{"id":2729,"date":"2015-07-21T00:07:47","date_gmt":"2015-07-21T00:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/?p=2729"},"modified":"2015-07-31T21:55:25","modified_gmt":"2015-07-31T21:55:25","slug":"how-esther-lee-and-remmington-chow-got-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/?p=2729","title":{"rendered":"Esther Lee and Remmington Chow Got Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1280px-Granville_Street,_Vancouver_2010_(4380515096)\"<\/a>
\n
\n| 2010. Olympics year. 30 year. Back in Vancouver after nights and days in my \u201cF\u201dth floor<\/a> apartment on Bangbae\u2019s Caf\u00e9 Golmok (\ubc29\ubc30 \uce74\ud398\uace8\ubaa9) thinking about culture shock and how I would ever bring myself to working in Canada. Here would be no there. English education isn\u2019t a pillar of the Vancouver economy unlike Seoul\u2019s despite what the hagwons (\ud559\uc6d0)<\/a> and crowds of multi-national fobs downtown might lead you to believe. People working in that space don\u2019t command the same anything here. I didn\u2019t want the ESL life anymore and the preconceptions and judgments that came with it. I wanted a different career. But it would be hard finding a way to one being what I was on paper, an ESL guy.<\/p>\n

I thought I\u2019d found an opening. It was still ESL related but it was different: recruiting English teachers for schools in Korea. Recruitment. A future in HR, maybe. Sounded promising. I lined up the job from overseas, landed Saturday, started Monday. What jetlag? At 29 the body\u2019s still as malleable as ever. 34? You\u2019ll see. <\/p>\n

I thought it was going to be a smooth transition especially salary wise. I told people it would be fifty thousand a year. Could be. This was sales. That fifty was realistically twenty four. And it lasted all of three months and 3 placements. Not something you\u2019d hoist a cup over. Stumble. <\/p>\n

When I was in college, I studied Beowulf. We talked about how life is transitory, relationships are transitory. People drift, a fact of life. I was back in Vancouver after 6 years and I had 2 friends. Social life: stumble. Friendship Fest was in order. Remember meetup.com? Is that still around? I used it. \u201cAsian Film Vancouver.\u201d I think that\u2019s what I searched. \u201cFree tickets to Esther Lee\u2019s \u2018Ming and Singh \u2013 Chinese Indians<\/a> and Chindians<\/a>\u2019 at the Queer Film Festival. Filmmaker in attendance.\u201d Yes. <\/p>\n

August 2010. My first Queer Film Festival anywhere. The theatre is packed. It\u2019s buzzing. People in very liberal clothing (outfits?) (costumes?). It\u2019s a comfortable atmosphere. No pressure to fit in. Do what you want. Be proud. Let it all hang out if you wa\u2014No. Don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The presenter comes to the podium. \u201cAnd now for our feature. I am sad to say she\u2019s not one of us, but I am absolutely delighted that she is <\/strong>one of us! Esther Lee spent the first 20 years of her life in Sydney, Australia before moving to Vancouver. She is an accomplished fiction writer who passionately scripts stories she says exist or could very well exist and are never told because someone or something, usually a mainstream force, is keeping them out. Her film tonight \u2018Ming and Singh \u2013 Chinese Indians and Chindians\u2019 looks at the lives of star crossed lovers on opposite sides of the border during the Sino-Indian War of 1962<\/a>. We\u2019ll have a question and answer period at the end so stick around for that. And now, \u2018Ming and Singh \u2013 Chinese Indians and Chindians.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

The film screens to good applause, but no standing ovation or anything. Q&A happens. Wow. Is that Esther? That\u2019s Esther. Ok. That\u2019s Esther. Ok. She could be uppity, though, for all I know. Only one way to find out.<\/p>\n

To the stranger on my right, \u201cExcuse me. Do you know anything about Esther? I mean, is she uppity or anything?\u201d <\/p>\n

