Another Chinatown falling on hard times

Oakland's Chinatown has come into some hard economic times.

LIKE OTHER CHINATOWNS in other cities, the cultural, spiritual and symbolic home of Chinese/Americans in San Francisco's East Bay, Oakland Chinatown's existence is threatened.

A confluence of factors has hobbled Oakland's Chinatown, several square blocks south of Broadway, sandwiched between downtown, Jack London Square and the Lake Merritt neighborhoods: rising rents that threaten to displace longtime residents and businesses; competition from Asian communities and business that have sprouted in the suburbs; the struggle by shop owners to adjust to changing tastes and a changing business climate that includes minimum wage increases; and younger generations of Chinatown residents who leave family retail businesses in favor of other professions.

RELATED: 'Progress' putting the squeeze on U.S. Chinatowns

An article in the East Bay Times outlined some of the problems facing Chinatown. Some business people believe that Chinatown is being neglected as other neighborhoods in the city get more attention from City Hall.

Some advocate more housing be brought to the neighborhood but in doing so might invite the gentrification that is plaguing other Chinatowns in Washington D.C, New York City, Boston and even on the edges of San Francisco's Chinatown, still home for thousands of Chinese immigrants and elderly despite becoming a major tourist attraction for the city.

RELATED: San Francisco's Chinatown fights off gentrification

But as the resident Chinese disperse to the outlying neighborhoods and suburbs, questions arise whether or not there is still a need for Chinatowns. The older Chinatowns grew out racist policies instituted by realtors, financial institutions and city officials. eThe quest for affordable housing is no longer relegated to the normally crowded conditions those policies create. Except for the higher-income neighborhoods, almost all other urban neighborhoods are also seeking affordable housing.

However, the Chinatowns allowed services to be delivered to a lot of clients in a small densely packed area. Social services, financial institutions, medical needs could focus on one area.

So I have two philosophical questions I pose to all of you: 

1. If those racist policies were in play today, would we allow the Chinatowns to form? Wouldn't there by boycotts and demonstrations protesting those policies in order to prevent the "ghettoization" of the Chinese community?

2. Or, would there be a movement afoot to form a "heritage district," in the same way that Filipinos were able to do in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood to preserve the neighborhood's Filipino/American character and institutions?

Just asking.

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Anthony Bourdain: 'Filipinos love feeding people'

'Parts Unknown' opens season in the Philippines

CNN

Food authority Anthony Bourdain samples halo-halo, a Filipino dessert.

THE SEVENTH SEASON of the CNN travel and food ­documentary series ­Anthony Bourdain: Parts ­Unknown ­begins Sunday (April 24, 2016) with a trip to Manila, capital of the ­Philippines. The show follows the best-selling author and chef as he travels the globe to discover the cultures and cuisines of ­lesser-known destinations.

Bourdain visited Manila unannounced last December, catching his fans and the local media by surprise. Exploring the city during the Christmas season, he travelled through its festive streets to try out local dishes including adobo, sisig and kare-kare. He also indulged in the popular sweet and milky dessert halo-halo. The episode opens with Bourdain’s visit to Jollibee, which he describes as “a fast-food wonder."

RELATED: Filipino food, the Rodney Dangerfield of ethnic cuisines

In an interview with CNN this week, Bourdain said he was looking forward to the latest season and “very excited particularly with the episode on Manila".

“I’m very close to a lot of ­Filipinos here in America – I have a sort of extended Filipino family," he said. Hmmm, that's an intriguing statement. Perhaps, he'll expand on that topic in the show.

“In the episode we also explore the overseas Filipino worker phenomenon. We look at the caring and generous nature that is very much a part of Filipino culture."

“I have long noticed in my travels to virtually all the continents the Filipino bands, singers and entertainers on luxury liners, in theaters, at Karaoke contests, on Broadway, in London, Australia, Germany; Filipinos are constantly winning at international talent searches,” he said in an interview with the Manila Bulletin.

“Filipinos like to eat and they like to cook – and they do it well."

