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asian avenuemagazine

Connecting CulturesLinking Lives

 January 2014Volume 9 Issue

NATHAN YIPFOUNDATION

FRANCAMPBELL

 gives a voice t

Colorado’s Asia

communit

RESTAURANT PEEK

Hiro Japanese Buffe

Chinese New Year Gala

raises money for children’s

education around the world

2014lunarnewyear

Year of the Horse

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Colorado HeightsUniversity

Colorado HeightsUniversity

Oering BA and MBA internaonal business degrees and

a bridge English program, Colorado Heights University

specializes in providing individualized aenon and care to

each student. Mulculturalism is 100% with students and

faculty originang from roughly sixty countries and speaking

over forty languages. Help through the visa applicaon

process is provided.

Tell your family back home!The perfect environment for U.S. study!

3001 S. Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80126www.chu.edu admissions@chu.edu 303-937-4225

Harry Budisidharta

Criminal Cases |  Domestic Violence |  DUI

(303) 377-3474

Tink Smart.

2012 Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Recipient  Awarded by the Arapahoe County Bar Association

& Asian Pacific American Bar Association

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staff & support Publisher & Founder: Christina Yutai Guo

President: Annie Guo

Production Manager: Peter Bui

Senior Designer: C.G. Yao

Designer: Jonathan Nguyen

Staff Writer: Patricia Kaowthumrong

Staff Writer: Mary Jeneverre Schultz

Staff Writer: Brenda VelasquezPhotographer: Trang Luong

Intern: Akemi Tsutsui

advisors groupPatty Coutts, Donna LaVigne, Nestor J. Mercado,

Sum C. Nguyen, Alok Sarwal, Peter Warren,

John Yee, Nai-Li Yee, George N. Yoshida 

contributing writersGil Asakawa, Son Huynh, Jamie Jennings,

Nathan Yip Foundation, Stephanie Tanny,

Harrison Tu, Padade M. Vue, M.D., Kong Xee Xiong 

contributing photographersJim Brecht, Franciz Photography:

Peejay Lumba and Laine Lumba, Daniel Huynh

on the coverLily Auyeung, Thao Ma, Linda Pham, Tina Li,

Chia Shie Lor, and Lana Tran perform a traditional

Vietnamese fan dance at the Tet Show at the

University of Colorado Boulder.

Photo by: Daniel Huynh

subscriptions To subscribe, e-mail marketing@asianavenuemag

azine.com. A one-year subscription is $25 for 12

issues, a two-year subscription is 40 for 24 issues.

Please make checks or money orders payable to

Asian Avenue magazine. For details about special

corporate or group rates, please call during business

hours: Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm. Shipping and

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most cost-effective way to reach consumers in

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com for our media kit and ad rates.

editorialTo submit story ideas, letters to the editor, or

listings for the Events Calendar, e-mail to editor@

asianavenuemagazine.com.

 Asian Avenue magazi ne (ISSN 1932-1449)reserves all copyrights to this issue. No parts of

this edition can be reproduced in any mannerwithout written permission. The views expressed

in articles are the authors’ and not necessarilythose of  Asian Avenue magazi ne. Authors may

have consulting or other business relationships

with the companies they discuss.

Published by Asian Avenue Magazine, Inc.P.O. Box 221748 Denver, CO 80222-1748

Tel: 303.937.6888 Fax: 303.750.8488www.asianavenuemagazine.com

 Asian Avenue magazine is in association with the

Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network.

Dear Asian Avenue readers,

Happy new year! Thank you for coming to our Red Carpet Affair New Year’s Eve Partyat Jing Restaurant. The new year celebrations have just begun, as lunar new year isright around the corner! 2014, the year of the horse, will begin on Friday, Jan. 31, 2014.

On Friday, Jan. 24, Asian Avenue magazine will be hosting our annual lunar new yearbanquet. Come enjoy a delicious Chinese dinner and a lion dance performance by Colo-rado Asian Cultural Heritage Center. Machinez Remainz and Denver Buddhist CulturalSociety will also perform a hip hop dance and kung fu demonstration, respectively. Thisis one of our largest events of the year and allows the Chinese and Vietnamese commu-

nity in Denver to celebrate their culture and traditions with new friends. See page 20 for more information. In

this issue, read about lunar new year traditions. Why wear red? What foods should be at the new year table?There are many superstitions in Asian cultures that make this a fun time of year.

Congratulations to Fran Campbell, who we highlight in our spotlight feature. This month, she will receive theMartin Luther King Jr. Business Social Responsibility Award to add to her many accolades. Fran has been anactive member of Colorado’s Asian and Filipino community for decades. In addition to working at the Jef-ferson Center for Mental Health, Fran has served on the Denver Asian Paciic American Commission for six

years - giving a voice to our Asian-American community. We are so lucky to have Fran in Denver!

Another congrats is in order for Sanakee Xiong, 2013-2014 Miss Hmong Colorado. A senior at Horizon HighSchool, Sanakee is already in the process of becoming a community leader. She is involved with numerousschool organizations and also a part of the Colorado Asian Paciic Youth Association. As Miss Hmong Colo-rado, she will have the opportunity to organize programs next year to further strengthen Colorado’s Hmongcommunity as well as spread education about Hmong culture.

Thank you to Stephanie Tanny with Colorado HealthOP for providing information about health insurance op-tions in this issue. Enrolling for a plan and using the health insurance exchange can be a daunting task. Read

Stephanie’s article that shares a new model for health insurance that might be what you’re looking for!

Lastly, kudos to Suey Park, a 23-year-old writer and organizer that started the hashtag #NotYourAsianSidekickon Twitter to jumpstart a conversation on Asian American feminism. Read Gil Asakawa’s perspective on Suey’spowerful work, using social media to ignite the ire in so many around the world who are ready to speak up.

Happy Year of the Horse!

Annie Guo, President Asian Avenue magazine

asian avenuemagazine

20  January 2014 | President’s Note2

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12 On the CoverHappy Lunar New Year! Enjoy the food and

traditional festivities of this time of year.

Contents  January 20146  Upcoming Events

Spotlight8  No question, Fran Campbell was born to be a

community leader and activist

Rising Star9  Ben Nguyen enjoys his three loves in life: dance,

music and brotherhood at CU Boulder

Inside Stories10  Aim High Chiropractic provides efficient care for

those injured in car accidents and much more!

11   The annual Nathan Yip Foundation Gala presents fascinating performances including a

contortionist and multicultural dance team

14 Chinese Zodiac Horoscopes

Features16 Illuminating Hmong culture is the goal of 2014

Miss Hmong Colorado Sanakee Xiong

18 Colorado HealthOP provides a new nonprofit  health insurance option for Coloradans

Restaurant Peek 21  All-you-can-eat, just can’t be beat! Visit the new sus  restaurant Hiro Japanese Buffet to eat for your

On Scene Mile-high area events22 Fundraiser Saklolo raises money for typhoon victi

23 Korean Government Energy Forum builds bridbetween Korea and Colorado

Student leaders on Auraria Campus recognized a

CASL Apprecation Dinner

24  Japanese Cultural Bazaar in Colorado Springs isof culture

Hmong community celebrates Hmong New Yea

25 Colorado Asian Basketball League finishes seas

National News26 #NotYourAsianSidekickhashtag kicks off

worldwide conversations about racist and sexist

Asian stereotypes

Chinese Idiom 28 Leaving Three Sides of the Net Open

218

20  January 2014 | Table of Contents4

12 16

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 January 2014 | Spotlight8

Patricia Kaowthumrong 

Asian Avenue magazine

Fran Campbell didn’t decide to join the Fili-

pino-American community, she was born into

it. The Denver native has been a volunteer, ad-

visor and leader in the Denver APIA commu-

nity for nearly 30 years.

“My parents have been members of the Fil-

ipino-American Colorado Community (FACC)since before I was born, so it’s always been

part of my life,” Campbell says. “The FACC is my

home—and my school. The skills that I use in

all my volunteer positions I learned at the FACC:

leadership, public speaking and volunteerism.

Campbell is senior clinical support at Jeffer-

son Center for Mental Health and serves on the

Cultural Competency Task force as APIA Com-

munity Liaison. She has served as commis-

sioner on the Denver Asian Paciic American

Commission for the past six years.

“I am ecstatically proud and privileged to

serve on this commission,” said Campbell, who

was appointed to the position by former Mayor

John Hickenlooper and the Denver City Coun-cil. “It has been such a great opportunity to

work with my fellow commissioners in build-

ing the APIA ‘voice’ in Denver – to really be a

bridge connecting city services with the APIA

community and to advocate for the issues that

affect us all.”

Although Campbell’s term on the Denver

Asian Paciic American Commission has ex-

pired, she was recently appointed to the Den-

ver Immigrant & Refugee Commission by May-

or Hancock and the Denver City Council.

