Feeling It In the Air Tonight: Recommended Reading and Listening

Obviously, it’s been one hell of a first week of the new year here in the U.S. Following the white supremacist mob attack on Capitol Building back on Wednesday, I’ve been trying to think of a good way to talk about it on here, while still staying true to what this blog is all about. What’s been said about it already? What lens has it been explored through? And then I remembered that this month marks 40 years since the release of “In the Air Tonight;” Phil Collins’ solo debut single.

Believe in the Sun: Recommended Reading

Putting on my “Star Wars” hat for a brief minute, Princess Leia Organa has an empowering quote: “Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it, you’ll never make it through the night.” You don’t need me to tell you that it’s been a hard year on everyone, and for the longest time, we weren’t sure exactly how long the darkness would last. But now there’s hope in sight; both in the change of administrations a month from now and recently with the vaccines that are starting to be administered around the country.

Long Live the King: Recommended Reading… and Remembering

I knew that I wanted to write something regarding the untimely loss about Chadwick Boseman, but the struggle came in the form of figuring out what to contribute that hasn’t already been said. After a while though, for me, it ultimately came down to the exploration of actors who died well before their time, and are forever commemorated for their storytelling in the more significant roles they played.

The Man of Many Stories: Recommended Reading and Donating

James Hong. It’s a name you might or might not be familiar with, but without a doubt, you’ve seen one (if not more) of the projects he’s been in over his several decades’ long career.

Racism is a Virus: REQUIRED Analyzing

In this world right now, there are two viruses being spread, and only one of them is making national headlines. The other virus that I speak of is racism. While I’ve spoken of racism in the past in this corner of the Internet, this is really the ugliest it has gotten towards the Asian American community in quite some time.

An Exploration of Thought and Poetry: Recommended Viewing

The nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards were announced earlier this week, and I’ll be frank when I say that a number of the people and films whose names are on the list this year I’m both disappointed about and don’t really care for either. One of those films is “Marriage Story;” a film that I, surprisingly, have seen. But ever since “The Rise of Skywalker,” I now see Adam Driver in a new light, which led me to watching this now Oscar-nominated film.

Overall, I’m indifferent about it, and yet within that span of time, I somehow came across the title of another film Driver did a few years ago called “Paterson.” Intrigued by the trailer, I decided to check it out from the library. I’ve since watched it twice and now, I want to make it the first featured material for Recommended Analyzing for the year.

A Love Letter to the Hard-Working Millennial: Recommended Viewing

In the midst of Disney+ taking over everyone’s lives (and time), today I want to take some time to shed light on and recommend a short film that just came out this week, and not from the House of Mouse. It’s a touching film from a creative force I have hailed multiple times in my little corner of the Internet: Wong Fu Productions. For Recommended Analyzing, today I am recommending their latest short film, “A Difference Between.”

A Reminder From An Eternal Voice: Recommended Reading

This past week has, for lack of a better word, been heavy. Two more mass shootings happened less than 24 hours apart last weekend, that has left 31 people dead and many other people injured. Right after that, Toni Morrison passed away. It’s hard to write about anything else when once again, the people who’re supposedly our leaders refuse to listen to logic, and the words of Morrison remain as profoundly relevant than when she first wrote them.

A Spotlight on a Meaningful Bookstore: Recommended Reading

It’s been a minute since I’ve done a Recommended Analyzing piece, and I figured it would make for a good way to kick off a new month. The article I am recommending today was just published this past week in Inquirer.net; a Filipino/Filipino American-based news outlet. Writer Christina Oriel wrote a feature that spotlights a very meaningful book based in San Francisco’s SoMa District: Arkipelago Books.

An Audio Feature on A Literary Icon: Recommended Listening

I am away this weekend in attendance of a conference – a conference that I will recap on when I’m back next week. For the time being though, now seems like just as good of an opportunity to do this month’s Recommended Analyzing piece. We bounce back into the world of podcasting as I shine a spotlight on the most recent episode of the Asian Americana Podcast.