Today, I had the chance to attend and participate in the annual UBC Arts CAP (Coordinated Arts Program) Conference. The conference is a display of student works and features presentations from all five streams of CAP: (Global Citizens), (Philosophy, Political Science & Economics), (Law and Society), and (Media Studies). One thing that I want to point out from browsing through many of my classmate’s archival research projects from back in February, I noticed the level of improvement and quality of the presentations that was shown in today’s conference. To me, this is a display of the amount of skills we (the students) have learned and taken away from the Global Citizens stream.

Having presented in the panel, “Circulation, Surveillance, and Consumption,” I found particular interest in a group’s video presentation on Starbucks consumption. Coming from the stream “Individual and Society”, Rohina Dass, Anna Zharkova, Eunice Choi, Carissa Kirk and Cynthia Dobroszek created a large underlying theme of an individual’s connection with society through Starbucks in their presentation panel: More Than Just Coffee. The idea of consumption spoke out to me because being an avid Starbucks coffee drinker myself, I never regarded where the products I consume come from. Thinking back to the human geography and sociology, ideas such as consumption or conspicuous consumption have been mentioned. The video presentation cited that many Starbucks consumers buy coffee for what it is and not for it’s ethical use of coffee (fair trade coffee beans). With this presentation in mind, it is interesting to see the types of ideas that other students from different stream come up with. Imagine if a group of Global Citizens recreated the same project, it would most likely be analyzed through a more sociological, geographical or political context.

Looking back at the Global Citizens stream, I definitely enjoyed all the material this first year has offered. The cross course ideas and themes between each class was something that I very much appreciated and will miss next year. This will be the last blog post for my Global Citizens ASTU 100. Thank you for those who have been reading until now, you have been great support.

/Vinson Tam

Just a couple of days ago, I participated in a movie screening from Aboriginal Initiatives titled Where Are We In The World?. The screening featured two prevalent issues/events from Vancouver, BC: the Komagata Maru incident in 1914 and Vancouver’s Chinatown changing cultural scene. In particular, I found the Chinatown film screening with particular interest as I can directly connect with my Chinese culture. Since I was little (and to this day), I would occasionally visit Chinatown with my family to buy groceries and/or hardware. I would remember the distinct imagery of Chinatown in my head when I went there as a child, the busy streets were loud and crowded with adults holding one or two bags of groceries in each hand, it almost felt like I wasn’t in Vancouver. Present, when I visit Chinatown, the atmosphere seems to have changed. With the development of the apartment and the appearance of more Western stores, it almost seems as if Chinatown’s historical culture is slowly fading away.

Source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/chinatown.jpg

A rising issue regarding Chinatown is the urban redevelopment of the area. With the current development of the apartment/commercial building, the people of Chinatown feel that a new era is over writing the original culture. These ideas of remembrance parallels that of “Missing Sarah” by Maggie De Vries. There is this hidden conflict concerning the remembrance of an individual within a society. The importance of having Sarah remembered with positive light (the media) was one of the challenges I identified in the book and it is no different with Chinatown being overrun by the City of Vancouver’s development plan.

With that thought in mind, the people of Chinatown are concerned. The livelihood of Chinatown that many recalled back a decade ago seemingly does not exist today. In addition, the residents are afraid the area will slowly transform into what will be the next “Yaletown” or “New Gastown” of Chinatown. We are simply in an age of urban development and the city wants to keep Chinatown on track with the rest of Vancouver’s urban look. In my opinion, I hate to see the old Chinatown go, but with the authority and power on the city municipal’s side, cancelling any further development projects seem slim. Nevertheless, Chinatown will always (and hopefully) retain its unique cultural value because that is something no one can ever take away.

