VOL 38 NO 43 | OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA

VOL 38 NO 43 OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

FREE 37 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Hao Lam: A success story of failure

By Janice Nesamani NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Photo provided by Hao Lam

SPD chiefs, on Donnie Chin’s murder, public safety, API recruitment, and the need for more support of police officers

Hao Lam and wife

From left: SPD Assistant Chiefs Deanna Nollette and Steve Hirjak, and Chief Carmen Best.

By Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Earlier this month, Seattle Police Department (SPD) head, Chief Carmen Best, and SPD Assistant Chief of the Criminal Investigations Bureau, Deanna Nollette, sat down to an interview with Northwest Asian Weekly to talk about some pressing concerns that the Asian/ Pacific Islander (API) community has about public safety and more.

Donnie Chin

On July 23, 2015, International District Emergency Center Director and Founder Donnie Chin died following an early morning shooting. Police believe he drove into the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, an accidental victim. It was a loss that shook the local community and the city, as Chin was a beloved community leader and self-appointed protector of

Seattle’s International District (ID).

In the more than four years that have passed, updates on this case have been minor—a fact that continues to frustrate community members.

“The case remains open—and will remain open until we clear it with an arrest,” said Nollette. “But at this point, we don’t have significant updates on the investigation.”

Nollette, aware of the community’s impatience and frustration, did offer some hope.

“I will say that the department just solved a 52-year-old homicide which is a reflection of the fact that we’re not going to forget Donnie, and we’re not going to stop working on the case.”

The 52-year-old murder case Nollette was referring to was, the murder of Susan Galvin in 1967 at the Seattle Center, see SPD on 4

see LAM on 11

Son becomes entrepreneur following father’s sacrifice

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Thirty years after his father gave up everything to give him a better future in the United States, Tien Ha can finally help him to get back home again.

“I’m buying my father a plane ticket,” said Ha, 37. “He’s going to spend the Lunar New Year in Vietnam.”

It has not been an easy journey—for either father or son.

Ha was born in Vietnam in 1982, one year after his father was released from prison. After he was born, his father used to say, “Everything started to go

Photo by Mahlon Meyer

Photo provided by SPD

Would you write a book that chronicled your failures, exposed your most

vulnerable moments, or acknowledged your mistakes? In a world that prizes flawless Instagram pictures, Hao Lam chose to do just that.

In his book ‘From Bad to Worse to Best in Class,’ Lam takes us back in time to his childhood in Saigon, Vietnam, where he paints a portrait of himself as a rebellious truant who skipped school to play football in the street and get into fights. He details failed escapes to flee the country, even taking us to a jail where just like him, we long for a glass of ice-cold water. Lam brings us to the refugee camp in Palawan and then to Canada, where he pulled off two fulltime jobs, completed high school within

see HA on 5 Tien Ha

NWAW takes home a record four 1st place wins WNPA Better Newspaper awards

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Stacy Nguyen

■

Carolyn Bick

Kai Curry

Zachariah Bryan

Tiffany Ran

Becky Chan

Assunta Ng

The Northwest Asian Weekly (NWAW) won 11 awards at the annual Washington Newspaper Publishers Association (WNPA) 2019 Better Newspaper Contest, including four first place wins—a record in NWAW history. WNPA representatives announced the winners during the annual convention awards dinner in Olympia on Oct. 11.

Stacy Nguyen, Kai Curry, Tiffany Ran, and Assunta Ng won first place in the Art Reviews, Election Story, Business News Story, and

General Interest Column or Blog categories, respectively.

On Curry’s story about Joe Nguyen running for state Senate, the judges called it, “An engaging candidate profile that successfully touches on larger themes of racial representation and immigration.”

Curry also won second place in the Art Reviews category.

“Our table screamed and cheered whenever one of our writers won and his or her name flashed on the screen,” said Ng, publisher of the see WNPA on 13

Vivian Nguyen

412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

asianweekly

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

37 YEARS

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Photo by James Holt / Seattle Symphony

Lang Lang Seattle performance

during its annual dinner and auction on Oct. 12.

The event celebrated 41 years of providing early learning and family support services to King County’s low-income, immigrant, and refugee community.

Former Washington First Lady Mona Lee Locke was the keynote speaker, and Judy Yu and Mary’s Place were recognized with this year’s Dream Awards. 

Singing Fundraising Gala

Photo provided by CISC

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northwest

7th annual API Candidate Forum

Classical music pianist Lang Lang played at Benaroya Hall on Oct. 9 for a one-night-only concert with the Seattle Symphony. Over 2,300 people attended.

Heralded by the New York Times as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet,” Lang Lang performed an evening recital of classical masterworks, including Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter.”

Lang Lang started playing the piano at age 3, and gave his first public recital before the age of 5. 

Photo by Assunta Ng

Denise Louie’s 2019 dinner and auction

From left: Mai Nguyen, Susan Yang, Mona Locke, and Judy Yu

Denise Louie Education Center raised $190,000

,1'2 &$1$',$1 $:$$= 381-$%, 1(:63$3(5

Photo by Assunta Ng

Lang Lang playing on the piano

From left: Moderator CISC Executive Director Michael Itti, and co-chairs Soyoung Kwon, and Joseph Lachman

The 7th Annual Asian/Pacific Islander Candidate Forum hosted candidates for election races for King County Council, Port of Seattle Commissioner, and Seattle School Board on Oct. 9 at the International District/Chinatown Community Center.

Chinese Information Service Center Executive Director Michael Itti moderated, along with other organizers such as APACE Votes and the International Community Health Center.

The first half of the forum prioritized persons whose primary language is not English and interpreters were on hand.

The purpose of the forum is to ensure that candidates understand the needs of AAPI communities, and to give them the opportunity to hear candidate platforms.

Read our special election issue next week. 

Chinese Information Service Center (CISC) and the Global Federation of Chinese Business Women of Seattle hosted a Singing Fundraising Gala at China Harbor Restaurant late last month.

The event raised $34,500 to benefit CISC’s programs which help immigrants make the transition to their new life here. CISC also provides a broad range of social, family, education, and cultural programs in King County. 

First Asian American to win council race in North Carolina town

The town of Cary, N.C. elected its first Asian American to the Town Council on Oct. 8.

First-time candidate Ya Liu immigrated to the United States from China in 2003 for graduate studies and quickly found a home in Cary, where she and her husband have three children.

More than 15 percent of Cary residents are of Asian descent.

Ya Liu The Asian population is the fastest-growing demographic in North Carolina, growing by 94,000 people from 20102017.

Liu is a board member of the Chinese American Friendship Association of North Carolina. 

YOUR VOICE

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

asianweekly northwest

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Chinese strap aerialist back in the spotlight

By Nina Huang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Flying high from the world stage of Cirque du Soleil to local favorite Teatro ZinZanni (TZ), Ling Rui is excited to be back on stage performing for Greater Seattle area audiences.

TZ engages, transforms, educates, and delights audiences with a unique celebration of cirque, comedy, and cabaret in an intimate live experience.

TZ’s main event is part-circus and partcabaret.

Born in 1982 in Chongqing, China, Ling started gymnastics at 6 years old and entered a Chinese circus when he was 12. He then transitioned from gymnastics to acrobatics. He joined Cirque du Soleil when he was 18 and performed with them until 2006.

Ling and his then-partner joined TZ because they wanted to try something new to diversify their careers.

He has been performing on and off with TZ since 2007, and his last performance was in 2016 at the previous Queen Anne location.

Ling explained that the TZ team pulled him out of retirement since he hadn’t performed in the last three years. He had to decline their invite to perform last year, but he missed the TZ family and environment so much that he decided to return in 2019.

“As long as I’m still physically able to do this, I’ll still do it,” he said.

Directing in China Prior to returning to the TZ stage, Ling had been working in China as a show director for the past three years. In China, Ling doesn’t perform because he’s involved in a lot of the behind the scenes work.