RELATED: Adobo and lumpia in the White House

While in Manila, Bourdain's every movement was chronicled by the social media-savvy Filipinos. Pinoy foodies and celebrity seekers were everywhere, following every Twitter and Facebook tip. One showed him at a Jollibee outlet; a lucky couple posed with him inside a Malate Korean restaurant. Adriatico Street quickly filled up seconds after a photo of him and some young Filipinos at a sidewalk beer garden appeared on Facebook. His popularity is undeniable.

This is Bourdain’s second TV trip to the Philippines. In 2008, he visited Manila, Pampanga and Cebu to film an episode of his Travel Channel series No ­Reservations.

RELATED: Filipino food gaining fans on opposite coasts

The eight-episode new season of Parts Unknown of will also feature trips to Chicago, the Greek Islands, Montana, Tbilisi, Senegal, ­Cologne and Buenos Aires.

The Manila episode of Parts Unknown will air on CNN on April 24, 9 pm ET. 

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Alabama officer to go on trial a third time in assault of elder from India

Reprinted from AsAm News

MADISON Police Officer Eric Parker will stand trial again for his rough handling in last year’s incident with Sureshbhai Patel who was visiting Alabama from India to see his grandson.

WHNT reports a trial date on the state charge has been scheduled for June 8.

Two separate federal trials against Parker have ended in hung juries and the judge eventually dismissed the charge of excessive force.

The state charge of misdemeanor assault carries a jail term of one year.

Parker also faces a civil lawsuit in the case which has been delayed pending the outcome of the criminal cases.

The defense expressed confidence the state charges would be defeated.

Patel remains partially paralyzed after a leg sweep by Parker sent the grandfather’s body hard into the concrete sidewalk. The case gained notoriety after a police video of the incident became public.

Earlier this week, North Alabama Police Chief Larry Muncey was placed on administrative leave after a federal judge found him in contempt of court, reports India West. Muncey and Capt. Terrell Cook were accused of questioning colleagues who testified in the first federal trial. 

Muncey was banned from the courtroom, but then assigned one of his sergeants to monitor the case. He also ordered officers who testified in the case to submit reports to him about their testimony within 24 hours.

“South Asian communities must continue to mobilize,” said South Asian Americans Leading Together. “We must lend support to the Movement for Black Lives, which has been calling us to action on the epidemic of police violence that disproportionately affects the lives of Black men, women, children and transgender people. This month’s small victory in the case must inspire us to stay vigilant,” SAALT said about the contempt of court charges.

Filipino American musician creates song & video tribute to the Warriors and Steph Cur...

Noah Cutler got to show his basketball handling to the Warriors and Stephen Curry last January.  

AS THE Golden State Warriors grind their way through the NBA playoffs they are attracting more and more love from fervent and casual basketball fans.

This video was sent to me by B Miu, a Filipino/Chinese/American musician playing in the Bay Area. 

He just put his song, "I Can Do All Things" on YouTube a few days ago. Miu dedicated the song to the Warriors and put a little storyline to it about the influence the Warriors' star Steph Curry has on his young fans. Curry was just named as among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People.

RELATED: The Golden State Warriors' Asian connection 

The sensational 11-year old boy in the video is Noah Cutler, whose basketball skills attracted the attention of the Warriors. The Oakland team invited the young man to one of their games where he got to meet his hero Stephen Curry, whose moves he emulates.

RELATED: Filipinos make up a third of Warriors' Facebook friends

It is a positive and fun song  to sing along with and -- heck, enough talk, listen, watch and enjoy the Warriors' and Steph Curry do their magic as they try for their second straight NBA championship. Oh, yeah!

B Miu had this to say a about himself:

My name is Brian, but you can call me B Miu

I’m Chinese Filipino so you know i love good food

I’m a Bay Area musician that’s been playin in local bands

But I also like to write my very own jams

I play bass, guitar, piano, and a little bit of drums

I like grubbin on burritos, pancit, and authentic dim sum

My heros are my parents, Bruce Lee, and Spider Man

I love my wife, two dogs, and my best friend Dan

The life that I’ve been given inspires me to write

In those times of darkness, music gives me light

I want to share this with you, all these stupid songs

I hope to play them for you and hear you sing along.

