#luisdaniel

[believeitcrew]

Blog post #1: Introduction

Hi everyone!

My name is Luisdaniel Contridas. I am twenty years old and currently a sophomore here st SF State. I’m from a small town called Castroville which is in the Monterey Bay Area.

Some of my interests that I really enjoy is playing/singing songs, occasional gaming, and spending quality and wholesome time with my friends. Since joining college, I’ve grown to become more open to making friends and being less shy. I really enjoy being around people since it brings out the positive energy in me (I try and give positive energy too!). Some other hobbies I have are playing hackey sack, playing board games, and going out on spontaneous adventures.

The organizations that I am a part of at SF State are Asian Student Union, Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor, and Korean Student Union. I’ve made a ton of friends in these orgs, and I feel like they have definitely helped me grow as a person. Another thing about me is that I really care about family. Being the youngest and only boy of four, I was the baby of the family and was really spoiled. But over the years I’ve learned that family is one , if not is the most important thing in my life.

Other then these facts that’s basically me. Some other fun facts is that I could do a backflip, I watch Game of Thrones, anime, play Xbox, and used to do sports and played saxophone :D

[centralalgazara-blog]

Lines In The Sand de Antonio Sánchez & Migration

Lines In The Sand de Antonio Sánchez & Migration

Por Luis Daniel Hernández Aguirre

Para los que apenas se sumergen en el vasto mundo del jazz, este es un buen álbum a tener en cuenta dentro de la lista de estudio o simplemente para añadir al acervo cultural.Estamos hablando de Lines In The Sand, una obra conceptual traída por Antonio Sánchez junto con Migration. Esta entrega nos trae una propuesta muy fresca, cargada de tantas emociones y…

[karyvito]

mi mundo #LuisDaniel #DiaDeLaResistenciaIndigena #12DeOctubre mi todo 

[ldslight]

Feeling good

[majoovalle27]

Recientemente en mi casa vive un tipo que me manda Que me corrige y me ordena y me torea pero me da un abrazo y me gana Me quita el partido y me pone unos cartoones De una esponja que vive bajo el agua Se sienta en mi sillón, dibuja en el colchón Efectivamente vivo con la divina adivinanza Disfruto de cada segundo suyo Me reta porque sabe que va a ganarme Mientras que sigue creciendo Verle correr me da miedo Y es que es tan tierno el matador Me hace reír, va de serio Diminuto caballero Esto aún lo sabes pero... Me querrás igual que hoy te quiero yo (Capitán Tapón) Yo te quiero a muerte Capitán Tapón Qué sabes tú lo que es amor Qué sabes tú mi Robinson Te cortas y yo soy quien sangra Yo soy tu esponja bajo el agua Recientemente en mi pecho ya no me cabe casi de nada Recientemente la energía todo lo llena y todo lo empapa en casa Camina como un leoncito reinando en la sabana Le gusta hacerte un guiño y mojar pan en la salsa Efectivamente vivo con la mismísima esperanza Disfruto de cada segundo suyo Me reta porque sabe que va a ganarme Mientras que sigue creyendo Verle crecer me da miedo Pero es que es tan tierno el matador Me hace reír, porque serio Diminuto caballero Con tus ricitos de sansón (Capitán Tapón) Qué sabes tú lo que es amor Qué sabes tú mi Robinson Te cortas y yo soy quien sangra Yo soy tu esponja bajo el agua No me importa lo que digan sobre ti, los informes y reportes Yo ya te conozco a ti muy bien, en mi buzón me sobran sobres Tiene la belleza de ser pura en mitad de tanto torpe Escúchame, soy tu amigo, mientras esté estaré Qué sabes tú lo que es amor Qué sabes tú mi Robinson Te cortas y yo soy quien sangra Yo soy tu esponja bajo el agua TE AMO A MUERTE CAPITÁN TAPÓN #LuisDaniel

[kencybell]

#BabyFollies #LuisDaniel #CrazyDays #LoveHim 👶

[freetimewardrobe]

Luis Daniel

[nexxtor82]

Mis sobrinos, #LuisDaniel #Renata :-) ;-)

[mamito13-blog]

El Tiempo Pasa Volando y El Seguira Creciendo Pero Como Kiera Seguira Siendo El Nene De Tio.... #LoveYou #LuisDaniel

[believeitcrew]

Blog #11: PACE-- Kuya/Ate Program and Friendship games

PACE is an on-campus organization here at SFSU which stands for Pilipinx American Collegiate Endeavor. I first learned about PACE through my big in another org named Asian Student Union. She was a part of PACE through their Kuya/Ate program. This program was one of the main reasons I joined PACE since it allowed me to join a PACE “family” and get to know new people in the org.  The family I joined is called Rising Sun, and the people in this fam were really welcoming and awesome. In joining this family, I felt more attached to my culture since I was surrounded by other Filipino Americans that had a common respect and appreciation for one another. The following semester I also picked up two of my own adings; both of which are amazing people.