“Directing has always been a dream

for me,” he said.

He also worked as the associate director for the Atlantis Sanya Hotel in China, which opened two years ago where he was responsible for all entertainment programs for the resort. He collaborated with the famous Franco Dragone for the programming.

Teatro ZinZanni today TZ’s program changes every six months or so, and new characters are introduced every so often.

Since its founding in 1998, TZ has produced over 60 shows in the Seattle area, featuring dozens of artists from around the globe.

In the last show, Ling sang in Chinese, but the current program, “A Night Like This!” is directed by a different person, with different acts and storylines. Ling looks forward to the different challenges with each performance.

Ling said that TZ is one of the only performances of its kind, combining a dinner show with acrobatic performances.

Ling practices his act for about 30 to 60 minutes daily. However, he makes sure he doesn’t overexert his muscles by practicing too much—he finds the right balance, especially when the performances take place twice a day. With the holiday season approaching, there are matinee performances in addition to the evening shows.

For Ling, it’s a very fun experience performing so close to the audience. The audience engagement and interaction is truly one of the unique factors of the show.

“The hardest thing for me is that I want to look effortless for the audience, but actually it takes a lot of strength,” Ling said.

Ling said that he does get scared during a performance, even though

he’s not up that high. He recalled a recent incident where one hand slipped during the show, and he had to maintain his stamina and power in his arms to continue the performance.

Challenges As he adjusts to the new story, Ling has to practice to get used to the new characters he plays. For example, in “This Night Only,” he is performing to a live band, unlike the last show.

“No one else will notice the tempo, but if there’s any change in that, it causes me stress in the air because I’ve timed when I go up and down and I can’t stay in the air for too long,” he explained.

That type of change can be challenging and dangerous when performing. One of his priorities is to bring his different characters to life.

Sometimes that can be tricky.

In the last program that was restaurantthemed, Ling’s character transforms and comes out of a fortune cookie. He noted that when his Chinese friends saw it, they didn’t think much of it.

However, a guest who saw the show left a comment calling the act racist.

“I’m very proud to be Chinese, and fortune cookies are an American thing.

The challenge is how do we balance the jokes because there’s a fine line between comedy and racism,” he said.

He went on to explain that the comment, as well as the post-Trump era, has made him think more so that he can be more culturally sensitive about his future roles and performances.

Above all else, Ling described TZ as a very international and diverse cast with performers from Russia, England, and other countries.

Ling is currently staying in housing in Redmond provided by the show. On the weekends, he enjoys spending time with his fellow performers.

“Zinzanni is such a unit, I really wanted to be back with the family. It’s such a different experience, so different and interactive and it’s so fun to see the audience’s faces.

People get so excited and their reactions really melt our hearts,” he said.

“A Night Like This!” runs through Feb. 9, 2020 in Woodinville at the former Red Hook Brewery location.  Nina can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

SPD from 1 was solved using genetic genealogy— reportedly the oldest ever using this method.

In regard to solving Chin’s murder, Nollette said they are keeping the Chin family apprised, particularly keeping in touch with Constance Chin-Magorty, Donnie’s sister.

Public safety In 2018, SPD moved Little Saigon into the West Precinct.

In years prior, Little Saigon was part of the East Precinct because of how Interstate 5 runs down the middle, separating it from the ID—despite Little Saigon having historical ties and common safety needs as the ID. At the time, the CID Public Safety Task Force argued that joining Little Saigon with the ID under the same precinct would improve communication, reduce duplicated law enforcement efforts and strategies, and improve officer relationships with community members.

“It was a huge undertaking,” said Best, “and we’ve seen positive change.” The change necessitated that SPD restructure maps, their dispatching, as well as account for different equipment and additional people.

SPD currently prioritizes a public safety model that involves not only in enforcement, but also heavily emphasizes community engagement—building community trust, approval, and respect.

“We’re making sure that neighborhood (the ID) is as safe as possible,” said Best.

“We do a block watch and train a number of businesses. They had this event for cops to play pinball with the community. There’s coffee with a cop—we’ve done almost a dozen of those. We’ve done a number of community walks. I did some with the

mayor. There’s the Collaborative Policing Bureau out walking and engaging. … We just want to make sure people know we are present and engaged in the community.”

Best pointed out that Block Watch 101 is training that they do with community members in several languages, as ID residents are often non-English-speaking.

“We want to work more intentionality with people,” she says.

SPD partnered with the Wing Luke Museum, in which about 40 officers over time met with ID community members at the museum to exchange information as well as for the officers to learn more about the history of the neighborhood. SPD is also continuing to work with SCIDpda and CID Public Safety Coordinator Sonny Nguyen to boost public safety in the ID.

Massage parlor busts In March of this year, SPD raided 12 massage parlors (seven of which were in the ID) as part of a human trafficking and money-laundering investigation. Northwest Asian Weekly reported that the 26 female victims from the bust were Chinese, many of whom were new arrivals who spoke little to no English.

“We’ve rescued dozens of women who were trafficked—exploited in those circumstances,” said Best. “We provided them with after care, if you will, helping them to get out of that lifestyle and provided human services to them.”

Best said that many of the women were able to get T visas, a type of visa that allows victims of human trafficking and their immediate family members to stay and work in the United States temporarily, typically if they agree to help law enforcement in investigations or persecution of crimes.

“We’ve done a number of operations,” added Nollette. “Unfortunately, it’s been

37 YEARS an ongoing emphasis [in the ID area for us].” Nollette said it’s an ongoing effort because new sex trafficking operations tend to spring up and replace ones that have been busted.

According to a report, “Washington State Task Force Against the Trafficking of Persons,” human trafficking—also known as modern slavery—is especially prevalent in our state due to factors that include our international border with Canada, the abundance of ports, vast rural areas, and dependency on agricultural workers.

API officers According to seattle.gov, SPD currently has 1,444 sworn officers. Best said that API representation (as well as POC representation) on the force is improving, but she acknowledged that there is still a lot of work to be done.

In total, 111 officers are API, which is about 7.7 percent of the force. This is less than half of Seattle’s overall population of APIs, which is 15 percent (2010 U.S. Census data).

Best said that one of the five assistant police chiefs is API—that’s SPD Assistant Chief Steve Hirjak. There are two API captains, six lieutenants, 12 sergeants, 77 officers, four student officers, and nine recruits. Best said that in terms of recruiting, it is optimistic, as this year there were 43 recruits in total—meaning about 21 percent of recruits were API. “We want to do better,” she said. “We can always do more.”

Best said that barrier in recruiting APIs are too different from barriers faced by SPD in other communities. Part of it is representation—or lack thereof.

“I know people need to see police officers who look like themselves,” said Best. “We are making sure we’re doing as much recruitment as we can, so that our communities can see people who look like them.”

Recruitment and retention The nation is experiencing a growing police officer shortage—some call it a national crisis. Seattle, with its low unemployment rate, is also feeling this pain point. As the population continues to increase, the number of officers sworn in each year is not keeping pace, according to a new SPD Recruitment & Retention Workgroup report, released Aug. 30. The report also stated that there were significantly higher rates of separation by fully-trained officers— officers voluntarily leaving SPD—in 2018 compared to 2012-2017 data. The report stated that, where information was recorded, 70 percent of officers who resigned from SPD actually left to join another force—typically one within 100 miles of Seattle.

“These officers were leaving SPD, but not leaving policing or even the region,” the report stated.

On July 15, Best spoke about staffing issues at a press conference and, in a bold move—named the lack of support from Seattle City Council as a stated reason SPD officers are leaving.

“I don’t need to see another survey or another exit interview to know that one of the issues is that we really need the support of our public officials,” she said at the press conference. “We need them to stand up for the work that the officers and the men and women have been doing in this organization. We are losing good people and we know that this is because they feel like they’re not supported by public officials.”

