This past summer, I didn’t go to work. While my wife went to her job as a Registered Nurse, I stayed home and spent my time doing bringing the kids to summer school, basketball games, and other activities. I did most of the cooking, laundry, and kid chauffeuring. According to this article, apparently I wasn’t alone. In many Filipino-American and other immigrant families, wives working as registered nurses or other lucrative professions make so much more money than their husbands that it stops making practical and economic sense for their husbands to work. This is in stark contrast to traditional gender roles.
“There is an oft-repeated joke among Filipinos here that if you meet a Filipino man at the grocery store with kids in tow, especially in the middle of a working day, and you ask him what does he for a living, the common reply will be, ‘My wife is a nurse,’” said Narna Macasaet, a Filipina immigrant.”
Some of the husbands in the article felt degraded by the change in roles, which in some cases has led to domestic violence. Did this role reversal bother me? Not really. I figure it was only fair after my wife was a stay at home Mom for five years after our youngest was born. Plus, after working full time, it was in many ways a welcome relief. What did bother me was how time consuming it was. I wanted to work out a lot, play pickup volleyball games, take a few classes, do some house renovations, and write a bunch for 8 Asians and other forums and publications. I thought I would have lots of time. It didn’t work out that way. I have new admiration for stay at home parents. I also found that I was gaining weight at home, too!
After the summer, I had to go back to work. I was lucky that I was not working because I was taking a sabbatical, not because of unemployment or because or other financial considerations. Being a permanent stay at home dad is not an option, given how expensive Silicon Valley can be and the fact the my stock options, which once enabled my wife to be a stay at home mom, are all underwater. Despite my change, I know families who have been in the same situation as described in the article, and I expect that I’ll know more.
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Over the past few days, tropical storm Ketsana (known as Ondoy in the Philippines) has devastated the northern Philippines, with Metro Manila taking the brunt of the storm. Manila took in 12 hours the amount of rain it usually gets during the entire month of September, more than the amount of rain that fell in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina’s height, overwhelming drains, and stranding thousands of people on roofs of houses and tops of buses. While an official body count has been at around 100 all over the Philippines, the exact number might not be known due to the millions of people who live in slums around Manila.
If you want to donate to the ongoing relief work caused by the storm, check out this blog post by the Age of Brillig, which lists ways to donate directly to the Philippine Red Cross.
Shopping With GASP!
Honda has developed a new personal mobility technology, U3-X. It is a compact experimental device that fits comfortably between the riders legs, to provide free movement in all directions just as in human walking forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally.
Lest one assumes that this is for lazy, fat-assed Americans, this prototype is actually addressing a coming need in Japan, one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world, and concerns about how the elderly get around. It can stand upright unaided and the rider sits on it as they would a stool, with their feet on footrests. The unicycle maintains its balance as it scoots around at (slow) speeds of up to 3.7mph.
The U3-X, shaped liked the number eight with a wheel at the bottom and seat at the top, was unveiled [Thursday] to reporters in Japan. The wheel comprises a series of smaller motorised wheels within a larger one, which enables the rider to manoeuvre sideways as well as forwards and backwards by leaning their body in the direction they want to go. [full story with another video]
Let’s face it. I love this thing because it’s shaped like the number 8! But unlike the Segway, which I thought was uber cool when I first saw it, I don’t feel like it’s a toy I’d buy for the fun of it. I guess if I had mobility issues, something like this would be a godsend, so Honda will continue research and development of the device including experiments in a real-world environment to verify the practicality of the device.
h/t: John
I just ended a wondrously tumultuous journey reading Lac Su’s I Love Yous are for White People. In his memoir, Su poignantly paints vivid picture after picture of his family’s escape from Vietnam and their subsequent survival in the US. While he isn’t able to divulge every single detail, the stories and the snapshots of his childhood he shares gives the reader an amply candid look into the (often harsh) reality of Su’s journey.
Su is more than wonderfully honest with his readers and every chapter feels as though he is sitting in front of me, sharing the stories as if we were life-long friends pouring our hearts out.