“My fellow commissioners are from Asia, Af-

rica and Latin America and they all are so dedi-

cated to enriching the immigrant and refugee

experience,” Campbell says. “I can’t express

how invigorating it is to be at the table with

them!”

Campbell also has volunteered for the Fili-

pino Heritage Camp for 15 years and serves on

the Cultural Advisory Board of Heritage Camps

for Adoptive Families (HCAF). Campbell and

her daughter Taryn facilitate a program at10 Heritage Camps called “This is Me,” which

brings together middle school and high school

adoptees with members of the cultural com-

munity in a lively discussion of ethnic pride

and challenges.

“My experience with HCAF was a natural

progression for me and has been completely

rewarding,” she says. “I have two adopted

brothers and this is a way to honor their ex-

perience. Plus, I’m able to help others explore

their ethnic identity, and my whole family is

with me, and we’re in the mountains!”

It’s deinitely not dificult to pick up on

Campbell’s passion for Colorado’s Asian-Amer-

ican community.“Every time I drive home from a Commis-

sion meeting I’m smiling, and every time I pack

my car in the summer to get ready for Heritage

Camp I’m smiling, or every time I share a joke

or a meal with my FACC family, of course I’m

smiling… That’s what inspires me,” she says.

“All these amazing people who have touched

my life and make it fun, stimulating and mean-

ingful! I’m also inspired by all these wonderful

APIA youth and young adults!”

Other roles Campbell has served in the com-

munity include member of the Governor’s

Asian Advisory Council, member of the Agency

for Human Rights and Community Relations

Advisory Board, ex-ofico for FACC, and men-

tor for the CDBF Emerging Leaders Program

She was also recently elected FACC irst vice

president, a position she will serve for the next

two years.

In 2011, Campbell was awarded the Denver

Foundation Minoru Yasui Community Volun

teer Award. This month, she will receive theMartin Luther King Jr. Business Social Respon-

sibility Award.

Her accomplishments may seem endless

but Campbell says her greatest pride is with-

out a doubt her daughter Taryn and her son

Grifin.

“I invest everything I do and am in being

their mother, and it’s their accomplishments

as young adults that I’m most proud of,” Camp-

bell says.

In her free time, Campbell enjoys hiking

with her dog, Gus, and having delicious din-

ners with friends. She also likes playing Xbox

(a little too much), and going to the Colorado

Symphony Orchestra—all activities (besides

Xbox) she pursues with her best friend and

husband, Greg.

Fran Campbellspends three decades serving

Colorado’s communities:

Asian, Filipino-American, refugees andadoptive families and more! 

Youth Partnership for Health Presentation by

Fran Campbell and Taryn Campbell

Denver Asian Pacifc American Commission

and Mayor Hancock 

Heritage Camp for Adoptive Families

Cultural Advisory Board

It has been such a great

opportunity to work with my

fellow commissioners in building

the APIA ‘voice’ in Denver – to

really be a bridge connecting

city services with the APIA

community and to advocate

for the issues that affect us all.

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 January 2014 | Inside Story10

Ever since Dr. Conrad C. Bui opened Aim High Chiropractic in 1995,

the ofice has helped thousands feel better and improve their quality oflife. The staff loves the feeling of helping someone regain their health.For the staff, that is the best part of working at Aim High Chiropractic.

Dr. Bui saw the tremendous beneits of chiropractic when his

mom was involved in a car accident back in the 80′s. She soon de-veloped headaches and dizziness. It eventually became so severe thatshe had to quit her job. She went to many doctors to seek relief. Theonly thing that helped her was chiropractic care.

At that time, Dr. Bui was in the pre-med program at the Universityof Colorado and quickly switched over to become a chiropractor afterseeing his mom’s great results. Dr. Bui claims this is the “best decisionI ever made!”

 Dr. Bui believes in treating patients like family, and that’s why AimHigh Chiropractic wants you to feel at home from the moment youwalk through the doors. Their doctors and staff are polite, respectfuland caring.

From Aim High Chiropractic: “We are the best in delivering effec-tive and eficient care. We love to see auto injury patients because of

Dr. Bui’s experience with his mom. So often patients just do prescrip-tion drugs that cannot ix the problem.

Chiropractic works on realigning the spine and therefore gets toroot of the problem when it comes to car accident injuries. Of course,we also help with a myriad of conditions below.”

 

Services at Aim High Chiropractic

Chiropractic Care, Nutrition, Acupuncture, MedicalMassage, Rehab and Physical Therapy which includes

Exercise, Electrotherapy and Ultrasound. Althoughwe specialize in treating Car Accident Injuries, wecan help with a wide variety of conditions like AnkleSprains, Anxiety, Arthritis, Asthma, Back Pain, FailedBack Surgery, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Chest Pain,

Degenerative Arthritis, Disc Herniation, Fibromy-algia, Foot Pain, Fractures, Frozen Shoulders,Headaches, Hip Pain, Knee Pain, Leg Pain,

Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Numb-ness, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis,

Pinched Nerves, Pregnancy pain,Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rotator

Cuff Tears, Sciatica, Scolio-sis, Shin Splits, Stress RelatedProblems, Tendonitis, TennisElbow, TMJ Pain, Vertigo/Diz-ziness and Whiplash

Reasons to Choose Aim

High Chiropractic

Why make an appoint -ment with us now versus go-

ing to another chiropractor?

We have 11 reasons to be exact:1) Appointments offered six days

a week (morning, noon, afternoon andevenings).

2) Do you work? Do you have a fam-ily or hobbies? We understand yourlife does not (and should not) revolvearound a doctor’s appointment. Thisis why we are open six days a week tomake it easy for you. We offer appoint -

ments in the morning, noon, afternoons and evenings to it into yourbusy life!

3) Who enjoys waiting? We certainly do not. That’s why we prideourselves in having little to no wait times. Most patients are taken careof within ive minutes. Try to get that at any other doctor’s ofice!

4) We handle insurance paperwork. Car insurance? Group insur-ance? We eat this stuff for lunch. Don’t let the maze of insurance pa-perwork scare you. Come in, hand the information over, take a sigh ofrelief and let us take care of it all.

5) Very Affordable Payment Plans. No insurance? No problem. Ourofice has affordable payment plans that will work into any budget.We believe everyone should have the opportunity to live a happy, painfree life regardless of insurance.

6) Complimentary Spinal Checks for your family and friends. Doessomeone else in your life want to feel great? All our patients receivecertiicates to allow their family to be checked at no charge. We love toget you well and we love to help your love ones as well.

7) Massage roller table usage - Come in anytime between adjust -ments and use our massage tables.This free service is available to all

our patients. Pamper yourself with a roller-table massage and watchyour stress melt away... ahhh. Where else can you get a massage forfree anytime you need it?

8) No cost translation for Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese pa-tients. We love to help our community and provide caring translatorsto non English speaking patients FREE of charge.

9) Health workshops offered bi-monthly. Some patients wantmore than pain relief. They want to receive the latest cutting edge in -formation on natural health. Topics include weight loss, stress man-agement, wellness, exercise and natural pain reduction. We do thisbecause we care and we want our patients to be healthy.

10) Rehab, Massage, Nutrition and Acupuncture available. This isyour virtual buffet for natural health care. Not only do we offer qualityand effective chiropractic care, our ofice specializes in all natural mo-

dalities. Want a massage? Feeling the need for Eastern healing? Wantto clean up your diet and shed pounds? We are here to help you withthe latest in natural healing.

11) On site radiology lab. Some patients may need x-rays to fur -ther diagnose their conditions. If you are one of them, you are in luck!No more waiting around the ER or radiology ofice to get your x-rays.We do it in house quickly so you don’t have to make an extra trip.

Hear From a Patient 

“For many years, I have had trouble with my back and had to re -duce my activities. I started care at this ofice about 2 years ago andmy backs the best it has been in over 20 years! In fact, it has felt sogood that I started riding and racing motorcycles at the age of 52.

Last year, I rode 10-15 hours a week and I take my share of falls.However, with chiropractic care at 3-4 times a month, I have been ableto ride and race nearly pain-free. Because I felt so good, I have beenable to practice a lot resulting in a 3rd place last week against 28other competitors!” - Richard D. Denver, CO

Get Seen Today!

Call our ofice at 303-922-2977. If we have an open slot, we will seeyou today! No more waiting weeks to see a specialist. Ofice locations:

• 50 S. Federal Blvd. Denver, CO 80219• 1350 Chambers Rd. #104 Aurora, CO 80011• 2532 Sheridan Blvd. Lakewood, CO 80214Our ofices thrive on referrals. We must satisfy our patients to be-

come a referral-based practice. Come in and try us out, you will be hap-py you did. Visitwww.DenversChiropractic.com for more information.

Aim High Chiropractic provides the best in

health care for auto injuries and more!

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On Saturday, February 1, The Nathan Yip Foundation will celebrate its

12th annual Chinese New Year Gala with performances by the Cleo Parker

Robinson Dance Ensemble and a mind-bending 10-year-old contortionist,young Mongolian protegy, Undraa Battulga.