Published on Apr 15, 2016

Music by B Miu: https://bmiu.bandcamp.com , https://www.facebook.com/bemiusick/

Starring Noah Cutler: https://www.youtube.com/user/MrJcutle... , https://www.instagram.com/babybirdman3/

Lyrics for "I Can Do All Things":

I can do all things

make them believe

I can do all things

the finals are coming up

what am i waiting for?

history is knocking at my door

i'm down 20 points

but i don't believe the score

i never give up

i'm a Warrior

i can do all things

make them believe

i can do all things

the Oracle, she said to me

if you work real hard, you can beat destiny

now i'm down three points

with little time in the fourth

now it's all tied up

i'm a Warrior

i can do all things

make them believe

i can do all things

when we play we make it rain

make it rain, make it rain

not afraid to change the game

change the game, change the game

Credits:

Starring: Noah Cutler

Music, lyrics, guitar, bass, and vocals by Brian Miu

Recorded, engineered, and mixed @ 11th avenue records with Tommy Phan.

Keys, additional electric guitar, and additional guitar arrangements by Tommy Phan.

Footage: Josh Cutler; Video Editor: Keyana Stevens

As of this writing, the Curry-less Warriors lost a game they almost won against the Houston Rockets. Who can say for sure that the Warriors will go all the way? But the team needs an anthem - a song to strike fear (or at least, irritate the hell out of them) into opponents. Can you imagine if all 21,000 fans at Oracle Arena break into the chorus? Is Warrior management reading this blog? Why not? Sing along: "I can, I ca-an, I can do all things ..."

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TGIF FEATURE: L.A. Asian Pacific Film Festival showcases AAPI talent

Steven Lam / Instagram

HEY HOLLYWOOD! Looking for new stories that reflect the real America? Looking for talent to diversify your products or staff? Looking for filmmakers, writers, directors, actors so you can walk-the-walk when you talk-the-talk about the need for diversity in the television and motion picture industry?

Head on down to the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Over the next two weeks, the festival will showcase some of the best work in video and film by Asian and Asian/Americans in perhaps the largest film festival of its kind in the country.

The fest runs April 21-28 at various L.A. venues, with the roster including 34 feature films and 106 shorts, assembled from 20 countries including six world premieres.Francis Cullado, Visual Communication's executive director, said in a statement that the lineup of films “certainly highlights the amount of Asian American directorial talent out there. The big word this year in Hollywood has been ‘diversity,’ and the festival is one of the ways we address this issue at Visual Communications and for our community. For us, it’s not just about diversity – it’s about inclusivity.” The roster includes stories by women, men, LGBT artists, Asian Americans, Asian international and a multitude of ethnicities.

The six world premieres are “The Last Tour,” from director Ryan Yu; “The Unbidden,” Quentin Lee; “Vampariah,” Matthew Abaya; “Signs of Remarkable History,” Maryam Kashani; “Rebel With a Cause: The Life of Aiko Herzig Yoshinaga,” Janice Tanaka; and “The Tiger Hunter,” Lena Khan’s film that was previously announced as the opening-night attraction. All of the directors will be at their screenings for Q&A discussion.

The Artist Spotlight will offer three works from documentary vet Dai Sil Kim-Gibson, including the Los Angeles premiere of her latest, “People Are the Sky.” There will also be the West Coast premiere of Salima Koroma’s “Bad Rap,” a documentary that asks why there hasn’t yet been an Asian-American rap star.

On the weekend of April 23-24 will be C3 — the Conference for Creative Content, a series of conversations to discuss the changing technological and cultural landscape of Hollywood and to address the constant battle for diversity/inclusion.

The fest’s International Showcase offers a dozen new works from India, Vietnam, the People’s Republic of China, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Cambodia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan and Hong Kong.

Among the tributes will be a salute to ABC’s series “Fresh Off the Boat,” screening two episodes and a Q&A with cast and crew.

The LAAPFF again presents two programs: Armed With a Camera Fellowship (which nurtures the next generation of Asian Pacific American media artists) and Digital Histories (for underserved, ethnic-minority seniors in the L.A.-based Asian Pacific American community).

As previously announced, the closer is “Pali Road,” a Chinese production filmed in Hawaii and directed by Jonathan Lim. 

