Oh hey, if you’re in the Chicago area around this time, hit up the TAF New Year party!
Aside, just wanted to share a holiday story:
As her Christmas gift to me, one of my roommates, Anna, (who is Jewish, and not Taiwanese, btw) made a donation to TAF on my behalf. And then, she created this cute little announcement on cardstock paper and presented it to me:
Some cool things about this gift are:
-I wasn’t expecting a gift in mid-December. It kinda came out of nowhere and was a pleasant surprise!
-I have never solicited a donation to TAF (from my roommates)! She simply wanted to give towards a cause that I appreciate and value. She asked my other roommate, Debbie, for suggestions on making a donation to a Taiwanese organization. Debbie suggested making a donation to TAF, since she knew that TAFers are a huge part of my life – many TAFers have stayed on our couch in Philly, she often sees me traveling here and there to see TAFers, and she’s met a few on her own travels to the Bay Area, as well as online for Australia travel tips. Thanks, Howard! And good call, Debbie!
-Anna is a unique and compassionate individual. Her gift represents who she is! This investment will go towards TAF’s mission of growing servant leaders working to impact mankind in unique and compassionate ways.
-The gift does not take up a lot of space in my room/teeny tiny closet.
Junior Photo Update!
The Juniors were transported this week to a magical land full of dragons. They’ve had lessons on leadership and Taiwan history while making friends along the way. Here is a glimpse into their week. Enjoy!
THREE MORE WEEKS UNTIL TAF! Please register ASAP if you haven’t yet and invite your friends. Here’s Jesse’s piece for the LOL blog series and some thoughts on how what we learn at TAF applies to everyday life, projects and pursuing our goals.
Hi TAF! Originally, my friends and I were going to create a little drama that showcased loving out loud to the fullest. Unfortunately, due to some technical issues and some time constraints, the video is still not complete. I hope that we complete and post the video on the blog before TAF 2011 starts! To make up for the lack of video, we created a great trailer that has nothing to do with the actual Love out Loud video, but has some scenes that will be used in the Love out Loud video. Here is the link if you want to watch!
Even though the film is not complete yet, I still can reflect on the process of creating the film. It turns out that the four main themes of TAF all showed up in some way while creating the video: Communication, Ethics and Values, Leadership, and Identity. Loving out loud was also a prominent theme while creating the film. How can all of these themes be seen simply just by creating a video? I am about to tell you!
Communication: TAF’s theme from last year was definitely used while creating the film. Because this film was my idea, I had to call/text/fb message the crew and actors or actresses to tell them what time and place we would be meeting to shoot some film or edit the video. This may seem easy, but rounding up 15 people and trying to fit time into their summer schedule was really hard!
Ethics and Values: It was hard dealing with what was right and what was wrong for the video. For one section, it seemed right for the character to swear, but knowing that juniors may be watching, we edited and forced some actors to do retakes of scenes over and over again! We also got side tracked from the original goal sometimes. The primary value, or goal was to finish the video for TAF Blog and show loving out loud, but sometimes we strayed from that and just tried to make an entertaining video. I don’t know where on the road we are now, but hopefully, the video will present an entertainment aspect as well as a loving out loud aspect.
Leadership: My leadership skills were tested thoroughly throughout the creation of the video. Some of the cast members wanted to make this film a feature film that got thousands and thousands of views. This meant that while filming, everything had to be perfect. Knowing that we were short on time, I sometimes had to boss my friends around change their stubborn mind! (Don’t get me wrong, their stubborn minds created great ideas, but some were just too ambitious for the time we had.) When I reflect on creating the video, I know that I could have led a lot better than I did. Gathering cast members, directing the film, giving my ideas, incorporating other ideas, and organization all could have gone much smoother. Good thing leadership is this year at TAF!
Identity: The major thing I learned about myself while creating the video is that I am never going to make it as an actor in Hollywood. It is just too hard to keep a straight face on when there’s a camera pointing right at your face.
Loving Out Loud: My friends definitely Loved Out Loud while creating this video. If it wasn’t for them, we would not have any video in the making! We have been shooting film for the video for about 24 hours, and to show for our effort, currently have about 5 minutes of edited film. That meant that my friends volunteered a lot of their summer just to help shoot a video for TAF! Also, when it came to getting people to act in the film, it was easy as pie. I have become better friends with the people involved in the video, and that is because we both helped each other out while creating the video. I could bounce off ideas with cast members, or we could just goof off a little. They all were certainly there for me and I was there for all of them. All of the people who were involved in this video are crucial characters in my life that help me get through the tough school year every year. I love them!
I hope I see everyone in three weeks! And make sure to check back to see the awesome video that will be posted before TAF 2011 starts! (hopefully)
General consensus is that TAF helps us understand ourselves better. Subsequently, this also gives us insightful material when needing to write essays for English class/college admissions essays. [TAF is great for academic success!] Here’s Jason (YAY!) with an introspection piece. See you all in North Manchester, Indiana in FOUR WEEKS!