/Vinson Tam

Taking an official week break from all ASTU classes, I have had the opportunity to spend the time with my classmates in UBC’s very own basement collection, the Rare Books and Special Collections. Our purpose there was to delve into archival material and find Vancouver’s street community newspaper from the 1990s. Given the name, The Street Newspaper, the tabloid put a particular focus on the voice of the homeless. Ranging from personal life accounts to unique perspectives, The Street Newspaper offered material not found in other mainstream print at the time such as The Province or The Vancouver Sun. Although The Street Newspaper is no longer in print, it has gradually evolved into what is called presently, the Megaphone.

http://www.bestvancouverguide.com/wp-content/main-and-hastings.jpg

The issue of homelessness has been a long term issue in the City of Vancouver. Recently, I had noticed an article from 24 Hrs Vancouver newspaper regarding the topic of legalizing homeless camps. In my opinion, the suggestion of legalizing encampments will certainly only add more fuel to the fire in governmental debates. Many solutions have been brought up and many have been rejected and unfortunately, the idea of allowing monitored encampments does not seem to flow too well with city officials. All in all, this example clearly displays the governments treatment to the homeless as a marginalized group. From the municipal to the provincial government, excuses come out as “lack of funding” or “there needs to be further discussion.” I believe that the root of the problem lies in what they know versus what they don’t know.

http://yourstreetnews.weebly.com/

After completing my archives project, my views regarding the street community has changed. I believe that in order for change to occur, the government or whoever is planning on starting an initiative, should see the problem itself. By this, I mean that they should look at solving the issue at hand with the perspective of the street community. I reckon that many officials are hiding behind a desk trying to tackle a problem they don’t even see themselves. As such, a website that my group members and I have created here, provides that context and perspective that people need to see. There are questions which needed to be answered, “How can we improve their lives?” “How do we distribute medical attention/rehab?” “How can we solve homelessness without setting up encampments?” “What is the cause of homelessness?”  Without such knowledge, how can the government ever put an end to homelessness?

/Vinson Tam

The start of a new semester brings forth new adventures and discoveries. In my ASTU 100 course, we are starting the new year off by studying about archives, from topics such as the purpose of its existence, the significance for scholars and everything in between. After a full week of discussion, our class actually visited UBC’s very own archive collection, The Rare Books and Special Collection, located at the very bottom floor of Irvin K. Barber Building. With this visit to the archives, I have taken away with me a truly ‘priceless’ experience.

From what I saw, anything and everything seems to hold worth and value, from items such as: journals, newspaper articles and even movie tickets can be found. What strikes me the most was a particular set of books I had my eyes on for the last couple of days. I was reading through the newspaper as per usual on my train ride to school and noticed an article with the header: “Student’s crowd funding campaign helps UBC secure two historical novels.” Surely, I had to look more into this and what unfolds is about a UBC student, Justin O’Hearn, who bought two extremely rare novels from the 19th century regarding homosexuality. The two books which were bought included Teleny and Des Grieux. With the help of Google, I found the article has picked up a fair amount of media attention from multiple sources such as: The Ubyssey, CBC, Metro Vancouver and even UBC’s Library Blog.

Left: Justin O’Hearn Right: Gregory Mackie Photo Credit: Don Erhardt link: https://blogs.ubc.ca/library/category/rare-books-and-special-collections/

As an average consumer, I would not see the significance  of spending over $15,000 on old books; however, collectors and scholars may find great value and knowledge. Like my professor always asked us, we have to think about our audience. The UBC student bought the books at such a high price because it was not only an original, but it marks itself in history as the first ever queer literature in any post-secondary institution. Certainly, this opens up new research opportunities for fellow students, teachers and professors alike. With this, they are able to contribute to the current state of knowledge and possible provide new data. Not only did Justin O’Hearn buy new books for the archive, he essentially opened the path towards new ideas regarding homosexuality and the history of the “presumed” book’s author, Oscar Wilde.

With the archives reaching a maximum capacity, it’s amazing how they will still accept more each day. As a first year student, I’m still trying to understand and wrap my head around the idea of audience. In an archive, it is critical to consider why an article or piece of literature is kept and what importance it may serve. As for the two recently added novels, I actually saw Justin O’Hearn and his colleagues in the Rare Books and Special Collection the other day already hard at work examining the fine piece of literature he obtained.

/Vinson Tam

Having completed my first official term of university, I would like to take some time to look back at the things I have learned from ASTU 100 with Dr. Laurie McNeill. Although ASTU showed a significant content and expectation difference from high school, the skills and knowledge I take away from that class is incomparable. In particular, I want to talk about the analytical skills I have learned from ASTU.

