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Dinner with Arlene Chan

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Jim Wong-Chu, Arlene Chan, Todd Wong.  Jim is holding “Swallowing Clouds” which he co-edited and contributed poems to.  Arlene is holding up her newest book “The Chinese in Toronto from 1878: From Outside to Inside the Circle.  I am holding “Paddles Up!” co-edited by Arlene and she also wrote chapter 1: The Beginnings, to which I contributed a quote, and a picture of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team in the Vancouver Taiwanese dragon boat race.

www.arlenechan.ca

My writing career was launched in 1997 with The Spirit of the Dragon: the Story of Jean Lumb, a Proud Chinese Canadian. This children’s book tells the amazing story of my mother who was the first Chinese Canadian to receive the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honour, for her community activism. The Spirit of the Dragon was selected as a Choice Book by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. My second book, The Moon Festival: a Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, was shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award. Awakening the Dragon: the Dragon Boat Festival was published in 2004 and as a paperback in 2007. My fourth publication was released in 2009 as the first book on Canadian dragon boating, entitled Paddles Up! Dragon Boat Racing in Canada. I am currently working on a second book for an adult audience. It is entitled The Chinese in Toronto from 1878: From Outside to Inside the Circle, to be launched in October 2011.
Back Row: Allan Cho, Sid Tan, Adrian Lee, Todd Wong, Sean Gunn, Bruce MacBay, Deb Martin
Front: Albert Lee, Beverly Nann, Arlene Chan, Mary Wong, Jim Wong-Chu
 Here is a youtube video of Arlene Chan talking about Toronto’s Chinese Canadian community, and it’s relationship with McGregor’s Socks, and how the clothing manufacturing industry brought the Chinese and the Scots Canadians together.

McGregor Socks: Arlene Chan

401 Wellington Street West At the former home of McGregor Socks, Arlene Chan tells the story of the Chinese community’s connection with Toronto’s …

BC Book Prizes

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The BC Book Prizes took place on May 12, at the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema at SFU Woodwards, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.  I always enjoy this event probably because 1) I enjoy books a lot 2) because the books and the authors themselves address what it means to be Canadian and a British Columbian.  Even if they are writing about Paris or elsewhere… there is still as sense of pride that the authors are from BC, and they are addressing world issues, or simply creating joy for young readers.
Host Charles Demers poses with Brian Brett – winner of the Lt. Governors Award for Literary Excellence, while Alan Twigg snaps a picture for BC Book World.  Alan is one of the founders of the BC Book Prizes.   In 2010, Charles’ book “Vancouver Special” was a finalist for the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize.  It is a special book for me, because Charles writes about Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner and “Toddish McWong” in his section about Chinatown.
Grant Laurence, his wife Jill Barber, and Todd Wong.  Last year Grant won the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award for his book “Adventures in Solitude: What Not to Wear to a Nude Potluck and Other Stories from Desolation Sound,” which was also a finalist for the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize.   Last year, we tried to invite Grant to a Desolation Sound version of Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner in Okeover, while I was attending Okeover Ceilidh Weekend at the summer home of my friend Allan McMordie.  But a week later, Allan kayaked by Grant’s cabin, and they chatted.
JJ Lee strikes a pose with Linda Johnston, a board member for the BC Book Prizes. JJ’s book “The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit” was nominated for the Hubert Evans Non-fiction Prize.   I have known Linda for many years, initially as a fellow board member for Canadian Club Vancouver.  I first met JJ when he was a member of the Hot Sauce Posse, a skit comedy troupe composed of writers and producers from CBC Radio in Vancouver.
Ann-Marie Metten, Todd Wong, JJ Lee and his wife Melissa.  Ann-Marie served on the board of the BC Book Prizes for many years.  In fact, she is the reason why I first attended in 2006.  We met in 2005 and joined forces to re-create and re-invigorate the Save Kogawa House committee.   In 2006, the house was saved from threat of demolition and purchased by TLC: The Land Conservancy of BC.  Now she is our volunteer Executive Director, and I am Chair of the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society.  We work with the literary community and help to present events, and create the writer-in-residence program at Historic Joy Kogawa House.
Here is a list of winners and notable intercultural finalists:

Half-Blood Blues Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize Winner! Half-Blood Blues – by Esi Edugyan

this is notable because it tells the story of black-American jazz musicians in the salons of Paris and the cabarets of Germany in the 1940’s of WW2.

