LIFE TIMES

In this episode we're joined by my good college friend Nick Louie. We met as actors in the undergraduate UCSD Theatre program, and were both part of the first UCSD Asian American Theater Festival.

Since then Nick, has continued to perform in theater while also expanding his professional career in AI safety and finance. During this time he got married and became a father. What's great about Nick is that he thinks very deeply and acts with intent in the different areas of his life, whether its acting, his marriage, as well as fatherhood.

This was a great chance for myself (James), at the time of recording an expecting father, to hear from him what it means to be a father, and also to get Dan's perspective. This was a particularly important episode for me to chat with two Asian American men who are already fathers and it gets emotional as I recall my own father.

We chat about what it means to be a new dad and how to balance passions/hobbies while also working together with your partner to raise children. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as we all had recording it. Thank you. - James

Timestamps

00:00:00 Intro. Snow in Japan. Expected due dates for births.

00:06:21 Nick's background: Bay Area, UCSD, acting & career, marriage, fatherhood.

00:16:06 Balancing hobbies and passions with relationships and family obligations.

00:25:25 Getting to know your partner before marriage: dating, living together, premarital counseling.

00:34:08 Different views on marriage (love vs pragmatism). Talking with your partner about having kids. Compromises.

00:47:06 Timeline from marriage to pregnancy.

00:52:57 Advice to soon-to-be fathers about the birthing process.

01:00:17 Sleep deprivation, sleep training, co-sleeping, feeding schedules.

01:05:58 Paternity leave, work culture, and social safety nets around the world. Society can make it hard to have kids.

01:18:08 Values you want to teach your kids.

01:27:15 Staying Balanced:

James - Walks, physical therapy

Nick - Working on long term goals, teaching empathy

Dan - Kung fu (when not injured)

01:32:39 Language Corner:

* Japanese

親しき仲にも礼儀あり shitashiki naka nimo reigi ari

Even between close friends (or family), proper manners and respect are still important.

母乳 bo nyū

Breastmilk

* Quote/takeaway (from "How to Be Perfect"): Try your best and reflect.

Works Mentioned:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, a Silicon Valley Shakespeare theater production starring Nick Louie https://www.svshakespeare.org/carol

City Walk - Directed by James Y. Shih. Starring Kristine Gerolaga, Nick Louie: https://vimeo.com/78450663

The Expectant Father by by Armin A. Brott, Jennifer Ash Rudick

How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur (creator of "The Good Place")

Twelve Hours' Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old by Suzy Giordano, Lisa Abidin

The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin

Note: Auto transcription was used (MacWhisper), so there may be errors in the transcript.

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Hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving! What a better way to enter the holiday season than to discuss with my ol’ college friend Matthew Maybeno how artificial intelligence will take away all our jobs (or not).

It was great to reconnect with Matt and to see how he’s moved from biology into the tech space and thrived. His conversation with Dan and I is a great primer in understanding these new technologies and how to make better use of them. Dan also raises good questions about hallucinations and privacy concerns.

Matt and I also reminisce about our dorm days and using high speed internet for educational purposes : ). Enjoy!

- James

Highlights

00:00:06 Intro. Disclaimer: Large shifts in the field since recording earlier this year, but key principles remain the same.

00:02:08 Matt’s use cases for artificial intelligence (AI) and his preferred Large Language Models (LLMs).

00:08:40 AI hallucinations.

00:11:23 Zero-shot prompting (get it right the first try), LLMs: subjective experience and training.

00:16:34 Pluses and minuses to different types of prompting.

00:21:49 Using AI as a tool to be more productive.

00:26:39 Matt’s early interests, working in biology, overcoming frustrations with math, now in the tech space.

00:45:10 Early internet memories: DC++, dorm networks, IRC, and the suite mate with a terabyte of adult videos.

00:48:28 What is intelligence? Consciousness?

00:55:46 Human-like AIs, Sci-fi parallels: Ex Machina, Cylons.

01:03:25 Defining AI, machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP) in simple terms.

01:07:32 Explaining LLMs

01:15:02 How to survive in an AI-driven world.