Throughout the term, our class has looked into many articles and researchers, ranging from scholars such as Hillary Chute, Gillian Whitlock, Carolyn R. Miller and Dawn Shepherd and various others. As a class, we engaged in discussions and textual analysis with every article. Comparing it back to my experience with previous English and writing courses, my high school teachers never educated me as in depth as ASTU has. Personally, ASTU has taught me the English skills that I have always wanted to learn. The first semester may have been a challenging one; however, I’m always learning from mistakes in hopes of correcting them. 

From techniques such as gist noting, summarizing and connecting scholars, it has opened my perspective in looking at scholarly writing in a whole new way. These skills and knowledge are (in my opinion) essential for any student writing at the university level. The idea of reading scholarly articles has vastly differed since the beginning of the semester. As of now, I am confident in analyzing scholarly articles and relating scholars together from different text. In addition to analyzing text, classroom discussions have also played a role in providing insight and new knowledge. To relate, Professor Chris Erickson of the Politics Department had always emphasized the effectiveness of studying in groups. Nevertheless, ASTU has been a blast first semester and I can’t wait to get back with the class once second semester starts.

Since watching the 2006 documentary movie, God Grew Tired of Us by directors Tommy Walker and Christopher Dillon Quinn, I have never felt so grateful to be living in the lifestyle I experience today. To summarize, the movie depicts the events of Sudan in the 1980s  in which communities of boys are separated from their families due to the war ridden capital. Up until this day, residents and citizens of Africa continue to battle the many ongoing problems such as: diseases, low living standards, lack of education and many more. Many individuals in Africa are given an opportunity to live life and express “freedom” in America; however, the problem is never solved as they are riddled with debts and the vast discrimination of society.

Even so, it brings joy to my heart to see individuals or groups help out little by little. Halloween just passed and I noticed a couple advertisements regarding UNICEF’s annual Halloween campaign. With the primary emphasis of helping children in third world countries, UNICEF makes an effort to change the lives of many. With many out there in need, it questions the mass (including myself) as to how they will make a difference at all? It occurred to me only after I finished watching the documentary that the answer was simply a group effort. Sure UNICEF wants you to donate money to their company, but it’s about knowing what you’re contributing to. UNICEF can’t fix all the world problems with money, they need the help of individuals to advocate their goal.

http://www.diplomaticcallonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cabecera-unicef-color-pag-o.png

This whole concept ultimately relates back to the program I’m currently enrolled in at UBC, the Coordinated Arts Program: Global Citizens. The purpose is to educate individuals in becoming someone who will contribute to the world as a whole. My class could very well be the solution to advocating change in our society because it takes groups of individuals to make a difference. I might not be able to fix the current situation in Africa currently, but slowly, I can guarantee everyone on the planet will learn what it means to be a global citizen.

/VinsonTam

References

God Grew Tired of Us. Perf. John Dau, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Abul Pach, Panther Bior. NewMarket            Films, 2006. DVD.

“UNICEF Canada : No Child Too Far.” UNICEF CA RSS. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.

With midterm season slowing down, I finally found myself an opportunity to watch a couple Ted Talks. In particular, there was one speaker that stood out exceptionally well in terms of a hilarious personality and rather eye changing presentation, Nav Bhatia. Most notably recognized as one of Canada’s top car salesman and official “Superfan” of the city’s basketball team, Toronto Raptors, Nav Bhatia is also an iconic symbol for the country’s Canadian-Indo culture.

One of Nav Bhatia’s greatest emphasis was to believe in self-confidence and expression. Living in Canada, Nav also prides himself as both a Canadian and Sikh at heart. It is the freedom of Canada that he cherishes so well. Relating it to the recent topics of ASTU 100, we’ve looked at subject matters regarding that of culture and identity. Through this, I believe Nav Bhatia has broken the barrier of immigrant stereotypes. By outperforming at his car dealership, Nav Bhatia proved that not all Indians/Sikhs just drive taxis. Furthermore, Nav Bhatia holds celebrity status throughout North America with his ongoing participation in the Toronto National Basketball Association.