While Best’s comments were wellreceived by many, particularly those within SPD, Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez said she disagreed with SPD’s characterization of the issue, as reported

by Q13 Fox at the time. Gonzalez and fellow councilmember Lisa Herbold were reported as saying that the heart of the issue isn’t money but rhetoric—that the expectation was for Best to address morale concerns in SPD with the current tools available to her.

Now that months have passed in between that press conference and today, when asked to expand on the comments she made, Best did not deviate from what she previously stated.

“When officers leave this organization, a lack of support from the city council is stated as one of the reasons that they leave,” Best said. “These are not my words, these are the words of my officers. This is how they feel, and they don’t feel support from our city council.

For example, we don’t have a facility and building for officers. That officers interpret this as a lack of support. Officers were also working on wages four years old. They were buying things in 2018 with 2014 salaries. These types of things make officers feel unsupported. These are the huge challenges.”

In November 2018, Seattle City Council did vote 8–1 to approve SPD’s first pay hike in more than four years.

“Our officers want to be a part of the communities they are policing,” said Best. “We know there’s always concern about accountability and all those things —we will hold officers accountable. At the same time, everyone wants to be able to be recognized for the good work they do. We need to support our officers.”

Other challenges in recruiting and retention include the unemployment rate —talented people are going into other industries because of the availability of jobs and competitive pay—as well as background checks. Marijuana is legal in Washington state but not federally, which is a concern for some people, said Best.

Nollette also pointed to public scrutiny and distrust of police officers being a deterrent to attracting and retaining talent. She said that many who want to serve their community might join the fire department, for instance, as there is far less public scrutiny there.

A calling “I love this job and I think it’s important,” said Best. “What is really important is that we provide fair and ethical police service to everyone. I feel very confident that the folks I have put in place are striving to do their best every day. Our community engagement has reached a high. I think the level of professionalism is great. Our people are absolutely engaged. And I believe that we are one of the most humane police forces in the entire country.”

Best said that every officer has been trained on race and that SPD does a lot of training in implicit bias. She said the training has been vetted and tested— and that they take lessons and iteratively apply them to future training, so that it continues to be fine-tuned.

“This job is one that is really a calling.

It’s a vocation. There’s so much that you get from here that is rewarding. It has everything to do with giving back.

There’s not a day that I don’t feel like I’ve done something meaningful for someone.

There is no other job like this one.”  Stacy can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

YOUR VOICE HA from 1 right for the family.”

He gave his son the name “Tien,” which means “forward” or “heaven.”

Before that, everything had gone wrong.

His father was the captain of an artillery unit in the South Vietnamese army. At the end of the war, the communists put him in prison for seven years. There, he did hard labor, cutting down trees by hand and digging in rock-filled fields.

His mother had to choose between sharing the few pieces of meat or fish she was able to get each month with her young children or delivering them to her husband.

She chose her husband to sustain his life in prison.

“My brothers and sisters would tell stories of watching her take the few pieces of meat and pack them up to take to prison while they were so hungry,” said Ha. “My mother is a very tough woman.”

All of the children survived (Ha has six siblings). When Ha’s father got out of prison, he found that his wife had also saved up enough money to buy him a bicycle—a lifesaver in that it could launch a new career for a former prisoner, who would be blacklisted from other jobs.

“You would have to go for a year without eating to afford a bicycle,” he said.

But somehow his mother did it.

Hardened by his years in prison, Ha’s father carried passengers and goods on his bicycle, pedaling up hills sometimes with loads of 600-700 pounds.

But still, at the time, there seemed to be no future in a country ruled by a communist regime bent on revenge against its former enemies.

That all changed when his father was contacted by a distant relative that was on the communist side.

“He said come over, and work with me in the construction division,” said Ha. That was the year Ha was born.

“So my dad believed I brought him luck,” he said.

With his relative, the elder Ha started to work on hospitals, roads, schools, houses, and other construction projects.

Before a little over a decade had passed, he was a rich man. The family owned a house. The kids had all the latest electronics. The booming of Vietnam’s economy, coupled with his construction work, had given him and his family a comfortable life.

But the elder Ha knew that despite how much money he made, his children would always be branded as coming from a family that was an “enemy” to the government. They would never have the connections necessary to become

entrepreneurs or government officials or anything else, really.

“So my dad made the decision to leave everything behind at the best time of his life and come to the United States,” said Ha. They lived in a basement in Kenmore for several years while the kids went to school. Then his parents started janitorial work in nearby office buildings.

Growing up, as he skipped one grade after another and his English improved, Ha joined them in some of their work, working a paper route with his father and helping both parents clean up the neighborhood Red Robin. He also took on a variety of other jobs to help his family, from mowing lawns to painting to building block walls to ringing the bell for the Salvation Army.

Eventually, his father was hired by a neighbor, also from Vietnam, to do some construction work. Ha joined him.

Eventually, they sought work in the mainstream community.

When Ha got to college, he studied construction management, a natural fit.

But he was more interested in politics.

He became the head of the Vietnamese Student Association at Washington State University (WSU), which he chose over Johns Hopkins University. He wanted to be closer to home.

He put on one event to share Vietnamese culture and food with the surrounding community that attracted 500 people.

“We had vans that would go out and pick up older people if they wanted to come,” he said.

His big break came when he was walking down a street in Pullman and saw a construction site. He saw from the way a window had been put together—it was at the wrong angle and not caulked properly—that it would leak.

He took it upon himself to seek out the project manager and tell him.

“This is not a good way of putting together a window,” he said.

That led to the foreman offering him the chance to bid on a project in Lynnwood, where his father lived.

Ha helped his father make the bid, which he won, and then renovated the project. It was then he decided to launch his own company—HACT construction.

His office was flooded with light that streamed in through a window fronted by pine trees, caressing several potted plants, which freshened the interior. It seemed to be a reflection of his casual intensity.

The first and most important lesson he had to learn was the importance of nurturing employees.

“You learn best when you go through a challenge,” he said.

He had always been good at getting clients and completing jobs quickly and to their satisfaction.

But about four years ago, he woke up to just how dependent he was on the superintendents of his construction projects.

“I did not understand the sense of dominance of white males in this industry,” he said. “Most superintendents are white males and if you are young and Asian, they don’t necessarily give you respect. I did not understand that aspect.”

Projects slowed. Quality suffered.

Money losses built up.

Thus, he began a process of selfexamination.

“In my world, initially, I thought that workers just have to treat you right because you’re the boss,” he said. “I just focused on getting the job done.”

But the problem became so acute that while he was in charge of seven or eight new projects, there was a 90 percent turnover in staff, and delays became so severe that he was losing huge sums of money.

In one case, for instance, an electrician came in to work on one of his projects.

It passed inspection, but in the end, he found that 70 percent of it was not wired

asianweekly northwest

correctly. Electrical outlets didn’t work.

“The key thing I learned as a business owner was it wasn’t just about bringing in a client. My culture was that the client is the king. But that’s not true to me anymore,” he said.

“Now what is true to me is that the employee is the king.”

“When I changed the model, I became more resilient and more flexible,” said Ha, as he sipped green tea.

“If an employee has something going on in their personal life, instead of pounding on their door, I say, ‘What’s going on?’ I try to have them share that with me.”

When asked, he gave examples of an employee telling him about a separation with his wife, and another dealing with a difficult former spouse.

Paying back

And the trip for his father?

Originally, Ha planned to meet him there immediately after doing some charity work in Myanmar and Thailand.

But at the last minute, things changed.

“He’s decided he wants to spend more time there—at least a month,” said Ha. His father’s luck still hasn’t run out.  Ha will be honored at the 2019 Entrepreneurs of the Year luncheon on Oct. 25 at China Harbor Restaurant in Seattle, from 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

To purchase tickets, go to https:// apientrepreneurs.bpt.me.

Mahlon can be reached at editor@ nwasianweekly.com.

Compassion means getting results.

Lesson learned

Today, he laughs that if he knew then what he knows now about running a business, he might not even have started one in the first place.