Stranger: \u201cOh! She\u2019s lovely, isn\u2019t she? Exquisite. Oh look at her. I know you shouldn\u2019t judge books by covers, but she is lovely. If I, as a gay man, could give birth, I would be proud to produce a product of perfection like that.\u201d He brings his fingertips to his lips and puckers said lips. He does that \u201cMuah!\u201d thing Italians are stereotypically famous for when they really like something. \u201cThen again, I\u2019ve never met her. She could be uppity for all I know. Only one way to find out.\u201d <\/p>\n

Host: \u201cIn closing, I hope all of you will come out to the after party at Five Sixty<\/a>. It\u2019s, umm, appropriately located at Fiiiiive Sexty. Oh did I say that?! Oh my! No no no no no no no. That was a naughty mistake. Of course that\u2019s not the address. It\u2019s five, six, ohhhh Seymour Street. And cover is fabulously free!\u201d <\/p>\n

Five Sixty and its twenty eight thousand square feet of wonderland were a few blocks away. I walked with one of the welcoming mobs up Granville, turned right on West Georgia, and went down Seymour towards Waterfront. It was the old A&B Sound building! Nostalgia — Those Boxing Day sales <\/a>you would always hear about people being trampled at desperate for door crashers like $99 multi-disc CD players, $99 bubble jet printers, $99 VCRs, and other $99 now obsolete technologies piled atop one another at landfills. The nineties. <\/p>\n

[PLAY] Waited. Waited. In! Wow! Movie and club cover. This festival is amazing! [PLAY]<\/a> Now to find Ms. Lee. But how in this place? It\u2019s huge. 5 floors, maybe more and its packed with all sorts of colourful characters. How to move. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s early. Bar be a good bet. There we go! The second one. <\/p>\n

Note that in a club, where there are speakers, there is exclamation. <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cEsther! Great work! Can I buy you a drink?!\u201d <\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cHello! Sure! Let me finish this!\u201d She was probably 80 pounds, but man she downed that quick. — And now she\u2019s leaned over. — And now she looks like she\u2019s going to throw up. <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cAre you ok?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cI\u2019m good!\u201d Cough. Arches back up about 15 degrees. Extends arm supported by thigh. Thumb up. <\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure?!\u201d Still leaning over. Sends out thumb up with other hand. <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry! It looks worse than it is! I\u2019m a pro!\u201d Yeah, right. I\u2019ll get her one, but this\u2019ll need monitoring. <\/p>\n

\u201cAlright then?! What do you take?! <\/p>\n

\u201cGin and tonic! No ice!\u201d <\/p>\n

Wait for a bit. Wait a bit more. Obligatory tip. Done. <\/p>\n

\u201cI got you a water too!\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBeautiful! You\u2019re a lifesaver!\u201d I could very well be if this chick doesn\u2019t know her limits. <\/p>\n

\u201cGot time for an interview?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course! Always time for the press unless I\u2019m hangry!\u201d <\/p>\n

We went to a reasonably quiet room away from the main dance floor and its large projection screens with shirtless men in underwear suggestively staring at each other and turning away when one noticed the other. FYI, there were go-go dancers. And they were busy going. Man, they went. <\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cSo you\u2019re a reporter?\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cWell, really I\u2019m just a fan who likes to see people like me in films and likes to meet the people that make them. That\u2019s not to say I\u2019ll watch just anything because someone who looks like me and speaks my language is in it. I didn\u2019t see the Last Samurai or anything. There needs to be something else, a creative premise, strong writing, no stereotypes.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHah. Right.\u201d She simulates Seppuku<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo where did you get the idea for the film?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, since I saw this movie Saving Face<\/a>, I\u2019ve wanted to see people like me on screen and I\u2019ve always been fascinated with Asian diaspora stories. So I start with that. Then I go, what\u2019s weird, ridiculous, never told, and not about Chinatown, an oppressive patriarchy, or whining about actors not being put in a production made by some other cultural group that\u2019s not their own? It\u2019s 2010, man. If you want to see people like you on screen, go get a camera and download some editing software. And if you want to aim higher, it\u2019s not like North American Asians are poor, you know? Disposable income\u2019s there. They make more on average than anyone else.<\/a> I know that\u2019s an average, but still, averages mean a lot. Not only that, a lot of us are spoiled and have family money to draw from if we really needed the capital. Instead, we dump it into real estate, but what\u2019s it all for?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, land is money and money talks.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, what\u2019s it saying? \u2018I have a 40 acre estate in Shaughnessy<\/a>. In five years I\u2019ll have a 60 acre one.\u2019 And what? Boring. Money talks? Media talks. I want a different story.\u201d <\/p>\n