 Eating Dirt  Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize Winner! Eating Dirt – by Charlotte Gill

 Drink the Bitter Root  finalist -Drink the Bitter Root by Gary Geddes

this is notable because Gary Geddes traveled to Africa to explore the post-genocide, post-Somalia Affair and child soldier issues in Rwanda, Uganda, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Somaliland.  Gary won the Lt. Governor’s Award for Literary Achievement in 2008, and read at Historic Joy Kogawa House in 2009 with his friend and inaugural writer-in-residence at Kogawa House, John Asfour.

 The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit  finalist The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit by JJ Lee

This is notable because JJ Lee tells the story of his Chinese immigrant father, and how he apprentices as a tailor at Vancouver Chinatown’s last tailor shop “Modernize Tailors”, run by my family friends Bill and Jack Wong.  This book was also a finalist for  Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction (2012) and Governor General’s Literary Award – Non-Fiction (2012).

 Something Fierce  finalist Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre

This is notable because Carmen writes about her childhood growing up as a revolutionary in Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile.  She describes fleeing Chile to Canada as a child, then returning to Chile to become part of the resistance movement.

crawlspace  Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize Winner! crawlspace by John Pass

Demeter Goes Skydiving  finalist Demeter Goes Skydiving by Susan McCaslin

This is notable because it conjures up all the gods, goddesses and demi-gods of ancient Greece.  And Susan used to teach Joy Kogawa’s book Obasan

Discovery Passages  Discovery Passages  by Garry Thomas Morse

This is notable because “With its continuous poetic dialogue of “discovery” and “recovery”, Discovery Passages sets out to recover the appropriated, stolen and scattered world of the author’s ancestral people, the Kwakwaka’wakw.”

The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver  Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize

Winner! The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver  by Chuck Davis

This is notable because the history of Japanese, Chinese, First Nations and South Asians are all included in the history of Metropolitan Vancouver, as well as the history of Scots, Irish, Italians, Jewish and English immigrants and descendants.

 

Blood Red Road  Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize Winner! Blood Red Road  by Moira Young

 

When I Was Small   Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize Winner! When I Was Small by Sara O’Leary – Illustrated by Julie Morstad

 

 

 

The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed 65 years ago today

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The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed 65 years ago today:
After the Chinese-Canadian veteran soldiers came back from serving overseas in Asia and Europe, fighting for Canada, they helped to launch the appeal of the Chinese Immigration Act, also known as the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Starting in 1885, a head tax of $50 was imposed on Chinese immigrating to Canada.  Only Chinese – no other nationality was taxed in this manner.  In 1900, it was increased to $100, and to $500 in 1903.  Then on July 1st, 1923, the Chinese Exlusion Act was passed in Canadian Parliament, effectively banning any immigration from any person of Chinese ancestry – even if they were born in the USA.
After WW2, Canadians understood the atrocity of racism, having witnessed the liberation of Jewish Internment camps and mass graves in Nazi Germany.  But it still took a concerted effort of Canadian born citizens of Chinese ancestry to challenge Parliament and demand equality.   I am proud to say the my grand-uncle Daniel Lee was one of these Canadian veterans, along with his friend Roy Mah.
The following was compiled and written by Victor Wong on the Not Too Asian Facebook site:
http://asian.ca/law/cia1923.htm
http://asian.ca/law/ia1947.htm
http://www.mhso.ca/chinesecanadianwomen/en/downloads/education/immigration_laws_handout.pdf

On May 14, 2012 (today), the federal Parties are expected to make
Statements in the House of Commons at 3pm after Question Period to recognize
this important anniversary.

CCNC pays tribute to the families and groups that lobbied over decades to repeal this racist legislation. The Chinese Exclusion Act separated families and some were never able to reunite. The community stagnated as few families were formed due to an unbalanced gender ratio, aging, and some Chinese leaving Canada.
Some Canadian-borns volunteered and fought overseas for a country that didn’t even recognize their basic rights. Here is the story of the late Sgt Louis King and Operation Oblivion (written by Gary Gee): http://ccnc.ca/entryContent/08d45b830c5eb287.pdf.