The fest’s centerpiece will be documentary “Tyrus,” about Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong, best known for his concept art for Walt Disney’s “Bambi.” The director is Pamela Tom.

The fest is offered by Visual Communications, touted as the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center. 

Festival co-director David Magdael added: “Asian Pacific American directors are more than half of our feature film lineup. These filmmakers are not waiting for a studio or someone else to approve them to make their film. No longer can it be said that Asian Pacific American talent is nonexistent. We are active in writing, directing, producing, acting, film distribution and exhibition, below-the-line positions and executive roles in the film industry.”

Some of the events are free. There will be lots of parties and galas throughout the festival, concluding the awards ceremony on April 28.

The festival will screen at various venues, including the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo; Tateuchi Democracy Forum, Little Tokyo; the Downtown Independent; CGV Cinemas in Koreatown; the Great Company, Downtown L.A.; and Directors Guild of America, West Hollywood.

The complete schedule and times can be seen here.
Tickets are now on sale.

400,000 undocumented Asian immigrants in California may be impacted by Supreme Court ruling

Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas,was among the hundreds of immigration activists demonstrating outside the Supreme Court as the justices heard arguments in the case challenging President Obama's executive actions on immigration.

LAST MONDAY (April 18) at the U.S. Supreme Court, the eight justices heard oral arguments for and against President Obama's executive actions on immigration: Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Based on questions from the Supreme Court justices, it appears to court-watchers that the case will end in a 4-4 tie based on party lines. That would be bad news for the White House. The high court has been operating one justice short since the death of Antonin Scalia in February.

If SCOTUS remains deadlocked in the U.S. vs. Texas, the lower court ruling that said the president went too far in his executive actions would stand, voiding Obama's effort on  immigration reform.

“We know that DAPA and expanded DACA stand on the right side of the law,” said Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles. “In the last five decades, Presidents from both sides of the aisle have taken executive action to shape immigration priorities.”

RELATED: Asians are part of the immigration debate

The decision could impact about 4 million undocumented immigrants; 400,000 of whom are from Asia. Asian immigrants have surpassed immigrants coming from Latin America.

In California, an estimated 15 percent of the state’s undocumented residents are Asian, comprising approximately 416,000 people. Of those, 130,000 are in Los Angeles County and 52,000 are in Orange County. Statewide, Advancing Justice-LA estimates that the largest groups of undocumented Asians are: Filipinos (143,000), Chinese (76,000), Koreans (71,000), Vietnamese (60,000), and Asian Indian (46,000).

RELATED: Dreaming with the American dreamers

"For the average person, what's at stake is: What are you going to do with all of these millions of undocumented people?" asked Jose Antonio Vargas in an interview with Rolling Stone. Vargas is a Filipino/American immigration advocate who himself is undocumented.

"It's been perpetual limbo for them. Nothing is getting done. Congress is saying the president is overreaching, but I would argue that Congress has been irresponsible in not doing anything," said Vargas.

RELATED: Jose Antonio Vargas - an undocumented American

“While the legal battle ensues and anti-immigrant campaigns on the state and national level continue, we must remember that these actions have a real human cost,” said Anthony Ng, immigrant rights policy advocate at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA). “A ruling against DAPA won’t just impact undocumented immigrants; it will impact their families, as well as our neighborhoods and communities.”

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Two Filipino/American teenagers missing after being swept out to sea by riptide

Wayne Ausa

Grisham Duran

SATURDAY was an unusually warm day at San Francisco's Ocean Beach - perfect beach weather.

Five teenage boys visiting from Vallejo, Calif., about an hour away, linked arms and stepped into the Pacific Ocean.

The strong riptide caught the boys by surprised forcing them to lose their hold on each other. Three of the friends were able to make it back to the beach but their two friends were swept out into the ocean by the undercurrent.

The Coast Guard presumed that 17-year-old Wayne Ausa and 16-year-old Grisham Duran, both Filipino/American students at Vallejo High School, drowned this past Saturday afternoon at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach.

Ausa is from Davao City and Duran is from Zambales, according to their Facebook pages.

