This week at ImaginASIAN!
Sunday, May 16
It’s a busy day for ImaginASIAN, with the 3rd and final Find the CanASIAN bus tour of the year and the New Millennium All Styles Showcase/Competition and Quest Crew performance on the schedule.
When we arrive at the WR Castell Library, there is a crowd at the registration tables. Sharon Lee, today’s tour guide, has already started briefing participants. The Calgary Public Library librarian from Diversity Services on the 5th floor has talked to people about library offerings as they have come. Citizenship and Immigration Canada has commissioned photographer Neil Speers to document this afternoon’s tour, and he is getting people to sign waiver forms to allow pictures to be taken and later used for publication on websites and promotional material.
There are nearly 30 participants on the tour today, and the Calgary Transit bus is full! One volunteer takes his car and meets us at the tour stops. The bus makes its way to Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on 14th Street NW, where the Filipino community is celebrating Mass in Tagalog. Before going in, we take group pictures with the facade of the historic church built in 1911 as our backdrop.
We go into the Parish Hall where merienda is being served. Filipinos are famous for their love of food, eating at least five times a day. This is the afternoon snack: steamed rice buns with melted cheese on top, fried lumpia (pork spring rolls), empanadita (chicken and vegetable wrapped in pastry) and hot and cold drinks. Philippine culture has developed in the context of nearly 400 years of Spanish rule, 50 years of American colonization, and hundreds of years of trade and immigration from neighboring countries. Chinese, Spanish and Malay influences are evident even in this afternoon’s repast.
When we enter the church, we catch the closing rites of the religious service. There is to be a Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May) procession immediately afterward. Musicians on guitars start to play. Parishioners bearing images of the Blessed Virgin Mary lead the procession, little girls with flowers follow with their parents and others, and finally a largish statue of Mary on a small float covered with a lace trimmed white cloth brings up the rear. We follow the procession as far as where the bus is parked around the corner and get back on our tour.
Our next stop is the Calgary Nikkei Cultural and Senior Centre in southwest Calgary. We are a little early but our hosts are extremely accommodating. We walk around to the side of the building where a Japanese rock garden greets us. There are stepping stones across a curved gravel path that simulates a stream. A small crab apple tree in full bloom beside a stone lantern prompts someone to ask if the flowers were “sakura” (cherry blossoms), which they aren’t of course, but one could see how one might think so.
Before we go inside, we are each given a piece of card with numbered squares on it. There are different stations we can visit and if we collect stamps from everyone, we get a prize! We are split into smaller groups and are on our way. Our first stop is the Ikebana demonstration, where living works of art come into being in the hands of Keiko Otsuki with a few well-chosen flowers and blades of grass expertly positioned. Next is the Origami station and there we learn to fold paper cranes and other wonders. Before we leave, Fuji Vrba gives us each an origami bird which can flap its wings as if in flight. Then we proceed to the kimono room where a beautiful cream colored kimono with flower designs hangs from a shelf. There are other kimonos, for different occasions, for male as well as female, arranged on a large table in the middle of the room. There are “zori” slippers and “geta” clogs, and “obi” sashes of various widths and designs. Joanne Planidin explains kimono traditions and she shows us how the way an obi is knotted conveys marital status.
We go down to the lower floor to watch a karate class in session. The prescribed figures are first performed in isolation and then applied to situations that may call for defensive movements. Then we file into the kitchen where Shinya Tanaka is making sushi with seasoned rice, crab-flavored pollock sticks, cucumber spears, omelet strips and a wonderful marinated shiitake mushroom, all rolled in nori. Mmmm! Finally, with our ‘passport’ stamps complete, we line up for sweet pastries “dango” served by Mai Nagao, who was also our guide through the rock garden. The pastries look almost too good to eat, and many of us buy extra ones from the tray.
We’ve had a wonderful time this afternoon, learning so much from what we see and hear and do at both stops of the tour.
