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| View from the Back |
The Haiyan typhoon relief fundraiser at Jasmine seafood
turned out to be a Lions club sponsored event. I am glad I went. Not only was
it a great cause that both devastates me and gives me the warm and fuzzes for
helping out, but the event was a strange, memorable experience.
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| Drinks did not come with donation |
The owner of Jasmine Seafood was a lion. He gave a huge
speech at the beginning of the event
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| Owner of the Resturant worked on spot lighting |
that I wished I heard more of. I
unfortunately, was sitting far off in the back corner surrounded by Louis
Vuitton-carrying-glass-clinking-socialites. It was a real shame because this
particular lion gave so much for this cause. The only thing I gave was Sixty
Bucks, but that is a lot for me as a young professional. They are going to use
the money from this fundraiser to rebuild villages in the Philippines. They
hoped to raise $10,000 for immediate rations and health supplies to send with
their lions to needy Filipinos by Christmas. Whatever money we donated, SDGE
matched, which was really nice of them. Just, so nice. I can’t believe how much
compassion there is in the world sometimes. It was like for once there was
money available for people without any strings attached. Sure, there was
probably a massive tax write off for this, especially with this event being at
the end of the year, but my god, to me, this kindness is the most pure.
That isn’t to say that the event was all selfless heartfelt
giving. There were a few politicians there to commiserate our empathy but also
to tell use they were running for office next year. Personally, I was amazed
that someone like me could end up at the same event as someone like that. You
know what I mean. How could I, the bleeding heart vegan, end up at the same
event as the bullshitty meticulously pressed suit guy. It made me feel awful. I
went there because of the tears I shed while reading the new york times about
the aftermath from the typhoon. I went there because I felt too cozy while m
people in the homeland suffered. But the politicians and the socialites made me
feel like my motivations were perhaps less pure. I started to doubt myself.
Maybe I was being bullshitty too. I mean, I am related to and personally know
phillippino who were affected by typhoon Yolanda. I could have sent money
directly to them. I could have been wiring money back home the whole time.
Instead, I wore a nice dress and went to a banquet.
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| Chinese Opera Singer |
Did I mention there was entertainment? A slight 20 year old
belted out the American National Anthem and 3 robust women cheerily chirped the
Filipino national anthem. That was followed by a parade of other singers both
good and bad, young and old. The standouts were a young Michael Buble
sound-a-like a replacement singer from the Fifth Generation, a Classically
trained Chinese opera singer, and an 84 year old women from Tacloban who won
the Filipino equivalent of American Idol some 8 times. The Fifth generation guy
killed it and I would pay to see that opera singer again.
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| These noodles had chicken in them and I accidentally ate some. I was nauseated for only a few hours. |
While my biggest complaint might have been the ritz of the
event, there was definitely some gaudy classlessness as well. After mostly
every singer, the insufferable bawdy and self conscious MC would charge us
envelopes full of money to hear the next song from that performer. He would
heckle use until people would reluctantly donate to the cause to save the
singer from the embarrassment of not being liked well enough to complete their
set. Being heckled does not make me feel good about donating. The annoying MC
coupled with some of the ball gown clad attendees created a strange event that
clearly struggled with tone. Sure, I had fun, and I gave money, which was my
goal. I just didn’t get the feeling I wanted to share with people: humble
devastation.
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| Chairs |