Swan and I (Joyce) are literally in the Publication Lab at 10 PM on  Friday night because we cannot wait to share with you our first experience at NYU Chinese Mei Society’s annual banquet Yuan. This year’s theme was V15ION (ha-ha, get it?) and was meant to open our eyes to the diverse culture here at NYU.

This was a fundraiser and all of the proceeds went to a great NYU club called China Care.  Since 2000, China Care Foundation has been truly helping and improving the lives of orphans in China. Its mission is to give special-needs Chinese orphans the opportunity for a better life and to empower youth through direct humanitarian service. Check them out to learn more about their worthy cause.

Thanks to our Editor-in-Chief Cathy Ye, we were able to snag awesome seats at the VIP table. Each table had some adorable macarons (we had 5 too many) that tasted like Froot Loops (according to Swan…) but I think they were just Strawberry (lol). There were also goodie bags filled with awesome stuff like a Crunch pass (so we can work off our macarons), a Monster energy drink (so we can combat our procrastination), a gorgeous masquerade mask (so we can hide our nonexistent imperfections), and many other wonderful items. 

The evening was an eclectic mix of dance, fashion, music, and free food (and free bubble tea because it’s an NYU Asian event). Some of our favorite acts included Neighbors Dance Team (we’re still fangirl-ing), Madi Rindge Band, and NYU’s own Asian Fusion Dance.

For dinner, we were SERVED (it was awesome) platters of food that included zong zi, twice cooked pork, and other dishes. We even had some awesome mango dessert from Beautiful Memory Dessert in Chinatown…couldn’t tell you exactly what it was though.

Overall, it was a fun night. (Would like to say it would’ve been more fun if we won the master prize of a GoPro, but we can’t have everything nice in life.) The emcees were super engaging and definitely captivated the crowd. We also made some coo new frands at our table, like the guy who was representing sponsors New Kam Hing Coffee Shop (which we’re trying soon) and Red & Gold Boil. 

FINAL SHOUTOUT TO OUR SERVER/HOMEBOY RONALD.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Pakistani Students’ Association Presents:

Annual Eid Banquet!

Doors open 6:30 PM
Food served 7:00 PM
Tickets $6 with NYU ID and $8 for non-NYU guests

A multi-cultural celebration of Eid Ul Adha, attendees are encouraged to dress in their respective cultural outfits and eat delicious ethnic food, while enjoying breathtaking performances!

Co-sponsored by the Arab Students’ Union, Afghan Students’ Association, and Bengali Students’ Association. All proceeds will go to charity via UNICEF to help improve the lives of children in drought and conflict ridden areas of Somalia (www.unicef.org/somalia)

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Monday, November 28
8:00-9:00 AM &
Wednesday, November 30
5:00-6:00 PM
Kimmel 8th Floor 

Asian American Christian Fellowship hosts Conversations with God

Want to play a part in God’s movement of love and renewal at NYU? Or just want to see what prayer is all about? Then join AACF for a time of listening and talking to God together. The topic of the week is “the life of a servant.”  

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Monday, November 28
7:00 PM
Redeemer Offices - 1359 Broadway, 4th Floor

AACF hosts Stern Believers Meeting. Are you a Christian in Stern, wondering how you can be a light to your fellow Stern classmates? Or are you a non-Stern student who has a burden for reaching out to the Stern community? AACF will be joining Redeemer Presbyterian Church’s “Faith and Work Financial Services Ministry” meeting, a great chance to learn what God is already doing in the business world and how you can be a part of it. Click here to RSVP. 

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Wednesday, November 30
6:00-8:00 PM
Kimmel 808

AACF hosts Large Group! Come be refreshed by worship and a message while enjoying fellowship with one another. This week’s topic is “The Cost of Compassion.” Christians are called to be loving and compassionate. What are the costs of loving others with passion, and how do we deal with them? AACF will be exploring those questions on Wednesday with their speaker. 

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Due Wednesday, November 30
by 11:59 PM

Join the ITASA East Coast Conference Bidding Team!

Passionate about Taiwanese culture, big event planning, and e-board fun?