This, once-a-year gala, held to raise money for the work of the Nathan

Yip Foundation, will be held at the Marriott Denver Tech Center, 4900

South Syracuse Street. Beginning at 5 p.m., guests will be treated to Chi-

nese New Year fare, including the “good luck” salmon salad and further

entertained by the magniicent Shaolin Hung Mei Traditional Chinese Lion

Dancers. Silent and live auctions will round out the evening’s events.

Honorary chairs for the 2014 gala are Denver community leaders, Diana

and Paul Dockor. Event chairs are Paul Mesard and Margaret Berzins. Anne

Trujillo, anchor for Denver 7News, will be master of ceremonies. It will be

Trujillo’s 12th year as the M.C. of this event.

This year’s “Red Envelope” rafle will beneit Denver Tech For All, a local

Denver organization founded by an extra-ordinary woman, Rose Keating,

that works to give every family the means to become skilled and compe-

tent in computer use.

 About the Nathan Yip Foundation

Denver residents Jimmy and Linda Yip founded the Nathan Yip Founda-

tion in 2002, after they tragically lost their only child, Nathan, in an auto-

mobile accident. Nathan, 19 years old, was a freshman at Lehigh Univer-

sity in Pennsylvania.

Since Nathan’s death, the Yips have built a Foundation in his name to

provide educational access, empowerment and ongoing support to vulner-

able youth throughout the world, giving them the tools to become pro-

ductive, contributing citizens within their communities. Today, Nathan’s

legacy lives on through the many projects funded by the Foundation in his

name.

Since inception, the Nathan Yip Foundation has provided support for

children in Colorado and around the world. From the mountainous vil-lages of China, to rural Mexico and Africa, to its home state of Colorado,

the Nathan Yip Foundation has been making a difference in the lives of

children. In China, the Foundation built, funds, and continuously supports

seven schools, two orphanages and recently built a dormitory and cafete-

ria. The Foundation also built a dormitory in Loreto, Baja Mexico, and sup-

ports an orphanage in Juarez, Mexico, as well as other educational projects

throughout Africa including a Nathan Yip classroom at the Kibera School

for Girls, the irst free school for girls in Africa’s largest slum. The Founda-

tion is committed to donating 100% of the funds raised to their projects.

In Colorado, the foundation has provided support for Project Pave, Den-

ver Center for International Studies, Colorado Heritage Camps for Adoptive

Families,Asian Paciic Development Center, Summer Scholars, Escuela de

Guadalupe,Colorado Uplift’s My Book Foundation and Colorado Book Trust.

NATHAN YIP

FOUNDATION

12th ANNUAL CHINESE

NEW YEAR GALA

will be a mind-bending experience

Entertainment includes:

Cleo Parker Dance Ensemble

and

10-Year-Old Mongolian

Contortionist Prodigy

NOT TO BE MISSED

12th Annual

Nathan Yip Foundation

Chinese New Year Gala - YEAR OF THE HORSE

Saturday, February 1, 2014, 5 p.m.Denver Marriott Tech Center

4900 S. Syracuse Street

Denver, CO 80237

Lion Dancers, Silent and Live Auctions, Dinner

Emcee: Anne Trujillo, KMGH 7News

Entertainment:

“Celebration of Children,” featuring:

• Mind-bending ten-year-old contortionist Sandy

Battulga accompanied by her sister Uyanga,

playing violin

• Cleo Parker Robinson’s talented multicultural

Dance Ensemble

Tickets: $195

More info: 303-817-8400

 www.nathanyipfoundation.org/events

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 January 2014 | Cover Story12

The year of the horse, 2014, will begin on January 31, 2014. This

day is lunar new year, which marks the start of the new lunar cycle

and is called the Spring Festival in China. The lunar new year is not

only celebrated in China, but many countries across the world,

as well as Chinatowns throughout the United States. In Denver,

many cultural shows, lion dances and banquet dinners invite the

public to join in on the celebration.

How is Lunar New Year celebrated?

Chinese New Year is the most important and longest of all Chi-

nese festivals. Traditional activities include:

• Making oerings to household deities.• Wearing new clothes, particularly in red.• Hosting a large banquet for family and friends. Often, the eve-

ning preceding New Year’s Day is an occasion for families to

gather for the annual reunion dinner.

• Taking part in lion and dragon dances, as well as festive pa-rades featuring acrobatic demonstrations, beating gongs,

and clashing cymbals.

• Giving “lucky money” to children in red envelopes.

• Opening household doors to let good luck enter on ChineseNew Year.

• Cleaning the house before New Year’s Day. All cleaning sup-plies are put away on New Year’s Eve because cleaning on

New Year’s Day could sweep away all good fortunes.

• Chinese New Year may also include a lantern festival, wherepeople hang decorated lanterns in temples and carry lanterns

to an evening parade.

 

Celebrated around the world

Chinese New Year is a public holiday in China, which lasts for 15

days. The 15th day marks the rst full moon after the Spring Festi-val and of the New Year, also known as the Lantern Festival day.

It is also a public holiday in countries such as Brunei, Indonesia,

Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam. In

Vietnamese culture, Lunar New Year (Tết) also marks the arrival ofspring. Tết can be divided into three periods, representing the prep-aration before Tết, the eve of Tết, and the days of and following Tếtwith customs performed for each period.

Seol-nal, also known as Korean New Year, lasts three days.

Losar, the Tibetan New Year, lasts for two weeks, and the maincelebration is three days, celebrated in both Nepal and India.

Lunar new year is not a public holiday in countries such as Aus-

tralia, Canada, the United Kingdom or the United States. How-

ever, some businesses may close early and some streets may be

closed for a short while to allow for festival parades to take place.

The Story of the Chinese Zodiac

Chinese New Year, which is the rst day of the rst month, inthe Chinese calendar is assigned to an animal. According to one

belief, Buddha promised gifts to all animals that would pay him

homage. Only 12 animals came to honor Buddha so, to favor these

12 animals, each one was given one of the 12 years of the Chinese

zodiac. People born during one of the animal’s years are said toinherit distinctive characteristics of that animal. The signs repeat

every 12 years. See what animal you are and read your 2014 zodiac

horoscope on the following page.

Symbols

Chinese New Year has various symbols and traditions. For exam-

ple, owers are an important part of New Year decorations. Twoowers that are often associated with Chinese New Year are theplum blossom (courage and hope) and the water narcissus (goodluck and fortune).

Writings that refer to good luck are often seen in homes and busi-

ness environments. They are usually written by brush on a diamond-

Ready to celebrate the LunarNew Year with cultural traditions

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Lunar New Year | asian avenue magazine  

shaped piece of red paper. Windows and doors are also decoratedwith red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of“good fortune” or “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity.”

Red envelopes with money symbolize happiness, good luck,success and good fortune. The color red is also used on these en-velopes to ward o evil spirits. These envelopes are mainly givenas presents to children.

Red is a big color for the Lunar New Year; it represents joy andhappiness, while black and white represent mourning and sadness.

What about orange? Well, the fruit. While everyone knows orang-es are loaded with vitamins and nutrients, they can also be the keyto good fortune. Exchanging and eating oranges during the LunarNew Year is a common custom, as they symbolize wealth, healthand prosperity.

Eating food that looks like money during New Year’s celebra-tions is considered good luck, such as dumplings (jiaozi). During

New Year celebrations, jiaozi are called yuanbao, a reference tothe ancient, ingot-shaped Chinese currency. Eating them is saidto bring prosperity. While making them, families sometimes tuckgood-luck foods like peanuts (to bring long life) into some of them.

Another representation of long life are noodles. Eating longnoodles during the new year represent longevity.

Dishes are often paired with pork because pigs are consideredforward-moving animals. Eating pork can help you move forward.Eating whole sh may also bring abundance in the new year, sincethe Chinese word for sh sounds like abundance. But it is impor -tant that the sh is served with the head and tail intact, to ensurea good start and nish, and to avoid bad luck throughout the year.

Pay respects

A big aspect of the Lunar New Year is to honor ancestors, whoare essentially the foundation of one’s existence. Families tend togather at the home of elders. Oerings are made and incense areburned for ancestors who have passed away.

During Tết, Vietnamese families visit their passed relatives at cem-eteries and temples. They clean the tombs to provide a deceasedfamily member with continuous happiness and well-being in the af-terlife. It is a way of continuing to show respect toward them, and itreinforces the unity of family and lineage.

In the Korean culture, children perform a traditional bow totheir elders, wishing them great prosperity in the upcoming year.

Ward away evil and bad luck

Dragon and lion dancing was traditionally used to chase awaybad spirits and bring good luck to communities. Dragon and lion

dancing are believed to bring peace, good prosperity, good luck,health and happiness to all. The dragon, lion, turtle, phoenix, andcarp are the ve lucky animals in Asian culture.

