonLiteWolf would have LOVED it!! OMG!! Well done!!

The overall theme of love and life is very heavy and sweetly told through the entire story. In every moment, one or the other was highlighted and I felt an overwhelming sense of my questions being unanswered and brushed aside by the two heavier themes. It’s nice and I’m touched, but I do have questions that were unanswered. So... I give it a 3 of 4 Stars!!