Katy’s report at 世界日報: OCA Chinese Lunar New Year celebration 匹茲堡美華協會春宴

Katy’s dispatch to World Journal (世界日報), reporting the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration by Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA, 美華協會匹茲堡分會), was published today (Feb. 28).  You may read directly online,

http://www.worldjournal.com/view/wjnjpanews/21837338/article-%E5%8C%B9%E8%8C%B2%E5%A0%A1%E7%BE%8E%E8%8F%AF%E5%8D%94%E6%9C%83-%E6%98%A5%E5%AE%B4%E8%81%AF%E6%AD%A1?instance=nj1 
 

 

OCA’s Chinese Lunar New Year celebration was held at Syria Shrine Center on Feb. 23.  It was a lively and festive evening for the more than 300 attendees. Pennsylvania governor, Pittsburgh mayor and other dignitaries sent the greeting cards.

 

PA Miss Teen (Ebone M. Jimerson) and Butler County Young Miss (Kiara Lin, 林文玉 ) were invited.  The participants had photos taken with a gentleman (Michael Lynn) and lady who wore Qing Dynasty Emperor and Empress’ costumes.  This was professionally done by photographer, Edwin Shaw.

 

WTAE-TV anchorwoman, Sally Wiggin and Karen Yee  (余月紅) were the Masters of Ceremonies.  Wiggin, who studied East Asian history and Chinese history, was amazed by the rich and exuberant Chinese dancing performance.

 

Karen Yee gave the special recognition to the five high school seniors among the members of the OCA Youth Performance Ensemble.  Tara Lee is to MIT and Rachel Sew is to University of Pittsburgh.  Emily Kuo and Rachel Dailey had been the winners of Congress Service Award.

 

Rachel Dailey grew up in an environment rich in Chinese culture.  Her parents adopted a girl from China; she learned Chinese dance as a child and went to Chinese school.  It was through her effort that her high school and Xiang-Tsu High School in Shanghai (上海行知高中) became sister schools, exchanging educational visits and language teachings.  She spent one summer learning Chinese language and culture, sponsored by a Rhodes Scholarship.  She will matriculate at Ohio State University majoring Chinese.

 

The mothers of the high school seniors were asked to go up the stage to receive thanks and flowers from their daughters; a touching moment.  The vice-presiden. Mr. Hsu (許華憲先生) of Fortune Group (鴻運集團) also provided a Thank You gift to Chiapih Shaw (謝家碧) in recognition of her years of volunteering effort in teaching and showcasing Chinese dance in greater Pittsburgh area.

 

The entertainment was provided by OCA Youth Performance Ensemble, OCA Lotus Blossoms, OCA Golden Butterflies and Tzu Chi Lion Dance.   The audience enjoyed the splendid performance that was designed and choreographed by Chiapih Shaw (謝家碧).  Special guest performance came from Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh Dance Troupe.  The highlight was the audience, young and old, came in to learn to dance the exciting “bamboo dance” (竹竿舞).  The 12-course delicious dinner was provided by Pittsburgh Chinese Restaurant Association.

 

OCA President, Kai Lin, gave a report of OCA activities of last year including free clinic and parade etc, focusing on promoting Chinese culture and rigorously pursuing Asian Pacific Americans civil rights.  For those are interested in joining OCA, please visit “OCA Pittsburgh” at Facebook or visit http://www.ocapghpa.org.

(The following is Katy's report)

匹茲堡美華協會 春宴聯歡

【賓州匹茲堡訊】 世界新聞網 北美華文新聞、華商資訊

February 28, 2013

美華協會匹茲堡分會23日假敘利亞廟堂（Syria Shrine Center）舉行蛇年新春聯歡晚宴，熱鬧非凡，賓州州長、匹茲堡市長等政要皆送上賀函。

賓州妙齡小姐吉摩森(Ebone M. Jimerson)與賓州巴特勒郡小姐林文玉(Kiara Lin) 應邀出席，攝影師Edwin Shaw歡迎各界來賓與穿著清朝帝后、帝王服裝的Michael Lynn等合影。美華協會當場贈出300多張嘉賓合影照片以資留念。

當晚節目由四號電視台新聞主播莎麗偉根（Sally Wiggin）與余月紅 (Karen Yee) 共同用英語主持，修過中文的莎麗對豐富的中國舞蹈表演節目嘆為觀止。

余月紅在會中宣布，今年美華協會有五位優秀美華青年舞者即將高中畢業，轉上大學。其中Tara Lee 要去麻省理工大學。Rachel Sew要上匹大。有兩位Emily Kuo（郭至儒）和 Rachel Dailey（戴瑞雪）曾得過國會社會服務獎。

戴瑞雪因父母去中國大陸收養華女，自己深受影響，不但自幼學中國舞蹈，還上中文學校，並促成其高中學校和上海行知高中結為姐妹校，師生互換語言教學，並主辦短期師生互訪活動。她曾獲羅德獎學金（Rhodes Scholarship） 趁暑假到大陸深入認識中國文化， 今秋更要去俄亥俄州大學主修中文。

