Lia Chang: Meet the authors of the Pocket Chinese Almanac, Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, Museworks, Ltd.

I caught up with musicologist Joanna C. Lee and veteran music journalist Ken Smith at the Longacre Theatre in New York, after the post-show talkback following the 100th performance of Chinglish, by Tony Award-winning and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright David Henry Hwang, which was recently named by TIME Magazine, Bloomberg Radio, NY1 and WNYC as one of the Top 10 Broadway shows of the year.

Chinglish playwright David Henry Hwang (center) is flanked by (l-r) his cultural advisors Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, actors Johnny Wu, Christine Lin, Gary Wilmes, Angela Lin, Stephen Pucci, Jennifer Lim and Larry Lei Zhang after the 100th performance of Chinglish on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre in New York on January 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Smith and Lee were tapped as cultural advisors by the playwright when Chinglish, his play about an American businessman looking to land a deal in provincial China, had its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Smith writes about their participation as resident Chinglish cultural advisors here.

Chinglish cultural advisors Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith at the opening night party of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at Brasserie 8 ½ in New York on October 27, 2011. Photo by Lia Chang

The husband and wife team are co-authors of the Pocket Chinese Almanac and co-directors of Museworks Ltd., a Hong Kong-based cultural consulting company offering wide-ranging support, from production to translation and media services, for artists and institutions seeking links to and from Asia. Their clients include Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, Holland Festival, Habitat for Humanity, the Hong Kong International Film Festival and Sotheby’s HK.

Ken Smith, Hong Kong-based composer Eli Marshall (Ashes of Time Redux) and Joanna C. Lee after the 100th performance of David Henry Hwang's Chinglish in New York on January 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Lee, a pianist with a doctorate in musicology from Columbia University, was an Honorary Research Fellow of the Centre for Asian Studies, Institute of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong. Smith has covered arts and culture in Asia for the Financial Times since 2003. He is the author of Fate! Luck! Chance! Amy Tan, Stewart Wallace and the Making of The Bonesetter’s Daughter Opera. For the past seven years, he has served as advisor to the Western China Cultural Ecology Research Workshop, an NGO actively devoted to cultural preservation based in Guizhou province.

Goodman associate producer Steve Scott wrote an article entitled, “The Challenges of Chinglish,” that detailed Lee and Smith’s integral and invaluable contributions.

Translator Candace Chong (center) reviews the Chinese dialogue in the new script pages with Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, Cultural Advisors for Chinglish in the Healy Room of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago on June 5, 2011. © 2011 Lia Chang

“Finally, to ensure that the complex social interactions of the play adhere to the rather more formal rules observed in China, consultants Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith became crucial members of the Chinglish production team. As the production’s “cultural consultants,” Lee and Smith were invaluable to the accurate creation of the world of Guiyang, China, and its inhabitants.

After a sold-out extended run at the Goodman Theatre last July, Chinglish, featuring Jennifer Lim, Gary Wilmes, Angela Lin, Christine Lin, Stephen Pucci, Johnny Wu and Larry Lei Zhang, opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on October 27, 2011. Hwang received Chicago’s 2011 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Play.

Asia Society Cultural Achievement Award winner David Henry Hwang (L) his cultural advisors for Chinglish Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith. (Lia Chang)

Meet Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith in Ann Arbor, Michigan, San Francisco, CA and in New York as they make a number of personal appearances for their Pocket Chinese Almanac 2012, and with Chinglish playwright David Henry Hwang.

ANN ARBOR,MICHIGAN
On Friday, January 13, 2012, the Confucius Institute at the University of Michigan is presenting CHINGLISH: A New Comedy on the Misadventures of Cross-cultural Communication, at the Michigan League – Vandenberg Room, 911 N. University in Ann Arbor, Michigan from 4pm-5:30pm. Playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) will discuss his latest Broadway hit, with Joanna C. Lee and Kenneth Smith. Free and open to the public. All are invited to a reception following the talk.

