The Seattle Globalist Makes Us Feel Legit.

"Where Seattle Meets the World"

Thank you to The Seattle Globalist and writer, Dakota Alcantara Camacho for interviewing me and Chamaole Pino Restaurant owners, Melody Arreola and Chris Smith for this article. It's nice to have our fledgling group, United Roots recognized especially for our first event this Saturday in Everett. Here's the LINK!

http://www.seattleglobalist.com/2014/04/24/pacific-islander-arts-showcase-everett/23701

Fliers Make Anything Official

My next Author Meet and Greet is at United Roots' Pacific Islander Arts and Crafts Showcase on April 26. I'm excited to meet people in the PacNorWest. Hope you'll be there! Thank you Reuben of Fliers Ink for the awesome flier. I feel 2legit now. Tanya Taimanglo

Congratulations CHE'LU! Biba Chamorro Culture!

Just mourning the fact that I could not attend this past weekend's 4th Annual Chamorro Cultural Fest in San Diego, hosted by the non-profit organization, CHE'LU. I hope to attend next year with old and new books in hand under my banner, Guam Books and Beads. Moving to Washington State had a lot to do with it.

I've been scouring Facebook for photos of the event to enjoy and thank you to CHE'LU Board Member, David Atalig (Betelnut Radio) for posting this video recap. Made me feel like I was there, minus the warmth and smells of Chamorro food.

Celebrating Pacific Islander CULTURE-Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. This weekend in San Diego! Ski Beach, 9/22/12-9/23/12.

Hope to see you there!

Chamorro Cultural Fest--A Party I'll Never Forget!

It’s been 5 days since CHE’LU’s Chamorro Cultural Fest in San Diego and I believe I’m physically recovered. Having Guam Books and Beads there for its second year was wonderful.

I met many friends, relatives and supporters. My favorite encounters were with former JFKHS students. I feel a sense of security in our heritage when I see that they have grown into successful adults with families and some with the cutest nenis ever!

The fest was buzzing from sunrise to sunset and with the dedicated Board of Directors and committee volunteers our mission was accomplished:

Chamorro Hands in Education Links Unity (CHE’LU) is dedicated to the Chamorro community by strengthening our native language, culture and health through education.

I was happy to see the enthusiasm of vendors, many skeptical of their first time at the fest and later hearing wonderful feedback about their experience. Having Marissa Borja and John Damian from Pacific Home and Garden on Guam cover the fest was a great reprise. Can’t wait to watch the coverage soon. I love that many traveled from Guam to participate...ie, Judy Flores-Batik Artist, Chris Malafunkshun, Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio, Zoriesonly-Doyon Ahn and the talents of Vince Reyes and Inetnon Gefpa'go. And to the vendors who shared their products from all over the mainland, thank you! (Gerard Aflague, Bahakke Brand and Tony Mesa-Hafabrown Designs).

Another favorite moment was getting a visit from Kat Gardner, author of Myths of Guam from the 80s. Her support of our writing efforts was wonderful validation.

Our tireless photographer, Bryson Kim captured everything! His wonderful photos help preserve the event and are a testament that the Chamorro spirit lives on.

Entertainment was packed and the amphitheater never saw a dull moment.

I’m happy to be a part of such a wonderful group as CHE’LU. Our team is working on all cylinders and supports each other with love.

With that said, no matter where the Navy takes me and my family, I know that I will do my best to make the trek back to San Diego--the one city that CHE’LU has established as the Chamorro Cultural hub of the west coast. Until March 2013, Biba Chamorro!

My favorite part of the music line up, Jason J. Alex Lugwa...Mighty Mellow Massive.

www.chelusd.org

On Being Chamorro...

“Fine manners need the support of fine manners in others.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is my personal take on being Chamorro. It’s not a matter of “how much” Chamorro I am—although there have been many times when I had to prove my percentage, but for clarity, my late father is Chamorro and my mother is Korean. I grew up on Guam and was essentially raised in a Chamorro household with my wonderful mother adopting, implementing and educating us in the ways of being Chamorro. Don’t get me wrong, kim chee was and is a staple in our home. And many of my self-deprecating and accommodating manners are ingrained in my DNA from being Asian, and I love it.