“He who knows nothing, has no doubts,” he said.

Wearing a light powder blue shirt and cream trousers that he elegantly crossed over his legs, showing a pair of stylish loafers, he appeared boyish and frank.

www.ElectAlexPedersen.org Paid for by Elect Alex Pedersen P.O. Box 15235 Seattle, WA 98115

KING COUNTY NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received for C01399C19, Building Envelope & Waterproofing Work Order Contract 2019-2020; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, until 1:30 PM on October 29, 2019. Late bids will not be accepted.

The work under this Contract includes waterproofing, roof repair and maintenance work on facilities maintained by King County Transit.

Work may include, but not be limited to, building repairs (both structural and architectural), coating, caulking, cleaning, flashing, 3-coursing, seam and tear repair, window replacement, HVAC upgrades and skylight replacement on single ply, hot mopped, cold applied, modified

5

bitumen, metal or coated roofs as well as concrete walls, floors, structural components, and metal fascia.

Estimated contract price: NTE $1,000,000 There is a 5% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement on this contract.

There is a 5% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract.

Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://procurement.kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/default.aspx

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asianweekly northwest

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

37 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR OCT 17

DISTRICT 2 - CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES FORUM Chinatown Community Center, 719 8th Ave. S., Seattle 6-8 p.m. brenna.clausen@seattle.gov 206-233-0042

17-19 SANKAI JUKU UW, Meany Center for the Performing Arts meanycenter.org 206-543-4880

18 WING LUKE MUSEUM PRESENTS HOUSE PARTY 2019 719 S. King St., Seattle 7-11 p.m. winghouseparty.com

19 FILIPINO YOUTH ACTIVITIES DRILL TEAM 60TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER China Harbor Restaurant, 2040 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle 5:30-11 p.m.

LET IT NOT HAPPEN AGAIN: LESSONS OF THE JAPANESE AMERICAN EXCLUSION

Mountlake Terrace Library, 23300 58th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

CSA PRESENTS, “A NIGHT WITH STEVEN LIM” UW, Husky Union Building 6-9:30 p.m. thehubtix.universitytickets. com 2019 ANNUAL GALA’S REFUGEE WOMEN’S ALLIANCE Motif Hotel, 1415 Fifth Ave., Seattle 6 p.m.

Tickets at https://bit. ly/33zUUj6 development@rewa.org

20 SWEET TOOTH POP-UP Fremont Sunday Market, 3401 Evanston Ave. N., Seattle 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

22 ASK VU ANYTHING! AN AMA WITH RVC’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RVC, 1225 S. Weller St. #400, Seattle 12:30-1:30 p.m.

PEACETREES’ 24TH ANNIVERSARY LUNCHEON Four Seasons Hotel, 99 Union St., Seattle 11:30 a.m.

Suggested contribution minimum of $150 Register at 206-441-6136 info@peacetreesvietnam.org

25 EASTSIDE DIWALI BALL 2019 Hilton, 300 112th Ave. SE, Bellevue 7:30-11:30 p.m.

201-993-7476 NWAW’S 2019 ENTREPRENEURS OF THE YEAR China Harbor Restaurant, 2040 Westlake Ave., Seattle 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. apientrepreneurs.bpt.me

NOV

BUNKA NO HI JCCCW, 1414 S. Weller St., Seattle 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

LIHI CELEBRATING 28 YEARS Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, 99 Union St., Seattle $150/person Tickets at lihi.org 206-443-9935

HELPING LINK’S ANNUAL GALA CELEBRATION Mercer Island Community Center, 8236 SE 24th St., Mercer Island 6-8:30 p.m. $100 helpinglinkannualgala. brownpapertickets.com TEA CEREMONY Seattle Japanese Garden, 1075 Lake Washington Blvd.

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DIWALI: LIGHTS OF INDIA Seattle Center 12-6 p.m. vedicculturalcenter.org

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INCLUSION FUSION 2019

BY EDI Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th St., Bellevue 5-9 p.m. ediorg.ejoinme.org

UNITED CHINESE AMERICANS OF WASHINGTON KICK-OFF EVENT & DINNER Bellevue Hilton, 300 112th Ave. SE, Bellevue 5:30-8:30 p.m.

6 JOHN LANDER’S BOOK RELEASE, “WORLD HERITAGE JAPAN” Kinokuniya Bookstore, 525 S. Weller St., Seattle 5-6:30 p.m.

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GLITTER GALA & FASHION SHOW Bell Harbor International Conference Center, 2211 Alaskan Way, Pier 66, Seattle 6 p.m. seattlegoodwill.org/glittergala

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STATE OF WOMXN OF COLOR: THE FUTURE WORK BELONG TO US The Riveter, 1517 12th Ave. Ste. #100, Seattle 6-8:30 p.m.

3 SEATTLE CHINESE WOMEN’S CLUB’S WINE TASTING PARTY Bellevue Towers,

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9 HMONG NEW YEAR CELEBRATION Seattle Center 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

View the solution on page 14

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YOUR VOICE

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

asianweekly northwest

7

The Wing’s new exhibition challenges preconceptions about AAPI beauty

Where Beauty Lies, the newest exhibition at the Wing Luke Museum, takes on the topic of beauty, particularly as it pertains to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).

What constitutes beauty? Who determines what is beautiful? How do societal standards become part of ourselves and, amidst the signals we receive all around us, how do we realize our genuine selves? These questions, and more, are considered in the exhibition created by a community advisory committee, Exhibit Developer Mikala Woodward, and other local contributors.

Where Beauty Lies is not just a museum exhibition, but an event. On opening night on Oct. 11, staff wore beauty pageant sashes with slogans like “Decolonize Beauty.” Local artists and icons, such as drag performer Aleksa Manila, arrived demonstrating, by what they chose to wear, or not wear, how they did their hair and make-up, or didn’t—the ways they respond to expectations of beauty and gender—with authenticity and empowerment.

Local poet and visual artist Shin Yu Pai, who wrote the didactic panels for the show, stated, “I got involved in the Where Beauty Lies exhibition because the topic deeply resonated for me. Growing up in a non-Asian community in the shadow of Los Angeles in the 1980s, the beauty standards that surrounded me both outside and inside the home were unachievable, unhealthy, and deeply distorted.” For Pai, and many of us, reversing the effects of what we are taught as children takes a large part of our adult lives, and the question remains, how far

Photos by Kai Curry

By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Media images related to beauty at the Where Beauty Lies exhibition at Wing Luke Museum.

An altar dedicated to the mother of Susan Lieu, a woman who died due to botched plastic surgery, is part of the new Where Beauty Lies exhibition at Wing Luke Museum.

have we come?

Committee member Cynthia Mejia-Giudici, special education teacher and published editor and author, explained that she grew up in the 1950s, “when looking ‘pretty’ was the main focus of many women.” For her

mother, it meant, “Don’t leave your home without putting on your make-up, having every strand of hair in place, wearing high heels and stockings, and donning see BEAUTY on 12

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asianweekly northwest

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

37 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY NEWS John Chen is the CEO Geoteaming. A self-proclaimed “extreme leader,” John climbs mountains, walks on fire, swims with dolphins, rides Harleys, and snowboards out of helicopters. John is a recognized thought leader on developing highly functioning corporate teams and expert on digital team building.

Geoteaming has more than 180,000 clients across the United States, Europe, and Asia who have experienced breakthrough results and life-changing adventures.

John has harnessed the power of team through play with a purpose. A connoisseur of technology and strident adventurer, John has developed an innovative and adaptable approach to building team and leadership skills that strongly resonate with participants.

Min Christ is the principal of Seattle Family Regional Center and SECO Development, Inc., and founder of Global Incubator Center at Southport.

Born in Chengdu, China, Min lived in Shenzhen for four years. During this time, she accumulated profound understanding and valuable expertise in the real estate

industry.