Sgt. King fought two wars: the military conflict abroad and the war against racism at home. He and his generation won them both

Lifford Grand Tasting… of scotch and wines…

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Auchentoshan could be a scotch sponsor at the 2013 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner….  L-R, Scott, Chrystal and Tony of Edgemont Fine Wines, Spirits & Ales, Jaime of Auchentoshan, Don Harder – my musician friend and scotch drinking buddy, and me – Todd Wong.
I was invited to the
Oysters were served with the Bowmore 12 year old scotch.   The pairing was very nice.   Such a bit of luck, that my friend Don Harder had composed a song “Oysters on the Griddle” for our ceilidh weekend last year in Desolation Sound, where the cabin overlooked the oyster farm in Penrose Bay.  I taught Don how to “stealth hunt” oysters for low impact shucking… Oysters and single malt scotch…. yum… yum….
Cara is actually from the Isle of Islay, where Bowmore is distilled.  She is holding up the bottle of 15 year old Bowmore Darkest – which my brother gave me for my birthday last year.  We also tried Bowmore 12 year and 18 year.
Deb holds up some Canadian Forty Creek whisky in her right hand, and vodka in her left…  It’s a lovely Canadian whisky, brewed with some rye.  For tastings, they had Double Barrel Reserve, and 2 others…

Jessica Fichot plays French accordion chansons extraordinaire!

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Hanging with the cute accordion girl!  Todd Wong, Jessica Fichot, Meesha the bass player, Accordion Noir radio host Bruce Triggs, clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Rob.

Jessica Fichot is a accordionist born in the USA of French and Chinese ancestry, who was raised in Paris where she developed her love of the French chanson music style.  It’s always great to meet another accordionists, and Jessica’s music is particularly interesting.  Both myself and Bruce Triggs (co-host of Accordion Noir radio show on Co-op) did not want to miss this show!

I also invited some of my musician friends from the Black Bear Rebels Ceilidh group. Even bagpipers Allan and Trish McMordie really enjoyed the concert.

 

Jessica’s band includes Antoine on a gypsy guitar, Nanaimo bassist Meesha, and Robbie Marshall on sax and clarinet.  It was a great combo playing a mix of gypsy French chanson, with 2 songs in Spanish latin american style, 2 songs in Chinese, plus one song in Russian!

Robby Marshall was amazing on saxophone and clarinet – he complimented Jessica’s singing so well, and he also played Jessica’s toy piano for one song.  After the concert, we went out for dinner with the band.  I made reservations at Wild Rice and had a nice variety of dishes, which Jessica really enjoyed!

Urban Dreams Gala for Urban Ink Productions

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We are hanging out with the flash opera crowd at the Urban Dreams Gala! pianist Karen Lee-Morlang, Todd Wong, Urban Ink artistic director Diane Roberts, tenors Phillip Grant and Joel Klein, and Deb Martin.

We had lots of fun at the inaugural gala for Urban Ink Productions.  I have enjoyed a few productions over the years starting such as the manga inspired “Hunted”, the Tricia Collins one person play “Gravity” and most recently Valerie Sing Turner’s “Confessions of the Other Woman”

The evening was hosted by Hosted by Omari Newton, series actor in Continuum, Blue Mountain State and Maxx Steele, and local multi-talented performer Mutya Macatumpag.  There were lots of silent and live auction prizes, and of course, lots of food!  Entertainment included some hip hop, a flash of opera, and more!

It was fun to watch the flash opera unfold… as Phillip and Joel had pretended they were catering staff that suddenly burst into song, singing “The Drinking Song” from “La Traviata”.  Pianist Karen Lee-Morlang joined in, after initially pretending to be background piano music.  Next they led the audience in a singalong of a traditional Neopolitan song “Funiculi Funicula” – which is in my accordion repertoire.  After their little performance, Karen who is a friend of mine, said to me “Too bad you didn’t have your accordion, you could have joined in with us!”

I joined in on some of the live auction bidding for vacation getaways, but bailed when it got too high for me.  However I did walk out with a silent auction prize for the upcoming Arts Club musical production of  “Xanadu”, which had been one of my guilty Olivia Newton-John pleasures while growing up in the 80’s.

I made new friends with actor/stunt performer Patrick Sabongui, actor Daren Herbert, and Dimi Alansari (marketing and outreach for Urban Ink).  We discovered the four of us were a real United Nations: Egypt, Bermuda, Lebanon and Canada (me).

 

 

Jessica Fichot – French-Chinese accordionist now living in California is coming to Vancouver

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Jessica Fichot – French-Chinese accordionist now living in California is coming to Vancouver

Jessica first came to my attention in the Accordion Babes calendar, after her fellow Californian accordionists Renee La Prade and Amber Lee Baker came to Vancouver in November.

