"Hype Nation"

So there a new film being produced by Universal Studios called "Hype Nation". So here is another film which follows the dance battle between two dance crews, the American crew and the Korean crew. Set to star in this film is Korean star Son Dam-bi. Even though she will have some intense English training I have to admit I'm kind of excited. I usually don't care for these kinds of films but this has sparked my interest. This film is set to start shooting in December of this year with the releasing of the film to be in obvioulsy 2009. I don't know what to expect out of this, but quite frankly, I have to say that none of these films usually are that great, they usually lack a good plot line, which if I'm correct is what you need to make a good story, but I may go see it just because of my curiousity.

Gran Torino Update!!

The bad guys of Gran Torino have been chosen and they are from all different parts of the world. The cast is for a film called "Gran Torino" which is directed and also stars Clint Eastwood. I posted awhile back about the auditions now we know who have been casted. For a more detailed exclusive and interviews please go to www.hmongtoday.com to read the full article. There are two parts to the article. Part one is with the gang and Part 2 is with the two main leads of the film. All of these actors and actresses are Hmong and we all hope to see them do well in this upcoming and highly anticpated film. I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Epik High!!

Epik High is soon to be releasing their 6th album titled "Pieces: Part 2". The trio is keeping tight lipped exactly when the album will be dropping but has managed to announce that they will also be putting on a nationwide tour once the album is dropped. The tour which is entitled "Epik High - The Parade 2008" will kick off on September 27th in Soeul at the Olympic Park. Although these first few concerts may be more for promoting their mini album titled "Lovescream" nonetheless we are still excited! I'll keep you posted if I hear anything more!

New Music for you!!!

DBSK is back in Korea and with a bang I might add. The very popular boy band has return with their new album (4th album) and new song titled "Mirotic". It debut at #1 and we can only expect great things for them. For those who have forgotten about them let me refresh your memory on why we fell in love with them in the first place. Besides their devilishly great looks, their music has been nothing but constant evolution not to mention that they also have some great dance moves. From great hits such as "Ballons" and "Purple Line" there is just no stopping DBSK. They have been quite busy lately and will only continue to remain that way. Before returning, however, they have been seducing fans in Japan (and all over world). The most recent hit released in Japan was "Why Did I Have to Fall in Love with You"? Now they are back and with completely new looks and I just have to add these guys are always reinventing themselves and it just keeps getting better and better!

Their album released has been pushed back two days so keep an eye out for their album which wil drop on September 26th, 2008. Please feel free to leave comments on the album or single once you have heard it!

The Wonder Girls are also set to release a new album. They have just released the new music video for their newly released single titled "Nobody". If you loved the song you'll love the music video. JYP makes an appearance and the video is not only cute like the rest of their videos but also funny. With past hits like "Tell Me" and "So Hot" these girls are back and looking better then ever. I must say their vocal in this track are even tighter than before. For those who have not yet heard the song or have not yet seen the video you can always find it on youtube.com.

SM Town

As all of you probably know SM Entertainment is once again holding global auditions for the Asian population. You can log onto their website for more information. You are eligible to audition for many genres and aspects of the entertainment field. Some of the categories are singing, dancing, acting, modeling, etc. the auditions are almost over so if you are interested find out what cities and dates are left. For those who have heard about too late there is always next year. You can then look forward to being the next DBSK or SHINee. Speaking of DBSK please view my other blogs for the latest news on music and entertainment.

~NEWS ALERT~

For all those who are interested I am writing to inform those who have not heard yet but there is a movie that Clint Eastwood is directing and starring in that will feature Hmong people. I think that this is really exciting and everyone should look out for it later this year to early next year. It's a great introduction of the Hmong culture to the rest of the world who may not be aware of our race. This movie is called Gran Torino and is scheduled to appear in theaters in Dec. of 2008 but this is just and estimate. It can possibly take longer due to other things. I hope that you all will provide feedback once you have seen it.

Chapter One: Why is it so hard to make friends?

My childhood was good, interesting, but good. I spent all of my educational career in catholic schools, however, in doing this it really limited my choices in friends, there was absolutely no diversity. I had only American friends and by American I mean "white" friends. I never really had the opportunity to explore any other relationships with any other race including my own. Well, of course, there were my cousins an all but I don't usually introduce them as my friends there for it was always difficult to really except the relationship as a friendship, even though I did have close relationships with some of them. I think this has a lot to do with why I'm not as traditional as my parents would like me to be. Throughout the years I have been able to obtain and maintain friendships and relationships with people of other races, but often find myself noticing that my relationships with other races are very different from on another. For instance, my friendships with whites are very different between my friendships with my fellow Hmongs. I've always been very comfortable with white people and usually feel a sense of genuinity when I'm with them. I grew up with white friends and will always have this tangible feeling of love and respect for them. My first real experiences with making friends with my fellow Hmongs came when I was in the 6th grade. I had just entered middle school and was blown away at the huge number of Hmong kids that attended the same school. It was a measly 15-20 students. It may or may not sound like a lot, especially because where I grew up and where I lived the population of Hmong families was a lot, so it seemed like a lot to me then. Now when I look back it was very many because out of all of these kids only about 7 of them were in my grade. I was excited though, finally, I had kids that I could possibly relate to and who would except me and understand me, everything about me.