NEW YORK,NY
On Saturday, January 21, 2012, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is presenting Lunar New Year Talk: Decoding the Chinese Almanac’s Predictions for 2012, at 215 Centre Street in New York, from 2:30pm – 3:30pm. To usher in the Year of the Dragon, co-authors Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith will decode the almanac’s predictions for 2012 and share a range of New Year’s traditions designed to protect your household. Admission is $15/adult, $12/student, free for children, MOCA members and seniors (65+). Each participant will receive a free copy of the Pocket Chinese Almanac (valued at $7). RSVP required to programs@mocanyc.org or 212-619-4785.

SAN FRANCISCO,CA
On Thursday, January 26, 2012, the co-authors will talk about the Pocket Chinese Almanac 2012, The Pocket Confucius, and The Pocket Tao at Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building in San Francisco at 6 p.m. Lee and Smith will translate and decode predictions for 2012. They’ll also dig beneath both the pop philosophy of Confucius and the scholarly interpretations to rediscover what the Master actually said about moral character and social order.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Financial Times Critic Ken Smith Discusses Western Opera’s Recent Success in China with the Three Chinese Tenors at The China Institute in New York on January 21, 2012
Asia Society Honors Chinglish Playwright David Henry Hwang and Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John C. Whitehead at the Waldorf Astoria on January 11, 2012
CHINGLISH Celebrates 100th Performance on 1/5/12 – Meet David Henry Hwang & the Cast After Post-Show Talkback
Photos: Maya Lin, BD Wong, David Henry Hwang, Yeohlee, Oscar L. Tang and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at MOCA Legacy Awards Gala
Click here for more articles on David Henry Hwang.
AALDEF Honors Parkin Lee, Jean Koh Peters, and CNN’s Fareed Zakaria with 2012 Justice in Action Awards in New York on February 8, 2012
Remembering Civil Rights Leader Gordon Hirabayashi,1918- 2012</a
Cindy Cheung Debuts SPEAK UP CONNIE…Her Solo Show at Stage Left Studio, January 17-25, 2012
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz, Nabs ”Best Film (USA)” and ”Feature Film Audience Award” at 2011 ITN Distribution Film and New Media Festival
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

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Joanna C. Lee and Lia Chang at the Broadway opening night party of David Henry Hwang's Chinglish at Brasserie 8 1/2 in New York on October 27, 2011.

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

David L. Kim Joins AARP to Head Outreach to Asian-Americans 50+

David L. Kim

Congrats to David L. Kim who has joined AARP as vice president for multicultural markets and engagement. In this newly-created position, he will lead AARP’s outreach to Asian-Americans 50+.

“AARP understands that while all Americans 50+ share the same goals of aging with dignity and peace of mind, each of the communities in our lives offers unique opportunities and contributions toward helping us get there,” said Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez, executive vice president for multicultural markets and engagement at AARP. “David understands how the experiences and contributions of AARP and the aging Asian-American community are relevant to each other, and we’re excited welcome him to our team.”

Kim joins AARP from Washington-based public affairs firm The Raben Group, where as a principal he provided strategic counsel in the areas of reputation management, multicultural marketing and communications to global corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations.

In 2010, Kim completed a three-year appointment as chief of staff at the United States Mint, the world’s largest mint and the oldest agency in Federal government. During his appointment, Kim led a 15-member agency-wide branding team that created the Mint’s first brand platform, logo and brand standards manual since the inception of the Mint in 1792. The Mint branding initiative received top recognition as one of the five best repositioned brands by the 2011 REBRAND 100 Global Awards. It was the only American brand awarded.

Before joining the Mint, Kim was director for Asian marketing and community relations at Anheuser-Busch Companies in St. Louis. There he established high-end branded marketing platforms based on lifestyle, culture, music and sports, including Michelob brand tie-ins with Asian and Asian-American LPGA golfers; with celebrity chefs such as Ming Tsai, Roy Yamaguchi and Sam Choy; with Asian film directors such as Academy Award winner, Ang Lee; and with the Grammy-nominated jazz group, Hiroshima.