In 1989, Min moved to the United States and embarked on the road of entrepreneurship. The Hyatt Regency Lake Washington and high-tech office campus at Seattle’s Southport, both projects forged by Min, have created thousands of job opportunities in the Greater Seattle Area, and Renton in particular, and made great contributions to the local economic development.

Beth Johnson is the cofounder and managing partner of Flynn Family Lending, a private money lender offering short-term, asset-based loans throughout Washington state.

Flynn specializes in shortterm, business purpose loans ranging from $20,000 to over $1 million.

Beth is also on the Board of Directors at the Rental Housing Association of Washington and an active real estate investor and landlord. Beth is a first generation Asian American who was adopted as an infant after her family fled Vietnam in 1975. She now has two children of her own and likes to spend her free time with her family, cooking, playing board games, and going on fun adventures.

Yen Lam-Steward started working with her father at Lam’s Seafood Market in 1991. In 2005, her father returned to Vietnam and left the business to be run by Yen and her brother. Yen felt the trepidation when she sought financing to take over the family business in 2008.

As the country plunged into recession, banks withdrew

support. But she succeeded in getting a major bank to provide the loan and she moved forward. From 2008 when Yen took over as CEO of Lam’s Seafood, she more than doubled revenues in 2015 when she sold the business. Net operating income grew over 400 percent during that time span.

The Le brothers own the GoPoke Restaurant and Dochi, a bakery for Japanese donuts in Chinatown.

Raised in Hawaii with parents from Vietnam, Bayley Le said the poke idea came from his parents, who were fishermen.

They caught fish, and sold them in the streets of see ENTREPRENEURS on 15

Pay $81k to start Over $106k in less than 5 years Hiring bonus $7,500

NOW HIRING

ENTRY-LEVEL OFFICERS

seattlepolicejobs.com The Seattle Police Department is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in its workforce.

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

YOUR VOICE

■ SPORTS

asianweekly northwest

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Two Seattle area high school seniors received the thrill of a lifetime when they were picked to play with professional golfers on the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course in Northern California.

Keiki Hofilena and Stephen Dai, both 17, of the First Tee program were chosen to play with Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour Champions in Pebble Beach during the last week of September. The PGA Tour Champions are comprised of men on the senior tour (50 years of age and older) of the PGA. The Official PGA Tour Champions event was held Sept. 24-29 and was televised internationally on the Golf Channel. The PURE Insurance Championship is the only event of its kind, in which 78 junior golfers are teamed with 78 PGA TOUR Champion players.

The First Tee’s mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf and events like the PURE Insurance Championship. It also teaches life skills, one of which is goal-setting. The tournament is a goal that many participants across the chapter network now set and establish as a “goal ladder” to reach.

Hofilena and Dai were picked based on their golf skills and completing an application, which included essays. They were selected by a national panel of judges based on their understanding of the values and life skills learned through First Tee’s programs.

The junior golfers picked for the event were announced

Photo provided by First Tee and World Golf Hall of Fame

By Jason J. Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

First Tee junior Stephen Dai (right) with PGA TOUR Champions pro Mark Walker.

in the summer on the Golf Channel.

Stephen Dai’s father woke up to watch the announcement and told his son, as he decided to sleep in. Dai is a senior at Lakeside High School. He plans on attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he plans on playing on the schools’ golf team.

Dai was introduced to the sport by one of his sister’s

classmates. Originally, he thought that golf was a prestigious game played by those in private clubs. His mother believed that learning the sport would help shape him into becoming a gentleman. Dai started with the First Tee at the age of 9 and has been with see DAI on 14

Access YOUR Opportunity!

The Port of Seattle is committed to expanding opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses. Learn more about upcoming events and register to receive information about opportunities in construction, consulting, and goods and services.

LEARN MORE www.portseattle.org/smallbiz

10

asianweekly northwest

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

37 YEARS

Why we should celebrate failures and not just successes

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Are we crazy if we celebrate failures? Most Asian Americans don’t tell you what’s wrong with their family or themselves. The last thing they want to share is their failures in school, marriage, job, or business for fear of losing face. What if we say to ourselves, “So I failed, but I am now stronger,” “I can rebound,” or “Failure doesn’t define me…”

How many of us are willing to face failures with honesty, and unafraid to share with others? If you are ready to do so, would your family be comfortable speaking truthfully about your misfortunes?

I have known people, including my family, who kept their divorce a secret. Funny, my American friends would disclose if they are single or divorced during their first meeting with strangers. A friend of mine, a Chinese immigrant, pretended she was married even though she was divorced years before we met. For more than a decade, she always told me her husband was busy at work. I found out the truth through her daughter, but I never confronted her. Was it her fault that her exhusband was a die-hard gambler and she needed to hide her shame? Absolutely not.

It’s just comical when my late mom had to confess about her second marriage at my step father’s funeral.

“What, you have another son?” Her mahjong friends expressed disbelief when my brother (whom my dad raised) showed up. Then, I witnessed her liberation.

Before, she was embarrassed to admit she married twice. But at the moment of grief for my step father’s

owner of Anchor Assets Management and GoPoke. “We don’t see failures as potential and positive. We see it as disappointments. We try to avoid failures at all cost. We mind our business, and be content. We don’t take the risks we need to grow our business.”

Failure does have its positive aspects though. We can learn from our mistakes, and become more resilient in overcoming future adversities.

Two Bills’ views: Shame or courage

death, she smiled, and the wall of pretense had finally shattered—the truth had set her free.

Entrepreneur Tien Ha approached the Northwest Asian Weekly to offer how Asian American business owners deal with failures. This inspired us to organize the API Entrepreneurs Roundtable lunch on Oct. 25, at China Harbor Restaurant, so we can share about their challenges.

“Not everyone can be Bill Gates. That’s okay,” said Janice Zahn, Bellevue City Councilmember.

“We (Asians) are hard on themselves,” said Bayley Le,

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My mother bragged about how well I performed in school when my report card showed all As. However, when I flunked, her mouth was zipped in front of relatives and her mood sank. It’s typical of many Asian parents. Even when I failed, I wasn’t ashamed of myself.

Yet, she was so ashamed of me that I had to fake my shame.

Fortunately, those childhood experiences didn’t affect me when I started the Northwest Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post 37 years ago. The late Bill Chew, an immigrant Chinatown community leader, once pulled me aside to give me some fatherly advice.

“You keep on announcing that you are going to start a Chinese newspaper. What if, in the end, you have nothing to show for it? Wouldn’t it be embarrassing?”

I couldn’t believe what he said. I was even more astonished when I learned later that he was only one of many detractors. None of his words hurt my feelings or changed my mind. Instead of being angry, I was silent.

My silence didn’t mean that I agreed with him. Later, he see BLOG on 15

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

YOUR VOICE LAM from 1 two years, and won the heart of his wife, Lisa. He hides no detail as he sets out on an obstacle-ridden path of entrepreneurship, opens and shuts down a chain of restaurants, and sees his house and possessions go up in flames, before finally building a successful business and franchise.

Lam is a lot of things—a husband, father, mentor, the owner of Best in Class Education Center—but at his core, he is an optimist and survivor.

“Looking back at the life I have had, whether it was my time in jail or in a refugee camp, it was an experience. It was difficult but every time I hit a wall, I learnt it wasn’t that big a deal,” Lam said.

To prove it, he tells us about the time he escaped machine gun fire during a failed attempt to flee Vietnam. It was only when he was going to bed that he noticed a bullet hole in the armhole of his jacket.

“People freak out, but I feel lucky that I’m alive,” Lam said. Today, when confronted with a problem, he and his wife say, “Are we going to die? No, then we’re going to be okay.”

Lam said, “Experience has shaped the way I am. Many people read my book and say they wouldn’t share their story. My book is open. It gives people perspective, makes them realize how fortunate they are and that the problems they have aren’t that big,” he said. This attitude and a tendency to not take life too seriously makes Lam a good mentor and speaker, inspiring immigrant groups and education and business institutions.