Every year, ITASA (the umbrella organization of all Taiwanese American student organizations in the U.S.) hosts a large conference on the coasts attended by more than 350 students across the nation. NYU TASS is hoping to host the East Coast Conference in Winter 2013, but they need help! Here is another opportunity to get involved in student activities and gain tangible experience in large-scale event planning and promotion. 9 positions are available and all applicants are welcome. Contact bid directors Angela (angelachen@nyu.edu) or Kevin (Kevin.Wu@stern.nyu.edu) for questions about the event, board or application. Click here for the application.

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Thursday, December 1

7:00 PM
Kimmel E&L (4th Floor) 

NYU Chinese Student Society and Lambda Phi Epsilon present Holiday Hoopla! Click here for the flyer for information! Take on their “Minute to Win It” games to win prizes like DVDs, T-shirts, and gift cards! There’s a chance to win a prize each round of the games. They’ll also have Chinese food and yummy desserts, as well as bubble tea for the first 50 guests!

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Thursday, December 1

6:00-8:00 PM
Kimmel 904

Join NYU’s Vietnamese Student’s Association in celebrating the end of the semester, with banh mi and bubble tea! 

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Due December 2 by 8:00 PM

Apply to help the Chinese Mei Society with its annual spring YUAN show! In accordance with Asian Heritage Month at NYU, CMS hosts a large-scale cultural production celebrating Chinese culture through musical, visual, and performing arts. CMS is currently accepting applications for the following positions:

-Tech Director
-Logistics Director
-Finance Director
-Catering Director
-Marketing Director
-Public Relations Director
-Performance Director
-Fashion Director 

Visit here to learn more about each position and to apply! Email cms.nyu@gmail.com for any questions, and click here for their Facebook page to check out more information about CMS and photos from last year’s production. 

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Happening Throughout

Thai-SA

Support Thailand’s flood victims by purchasing a T-Shirt and wristband! All proceeds will be donated to the “One Heart” Campaign in December. Organized by the Royal Thai Air Force and The Mall, the goal of the campaign is to provide humanitarian relief by distributing supplies to those devastated by the flood. Donations can be made directly by clicking here. Click to watch a video here.

So, the 60th Annual Grammy Nominations were announced yesterday morning, and somehow it left me with more mixed emotions than I’ve felt in a long time. On the one hand, we have many reasons to celebrate this year–the 2018 list of nominees is the most diverse group in all of Grammy history, especially when it comes to Black and LGBTQIA inclusion. Jay-Z, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and more were all (deservedly) nominated for record of the year. Kesha and Lady Gaga were both nominated for two Grammys each, and out songwriter Justin Tranter was nominated for his first award as well. 

When it comes to inclusion in the entertainment industry, we’ve come a long way, and these nominees are just one example of that. Unfortunately, this progress has not been reflected within the Asian American community, as you can clearly see by the lack of Asian nominees for the 2018 Grammys. I can’t say I’m surprised, considering there aren’t really any huge Asian American names in the music industry. But it’s not because we’re not trying–it’s because those who run the system aren’t listening. This year I got the chance to discover Alice Gao, Niki Zefanya, Yaeji, and several other incredible Asian artists whose music deserves recognition–but none of them are getting the attention they deserve. 

While Grammy nomination entries can by submitted by any artists/record companies with commercially released music, all submissions are reviewed by a group of over 350 experts in the fields of jazz, R&B, rock, classical, new age, and more. These experts within the Academy go through several rounds of screening, being advised to vote in up to 15 categories in their areas of expertise as well as the 4 general categories (Record of The Year, Album of the Year, Song of The Year, and Best New Artist). Unfortunately, if you are a lesser known artist in the US (aka most Asian American artists) signed to a label with more well known artists, your label will most likely submit their song/album to be considered for Grammy nomination over yours. At the end of the day, it’s pretty much a self fulfilling prophesy. Since Asian American artists are almost never well known enough to qualify for the final rounds of nomination, their work is not often submitted. As a result, Asian Americans are continuously left out of the mainstream. The whole thing is a cycle that seems to have no end. 

Don’t get me wrong, I believe we should celebrate the victories we achieve, but I’m honestly so tired of writing and complaining about Asian American representation. You guys have heard it all before and I’m not here to preach the same message all over again, but my soul is tired y’all. While we should celebrate and cheer on our fellow POC, let’s remember that the entertainment industry is still far, far, from being the all inclusive community that we so desperately need. 

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