01:33:26 What are weights in AI. Current risks in AI: the weights used by humans to create malicious AI, jailbreaks, security threats. Potential existential risks (à la Terminator, The Matrix, etc…).

01:43:44 Language Corner:

Japanese: 進化（shinka）- evolution

English (GenAlpha slang): glazed - favored, skibidi - weird, odd

Taunting phrases: Japanese - そーそーみーみー (sō sō mī mī), にゃー (nyah) cat sound. English - nananabooboo (trademarked by Matt’s daughter) Spanish - Lero lero, candelero (sucks to be you)

01:48:28 Staying balanced: marathon experiences, running, indoor soccer, Kung Fu forms (horse bench). Closing remarks.

Article/Movies/Show referenced:

- Ted Chiang’s “Why A.I. Isn’t Going to Make Art”: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/why-ai-isnt-going-to-make-art

- Ex Machina: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470752/

- Her: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/

- The Matrix: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/

- Terminator: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088247/

- Battlestar Galactica: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407362/

Note about the transcript/subtitles: AI transcription (Adobe Premiere) was used, so there may be errors.

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Looking back at these past eight years of Yin & Young, we have grown so much. In this episode we reflect back on what has changed and what has stayed the same—exploring the past, how it informs the present, and how we might move into the future. Thank you everyone for these past eight years!

Highlights:

00:00:00 Intro: Taking a look back at 8 years of Yin & Young, starting in 2016.  

00:01:45 Trump back in office and Trump supporters. Episode 2: Election Blues was recorded and posted shortly after Trump was inaugurated for his first term.  

00:09:33 The rights of private companies, Elon Musk, and free speech.  

00:15:47 Politics: Tariffs, how to reach young men, campaign messaging (Trump, Warren, Yang), and lessons from Star Trek.  

00:27:48 The bird singing is James' pet Java sparrow Ming Ming.  

00:28:27 Healthcare, taxes, individualism (U.S.) vs collectivism (Japan).  

00:35:01 Causes of death U.S. vs Japan vs World.  

00:40:50 Looking back at past episodes: a shift in tone from casual dating to how to maintain a relationship.  

00:44:04 How to deal with boredom and doubt in a relationship.  

00:47:03 Episode 20: Seng Chen: "I want to hear myself when I suffer."  

00:51:41 My Own Worst Enemy - getting in your own way, sexual regret, and being better.  

00:55:34 Episode 36: Don't just settle. Where James was and where he is now.  

00:57:59 Discussed our most popular episode so far, Episode 28 with Teo Yoo. Also chatted about movies and musicals (Past Lives, Wicked, The South Park Movie, Book of Mormon).  

01:04:02 Reflecting on Yin & Young the Podcast so far.  

01:06:44 Martial Arts: Choy Li Fut, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Taichi, Baji. Exercises: Yi Jin Jing, Zhan Zhuang.  

01:09:54 *Correction: Yi Jin Jing (易筋經) is linked to Bodhidharma, not the Book of Changes (I Ching 易經).  

01:14:04 Outro: What matters.  

———

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In this episode of Yin & Young, we chat with Gabriel Toya-Meléndez, an LA-based filmmaker of Puerto Rican and Japanese heritage. Gabriel shares with us his experiences growing up in San Francisco vs Florida, how he got into filmmaking, and how he navigates difference spaces as someone with a mixed background.

Gabriel’s links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/japorican1/

“Han” - Short film (Gabriel was the Director of Photography and Editor): https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08CZ4J3GP/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

Highlights:

00:00:00 Introductions and discussion of Gabriel's background: of Japanese and Puerto Rican descent, grew up in San Francisco and Florida, his exposure to both his Japanese and Puerto Rican heritage.

00:05:53 Conservatism in Japanese Americans post WWII. Dad was trying to figure out his identity growing up.

00:07:33 Cultural heritage passed down through food and cooking.

00:09:47 Background on Gabriel’s Japanese grandparents and their relationship.

00:15:01 Gabriel and James share stories about the reluctance of their grandparents generation to talk about WWII.

00:18:11 Connecting to his Puerto Rican heritage through Spanish.

00:20:13 Contrasted his time between Florida and California: in Florida, felt his ethnicity and race was highlighted even more.