~oOo~
Saturday, May 15
It’s 11 pm at the Calgary International Airport and there’s a group of young people in the international arrivals area, waiting anxiously. A few rows behind this high strung, excitable band sit an older set, bemused. Among the youths, there’s constant chatter and movement. There’s a boy clowning around with an animal toque. A girl with a video camera. Another girl crouched over her work on the seat of one of the chairs there. She’s finishing what turns out to be a present for the reason everyone is here tonight: Quest Crew!
The TV monitor on the concourse flashes United 6414. They’re coming! As soon as the boys walk through the sliding doors into view, there are cries of ‘There they are! They’re here!” Everyone whips out a digital camera and happily starts shooting pictures as the boys of the Crew walk along the low wall that divides them from their fans. There’ll surely be posts on Facebook tonight. Dinah Gaston makes the official welcome and the Quest Crew’s visit to Calgary has begun.
~oOo~
Friday, May 14
This evening we watched the 3rd feature in the ImaginASIAN Film series, entitled “All About Dad” from emerging film maker, Mark Tran. Volunteers arrived at 5ish, to preview the acknowledgment to sponsors & partners video (superb job, by the way, with photos from some of the events so far and promos for what is yet to come), to hang the banners and to set up the ImaginASIAN ticket booth. Corsages from the kick-off, lovingly watered and kept in the fridge, were pinned on and a subtle rose scent greeted anyone coming in from the bustling Kensington sidewalk. It was a beautiful day and people were out. The restaurants across the street and down the road were starting to fill up. The bookstore next door had put tables out with boxes of books at reduced prices, drawing passers by to browse and stop a while. The movie poster behind glass in front of the Plaza attracted glances and a few curious would be patrons ventured inside to ask what the movie was about.
People started trickling in at half past 6, the universal lament being the difficulty of finding parking on a Friday evening in Kensington. Trevor Smith, Director of Programming from the Calgary International Film Festival, arrived with a list of names of people who had won tickets to the movie through the CIFF. Later, in the pre-show, he would draw and award the door prize of a 10-ticket pack to the upcoming Festival this Fall. Pete Harris, of the Plaza Theatre, who did sound checks and made sure videos were working properly earlier in the afternoon, now helped to greet people in the lobby. Some were evident regulars to film screenings here, calling Pete and the concession folks by name. At 7 pm, there were still a few patrons expected to arrive any time, and a decision was made to delay proceedings for 15 minutes. The announcement was made and some people already in their places took advantage of the delay to get some refreshments.
After a brief pre-show program comprised of welcomes. acknowledgements, awarding of the CIFF ticket pack and the promise of more prizes after the screening, the movie All About Dad began, with the visual of a man struggling to straighten a leaning tree. There’s a metaphor there, of course, a hint of challenges to come. The audience was appreciative, laughing at the right places and falling silent through the denouement.
As the final credits rolled, the house lights brightened. There were more prizes to be won. Peter Truong, of Big Ben Travel, sponsor and co-presenter of All About Dad, mounted the stage with his two little girls, each in pretty pink party dresses, who took turns pulling winning chits from a paper bag. Mr. Truong extolled the virtues of becoming involved with ImaginASIAN, with organizing these events for everyone to enjoy. Given away as prizes were: Two pairs of tickets to the final Find the CanASIAN in You bus tour on Sunday, two pairs to the Bboy BGirl Allstyles Showcase/Competition and Quest Crew performance also this Sunday, and one pair of tickets to the Bollywood ExtravaDanza on June 5th. The winners were delighted, of course. Finally, thanks were given to all who came and to the Plaza Theatre and its staff.
After the banners were taken down and rolled up for the next event, plans for late suppers and early morning rides were made. Young viewers debated alternate scenarios and other options the protagonist might have taken. One wished her parents could have seen the film; another, whose mother was there, asked whether such behavior would have worked in their household. It was still light when the crowd dispersed. While waiting for the car that had to be retrieved from such a distance away as to be literally half-way home, one tried in vain to take a cell phone photo that would capture the theatre marquee: 7:00 pm ImaginASIAN film All About Dad.