應屆畢業生的媽媽上台接受孩子的感恩獻花。鴻運集團副總裁許華憲先生也特地上台獻禮給民族舞蹈老師謝家碧，感謝她許多年來不遺餘力的義務教導華人子女民族舞蹈，讓中華文化在匹茲堡發揚光大。

當晚表演除有美華協會醒獅團、舞蹈團，還有耍龍，與會者享用由匹茲堡中餐協會烹製的佳餚，觀賞謝家碧師生精心策畫的曼妙歌舞。來賓加入學跳「竹竿舞」也是當晚活動高潮之一。

會長林凱平表示，去年舉辦義診和參加遊行等很多活動，主要是宣揚中華文化，宣導與確保美國亞太裔公民權益。他希望有意加入該協會者，可上臉書OCA Pittsburgh 或 http://www.ocapghpa.org/查詢。

 

Our garden has seen several springs

Winter is still with us and yet our garden has seen several springs; there have been periods of many days in a row of spring-like temperature.  Some of our hasty (迫不及待的) hyacinths have raised their heads to brave the new world, whose young lives only to be cut short by next run of cold/freezing temperature or covered by snow.

 

Katy rescued this hyacinth and took it indoor before the snow came last week; it bloomed next day.

 

The title of this post is inspired by Chen Xiangmei (陳香梅) whose book of A Thousand Springs: a biography of a marriage, telling the story of her marriage with General Chennault.  The book was introduced by Lin Yu Tang.  We saw her once in early 1990s, at which time Janice got some kind of award and Chen Xiangmei (陳香梅) was an honored guest in the award ceremony dinner at Silver Spring, north to Washington, D.C.  She is about 87 years old now.

 

What comes to my mind seeing this photo?

I always say something while posting a photo; this is no exception. Many things come to my mind when I see a thing when or after I travel.  This photo was taken when we visited JFK Museum and Library last October.  The background photo was taken during the 4/29/1962 White House dinner honoring Nobel Prize winners of the western hemisphere.

I wonder why Robert Frost, a literary giant even in his lifetime, was slighted or missed by the Nobel committee.  The very fact that JFK invited him there and sat beside the First Lady is the best protest.  Photo shows the Jacqueline Kennedy was talking to Robert Frost and JFK Pearl Buck (1938 Nobel Prize).  Yes, Buck is a worthy laureate, but, how can anyone say Frost is not?

This photo is scanned from a 1/9/2009 WSJ article (“Bards at the Inaugural Gates”) in which the writer talks about the four poets reciting at the Presidential Inauguration; Robert Frost (at JFK’s inauguration in 1961) was the first and the best.

It is well known that Frost, then 86, blinded by the sun’s glare reflected on the snow-covering ground, couldn’t read the verses of “Dedication” that he wrote for the occasion; instead he recited “The Gift Outright” by memory.

Some say Frost didn't change impromptu and that he discussed his “The Gift Outright” with JFK before the 1/20/1961 inauguration. Which was the case? That’s historian’s job.  This photo of Frost talking to JFK at White House was taken two days after the inauguration.

I have had difficulty understanding “the Gift Outright”until I read this new book, “The Art of Robert Frost” (see photo right) by Tim Kendall, who comments on many of Frost’s poems, then I know why the Washington Post reported Frost “stole the hearts of the inaugural crowd.”  It is fitting that Frost recited this 'patriotic' poem for the occasion by chance or by intention.

T.S. Eliot once promised to write comments on his The Waste Land, but never did.  That didn’t surprise me as he once said interpreting his poems is “your job, not mine.”

Robert Frost gave his hand written “Dedication” to JFK and it ended up in the hand of one of JFK’s assistant.  The original was donated to JFK Library in 2006.

The YouTube link is Robert Frost read his The Gift Outright,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i_Ajyek2YA

Think Different and George Orwell

One may recall the success of Apple Co. advertisement some years ago; Steve Jobs played a big role in pushing this ad despite some critics pointing out its grammatical error.

George Orwell would spend days or weeks or months living with the tramps (homeless), the down and outers” (or shall we say Charles Dickens’ characters) in Paris or the East side of London.  That is how we got his “Down and Out in Paris and London”.

He might have paid his life by so doing; that may be why he died of tuberculosis at age of 46 in 1950.

John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath also came from his living with the oppressed California farm workers during the Great Depression.  Great writers write the life in which they live.  I consider letter/diary a genre of literature; my favorite.

While reading George Orwell Diaries, I came across “After I had mixed with these people for a few days it was too much fag to go on putting on my cockney [one who lives in East side of London] accent, and they noticed that I talked ‘different’.  As usual, this made them still more friendly, for these people seem to think that it is especially dreadful to ‘come down in the world’.”

So George Orwell did write “talked different” back in 1930s.