After four hours including helicopter and rescue vessels, the Coast Guard and fire department suspended the operation. Coast Guard officials said that the two boys could be 15 miles out by the time rescue operations were halted.

This is the 12th rescue operations at Ocean Beach this year.

Capt. Gregory Stump of the U.S. Coast Guard said, “We’ve had quite a few around here lately and it’s because of these violent waters and it’s unfortunate, but folks come out here and they don’t understand how violent and difficult the conditions are out here.”"At Ocean Beach, we always have dangerous conditions," San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter told KPIX-TV. Baxter added that swimmers must be aware of the ocean's conditions before going out into the water.

Baxter said ankle deep water was strong enough to pull an adult swimmer into the ocean and that emergency personnel have discouraged people from swimming at the beach in the past.

A Gofundme account has been set up to raise money for final expenses for the boys.

Vallejo history teacher Brandan Harris posted on Facebook Sunday that that the school district was working on how to assist the teens' classmates in coping with their loss. 

"An entire community is hurting because we lost two amazing kids," Harris wrote. "These kids mean so much to me and to see them in pain over the loss of two of their close friends is saddening."

Counselors were available for the students at Vallejo High and the school will be organizing a vigil for Ausan and Duran this Saturday.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Americans, read AsAm News.

Illinois' pioneer jurist dies

Reprinted from AsAm News

Illinois’ first Chinese American judge and the first Asian American to serve on the state’s appellate court has died, reports the Chicago Trib.

Laura Liu, 49, died on April 15 of complications of breast cancer and was immediately remembered as someone who loved to serve others.

“Judge Liu loved the law, she loved her family, and she loved serving others through ensuring justice for every resident of Illinois,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “As the first Asian/American justice to serve on the Illinois Appellate Court, Judge Liu broke barriers and blazed new trails of opportunity.”

Liu is the daughter of foreign exchange students. Although she was born in Illinois, she grew up speaking very little English. 

She received her law degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1991 and became a Cook County Circuit Court judge in 2010 before her appointment to the Appellate Court in 2014. She is also past president of the Chinese American Bar Association.

She battled breast cancer for five years.

“She didn’t hide the fact that she was ill, but she never dwelled on it,” fellow Appellate Court Justice Joy Cunningham said. “She said, ‘I got up in the morning, and I’m doing my work.’ And she was always upbeat. That’s why (her passing) took so many people by surprise, because she was always upbeat to the end. She was just a generally wonderful person and a thoughtful jurist.”

No jail time for Peter Liang

Shirley Ng

Supporters of Peter Liang waited outside the courthouse for the verdict.

By Shirley N Lew
Reprinted from AsAmNews

JUDGE DANNY CHUN sentenced ex-NYPD officer Peter Liang yesterday (April 19) to a reduced charge of criminally negligent homicide from second degree manslaughter.

With the reduced charge, Chun’s sentenced Liang to five years probation and 800 hours of community service. The judge removed the recommended six months of house arrest, but increased the community hours from 500 as originally recommended by the Brooklyn DA, Ken Thompson.

Liang was facing up to 15 years of manslaughter for an accidental shooting of Akai Gurley in the Pink Houses during a vertical patrol in 2014.

Chun felt Liang would be more productive if he was not just sitting at home under house arrest and also acknowledged the over 40,000 form letters he received in support of Liang.

“I am compelled to modify and reduce the sentence to criminal negligent homicide. The people needed to prove that substantial and unreasonable risk would occur. There is no evidence that the defendant was aware of Gurley’s presence. Shooting that gun and killing somebody was the last thing on his mind,” the judge said.

RELATED: Justice is not just a black and white issue

Sobs were heard from Gurley’s family and supporters in the courtroom as the judge read Liang’s sentence.

“It’s still a conviction even-though it’s a criminal negligent homicide,” said community activist and Director of Free Masons, Karlin Chan. “It’s a relief to get rid of the manslaughter charge. Like I’ve said, I’ve sat in on so many trials and the verdict reached by jury was unsupported by testimony and evidence presented at the trial, and that it was more an emotional verdict to hold police accountable. The judge looked at the evidence, he did the right thing. He stood by the letter of the law and he made the right decision. “

Supporters of Gurley believed that Liang never called for help. Complicating the matter the night of the incident is that Liang and his partner Shaun Landau did not know immediately that a man was shot. When they did, they both were not able to perform CPR, they said because of inadequate training.