Incoming! Cock blockers? Two men swoop in. Congratulatory hugs and cheek kisses (for her). Laughing. Some awkward standing on my part. She introduces. \u201cThis is Maximo and Derek. Maximo has a film screening on Sunday. Derek was in a short film tonight.\u201d <\/p>\n

Maximo: \u201cIt is very nice to meet you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Derek: \u201cHi there.\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cHi. The pleasure is mine.\u201d To Maximo, \u201cYou have a gun on your belt.\u201d He did. This little plastic thing. That was a funny belt. <\/p>\n

Maximo: \u201cIt\u2019s loaded! Grr!\u201d<\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cExcuse me. I\u2019ll be back. Little ladies\u2019 room.\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cSo what\u2019s your film about Maximo?\u201d <\/p>\n

Maximo: \u201cWell, it\u2019s about love and how many of us wait for this ideal mate to come along when that ideal doesn\u2019t actually exist and what is perfect for, say, you, is right in front of you and you don\u2019t even know it. That is, until you realize it. And then you\u2019re happy and you can finally admittedly say \u2018I was so dumb.\u2019 Here\u2019s my card.\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cGreat message.\u201d I look at the card. \u201cGaringan. Is that Indonesian?\u201d I sort of knew what Indonesian names sounded like. Kind of. <\/p>\n

Maximo: \u201cIt\u2019s Filipino.\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cOh. I wouldn\u2019t have thought that. I thought you were Chinese Indonesian or something by looking at you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Maximo: \u201cWell, there\u2019s lots of different types of Filipinos just like there are types of Canadians.\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cNo doubt. Living proof.\u201d <\/p>\n

Maximo: \u201cWill you be coming out tomorrow? I can give you a pass.\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cOh. Wow. That would be great.\u201d <\/p>\n

Maximo: \u201cYeah, meet me in the front of Granville theatre at 530 tomorrow and I\u2019ll hook you up. You can give me your number in case.\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cExcellent! Appreciate it! I\u2019m so loving the friendliness of everyone here! So what about you Derek? Are you an actor, Derek?\u201d Duh, that\u2019s what she said earlier. And you said his name twice like that. Dummy. <\/p>\n

Derek: \u201cYeah, I was in a short film called Bathing in Black. It\u2019s really a pilot and the filmmakers are hoping it\u2019ll get picked up. Not here, though. Festivals are just excuses for parties. The only thing getting picked up here are people.\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cHah.\u201d <\/p>\n

Derek: \u201cSo what\u2019s your deal, mister?\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cMy deal? I\u2019m just a fan of the arts. I\u2019m looking to get into the scene maybe as a writer or in some funding role. I\u2019m not talented enough to make my own films but I\u2019d love to be able to influence production and give someone a bunch of things I want to see on screen and have them run with it.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cCool. So what do you write? <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I haven\u2019t really written anything yet.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got some work to do mister!\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHah. Right. I do.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou should try acting. You\u2019ve got the looks for it. I mean, you\u2019re not a super model or anything, but you\u2019re a solid 7.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I\u2019ll take that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you seeing anyone?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNot at the moment. Kind of working on it.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHave you ever thought of a boyfriend? Sorry, I can\u2019t totally tell if you\u2019re straight or what.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNot really.\u201d I had actually, not as a matter of physical attraction, but just for curiosity sake, like an experiment. I wasn\u2019t ready to admit that to anyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should. Guys are way better than women. They\u2019re not as emotional. You don\u2019t want that baggage.\u201d Did I? \u201cGive it a try!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ll think about your thought.\u201d Is that really how that came out?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, my friend Karin would enjoy you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cHey I\u2019m back!\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cThank you for being back!\u201d <\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cLet\u2019s dance! It\u2019s Lady Gaga [PLAY]<\/a>. One must!\u201d<\/p>\n