The Thai New Year or “Songkran” is celebrated April 13-15; peoplethrow water on one another to wash away bad luck and cleanseBuddha statues and images. The celebration is much like a three-day water ght, where the cleansing customs are considered funand games in many areas. Cleansing rituals are actually performedall over the world; masses of people gather to plunge into bodies ofwater to wash away the bad luck of the previous year.

Firecrackers, which were rst developed by the Chinese, are ru -mored to have rst been lit to ward o evil spirits, who despiseloud noises. Plastic recrackers are sold for the Lunar New Year to

hang around the home for the same purpose.Whether you choose to sweep away your bad luck or change

your wardrobe to only red attire, remember that most importantly,the new year is an opportunity to start anew.

How to Maximize the Lunar New Year in Denver

1. Chinese restaurants, especially those located on Federal Blvd.,will not accept reservations. It will be rst come, rst served dur-ing the lunar new year weekend. Be prepared to wait a long timefor customer and food service. It is not a time to eat and run, butto enjoy the special

2. Community centers, Chinese organizations, and Chinese lan-guage schools will provide day-long and weekend celebrationsthroughout the metro area. There will be lion dance performancesfree for the general public.

3. Check out student organizations on college campuses. Asian/Asian-American organizations will showcase dances and culturalevents for Lunar New Year. CU Boulder and CU Denver have an -nounced their annual Tết show will be on February 15.

 Asian Avenue magazine wishes you a happy new year with good

luck, great health and wonderful prosperity! We invite you to join us

to celebrate on Friday, Jan. 24 at Kings Land Chinese Seafood in Den-

ver for our annual banquet dinner. See page 20 for more information

or visit www.asianavenuemagazine.com/horse.

Photos by Daniel Huynh

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 2014 Chinese ZodiacWhat’s your Chinese zodiac animal? There are 12 animals that represent the ro

Horse1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014

Goat/Sheep

The Year of the Horse creates great luck in all sectors of

your life. Here’s the trick to making the most out of this time:

let your hair down. Be more adventurous than normal.Career: You’re creative, you’re innovative and you’re

a leader (really). So ramp things up at work! Go after a

promotion. Demand that raise. Even better, get out thereand start your own company.

Money: You’re rolling in the dough this year. Even if you don’t win the lottery, just bein

nancially stable does wonders for your self-esteem and sense of security. You should

enough disposable income to upgrade your wardrobe, buy a new car or move into a nic

Love: Let things happen naturally. The more exible and open your attitude is, theHealth: As always, listen to your intuition. You already know when it’s time to rest, pla

tables, take your vitamins and sleep in more often.

1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003

 January 2014 | Cover Story14

1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 

 After two years lled with obstacles, your time to shine has co

is the perfect time to implement changes for the better. This ye

about adventure and evolution.

Career: Your career is on re this year. It’s not an exaggerat

that you’re nearly unstoppable. You can tackle lots of projects

lose focus. The sky is the limit, and so is your imagination.

Money: Money comes rushing into your life this year . The sourow is most likely coming from a simple but potent talent you pos

ability to make things happen. Spend a little, save a lot and use the rest to fund your ne

Love: If you’re itching to take the next step in your life as a couple, all signs point

This year, love is lled with excitement. So don’t shy away from your inner pizzazz.

Health: Staying t is at the top of your priority list. Tackle health goals with a new gustFinding ways to integrate exercise into your daily routine keeps you mentally and physi

Tiger RabbitOverall, you come out ahead this year, especially if you learn how

to operate outside of your comfort zone. The trick is to know

yourself and stick to your own pace.

Career: Sometimes it’s good to bite off more than you can

chew. Yes, this means lots of things will be out of your control,

but you might want to take that risk, if only to see what could happen.

Money: Step up and lead the team. Break tradition. And try not to care somuch about cash ow. If you follow your passion, the money will be there. If you run

low, you’ll make more. Making money is all about harnessing the entrepreneurial spirit this year.

Love: Loosen up those rigid and strict rules about love and you’ll enjoy yourself a lot more

Remember that romance is great, but a true, lasting partnership is always built on friendship.

Health: Be careful in the rst few months of the year to avoid burnout. This year requiresstamina. Be proactive about making sure you’re eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep.

1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011

Dragon1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 

You and the Year of the Horse make beautiful music together. Get out

there and make your dreams happen. Yes, it’s okay to take some risks.

Keep your eyes and ears open. Opportunities could come in bunches.

Career: At work, buckle down in order to prove to the bosses that you’re

ready to make a big move. You might feel pulled in several different

directions, but the best course of action is the one that will allow you tofollow your bliss.

Money: Look for opportunities to partner up in business ventures with people who are just as

passionate as you are. But be careful not to get swept away. A wrong move could cost a lot.

Love: Passion may be your middle name, but you may not have met your match, until now.

But there might be a few bumps along the way. Get ready to commit or quit.

Health: Slowing down can be a good thing, but you may not be willing to heed that

advice. In fact, you might just thrive in this fast-paced atmosphere.

There’ll be opportunities. There’ll be challenges. Learn how to tell

one from the other. You’re good at reading people and situations,and this year is when you want to put those skills to work.

Career: You’re the type that tends to take the safe route. But

now is the time to learn the true meaning of ‘going after what

you want’. Know this: you’re capable, you’re worthy and you can

do it. Don’t over-analyze. Trust your instincts.Money: I’s more about making practical advances and being smart with your cash, not going

big or risking your life savings in some wild investment.

Love: In your romantic life, there have probably been people who didn’t quite understand how to

truly connect with you. This year, it’s good to lighten up just a tad. Focus on friendship, fun and the

practical matters of love rather than trying to forge a soul-shaking connection.

Health: Be sensible and smart. Do what you can to stay in tip-top shape.

Snake1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013

Te Year of 2014 is the Year of the Horse, which begins on JaChinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs. In Chinethe Horse 2014 promises a lot of new things, not least of allto energize all the positive attributes of the Horse Year is to d

strongly and those which evoke positive energie

This is your year, 2014, and lots of good is hidden in this year.

Keep your stamina up if you’re going after a long-desired goal.

Career: Learn how to hone in on what you really want, andthen draw up a practical plan about the steps it will take to

get there. While you should denitely follow your passion, you

need to have a path and a plan already in mind.Money: Take daily action toward increasing your wealth,

knowing that you can trust your intuition.

Love: It’s a good idea to stay put in your love life this year. One day you might feel like

you’re wildly in love, and the next you’re ready to jump ship. Don’t act until you’re sure.

Health: You’ll have energy to spare this year if you follow all the sensible protocols: eat yourvegetables, take your vitamins and sleep in more often. This way, you can sidestep colds, us and

respiratory problems. Even tough Horses need to go to the doctor now and then.

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The Year of the Horse year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The 2014 new year will begin on January 31.

this year to learn more about yourself and your behaviorhow you can help create change for the better.

reer: Keep and improve upon the momentum you alreadye by learning to deal with setbacks. In fact, don’t view

m as setbacks, see them as lessons that prepare you for

eving even bigger goals.

ney: You have a knack for making money, and your hands will

ull this year. Horse energy supports your entrepreneurial spiritproblem-solving ability, but you may need help making nancial decisions.

ve: Be upfront about expectations, both yours and the other person’s. And while self-reliance

good trait, if you really want love, try letting someone into your life. It’s the only way.

alth: Your health is a priority this year. Avoid burnout and exhaustion at all costs. In the true

t of the Year of the Horse, stay active.

onkey0, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 

 A positive, yet realistic outlook is the key to making the mostof this year. You’ll have some good opportunities and some

challenging situations.

Career: It’s true that work may not be wildly fullling this

year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make signicant

progress. Take some risks, when the timing is right.

Money: Keep a closer watch on your nances, especially

since this year’s energy tends to encourage careless spendingand lowered inhibitions.

Love: While things can be easygoing when it comes to love, they can also get rocky if you aren’t

careful about your perfectionist tendencies. Lighten up a little and your partner will see just how

wonderful your stable and safe presence can be.

Health: This is not the year to take unnecessary chances with your health. Stick with the basics.

Rooster/Chicken

Dog1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 

You’ve hit the jackpot with 12 out of 12 favorable months! There’ll

be opportunities every month. Expect good stuff to happen. Aboveall, be open to possibilities.

Career: The sky’s the limit, and nowhere is this more true than in

your career. Whatever you set your mind to you can achieve.

Money: Luck is on your side when it comes to big nancial goals. It

really is time to trust your intuition when it comes to property, businessventures, career moves and loaning or borrowing money.

Love: You’ll probably nd that the loyalty and love you’ve been looking for in a partner has

been right under your nose all along.

Health: Test your physical boundaries by picking up a new sport or hobby. But make sure that

you’re taking good care of yourself, dealing with stressappropriately and getting enough sleep.