00:24:55 Making friends through similar interests: broadcasting, filmmaking. Issues being the token “Asian,” Puerto Rican heritage being disregarded.

00:29:45:13 Florida's different communities and cultural pockets.

00:32:45:21 Tokenization and coming into your own identity.

00:35:35:08 Answering the "where are you from?" question.

00:37:40:09 First steps into filmmaking.

00:42:43:19 Life after college: looking for work in film production.

00:45:26:04 Figuring out what he wants to do in film.

00:49:18:03 Thoughts on film school.

00:52:52:04 Film set life.

00:54:14:13 Gabe moves to LA and reconnects with filmmaking thanks to James.

00:57:36:06 Advice for those that want to pursue filmmaking.

00:58:58:08 The filming process for the short film "Han" (link above) and some of the creative influences Gabriel

01:02:59:08 Working with actor Earl T. Kim.

01:08:45:04 Enjoying the process.

01:10:58:09 Advice for young filmmakers.

01:16:41:13 Some of our favorite films and TV shows.

01:23:26:20 What's something that helps you keep balanced?

James - Walks in the park.

Gabriel - Training Kendo.

01:26:30:18 Language Corner:

つけ麺 (tsukemen) is a Japanese dish of dipping noodles. The “tsuke” part of the word means to dip.

いただきます (itadakimasu) is a Japanese phrase said before eating a meal to give thanks. It comes from the verb いただく(itadaku), which means to accept/to receive.

“China” in Puerto Rican Spanish means “oranges” due to the historical link of oranges coming from China.

Chintan ramen (清湯ラーメン) is a Japanese term, derived from Mandarin, meaning “clear broth ramen.”

01:31:41:15 Advice to those who have mixed backgrounds and may have a hard time fitting in. Gabriel found his people when taking an interest in the arts

———

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After a long hiatus, Yin & Young are back with Paul Hoi, the sequel! Paul is a on a year-long sabbatical traveling the world and has spent the past few months traveling Japan. Earlier this year, James had the privilege of meeting up with him in Tokyo and we got to catch up about his travels, his new passions like skiing and scuba diving, and the reality of solo traveling. Apologies for the poor audio, especially for my mic, this was our first time trying an outdoor recording. Did our best to correct it in post, so hopefully it’s listenable!

Catch our 1st interview with Paul here: https://www.jamesyshih.com/yin-young-podcast/2021/4/19/yin-and-young-ep56-paul-hoi

Paul Hoi’s photography and other works: https://linktr.ee/paul_hoi

Highlights:

00:01:05 Introductions & Overview: meeting up in Japan, visited Junji Ito exhibit.

00:03:53 What brought Paul to Japan. Been finding new loves: scuba diving, skiing, riding around on a moped.

00:07:27 Transitioning from working in a high stress environment to solo traveling.

00:10:08 Each of us talk about our different experiences visiting Japan and feelings about travel.

00:17:04 Driving in Japan.

00:20:02 Dan shares his experience traveling to Sasebo in Kyushu.

00:23:22 The reality of traveling: dealing w/ loneliness, language barriers, anxiety, addiction to solitude, feeling like an outsider.

00:32:33 Making friends in Japan. Dan shares Japan stories of ghost hunting, shooting fireworks, and drifting (Initial D).

00:37:41 Old-school Japan (Showa Era). See CORRECTIONS below.

00:40:20 Paul’s interests have been his north stars for traveling. Shares his story of falling in love with skiing and the differences between American and Japanese skiing.

00:48:10 The need for physical expression. Short cut to the Presence. Wordlessness.

01:00:13 Dan shares stories about what physical activities his kids enjoy doing.

Language corner (01:02:23): Japanese

蟻 - ari - ants. James Shares a story about Japanese school children walking to school in an orderly fashion like ants.

おじゃまします - Ojamashimasu - thank you for having me. Lit. sorry for being a hinderance.

亀 - kame - turtle. The basis for Goku’s finishing attack, Kamehamaha, which is also the name of a Hawaiian king.

迷惑 - meiwaku - to be troubled or bothered (by). Japanese culture emphasizes that one should not be a nuisance (meiwaku).