Essay
Yeh /yā/ (rhymes with hay. Same pronunciation as interjection yay.) n.
1. The root of all awful jokes generally following roll call or an introduction
2. My last name
I’ve always thought that names are an important aspect to someone’s sense of self. Without names, no one would have an identity. I imagine it would also be a lot tougher to buy Taylor Swift’s amazing new album on iTunes. There would also be absolutely no chance that a white person could identify the actual race of that one “Asian kid” without names. This belief has led me to question why the universe has decided to spite me by birthing me into a family with such a comically simple last name. I mean no disrespect or dishonor to my ‘fahmiry’; my family doesn’t get much better. Just there is this one little three-letter embarrassment. I am positively certain everyone has that single facet of themselves they absolutely dread. For some people, it could be a final exam that they “studied” for by watching the last five seasons of Entourage or a musical performance that was unprepared for (lip syncing actually isn’t considered an effective method of practice). Both actually apply to me, but they don’t even compare alongside introductions. Not just because I know I’ll manage to embarrass myself within twenty seconds of meeting someone, but because of the awkward single eyebrow and head cock I receive after introducing myself with, “Hello, I’m Jason Yeh. Nice to meet you.” It would be extremely rash for me to blame my current teenage unemployment to my last name, but I know I received an aforementioned eyebrow and head cock at a job interview at the local Dairy Queen. The unemployment is probably because my competition was a high honor roll and dance member at my high school. In retrospect, I wouldn’t have chosen me either. All of my teachers and coaches would even dish out similar eyebrows and head cocks upon learning that my last name was actually not several foreign car companies long.
Of course since then I have changed. I know there was no event of self-actualization found in movies. Accepting my last name has actually been disappointingly anti-climatic. Now, I don’t have to mumble through introductions with gibberish syllables after “Yeh.” Rather, it’s as if my brain tells me in the voice of Kanye West, “You is what you is.” I can take pride in what I am, and I know that has to mean a higher sense of maturity. At least that’s what I managed to rationalize the situation with. When that fails, I know that the jokes that follow my name aren’t as bad as some jokes that follow “Bing Wang.”
HAFA ADAI! (That’s “Hello” in Chamorro, the local dialect in Guam.) Here’s Bing video blogging from Guam (it’s in the South Pacific for those who didn’t know). Umm… can someone get me a box of tissues? You might need some tissues too. And then, after you watch this video, and stop crying, you’re probably going to need your credit card so that you can register for TAF right away! LOL
Hello Everyone!
The LOVE OUT LOUD blog was busy with exams, graduations and summer travels. But we’re back and getting ready for our final countdown to TAF2011! (Be sure to register ASAP! We are on WEEK 46 – or 6 more weeks until TAF!!!)
Here are Cathleen, Erica, Jasmine, Joy and Allen spreading some LOL in the language of words of affirmation.
P.S. Happy Father’s Day!
It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been to TAF and actually only went that one year. But it’s amazing the friendships that forge through one week at TAF. Since then I’ve stayed in touch with a good handful of TAF folks and it’s been even easier to follow as production quality has gotten better and better. It’s always inspiring to see what people do with their gifts and talents and amazing the impact we can make as a generation through multimedia.
Recently, my wife and I started an organization called {HEART JAPAN} along with two of our creative friends. Our goal is to empower other creatives to make a difference with the gifts and talents they’ve been given. It’s truly amazing what we can do as a collective group as opposed to individuals.
Although we’re currently focused on Japan, we plan on rolling it out to a much larger scale. Maybe what you are passionate about is your local dog shelter. Well go out there and do something about it!
In the meantime, what can you do?
1. Get involved.
Think of a creative way to raise funding and/or awareness and we can help get the word out about it and support you from the back end. It’s pretty open for interpretation. Doing a bake sale, a benefit concert, a silent auction, an art show, YouTubeing about it. That all counts. Visit heart-japan.org/join for more info.
2. Support.
Buy a shirt. We have shirts and calendars on sale on the website. All proceeds will be going to support Japan relief. Visit heart-japan.org/shop to see everything.
Donate money. Regardless of if we’re a student or working, we’re all very blessed. Support Japan relief directly at heart-japan.org/donate.
Support a friend. For those of you guys who know Young Lee, he and his band are having a benefit concert this Saturday. For details and to see what might be going on in your area, visit heart-japan.org/benefits. If there isn’t one in your area, see number 1.
3. Get the Word Out!
We all have so much power and voice through all of the social media out there. Facebook, tweet, email, and/or text people about {HEART JAPAN}. Although it was started by four creatives, {HEART JAPAN} is our collective effort!
Thanks for listening to an old man talk. Do good, be passionate, and love out loud!
Happy Spring! Seventeen weeks until TAF 2011! Seven spots left for this LOL Blog Year! http://bit.ly/tafrealworldsignup
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So to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to tackle this blog assignment. There’s so much to say about TAF and so much to say about Loving Out Loud. Then I realized something – hand-written letters are slowly becoming extinct, but they make people warm and fuzzy inside. So here’s a letter for you!
