SUNNY HAIR SALON CLOSING

Today was a dreary rainy day. Business was slow, so it gave me the opportunity to sneak out for a much needed hair cut.

As I sat down in the barber chair, Sunny told me that he had some bad news for me. He told me he could no longer afford the rent they were paying for their space and that he would be closing.

He'll be work as a hairdresser at Fashion Hair Design at 11 Mott Street. Sunny feels that it's a mixed blessing. Sunny won't have all the hassles of running a business. He'll be free to take vacation time and spend time with his children.

It's so hard for business owners in Chinatown; especially with this economy. People just aren't spending and the businesses are suffering.

69 REOPENS!!!

Hip hip hoorah!! I knew that they would reopen! I passed by yesterday night to find that all of the dollars that I have put up on the wall have been taken down. They however, do have a brand new interior.

After hitting up the clubs tonight, I will definitely have to drop by with friends for a late night snack! I hope they let us put some of our new dollar bills up on the wall. Hey...it's tradition!

69 RESTAURANT CLOSES?

The restaurant 69 has been closed for about a week with a sign in the window that says "closed for renovations".

People in the community are saying that the long standing establishment is done for good. Most are saying that the landlord is asking for too much and will not renew their lease. Others are saying that the owners are tired of the business.

I will be heartbroken if the rumors are true. Love that place. I've had so many good memories of going there late at night with friends. While waiting for meals, we'd decorate our dollar bills and hang them up on their wall.

Chinatown is changing so quickly. First Mei Mei, then Danny Ng's and now this? The long standing businesses have always been the heart of our community and I see them fading out ever so quickly.

Intercollegiate Women's Conference

On March 29th at 10am, I will be at Baruch giving a talk about how running a small business like CICF has given me opportunities to make change within my community.

My talk is titled "Say My Name: Making a Mark in This World as a Woman".

There is no doubt that balancing work life with your personal life is always a juggling act. I hope to give some helpful insights on how to balance work life with social life.

Help celebrate Women's History Month by attending. You can find more information at www.intercollegiatewomensconference.info

DOLLAR STORES

If Chinatown didn't have enough great deals, there are also our Dollar Stores. I'm actually not a fan of $1 stores because all it tends to be is junk. The Dollar Stores in Chinatown are way better and you can get a lot of really excellent deals.

Since today was raining, I took a walk to clear my head and did a good deal of shopping in the store that sits on Mulberry street (cross streets Bayard and Canal).

Today I bought a whole stack of really cool earrings from Claire's that were being sold there for 1/6 of the price. The store was also surprisingly well organized. Me and my sister love to venture there to get bargains.

Check it out next time you're in town!

C-Listing

C-Listing is a website that acts as a travel guide. It was formerly part of Focus NY and was founded by Tony Liu and Jenny Kin. Although they have branched out into reviewing other neighborhoods, they started off with just focusing on the Chinatown community.

By either viewing their website or their paper guide edition of their directory, you can navigate Chinatown with ease. Although some businesses do pay for advertising on their site and directory, many are listed free.

I think C-Listing is a great tool to help people inside or outside of our community navigate Chinatown a little easier.

Check out C-Listing at www.c-listing.com/index.asp

KOMBA RESTAURANT

Every now and then I like going to Komba. It's good if you sorta want something a little different than your normal Chinatown food.

You can get things like spaghetti and meat sauce. What's funny is that for some reason, these "American/Italian" dishes still taste a hint Chinese. It's still yummy though.

Komba also offers a variety of HK snacks and drinks. My afternoon favorites are the french toast with condensed milk and HK milk tea.

The colorful atmosphere makes you feel like you're in Hong Kong. The customers too, reflect that. It's cool to sit in there and people watch a bit because their customers tend to dress very HK and hip.


Komba Restaurant is located on 23 Pell Street.

THE NEW MEAT MARKET ON BAYARD

When the shop in the middle of the block became vacant, they gutted it. Of course, we all assumed that it would be another Chinese restaurant. Much to my surprise, it turned into a second meat market on Bayard street.

The new market it beautiful. The stainless steel counters in the shop gleam a brand new shine. They sell a selection of vegetables as well which is very convenient for one stop shoppers.

I love to cook so this is great for me! I buy most of my groceries in Chinatown because they are the freshest and cheapest place in my opinion. I'm a huge fan of buying the marinated short ribs. They're fast and easy to cook.

THE CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE-SUNDAY

The big Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown has historically been held the following Sunday after the first Sunday of the New Year. It's a little confusing, I know. Nobody really announced this or put this fact out there either. The only reason I know this is because my shop has to get its red envelopes ready for the lion dancers.

