About a month or so ago, I went to a networking event titled, “Opportunities in China” organized by the National Association of Asian American Professionals – San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (NAAAP-SF).
The guest speaker was Larry Wang, founder and CEO of Wang & Li Asia Resources, a recruiting firm. I had first heard of Wang & Li back in the mid-1990s when contemplating the possibly of moving to Asia instead of going to business school. They made a niche for themselves by focusing on recruiting American – usually Asian American – talent for opportunities in Asia. In retrospect, this was a no brainer idea given the economic growth of China back then. They must be doing something right, as they were selected as “China’s Recruitment Firm of the Year” in 2008.
I was eager to finally meet Larry and hear his story about career opportunities in China. His presentation was titled, “The Return Of China’s Hiring Market – Pursuing Career Opportunities In The Mainland Today” (.pdf) and I wanted to hear the real deal about finding a job in China, over all the press hype. Larry confirmed the realities of the job hunt: it was easier said than done. Back in December of 2008, I had met up with my friend who has a start-up in Beijing, and he said that there were a lot of unemployed Westerners trying to learn Chinese while looking for jobs. But the opportunities were limited, given the number of people seeking employment, unless you were teaching English.
The reality of finding a job in China is that it’s certainly not as easy as it was ten or twenty years ago, when you could be confident in finding an interesting opportunity just by moving overseas. After graduating from business school in 1999, I turned down a few job offers in Austin and the East Coast, and instead, moved to Silicon Valley without a job, like plenty of other MBA’s. During the dot-com boom years in Silicon Valley, it was very easy to get interviews and find a job. I did find an position at a real large software company that generated huge profit margins – which was the best decision I ever made, as most of the dot-coms where I interviewed subsequently went out of business).
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ACMHS 2010: Compassionate Care in Changing Times
36th Anniversary Gala & Awards Ceremony
When: Friday, May 7, 2010; 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Where: The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa
Tickets: $150/ticket; $2500 – $15,000 sponsorship
Info: (510)869-6025 or [email protected]
Website: http://www.acmhs.org/gala2010.htm
For 36 years, ACMHS has worked with generations of Asian and Pacific Islander families to elevate the possibilities of those with mental illness and developmental disabilities to help them realize their fullest potential. We celebrate decades of service and salute local and national heroes who help promote personal empowerment and self-determination for the neediest members of our community.
Honoring:
* Alameda County Administrator Susan S. Muranishi
* Mental Health Association of Alameda County
* Safeway
The event will be emceed by CBS5 Anchor Wendy Tokuda with performances by Pulse.
All proceeds benefit Asian Community Mental Health Services. ACMHS provides and advocates for multicultural, mutlilingual services that empower the most vulnerable members of our community to lead healthy, contributing and self-sufficient lives.
For more information about the event including sponsorship opportunities or ticket purchases, please contact William Dao at (510) 869-6025 or [email protected]
Shopping With GASP!
This year’s Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) has played host to a number of sold-out/standing room only screenings. One of the most highly anticipated premieres was ‘Ktown Cowboys,’ which comes to us via director Daniel DPD Park, writer/funnyman Danny Cho and a team of amazing folks who debuted the first five webisodes of ‘Ktown Cowboys’ to the lucky folks at the screening. The unlucky folks who couldn’t get a ticket in will simply have to catch this online as they release new episodes every couple of weeks or so. (Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube to get notified of new episodes– I already did!)
My buddy Edward describes ‘Ktown Cowboys’ like this: “Imagine ‘The Hangover‘ but tak[ing] place in Koreatown. Hilarity ensues.” The producers of the upcoming (so-called) “Asian American Jersey Shore” might be kicking themselves after they realize they’ve been beaten to the punch for something that shows hot Asian/Korean Americans (boys and girls) drinking, partying, booking, karaoke-ing– and yes– fighting. Ohhhh yeahhhh!
Here’s the synopsis… but do yourself a favor and watch the video so you know what everyone else is talking about.
When John Kim (Lanny Joon) relocates from the comforts of his picket-fence, WASP neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia to the alluring city of Ktown Los Angeles, the land of sultry women, Booking Clubs, and late night taco trucks, his arrival immediately sparks the most epic night of his life. His cousin, Jason (Shane Yoon) introduces John to his audacious crew (Peter Jae, Danny Cho, Sunn Wee, and Bobby Big Phony Choy) who teach John the basic yet inventive ways on how to survive the perfect Friday night in Ktown. Special appearances by Justin Chon (Twilight) and Bobby Lee (Mad TV).
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) continues throughout this week in Downtown Los Angeles.
