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Today’s Shuffler: Momo Chang

Momo Chang was born in Taipei, Taiwan. At 8 ½ months of age, she was transported by plane to South Carolina, where she spent the next 10 years of her life. Her family was one of only a few Asian families at the time living in a small town. They would often make the 45-minute drive to another small town to stock up on Asian goods at a Korean-owned shop. She grew up eating buffets at Shoney’s, chicken nuggets at Chick-fil-A, and frozen yogurt at TCBY’s. After that, she and her family moved to Rowland Heights, a suburb of Los Angeles that boasts the most bubble tea shops per square mile. (She knows this only anecdotally, not based on empirical evidence).

Though she’s dabbled in many hobbies and careers – being a Gemini and all – her passion is writing. She currently lives in Oakland, CA and is a staff writer at the Oakland Tribune, where she covers Asian American communities. She is also a writer and contributing editor for Hyphen, an all volunteer run magazine that focuses on Asian American politics, arts and popular culture. From Vietnamese nail salon workers to Iu Mien urban farmers to young Filipino krumpers in Long Beach, she has covered a range of topics spanning Asian America. Prior to her career in journalism, she had a two-year stint as a public school teacher in Oakland, teaching English and Social Studies. She has had an even shorter career as a dog-walker/pet sitter and model.

These days, when she’s not interviewing people, scribbling on her notepad, and typing up stories, the self-described “hip mama” is busy taking care of her baby boy. She feels blessed that she can wake up each morning to his beautiful smile.

(Photo credit: Gregory Wells)

So then, on to the shuffle…

Let it Be
The Beatles
This song reminds me of being in labor. Papa T made a mix cd entitled “Labor of Love,” which, if I recall correctly, he put together the evening I went into labor in March of last year. It includes songs I thought would be soothing while in labor. I think this one came on right around the time I got the epidural, about 18 hours after I went into labor. It brings me right back to that moment in the Kaiser hospital room. I remember it felt like I was sinking into heaven. Though I wanted as natural a birth as possible, I have to say the epidural allowed me to rest my feet for ½ an hour, during which I was able to re-energize for the final stages of labor and giving birth! I just Wikipedia’d this song title and it says Paul McCartney wrote this after his mother appeared in one of his dreams and said those words to him. So there is a strong motherly connection in this song! Hearing it now brings me back to that incredible experience.

Slow, Fast, Wait & See
Loquat
The female lead singer of Loquat, Kylee Swenson, has one of the nicest, most soothing voices and this is a fact, not an opinion. Her voice has been compared to Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star (another one of my favorites) and Sarah Maclachlan. Nevermind that I can’t understand half of what she’s saying. I think the song is about being youthful, misunderstood and throwing bottles. One of the founding members, Earl Otsuka, is Japanese American, an extra bonus in my eyes. And the band is based in San Francisco. Someone by the name of DJ T-oh no! introduced me to their songs. I think he was trying to seduce me. It worked, I guess.

Lil’ Tookie
Taiyo Na
I play the Lil’ Tookie song over and over again. In the apartment, in the car, at my parents’ house. Haven’t heard of it? That is because it has not been released yet – it will be on his upcoming album, Love is Growth. The version we have right is an unmastered one, with an upbeat tempo that the real life Lil’ Tookie likes to clap his hands to. Tookie is the nickname we gave our baby in utero. Hearing it makes me happy because Tookie means hope and all that is good in the world, the ability to change and redeem oneself, and to change others for the better. “I believe in Lil’ Tookie/I believe in my lil’ darling.” It is about life and love. I won’t say much more because it hasn’t been released yet. But be on the lookout!

Tian Mi Mi
Theresa Teng (Deng Li Jun)
Ah, the ubiquitous songs of Theresa Teng. I think my parents grew up listening to her, and now some of her songs are used in recent films like Ghosts and China Blue. And if you are a Leon Lai or Maggie Cheung fan, then you’ve probably seen Comrades: Almost a Love Story. Actually, the real name of the Hong Kong flick is “Tian Mi Mi,” and of course this song is played throughout and Theresa Teng is sort of a part of the film. Teng died in her early 40s. Even if you have no idea who I’m talking about, I’ll bet you’ve heard her songs before. Though most of them folksy or love songs, there is a bittersweet quality to it, which is what draws me to her music. Using my rusty understanding of Chinese, I think this song is about a familiar face who’s appeared in her dreams. A sweet face of a sweet person who has a sweet smile.

What am I to You
Norah Jones
I enjoy all of Norah Jones’ songs mostly because of her voice and the way she sings. Very rhyme-y lyrics usually bug me, but not from Ms. Jones’ mouth. “What am I to you/Tell me darling true/To me you are the sea/Vast as you can be/And deep the shade of blue.” I like this song because it stays within a small range – she doesn’t sing too high nor too low. Which means I can sort of sing along to it. It makes me feel like a rock star! Or rather, a soultry jazz singer star (I wish!). Anyway, I have to admit, I love her twangy singing style that reminds me of country music, or what I think is country. Even when every café and restaurant in town was playing “Don’t Know Why” back in 2003, I could still listen to it and not be annoyed. Basically, there are many things about her and her songs (rhyme scheme, country music, being overplayed) that could bug me, but despite all these reasons she’s one of my favorite singers.

Last 5 posts by shuffled

• Shuffled! Adrian Tomine - May 15th, 2008
• Shuffled! Ed Lin - May 8th, 2008
• Shuffled! Catzie Vilayphonh - May 1st, 2008
• Shuffled! Danny "Dandiggity" Le - April 24th, 2008
• Shuffled! Goh Nakamura - April 17th, 2008

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