After I wrote this letter, I got online and chatted with my little sib from 2008 for a little bit, and we agreed that we’d try to hang out whenever I make it back up to Chicago again. So here’s my challenge to you: reach out to those friends who you haven’t talked to in a while and check in on them. Check in on a little/big sib and see how they’re doing. It’s a small gesture, but you never know what can make someone’s day. Put your pen to paper and write a letter to someone, or even write a small thank you note for someone who may have made your day.
I’m not sure who Amanda is, but this is just one way of many to Love out Loud. We can show people we care with our words and our actions. Your role as a TAFer is never over! We’ve got to go out and use everything that we’ve learned at TAF in the real world, because the real world needs servant leaders, and people who love.
Oh – if you need stationery, click around here and you’ll find some cute stuff, like the one I used! http://moko.pupu.jp/print/
Hi there, WEEK 31 (or 20 WEEKS ’til TAF!) Here’s Sherry sharing an example of LOLing – ninja style. Don’t forget to sign up to post more LOL thoughts/stories/media here!
Attention TAF Family,
This is Sherry Lin reporting LIVE from the University of Illinois Chicago. There has been a recent report of a ‘LOVE Ninja’ activity on the UIC campus. These disguised figures were spotted passing out care packages under the banner of LOVE. Let us look deeper into this LOL matter inspired by their Sensei, Jaeson Ma’s 365 Days of Love project.
Haallo, my name is Grant Wu. I am what most TAFers today would consider old school. Many of you weren’t even BORN YET the first year I went to TAF. Kids didn’t roll with cell phones back then, we had pagers! We didn’t have any high speed internet, we had to use dial-up – AOL baby! We didn’t have MP3s, I-pods, I-pads, I-puds. We had Sony Walkmans and Discmans playing tapes and CDs. Anyways, my first year at TAF was in 1993 as a Youth camper. I had some friends from Chinese School (Morris Lee and Andy Chen) who had been trying to get me to go for years, but for some reason I refused. Finally I gave in and decided to check it out. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t even really understand TAF love my first year, and had second thoughts about going back. I don’t think I was used to the cheesiness, the games, the format, and just overall spirit that was TAF. Perhaps I was just caught off guard or thought I was too cool. Fortunately, I decided to go back in ‘94, and it was a complete 180 to say the least. My small group Advisor was Albert Chen (Andy Chen aka Fob’s older bro). Being in that small group changed my life. Ten years later, 3 years as Youth Advisor, 2 as PA, and 3 as Youth PD brought me to 2004 which was the last time I attended as a full week participant. By the time this gets posted, I will have just turned 35 years young, and I can honestly say besides my family and friends, TAF is the single greatest thing to ever happen to me in my life. I am who I am today in large reason due to TAF. There is seriously no place like it anywhere. I remember so clearly in one of my final years as PD. We were having one of our final staff meetings, I think it was a Friday night, and people were wrapping up the week, getting amped up for their final day with their small groups. Things got pretty emotional – and one staffer said that she felt sorry for everyone else (outside of TAF) because they will never experience what we have experienced here at TAF. Perhaps that is part of what makes TAF so special because it is such a small fraternity, and we truly are blessed to be a part of this. But at the same time, what good is TAF if you only live or act in “TAF mode” for 1 week out of the year? TAF should push you to live and love out there in the real world. Spread TAF love to everyone in your life, not only TAFers. Remember the TAF mission is to foster personal growth and develop servant leaders in the Taiwanese American community for the benefit of SOCIETY. It’s been amazing to see so many of you all grow up through the years and blossom into the servant leaders you are today. I know the next generation of kids will be even more amazing servant leaders because they have you all to look up to and learn from. TAF is in good hands right now and there is no doubt the future looks brighter than ever. Thank you TAF-labs for the opportunity to blog, and I just wanted to show that I still have TAF LOVE and always will!
Grant Wu
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oh hey!
we’re past the halfway mark in this TAF year! make sure you all mark your calendars and save the date – TAF 2011 at manchester college will be july 31-aug 7.
in the meantime, keep everyone updated with how you are LOVING OUT LOUD this year by volunteering to post on the TAFblog! http://bit.ly/tafrealworldsignup
tiny link made by Karen, which is why she’s ED! she’s good at optimizing and making things user-friendly!
TAF is a non-profit organization that focuses on developing personal leadership in youth and building strong cultural and social ties within the Taiwanese American community. TAF strives to empower youth to explore and develop a strong sense of self, compassion and understanding of others, excellent interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities that will impact their surroundings and environment in a meaningful and unique way.
TAF Mission
To foster personal growth and develop servant leaders in the Taiwanese American community for the benefit of society.
TAF Vision
For people of Taiwanese heritage to make a profound impact on mankind in unique and compassionate ways.