Being a part of CHE’LU, Chamorro Hands in Education Links Unity, has been an ethnic lifesaver for me--one who married a Chamorro man and left the island in 2004. I feared leaving the island because I didn’t know a life outside of it. I was comfortable in my teaching career. And because of cultural norms, I was fine having my mom and dad living in the home they helped me purchase in Mangilao. I was 25 and my father’s one goal for his children was to give us a leg up in obtaining our own “hut.” Being the only daughter, naturally they followed me to this new home and we settled in, my dad saying, “Girl, mom and I will move out when you get married.” Newly single at the time and resigned to the idea that I could live the rest of my life solo, I was okay with that, even thankful. And when my parents began getting blueprints drawn up to build a studio on the same property so they could be extra near, I was still okay. This was the Chamorro way after all. Being “near” and being “supportive.” Some might say, parents never really letting go, but I turned out okay, I believe.

When I lost my father in 2007, I was set adrift. I had no direct, trustworthy source to my ethnic heritage. Just because you grow up on Guam, doesn’t mean you have a total appreciation of your culture, the language and the customs. I’ve never even been to Talofofo Falls! That’s how I explain taking my island for granted to others.

So, leaving Guam again after my father’s funeral (his 5th year death anniversary is this March 31st), I feared for my cultural preservation, for the type of Chamorros my children would be. I wanted them to have their Tata Tedy in their lives, but fate would dictate otherwise.

Fast forward to 2010, when Alison, my mali’ and I formed Guam Books and Beads. I didn’t start our business to make a statement, but to pay homage to my heritage and mostly my father. The statement came naturally afterward. The books I authored and share with my kid brother artist, Sonny, were meant to be something tangible for my children. I’ve received praise from old friends, family and new friends. What I’ve noticed is that some people in my circle either do one of three things: 1. praise/support me, 2. ignore me, 3. attempt to criticize/belittle my endeavors. I’ve grown a thick skin in the last two years. I embrace those who have a kind word. Even, critical, like the “uncle” who bought my book, read it and proudly pointed out a typo within the first half hour of my first major event. Anyone who knows me—control Type A, perfectionist when it comes to my writing, knows that his actions were an affront. (But, I digress. I smiled at “uncle” and thanked him.) I appreciate friends and family who provide support and encouragement. And, more importantly, I ignore category 3. Pile on the constructive criticism, but not the destructive toxic words.

I’ve found that as the timer counts down to the 3rd Chamorro Cultural Fest, the supporters of our work are shining through. I thank them. If we are to survive as a people, we need more positive energy. We need to network. We need to extract the Chamorro pride in some, which is dormant. Don’t allow your children, teenagers to roll their eyes at being from Guam.

Since I was a child, and being a person whose face can confuse people (I’ve been greeted by Filipinos, Chinese, Hawaiians, Vietnamese, Mexicans…etc as one of their own, you get the point), I’ve always had to prove my “Chamorro-ness”. I guess it’s something I will continue to do. I am a spokesperson to the non-Chamorros who wonder about Guam and Chamorros. I educate them on my experience, on what I know to be true. If you are creating a product or providing a spotlight for our culture, then I’ll be a cheerleader for you! We need this networking to be strengthened and not torn down by our own people.

I’ve heard some in our community say that we aren’t an industrious, business minded people. Not True! I’ve heard that we keep our own kind down. Maybe somewhat. But, I’m working on the spotlight I have to redirect it into the darkness for others to come forth. I want to see our people doing well, finding success and more importantly SUPPORTING each other. Like the Latte Stone that is symbolic for our people, our definition of it has changed over time. It used to be a functional and symbolic tool to show status. They elevated the huts high off the ground where the lower class live. Now, it’s a universal symbol that means, I AM CHAMORRO. So, there is hope for our community to strengthen, to change our mindsets, to become better, contributing individuals to our world, no matter where we reside.

Do we have one million Chamorros in the world? I wonder. I doubt it. Yes, we’re kind of everywhere, but what are the stats? We’ve been on the US Census and from the facts I’ve heard and read, there are 140,000 Chamorros on the mainland. The 2000 US Census documented over 92,000 Chamorros/Part Chamorros nationwide.

Do we want to perpetuate our culture and our people? Heck, yes. And next time you see your fellow Chamorro doing something good for the culture, please applaud their efforts, spread the word and thank them. Because we’ve come a long way, baby. From the first, indigenous Chamorros who set foot on Guam 4,000 years ago, I’m proud to say I’m part of the lineage. I'm a survivor. You should be too, even if only your pinky finger is Chamorro.

With that said, I say, Si Yu’os Ma’ase to those who have supported me and my books. I am back in the “labs” working on three new projects (Puntan and Fu'una, Attitude 13 VOLUME 2 and Shades of Chamorro)

ESTA LATER!

We Have Lift Off! Well, a Commercial....