~oOo~
Wednesday, May 12
This Friday, May 14th, the third film of the ImaginASIAN Film Series is showing at the Plaza Theatre at 7 pm. The film: the award winning family movie “All About Dad” directed by Mark Tran. Tickets are available on-line. Can’t wait to see it.
~oOo~
Sunday, May 9
It’s Mother’s Day today, and we’ve come to the WR Castell library to join the Find the CanASIAN in You bus tour #2. The weather is fine and quite a crowd has gathered just inside the library entrance. There are families, mothers and daughters, friends. A few who are back after enjoying last week’s tour. And as it turns out, some who were at this tour two years ago! After checking in the on-line ticket purchasers, Tu Nguyen begins with a short introduction to the tour and the events of ImaginASIAN. We’re going to visit the Chinese and Vietnamese communities today. Luc from multicultural collections (on the 5th floor) gives a brief description of the multilingual collections in books and other media, noting DVDs in particular. With hand-outs from the tour and the library in hand, we board the special Calgary transit bus. Oh, the bus is full today!
Our first stop is the Chinese Cultural Centre (CCC) on 1 Street SW. We take a group photo with the beautiful building, that is a replica of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. as our backdrop. Then we go indoors and stand under the colorful dome in the main hall. Samantha Yang from the CCC joins us and points out the salient features of the building: the pillars that signify the seasons, the multitude of dragons integrated in the designs decorating the ceiling (how many were there? 561!), the significance of the colors- the red and gold, the blues and greens. She could spend all afternoon and we are ready to stay, but we have to move on. There is still so much to see.
We go downstairs to the Chinese Artifacts Museum. Quite a few of us have been to the CCC at one time or another, but hardly anyone has ventured to the Museum before. What a treasure! The terra cotta chariot and warriors, samples of the famous terra cotta army in China, are impressive. The tiger feather painting. The ancient earthquake detector. The ceramics and the costumes. The magic bowl of water which when rubbed in a certain way make hundreds of water droplets dance and play on the surface. Then, we are shown a table laden with dumplings, spring rolls, tea eggs and sweet rice and bean buns, and tea. So good! There’s a painting of cherry blossoms in progress that we can help finish if we wish, and some of us try our hand at it. Soon it is time to go, and on our way out, we are given 500 g bags of scented rice to take home!
We get back on the bus. Delighted. And we are on our way southeast. En route, our guide Tu, who is wearing the traditional ao dai, tells us about the Vietnamese community in Canada. We soon arrive at the Calgary Vietnamese Canadian Association, where we are greeted by lovely Vietnamese maidens in different costumes. The room is large and colorfully decked. We see Scouts kneeling on the floor with pairs of bamboo poles between them, and they are clapping the poles together and in a rhythmic fashion, inviting us to try to walk between the ever moving poles without getting caught! It reminds one of the tinikling, the traditional Philippine bamboo dance, with similar rhythms and perforce, strategies of traveling across the poles.
We are seated and we watch a slide show about the Vietnamese community, and one is struck by how a common history binds this cohesive community. Then we are feted with a fashion show of various costumes from different parts of Vietnam. The costume from the mountainous region is strikingly similar to Philippine costumes of people in similarly mountainous areas!
For Mother’s Day, first the mothers then every one of the tour participants are given beautiful long-stemmed roses. In honor of all mothers everywhere, Minh Hien, a lady with a lovely voice sings in Vietnamese. There is no need for translation; the melody and the emotion are sufficient to convey the message of love and remembrance.
Then we are all led to a long table where each place setting is marked with a plate and serviette and a container of dipping sauce. In the middle of the table is a spread of rice wrappers, shrimp and pork slices, cooked white rice noodles and shredded lettuce, and mysterious pans of hot water, steaming. Ah! We are going to learn how to make salad rolls! It is a favorite order at Vietnamese restaurants that with a bit of practice turns out isn’t terribly hard to make. Once you’ve been shown how! Quang, still in traditional wedding garment from the fashion show, demonstrates how you arrange the shrimp and meat slices so that once rolled up, the bright red stripes on the tiger shrimp show through. Beautiful and delicious!