お待たせしました - Omatase shimashita - sorry to have kept you waiting

What you’re doing to stay balanced/present (01:11:54):

James: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Paul: Art, skiing, scuba diving

Dan: Surfing, Kung Fu

———

CORRECTIONS:

00:37:41 James incorrectly claims that 1992/93, when Dan was in Japan, was the Showa Era but actually that era was the Heisei Era (1989~2019) in Japan. The Showa Era was 1926~1989.

00:38:27 Dan and James mix up the dates about the Showa Era. The Showa Era was 1926~1989, and is generally divided into pre-war Showa Era (1926~1945), and post-war Showa Era (1945~1989).

———

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William Gee Wong (Bill) is a prominent figure in the realm of Chinese-American journalism and literature, recognized for his insightful contributions to the understanding of Asian American experiences. Born and raised in Oakland Chinatown in California, Bill's work often reflects his deep connection to his heritage and the diverse cultural landscape of his upbringing. Bill's narratives provide a vital perspective on the Asian American community's struggles and triumphs. Bill’s most recent endeavor is a memoir chronicling his own family’s immigration story as well as his life and career. Bill shares deep, personal insight into the Chinese American immigration experience during the early 20th century, the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and it’s impact on American society.

Bill’s website: https://www.williamgeewong.com/

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction to William Gee Wong (Bill) and his recent memoir, “Sons of Chinatown.”

03:40 Bill’s father, mother, and sisters’ migration story.

11:02 Angel Island and the paper sons, paper marriage scheme.

16:23 Bill’s father’s “altercation” with his paper brother over losing money in the lottery business.

22:20 Bill’s father and mother really wanted a son. Some favoritism for sons.

25:47 We share our connections to the Bay Area. Bill’s “Chinatown bubble.”

33:05 Cultural separation from Hoishan-wa and his father. A connection to the Chinatown mindset.

36:40 Chinatown Tongs

45:50 Los Angeles Tong/Benevolent Association.

49:00 Bill’s identity search as he moved from Chinatown to bigger, whiter America and navigating these spaces in the journalism world.

01:00:57 Returns to writing and starts a weekly column highlighting Asian American issues at the Oakland Tribune.

01:05:12 What does it mean to be Asian American? Bill highlights the many different groups and histories this label encompasses.

01:16:50 James shares stories about being asked about his identity.

01:20:25 Dan shares his thoughts on the “Asian American” label and Hollywood casting.

01:22:30 Bill’s conversation with his son when they visited Bill’s father’s ancestral home (spoiler alert for those who plan to read the book).

01:30:40 Angel Island is depicted in Berkeley Rep’s: Far Country.

01:33:00 What do you to stay balanced?

Walk around the neighborhood.

Weightlifting.

01:36:00 Language corner:

Taiwanese Hokkien (Reference: Mandarin and Taiwanese dictionary: iTaigi)

免客氣 mián kheeh-khì  - You’re welcome. (lit. Don’t be so polite).

緣投 iân-tâu - handsome, good looks.

無共款 bô-kāng-khuán - not the same, different

Hoishan-wa/Taishanese

哎呀/哎吔 aiya - oh my god!

Japanese

おもろい omoroi - interesting [in the Kansai dialect].

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We’re so happy to have Aileen Cho, a licensed therapist based in the Southern California area, as our guest this episode! Aileen is a 2nd generation Korean-American clinician that offers psychotherapeutic services in both English and Korean. In this podcast (a first for Aileen) she shares her personal and professional insight into intergenerational trauma, marriage challenges, and the various ways she helps individuals to find their own way to heal.

Aileen’s website: https://www.aileenbcho.com/

Contact Aileen (currently not accepting new clients until Sept. 2024): [email protected]

Highlights:

00:00 James gives a brief intro of Aileen. They met at the Asian American Theater Festival at UCSD.

01:45 We do a check-in. Aileen is very pregnant.

04:25 Born in LA, her mother's family were North Korean refugees and shares a story about her paternal grandfather who was sold as a child slave to a Japanese family.

07:00 Discusses how she was born into intergenerational trauma due to her family’s history. She is the keeper of stories for her family.