Lam’s gift is that he is incredibly approachable, he keeps referring to his younger self as an illiterate deviant— skipping school even though his mother was a teacher, stealing fruit from passing trucks or chickens for some much-needed meat. However, he also acknowledges glimpses of his resourcefulness—buying salted peanuts and repackaging and selling them to people having a drink on the streets of Saigon.

Life-changing experiences When asked about the experience that changed his life, Lam refers to his time in prison where he escaped a severe sentence by pretending to be a minor.

“My time in prison was a critical moment in my life. I changed completely.

Cover of Hao Lam's book

I came back home and started doing the dishes. My family said, ‘Who is this alien?’ Before jail, I didn’t care about the dishes, or my family,” he said.

Lam puts his personality switch down to his isolation.

“I had no idea of my future. I was hopeless. A day feels like a year in jail.

When you get in, you’re at the end of a crowded cell near a smelly toilet, slowly you get to move up the prison hierarchy.

You sweat in the heat, but there is no shower. I was in pain, emotionally and mentally. I never had trouble having a glass of iced water. I would imagine licking the outside of the glass of iced water. It made me appreciate things I had taken for granted—fresh air, greenery, a passing girl.

His second most difficult experience was in the refugee camp in Palawan, Philippines. He jokes about it being like a beachside vacation, especially given the prices people pay for lakeside properties in Seattle. “Here the feeling was different.

Even if I got out of jail, I didn’t know my future,” Lam said. In the refugee camp, he learned English to impress a beautiful woman he had escaped with—the woman who would later be his wife.

“At the refugee camp, I could feel my pursuit of freedom and happiness. I could touch it and see it coming,” he said.

Becoming an entrepreneur After

reaching

Canadian

TAITUNG

shores,

navigating an education, marriage, and two full-time jobs, Lam moved to the United States. He taught at Renton Technical College and even landed a job at Microsoft. If that’s where you think this refugee story ends, it doesn’t.

“I taught at Renton Technical College for 4 and a half years. I took a pay cut to go to Microsoft. I could teach with my eyes closed, in the latter part of my job.

At Microsoft, I got bored. I need to do different things every day. I like to build systems, but when it’s done, I’m done,” Lam said.

Being an entrepreneur wasn’t easy.

Lam was in survival mode and immersed himself in coaching classes, the mortgage business, and even a restaurant chain.

“Embarrassingly, when I was teaching, my phone rang. It would be someone talking about a house. While at a house, someone would call to reschedule a class.

I was in survival mode. I wanted financial stability, I was hungry, I was almost killed,” he said. “Maybe it’s because I was born in the year of the monkey. Have you ever seen a monkey sit still?” he jokes.

In comparison, his wife Lisa is strong and focused. She has been a driving force in Lam’s life, encouraging him to study and work hard.

“You can always give advice, but sometimes you have to let people fail to learn for themselves,” she said. Speaking about weathering the rough times, she said, “In the end, it comes down to love. If you love someone, you stand by their side and support them.” Now Lam stays more focused within his franchise business.

“There are so many variables. I love the challenge and variety. I get bored if things are flat,” he said. Lam’s tipping point came when he joined an organization called Entrepreneur Organization (EO).

“Before, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t read a lot of books. But here, I found my ‘why?’ Simon Sinek said, ‘People don’t care what you do, people care why you do what you do,’” Lam said. Not until he started to learn and read books did he realize less is more.

“Narrow your focus to enlarge your vision. Instead of digging a big hole, dig deeper,” he added.

Family business Today, Lam and his wife run Best in Class Education Center together, it’s like family. Many of the employees are people

asianweekly northwest

Lam has taught as kids.

“The only way for me to grow the company is to grow my people. My company mission is threefold—build a franchise, build better teachers, and build successful students. We have between 46-50 franchisees right now, in over 65 locations. The owners are all immigrants like me. I want to share my experience and help them be rockstars and own stellar franchise,” he said. “If I can help you build a successful tutoring school, you are going to help create a lot of jobs and build successful students. The second mission as a CEO is my commitment and promise to the franchiser. Once you join our franchisee team, we are no longer business partners, we are family,” he said.

As for the future of Best in Class Education Center, he said, “Our goal is to grow to about 100 locations in a year and a half. When we get there, we are thinking about going global. I will have a COO soon and I want to have a CEO in place, so I can be on the board and be the brand of the company.”

Giving back “I am the president of and on the board of the of several organizations—the, EO, and UW Foster School,” Lam said.

Lisa is on the board of the Vietnamese Scholarship Fund, a volunteer organization that funds the education of young children who can’t afford it.

“The work they do really touched my heart. I am passionate about education and educating one child can influence the entire family,” Lisa said.

Entrepreneurship is not for everybody, it’s for those who are really passionate about what they do.

“My advice to young people is to chase your dream, whatever it is. Have a mentor,” Lam said. “Learn from the people who have done it, who have failed before you. My book is not about my successes, it is about my failures.”  Lam will be honored at the 2019 Entrepreneurs of the Year luncheon on Oct. 25 at China Harbor Restaurant in Seattle, from 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

To purchase tickets, go to https:// apientrepreneurs.bpt.me.

Janice can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

BEAUTY from 7 stylish attire.” However, Mejia-Giudici was a teen in the 1960s, when “women were slowly liberating themselves from such strict and acceptable forms of ‘beauty.’ They went natural and didn’t use make-up, they unplugged the hair straighteners, they discarded the razors, and they burned their bras.” Yet for every step forward, there is a step back. The struggle is constant.

The exhibition begins with a video, “100 Years of Beauty: Asian Pacific America,” created by Marina Taylor and Chris Chan, and starring Jenny Ku, also known as burlesque performer, the Shanghai Pearl, who modeled makeup and hairstyles for each decade. Maliha Masood, resident author of two travel memoirs, and prior lecturer of political science at Bellevue College, also participated in a photo shoot for the exhibition, recorded audio about skin politics, and contributed an essay about her identity journey from Pakistan to America. For Masood, participating in the exhibition helped her feel “empowered to accept myself as I am and not just how others see me. I grew in self-confidence both physically and emotionally.”

The second gallery of the exhibition displays movie posters and video clips in a dizzying array, which brings home the power that the media has over our conceptions of beauty.

Committee member Dr. Edmond Y. Chang, who travels back and forth between Seattle and his teaching job at Ohio University, is accustomed to exploring the role of the media.

“One of the questions I always ask my students… is, ‘Do you see yourself in the world around you— in media, in advertisements, in stories or your communities?’” Chang commented on how deepseated societal pressures can be, even though we think we “know better…it is really important to understand that, even though we are told over and over that we are ‘beautiful on the inside’ and that beauty standards are all a construct, the structures and norms, ideologies, and institutions are very real and have very real consequences for bodies, practices, and identities.”

After the media gallery, the visitor walks into a somewhat forlorn facsimile of a beauty salon,

which reminds us of the efforts we make to meet these often unrealistic standards. In a pedicure chair plays an excerpt of the movie, Nailed It, which forces us to think of the lives of the AAPI women who do our nails and massage our feet.

Mejia-Giudici, perhaps the oldest member of the committee, at 66, talked about some of the ways we collude in maintaining standards of beauty, such as beauty contests.

“The general public misunderstood these contests to be based solely on attractiveness, poise, popularity of the contestant,” she expressed. “However, every ticket sold brought in revenue, which the Filipino community depended on.” While there are positive outcomes of such activities, there are also negatives. In the next room of the exhibition, we find the story of a woman who died from a botched plastic surgery, and a brazier where visitors can write down examples of self-harming practices and beliefs about beauty on pieces of paper, which will be burned later.

Dr. Sally Chung is a clinical psychologist in Bellevue who specializes in Asian American psychology, cultural identity, relationship issues, and depression.