Kim has received several honors and awards for his pioneering work in integrating marketing and community relations to reach niche audiences. In 2008, he received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award as well as a Citation Medal from the Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, Jr. for Exemplary Service. In 2003, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve a two-year term on the National Advisory Council of the Small Business Administration (SBA), where he was chosen to serve on the Executive Committee. That same year he was awarded the New York State Governor’s Award of Excellence by Governor George E. Pataki.

Kim is a graduate of Duke University with an A.B. in Political Science and attended Columbia University’s Graduate School of International Affairs.

AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. They produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world’s largest-circulation magazine with over 35.1 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP’s millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and a website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. There are staffed AARP offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Ruby Dee, Alicia Keys, Sidney Poitier among honorees at Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre’s 40th Anniversary Gala at Edison Ballroom on May 22
André De Shields stars in Chicago Premiere of Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at Victory Gardens 5/14-6/12
32nd Annual Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Festival at Union Square Park in NYC on May 8, 2011
Vikas Khanna’s Holy Kitchens Karma to Nirvana premieres at New York Indian Film Festival on 5/7 at Tribeca Cinemas
11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), May 4-8, 2011
Video: Aroon Shivdasani interviews Samrat Chakrabarti at Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival
MIAAC Screens Ashes & The Waiting City, two films featuring Samrat Chakrabarti at SVA Theater on 11/12
KPFK 90.7: Inaugural Hero Awards & Tribute Benefit Awards Series Honoring Jazz Musician Billy Higgins on May 1
Will Calhoun to Interview Bernie Worrell at ASCAP’s “I Create Music” Expo on April 30 in L.A.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 30th Annual Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival: April 30 and May 1, 2011
Duke Ellington Week 2011 Events in NY, April 25-30
Foremost American Taiko Artist, Kenny Endo, to perform in Tokyo on April 24 and April 30
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
House of Payne’s Denise Burse on the 2011 NAACP Image Awards & Season 7; “Shout Out” Episode airs April 20
Video: Denise Burse as Claretha Jenkins on House of Payne
Marva Hicks and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra light up the Southern Theatre with a “A Night at the Apollo”
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture: “The Legacies of Donald Keene” Symposium at Columbia University

Professor Donald Keene (Photo courtesy of the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture)

New York—March 24, 2011—In 2011, the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture celebrates a quarter-century of free programs dedicated to introducing Japanese culture, in all its depth and diversity, to new audiences. In addition, 2011 marks the last time that Professor Donald Keene, whose work inspired the founding of the Center, will teach a class at Columbia University, which has been his academic home since 1938.

To commemorate this doubly memorable occasion, the Donald Keene Center, through the generous support of the Japan Foundation, will feature a symposium on “The Legacies of Donald Keene” at Columbia University on Friday, April 15, 2011. The symposium is from 1:00pm to 3:00pm in the Kent Hall Lounge (403 Kent Hall). Speakers include Karen Brazell, Van Gessel, Carol Gluck, Amy Heinrich, Susan Matisoff, and Carolyn Morley, all of whose distinguished careers in the Japanese Studies field began in one of Professor Keene’s classrooms. Drawing on personal experiences, the speakers will address Professor Keene’s unique pedagogy and long-term contributions to the field of Japanese Studies. This symposium is open to the general public. Reservation are not required, please arrive early to secure a seat.

As part of the Donald Keene Center’s 25th Anniversary celebrations, a special exhibition of selected items generously donated by Professor Keene over the course of several decades will be on view from April 15 in the C.V. Starr East Asian Library. These items include Professor Keene’s personal correspondence with such celebrated Japanese writers as Abe Kobo, Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio, Oe Kenzaburo, and Tanizaki Jun’ichiro.

