Google Meetup Feedback!

I tried to like this Local Guide Houston on Google+ Community. It has over 19k members with too many spam messages and unrelated topics. The worse part was my question on meetup was unanswered. Everyone seems disinterested with everyone else. I felt like it's a bot world.

So I tried localguideconnect.com, a little better but still many unrelated replies. It seems people just want to get badges. I sent a message and never had high hope for a response back. But it has to depend on how they receive notification. For me, I receive updates on gmail. I get instant alert on my phone.

Now, they want to know how my meetup went 

Here are my answers to the survey:

Any other feedback you’d like to share?

• The meetup event on LGC site is useless. Only 3 out of 9 showed up from there. I would rather use Google+ Events to be my only source for RSVP. 

Please link to a photo album from your meet-up

• I tried to use Google Photos app. But it uploaded all unrelated photos on my phone without telling me. It used up my data usage. Instead, I asked my guests to upload the photos on my Google+ Event page. (it didn't post)

If you felt unprepared, please explain why and what would help you feel more prepared in the future.

• The tools provided were not efficient for event hosting. The meetup on local guide uses Google+ handle - can't send private email unless I follow the person. The only way I can communicate to the person is when he replied to my Local Guide Connect post. But it has to rely on another communication tool to deliver this message - Gmail. 

Please link to your recap post on Connect

• https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/Let-s-Meet-Up/Chinatown-Crawl-Houston/m-p/253844

Please link to a video recap from your meet-up

• https://www.instagram.com/p/BT0Tv93gmu0/

Overall thoughts on Local Guide:

• There are too many obstacles to host an event. I can't post a functional URL on Connect. I can't modify meetup info or communicate with my guests on Connect. Next time, I will post a Google+ event first before submit Meetup event on Connect.

HAAPI Films Gave me Good Vibes

Past weekend was the final week of HAAPI Film Festival. It was my pleasure to attend the screening of MELE MURALS and meeting the film director Tadashi Nakamura. I'm a big fan of his work. I watched his earlier film Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings on Xfinity on Demand in April, when it was available from CAAMFest sponsorship.

So glad to pose with my favorite Asian film director, Tad Nakamura

I couldn't believe he is a fourth generation Japanese American lives in LA and never lived in Hawaii. But he was able to bring the best of his ability to help the audience to experience the actors' reality. Both movies are based on true stories with a documentary format. However, it requires more knowledge about Hawaii when you watch Mele Murals. I asked someone after the movie as if she knew certain cultural references. But without those Hawaiian terms, the movie will not make sense.

Tad was at CAAMfest in SF.

So...Same feeling with Kumu Hina from last year's screening. I felt connected immediately with the topic, because I lived in Hawaii and learned something special about Hawaiian culture and customs. I didn't learn how to hula, but I sure learned how to properly pronounce Hawaiian. Hina was the language director for Queen Emma Hawaiian Civic Club Chorus. Under her direction and dedication, we competed at annual Aha Mele in 2001. It was nice to see a friend from the past on the silver screen.

Four Strings was on the cover of Cinemas of Asian American collection

I can't wait to see more Asian Pacific Islander films next year. Here is the page from this year's lineup. ocahouston.org/haapiff

I love this Festival video at the beginning of each screening.
(Mmm... not sure what I was doing here https://youtu.be/xjVc8PQoiLg?t=45s)