Share: “Clap! Stand up! Clap louder! Sit Down. Now stand up again! Shout! Clap over your heads!” A waving handkerchief and series of frantic hand gestures accompany every command, which rattle off like close-order drills. Chuck Dakas, the warm-up host for America’s Got Talent (AGT), argues that a crowd’s energy is the most important part of every live-performance. So he uses the hour before cameras are on to train the tweens, senior citizens, and paid actors on when and how to express their excitement. It’s …
Got Club Rush FOMO? Here’s a guide to PCC’s communities
Share: Last week, the quad was populated by PCC students, both new and old, eager to see everything the cliques of PCC had to offer during Club Rush. Club Rush is an event where all of PCC’s clubs come together to teach people new cultures, to help them out with extracurricular activities, and to offer a variety of ventures for everyone to partake in. As for those who weren’t able to make it or find a club they were looking for, don’t wait until the …
HSI Community Breakfast: PCC reaffirms its servingness to the Latine community on campus
Share: Members of the Hispanic Serving Institution proudly wearing ‘Somos PCC’ shirts with vibrant lettering filled the Creavling Lounge, as well as groups of diverse students gathered at the tables enjoying a traditional hispanic breakfast, chilaquiles, in honor of launching HSI week at PCC. To be a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), 25% of the undergrad population needs to identify as “Hispanic”, Pasadena City College surpasses this statistic with over 46.5% of its population identifying as Latina/e/o/x and Chicana/o/x. Last week, preceding the start of …
Staying paw-sitive at Pup Cultures puppy yoga
Share: In an eventful morning of giggles and woofs, Pup Culture Dog Rescue hosted puppy yoga at the Langham Huntington on a beautiful Saturday morning on September 13th. Pup Culture’s puppy yoga wasn’t your typical calm and serene yoga class. The Langham’s courtyard was bursting with excitement from these 5-7 month old puppies, as well as the folks who were thrilled to start their day with the perfect balance of joy and calmness. The beginner-friendly class started off with some basic poses such as the …
A complete collection of highlights at Pasadena’s Front Row Card Show
Share: It was a bright, sunny day outside the Pasadena Convention Center. A long line filled with enthusiastic card collectors and vendors for the Front Row Card Show, a biannual event. As they were waiting, those leaving paraded their souvenirs, leaving those still waiting to enter in awe. Some were eager to hunt the rare collectibles of their wildest dreams; others hoped to trade what they had for something better. One card collector, John Pena, took advantage of the opportunity to trade in unwanted cards …
Cruising J-Town: Nikkei history through car culture
Share: A rose-quartz 1989 Nissan 240SX sits at the entrance of the room. In the center, a black 1956 Ford F-100 pickup flashes a red hemi engine, and tucked in a corner an elegant eggplant colored 1951 Mercury Coupe, are quietly waiting to be discovered. In a room filled with custom cars, vintage gear and other Nikkei memorabilia, a photo of Hikotaro Yamada, a World War I Navy veteran, stands out on display in the gallery. Yamada is pictured dressed in his military uniform exiting …
‘my hands are monsters who believe in magic’: Asian American creatives get a grip on identity through artistic expression
Share: Art in the form of video, paint, photography and sculpture coat the walls. The silence between strangers creates an environment of reverence, relief, and reflection. Altadena resident John Qi said, “As a Chinese immigrant myself seeing art like this being celebrated is so strange, but in a good way because when I first came here decades ago it was alienating to express my culture, but now I come across spaces like this and it makes me so happy to see young kids being open …
Beyond the Skin: Pitzer professor exposes the covered-up Asian American roots of tattoo culture
Share: Four tattoos flashed across the screen. “How are we approaching the art of tattooing?” asked Todd Honma, professor of Asian American Studies at Pitzer College, addressing an audience of students in R-122 last Wednesday, June 4. The tattoos each varied in art style — some detailed and intricate, others bold and geometric. Honma encouraged the audience to participate in guessing the art styles each tattoo represented. Responses ranged from casual guesses to more informed identifications to even none at all. Regardless of their familiarity, …
My Territory: Ode to el bodegas
Share: I would always dread weekends when I was a young child. I didn’t have much of a reason to feel this way, besides the fact that I always hated going to the shops near the Toy, Flower, and Fashion Districts near Downtown L.A. My mother, father, and aunt would frequent said shops since they always proved to be an affordable alternative compared to commercial stores. The reason why I disliked going to this area of local businesses was mainly due to the fact that …
‘You can always choose a different path’: SGV gang member turned CEO shares success story
Share: “The environment doesn’t define who you are, it’s the choices you make in that environment that define you.” Growing up in Arcadia, California, Jason Owen’s world was a mix of cultural pride and harsh realities. During high school, he made his way into a gang; many of his friends got caught up in trouble, some even ended up behind bars. After seeing his best friend end up in jail, it was then that Owen took the initiative and chose a different life for himself. …