http://www.donaldkeenecenter.org/

About Professor Donald Keene
Donald Keene received his B.A. (1942), M.A. (1947), and Ph.D. (1949) degrees from Columbia University, and his Litt. D. from Cambridge University in 1978. He is the recipient of the Kikuchi Kan Prize of the Society for the Advancement of Japanese Culture (1962); the Order of the Rising Sun, Second Class (1993) and Third Class (1975); the Japan Foundation Prize (1983); the Tokyo Metropolitan Prize (1987); the Radio and Television Culture Prize (1993); and the Asahi Prize (1998). He has received honorary degrees from St. Andrew’s College (1990), Middlebury College (1995), Columbia University (1997), Tohoku University (1997), Waseda University (1998), Tokyo Gaikokugo Daigaku (1999), and Keiwa University (2000). In 1985, he became the first non-Japanese to receive the Yomiuri Literary Prize, honoring the best book of literary criticism in Japanese, for the original Japanese version of Travellers of a Hundred Ages, and he was awarded the Nihon Bungaku Taisho (Grand Prize of Japanese Literature) for the same work.

In the autumn of 2002, Professor Keene was presented with one of Japan’s highest honors, the title “Person of Cultural Merit” (Bunka Koro-sha), for his distinguished service in the promotion of Japanese literature and culture. Established in 1951, the Bunka Koro-sha award is given annually by the Japanese government to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement and development of Japanese culture. Recipients are provided with a lifetime annual financial grant. Professor Keene became the third non-Japanese to be designated an individual of distinguished cultural service by the Japanese government. In 2008, Professor Keene received another high honor, the Order of Culture (Bunka Kunsho), which the Japanese Government presents to those who have greatly contributed to Japanese art, literature, or culture. He became the first foreign national to receive such an award.

Professor Keene began teaching at Columbia University in 1955, and was named Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature in 1986 and University Professor in 1989; he is currently a University Professor Emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus. Professor Keene has published approximately 25 books in English, consisting of studies of Japanese literature and culture, translations of Japanese works of both classical and modern literature, a four-volume history of Japanese literature, and edited works including two anthologies of Japanese literature and the collection Twenty Plays of the No Theatre. Professor Keene’s Japanese publications include approximately 30 books, some written originally in Japanese, others translated from English.

In 2002, Professor Keene’s Meiji Tenno (Shinchosha, 2001; translation by Kakuchi Yukio), a biography of the Meiji Emperor, won the 56th Mainichi Shuppan Culture Prize, in the Humanities and Social Sciences division. The English text, Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912, was published by Columbia University Press in the same year, and, among many enthusiastic reviews, was named one of the Best Books of 2002 by the Los Angeles Times Book Review.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

Other articles by Lia Chang
Philip Glass, Hal Willner, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakamoto in Japan Society’s Concert for Japan on 4/9 in NYC
Join Minami Tamaki LLP & Inspirational Opportunities for Youth and Seniors (IOYS) in Helping Victims of Japan Earthquake
Restaurants Respond for Relief, Chef Arnold Wong Hosts Benefit for Japan Night at E&O Trading Co. in SF on 4/10
Japan Society’s Japan Earthquake Relief Fund
Photos and Video of Kenny Endo’s TAIKO THUNDER at Skirball Center in NYC
National Cherry Blossom Festival Invites Public to Stand with Japan
Ruby Dee, Alicia Keys, Sidney Poitier among honorees at Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre’s 40th Anniversary Gala at Edison Ballroom on May 22
André De Shields stars in Chicago Premiere of Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at Victory Gardens 5/14-6/12
32nd Annual Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Festival at Union Square Park in NYC on May 8, 2011
Vikas Khanna’s Holy Kitchens Karma to Nirvana premieres at New York Indian Film Festival on 5/7 at Tribeca Cinemas
11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), May 4-8, 2011
Video: Aroon Shivdasani interviews The Waiting City’s Samrat Chakrabarti at the 10th Annual Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival
Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 30th Annual Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival: April 30 and May 1, 2011
Duke Ellington Week 2011 Events in NY, April 25-30
Foremost American Taiko Artist, Kenny Endo, to perform in Tokyo on April 24 and April 30
Video: Denise Burse as Claretha Jenkins on House of Payne
Marva Hicks and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra light up the Southern Theatre with a “A Night at the Apollo”
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet,Tracee Chimo opening night of Neil LaBute’s The Break of Noon
Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Living Colour NYC Concert Photos
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.