And we musted. And after a while: <\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cHey I have to get going! I need to wake up tomorrow for a photo shoot!\u201d<\/p>\n

Me: \u201cOh! Yeah, I\u2019ll walk you out!\u201d <\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cNo no! It\u2019s cool!\u201d <\/p>\n

Me: \u201cNah, don\u2019t worry about it! I should get going anyway! I want to see an early screening tomorrow.\u201d I didn\u2019t, actually. <\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cOk, then.\u201d <\/p>\n

We walk out. It\u2019s summer. No coat check to line up for. <\/p>\n

Esther: \u201cHey, so are you anonymous or do people call you something?\u201d <\/p>\n

That\u2019s right. I didn\u2019t ever tell her my name. \u201cRemmington. Chow.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNice. You\u2019s a Hong Kong person?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cKind of. My parents. I was born here. How\u2019d you know?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s in the name, man. Weird-sort-of-English name. Asian. Probably Hong Kong. If you were a girl, you\u2019d be Candy, Mimi, Freezer Burn or something.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah! Talk about names. Cookie Cutter Korean Esther. Ok there.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHaha! What\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAre you Christian?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents are. Sometimes they take me to get churchin\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how many Esthers do you know?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026Seventeen\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what about you? Property magnate\u2019s parachute child?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNot quite. Just some hardworking peeps tryin\u2019 to make a living or die trying. Mom works at the Bay bakery. My dad sells computers. You now.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cMe now what? Who talks like that?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cMe do.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll come clean. Parachute child. Property magnate. Not full-blown or anything. He owns a few buildings in Seoraemaul <\/a>and somewhere in Hanoi. Got in early. Got lucky.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWord. All about timing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Random chatter for another few minutes. We get to her car. Ain\u2019t no Bentley, that\u2019s for sure. I think it\u2019s an Avante. In Canada they call it the Elantra. What\u2019s so different about those two names that they needed to use both for the same thing, I\u2019ll never know. <\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for walking me. That was sweet of you.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem. I want to see you again.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cDirect! Oh yeah? And what?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd breathe. And comprehend words that come out of your mouth. And respond to them.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd maybe this.\u201d I took her left hand with my right. <\/p>\n

\u201cPretty fast moves there, mister. I\u2019ll have to get back to you.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIncredulous no.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cKidding. I\u2019m an artist. I got nothing going on. Let\u2019s do it. Here\u2019s my card.\u201d <\/p>\n

And we got dietary constraints out of the way. Me: peanuts. She: pine nuts. I\u2019d show her Double Double in Richmond<\/a> and demonstrate how juk (\uc8fd) and those little sides of kimchi, chopped up chili octopus, marinated beef strands, and vinegar soup thing<\/a> have nothing on congee <\/a>(\u7c73\u7ca5) with a nice, crisp, light oil stick aka donut aka youtiao aka \u6cb9\u689d<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Till then. <\/p>\n

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| 2010. Olympics year. 30 year. Back in Vancouver after nights and days in my \u201cF\u201dth floor apartment on Bangbae\u2019s Caf\u00e9 Golmok (\ubc29\ubc30 \uce74\ud398\uace8\ubaa9) thinking about culture shock and how I would ever bring myself to working in Canada. Here would be no there. English education isn\u2019t a pillar of the Vancouver economy unlike Seoul\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,31],"tags":[278,288,147,85,282,273,279,274,315,275,276,281,283,83,280,272,82,277,38,138],"class_list":["post-2729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-literature-and-original-works","tag-ab-sound","tag-asian-australian","tag-asian-canadian","tag-asian-diaspora-stories","tag-cbc","tag-chindian","tag-chinese-canadian","tag-chinese-indian","tag-esther-lee","tag-five-sixty","tag-granville-street","tag-gyopo","tag-inter-asian-relations","tag-korea","tag-korean-canadian","tag-parachute-child","tag-seoul","tag-seymour-street","tag-vancouver","tag-vancouver-queer-film-festival"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2729"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2868,"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2729\/revisions\/2868"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weshareinterests.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}