 

I had emailed with Jessica earlier this year, and this is her reply
“Thanks for reaching out! I am indeed coming to Vancouver on May 5th and the concert will be presented by Le Centre Culturel. I haven’t listed the details on my website yet, only as I was waiting to confirm the venue and time information (I believe I’ll be performing at “Studio 16” though.)  I have been in touch with Rowan from Accordion Noir in the past, and I will let him know about the show once the details are confirmed – but I also know I won’t be able to perform live on his radio show, since there are a lot of restrictions for American musicians to perform in Canada (I was denied entry to Canada once in 2008, as I was not allowed to play a show.) I’m now very careful about obtaining the right permits to play shows in Canada.
“Your work seems very interesting and I can’t wait to hear some Scottish/Chinese music fusion and sample some Scottish/Chinese cuisine!”

From the website for Le Centre

The remarkable Franco-American artist Jessica Fichot will present her new album, “The Secret” in an avant-première performance on May 5th, in concert at Studio 16.

Saturday May, 5th – Studio 16, 1551 West 7th Avenue – 7:30pm – Member 5$ / Non member 10$


fichotwebJessica Fichot is a Franco-American artist whose international career began in Los Angeles. Now, with the official release of her brand new album “The Secret” set for June 5th, 2012, she is beginning a tour of the West Coast and Le Centre is very happy to present her in concert at Studio 16 on May 5th at 7:30 p.m.
Accompanied by her accordion, her toy piano and her band of young musicians, Jessica brings us a performance full of energy and talent. Here in Vancouver, she will honour us with the first-ever public performance of her new compositions. A singer-songwriter whose music is an eclectic blend, Jessica sings in more than five languages, a reflection of her origins and her international spirit, and she delivers a perfect blend of French chanson, Chinese music, gypsy jazz, folk and world music.
Following on the success of her first album entitled “Le Chemin”, Jessica Fichot has performed all over the world, from China to Mexico, as well as Canada and the United States, and of course France. Based in Los Angeles, California, she has won over American audiences with her French and multilingual compositions, her clear, warm voice, her musical sensitivity, her instrumental talent and her charm.
Truly a musical journey, Jessica Fichot’s performance is one you will not want to miss.

 

 

This week gala events for Urban Ink Theatre and explorASIAN

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May 3rd, 2012
7:30 – 10:00 pm
Vancity Theatre
1181 Seymour St

Going to Urban Dreams Gala tonight… very intercultural… Urban Ink does great theatre work – “Confessions of the Other Woman” was amazing… “Gravity” was stunning!

check out:

Urban Dreams: A Very Vancouver Gala

http://urbanink.ca/?p=3733

The Magical Encounter – Opening Gala for explorASIAN Festival & Asian Heritage Month
May 4 – Milton & Fei Wong Experimental Theatre, SFU Woodwards
A Pan-Asian & inter-arts gala performance showcasing both local and visiting artists, and exploring the intersection between music, word, dance, multimedia and cultural traditions. Produced by VAHMS, co-presented by SFU. http://www.explorasian.org/SitePages/Home.aspx

I am going on Friday – should be interesting with lots of different performers and performances.
VAHMS – explorASIAN
www.explorasian.org

 

A fantastic house on Saltspring – made and recycled of local materials found within 100 miles.

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Yesterday I was at Saltspring Island for a board meeting of The Land Conservancy of BC.  We held the meeting in the home of Briony Penn, a founding director of TLC, and the current vice-chair.  She showed her this Globe & Mail article of her home.

All of the house’s lumber was cut down on the property, or salvaged.  The roof

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/in-bc-a-locavores-100-mile-dream-home/article2379741/

www.theglobeandmail.com

 

Check this link to see the G&M photos of the housebuilding in process – some interior shots too! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/where-do-you-get-ultra-local-building-materials/article2379144/?from=2379741

 

Briony told us this great story about how she found the sink… just a few days before the building inspectors came to see the house.  It was found in the yard of a friend, thus reducing the cost of ordering a sink or purchasing it off-island.  And it was free!  This is a nice kitchen to work in with lots of counter space and natural light.
There are lots of personal touches that befit the house of a naturalist.  This is a whale spine bone about two feet in diameter… arranged with a Japanese glass float ball that washed across the Pacific Ocean, and other beach findings.
Remember that kitchen sink?  Well, the grey water from the sink goes through a holding tank and filter, then later finds its way into this pool, which is a habitat for local frogs.  The garden behind it is enclosed by an eight foot high fence to protect from deer, then later the garden’s produce finds its way into the kitchen for daily meals.