09:45 Started off in acting and theater in college, while also going to therapy.

11:25 After college: Her shift to the mental health field and eventually getting her Master’s in Drama Therapy.

12:40 Intergenerational trauma:

Separation of North and South Korea.

The way we rear children is influenced by our own trauma.

16:00 Advice to young people deciding about whether to go to therapy.

20:20 How were your first steps into therapy?

23:11 Finds that Korean American therapists are rare in her field and overall there’s a dearth of Asian American therapists.

25:25 More Asian Americans are going into clinical practice as well as seeking therapy. Most of her clients are now Asian Americans.

28:27 Mental health issues particular to Asian Americans.

31:55 Aileen’s Time Capsule Theory in regards to immigrants and the children of immigrants.

36:10 How to get boomer parents into family therapy.

37:35 How has being a therapist and going to therapy affected your own relationships?

40:50 Challenges with married life.

48:05 Communication issues with couples.

49:50 In the current social climate, the pressures of expectations of marriage has never been higher. Recommends Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel.

57:27 Collective grief and drama therapy.

What do you to stay balanced? (59:40)

Language corner （01:02:27):

Circumstances that bring people meant for each other together; destiny; connection.

Mandarin: 緣分 (yuánfèn)

Korean: 인연 (inyeon)

Empathy*

Korean: 공감 (gong-gam). From the hanja 共感, gung6gam2 in Cantonese, gònggǎn in Mandarin.

*Aileen shares that the word “empathy” comes from the Greek words “in” (em) and “feeling” (pathos). Compare this to Korean, empathy = 공감, which is “communal" (공/共) + “feeling” (감/感). Shows individualistic vs collectivist cultural differences in the languages.

01:09:17 Aileen and her husband have inherited her mom’s secret kimchi recipe.

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Writer Peter Kageyama joins Yin & Young again to talk about MIDNIGHT CLIMAX the second novel of the Kats Takemoto series. Peter joined us last time (EP 66) discussing HUNTERS POINT the first Kats Takemoto novel and in this book we delve more into Kats wartime past, Chinatown gangs, and secret government mind control experiments. Peter shares insight into the writing process of this novel and what is important to him as a writer.

Highlights:

- 00:11 Intro: photo of Peter’s dad by Dorothea Lange and Feodor Chin is the voice actor for Peter’s novels.

- 03:35 Reintroducing Peter and his first novel Hunters Point which podcasted about a year ago.

- 07:00 Yokohama is one of Dan's favorite places and Peter’s family origins are from the area.

- 07:55 Midnight Climax is Peter's latest book. Promoting a book runs contrary to the writing process.

- 10:00 Peter’s process for writing. Peter has places where he feels comfortable writing.

- 11:45 Thoughts on “writer’s block.” Writing the 3rd book has been more challenging.

- 15:40 In the process of moving in Florida.

- 17:00 “No-No Boy” by John Okada as testament to conscience dissent.

- 19:20 Kats is not anti-government, but he doesn’t like bullies.

- 21:45 Officer Blackstone in the book is a real person and Kats is drawn to other principled characters like him.

- 23:13 How to write about historical figures. Peter connected with a relative of Shig Murao via Instagram.

- 26:54 Fell in love with the characters. Researched PTSD to flesh out the characters better.

- 30:05 Tours of Chinatown helped inspire the writings of the place in the book.

- 32:00 Learning about languages for the book. Utilized Wikipedia for some different terms of the time. Distinctions between Mandarin & Cantonese.

- 36:00 How to write about ethnic characters without playing into stereotypes, particularly the Chinese prostitute character.

- 42:17 The guys talk about why they started studying martial arts

- 46:20 Peter discusses the CIA experiments of the 1960s

- 51:10 Themes of love and friendship.

- 52:57 Dorothea Lange’s picture of Peter’s father who was an inspiration for Kats.

- 57:58 Discussion of sports leagues that came from internment camps. Repercussions of Japanese internment.

- 01:05:25 Staying balanced: Board games and exercise.

Language corner (01:17:20)

Cantonese

鬼婆 gwei po - devil old lady. Derogatory term for white women.