Chinese Zodiac | asian avenue magazine  

This year is a great time to think ‘slow and steady.’ In

general, sidestep risks in favor of strategic decision-

making. Move ahead when good opportunities present

themselves, but cautiously.

Career: Embrace the opportunity to merge your true

passions with your work. Developing a sense of poise and

dence is also key to your success this year. If you want something, speak up and ask for it.ney: Financially, you can shine, especially if you make smart, well-calculated moves.

dom, unexpected expenses could require you to shell out some cash.

ve: One thing about this year: romance won’t be boring! A little turbulence can be fun if you’re

to let go and realize that being exible in love might actually make you a happier person.

alth: Don’t take your well-being for granted! Think about adopting better eating habits at theof the year. There’s never been a better time.

1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009Ox/Cow

Pig1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 

This year is denitely an improvement over last. So let yourself

have fun and enjoy any excitement that comes your way.

Career: You’re down-to-earth, agreeable and hard-working. This

year, you can reach unexpected pinnacles of fortune and success,

so start having bigger dreams.

Money: The Year of the Horse invites you to push beyond theboundaries of what you thought was possible, so think better and act

bigger. And along the way, be smart about your money. You’re already good at that.

Love: It’s time to breathe a big sigh of relief and lower your dukes. Any conict you experienced in

your love life should be at an end. While things may not be perfect, you’re in a much better place.

Being a little more outgoing and spending more time playing helps you feel relaxed and approachableHealth: Pick yourself up and dust yourself off from last year. Right now is a time of cleansing,

recalibrating your energy and rening your health habits until they’re squeaky-clean.

RatRats are independent and like to do things their way. Usually, that

gets you what you want. The Year of the Horse asks you to be

more exible and adapt your style to changing circumstances.

Career: This is the year to take a few well-calculated risks rather

than acting on impulse. Stay in the planning phase and think aboutlong-term strategy. The good news is that your ideas will almost certainly

be brilliant.

Money: Let go of the money-ego thing and learn to live in the moment. Money

can’t buy happiness, so be sure to take that lesson to heart.

Love: This year emphasizes change and the thrill of the chase, but you tend to do better in solidpartnerships. That means there may be moments when you really aren’t sure what you want.

Health: Drink more water. Eat clean, healthy foods. It sounds simple, but small tweaks to your

daily behavior will go a long way. You’ll have to nd the balance between work, play and rest.

1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 

, and ends on February 18, 2015. Te Horse is the seventh sign of theHorse is a symbol of nobility, class, speed and perseverance. Te Year oftement and romance for those who are looking. One of the best waysl horse images in the home. Pick those which resonate with you mostin you, and invite the excellent energies into your home.

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 January 2014 | Feature16

Being Miss Hmong Colorado means much more than holding a title, it

represents an opportunity to spread education about the Hmong culture.

That is what Sanakee Xiong, the 2013-2014 Miss Hmong Colorado believes.

“To me, it is a way to help those who really need it. Being Miss HmongColorado, is another way of making sure our culture continues to thrive

and never gets left behind.”

Xiong, a senior at Horizon High School, was crowned on December 1 at

the annual Colorado Hmong New Year Celebration at the Adams County

Fairground in Brighton, Colo. The youngest participant in this year’s Miss

Hmong Colorado Pageant, she competed against

fve other Hmong women as each shared a talent,

answered questions on-stage in both the Hmong

and English language, and dressed in formal attire

and traditional Hmong attire.

The women were judged on their ability to repre-

sent the Hmong community and organize activities

that would spread education about Hmong culture.

For her talent, Xiong played thehulusi

  alsoknown as the gourd ute. She frst heard the instru-

ment at the age of 12 when her aunt played it for her uncle when they were

getting married. “I fell in love with it instantly,” she said. “I’ve been playing

the hulusi at the Hmong New Year and other events since I was 12.”

Her talent, poise on stage, and leadership stood out to the judges as she

scored the highest all around. This was a great accomplishment for Xiong,

since she grew up being very shy.

“In elementary school I was the shyest and quietest child you would

ever meet. I never answered questions in class and when it came to recess

I played hopscotch with one or two friends.”

But this changed in middle school, when Xiong began participating in lead-

ership camps and student council which boosted her confdence.

She said, “I never thought I could speak in front of large crowds com-

fortably but now there’s no where else I’d rather be.”In high school, she joined clubs such as Choir, Community Service Club,

LINK Crew, Leadership, and Colorado Asian Pacifc Youth Association.

“I feel like with all of this, I’ve developed into a strong leader, though of

course I will always need improvement. I hope to gather everything I’ve

learned from my experiences in order to help as many people as I can as

Miss Hmong Colorado.”

Xiong comes from a large family with so many cousins that some she hasyet to meet. Both of her parents are from small villages in Laos and came to

America when they were very young.

“After having me, my parents had my sister and two brothers so I

learned to take responsibility at an early age,” she said. “Learning this skill

helped me a lot in school when I took on many after school clubs, academ-

ics, and even created Horizon High School’s Green

and Clean Environmental Club. I love to help out

in my community, and I tend to go to extremes to

meet my goals.”

She feels her family is an intangible value that is

so close to her heart.

While the Hmong people have a small commu-

nity in Colorado, Xiong believes the Hmong people

provide each other so much support.“What I really love about my culture is that even

when times are rough, we all pull together to make sure no one gets left

behind. It’s a great feeling to see this in my very own culture.”

To Xiong, the best part of participating in the Hmong Colorado Pageant

was the sisterhood formed between all of the candidates. “Lucy Lee, Beth-

any Xiong, Pahoua Thao, Ashley Vue, and Amanda Cha were so wonderful

to be with.”

Being the youngest, the other contestants were like big sisters Xiong

has never had. “From our late night dance practices to getting our nails

done, these ladies have taught me what true friendship is. Even after this

competition, we still talk and hang out on a regular basis. They honestly are

some of the best friends I could have ever asked for.”

As Xiong prepares to organize programs for next year, she looks forward

to meeting new people and listening to recommendations from the com-munity. “I’m very friendly and open to conversation, so I’d love to make new

friends and hear suggestions! There is a lot of work ahead of me so I hope

others will join me on my journey.”

What I really love about my

culture is that even when

times are rough, we all pull

together to make sure no

one gets left behind.

Sanakee Xiong crowned Miss Hmong Colorado

By Annie Guo | Asian Avenue magazine

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Miss Hmong Colorado Pageant | asian avenue magazine

Golden Shanghai  Asian Restaurant ● The Best Chinese Restaurant by

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the 1430 KEZW Restaurant Show 

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1412 S. Parker Rd. A-134 Denver, CO 80231(303) 743-7666 (303)743-9079 (303)743-8210

Mai Choua Lee took the stage at the Colorado

Hmong New Year Celebration on December 1 to

reect on her two years as Miss Hmong Colorado

and give her farewell.

She shares, “What was most rewarding about

being the rst Miss Hmong Colorado was that I

was able to help the Hmong community in ways I

never thought I could.”

“When I was rst crowned in 2011, the only

thing I could think of to help the Hmong commu-

nity was to host a fundraising event, but in the

end, I ended doing so much more such as putting

together a Hmong Idol competition, putting to-

gether a Hmong classroom to teach the Hmong

youth how to read and write in Hmong, along withlearning about the Hmong culture as well.”

Lee also assisted the 2013-2014 New Year Com-

mittee in organizing the Singing and Dance Com-

petition for this year’s New Year Celebration.

While the Miss Hmong Colorado title is for one

year, Lee served two years since a pageant was

not hosted in 2012. From her two-year experience,

she has learned that being Miss Hmong Colorado

2011-2013

Miss HmongColorado

bids farewell

is not an easy task. She said there were days that

she wanted to give up, but then she would re-

member all of the people who supported and

believed in her.

“The feeling of wanting to do your best over -

comes that feeling of giving up.”

She shares, in the words of Harvey Mackay,

“No one said it’d be easy, they just promised it’d

be worth it.” And for Lee, in the end, all of the

hard work was worth it.

With the crowning of Sanakee Xiong, the newMiss Hmong Colorado, Lee looks forward to see-

ing how Xiong will bring together the Hmong

community.

Lee will serve as a guide and mentor for Xiong

in the new year. “Because the Miss Hmong Colora-

do Pageant is still so new to the Colorado Hmong

community, I plan to still be a part of the commit-

tee and help out in any way that I am needed.”

She hopes that Xiong will not only grow the

Hmong community, but also grow herself.

“For me, my Hmong language was not great

at the time I was crowned, but throughout the

years volunteering and assisting the Hmong com-

munity, my Hmong language has gotten better.”Lee hopes to help Xiong with this area be-

cause “communication is key, especially with the

elders.” She also plans to encourage more mem-

bers of the Hmong community to get involved

and participate in more events.

Lee is a Business and Communications student

at the University of Colorado Denver and antici-

pates to graduate Spring 2015.