At one point, when the Explore Chinatown campaign was launched, they had two New Year's parades. One on the New Year's Day and one the following Sunday. Sorta, like one for the tourists, and one for the locals.

Different associations have their groups of lion dancers and the dance to the beat of the drum up and down the streets. They also usually end the parade by setting up a martial arts stage where they do some praying mantus style martial arts. Very cool to watch. I usually get the best seat because they set up on Bayard street.

So if you missed the festivities this year, hopefully you'll join in and know for next year.

Have a happy year of the rat.

EATING VEGETARIAN IN CHINATOWN

I'm not a vegetarian but lots of people nowadays are. A common question that I've been getting is "What's a good vegetarian restaurant in Chinatown?" This question has kinda got me stumped the last few times; especially since Vegetarian Paradise went out of business.

I know that the new popular vegetarian hotspot is on Pell Street (cross streets Bayard & Bowery). I haven't personally tried it but it's called Vegetarian Dim Sum House.

Quite frankly, I think that you can eat excellent vegetarian dishes at any Chinese restaurant. Chinese people actually eat a lot of veggies. Some excellent recommendations for vegetarians out there is the bok choi or the Chinese snow peas. Vegetables dumplings are readily available at most Shanghainese restaurants such as Moonhouse and New Green Bo.

I also know that the owner of Fuleen Seafood Restaurant (11 Division Street) is a Buddhist vegetarian. I'm sure that if you asked him, he would be able to recommend a lot on his menu that is veggie friendly.

TALK TUESDAYS

Talk Tuesdays are events that go on once every month that help to connect different Asian Organizations. Today's Talk Tuesday will have two groups that have helped and stayed within the Chinatown community: (1) Chinatown Youth Initiatives and (2) Greater Chinatown Community Association.

The Chinatown Youth Initiatives is in short an organization run by the youth of Chinatown for the youth. It was founded in 1999. They have fun programs like the Summer Leadership Institute and the Chinatown Literacy Project. Part of their mission is to provide places for youths to explore their identities in communities while helping them build on their leadership skills.
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The Greater Chinatown Community Association (GCCA) promotes the well-being of the Chinatown community within New York City through unique, individualized program services. Established in 1972, GCCA has long since been a pioneer and innovator in the provision of: Adult Education, Consultation and Aid, Medical and Health Care, and Recreational and Cultural Activities. My good friend Kendra is the Executive Director.

Date: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 from 6:30PM - 8:00PM or later
Location: Nightingale Lounge
Address: 213 Second Avenue
Cross Streets: Corner of E. 13th Street
Phone: (212) 473 - 9398
Directions by subway: 4, 5, 6, L, N, R to 14th St.- Union Square

Talk Tuesdays are organized by CAPA and NAAP. For more information on future Talk Tuesdays, please visit www.capaonline.org

Chinese New Year Events for 2008

The Lunar New Year is one of the biggest holidays for Chinese all over the world. It is a special time in which spend time with families and friends . Here's what's going on in Chinatown the week of:

Event: New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival-
Time: Thursday, Feb, 7th 11:00-3:00pm.
Location: Chatham Square (Intersection of Bowery, Mott, & East Broadway)

Event: 9th Lunar New Year Parade & Festival-
Time: Sunday, Feb. 10th 1:00-5:00
Location: Mott Street (Btw Canal and Bayard)

Event: Flower Market
Times: Saturday Feb. 2nd; 12pm-10pm; Sunday Feb. 3rd 12pm-3pm; Monday Feb 12th 2pm-8pm.
Location: Columbus Park (located on Mulberry street. Cross streets btw Bayard and Worth.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DECORATIONS

There's a shop a few doors down from us, in the middle of the block. They don't have an American name, but they're easy to spot.

They sell every type of red envelope that you could imagine. I remember when I was a kid, the types of hong bows (red envelopes) that you could get were very limited. Now they make everything from Hello Kitty hong bows to hong bows with your Chinese name. The envelopes vary in price depending on size & quality.

You can also find festive Chinese New Year items like Chinese good lucks signs, paper firecrackers and lion dancer puppets.

I like the paper firecrackers although they make quite a mess. Check it out!

YEAR OF THE RAT 4076

This Chinese New Year is the Year of the Rat. People born in the year of the rat are known to be leaders that are driven in life by their passion and charisma. They are known to be the most organized and systematic people of all of the zodiac signs.

So what's going on in Chinatown for the New Year? The Flower Market was something that I've enjoyed a lot. This will be it's 5th year and it takes pace in Columbus Park (located on Mulberry Street; cross streets are Bayard and Worth).