If more individuals were as open to expression such as Nav Bhatia, nations across the world could see a culture change. Canada is already home to that of hundreds of culture varieties, French, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Japanese and many more. Not to say it’s happening already, Canadian can be defined by many as a culture of diversity. With this ongoing trend, Canada has seen an exponential growth in the last decade in accepting various ethnic backgrounds. Nav Bhatia is a key role model in culture identity in our nation. Who knows who might the next culture changing hero will be.

“Integrate with society, out of the zone where you are not welcomed.” -Nav Bhatia

/Vinson Tam

References

Changing Perceptions — From Sikh To Superfan. Toronto: TedxToronto, 2014. DVD.

Video Link: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtNZd4hiSmY)

In my previous week of ASTU: Academic Writing course, one of the main focuses was studying and looking at Salam Pax’s blog, Where is Raed. Through this blog, Salam narrates his experiences of war terror in Iraq. Aimed at a Western audience, Salam creates a connection to US politics and government.

In relation, I want to point out the ongoing issue that’s currently happening in Hong Kong, the Umbrella Revolution (Link to a more detailed article regarding Vancouver’s contribution to the protest: http://www.theprovince.com/Vancouver+rally+backs+Hong+Kong+Umbrella+Revolution/10264936/story.html). Masses of university students are currently protesting the Government of Hong Kong in support of keeping the democratic system. In the heat of the protest, many students and innocent protestors are injured in the process. From tear gas to police brawls, the Hong Kong citizens are suffering both a physical and emotional fight.

https://thebulletwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/hong-kong-ralley.jpg

Like Salam Pax, an abundant of protestors and reporters are out in Hong Kong relaying the information to the rest of the world. An example would be live blogs. Here, many are contributing to the state of knowledge from one area to the next. In particular, blogger Vaudine England has been commenting on the relationship between Hong Kong and China since 2012. Unlike Iraq, Hong Kong allows for free speech and protest as long as it remains civil. All of this would not have been possible if it wasn’t for our current state of technology and social media. In fact, this crisis has garnered so much attention in the West that it has our Canadian government voicing an opinion. On a more global level, it has stirred up discussions and debates around the world, with people either supporting Hong Kong or China. Why do people care then? It is our social media and this circulation of information that feeds us this knowledge. In the mean time, the citizens of Hong Kong will just have to patiently wait until the final decision is made to either evolve into communism or remain democratic.

/Vinson Tam

References

• VANDERKLIPPE, NATHAN. “Dozens Injured, Arrested in Violent Hong Kong Clashes.” The Globe and Mail. Globe and Mail, With Wire Services, 3 Oct. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/clashes-with-police-erupt-at-hong-kong-protest-site/article20906765/>.
• Chappell, Chris. “What Is Happening in Hong Kong? Umbrella Revolution May Be Just the Beginning – The Epoch Times.” The Epoch Times. EPOCH TIMES, 3 Oct. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/996242-china-uncensored-hong-kongs-umbrella-revolution-may-be-just-the-beginning/>.
• England, Vaudine. “Hong Kong Suffers Identity Crisis as China’s Influence Grows.” The Guardian. The Guardian, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/23/china-hong-kong-identity-crisis>.
• HUME, JESSICA. “Trudeau Calls for Peace in Hong Kong.” Toronto Sun. NATIONAL BUREAU, 2 Oct. 2014. Web. 7 Oct. 2014. <http://www.torontosun.com/2014/10/02/trudeau-calls-for-peace-in-hong-kong>.