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 January 2014 | Feature18

Most Americans will be required by law

to have health insurance in 2014. In Colo-

rado, health insurance shoppers have a new

option for their health insurance coverage:

Colorado HealthOP, Colorado’s irst state-

wide nonproit health insurance coopera-

tive (CO-OP).

 A New Model for Health Insurance

With a board of directors and execu-

tive team that have more than 330 years of

combined healthcare experience, Colorado

HealthOP knows what it takes to build a new

alternative to traditional health insurance—

one that is focused on people, not proits.

As a CO-OP, Colorado HealthOP is a health

insurance company that gives its members a

stronger voice in their healthcare. Members

sit on and vote for the board of directors —

inluencing everything from what beneits

are covered to how proits are reinvested.

The organization also strives to decrease

healthcare costs for its members by paying

for quality medical care as eficiently as pos-

sible and rewarding members for healthy

behaviors — because healthier members

mean lower healthcare costs for everyone.

The CO-OP model has been successfully

used in other industries — including food,

grain and electricity — and has the potential

to improve the delivery of health care and

provide more affordable coverage options

for certain hard to reach populations such

as independent workers, sole proprietor-

ships, individuals living in rural or migrant

communities, undocumented immigrantsand others.*

Educating Coloradans About Healthcare

Since the Asian American community has

the highest proportion of foreign-born indi-

viduals among all racial groups, many in our

community have “mixed status” households

where one or more members have an immi-

gration status that differs from other mem-

bers of the family. This can complicate the

enrollment process.*

Colorado HealthOP is educating the com-

munity on these issues at events and presen-

tations across the state to ensure membershave the coverage that works for them. To

get involved or request a Colorado HealthOP

speaker at your event, contact Outreach@

COHealthOP.org.

Colorado HealthOP also aims to improve

the health of all Coloradans by offering a

free pharmacy discount card (on right) that

can be used at pharmacies nationwide.

Learn More

Coloradans can purchase a Colorado

HealthOP plan through Connect for Health

Colorado, the state’s health insurance mar-

ketplace (www.connectforhealthco.org), at855-697-1652, or through a statewide net-

work of insurance brokers.

To learn more about Colorado HealthOP’s

coverage options, call 855-697-1652 or visit

www.COHealthOP.org .

Stephanie Tanny (pictured below) is a

Community Outreach Organizer for Colorado

HealthOP. Contact Stephanie at Outreach@

COHealthOP.org.

Colorado HealthOP:New Nonprofit Health Insurance Option for Coloradans

Stephanie Tanny 

Community Outreach, Colorado HealthOP

Health Care Coverage by Ethnicity 

Pharmacy discount cards are available for download at

www.cohealthop.org/our-plans-prescription-card 

8/13/2019 Aam Jan2014

21/32

Colorado HealthOP | asian avenue magazine

Most Americans will be

required by law to have

health insurance in 2014]• By 2016, 2.0 million AAPIs who would otherwise be uninsured

will gain or be eligible for coverage.*

• Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s health insurance

marketplace (www.connectforhealthco.com), allows you to

more easily compare and shop and for health insurance, which

is required  for most people starting in 2014. (Note: Connect

for Health Colorado is independent from Healthcare.gov, the

national health insurance marketplace used by other states.)

• Tax credits are available to help pay for health insurance. About

10% of AAPIs are likely to beneit from these tax credits*, which

are only available in Colorado when you purchase a plan on

Connect for Health Colorado.• Assistance sites (such as the Asian Paciic Development Center,

Colorado Alliance for Health Equity and Practice, and Denver

Human Services) are available in various languages to help

navigate the insurance options. Colorado HealthOP also has

language assistance available for those interested in our plans.

• The small business marketplace and new small business tax

credits will provide relief for more than 1.5 million Asian

American, Native Hawaiian or Paciic Islander-owned businesses

in the U.S.* Visit www.connectforhealthco.com to learn more.

• Medicaid has been expanded to 133% of the poverty level,

which will help nearly 1 in 10 Asian American adults (1 in 5

Bangladeshis; 1 in 6 Hmong).*

• Young adults are now eligible to remain covered under their

parents’ health plan until age 26, which helps 97,000 young

AAPI adults who were previously uninsured.*

• Insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to people

with pre-existing conditions, including asthma, diabetes orhypertension, which affect 3 in 10 Asian Americans.*

• Free preventative care has been expanded, which helps 2.7

million AAPIs with private insurance.*

• 867,000 AAPI beneiciaries in Medicare have access to a

stronger Medicare program.*

[How the Afordable Care Act Helps Asian American and Pacic Islanders (AAPIs)

*Condensed and reprinted with permission from the Asian & Paciic Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF). Additional written permission is required for any other reproduction

or future use of this material. Please contact: Asian & Paciic Islander American Health Forum, 450 Sutter Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94618 or atitong@apiahf.org.

8/13/2019 Aam Jan2014

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8/13/2019 Aam Jan2014

23/32Restaurant Peek | asian avenue magazine  

Peter Bui

Asian Avenue magazine

Hiro Japanese Buffet

2797 South Parker Road | Aurora, CO 80014Tel: 303-873-9999

Mon - Fri: 11:00am - 3:00pm | 4:30pm - 9:30pm

Sat - Sun: 11:30am - 9:30pm

Lunch Buffet $8.99Mon - Fri: 11:00am - 3:00pm

Kids 3-10 70¢ per year | Children under 3 Free

Dinner Buffet $13.99Mon - Thur: 4:30pm - 9:30pm

Kids 3-10 95¢ per year | Children under 3 Free

Friday & Saturday Dinner $14.993:30pm - 9:30pm

Sunday & Holidays All Day $14.9911:30am - 9:30pm

Carry Out BuffetRegular $4.99/lb | Seafood $7.99/lb

Sushi 50¢/each | Seafood $1.00/each

all-you-can-eat buffet

For many Americans, childhood memories of

eating out usually include all-you-can-eat buffets.

When you think about it, it’s a no brainer. Why not

enjoy large selections of dishes for all different

kinds of palates? The prices are also relatively

inexpensive, especially for kids, which offers the

best bang for your buck. Plus, if you have a good

buffet, like Hiro Japanese Buffet, that also offers a

large variety of fresh sushi, what a steal.

Opened in early December of 2013, Hiro has

been drawing in families and the hungry alike

with their reasonable all-you-can-eat prices

and their great food. With more than 13 years

of restaurant experience, the owner has put

together a kitchen of 12 chefs that cook around

the clock to keep up with the appetites and the

constantly changing menu.

The Aurora restaurant offers a large selection

of Asian dishes that vary in cuisines and origins.

Some of the more notable options are the

flavorful Salt and Pepper Shrimp and the tender

Chinese Barbecue Spare Ribs.

Hiro provides patrons with many seafood

options like oysters on the half shell and chilled

crab legs. For hot served seafood, they offer

cajun-style crawfish, fried calamari and baked

muscles, to name a few.

The real star of the buffet is the sushi, of course.

During dinner service, four sushi chefs are on hand

to keep up with hungry patrons. The chefs provide

a constant flow of nigiri such as salmon, tuna, and

octopus. They are also busy making Caterpillar

Rolls, Philadelphia Rolls, Spider Rolls and other

well-known rolls. The Special House Roll is made

with salmon, cream cheese, avocado, crabmeat

and topped with mayo.

Hiro can hold up to 200 patrons and can

accommodate private parties. Not only are there

more than a hundred dishes to choose from, the

sushi buffet makes the restaurant even more

appealing. But perhaps the most appealing of

all, is Hiro’s prices: only $13.99 for dinners and

$8.99 for lunches. And of course, even better

deals for children.

www.hirojapanesebuffet.comDine In and Take Out

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 January 2014 | On Scene22

The Filipino communites

in Colorado band

together in Saklolo

 Mary Jeneverre Schultz

Asian Avenue magazine

Saklolo, a collaboration of sev-eral Colorado-based organizations,raised about $20,000 in ticket saleslast Dec. 15 to assist survivors andtheir families from the recent ty-phoon Haiyan, also known as Yolan-da, in Tacloban, Philippines and thesurrounding areas.

The fundraiser was organized amonth after Typhoon Haiyan struckthe island nation with the strength

of a Category 5 hurricane.To date, the storm has killed

5,240 people, injured 25,615 othersand displaced about 752,279 fami-lies across 44 provinces.

“The event would not have beenpossible without the collaborativeefforts of the entire Denver Com-munity, Asian Pacific American

Community Leaders and awesomework of the Disaster Relief Commit-tees, led by chair organizers: DonnaLaVigne, Edith Pasion and DennisApuan,” said Aurelia Jinstead, one

of the main committee leaders andorganizers of this fundraiser.

Attendees paid $25 a ticket thatincluded food and entertainmentthroughout the evening. Food was

prepared by several food carts andFilipino chefs, who include KathyGietl, owner of A Taste of the Philip-pines food cart, Orange Crush foodcart, private chefs and caterers LeahEveleigh and wife and husband teamof Michael and Judy Waxelman.