Landau testified in the trial and was then fired from the NYPD. He was never charged.

When asked if the Liang’s legal team will still appeal, Chan replied, “We will discuss that even though it is now a Class E felony. We still try to clear his name totally.”

Just before the judge read Liang’s sentence, Liang read his statement, ”I always treated people fairly and with respect.”

Outside the courthouse, demonstrator Marquis Jenkins said, “For decade and centuries, the criminal justice system has been holding people of color hostage. We are yet again disappointed, but not surprised by today’s verdict. We will continue to advocate, immobilize and organize for justice. We can not allow another person of color to fall, to die in the hand of the system that was designed to protect us.”

Before the sentencing, about a hundred Liang supporters already formed across the street. They held signs in English and Chinese that read “Stand up to justice,” and “Tragic accident does not equal manslaughter.”

The probation department will determine when the sentencing will begin and the type of service Liang will be performing in the community.

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Vietnamese/American's debut novel about Vietnam War's impact on his immigrant community wins Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction, author Viet Thanh Nguyen.

VIET THANH NGUYEN came to the United States from Vietnam as a 4-year old refugee in 1975 with his family.

Forty years later, he is the winner for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for his debut novel "The Sympathizer," reported the Los Angeles Times yesterday (April 18).

Nguyen, a professor at the University of Southern California, is still getting over the shock of winning the highly prestigious and internationally recognized award.

“They say that 'The Sympathizer' really did win the Pulitzer Prize. Unless this is some cosmic virtual reality trick. I’m stunned.”

Here's how the Pulitzer committee described his novel:

A profound, startling, and beautifully crafted debut novel, The Sympathizer is the story of a man of two minds, someone whose political beliefs clash with his individual loyalties. In dialogue with but diametrically opposed to the narratives of the Vietnam War that have preceded it, this novel offers an important and unfamiliar new perspective on the war: that of a conflicted communist sympathizer.

 It is April 1975, and Saigon is in chaos. At his villa, a general of the South Vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of his trusted captain, drawing up a list of those who will be given passage aboard the last flights out of the country. The general and his compatriots start a new life in Los Angeles, unaware that one among their number, the captain, is secretly observing and reporting on the group to a higher-up in the Viet Cong. The Sympathizer is the story of this captain: a man brought up by an absent French father and a poor Vietnamese mother, a man who went to university in America, but returned to Vietnam to fight for the Communist cause.

Viet Thanh Nguyen’s astonishing novel takes us inside the mind of this double agent, a man whose lofty ideals necessitate his betrayal of the people closest to him. A gripping spy novel, an astute exploration of extreme politics, and a moving love story, The Sympathizer explores a life between two worlds and examines the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, film, and the wars we fight today.

“I’ve been thinking about the Vietnam War all my life,” Nguyen told a reporter last year. “I started watching things like Apocalypse Now and reading books about the war when I was 10 or 11.”

When his agent encouraged him to write a novel, he knew exactly what he was going to write about.

“I knew immediately that I wanted to write a novel about a spy because I thought a spy story would be a good way to tell this history in an entertaining way. Much of this novel is based on things that really happened, so it was a matter of finding the character that would allow me to string together these events in the plot,” Nguyen said.

From his Facebook page, Nguyen, gives a shout-out to University of California, Berkeley's Ethnic Studies Department in this message he posted upon hearing the news that he had won the Pulitzer:

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Filipino/American millionaire travels world to help others

The Gee family traveling the world.

WHAT WOULD you do with $54 million?

Most of us will never earn, much less see that amount of money in our lifetimes.

Gerrett Gee, a Filipino/American, while still a student at Brigham Young University in Utah, had to face that question when he sold his mobile app to Snapchat for that amount in 2014.

After discussions with his wife and family he made up his mind. Sell everything he owned in a yard sale except a couple of photo albums. With the $45,000 raised from the yard sale, he and his family began their world travels. The rest of the fortune went into a bank account.