Another event that I joined in PACE was friendship games (FG). Friendship games was a huge tournament that involved the Filipino organizations from all over the state. It one huge day full of competitive games and S.P.U.F. (Spirit, Pride, Unity, Friendship). SF state is known as being one of the top schools in the games portion of FG, as well as SPUF (best cheer/skit/energy). During the time before FG, PACE’s team had weekly practices twice a week for games, SPUF, and roll call (dance group that also competed). Although the practices were tough, it was a lot of fun and it reminded me of when I did sports in high school. FG was a great experience, and I fed off much of the energy that the leaders put in. Throughout the semester, the team felt less like a team and more like a family. There was constant support for one another and we all worked hard during every practice. 

The day of FG was very exciting and very exhausting. It basically lasted all day, but in the end it was an amazing experience. Putting in three months of hard work all into one day was intense yet rewarding. Quite literally, we shed blood, sweat and tears that day, an it was an unforgettable experience. Most of all however, the bonds our team had was the best part. It was kinda crazy how close I got to many of the people I met at FG within a 3 month period. But nonetheless, FG is something I will always remember as a huge way I was able to connect with the Filipino community. 

[believeitcrew]

Blog #10: Asian Student Union @ SFSU

One of the organization on campus that I am involved with is Asian Student Union. This may seem like an exaggeration, but if I hadn’t joined ASU, I would not be the person I am today. ASU is a student run organization that welcomes anyone interested in the Asian American community. Not only is it a space in which Asian Americans can interact and meet new friends, there are also events, weekly meetings, and an internship program that discusses the issues and current events involving the Asian American community. This organization is a very welcoming and is a great place to meet new friends, as well as getting involved in the Asian American community.

I joined ASU last year during my first year at SFSU. I was extremely timid finding clubs to join, and I only had a handful of friends. One of my good friends told me about the org and asked me to stop by. At first I wasn’t sure if I would fit into this group of people (I was also culture shocked by the amount of Asian Americans since my hometown had very little), and I felt out of place and awkward. But it wasn’t until one of their bonfire socials that I felt like knew I should join. There is honestly so much I could write about since I am heavily involved in this org.

Since joining ASU, I have participated in the many events that they host (Bonfires, shows, socials), joined their Big/Little program (joined as a little, became a big and picked up two of my own littles), joined their internship program last spring, played in ASU’s intermural volleyball team, performed in their yearly talent show this year, participated in three of their retreats, and became close with most of the members of the organization. To be completely honest, most (if not all) of my friends that I am close to, as well as other amazing people are from this org. There are countless memories  that I have experienced with the members of ASU, and I will probably make many more. 

To me, joining ASU was one of the best decisions I’ve made coming to college, and it has helped me grow and change so much these past two years. Before college, I only knew about a handful of Asian Americans, and I weren’t very close to them. Overall, ASU has helped me become more in touch with the Asian American community and without this organization I would not be the same person I am today.

[believeitcrew]

Blog #9: Interracial Relationships

One of the most common issues within the Asian American community is the cultural and generational gap between parents who have immigrated to America, and the children that were born here. In many cases, immigrant parents that come to the US because they would like their children to have the educational and economic opportunities that they otherwise did not have access to in their home countries. With this mentality in mind, Asian parents tend to push their children to take advantage of the sacrifice that they had made, and to pursue careers that guarantee a stable income.

 In Yappie, Wong Fu Productions expresses this concept in episode five when Andrew’s mother discusses her opinion on her daughter’s friend Stephanie’s marriage to a Hispanic man. From how she reacted, Andrew’s mother did not agree with this type of relationship due to the language barrier between the two families. It’s also implied that she would rather have Stephanie marry someone with the same ethnic background as her family for convenience sake. Andrew’s mother proceeds to say that she hopes that this type of scenario does not happen to their family, which causes conflict with Andrew since he is currently together with a half black half Japanese woman. A cultural gap is present here since Andrew’s mother views interracial relationships differently in which she believes that having a non Asian partner would be a hindrance to family, whereas Andrew views the relationship as an opportunity to be happy for himself. 

I think one of the main roots to this issue is that immigrant parents tend to uphold the concept of “family first”. In other words, everything you do is for the good of the family. But since Andrew has adapted American culture, he understands that the reason he is dating Kaleena (his girlfriend) is because of who she is.

[believeitcrew]

Blog #8: Asian American studies 352

During this semester, I had the pleasure of taking AAS 352 which was Filipino American Literature, Art, and culture. This class was one of the most challenging, yet enjoyable classes I’ve taken here at SF state. Before taking this class I wasn’t very much in touch with my culture as a Filipino American. Most of my knowledge of Filipino culture was from family gatherings and community events. I didn’t really know much about the culture other than the popular food, language and some traditions. However, after taking this class I was able to learn and become more in touch with Filipino history as well as appreciate my culture as a Filipino American. 

