Great memories of the guys at the little sign shop in Penang, across the street from the Pin Seng Hotel in 1978.

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I am clearing out the dog house at the moment to make it a room for my daughter.  She was sleeping in the son's room but he finished with UCSD and is back home.  She had to give the room back to him.  She formerly shared room with her sister.  But she is a slob and just strewns her clothes all over the room in piles.  She keeps late hours as well.  They clash often.  So moving out of my doghouse studio is not easy.  I have to slowly dismantle everything.  I am first starting with the shelf.  I find photography magazines I've had for ten years.  Yeah...time to move them on.  Encyclopedias from the sixties!  Who looks at those anymore.  I'm just dumping out a lot of stuff.

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The winterblast was a success.  We had as much as 150 people at CHSA.  With raffle ticket sales and admissions I estimate they brought in over $5K.  After expense probably $3500 profit.

answering questions on career day at Lowell.

Tony Lee, counselor at Lowell, whom I've know from Kin Kuo Chinese School when we were kids, asked me if I wanted to participate at Lowell high school's career day.  At first I said no.  But a little arm twisting convinced me.

I was to go in as an artist and to talk about my career.  I did not want to participate at first because I did not consider myself an example of a successful artist.  But Tony Lee insisted it would be okay.

I am surprised how attentive the students were.  They were writing notes  and were really listening to me when I answered their questions.  I guess that's what make Lowell students Lowell students.

They read from a scripted questionaire and I was answering the same questions over and over again.  Here are some of my answers.  You can assume what the questions are.

I graduated with a BFA from the college right down the street, San Francisco State University.  I have never had a situation where someone hired me because of my college degree.  In the artworld they go by your art and not by your college degree unless I taught art in an institution.

I can't say I learned a lot from the art department of SF State University.  But I got into photography instead of drawing and printmaking.  The teachers did not help a lot.  They mostly showed up at the beginning of class and then disappeared into their offices or no where to be found.

I'm a struggling artist but if you do find a job in art, just expect a working wage.   That's IF you can find a longterm paying job as an artist.  Most jobs are project oriented and they'll let you go as soon as their finished with the project.

I advise you also take business classes because the chances are most likely that you'll be self employed.  Having good business skills are useful in addition to art skills.

No I have no website I can recommend about information about the art career.

Recommended book:  Legal Guide for the Visual Artist by Tad Crawford

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Like usual I did not sleep the night before in order to make it to Lowell by 8am.  I rode my motorcycle out there.  Just grabbed a handful of posters.  Good thing they had free coffee and bagels.

3rd Annual WGUISFCT Winterblast December 21, 2013

The 3rd annual WGUISFCT’s Winterblast will be happening tomorrow at the Chinese Historical Society.  We are having our favorite band Jest Jammin’ again.  It will be the first time doing the Winterblast at CHSA starting at 6pm and going into the the night at 11pm.

If you didn’t purchase your tickets already, it’s $40 at the door.

We’ve got all kinds of food!  At 7pm we will have Tong Yuen (Winter Dumplings, Chicken Salad, Roast Pig, Sam Wo style Guen Fun (rice rolls), Chow Mein, Gailon Choi (Chinese broccoli).  Then at 8pm we will be serving jiaozi (boiled chive dumplings).  At 9pm we will be serving guotie (potstickers).  At 10pm we’ll be serving sweeting tong yuen.  I am cooking the majority of the food.

The Jest Jammin’ band will be playing all night.

Hoping for a good turnout.  See you there!

I thought... why not set up to do portraits at the Friends of CCDC event.  That's because I'll be bored if I didn't do something.  So I brought my studio set up and did portraits of whomever.

I had my photo studio set up at my artist in residence at the Chinese Historical Society of America.  Recently I had to take it all down because they're trying to make it a neat looking gallery space so that people can come in and look around.

So...I am now photo studioless again.  I've been on the run all my life.

whaddya think?  Portraiture in black and white look better than color?  I seem to favor black and white.

What it is...is the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) was going to have their second annual Friends of CCDC event.  They had their first one last year at the Chinese Culture Center where it cost and arm and a leg.  But this year they decided to do the event at Francisco middle school and serve sandwiches from a popular delicatessen across the street from Francisco called Freddie's.

Norman decided that they'll feature my photography as a blast from the past and to honor me for my forty five years of commitment to my photographing Chinatown in less than a month before the event.

After a quick lunch with Norman about less than a month before the event, I was on.   I did not have to do anything.  The staff at CCDC put together a powerpoint show with  over 200 images  clipped from my websites.  It worked out fine.  I didn't have to bring any prints, nor had to hang up anything.  All the images were projected in a ten minute show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM2nG5MbPrw&feature=youtu.be

Norman was gonna surprise me with this certificate of honor....but he told me ahead of time so that I won't get a heart attack from the surprise.   President of SF Board of Supervisors, David Chiu, showed up and presented me with this certificate of honor and proclaiming December 7th Leland Wong Day.  Wow.... a day named after me!

Though it is just a piece of paper with printed signatures (the signatures from all the supervisors are printed and not actually signed), I am happy to receive such a recognition for my photography.  I was glad to see so many people I know show up.  It really is has been thankless job and to finally be recognized for it is great.

Good thing I didn't get a peanut allergy reaction at this event.

It was quite a turnout.  They came for the free Freddie's sandwiches.  Not me...  right?

But hey... I'm happy to be recognized for my photography all these years.  It was my first award ever for my photography.  It's been a labor of love.  I've given it the best years of my life.  I have not made much money from doing it.  Yet I will continue doing this.  I figure, this will be my legacy.  People will remember me for the images I captured.   And even if they don't know who took the picture, they'll know what it was like growing up in Chinatown in the 70's to now.

No...this is not the end.  Though the thought of receiving this award may be a sign that it's coming to and end.

http://youtu.be/kIx6ot3yDfA

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