Happy Loving Day

Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967)[1], was a landmark civil rights case in which the United States Supreme Court declared Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute, the "Racial Integrity Act of 1924", unconstitutional, and ending all race-based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States.

on june 12, i celebrated Happy Loving Day!
only 41 years ago was it made legal to marry a person from another race. it feels like our country has gone so far but still need to progress. like with the gay marriages in california at this moment, which will be put on the ballot in november. i like to think we all have things equally but usually those marginized group we sometimes forget about remain unequal and with not the same access and resources.

as to celebrating Loving Day i went to FIRST ever Mixed Root Literary and Media Festival at the Japanese American National Museum (my hood- how could i not go?)

how great it felt to be amongst the mixed community. to be surrounded by mixed artist, film makers, poets, writers as they breakthough the art and culture world. most of my knowledge and community of the mixed has been through the mixed asian community and mostly my age group. at this festival, i was surrounded by a majority black mixed group and all ages, usually older then me. it was a breath of fresh air as it reminded me of how times are always changing, there is somethings always new to learn. i just have to be open to the challange.

on thursday, i heard this great writer and speaker, rebecca walker. she spoke about the 5 things a mixed person should do or not do. some things she made me think about

no longer being the tragic mulatto. there has been talk of the tragic mulatto to be the mixed person who feels like their life is so tragic or hard because they are mixed. it's also something other ppl have put on the mulatto, like you have two cultures, your life must be so hard. but come on now. we should embrace our mixedness and be proud!

to not self-sacrifice yourself. to make sure that you know what you are getting into and that your cause follows under your own ethic and moral beliefs. also, to know your limits and know how much you can or cannot commit. i want to have a personal life that doesn't always involve my work or other passions.

and then she talked about spirituality. how being mixed she felt pulled in lots of different directions and could think of 2 sides to every situation. this leading her to find spirituality to ultimately bring her freedom.

FREEDOM! this is something that i ultimately am trying to pursue. freedom of mind.
growing up, i've always avoided conversations about faith and spirituality but i think i wasn't ready to challenge myself with those ideas. now, i am starting to ask myself those questions on my beliefs. why don't we have more conversations about spirituality?

ok, these race conferences and talks always raise a bunch of issues that you can tell have been all jumbled in my head. but anyways, i enjoyed this event as it motivated me and reminded me that their others that feel just the same way as i do. i am grateful and take for granted the feeling of finding a place to belong.

i celebrated my birthday last saturday. well on friday with the fam and saturday with friends at a lounge in hollywood. things had its ups and downs but all in all a good time. feels good to share those moments with people that i care about.

i am trying to remind myself that its not by the number of people you get out to your events but the quality. a good group of people can make any situation great.

my friend shira is moving to newport beach and it was nice to spend the night there. i was reminded that i do secretly like orange county although i do tend to hate on it. why do we hate the things we also like? i guess i have a love/hate relationship with everything. and sometimes i feel that i have gotten so caughts up in LA that i don't want to leave.

after hanging out in newport with my friend, i decided to go to one of my fav places near my old alma mater, Panera Bread. There i was surrounded by OC beauty and happy friendly families and college students. Damn that brocolli cheddar soup! so good! after that, as i was driving home, i thought, what the heck, i miss the beach, and explored a new beach, Sunset Beach. the beach is one of my favorite past times of living in Orange County and i really don't go so much now.

* with it being summer and thinking of my love for the beach i can't help but feel a longing to be in hawaii. i also have this desire to go to new zealand. it's that island style livin and the people that really excite me. how can i feel like hawaii is my home when LA is?
its a little ironic that i will be leaving to live in seattle in a few months, the land of rain, which will be a hard weather adjustment for me. but i do believe they have another natural beauty.

i guess what i'm thinking is that different places are special in their own right. i think i've just been spoiled by living and exploring such beautiful and diverse places.

**keep on exploring the beauty in your local surroundings.

saturday night fever

i just love to dance! when did i really start to appreciate dancing ? there are some awkward moments in 6th grade with the boys against one wall of the school cafeteria and the girls on the other. dancing in high school with some boy when i was actually gazing at the other guy i wish i could be dancing with. ditching my date to dance with my fellow comrades.

but there are such great moments. such great diversity and all u have to do is have fun people who also love to dance, a dj or live band, and u just dance to the beat. i love that i can dance to all different kinds of music too depending on where i am, what i'm into, or just what night i happenned to end up at the club. be in trance, techno, a gay club, persian, latin, hip hop, reggae, dancehall, soul, funk - i can dance to a lot of stuff and have a great time.

i do think that more and more i try to get away from the popular, the huge, generic club. maybe its being a rebel. maybe that's not my scene or that i don't like to be in that crowded space paying top dollar just to dance.

i just love to feel free. free to do whatever move i want. its like that runners high or like at a concert. the perfect moments when everyone is dancing and having a good time.

that's kinda what i find dangerous yet exciting about LA. they have so many places to dance with different types of music and different crowds, changing night to night. but still, got to find the right people to go with and find that balance of not overdoing it.

yAY to all my dancing comrades!!!