Some of the assignments and projects we did in this class were some things I have never done before. Some of these things included teaching a high school class about ethnic studies, creating a poem called a Bulosanan that was poems in the form of an argument, as well as being able to perform with POP show with the theme Conversations with our Ancestors. Some of these projects were more stressful as others, along with the many novels we had to read weekly. However thinking back on the assignments now, it wasn’t so bad and I’m glad I was able to challenged. 

Lastly, one of the highlights of this class was the many novels we were assigned to read. These novels included Gangster of Love, America is in the Heart, In the Country, In the Country, and Journey for Justice. From all these novels I learned about the harsh life of early Filipino immigrants. There were many tragic and hard truths to the many stories that these novels displayed, and it helped me realize that there is more to our history than I had known. 

Overall, this course was really great, and I learned so much about my history and culture through the different stories that these novels told. I’m definitely going to miss this course and the people in it. Ate Allyson, as well as the IA’s in this class (Rocky, Justin, Lyanne) are amazing teachers and were a significant reason why I enjoyed this class.

[believeitcrew]

Blog #6: Community Event

One of the community events I went to this semester was an Aspire event about music. It was during the end of April, and I didn’t hear about the event until my professor for my AAS 330 class mentioned it, was actually ending class early since he was a part of it. 

At first I thought it was mostly going to be a lecture, and I also wasn’t able to stay for very long, but it was really fun. To start we did introductions, and once we were done with that, we kinda just messed around with different instruments in the room. The was a ukulele, guitar, people sang, someone even brought an ocarina. My professor also brought his own instrument. I forgot what it was called, but it was a traditional Okinawan string instrument. There was also someone who had brought a soprano saxophone, and someone also brought their sound board.

What I found very interesting about this event is that there were a diverse amount of instruments in the room, all with their own histories in which they came to be. And although they were all from different eras and places, they came together perfectly when producing music. The fun part of the whole thing was having one instrument start a beat or chord progression, and everyone else slowly came in to contribute a different part/sound to the music. 

The community within this event was very welcoming and encouraging. I was very hesitant in participating at first, but the aura that the space was producing allowed me to not feel out of place playing something I enjoy in front of other people.

[believeitcrew]

Blog Post #5: Mid-term Project

During the mid-term project, I was in group 5. The three sources that my group and I used were Yappie, Hasan Minhaj’s Homecoming King, and Crazy Rich Asians. 

Yappie is a 5 episode Youtube series by Wong Fu Productions which follows the life of a “young Asian professional”. Hasan Minhaj’s Homecoming King is a comedy show that showcases Hasan’s life growing up as first generational Muslim American and the hardships he went through. Lastly, Crazy Rich Asians is an all Asian cast film that was very successful last year. It is about an Asian American professor experiencing her romantic interest’s life as being part of a wealthy family.

Our groups medium was a 3 episode series that we were to film in order to showcase the different concepts in all three pieces of work. The overall synopsis of our film is about a young Asian American couple falling in love, but one of the parents of the girl does not approve of his daughter having a interracial relationship. This concept was brought up in Yappie. 

The process of filming was probably the hardest part of the project due to conflicting schedules and meeting up. However I had a fun time with it since the three pieces of work were very entertaining and gave me insight in how the films related to the Asian American community. Along with insight, I felt pride knowing that all three films represented Asian Americans in media.

Overall I thought this was a interesting project, and I would have been interested in the other sources that the other groups had to look into. They are definitely sources I would look into in the future.

[believeitcrew]

Blog post #4: Asian Americans and Film

Asian American representation hasn’t been very prominent in media. In the past, films in Hollywood mostly focused on having white actors portray the main protagonists. And in other cases, many films have white actors play a character of a different ethnic background aka white washing. This has been a common issue in the Asian American community. However in 2018, Asian Americans have been getting more attention on the big screen. Movies such as Crazy Rich Asians or short films like Yappie have gained much reputation and has been able to represent the Asian American community in media. 

In Crazy Rich Asians, the film showcases an all Asian American cast and was a huge success in the box office. Although the film romanticizes the luxurious life a wealthy Asian, it does allow for representation in media, as well as teaches key life messages in its story. Concepts such as cultural and generational gaps are present in the film between the two main love interests and their parents. I thought the film was very entertaining, and I could appreciate seeing more Asian American figures in movies. 

Another piece of media that has helped promote the Asian American community is Yappie by Wong Fu productions. This 5 episode series is about the life of an young Asian American adult named Andrew and the many issues he faces as a young Asian professional. The series follows the stigma of Asians being the model minority and uses Andrews life as both the narrative of this stereotype, and the counter narrative as he resolves the issues through finding his identity in the Asian American community. It is also good to note that Wong Fu Productions as a channel is a great example of representation in the Asian American community since the channel started toward the start of Youtube. Ever since, the channel has continued to grow and gain a larger audience and reputation through creating and producing films that help represent the Asian American community.