My first : Aida grand opera emphasizes human qualities and delights audience

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Aida – produced by Vancouver Opera

Remaining dates April 28, May 1st, May 3rd

Reviewed on April 26th, by Todd Wong and Deb Martin

19th Century Italian composer Guiseppe Verdi was commissioned to write an opera, with French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette by Isma’il Pasha, Khedive of Egypt.  It is set during the ancient wars between Egypt and Ethiopia, and many years later Vancouver Opera stages with Russian singers, as well as Americans of Greek, African and Hawaiian ancestry in the lead roles.  Oftentimes, operas were set in exotic locales to entice the audience, resulting in many cultural stereotypes – but Aida was commissioned specifically for Egypt and had it’s world premiere in Cairo.  We went to see the opera after having dinner in a French-Tunisian restaurant on Commercial Drive.  Welcome to a very intercultural Vancouver.

There were no elephants or camels or falcons on stage at Vancouver Opera’s season closing production of Aida.  This is the opera which had been infamously presented at BC Place in 1989 with a large pyramid towed in on a barge, as well as at the base of the pyramids in Egypt and at the Masada.  No, the Vancouver Opera production alluded to grandeur with a set that featured the large head of a sphinx and entrance to a temple.  But oh – the singing was indeed grand, and it is what everybody was talking about.

Aida is played by Russian soprano Mladda Khudoley, whose voice soared above the combined chorus of epic singing, with almost 80 people on stage.

Wow….

Aida’s love interest is Radames played by American tenor Arnold Rawls, which sets up a complicated love triangle because the Pharoah’s daughter Amneris, played by Greek-American mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas, is also smitten with him.  Hawaiian-American Quinn Kelsey is Amonasro the Ethiopian warrior king who is also father of Aida.  African-American Morris Robinson brings his earth shaking bass voice to the role of Ramfis the priest.

These are all wonderful voices with strong acting skills that add to this wonderful production.  Their nuanced glances and movements greatly enhanced their performances.

The first half of Aida which sets up the plot was typical Verdi, long & a bit musically boring, but the visuals and solo arias were interesting, especially the dancing choreographed by local Vancouverite Chan Hon Goh, former soloist with the National Ballet.  The 3rd Act opened after the intermission with a   a different style of music that really echoed Egyptian music, that brought back our attention.  Oftentimes in Grand Opera, someone launches into a long, long aria and death scenes are equally long, but this time, the brevity of the final dying scene took us by surprise.

The cool parts: the super pianissimo from the men’s chorus & the trumpets on stage. The huge chorus was exceptionally good – thanks going out to Leslie Dala for preparing them. The trumpets are on loan from the West Vancouver Youth Band and Burnaby South Secondary. They are trumpets, just straightened out instead of looped up.

Vancouver Opera’s most recent production of Barber of Seville, featured partial male nudity, with chorus and supernuneries getting changed as if they were in a movie set dressing room.   This time male Egyptian guards showed off some nice pecs and abdominal muscles, as well as the diversity of the human form.  But of course, the dancers had the best bodies and athletic skills – too bad it was hard for them to dance more expressively wearing hindering costumes.  We also thought the spray tans on the Egyptian guards were funny. The opera glasses let us get a good look.

We were excited about seeing Aida for the first time, having heard, of course, of the huge productions with live elephants & pyramids.  We almost expected the sphinx head on stage to open up at some point and release warriors, as the seams of the blocks it was built out of were so visible.  We thought surely it would come apart, having seen something similar in the VO’s production of Lillian Alling, when the forest trees parted to reveal a car “driving down the highway”.

Vancouver Opera productions have been consistently great in recent years. 2010’s version of Nixon in China has now been re-mounted by other companies and is becoming the go-to production.  For Aida, the orchestra is first rate, the chorus shines, and the soloists carefully selected to thrill.  While this show didn’t sparkle & zip like West Side Story, or amuse us with novelty & “buffa” like Barber of Seville or Italian Girl in Algiers, it was solid and classic, and beautifully performed.  We will remember it because it was our first… maybe just like the lovers of Aida and Radames!

Check out this youtube footage of Vancouver Opera’s AIDA rehearsal:

AIDA rehearsal footage with interviews – YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FjiF-fyVQY12 Apr 2012 – 2 min – Uploaded by vancouveropera
Vancouver Opera presents Aida at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. April 21 – May 3, 2012. vancouveropera.ca …