Nothing is as it seems though and my hope to feel like I was a part of a group, and I mean really feeling like I was, shattered into a billion little pieces right before me. The one Hmong girl that was in the same homeroom as I was befriended me and who know that making one friend, by forming this one friendship, I would be making enemies for the rest of my life with my own kind?

There had been a quarrel, this meaningless and pathetic outburst of hatred amongst the Hmong group of kids and I was caught in between. Guilty by association I was sentenced to suffer along with this new girl I barely even knew. I had committed no crime, I had done nothing wrong, it was simply a case of me being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I accepted it though because I had a craving for this relationship and if that meant to be disowned my others so be it. I stuck with this new girl and she stuck with me. We formed a great relationship and I really got to know her, she was a wonderful girl. She was simple and sweet, kind and forgiving, she was understanding. This was what I had wanted. We eventually made allies and by forming these allies launched a new beginning. A war came and weapons of words and pranks began to take place, harrassments and embarrassing tactics were thrown back and forth, before we knew it everything had gone too far. Peoples feeling were hurt and tears were shed and that's when I decided to play peacemaker. I had had enough of this war, a war that I had no business fighting in because in the end I did not believe in what I was fighting for, in fact in went against everything that I was hoping to accomplish. I was taken over by my selfishness and greed for understanding I neglected all of what I wanted.

It was in that one moment that I realize maybe all my friendships with these kids were only formed because there was a comprehension of camaraderie between us due to the fact that we were of the same skin color. I wanted to throw up right then and there. In my years of forming all sorts of relationships and knitting friendships I began to ask myself, "What kind of friend am I looking for? And in which race would I find it in"? It may sound strange but a friendship that is formed with others of a different race and a friendship that is formed with someone of the same race are and feel completely different. When I am with my non-Hmong friends I find myself happier and truly excepted, not for my skin color or my background, but for me. There is a this touch of genuineness and truth. When I'm with my Hmong friends I feel most at home for there is an understanding of our own culture which seems to be painted on this background of another. There is a knowledge of the same language and traditions, an ability to perceive the difficulty of living this one life in these two amazing but different worlds. These are the things that hinder my friendships with my beloved "white" friends. It is that no matter how hard they try to understand or even if they think that they understand I know that deep down they honestly can never really understand unless they were here, standing in my shoes.

Intro.

I often get ask about what ethnicity I am. People always think that I'm Korean or Chinese, but much to their astonishment I reply, "No, I'm Hmong". The most common response is, "What is that"? Of course this is when I have to sit them down and explain to them the history of my culture, my ancestry, and where my people come from. For all of those who have never of heard of the Hmong people I will give you a brief overview. Although there are many different concepts and theories of where we originate from the most common theory is that we originated from China. The second most popular theory is that we originated from Mesopotamia, know knows as Iraq. Just so things stay simple we'll just stick with the first theory for this section of the story. It is said that we are most closely related to the Chinese people. They're our sister race as some may call it. Oddly enough though I would be slightly surprised if most Chinese people know of us. The second most popular question I get is, "What country do you belong to" or "What country are you from"? I'm sorry but this is the part where I often laugh. I don't mean to be rude and I know that for the most part they don't either. I appreciate most people's sense of enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. It's the only way to fight ignorance against any race. Anyways, we don't come from one specific place or country. We come from all over. Our race is a nomadic race. We travel where it is necessary to stay alive or to make a living for ourselves and our families. More recently though, we have been coming from Thailand or Laos. That's actually where my family and I'm from. I was born in Thailand in a refugee camp. We came to the United States right before I turned one in July of 1987. A new place, a new home, a new struggle. We'll expand on this topic more. If there are any questions, please do send them.

I find myself sometimes wondering why I am the only one who has to face some of the dilemmas that I do, but I always know that deep down I'm not alone. I'm sure all of you can relate to that to some degree. Its one thing to be from a different race residing in a country you know your not originally from, but its another to know that most of the world has never even heard of your race. That is much harder. Our culture is still very old fashioned, therefore, it makes it harder for us younger generation to make a happy living for ourselves. It's hard enough dealing with certain pressures in our lives but to have to deal with those pressures from two different cultures and two different worlds just makes life all the harder. Our parents want what is best and for all of us to succeed in life like all parents do. They want us to be doctors, lawyers, business owners, and all of the above so that we can be wealthy and not worry about half the things that they had to, but they want us to achieve all of this in a world that is so different from our culture yet they want us to maintain our beliefs, cultures, and traditions. We can't stray from that or else our reputation becomes tarnished and we can possibly be ostracized in our community. I always describe my life as living in two worlds that can't collide. Playing and pretending like I belong in both worlds so that neither worlds realize that I'm just an aimless wanderer, a visitor, who stumbled into a world by accident and born into another by mistake. Not to sound like I'm not proud of who I am because I am. I love being Hmong and I love being an American. I even think of myself as a Thai. I love the fact that I was born in Thailand. Just being born there will forever leave a mark in my heart forever. I consider myself all of these things. It doesn't mean though that loving all these things about myself doesn't make it hard. There's more struggles and more obstacles to overcome than I ever thought before.