Usually in a book review, I like to refer back to certain chapters or sections and share how it struck me. But with Su’s book, I’d be talking about every chapter, every moment, every photo — from dumpster diving with his “Pa” who wanted to provide for them any way he could, to when he is jumped by gang members, to rubbing Tiger Balm on his little sister the morning after he spanked her, I could go on and on.
I really want to write a review that does this book justice, but I’m still reeling from the emotional journey Su took me on. Honestly, I just want to read more — I finished the book thinking, Is there more? Is he going to write more? I must have more! And I realize that my words may just be a feeble attempt to write a review about a book that is JUST THAT GOOD. All I know is, that I Love Yous are for White People is a more than spectacular memoir written by an honest man who had a more than tough journey. I can’t imagine the road he had to travel to write down some of the painful moments of his life, but I’m so glad he did. Not everyone’s journey is showered with blessings and ease. People may escape to America for a dream, but some dreams remain dreams and some dreams come at a severe price. And it’s another reminder that not all Asian immigrant kids go on to Ivy League schools on a road paved with straight As.
If it isn’t plainly clear by now that I LOVE this book and have come to love the man who wrote it. I don’t know what to tell you, except that you should totally check this book out.
It turns out the recent Census data recently blogged about on 8Asians had some additional interesting information buried in the numbers. With the recession, it was no surprise that the home ownership rate in the U.S. has dropped as scores of homes have been foreclosed upon. The surprising statistic is that Asians have fared worse than any other category, with the largest drop in home ownership. Home ownership for Asians fell 1.24% in 2008, compared with 0.88% for blacks, 0.80 for hispanics, and 0.40 for whites.
It was surprising because it’s generally assumed that Asians tend to earn more than other minority groups and have less debt. There’s some belief the larger decline in the Asian community has to do with a regional effect. With California as one of the hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis, it’s believed Asians are harder hit because the largest population of Asians lives in this state.
It’s about that time of year where most volleyball players start shifting from outdoors to indoors.
Not too long ago, I joined the regular crew at our usual gym to rally up a few games. A pretty funny incident happened after I had squarely roofed a spike; one of the gals told me that I was showing my true colors and it wasn’t Asian. I still laugh about it since I was one of the taller guys out of the Asian clique growing up.
And it’s not often that you get guys with hops and height in this sport. Not of our ethnicity at least. But that didn’t stop Kevin Wong or his brother in becoming AVP superstars and totally blowing away both stereotypes.
The more I think about it, the less there are of Asians that actually bust out in either sand or indoor volleyball. Not sure why since it’s a very fast paced sport that you have to keep on your toes for so you don’t get nailed in the face (or somewhere else) when an opposing team member is sailing through the air to tear one into you.
Either way, volleyball players everywhere will shake in their boots because… yes, the word is out. Asians can roof you too.
Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (Thai: องค์บาก), also known in the United States as “Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior” was a Thai action film from 2003 that was considered the breakout film of Tony Jaa. Because of Ong-Bak, Jaa was hailed as the next international martial-arts star.
Now Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning is here today on VOD, Amazon and XBOX Marketplace. Jaa stars in and directs this epic tale of revenge set hundreds of years in the past. Featuring a huge cast and hordes of elephants, this film takes Jaa’s skills to the next level, showcasing him as a master of a wide range of martial arts styles.
What? The past? Well, Ong-Bak 2 is not a sequel, but a prequel to its predecessor, which sounds kind of confusing, right? Well, no need to be confused!
Why not get a Tony Jaa refresher course by watching the Ong Bak DVD, which you can win right here on 8Asians! And, if that weren’t enough, we’re also going to throw in a DVD of 2008 Thai action film Chocolate (Thai: ช็อคโกแลต), also known as Fury! (Chocolate was directed by Prachya Pinkaew and has martial arts choreography by Panna Rittikrai, the same pair who directed Tony Jaa in Ong-Bak.)
If you love martial arts and action films, you need to check these movies out! Ong-Bak 2 is available now on VOD, Amazon and XBOX Marketplace and the film will be in theaters Oct 23.
