Chi, traditionally spelt qi, is a concept in Chinese culture dating all the way back to 5th century BCE. Ancient Chinese philosophy describes chi as a life force or energy which binds all things together. Even today, it is believed that chi is the flow of energy through the body that forms cohesion and balance. Ancient Confucian scholars believed that life was the result of the accumulation of chi, without it we would simply cease to exist. Even through advances in science, technology, and medicine, Chi still remains an active part of Chinese culture and tradition. Chi acts as the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine as well as martial arts. For more on Asian culture, please visit Fujimini Island on Facebook and Twitter. Traditional Chinese medicine, dating back to ancient times, is still practiced throughout China today. The belief behind these traditional practices are that illness and disease are the result of blocked or unbalanced channels, referred to as meridians. The unbalanced within the meridians stops the correct flow of chi, resulting in deficiencies in organs or other parts of the body. Traditional Chinese medicine seeks to reverse these imbalances by restoring the flow of chi. This is done through countless methods such as eating or drinking specific herbs, massages, physical training, food therapy, and acupuncture. To learn more about the cultural and diversity taught at Fujimini Island, please click here.
This alternative form of medicine is as easy to find in China as Western medicine. Many hospitals and clinics in China will have Western medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine being practiced side by side. Incoming patients are given the choice of whether they wish to be treated with standard Western medicine or opt for an alternative treatment. Often times, Chinese patients will combine the two, for example, alternating between daily doses of Traditional Chinese herbs and prescribed drug regimens. One of the core beliefs in Traditional Chinese medicine that differs from the traditional Western Biomedical model is that being healthy is not strictly having an absence of illness of disease, but possessing overall mental, physical, and social wellbeing.
Due to George Lucas' recent sale of LucasFilms to Disney, including the rights to Star Wars, fans can expect a whole new trilogy on the way by 2015. For some, this is fantastic news but others have their doubts. Some feel that the series has ended on a good note and Disney is going to "mess it up". So how should Disney go about making these next three Star Wars episodes in order to continue on Star Wars' legacy and not ruin it?
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Forbes believes in order for the the upcoming trilogy not to be a flop, Joss Whedon should be put on for writing and directing. Thanks to Whedon's fantastic directing and writing, The Avengers was on of the best super hero movies to hit the theaters in years. Hopefully Whedon's talent for weaving together action and humor and his admirable ability to make the audience truly care about the characters, captures Disney's attention when selecting a director for Star Wars.
Forbes' next piece of advice -- bring in Pixar. The people at Pixar are very creative and have a tremendous talent for storytelling. Pixar director Andrew Stanton and others would be very beneficial additions to the film project. Plus, the combination of Pixar and Whedon would promise some truly incredible results.
The next important tip to make Star Wars a big hit instead of a big disappointment -- build it around the characters, not the events. One of the problems that was evident in the prequel series was the lack of development of the characters or their relationships with the other characters. For the audience to care about the characters, they need to be able to relate to them or understand them. Imagine if in the prequel series they had built up the friendship between Anakin and Obi Wan, going deeper and more emotional- it would have made the betrayal so much more significant. Anakin's transition to the dark side was confusing, it would have been better to have gone deeper into his emotions to show his slow deterioration into Darth Vader.
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Forbes also stresses the importance of hiring talented actors, not just people for their big names. The brand is already widespread and major, so having star power for the sake of it is unnecessary. Bringing back some of the old cast would also be a nice touch. For example, bringing back Luke Skywalker and other characters from the original series, but in their sixties or seventies. Due to the span of time that has passed since the original Star Wars, this would be realistic option given that by now that would be the actual age of the original actors. One of fans' biggest fears, and what would be the biggest mistake by Disney, would be to bring back the same characters, but played by new actors.
Psy's 'Gangnam Style' may be in for some competition with Wonder Girls quickly catching up. The five member South Korean group has been heating up ever since their tour with the Jonas Brothers back in 2009. Recently they released a cover of Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colors', which demonstrates their more laid back and mellow musical side. For more on Korean hits and K-Pop like Psy and Wonder Girls, please visit Fujimini Island on Facebook and Twitter. Group member Yeeun told Daily News that their goals for the new rendition was to give it some more energy and rhythm to give it a new sound of their own. The group continues to ride the K-pop train to the United States with a futuristic hit "Like Money", created with R&B artist Akon earlier this year. Yeeun also adds that their inspiration comes from a variety of artists and genres including those in the 60s, 80s, and 90s and is extremely excited to see K-pop growing in other parts of the world.
Star Wars fans are all shocked, and many angered, by Disney's recent announcement of their $4.05 billion purchase of Lucasfilm LTD, which includes the Star Wars franchise. For more on fun and pop culture, please visit Fujimini Island on Facebook and Twitter. Disney's additional revelation of their intentions to create a Star Wars Episode 7 created another wave of mixed responses from fans. The target release date for the new film is set for 2015 and Disney tells the public to expect a continuation of the Star Wars saga "well into the future"- up to three more films! Starting with the release of Star Wars Episode 7 in 2015, Robert Iger, Disney's CEO, says there are plans in the making to have a new Star Wars episode released every two to three years.
Disney's Bob Iger with George Lucas (R)
He adds that Disney also sees the saga as having the potential for a great T.V. series. Under Disney, Lucasfilm co-chairman Kathleen Kennedy will become the new president of Lucasfilm and serve as the brand's manager. 68-year-old founder of Lucasfilm, George Lucas, plans to retire but will still serve as a creative consultant to the new direction of Star Wars.