鬼佬 gwei lo - foreigner

Scottish

Hurkle-durkle - to lay about in bed long after the time to get up.

Mandarin

舊金山 - jiùjīnshān - literally: old gold mountain which means San Francisco.

Peter Kageyama’s links:

Website: https://peterkageyama.com/

Peter’s non-fiction work on urban planning and communities: https://www.fortheloveofcities.com

Other links:

Peter’s 1st appearance on the Yin & Young Podcast EP66 discussing HUNTERS POINT - https://youtu.be/el10M-hBdVI?si=2bKzcRffOm2CDhdW

Feodor Chin returns to voice MIDNIGHT CLIMAX - https://peterkageyama.com/audiobook-now-available-feodor-chin-returns/

Our podcast with Feodor: https://www.jamesyshih.com/yin-young-podcast/2017/12/3/yin-young-ep24-feodor-chin

San Francisco City Guides - https://sfcityguides.org/

Thai artist featured on Peter’s wall, Ummarid “Tony” Eitharong: https://tonyeitharong.com/

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Welcome back Yin & Young listeners! It’s been a long time since our last episode; Young was busy with his wedding (congrats!) but now that’s done, we’re happy to be back with guest Daniel Tong! Daniel is an editor based in Los Angeles, CA, U.S. Daniel has a passion for editing and shares his journey finding his place in the filmmaking industry.

Highlights:

01:56 Young ran into Daniel at a high school reunion.

05:50 Daniel’s family is ethnically Chinese from Burma.

07:15 Shares the start of his love for movies and the arts.

10:04 Young and Daniel rehash one of their early film projects in high school for French class (Godzilla appears).

12:07 Shares the initial push back he got from his immigrant parents about wanting to pursue filmmaking. 

14:10 His start in film as an undergrad and then grad school.

21:55 Discusses his thoughts on film school and how he found his place in film there.

28:30 The importance of networking.

32:30 Gives insight into working at Pixar as a contractor.

42:40 Becoming a Pixar Online Editor during the pandemic.

44:30 The difference between an online and a offline editor.

47:40 Issues using different editing programs in the workflow.

52:20 Daniel's preferred editing application and the benefits/drawbacks of each of them.

57:04 Editing in the gaming industry.

01:01:00 His desire for leadership experience and his first leadership role at Blizzard.

01:02:50 Getting through the Blizzard interviews having not played the games, but now obsessed with them (World of Warcraft, Diablo, etc…).

01:05:40 His experience working on the documentaries for “Coco” and “Turning Red” and why he connected with them deeply.

01:13:49 Yin’s plans for his kids going to college.

01:14:43 Discussion about famous editor Walter Murch’s book “In a Blink of an Eye” and Daniel’s own approach to editing and assistant editing.

01:28:29 Language corner (see below). We also go over the origin of KFC popularity in Japan during Christmas and chat about Del Taco ramen and Donald Glover’s boba shop.

01:34:01 Projects that Daniel is working on (see below for links).

01:35:23 Shout outs. Pursue your passion.

Language corner: 

Young - KFC is "Kenta” (ケンタ) for short in Japanese.

Yin - 

渋滞 (じゅうたい juutai) - traffic jam

残業 (ざんぎょう zangyo) - overtime

Daniel Tong’s links:

Website: https://danieltongeditor.weebly.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danieltongeditor

Recent and current projects Daniel Tong has edited/assistant edited on:

No Room For Love - Filipino American web series, https://www.instagram.com/noroom_forlove

Creature Comforter - a short horror comedy mockumentary, https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg

Release the Beast by Ryzo Studios -  An artistic but timid boy who learns to defend himself against bullies from the characters he creates for his video games. https://www.ryzo.studio/

Junho - a former theater actor from Korea tries to outrun his past: https://youtu.be/FShHTubEpkI?si=3SfXAK01tab4-h0_

“Always in My Head” - music video by Filipino American music artist Garth Garcia: https://youtu.be/nv7fuOCBX_k

———

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In this episode Dan (Yin) and James (Young) share their experiences with married life. Dan gives his perspective as someone who has been married longer and also has children. In contrast, James, who’s newly married, shares some of his feelings transitioning into married life.