BLOG LIVE STREAM: http://live.aljazeera.com/Event/Hong_Kong_protests_3

“If you were to write a story with me in the lead role, it would certainly be… A tragedy.” -Ken Kaneki

Recently, I got an opportunity to finish one of Japanese’s highly anticipated animations of the summer, Tokyo Ghoul. Quick synopsis: Tokyo Ghoul focuses on the story of an ordinary student, Ken Kaneki, who lives in a world where society is split between humans and “ghouls.” Ghouls are the creature who must feast on humans in order to survive. Ken Kaneki’s life turns around when he gets involved in an accident with his local friend, Rize Kamishiro. Put into a dire situation doctors replaced Ken Kaneki’s organ with Rize Kamishiro; however, this operation led to the result of Ken Kaneki turning half ghoul, half human.

http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/5/64449l.jpg

In “Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog“ by Carolyn R. Miller and Dawn Shepherd, one of the key focus were self expression and how it is executed through the blog. Similarly, Ken is put into a situation where he lives as half human, half ghoul. To protect his identity from his friends at school and the general public, Ken has to carefully choose how to express his emotions and actions in his community. Ghouls are not seen as friendly citizens in society, rather they are seen as hunger driven animals who’s only purpose is to binge eat humans.

One of the main dilemmas Ken faces is whether to fit in his community as either a human or ghoul. Resisting the urge to eat another human being, Ken confronts the difficulty of adjusting to the lifestyle of ghouls. The immediate question poses to audience, “where will he fit in society?” Living on both sides of the spectrum, Ken is caught on the line of separation. It is interesting to see a character’s freedom ripped apart and having to force them to adopt a separate identity. Similarly, this situation could be related to present day where many people have to act out of their norm to fit into a particular group.

Nevertheless, the story has yet to finish and the second season has already been announced for January 2015. Hopefully in the next half of the story it will further explain in detail which path Ken has chosen. If you were turned into a ghoul, how would you choose to place yourself in society?

/Vinson Tam

References:

Ishida, Sui. Tokyo Ghoul. Shueisha, 2011. Print. 

R. Miller, Carolyn, and Dawn Shepherd. “Into the Blogosphere: Rhetoric, Community, and Culture of Weblogs: Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog.” Into the Blogosphere: Rhetoric, Community, and Culture of Weblogs: Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. <http://blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/blogging_as_social_action_a_genre_analysis_of_the_weblog.html>.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=16087

Although reading online articles isn’t always the type of activity I get myself involved into, there is one special exception for my favourite blogger, Danny Choo.

Started out as computer engineer, Danny has worked himself up through multiple executive jobs until he achieved his own blogging company. Through his own website, dannychoo.com, Danny has captivated many readers by sharing his experiences in Japan. Depicting Japanese culture and lifestyle in his blogs, it appeals to many Japanese lovers such as I.

http://www.animefestival.asia/afa13/img/img_sp_danny.jpg

At first glance, many may ask, “Why Danny Choo?” He seems like the everyday blogger you would find elsewhere on the internet; however, Danny is much more than just sharing life narratives. By including multiple large-scale pictures to go with every post, Danny’s blog lean towards a more visual presentation. Utilizing this method, it captures the reader’s attention and puts them in the point of view as if they were visiting Japan. Referring to his Japan Supermarket blog (http://www.dannychoo.com/en/post/27190/Japan+Supermarket.html), the pictures almost represent that of an in store walkthrough. Accompanied, by a couple lines of text here and there, Danny summarizes the point of the topic.

By consistently blogging his experiences in Japan, Danny eventually became an icon in his community. So I ask myself how can an average person blog his way to the point of being recognized by the Japanese Government. All he had was a dream of spreading Japanese culture globally through his website.

From the beginning of his posts in 2004, Danny’s website has accumulated what I would perceive as a collection of culture knowledge. From all the marvelous destinations to the cultural events, Danny has an interest for all reader’s alike. If I were to begin a blog and record all my experiences, how could I follow the trail of Danny Choo and appeal to my readers? To produce quality stories in a unique way is something I hope to be able to portrait if I ever begin a blogging career.

/Vinson Tam

Note:

Welcome readers, bloggers and fellow students alike,
With this being my first scholarly blog, the content may not have lived up to your expectation. To follow up, I wish you, as the reader, to provide any feedback or comments regarding my article. I appreciate it and hope to contact you all soon !

References:

http://www.dannychoo.com/en/post/25018/Danny+Choo.html 
http://www.dannychoo.com/en/post/27190/Japan+Supermarket.html
http://www.dannychoo.com/