Quite excited about Betelnut Radio's commercial for our 3rd Annual Chamorro Cultural Fest! More steps in the right direction for CHE'LU and Guam Books and Beads. This is the culmination of awesome Chamorro networking. We need more of that, support, praise, positive energy in our community.



Hooray! I blogged on February 29th! Here's to a productive leap year.

My Literary Marathon--Screenplay is Kerplunk!

“Write without pay until somebody offers to pay.”—Mark Twain

Two major events happened this past week. First, Alison and I—Guam Books and Beads, made our second appearance at the Jacob’s Center/Market Creek Plaza’s 6th Annual ARTS and CULTURE FEST. The second is something I didn’t quite advertise on Facebook.

I became obsessed with screenwriting and devoured books, blogs and websites on the subject. After five weeks of extreme focus, as much as a mother of two young ones can muster, I completed a 99-page screenplay. I explained the storyline to three people; I didn’t have it viewed by someone else due to time, so I spent hours editing, rewriting and obsessing. I was racing towards a writing competition, the Bluecat Screenplay Contest. The deadline was the day of the Festival-October 15th; so, for ease of mind, I submitted everything the day before. After tweaking the scenes and dialogue, I registered my “product” with the Writer’s Guild of America-West and submitted it electronically with the Copyright office. Major for me. Within minutes, I took the last step and uploaded my work to Bluecat. The major push to do so was to see if I had any iota of talent in this arena. People go to school for this, study for years—so, here I am faking it until I make it.

Screenwriting is an art form and the format is delicious and challenging. I have so much more to learn, but with my submittal, two experts will analyze my work and in three weeks or so, I will receive their assessment. I’ve grown a thick skin and an open-mind in regards to criticism of my writing, so I’m ready. Once I receive the critiques, I’ll have three days to resubmit for the contest—finalists announced in February 2012 and the sole winner in March.




So, now that my work is protected and my “baby” is out there independent, I will share.
The title: The Daddy Blog.
The gist: The story centers around Verona Gilroy, a talented writer, who comes from a tumultuous family past. After both parents die within five years of each other, Verona clings to her older brother, Jack who becomes in all senses of the word her guardian. Jack finds himself a single, young father with squashed dreams, when his girlfriend wants nothing to do with him or motherhood. This drama becomes the focus of Verona’s first blog, except Jack doesn’t realize that he and his daughter’s lives are in cyberspace until a tragedy brings this to light. In a time when blogs or zines were a new amalgamation of the internet, Verona realizes that with the power of technology and the magic of her written word she could forge change. In addition, the return of Garrett Sabre (her first kiss) into Verona’s life forces her to analyze her mediocre existence and metamorphose into something greater, into the woman she was meant to be.

So, there. There’s a layer of late night television mixed in and a sprinkling of my love for the music of Eddi Reader and the badassness of Bruce Lee, but that’s the screenplay.

I’m already knee deep with another screenplay that I’m adapting from 13 chapters of a book I started writing. I’ve had to force myself to stop thinking of my characters, or the crazed cycle begins again. So, I channeled my energy into rearranging my children’s room—cleaning, sorting, dusting. I really think they have a thousand toys. “Only Ben 10 toys in this box, do you understand?!”
So, as my son does math homework and my daughter runs around the house like a wild child, dancing to Maroon 5, I find myself blogging. I hope for the best, but expect a dose of reality regarding my first screenplay. Maybe one day my work will be optioned and eventually produced into a movie, and then you’ll see my name in the opening credits. A Chamorro girl can dream. And! Thank you to another Chamorro girl for digging into my screenplay and offering feedback....I heart you, Alison!

ESTA LATER!

Now that the dust has settled...PIFA 2011

"Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your ROOTS."--Victor Hugo




I must say that my first time as a vendor at PIFA (Pacific Islander Festival Association) was rewarding. Now that the dust has settled, I reflect on last weekend and smile. As an author, pushing my two books and selling my words, it was financially the best event I have participated in. I was the “Featured Author” (along with Alison) of Guam Batik Gallery, with well-known artist from Guam, Judy Flores. It was an honor to be with her, Sandy and their family as well as Islander Registry’s John and Tina Cruz and family. It felt more like hanging out than work. Having my wonderful husband available and not on duty that weekend was a plus as he caught up with quality time with our children.


The business contacts and rewards were great, but the best part of the weekend was meeting cousins, old friends from high school and most important my former John F. Kennedy High School students. Not to mention my bold approach to movie star, Gilles Marini (Sex in the City-the movie, Dancing with the Stars and Brothers and Sisters).