This event is relatively new and each year it gets better and better. They sell lots of beautiful flowers that people buy to decorate their homes for the New Year. The word for "flower" in Chinese resembles the word for "wealth". They're one of the many lucky symbols people adorn their homes with to ring in the New Year.

There will be artists and performers there. It's a really great family event and it helps draw people into Chinatown.

Dates for the flower market:
Saturday Feb 2, 2008 (12pm-10pm)
Sunday Feb 3, 2008 (12pm-5pm)
Monday Feb 4. 2008 (2pm-8pm)

SATURDAYS IN CHINATOWN-Why I decided to write the book


So what inspired me to write a children's book? When I was in graduate school, I studied elementary education. My professor gave us the task of compiling lists of good multicultural children's literature. Because I'm of Asian descent, I went off to find "good" pieces of children's literature which had Asian American protagonists.

Much to my dismay, I found that there weren't very many good pieces of children's literature that had Asian American heroes. I brought this up to my professor who was actually the chair of the program and she herself was surprised. Nobody had ever brought this issue to her attention.

Although the world of children's literature has great books that represent "diversity", Asian Americans are often left out. The issues & experiences of different minority groups greatly differ from one to the next.

The books I did find were often not written by Asian authors. They often resembled bulky textbooks and were not very attractive to children or even for adults. The ones that were attractive often took place in some distant place that the average Asian American child would not be able to relate to. For example, I found one book that took place in a Japanese internment camp in the U.S. and another that took place in China where the characters were all wearing traditional attire.

In my graduate career, I was not only one of the youngest graduates in my class, but I was also one of the few Asians in the field. My Professor told me that it was my duty to create a children's book. I casually laughed it off and said, "I can't draw.". Professor Z. told me that shouldn't stop me. Guess what... It didn't.

Growing up, my favorite picture book was about a boy in China that played with his panda bear. I can't remember the name of the book or what it was exactly about, but it was my favorite because the boy resembled what I looked like. I had never been to China, and neither had my parents.

My father was also instrumental in getting me moving on this project. Even years after graduation, he would cut out articles or pictures of other successful children's books. He would say things like, "Look at this. This book is about this stupid little mouse and it sold 10 million copies. The mouse isn't even cute!"

In the end, Saturdays in Chinatown was finished. It's a story about a boy from the suburbs who makes his weekly trip to Chinatown. He goes to Chinese school to learn Chinese, plays in the park with his friends and runs errands with his family.

He wears jeans and sneakers. The "Chinatown Kid" , you will find to be the typical "American kid". We are after all American. I wanted to break down the stereotypes that are often associated with Asian Americans. I thought what better way than at a child's age?


The book is finally for sale. Available in the CICF shop and will be on our website shortly.

Other locations that are carrying our book or will be carrying our book:

Sinoqitue
www.sinotique.com


Queens Dance Project
www.queensdanceproject.com


East Meets West
http://www.bostonprogress.org/programs/emw.html

The Greater Chinatown Community Association (GCCA)

My good friend Jean introduced me to this fabulous woman, Kendra Lee. Jean knew that both of us worked in the Chinatown area and decided to connect the two of us. Kendra has just recently become the new executive director of the Greater Chinatown Community Association.

Although, I am involved in the community, I didn't know what the GCCA was about. Luckily upon meeting Kendra, she immediately offered me a tour of their location on Mosco street.

Mosco street is tiny and their location is tiny. Despite the size of their staff and location, the GCCA is able to touch the lives of so many members of our community. I was very impressed. I can see that their secret is the heart behind the organization. Everyone who either works or volunteers their, exudes such a positive and giving aura.

So what exactly does the GCCA do? I'm going to put it all out there, since I was once in the dark about this as well:

(1) They help inform members of the community about what benefits or social services they may be able to get. This includes social security information, food stamps, etc.

(2) The GCCA sponsors events for the community.

(3) They operate a free medical office three times a week. This is primarily for people that are uninsured or dependent on Medicaid or Medicare. Acupuncture /Massage therapy and Chinese slow motion Tai Chi exercises are offered to individuals with chronic illness and pain.

(4) GCCA offers adult education classes that include ESOL, computer training, and civics/government classes. These classes help them to prepare for their citizenship interview. Computer classes often help them to qualify for better jobs.


Although the GCCA has been helping community members for over 30 years, I can tell that it has much more growth ahead of them. I'm glad to see Chinese youth like Kendra, coming back to help our community. I admire her enthusiasm and hard work and I am sure that it will take the organization far.

More information can be found at www.gccanyc.org

HOLIDAY/CHRISTMAS WISHLIST

All CICF Wishlist items are on our list not only because we love them, but because they are made by small businesses and individuals who have supported and touched our community.