She remembers, growing up in the United States, how easy it was to be “swept along by mainstream ideas about what is popular, beautiful, and desirable…It was easy to feel ugly and foreign when cosmetic companies didn’t bother making products for your coloring and the media you consumed didn’t have people who looked like you.” To Chung, Where Beauty Lies is important because it “presents the issue of Asian beauty in a thoughtful, complex, and educational way…It also offers opportunities [for visitors] to participate and contribute parts of their stories.”

Chung contributed a meditative poem in the next gallery of the exhibition, which is actually a hallway of mirrors, where visitors are asked to look at themselves honestly—with compassion—after witnessing the history and impact of societal ideas of beauty in prior galleries. Like many of the people involved in the exhibition, Chung was surprised at the emotions that came up.

“Even with my research and knowledge, I am not immune to internalized messages, cultural standards

37 YEARS of beauty, or the continued struggle of a bicultural identity,” she admitted. “Acceptance of oneself and identity development is an ongoing process and some days are easier than others.”

According to Chung, part of the hope of the committee is that visitors “leave with greater knowledge of what has come before, increased awareness of what they have internalized throughout their lives, and a greater appreciation for the unique beauty they have and bring to their community and society.”

Mejia-Giudici summed up, “[We] all agreed that beauty was more about one’s attitude, one’s selfconfidence and pride in being real, being honest, being compassionate, loving and being loved…beauty from within that transcends one’s height, one’s skin tone, one’s nose shape, one’s body proportions.”

In the final gallery of the exhibition hang photos of AAPIs and work by AAPI artists who have successfully achieved their own preferred versions of beauty. Where Beauty Lies ends with a selfie station decorated with flowers and an exquisite Buddha statue, where visitors can take a sacred selfie of themselves expressing their insides, exactly how they want to, on the outside.  Kai can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

asianweekly northwest

13

Predictions and advice for the week of October 19–25, 2019

By Sun Lee Chang Rat — Do you tend to collect items just to have them? If you have lost track of what you have, it might be time to cut back.

Dragon — Did you recently reveal more than you intended? Be attuned to the resulting changes to the game.

Monkey — Has your stance softened on a once polarizing issue? If so, there could now be some room for movement or compromise.

Ox — An ambitious project is testing your mettle. Your willingness to keep going despite the unknowns will be your first hurdle.

Snake — Attempting to do it all yourself isn’t sustainable. Allow others to contribute, so that they have a stake in the outcome.

Rooster — Your inclination is to jump in, but hold off until you have a better idea of what you are dealing with.

Tiger — Learning to let go when you are accustomed to holding on can feel quite foreign, but you should benefit from the lighter load.

Horse — If you are truly paying attention, wisdom can come from the most unexpected and unassuming of sources.

Dog — Instead of lamenting a problem found, take solace in having enough resources to comfortably remedy it.

Rabbit — Offering a prize isn’t necessarily the best incentive, especially if the ask is disproportionate to the reward.

Goat — Tread lightly where matters of the heart are involved. It’s easier to be careful than to fix a misstep.

Pig — Something you had been holding in reserve should come in handy very soon.

Timing is crucial, so wait for the right moment.

WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

WNPA from 1 Northwest Asian Weekly. She said competition was stiff and it just goes to show how passionate the staff writers are.

“They pour their heart and soul into the stories they write, in the spirit of giving back to the community,” said Ng. NWAW competed against 57 other newspapers and more than 1,100 entries.

Nguyen took home two additional awards: third place for Front Page Design and third place for Humorous Column or Blog.

The other winners were: Carolyn Bick, second place, Education Story for her article on Sierra Summit school; Zachariah Bryan, third place,

SPECIAL

ELECTION ISSUE

OCTOBER 24

News Story, Long for his story on good-paying jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree; Becky Chan, third place, Comprehensive Coverage, Single Writer for her in-depth coverage of the release of infamous arsonist Martin Pang; Vivian Nguyen, third place, Business News Story for her story on 85°C Bakery Café opening in the International District.

The annual contest is a chance for non-daily papers across Washington state to compete in a variety of writing, photography, editorial content, advertising, and design categories.

The contest covered works published between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019. NWAW competed against other

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37 YEARS

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DAI from 9 the organization ever since. He has taken a leadership role with the organization as a manager for the First Tee Junior Advisory Board golf equipment sales.

“It was really, really fun,” Dai said of his time interacting with the golf pros and playing the famed course.

He noted that he didn’t do anything different when he played.

“Golf-wise, it was kind of like just another tournament in the summer.

Non-golfwise, I just was myself.” Dai played with golf pro Mark Walker.

“It was really fun...He was from Texas and had a different background than I have. It was a lot of fun talking to him and his caddy.”

Not a lot was talked about the golf game, just a lot of chatting Dai noted.

“I know watching him as a professional play is really different from what you see on TV.” Dai observed the focus of the pro as he knew how to recover and keep his head up even when he had tough shots. “He showed great mental focus,” said Dai. Pebble Beach was not a

disappointing experience for Dai, who recognized how different the course is in person than watching on television.

“The undulation, slope, and the view,” remarked Dai about the pristine sights from several holes as the course traverses with cliffs yield to the Pacific Ocean. As was expected, Dai took a ton of pictures of his experience.

Similar to Dai, Keiki Hofilena did not get up early that Saturday in the summer to watch the announcement of whether he would play at Pebble Beach. Rather, his mom’s screams of excitement woke him up. Hofilena, a senior at the International School in Bellevue had the opportunity to play with PGA Tour Champion pro Paul Goydos.

“He’s a great dude,” Hofilena said of his time playing with Goydos. He stated that Goydos cracked jokes during their rounds together while having a straight face.

“He’s a great guy to be with,” said Hofilena.

As with Dai, Hofilena started playing golf at age 9 with the First Tee and has been with the group ever

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since. Hofilena has stayed with the First Tee due to the great coaches and the kids you meet. He likes the special community and bond of the First Tee. Hofilena worked a little more with his golf swing coach once he learned he would get to play at Pebble Beach.

Aside from the extra time with his swing, he practiced with his high school team.

It was a dream for Hofilena to play Pebble Beach and he had the time of his life despite having to deal with some of the wind that tends to come with the placement of the course on the scenic cliffs overlooking the Pacific.

Hofilena puts everything into perspective when it comes to golf.

“My earlier years playing tournament golf, I would always struggle mentally. I would worry about what I would shoot.” He realized the key for him was to relax and not take the game too seriously.

“You won’t beat anyone if you beat yourself,” said Hofilena.

In addition to golf, Hofilena likes to work on automobiles. He professed a love for cars since he was a kid, as he used to visit a cousin that introduced

him to it. YouTube videos have aided Hofilena in his 1984 Volkswagen Scirocco, which he has restored and maintains to drive it to school.  For more information on the First Tee, visit thefirstteeseattle.org.

Jason can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

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YOUR VOICE ENTREPRENEURS from 8 Hawaii with the help of their seven children.

Located inside Uwajimaya, Dochi was the brainchild of another brother, Jason—who spent a year developing the product. Lately, Le has started Anchor Asset Management, specializing in development and management of apartment buildings. Le likes to build good communities to enhance neighborhoods with jobs, food, and housing.

Timothy Lee is the owner of Real Homes Network and has been a real estate broker in Washington state since 2014.

He is the founding chairman of the Bellevue Chinese Chamber of Commerce and member of the Chinatown-ID Business Improvement Association and International Special Review District.

Timothy studied at the University of California at Davis and San Francisco State University. He has also been recognized by Seattle City Mayor Jenny Durkan for supporting a new police contract, and the Seattle Police Guild for building a strong communication channel and a trusting relationship between the Seattle Police Department and residents of Chinatown.

Synthia Melton is a cofounder and managing partner of Dimension Law Group —a boutique firm focused on real estate, business, and estate planning and probate.

Synthia’s practice focuses on business law and commercial and residential real estate, including landlord-tenant matters.