We are all wonderfully satisfied with everything we’ve seen and heard and eaten. But the tour isn’ t over yet. We have one more stop. We get back on the bus and travel just a short distance to the Little Saigon Mall. After taking a few more pictures, we walk to the Vietnamese Noodle World, where the owner Mr. Thanh Nham so very generously serves us Vietnamese coffee and bubble tea, and bowls of steaming Pho and fresh basil and bean sprouts. Supper! We can hardly believe the bounties of this day. All that we saw and heard. All that we tasted and savored. All that we learned. Unforgettable.
See photos from the tour here.
~oOo~
Saturday, May 8
This afternoon was the “official” launch of ImaginASIAN at the Plaza Theatre in Kensington. The sun was out and Kensington Road had its usual crowd of week-enders: strolling, browsing, looking for places to eat on a Saturday afternoon. Some walked into the Plaza, wanting to see the film, whose poster had just been transferred from the bulletin board inside to the outside door. Good idea! The volunteers greeted guests and ushered performers to the prep room.
We had a short program that gave us an opportunity to describe Asian Heritage Month, to outline our events, and to acknowledge our generous sponsors, partners and friends. The requisite speeches were interspersed with some lovely dances. Lucilla Splichal, a New Yorker of Slavic descent, lately of Mexico, with a deep appreciation of South Asian culture, danced 2 Bollywood fusion dances. Students from Kala Bhavan of Calgary, a school that focuses on the traditional dances of India, performed to a piece entitled Breathless. Their dance combined Bollywood and traditional Indian elements. The Calgary International Film Festival donated the door prize of a 10-ticket pack to the upcoming Festival in the Fall.
The film itself was a revelation. Here was a very different film Mao’s Last Dancer, but in some ways similar. One Crazy Ride is also about a journey, more literal and immediate, and about the challenges faced and conquered. Both films are a celebration of the indomitable human spirit.
See photos here!
~oOo~
Friday, May 7
Yesterday was the final day of the I HeART youth art show in the Epcor lobby downtown, and it saw quite a few people come to browse and to buy! Wayne Chiu of Trico Homes and his wife came to see the art and chat over Chinese pastries and Oolong tea. Over the three day show, we sold 8 pieces in all, nearly a third of the offerings. This is a wonderful project, gathering works of young artists of Asian descent from across Calgary and providing a unique opportunity for their work to be seen and appreciated.
~oOo~
Thursday, May 6th
Thanks to an incredible text-email-phone-web-social network-car ferry brigade, an imminent fiasco was averted tonight. At 3:30 this afternoon, we learned that the venue for Mao’s Last Dancer had been changed: the movie was to be shown at the Eau Claire Market cinema! A flurry of phone calls between Calgary and Toronto ensued in the vain hope of retaining the Chinook location, but by 3:50, it was clear that we would somehow have to get the word out that Eau Claire was the venue. The message brigade began. Initial shock and disbelief turned into an all-out effort over the internet and the phone, by bus, car and on foot. Signage went up at the Chinook cinema complex. Cars ferried people to Eau Claire.
By dint of everyone’s hard work and resourcefulness, the word got out and the people came. The theatre was full except for the first 4 rows or so, and more importantly, everyone there was of good cheer. Teresa Woo-Paw, MLA, came with her husband and daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Truong of Big Ben Travel were there, as was Bin Wu from Omni TV. Trevor Smith from the Calgary International Film Festival awarded the door prize of a 10-ticket pack to the coming CIFF in September. Other prizes of free tickets to One Crazy Ride and All About Dad were also given to lucky moviegoers.
The movie started at 7:40 pm and after initial aspect ratio adjustments, went smoothly until the final credits rolled. The audience was quiet for a moment. perhaps to wipe a tear or two or simply to take in what had transpired on the screen. Then applause. And on our part, utter relief and gratitude.