Regarding the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, George Lucas says it is one of his "greatest pleasures to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next. It's now time to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers.
But will fans agree with his statement and decision to sell their beloved Star Wars saga to Disney?
Halloween is the most popular holiday in the United States, but did you know that other countries celebrate it too? Countries around the world have ways of honoring and remembering the dead during this time of year. Even different countries in Asia like to celebrate Halloween, but not in the traditional costumes-and-pumpkins way we might think.
Each October 31st, people across China celebrate Halloween, or Teng Chieh, by offering food and water to the dead. They also light lanterns with the belief that they will help to guide deceased loved ones as they make their visit to the "land of the living" in Halloween night.
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The Japanese also utilize lanterns for their Halloween customs. The lanterns are traditionally colored red and are hung in every house. These red lanterns are also placed on boats and float through rivers to guide the spirits of the dead back to the homes of their families for the night. It is also traditional for Japanese families to clean the gravestones of their ancestors and prepare special dishes to honor and remember them. These customs and traditions are all referred to in Japan as the Obon Festival.
Halloween is not big in Korea, but offerings of food and flowers are still made to their ancestors to show respect.
Hong Kong remembers their lost loved ones through a traditional festival known as the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts. During this time, pictures of fruits or money are burned with the belief that these images will reach the spirits of the dead and provide comfort.
Although many of the Halloween traditions in Asia are different from those in the United States, certain countries are beginning to pick up many Western Halloween traditions. For example, Halloween recently arrived in Japan. Now around this time of year, decorations such as jack-o'-lanterns can be seen around town of in shop windows and every year Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan puts on extravagant Halloween shows and events. Trick-or-Treating is still not a common practice in Japan, but costume house parties aren't that uncommon.
Besides the traditional and culture-rich Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, Hong Kong also likes to celebrate the more commercialized side of Halloween. Each year bars all across Hong Kong are decked out in Halloween decorations in an attempt to increase local interest in the holiday. Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park also host a Halloween Bash each year to promote and celebrate the holiday.
For much of Sung Bong Choi's life he lived in the streets, orphaned at only three years of age. He was dropped off at an orphanage, but was often badly beaten, so he ran away to live alone in the red light district of Daejeon -- at just five years old. Many nights he would sleep in a public bathroom or cardboard box on the side of the road, selling gum and energy drinks to get by. Until he was 14, Choi did not even know his own name- fast forward eight years and he is a YouTube sensation.
In the summer of 2011, Choi's heartbreaking story and raw talent brought him through finals on Korea's Got Talent and got him 66 million views on YouTube. But what has happened to him since these life changing events?
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Since gaining second on Korea's Got Talent, Choi's popularity has exploded, even being nicknamed the "Korean Susan Boyle". Only one year after his performance, Choi took America by storm, performing on stage for the first time in the United States. He took part in the international concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, a concert dedicated to promoting peace and unity. Surrounded by an ensemble of internationally acclaimed musicians, Choi performed, along with the others, "We Hear Your Voice." This ballad was written by international singer/songwriter Shani, with the goal of inspiring hope and unity.
In response to his newfound fame and his recent performance, Choi stated, "I felt the performance went really well. I'm so grateful to make my U.S. debut here. I know that many Americans saw my video on YouTube, so I was glad when I saw them at the concert."
The concert at the Greek theatre was Choi's first performance in America, but certainly not his first time on stage. This past year, Choi has performed in countless concerts, including a performance at Korea's Blue House. He has also appeared on T.V. shows and participated in many lectures. He now also has an autobiography titled "Just Live Without Conditions 'Cause You Only Live Once", telling of the hardships he faced before his fame, which moved its way right to the top of Korea's bestsellers list shortly after its release this past summer. Later this year he plans to release his first album, which will finally fulfill his long-awaited dream.
For those of you new to Sung Bong Choi's story, click here to see his inspiring performance on Korea's Got Talent- and be sure to have some tissues ready!
On Shiraishi Island, an island in the Inland Sea of Japan, the teaching of compassion for all living things to their children has become a priority. The campaign for compassion began when the dean was troubled by the increasing number of students leaving the island to go to the mainland on weekends and swimming in the local pools and the decreasing number of students swimming in the sea, fishing, kayaking, and just spending time playing in nature. To begin the movement towards teaching compassion, Amy Chavez was called in to give a speech to the third and fourth year students of Shiraishi Island Elementary School about the nature on Shiraishi Island and having a true appreciation and compassion for everything within nature. For more on Asian culture, please visit Fujimini Island on Facebook and Twitter. She described to the students some of the unique and beautiful sites the island had to offer. She picked the seasons and had the students describe to her what came to mind when when they heard words like "autumn". The students responded with words such as bamboo, chestnuts, figs, and leaves.
Chavez then taught the students the importance of being in nature and appreciating all it has to offer. She concluded her lesson by having the children each write down what they thought the point of the discussion was. Responses included things like "I didn't realize that most people don't see the sun set over the sea in the evenings" and "Shiraishi must be a beautiful place if Amy came all the way from America to live here." To learn more about the cultural and diversity taught at Fujimini Island, please click here. Even after Chavez's lessons had concluded, the school is continuing their project for promoting compassion by having the kindergarten students participate in the raising of animals such as rabbits and chickens. Each grade stretching from kindergarten all the way through elementary school has a garden which the children are in charge of growing and maintaining fruits and vegetables.
