2010 Honolulu Festival

Yesterday I was able to check out the 2010 Honolulu Festival at the convetion center. Haven't had time to download the pictures and video that I shot, but I'll try to do that tomorrow.

It was the first time I attended this little cultural sharing event, and I found it interesting. People from all over came to share their customs through song, dance, film and demonstrations. I was totally hoping there'd be tons of food booths. However, I was disappointed in that aspect.

While there, I caught a few performances on the inner and outer stages, cruised through the craft tables and watched the movie Hula Girls. The movie was awesome and my review can be found at Movie Addicts Club. I wanted to stay for the second movie, Departures, but I didn't really have time. I'm still planning to watch it via Netflix though and will definitely post a review.

Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii Orientation

Last Saturday I went over to the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii and had a brief interview and tour. The girl I met with basically asked questions about my background, interests and motives for volunteering. Then she showed me around the gallery and the behind-the-scenes areas. I start volunteering this Saturday and opted to stay the entire day.

When I first faxed my volunteer application form to them, I was surprised because they called back within minutes. Perhaps that's not all too surprising in this economy though. Another interesting thing is that they asked me to bring my resume for their records. I found that very strange - like it was an interview for a real job or something. Are volunteer requests always handled this way?

I'm curious to see what kind of work they give me. On my form, I checked off numerous departments in which I'd like to help. One of the categories was to be a docent at their exhibit. I gotta say that I'm not really keen on doing that. However, I figured it was the best way for me to learn the historical and cultural aspects quickly and thoroughly. If I'm expected to regurgitate this info to visitors, I've gotta know my stuff.

My main reason for wanting to volunteer at JCCH is to learn about the historical and cultural part of the Japanese American experience in Hawaii. I want to apply to teach English in Japan through the JET Programme, and it'd be interesting to compare local Japanese customs to traditional Japanese customs. I'm sure there are many things that are similar but a lot more things that are different.

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco - An Art Attack for your Soul

For all you museum lovers out there, the Go SF Card will bring tears to your eyes. With the card in hand, you'll be able to check out 18 different museums in the Bay Area for FREE. Yes, admission is free with the card. How awesome is that?



There are so many cool places to see that I know for a fact you won't be able to get to them all. Make sure you look them up and plot out your course of attack. One of the museums we visited was the Asian Art Musuem of San Francisco.


It's right near the Civic Center and is easily accessible by public transportation. The building itself is remarkable to look at. But just across the way is City Hall with it's golden roof. Some may say it's gaudy, but I totally love it. It's like the Taj Mahal of city halls.

The special exhibit while we were there was on the Kingdom of Bhutan, which is located in southeast Asia. They had classes and special screenings but we didn't stick around for that. It was pretty quiet and we were in between presentations anyway. After a quick walk through of that exhibit, we spent more time with the regular collections. This in itself takes you through so many countries that it's a little overwhelming.



Despite the fact that I'm not too big an art lover and definitely don't have any in-depth art knowledge, I still found it to be an interesting way to spend a couple hours. The intricacy and beauty of the sculptures, paintings and craft work is wonderful. Most of the exhibits were attractively lit, and each had a descriptive placard next to it to help explain its significance to people like me. Also, there didn't seem to be massive crowds there. If anything, I found it to be pretty empty except for a couple of school groups.



It's amazing to think that these pieces were made hundreds or thousdands of years ago. Technology and tools being what they were at that time, I can't believe people were still able to produce such lasting pieces of work. The skill involved is incredible. I mean, how long does it take to hack away at a piece of marble or jade before it turns into a scuplture of a buddha? Truly amazing.