In addition to ticket sales, a silentauction raised about $4,000. Itemsfrom the silent auction includeddonations from ski resorts, facials,

massages, theater and dinner tick-ets. Two rounds of silent auctionwere organized throughout the eve-ning event.

Interested in helping the survi-vors of Typhoon Haiyan, the Ameri-can Red Cross has set up special fun-draising page on their website.

If you could not join the Decem-ber event, the organizers are host-ing another on Jan. 31, 2014 at theWings of the Rockies at the eventcalled Breweries & Foodies. Visit thewebsite: sites/google.com/site/naf-

faa5 for more information.For more updates on the after-

math, follow Mary Jeneverre Schultz

on her twitter feed @Jeneverre. All

her family and friends are safe.

“Foodies and Breweries” A Colorado gathering of Beer and Food Enthusiasts

Friday, January 31, 2014

Wings Over the Rockies, 7711 E. Academy Blvd. #1, Denver, CO 80230.

Ticket: $45 (early bird or online), $50 at the door

Donations will go directly to the victims of the Haiyan/Yolanda typhoon

through the nonprofit, non-governmental organization (NGO):

Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF) - www.pdrf.orgPhotos by Franciz Photography, Peejay Lumba and Laine Lumba

8/13/2019 Aam Jan2014

25/32Mile-High Area Events | asian avenue magazine

At the University of Colorado Denver, the

Council for Asian Student Leaders (CASL)

was established as as an organization to help

the Asian-American cultural club leaders get

together and develop a sense community.

“We are striving to make CASL a leader-

ship development program to help our Asian

American students gain professional devel-

opment skills, as well as connect with com-

munity and campus leaders and role mod-

els,” said Soyon Bueno, Program Director of

Asian American Student Services at Univer-

sity of Colorado Denver.

On Dec. 12, CASL gave 25 students awardsfor their active participation in the past semes-

ter. CASL serves as vehicle for student leaders

to get together once a month to connect with

each other, share successes and challenges of

being a leader or a student and also gain pro-

fessional development skills. Currently, eight

Asian/Asian American cultural clubs are in-

volved in CASL: Asian Student Alliance, Ethnic

Studies Club, Hawaii Club of Auraria, Indian

Student Association, Intercultural Club of Bei-

jing, Korea Club of Auraria (newly formed this

year), South Asian Student Association, and

Vietnamese Student Association.

“There is a need for CASL because CU Denver

has large populations of Asian American stu-

dents and has one of the largest number of Asian

cultural organizations campus,” said Bueno.

Next semester, the student clubs will be

planning cultural, educational and social

events in celebration of Asian American Pa-

ciic Islander Heritage month. However, at CU

Denver students will celebrate Asian Ameri-can Heritage month throughout the whole

semester. Here is a sneak peek at the upcom-

ing events for CASL members and the Asian

American Student Services Ofice sponsored

events.

CASL meetings will be every second Thurs-

day of the month starting in February.

• March 6 and 7 - Corky Lee, the renown

Asian-American photographer will give a

presentation, gallery showing and reception

of at the Anschutz Medical Campus Library.

• April 1, 2014 - Diversity Professional

Development Networking Event is a collabo-

ration among CU Denver, MSU and business

and professional organizations in Denver.

• April 19, 2014 - Hawaii Club of Auraria

Luau will prseent their annual luau.

• April 19, 2014 - Hmong Culture Night

will be hosted by the Hmong Student Asso-

ciation of Colorado.

• April 25, 2014 - Lee Mun Wah, the re-

nown Chinese-American ilm director andmaster diversity trainer, will facilitate a dis-

cussion called “An Uninished Conversation”

and show his ilm, “If These Walls Could Talk”.

Bueno concludes that “the Asian American

Student Services Ofice is pleased at the mo-

mentum of our student club organizations in

showcasing the diversity of the Asian culture

on campus.”

Colorado entrepreneurs, scientists and

government oficials working in clean en-

ergy had the opportunity to showcase their

knowledge and network with each other

and with counterparts from the Republic of

Korea in the irst-ever Korean Government

Clean Energy Forum held on Dec. 5 at the

Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.

The event, which drew almost 100 par-

ticipants, was sponsored by the Consulate

General of the Republic of Korea at SanFrancisco. Consul General Dongman Han

and staff members attended from San Fran-

cisco, and Han gave the keynote address to

kick off the event.

The forum, which featured a series of

panels and speakers, was organized by an

organizing committee headed by committee

chair Eun Moredock and co-chair Gwangho

Lee of the Consulate at San Francisco, as

well as James McGibney, the Honorary Con-

sul of the Republic of Korea in Denver.

The range of panelists and present-

ers included Colorado State Senator Gail

Schwartz; Dr. Fort Felker, Director of Wind

Program, NREL, U.S. Department of Energy;

Christopher Votoupal, Deputy Director, Col-

orado Cleantech Industries Assoc.; Jaeyong

Lee, Sr. Discipline Program Manger, Korea

Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation/

Planning; David Hiller, Executive Director

of Colorado Energy Research Collabora-tory; Stephen Davis, Trade Commissioner,

Consulate General of Canada and Jerry Ti-

nianow, Chief Sustainability Oficer for the

City of Denver.

Attendees agreed the event was a success-

ful irst step to building bridges for business

and research cooperation between Colora-

do and Korea, and participants are already

looking forward to next year’s Korean Gov-

ernment Clean Energy Forum.

Korean Government

Energy Forum builds

bridges between

Korea and Colorado

Council for Asian Student Leaders recognizes student involvement

Consul General Han (right) at the reception following

the forum, with organizer Eun Moredock (left).

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 January 2014 | On Scene24

The Japan America Society of Southern

Colorado’s annual Japanese cultural festival

and bazaar was a great success. It was held

on Oct. 26, 2013 at the University of Colo-rado at Colorado Springs. This year’s bazaar

featured Japanese food, entertainment, and

items.

One of the popular new foods at the ba-

zaar was shave ice, featuring special top-

pings, including blue Hawaii, strawberry,

and azuki (sweet red beans).

The azuki was especially popular because

it is a traditional Japanese lavor. The en-

tertainment at the bazaar was an excellent

opportunity for people to understand Japa-

nese culture and music.

At irst there was beautiful music from

the shakuhachi, koto, and the shamisen.

Then there was a demonstration from a pro-

fessional sushi expert Carl Rosa, who came

all the way from Texas in order to give a pre-

sentation on Japanese culture and how to

make excellent sushi.

Finally, were the two outstanding demon-strations from the Kashiwa Bujinkan Ninjut-

su Dojo and the Denver Taiko. Many items

were sold at the Japanese cultural festival

this year.

The bonsai trees attracted a lot of attention

because they are very rare in the United States.

The Kimono were also popular. A woman even

bought one for her wedding dress.

The members of JASSC were very proud

to bring traditional Japanese culture to Col-

orado Springs and hope to continue doing

so for many years to come.

Photos by Jim Brecht

By Padade M. Vue, M.D. and 

Kong Xee Xiong, Hmong American

 Association of Colorado President

 Japanese Cultural Fesval and Bazaar

in Colorado Springs is full of culture

 Jamie Jennings

 Japan America Society of Southern Colorado

Nyob zoo xyoo tshiab! Happy New Year!

The Hmong Colorado community celebrated

their New Year (noj peb caug) November

29-December 1, 2013 at the Adams County

Fairgrounds. This is an annual tradition dat-

ing back to the 1980’s in Colorado and an

even older tradition in Laos.

Historically, Hmong New Year is based on

the lunar calendar and is a time to welcome

the New Year, celebrate the fall harvest, and

encourage courtship through ball tossing for

the younger generation who wear their inest

clothes and jewelry.

Though ball tossing has become less com-

mon as a form of courtship, many people still

dress up in Hmong clothes and jewelry. The

celebration does last several days allowing

people to attend the event to see the new fash-

ion in Hmong American clothes, entertain-

ment (movies, karaoke DVDs, music), and of

course, see friends and family members.

This year, the Hmong New Year Committee

headed by chairman Mr. Kou Chang, intro-

duced a sports tournament featuring kato,

top spin, and volleyball as well as the 2nd

Annual Miss Hmong Colorado Pageant and

singing and dance contest in addition to the

performances by traditional Hmong dancers,

singers and skit by the Hmong Student Asso-

ciation of Colorado.

The keynote speaker was Professor Cher

Teng Yang, who along with Dr. WatPhat Lee,

also honored Colorado Hmong students that

attained graduate degrees. In attendance

were city oficials from Westminster (Mayor

Herb Atchison, Bob Briggs, Emma Pinter, and

Faith Winter). Other participants included:

dancers from the Polynesian, Filipino, and

Thai communities.