——-
The I HeART youth art show ends today at 2 pm in the Encor lobby downtown. Come for a last chance to see the art and perhaps buy some. There are some really striking pieces yet to be owned. We hear that there have been some very happy purchasers who’ve bought pictures for their special loved ones. Remember Mother’s day is this Sunday. Maybe a picture for Mom is in order?
~oOo~
Tuesday, May 4th
ImaginASIAN was on City TV’s Breakfast TV this morning! Co-chair Balfour Der was interviewed about ImaginASIAN and the events going on in celebration of Asian Heritage Month. Tu Nguyen and Kieu-Trinh Phan dressed in Japanese kimono and Vietnamese ao dai, respectively, were called in and Balfour talked about the upcoming bus tours. Food trays on the counter with Vietnamese spring and salad rolls and Japanese sushi were presented as foods that participants would learn to make and certainly get to enjoy eating at the bus tours. Youth artists showed samples of their art: Ethel Dalida had a still life drawing in pencil crayon and Adelvon Aguilar a serene nature photograph. Finally, Siah “Kosame” Go, Leone “Porkchop” Nash and Jati Pujol demonstrated their mad breakdancing skills to the utter delight of all.
Watch the clip here!
I HeART Youth in Asia opened a couple of hours later at the Encor Building downtown. There were about 30 pieces of art (painting, drawings, sculpture, photographs) on display. Quite a few of the youth artists were on hand, some with their proud parents, beaming! Richard Gotfried from Trico Homes, Presenting sponsor of ImaginASIAN came to enjoy the exhibit. Trico Homes provided Asian coconut buns, puff pastries and almond cookies to have with the Oolong and jasmine teas, served steaming hot. Omni TV was there to cover the event. Oh, oh, and one piece of art has sold! The hand drawn picture of a buffalo skull by Ellie May Rosario so delighted the patron, who bought the piece for her father. She said that if asked, we should just say that she had bought it for a cowboy.
This just in! The CBC Calgary Eyeopener phoned Tu Nguyen yesterday to ask her about ImaginASIAN, and Tu gladly described all the programs and events planned for Asian Heritage Month. That interview is going to be on today’s show. The Eyeopener gave away tickets to the Bus Tour last Sunday, and if you tune in tomorrow, they will be giving away 3 pairs of tickets to Mao’s Last Dancer! The Calgary Eyeopener will continue to give away tickets for the May 16th tour and the other movies in the ImaginASIAN Film Series. So tune in and win!!
~oOo~
Sunday, May 2nd
This afternoon we had our first Find the CanASIAN Bus Tour. We met at the WR Castell Public Library downtown, where things started off with welcome greetings from ImaginASIAN and the Calgary Public Library. The weather was rather unsettled at first, but by the time we boarded the special Calgary Transit bus, the sun was shining and we were on our way to a glorious afternoon. See photos here.
Our first stop was at the Baitunnur Mosque, which is one of the largest mosques in North America. We were met by our kind hosts and taken first for tea and snacks (samosas, jalebi and cookies). Then we had a tour of the lovely prayer space, which boasts a beautiful chandelier hanging from the dome and Arabic caligraphy in gold accents quoting from the Quran. Our guide told us about forms of greeting and prayer postures, and answered our many questions with gentle authority. We visited their multi-purpose hall that can be a gym or banquet hall, conference centre or additional prayer space.
Our second stop was at the Hindu Mandir, the centre of worship of some 600 Calgary families of the Hindu faith. We were led into their main prayer hall with statues of deities in the main altar and side niches, all bedecked in colorful finery. The priest marked us in welcome with red tilaka on our foreheads, and we listened to two lovely ladies, who talked about their faith with such truth and enthusiasm. We learned how to tie saris and even walk with them. Then we were shown some dances: first, by a very nimble 5 year old and then by three young girls, all under the watchful eye and expressive hands of their teacher. Then it was time for snacks (again!), where we had more samosas, candied white melon, and chai.
We had such a wonderful time at both places. Our hosts were so welcoming and generous, and they urged us to visit again. At the end of our tours, they would not say good-bye but “See you!”
Can hardly wait until next Sunday. What wonders await us then?