For the last four years, Synthia was named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, an annual award given to less than 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state. Synthia’s background and experience as an investor, entrepreneur, and attorney allow her to bring a unique approach to understanding the needs of her clients and offer creative alternatives and solutions.

Dr. Xiao Ming has been providing the local Chinese and Chinese American community with chiropractic health and wellness in Seattle since 1998. By using a

BLOG from 10 and many naysayers became my supporters.

Years later, I met another Bill (William Wong) at the Asian American Journalist Association conference, who said I “showed a lot of courage” in starting the first Chinese newspaper in the Pacific Northwest since 1927, despite the odds. Huh, “courage”! No one had ever said that to me! I never thought that what I did was courageous. I just did what I had to do. But Americanborn Wong, a journalist and author in San Francisco, shed a positive light on my journey when I needed it most. You may cast failures and successes in a restrictive lens through the wealth and fame you receive. You can redefine success. By now, your perspective towards failure should have evolved. What you have done is an experiment—a test of courage, desire for adventures— a guide for fostering confidence and perhaps a map for building relationships. If you can look at what you gain, rather than what you lose, you win in the long run. You are running a marathon, not just one short race.

The culture of shame on Asians has impacted my parents’ generation, my generation, and our children’s generation. We cannot be happy if we constantly worry about losing face or what others think.

We couldn’t maximize our potential if we don’t have

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019 holistic and caring approach, Dr. Xiao is a non-surgical chiropractor specializing in orthopedics, pain management, acupressure, and physical therapy.

Dr. Xiao also serves the community in other ways, including helping to raise money for Nepal earthquake relief efforts, a senior housing center, and Seattle Children’s Hospital.

She has also organized and hosted numerous events, including Thousand People Feast (a free formal dinner for over 1,000 seniors) and helping new immigrants find jobs and schools.

Ezhilarasan (Ez) Natarajan is the founder and CEO of CoreStack.

Ez worked for Alcatel, i2 Technologies, Texas Instruments, and Mindtree prior to venturing into entrepreneurship.

He wanted to solve some of the bigger problems that companies are facing with the unique capabilities he has built over the

years.

An early adopter of Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning, and newer technologies, Ez has 22 years’ experience in architecting and delivering sophisticated and revenue-generating business solutions.

Ez is also co-founder of two charity trusts (AadhiGlobal and AramSei) that cater to grassroots upliftment for childhood education and hygiene and women empowerment in developing nations.

James Wong is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and founder of multiple successful companies.

He is currently the co-founder and CEO of Vibrant Cities. James has been an active real estate and technology investor for the past 20-plus years.

He’s spent the last 5-plus years developing vibrant and smart multi-family, mixeduse apartment communities in Seattle and Portland.

James has been featured in PC Magazine, Inc Magazine, Entrepreneur, CRM Magazine, the Washington

the freedom to express our desires, hopes, and dreams.

We couldn’t become who we really want to be if we constantly live in fear. S. B. Woo, former lieutenant governor of Delaware, once said, “If you share your dreams with the people, family around you, they can help you to achieve your goal.” But if they don’t know what you want, they can’t help you or contribute to your success. His point is, make others part of your team to pursue your goal.

What if you are discouraged?

If you have failed many times, emulate Thomas Edison, the inventor of electricity and who has 2,332 patents worldwide.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up,” Edison said. “The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

He urged us to work and work. “There is no substitute for hard work.” He never admitted failure, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Celebrate

Most of the time, we don’t give ourselves enough credit for what we have done. Like many Asians, I have trouble in accepting praise, according to my editor. We often work hard and forget to celebrate our milestones. It

asianweekly northwest

15

Post, and other publications. He was the SBA’s Minority Small Business Champion of the Year and winner of the PSBJ’s 40 Under 40 award.

James lives in Bellevue with his wife that he has known ever since her birth, and their 3 children.

Andy Yip moved to Seattle from Hong Kong in 1995 with his family to further his education.

After graduating from the University of Washington, he was recruited by Prudential Financial to lead a diversity effort in the Pacific Northwest.

Since 2004, Andy has been active in the Seattle Chinese community, leading different organizations in leadership roles, and launching businesses.

He co-founded Rainier Estate Planning International, an estate planning firm focused on high net worth families, and also Sino-U.S. Corporate Services, a consulting firm for overseas investors.

Andy has also served at several community organizations, including the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Mei Young is the founder of MY International Real Estate. She specializes in land development, entitlements, new construction, and commercial real estate. As designated broker, Mei oversees the company’s overall direction and manages more than 25 bilingual brokers.

Mei has also successfully led many community projects, international events and forums, and personally organized high profile trade missions to China, including former Ambassador Gary Locke’s visit to Qingdao in 2008.

Mei has been a guest speaker on cross cultural communication and etiquette at the Technology Management MBA program at the UW Foster School of Business. She holds a master’s degree from the University of North Dakota.  These entrepreneurs will be honored at the 2019 Entrepreneurs of the Year luncheon on Oct. 25 at China Harbor Restaurant in Seattle, from 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, go to https://apientrepreneurs.bpt.me.

doesn’t matter if it is personal or professional. Last year, I celebrated my son’s wedding. But it is also satisfying to celebrate that my husband and I had finally changed the soiled carpet in our living room and the beat-up flooring in our kitchen, after years of putting it off. It gives us so much joy to see our floors clean. It doesn’t matter how small the feat is, we need to stop and celebrate.

Often, revelations and reflections are part of the process for celebration. When we remind ourselves what we are doing is important and special, it energizes us and lift us up mentally and spiritually.

Giving back

How do you define successes and failures? Don’t just focus on financial aspects or your paycheck. Search for the number of things you have done to give back—the number of contributions you’ve made to make your community a better place—the number of yeses you said to people who need help. Those are real successes.

Write them down. When you are disenchanted, take a glance at those accomplishments. They will cheer you up. That’s how I get my inspiration.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2019

37 YEARS

Approve I-1000 / R88:

FAIRNESS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL As Washingtonians, we believe in fairness and opportunity for everyone. But we know that even in this strong economy, too many diverse communities, small businesses, veterans, and women are being left behind.

For Small Business and Women: In the 20 years since protections were rolled back, state spending with certified minority and women owned businesses has dropped from 10% to 3%—a devastating $3.8 billion loss of revenue since 1998.

For Veterans: Washington’s veteran unemployment rate is higher than the national average, and too many veterans face a patchwork of state and federal protections, without consistent opportunities for outreach and opportunity. hington State of Was e and e Legislatur Passed by th ion it et P by d erre Ordered Ref o. 88 Measure N Referendum

e Measure passed Initiativ action and The legislature ive at erning affirm No. 1000 conc vo d ters have rimination, an remedying disc ferendum petition on this nt re to filed a sufficie low the state 1000 would al and to ps ou gr in act. Initiative rta ination for ce use of e th t ou th remedy discrim ative action, wi m fir af ed), in t fin en de em impl ent (as erential treatm contracting. d an quotas or pref t, en m ion, employ public educat

But let me be clear: Under I-1000, quotas and preferential treatment are prohibited. And lesser qualified persons cannot be selected to achieve greater diversity.

I-1000 restores fairness to government employment, public sector contracting, and at our state colleges and universities by allowing the use of commonsense tools like outreach, recruitment, and advertising to help expand the pool of qualified applicants.

e 1000 be: Should Initiativ APPROVED REJECTED

WAFairness.org |

I-1000 ensures fairness and opportunities for small businesses competing for government contracts— helping local businesses grow stronger and create more local jobs.

WAFairness

A level playing field helped me and the members of our family succeed.

– Governor Gary Locke, Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Former Ambassador to China

Vote to Approve I-1000 / R88!

Be sure to return your ballot

by Tuesday, November 5th.

Paid for by WA Fairness Coalition | 119 1st Ave S Ste 320, Seattle, WA, 98104 Top 5 contributors: Group Health Community Foundation, ACLU of Washington, Perkins Coie, WA St Labor Council AFL CIO, Microsoft