What you could win from 8Asians: 2 DVDs: Ong-Bak + Chocolate!
How do you enter?
Simply leave a short comment stating why you want to be chosen as the winner for the DVDs. (Be sure to use the email address you’d like to be contacted at if you’re the winner.)
Hurry, the deadline to enter is: Wednesday, September 30 at 11:59 pm (Pacific Time)
FIVE lucky winners will be randomly selected and contacted on Thursday morning.
Rules for entering:
1) Please be in the US or Canada. Sorry, I will not be shipping anywhere else!
2) Contributors to 8Asians and their immediate family members are not eligible to win.
Prize courtesy of: 8Asians.
“I think it was important to do this for my family, to show them that I care about my heritage, and you should, too,” he says.
The he in the above quote by Jon Gosselin from an episode (“Korean Dinner“) that aired when Jon and Kate were still Jon and Kate Plus Eight, not Jon and Kate plus a whole lotta messiness and ugliness.
The irony of his statement is still hard for me to shake. Let me give you some context. Or rather, read this article for context. During a night when Jon wants to teach his children about their Korean heritage, he makes them a Korean dinner with bulgogi as the main course. But the night that is meant to be a wonderfully educational night into their Korean background is marred by Jon’s fumbling in teaching about it (their Korean background) and Kate’s ignorance and taboo-ish behavior.
I have memories of sitting through this episode myself and being confused as to what Korean heritage Jon was teaching brood of eight about. I’m Korean, spent 9 years of my childhood there in fact, but I must have lived in a different Korea than the one Jon knows about.
While I halfheartedly salute Jon and Kate for trying to teach their kids about their Korean side, I hang my head in disbelief at the butchering of a culture I hold so dear to my heart. And it pains me to know that these kids may grow up thinking being Korean is shopping at a market that smells yucky, eating ruined mochi and wearing chopsticks in their hair.
What’s clear to me is that you can’t “teach your kids about their heritage” in one meal — or one episode of J&K +8. That said, if YOU had a meal with all 8 Gosselin kids, what would you want to impart on them?
FlashForward itself is loosely based on Sawyer’s 1999 novel of the same title, where the entire world loses two minutes and seventeen seconds and gives a glimpse of the future six months from the current time frame. In just catching the season premiere of ABC’s FlashForward and have to say that it definitely is one of the more intriguing shows on air right now when compared to your primetime soap opera type of things (sorry Grey’s Anatomy *gack*).
So far, one of the reasons that I actually wanted to see this was because of Cho. Knowing that he’s sparked his career as of late coming from Harold and Kumar and as of late did a wonderful job in the new remake of Star Trek, I have to say that his acting has surpassed many of the yawners that I usually get to watch.
One small pet peeve though? Both Benford and Noh are field FBI agents which is actually shown not only in the pilot but also the plot summary. However, if you watch their actions, it’s almost like watching Reno 911 when it comes to law enforcement action. Maybe this show has had law enforcement advisors, maybe not, but it looked a little out of place with how the actors reacted. Also, the explosions were just a little bit on the fake side which being a big fan of CG, I picked up on it right away. These were not very huge distractions but it did bug me for the.. first ten minutes. Outside of that, I was drawn into the science fiction thriller storyline and am already impatiently waiting for the next episode next Thursday.
What day is it, today? Dang it.
A 6.3-magnitude afternoon earthquake damaged nearly 200 homes, monuments, monasteries, government offices and schools in a little populated eastern region of Bhutan on Monday, state-run Kuensel newspaper reported. At least 12 people were killed and 15 people also were injured. Thousands of Bhutanese spent the night out in the open and landslides created roadblocks in many parts of the worst-hit districts of Munggar and Trashigang, the newspaper said.
I really appreciated Kuensel’s descriptive coverage of the events, which not only vividly describes the earthquake, but also gives some insight into Bhutanese life:
It was a warm sunny day in Trashigang on Monday. Like most afternoons, 63-year-old Tashi, sitting by the window in Udzorong, was picking lice from her granddaughter’s head. Lost in search, Tashi did not realise that a massive earthquake had hit her home until the ground beneath her shook with a loud noise.