*Hello Kitty Stuff-Elizabeth Center- Though I am 27 years ago, I still love Hello Kitty! My sister tells me all the time that I'm too old to be carrying My Melody lunchbox, but I say that you're never too old for Sanrio!

*Sterling Silver Jewlery-Canal Street- To most, buying stuff from the small shops that line Canal Street seems to be a lot less legit than buying stuff from Macy's. As long as the jewlery says 925 or sterling silver on it, it's just as sterling as the mall stuff. You can get some pretty cool necklaces and earrings for cheap prices for Christmas gifts. You also save enough that you might as well grab something for yourself since it is Christmas! (well...that's my logic at least)


*Notorious MSG-CDs and posters
The other day, the MSG boys left the CDS and posters I bought for my friends at my shop. My friends and I are total MSG groupies. D-Lo Mein is also incredibly hot and is probably the only good looking boy who remembers my name. =X


*earings by Leafing- Lea Feng was previously a full time staff member at Asian Women in Business (AWIB). She worked with AWIB and was an integral part of helping to develop the Explore Chinatown Campaign which is one of the many reasons why I love Lea.

On top of this girl being talented & beautiful, she makes gorgeous jewelry. I wanted to bid on some of her items at AWIB's silent auction but instead she made me a pair of my own custom earrings.

All her pieces are hand made and you can request what colors and materials you want. I got these stunning long blue rain drop earrings which have sterling silver posts. No matter what I'm wearing, my earrings always makes my outfit look 10x better.

I'm not sure if her website is off the ground yet so this might need to be on next year's list. Just letting yo know about her!

*Japanese Ceramic Dishes-Kam Man Supermarket - I love cooking! It makes preparing dinner a lot more fun when you have cool dishes to play around with. These dishes are imported from Japan and come in a wide variety of colors and designs. Upon first touch, you can tell the quality is excellent. You'll impress your guests with your new Japanese cookware as well as your food.

* Chinatown Donations
Most of us don't really need anything for Christmas. Often our friends buy us things that wind up cluttering up our homes. A cool alternative to the conventional gifts are donations to organizations that have helped the Chinatown community.

Attach a note or explain to whatever organization that you're donating to that you're giving it a a gift. This is actually the top gift on my wish list because it goes back to what Christmas/Holidays are really about....giving and thinking about others.

A couple of suggestions for organizations in our community are the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas (MOCA), The Charles Wang Health Center, and the Gouverneur's Hosptial.


Cool items that CICF also sells that would make great Christmas gifts as well are:

CICF T shirts CICF Hoodies CICF Polos-Limited Edition CICF Gift Certificates Saturdays In Chinatown T shirts and totes

RED EIGHT

A couple of friends of mine started this really interesting organization called Red Eight. This group combines Asian entrepreneurs with film and media. Because CICF loves them so much , we're actually one of their sponsors!

So Saturday night, I was invited to a movie reception for an independent film called "Undoing" which starred Sung Kang. The movie had to do with Asian American gang related issues which I thought would be interesting. (Grew up working on Bayard street, so I'm very familiar with these issues.)

Well ...though I do think Red Eight is a great organization, the #1 draw for my friends and I had to be that Russel Wong was attending. I'm pretty sure that every Asian girl in this country has at one point had a crush on the well established actor. He was kind enough to take a picture with us even though he probably thought that my friends and I were total dorks.

But I also unexpectedly bumped into Henry Chang who has become one of Chinatown's famed authors. He recently released the book Chinatown Beat which is a novel based on true stories of what went on in the Chinatown gang scene. Although I have not read his book yet, my father is a huge fan of his. Dad actually owns an autographed copy. You can also purchase his book at any Barnes and Noble and autographed copies are available at Jan's store-Sinotique on Mott.

For more information on Red Eight, visit www.redeight.org

Saturdays in Chinatown- COMING SOON

So what are all these posters advertising "Saturdays In Chinatown" about? It's been in the making for awhile but kept very hush hush... It's the new picture book that's going to be sold at CICF as well as other bookshops and such. I wrote this book for every person who has ever enjoyed Chinatown. It is a children's book about what really goes on here.

There will be more information on this blog and on our website soon. Stay tuned.

THANKSGIVING

The Thanksgiving orders for cakes at the store are piling up fast.

I think that our ice cream cakes are just as "American" as apple pie. Although lychee, red bean, mango ice cream cakes may not be what comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving, but to many New Yorkers, it is tradition.

I love NY's diversity because it reminds me about how the diverse ethnic foods that grace our tables reflects the culture and the people that make up America.

BTW- a helpful tip if you're too lazy to cook your turkey...if you buy your own turkey and take it to a Chinese restaurant, they will cook it for you at a very reasonable price.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving from the CICF crew to yours!