Highlights:

No real major changes for Young after marriage, but there are some nuanced shifts in family dynamics with Young, his parents, and the in-laws

Compromises to create more quality time with one’s partner, while still managing some time for hobbies.

Figuring out each other’s palette when cooking.

Discussion about ramen flavors.

Adjusting to budgets and spending money as a couple

Doing martial arts at an older age requires a shift in thought.

Accepting the valuable experience of living in semi-rural Japan.

Regrets and the concept of time.

Language corner: Japanese

日日是好日 - nichi nichi kore kou jitsu (aslo pronounced: hi bi kore kou jitsu) - every day is a good day, enjoy each day (even the “bad” ones).

豚小屋 - buta go ya - pigsty [insult when referring to a person's room]

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Like/comment to helps others find our work! Yin & Young is produced by James Y. Shih and Daniel Yin. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/yinyoungpodcast 

In this episode we had the privilege to chat with Hong Kong-based artist Kelly Hebestreit! Kelly does creative, introspective work in photography, poetry, film, and many other mediums. Her work explores such things as local neighborhoods, cultural identity, and the heartbreak behind someone not taking off their shoes.

Kelly's Website: https://kellyhebestreit.cargo.site/

Kelly's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herbystripes/

Highlights:

- Kelly and James connected at the Taiwanese American Film Festival back in 2016.

- Held an intimate art installation show, "Satellite," in 2021 and released a related zine.

- Reflections on life in America and an incident with her ex.

- Part of the Zaazaaaa Collective, an art commune in Hong Kong (HK).

- Background: Grew up in HK, father is German, mother is Taiwanese

- Father is in the textile industry.

- Moved back to HK during the pandemic and can appreciate the city after living abroad.

- Enjoyed studying abroad in Tokyo, but mentions why she probably wouldn't live there long term.

- How Osaka people remind her of HK people and why she likes both.

- Shares situations where she's benefitted from white privilege in HK.

Language corner:

- 好八卦 (hou2 baat3-gwaa3) - So nosy! [Cantonese. The bagua is an ancient eight trigram symbol.]

- 唔該 （mm goy） - Thanks! Excuse me. [Cantonese.]

- 多謝 （doh jeh） - Thank you. [Cantonese.]

- 猴囡仔 (kâu-gín-á) - little monkey(s). [Taiwanese. Similar to "little rascals" or "you crazy kids."

- 半斤八兩 (bànjīnbāliǎng) - tweedledee and tweedledum. [Mandarin. Similar to 猴囡仔.]

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Like/comment to helps others find our work! Yin & Young is produced by James Y. Shih and Daniel Yin. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/yinyoungpodcast 

Yin & Young the podcast is back with a new episode with writer Peter Kageyama! Peter is a writer whose latest book, 1950s noir thriller “Hunter’s Point” featuring Asian American lead characters, recently became an Amazon bestseller. In this episode we discuss Peter’s background as a Sansei (third generation Japanese American), his work in non-fiction (For the Love of Cities) and fiction, and much more.

Peter’s website: peterkageyama.com

Peter’s non-fiction work: www.fortheloveofcities.com

Highlights:

Peter shares a bit of historical background about Hunter’s Point, San Francisco.

Peter grew up in Akron, Ohio, stood out as one of the few (if not only) mixed race kids in the neighborhood. 

Is known for his work on urban development and city planning (For the Love of Cities) and is now writing fiction.

Father was a Nisei (2nd generation Japanese American) who was interned along with his family during World War 2 in the U.S.

“Hunter’s Point” was written as a kind of conversation with his father. Father was reserved and did not talk about his time in the camps or in the U.S. military.

Shig Murao, City Lights bookstore manager in the 1950s, plays an important role in the book and in the real world Beat scene.

How ones parent’s language is lost with each generation.

More accepting of his mixed race heritage and how this book helped him reconnect with his Japanese heritage.

Being Japanese vs being Japanese American.

How rare/taboo it was to see Asian men marry white women during the 1950s.

Currently writing a sequel to “Hunter’s Point.”

Book Recommendations:

Peter recommends: Facing the Mountain (Daniel James Brown) about Japanese internment.