The The Bucket List Family, as Garrett, Jessica, and their two children, Dorothy, 3, and Manilla, 1, now call themselves, at this writing are in the 11th week of their journey. They're now chilling on a beach in the South Pacific making their way to the Philippines, where Gee will be joined by his siblings to visit the land of his parents.

While traveling, every month they will help individuals or families with anonymous donations that could vary widely, from trips to Disneyland to paying for surgeries.

At their Bucket List Family website, he said:

"We're pretty chill folks, but, we definitely have major goals behind our bucket list and travels:

• Become closer as a marriage and family.
• Be good friends to the people in our lives. 
• Live a life of service and compassion.
• Learn to find happiness with less.
• Become more open minded and open hearted.
• Love and respect nature and the planet.
• Create life long memories.

Those are worthy goals for anyone, no matter how much money you have.

The video below is a link to a YouTube video by the ABS-CBN Corporation. If you have problems viewing, go directly to YouTube and search for "Garrett Gee."

Expect to see a lot of 'barong tagalogs' on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend tonight

In 'Crazy Es-Girlfriend's' first-season finale, Josh Chan's parents played by Amy Hill and Alberto Isaac meet Lea Salonga's character, Aunt Myrna, (center) while Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) and his girlfriend Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz) look a bit befuddled.

A FILIPINO/AMERICAN wedding, Lea Salonga singing and the family of the Filipino character, Josh Chan, together on television again. 

This should be a must-see episode of Crazy ExGirlfriend as its first season ends tonight (Monday, April 18).

Add jealousy, unrequited love and alcohol to the mix and that's an explosive concoction that is sure to create some memorable scenes in the romantic comedy musical world of CEG.

It is the wedding of Josh's sister, Jayma, played by Fil/Am actress Tess Paras, so expect Josh's family - including Aunt Myrna (played by Broadway star Salonga) come from far and wide. This could be the largest group of Filipino/Americans on television at one time, EVER - outside a Manny Pacquiao fight.

For sure, the guys will be wearing the traditional Philippine camisa (shirt) called the Barong Tagalog that is the garb of choice for men at Filipino celebrations.

Salonga, as Aunt Myrna, an almost-winner in a reality TV singing competition, sings "One Indescribably Instant," from an animated movie that has had such an influence on the show's main character Rachel, played by award-winning actress Rachel Bloom.

The season-one finale of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, directed by co-producer Aline Brosh McKenna, airs tonight (Monday, April 18) on the CW, 8 p.m.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

A hula for the ages

Kayli Kaʻiulani Carr tells a story through the hula.

THE HULA has become such an essential - some say trite - part of the tourist experience in Hawaii that it is easy to forget the significant role it plays in retaining the culture and heritage of native Hawaiians.

You won't find grass skirts and coconut shell bras at the 53rd Marrie Monarch Festival, a celebration of the hula held annually. Earlier this month, Kayli Ka'iulani Carr, 25, won the  competition to be named the 2016 Miss Aloha Hula.

For many native Hawaiians, hula is not simply a dance, but a way of life. In ancient Hawaii, hula was a way of communicating stories and perpetuating the traditional culture — a lesson that Carr takes seriously. She was one of the 12 contestants representing their hula schools. She is from the 10-year old Kalihi-based Hālau Hiʻiakainamakalehua, a relatively new school.

Social media is still buzzing about Carr's performance on the first night of the contest when she performed a fast-paced traditional hula. Part of the hula included an oli, a chant in the Hawaiian language, which she delivered, appearing at times that as if she was in a trance.  The oli, "Mele Inoa No Kīhāpiʻilani," exalted the royal line of Liholiho. But you don't have to understand it to appreciate the intensity of her performance.

That set up her inquired khaki (traditional hula), with strong and precise movements.

“It felt awesome, wonderful,” said Carr, who performs at Chief's Luau at Sea Life Park. “I really just tried to be in the moment. I mean, it’s only 14 minutes and you work so hard. You work for four months to get to this point. I didn’t want it to pass me by too quickly.”

Watch Carr's performance and see if it doesn't raise the hair on your arms.