<---------------------------------->
He was gracious, looked at our booth, took a photo with me and made the Hollywood promise of returning to get books for his daughter, “who loves to read.” Note: I didn’t hold my breath that he would return—cough, cough.


I loved remembering names of high school Geckos from GWHS whom I hadn’t seen for almost 19 years. I was rusty with one other, but he remembered my name and forgave me, I hope. My former students who visited (all A students, interestingly) were awesome; some taking photos with me making me feel honored and silly, and others just happy to chat about updates. So, to Nathan, Christian, Ruby, Anita, Ailene, Chassidy, Sophia, Catherine, Lardner—Go Islanders! And to Penny, Richard and Jerry—Go Geckos!

I loved people watching. The Chamorro Chieftains with their gigantic biceps, tatted and ready to defend, whatever they needed to defend, nice! The dudus (show-off/confident) Chamorro ladies strutting their stuff, beautiful flowers behind their ears, lovely! Yes, I’m generalizing, but it was home for me. I’ve got that dudus girl tendency too, but being half-Korean, I’m my own worse critic…so when I strut, half of me says “HAJIMA!” settle down. Don't get me started on the Caucasian dude who asked me to verify what his Chamorro girlfriend already schooled him on...he asked, "What's be'be' juice?" In the booth full of Chamorro women, we warned him that he was being inappropriate as he repeatedly said it, trying to get the pronounciation just right....Anyway, I digress.










As an author, I’ve gotten used to critics of my work. Those who judge without really looking at my books.

“Is this in Chamorro?” No, but there are a few phrases and words.

“Is this book (Attitude 13) all the legends of Guam?” No, there are 13 short stories, fiction with Chamorro characters, but great idea!

“Are the Sirenas reuniting?” No, I was not in the singing group, The Sirenas.

“Did you know that Chamorros are just Filipinos who sailed to Guam.” Wow, really? I didn’t know that! (imagine my sarcastic tone here).

“Did you know Sirena is my ancestor?” Cool! (in my mind: “Then please buy my book.”)

Griping a bit? Why, yes. Yes, I am. But, I put on a brave face, smile at critics especially if upon seeing my not traditionally islander face, that I am a Chamorro writer, one who is proud and believes in her books. I love the people who take the time to pick up my book, flip through the pages, ask me questions. Even if they don’t purchase, they’ve taken the time to know what my purpose is. So, with that said, I’m looking forward to another festival in San Diego this month. I will smile, be gracious and promote literature.

One woman, who was not Chamorro but lived on Guam for many years and loved the island, read our Guam Books and Beads motto: “For Chamorros on the Islands, Chamorros Around the World and Chamorros at Heart!” She thanked me for including her with the last phrase and for creating the books. And to her and all the wonderful visitors last weekend, Si Yu’os Ma’ase!

Esta Later!

Blog You...the Good, the Bad, the Hypercritical

Critics hold a mirror to you because they’re too weak to look into their own reflection (or they’re vampires).

I believe this quote, a la moi, and feel it. I have much to be happy about and criticisms of my books, my life, the mode in which I display my pride in my Chamorro heritage—anything I do from those on the outside will remain outside. Before you step into my house, take off your shoes. Then, I might lend an ear to your words.

Flinging opinions to the wind, in hopes that the target will somehow receive it is a cowardly way to give yourself a voice. Face to face, intellect to intellect…let’s do this. If not, then hold your tongue or find a way to do it yourself. By the way, just because I don’t speak Chamorro, it doesn’t minimize my Chamorro-ness…I had enough of that growing up and I won’t be bullied now.

I’m a concrete house, I’m mighty, mighty….

I had a wonderful, academic and cultural-filled weekend. The UCLA visit was awesome and the support from the Pacific Islander community was uplifting. Keith Camacho, Liz DeLoughrey, Craig Santos Perez and our guides, Alfred and Pua made our visit to UCLA and our panel discussion memorable. So, Si Yu’os Ma’ase! Twelve hours in high heels was worth the experience.

The Jacobs Market Creek Plaza’s 5th Annual Arts and Cultural Fest was our first vendor experience and we learned much and made great contacts. We were pleased by each and every visitor and proud to be a part of our community’s effort to celebrate each culture’s beauty.

Family and friends, Ninja Nari and Kamille (aka Kim Kardashian), Lee, Hank, Z and B, my kidlets, Barb, GW Geckos '92--Penny and Amy, helped make Guam Books and Beads’ first appearance a successful one.

Thank you for your support, until our next event! Read a book why don’t you!
Esta Later!