James recommends No-No Boy (John Okada) about a Japanese American that refused to be drafted into the U.S. military.

Language corner:

反抗期 - hankouki: rebellious phase

恩 - on: obligation (benevolent)

義理 - giri: obligation (social, honorable)

sussy baka: silly stupid (a term kids use when gaming to describe ridiculous behavior). Combines “suspect” with “baka” (馬鹿) which is Japanese for fool.

失敗 - shippai: mistake; darn!

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IG: https://www.instagram.com/yinyoungpodcast/

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Like/comment to helps others find our work! Yin & Young is produced by James Y. Shih and Daniel Yin. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/yinyoungpodcast

Welcome back to Yin & Young the podcast! In this episode we chat with Matty Beavers! Matty is a cinematographer, filmmaker, YouTuber, vlogger, anime fan, Japanese language learner, and an all around good dude. In this episode we get to hear about Matty’s artistic beginnings and aspirations, his lived experience as an African American and Filipino, and much more.

Matty’s work: https://linktr.ee/mattybeavs

Matty’s Instagram (@mattybeavs): https://www.instagram.com/mattybeavs/

Highlights:

Matty is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Cinematography at the University of Southern California (USC).

Matty met James at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) when he was doing his undergrad in Television Production.

Grew up in Camarillo and Central Valley, California.

Family background is African and Filipino. Did not pick up Ilocano (spoken by his Filipino grandparents) growing up, but is currently learning Japanese.

“I, Robot” kicked off his passion for filmmaking.

Marvels at the technical aspects of lighting and filming scenes. Also admires Marvel films for their achievement in this area.

Taking a chance on himself by taking on debt for grad school.

Has learned so much from his family and their struggles. Applies those life lessons to his own work.

Completed his thesis project recently as Director of Photography for the film “Go Dani Go.” (@go_dani_go_: www.instagram.com/go_dani_go_). Stills from the film can be seen in this episode's thumbnail.

Language Corner: Japanese

We all do our best to give a self-introduction (自己紹介 jikoshokai).

趣味 (shumi) - hobbies

中二病　(chūnibyou) - 8th grader sickness. typically used to describe early teens who have grandiose delusions, believe they have secret powers, etc…(Wikipedia).

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IG: https://www.instagram.com/yinyoungpodcast

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Like/comment to helps others find our work! Yin & Young is produced by James Y. Shih and Daniel Yin. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/yinyoungpodcast

Thanks for your patience Yin & Young listeners! We’re back after a break to bring you this episode with filmmaker Mayu Nakamura! In this short episode, we were lucky to have a chance to chat with Mayu about her experiences growing up in Japan, studying/working abroad, and what stories she wants to tell as a filmmaker.

Follow Mayu Nakamura’s work here:

Website: https://mayunakamura.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/missyn510

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayun510/

HIGHLIGHTS:

Worked in documentaries after graduating with an MFA from New York University.

Released a recent omnibus feature film called, “She is me, I am her.” 「ワタシの中の彼女」

James and Mayu met through a mutual filmmaker friend and connected in Japan.

Grew up in Japan, but went to study abroad at young age in London and eventually the U.S.

Plans on splitting her time between Japan and the States.

Believes the Japanese film industry is slowly trying to move towards being more inclusive and promoting diversity.

Some of the topics she explores in her films are sexism and ageism.

Movies that she revisits regularly are “Days of Being Wild” 「阿飛正傳」, ”Typhoon Club” 「台風クラブ」, “A Brighter Summer Day” 「牯嶺街少年殺人事件」。

Language corner: Japanese

オレオレ詐欺 -　ore ore sagi - lit. “It’s me, it’s me!” scam. The scammer, generally a young male, calls a target, generally an elderly person, and pretends to be a distant relative and scams the listener into giving them money. The name, ore ore sagi, refers to how the scammers would generally start the calls with, “It’s me, it’s me!” 「オレ!オレ!」.

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Follow us on FB & IG: @yinyoungpodcast. Like/comment to helps others find our work! Yin & Young is produced by James Y. Shih and Daniel Yin. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/yinyoungpodcast