This event usually draws out most of the

Hmong community in Colorado and is one

that is anticipated each year. As with each

New Year, we wish everyone good health,

happiness, and wealth until we can celebrate

again next year around Thanksgiving. The

event is open to the public, and tickets are

available at the door. We invite you to join us

next year.

Colorado Hmong New Year brings together

community in food, music and dance

Various items, such as jewelry, could be found on

the bazaar sales foor.

Paul Maruyama, President of JASSC, with Bea

Brecht playing koto in the background

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27/32Mile-High Area Events | asian avenue magazine

 And another season is in the books!  The Col-

orado Asian Basketball 2013 Fall League was

the beginning of a new era, return of familiar

faces, and a repeat champion. Under the new

leadership of Commissioner Sang Huynh, the

league kicked off on Oct. 26. With new man-

agement in place, the league brought back fa-

miliar competition making for a star-studded

league and restoring the league to the level

of competition in previous years. The league

was a 7-game regular season.A-Unit and Swat Team set the tone for the

league getting off to 4-0 starts, leading to a

showdown in week ive for irst place overall.

In an absolute classic battle we had a seesaw

affair that went to Triple Overtime with A-

Unit pulling out a 43-41 victory.

The season concluded on Dec. 21 with the

inal four teams battling for the title on one day.

In game #1, A-Unit against Team Dime, there

was a back and forth battle with A-Unit pulling

it out 39-35. In game #2, Swat Team vs. Money-

Makers, Swat Team pulled away in the second

half lead by a 14-4 run to begin the second half

and never looked back winning 57-40.

This set up a rematch of the 2013 Spring

League inals. The irst half was tightly con-

tested with A-Unit leading 29-25 at the half.

The second half began with both teams trading

bucket for bucket in the irst ive minutes. ThenA-Unit pulled away putting together a 42 point

second half to take home their second consecu-

tive CAB championship, winning 71-46.

The Spring 2014 season will kick-off Satur-

day, Feb. 15. Teams that register prior to Feb.

1 will receive the early bird discount. Please

contact coloradoasianbasketball@gmail.com

for more information.

Mon - Sun: 10am to 10pm1004 S. Federal Blvd. Denver, CO 80219 Tel: 303-936-3888

Miracle Touch  Massage & Reflexology

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no hope for your own future.

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no plan for reaching your goal.

HUMBLE TABLE, WISE FARE

 Aurora Partnership

hosts holiday gatheringAurora Asian/Paciic Community Partner-

ship’s annual Holiday Tea & Dinner was held

on Dec. 10 at Jai Ho Indian Kitchen in Aurora.

Maria Cheng, a founder of Theatre Esprit

Asia, performed a scene from “Spirit & Sword-

ed Treks” and Khadijah, an international art-

ist of Middle-Eastern dance, performed bellydancing. In addition, attendees enjoyed an

Indian buffet dinner and exchanged gifts of

tea and cookies.

Warm winter items were also collected to

be donated to refugees living in Aurora. The

Partnership serves as a bridge between the

city and its Asian population.

Son Huynh

Colorado Asian Basketball

Colorado Asian Basketball League nishes fall season

1st Place: A-Unit 2nd Place: Swat Team

Maria Cheng performs a one-woman piece, “Spirit

and Sworded Treks,” at the Partnership dinner.

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28/32

Asian American wom-

en are a growing and in-

luential constituency inthe United States. Theirshare of the female popu-lation will grow from 5.14percent in 2012 to 7.8percent in 2050. Asian

American women are making strides in edu-cation, participation, health, and other areas,but there is a long way to go to fully close ra-cial and ethnic disparities. See the fact sheetat: www.americanprogress.org .

 January 2014 | National News6

Relief from deportation more important than

path to citizenship for many immigrants

Chinese Exclusion- Era laws still on the

books in Florida

In a video House Republicans released,six lawmakers—Reps. Lynn Jenkins, JeffDenham, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Renee Ellmers,Cynthia Lummis and Frank Wolf—honored

the 70th anniversary of the repeal of the na-tion’s irst immigration law to single out forexclusion a single ethnic or racial group.

“Today we honor and recognize the hardwork and perseverance of the Chinese-American community across the nation…aswe continue to build on our shared goal ofan America that is rich in opportunity andfreedom,” lawmakers say in the video.

To Republicans, Asian Americans are anespecially attractive but elusive voting bloc.They’re not only the fastest-growing seg-ment of the U.S. population, some segmentsare comparatively wealthier than other ra-

cial groups in the U.S. and are seen as is-cally and socially conservative. But it hasn’ttranslated into votes. In the 2012 election,77 percent of Asian-American voters votedfor Barack Obama, and support for the Dem-ocratic president swung upwards of 95 per-cent for some segments of the population.

The video GOP released can be countedas the most recent in a line of Republicans’overtures to Asian-American voters.

With immigra-tion legislationstalled in Congress,Hispanics and Asian-Americans say gettingrelief from deportations

is more important formany of the 11 millionimmigrants here illegal-ly than creating a path-way to U.S. citizenship, anew study inds.

Two polls releasedby the Pew ResearchCenter expose a po-tential conlict for twominority groups thatvoted overwhelmingly

GOP Honoring the

Repeal of the

Chinese Exclusion Act 

Nielsen study says

 Asian American households

spend 19% more than U.S.

A study conducted by Nielsen on the con-sumption habits showed that Asian Ameri-can households outspend US households byabout 19%. The study involved those whocome from various ethnic backgrounds, in-cluding Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Koreanand Indian.

The study also revealed that they are thetop demographic as far as online shoppinggoes. According to the study, 77% of Asian-

Americans bought something online in thepast year while only 61% of Americansmade online purchases. At least $2,500 wasspent by12% of Asian Americans each yearon Internet shopping, an amount which isnearly twice that was spent by the generalpopulation in the US.

By 2017, Asian Americans are expected tosurpass $1 trillion in consumer buying pow-er, “showing their inluence and reach andthe need for marketers to continue to offerculturally relevant materials,” said Betty Lo,vice president of public affairs for Nielsen,which conducted the survey.

Wong Fu Productions

Financial Literacy Video

Surpasses One Million Views

70 years ago this month PresidentFranklin Roosevelt ended sixty yearsof codiied racial oppression when he signeda bill repealing the Chinese Exclusion Act.Now, Asian-Americans in Florida are askingstate lawmakers to do the same by nixinga constitutional provision banning Asiansfrom owning property in the Sunshine State.

More than thirty states, including Flori-da, followed the federal government’s leadin 1882 by passing laws and amendmentsthat excluded Asian-Americans from the fullrights of citizenship. Every state repealed

those unconstitutional provisions except forFlorida, whose statute barring Asian citizensfrom owning property remains on the books.Soma Sundaram, Chairman of the Asian Co-alition of Tallahassee, called the law a racistrelic that should be reversed.

The provision bans ‘aliens’ from owningproperty. At the time the term was a codeword for Asian-American. Groups like Sun-daram’s tried to get the law repealed byvoter referendum in 2000 and again in 2008but the effort was defeated both times be-cause voters interpreted the term “alien” tomean “illegal immigrant”.

The video, titled “Save the Date”, wasdeveloped as a tool to raise awarenessof inancial literacy for Asian American col-lege students. It is sponsored by Wells Fargothe social media video for Asian Americanand Paciic Islander students to reaches animportant milestone.

last year for President Barack Obama, aDemocrat. Obama is under pressure from

immigration supporters to use his executivepower to stop deportations.

Strong majorities of both Hispanics andAsian-Americans continue to back a pathway

to citizenship, 89 percent and 72 percent, re-spectively. Still, by 55 percent to 35 percent,

Hispanics said being able to live and work inthe U.S. legally without the threat of depor-tation was more important. Among Asian-Americans, the ratio was 49 to 44 percent.

youtu.be/XGkdUEHa7sI

Fact Sheet: The State of Asian

 American Women in the U.S.

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20  January 2014 | Chinese Idiom28

網開三面 Leaving TreeSides of the Net Open

Calligraphy by

Harrison X. Tu,

Confucius Classroom

in Denverwww.chineseamericanpost.net/bmxt 

In bygone times, Shang ang, ruler of the state of Shang,went to the open country one day and saw a man trying to

catch birds with a four-sided net. Te bird-catcher was praying,

“May birds that are flying down from the sky and flying up

from the ground all come into my net.”

When Shang ang saw it, he said to the bird-catcher, “Your

method is too cruel. You’ll kill all the birds.” He ordered the

man to remove three sides of the net.

He prayed, “Birds! If you want to fly to the left, fly to the left.

If you want to fly to the right, fly the right, if you really don’t

want to live, come into my net.”

When the tribe leaders heard about this, they all said that

Shang ang was a benevolent king. More than forty of them

came over and pledged allegiance. Leading the tribes, Shang

ang eventually overthrew the Xia Dynasty and became the

first king of the Shang Dynasty.

  - Te Discourses of Lu Buwei

 Meaning allowing a way out

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