Seeing her household items falling one after another from the shelves, Tashi grabbed her granddaughter and rushed out of the house. “My house crumbled in front of my eyes,” Tashi said, wiping the tears from her wrinkled eyes. Tashi and her granddaughter narrowly escaped, but she hurt her back and right foot in her rush outdoors. “Everything’s gone,” said Tashi, looking at her collapsed house.
Around the same time in Yangneer on the opposite hill, Gelong Kanjur and cook Rinzin of Gongthung shedra were chopping meat to prepare thub (porridge) for Thrue bab. Seated near the oven, they were planning the meals for the shedra when the earth suddenly shook and the roof over them creaked. Realising it was an earthquake, they tried to rush out, but were caught by the falling walls of the monastery.
“There were only about a dozen monks in the shedra. We sent some to call for help and others immediately started digging out the two from the rubble, using spade, crowbar and stick,” recalled the head of the monastery, lama Shedra Dorji. Soon, some villagers and civil servants arrived to help. “Rinzin was fully covered by debris and, when rescuers pulled him out of the wreckage, he was bleeding profusely. They were rushed to the Trashigang hospital. Both suffered fractures on their legs. Pema Choden in Buna, Rangjung, was shifting her bull to another pasture when she saw rocks falling off the cliff on the other side of the river. She looked towards her house and saw a thick cloud of dust ballooning. She had left behind four children in the house. Her first thought was that her house had fallen part due to the earthquake and that she must go to see her children.
“I thanked god countless times when I saw my children outside as I approached my house,” said Pema Choden. Half her kitchen walls have collapsed but she is not bothered. “I don’t care even if the whole house breaks down as long as I’ve my children safe,” she said. [full story]
Of course, I’m hoping that the death/injury toll from the quake is minimal, but is it wrong that I’m also hoping that this means there might be more coverage (pictures) of the hot King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck? Recent news of an uptick of suicides in Bhutan implies that the happiest country in Asia may not really be as happy as it seems. Certainly with the country coping with natural disaster, Bhutan’s citizens will be looking up to King Khesar for leadership and guidance to maintain or improve the nation’s Gross National Happiness.
All I know is that my eyes are happier every time I see photos of King Charming.
Ever since I saw the trailer for the new webseries MegaBot by 5432 Films and Cherry Sky Films (who brought us Ping Pong Playa), I’ve been excited to see the first full episode online! The uncensored (NSFW) version of Episode 1 is available with upcoming episodes dropping every Wednesday exclusively on Atom.com.
What is MegaBot?
Seven years ago, five attractive, multi-ethnic students from Anytown High discovered mystical PowerSleeves. United, the PowerSleeves control MegaBot, a colossal crime-fighting robot, designed by Lord Galgon, who must defend Earth from BioBorg invasion, week after week…
Think of it as kind of a grown up version of Voltron or Power Rangers, where the characters are really flawed (and really funny). Another reason to watch MegaBot is because it also stars 8Asians favorite Randall Park as Yellow. (Another reason to watch? Heck, let’s face it, Randall alone IS a reason to watch!)
While you can’t watch full episodes on YouTube (Atom.com exlusives, remember?), if you follow 5432 Films YouTube channel, you’ll get notified of teaser clips, and oh yeah, you can get your own MegaBot t-shirt here.
Tuesday night, city council member Sam Yoon was closely nudged out of the Boston mayoral primary, winning 21% of the vote.
Incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino won 51% of the vote and fellow city council member Michael Flaherty won 24% of the vote. Now, Menino and Flaherty will battle it out in November in the general election. Flaherty still has a big uphill battle to defeat Menino, who has run Boston for sixteen years and is likely to run it for another four.
Given his relatively short time in the Boston politics, Yoon made a remarkable and commendable effort. I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll hear of Sam Yoon.
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