- James Nguyen may have created the worst movie ever in Birdemic. (Mercury News)
- The non-Asian casting controversy of The Last Airbender has the attention of the LA Times. (LAT)
- Shanghai, home of the 2010 World Expo, desperately tries to remove all Chinglish signs. (NYT)
- Architect Gary Chang’s “Domestic Transformer” converts a loft into 24 rooms. (YouTube, h/t: Mike)
- A nine year old Japanese Boy plays Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train on Ellen. (YouTube, h/t: Mike)
Health reform has passed, but the battle to improve America’s health is far from over. A key question remains: How can health disparities be eliminated in the U.S.? This May 6th briefing will address disparities in health – particularly those facing Asian American, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders – in light of new findings in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
Policymakers, experts and an audience Q&A will explore stark disparities documented by the Journal and how to alleviate them. Hosted by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), speakers include Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health for the Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Representative Mike Honda (D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-CA), Dr. John Ruffin, Director of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and Dr. Ed Sondik, PhD, Director of the National Center for Health Statistics. Two panels, Shine the Light: A Research Agenda to Reveal Hidden Needs, and Addressing Root Causes: Paths to Achieving Health Equity will feature both journal authors and prominent policymakers.
This first-ever issue of a major public health journal devoted to this population releases an array of new research that highlight alarming disparities: Among one Pacific Islander-American group, 20 percent of births are pre-term. Deaths from breast cancer are four times higher among some Asian-born women in the U.S. than among their U.S.-born counterparts. Rates of vaccine-preventable liver and cervical cancer among the Hmong in California are three to four times higher than those of other Asian American groups.
Among the topics to be discussed at the briefing are:
• How can health care reform improve the access and quality of care available to minority and vulnerable populations?
• How does culturally appropriate care affect the quality of health services?
• What impact does immigration status have on rates of disease and death?
To reserve a place for this event, please see:
http://burnesscommunications.com/event/APIAHF-health-concerns-and-disparities
APIAHF will provide live Twitter updates from the event at #APIAHealth.
I’ve been attending the San Francisco International Film Festival for the past couple of days and I have come to the conclusion that pummeling through a gauntlet of movies during a film festival was just as I remember: exhausting and exciting. It’s kind of like riding a roller coaster after an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Nonetheless, there are many Asian-centric films that I have chosen to include on my cinematic to-do list. One of them is The Invention of Dr. Nakamats, a quirky documentary about Yoshiro Nakamats, a legendary inventor (hence the name of the movie) who has — wait for it — 3,400 patents to his name.
He will definitely make you think you haven’t accomplished anything in your life.
The 81-year-old man, who can easily be equated to any even-handed, yet demanding Asian uncle or grandfather, is the inventor behind the O.G. floppy disk (remember those?) as well as a “Love Spray” that supposedly make women irresistible. He has created a pen that could write underwater and has invented the car of the future. In addition, he has taken it upon himself to photograph every single meal he has eaten for 34 years. This visual food journal was not for the ultimate foodie blog, but it helped create an elixir for long life.
To make things even more interesting, it was Danish director Kaspar Astrup Schröder that brought this documentary to the forefront — and it’s a good thing he did. I’ve been wondering where I could get a pen I could use while taking a bubble bath.
The 18 Mighty Moutain Warriors News is back with a special bulletin from David O. Yeah and David O. Hells Yeah where they present news and opinion about Arizona Senate Bill 1070 from a “slightly buttered golden brown perspective.”
What does an illegal immigrant look like? Check it out and see.
With the recent spate of violence against Asian-Americans in places such as Oakland and San Francisco, this essay from New American Media expresses the opinion that Black on Asian violence isn’t about race, it’s about “economic opportunism.” Amanze Emenike grew up in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point area and as a youth, got into crime.
“When I was introduced to the crime scene, I was put on to rob Asians and Latinos on Third Street. We specifically preyed on Asians and Mexicans, and wouldn’t do anything to African Americans.
If young people try to rob an old black person in Hunters Point, they usually don’t know who they are messing with and they can fall into beef with the victim’s family or community. Robbing African Americans, it’s more likely that the family will come back and harm the robber. So young people go after Chinese and Mexicans.”
Emenike was jailed for robbing a Chinese student and charged with a hate crime. He says that he was embarrassed by the charges since he had Chinese friends, and was glad that the hate crime charges were dropped. He has apparently cleaned up his act, working as a content producer for Yo! Youth Outlook Radio.
New America Media also featured a response by Asian-American blogger Reappropriate titled “Inside Black-Asian Tension: Sometimes It Is About Racism.” She points out that if you consider Asian-Americans as ideal prey, “how is this not still racist stereotyping of Asians?
Meanwhile, Black-Asian tensions have attracted the attention of San Francisco City hall, and a number of Asian-American’s spoke at a board meeting about their experiences and fears. Some talked about how they were attacked, such as the woman who was knocked unconscious and shattered some of her teeth when she was thrown off a MUNI platform by a 15 year old African-American boy (see video). Many feel, as Emenike mentions, that they were targeted. San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon has downplayed race as a factor in the Bayview attacks, but as this blog post asserts, a survey on San Francisco strong-arm robberies done in 2008 showed that 85% of physical assaults had an African-American perpetrator and an Asian-American victim. The San Francisco Police Department is boosting foot patrols in the area.
“AAPI 3.0: Preparing For a New Era of Leadership, Advocacy & Organizing”
Two unprecedented days of cutting edge skills training, in-depth strategy sessions, and a gala banquet to empower, inspire, and invigorate AAPI leaders to successfully grow their organizations and overcome the challenges facing their communities in the next decade.
In partnership with:
Asian American Education Institute
Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality
Asian and Pacific Islanders’ California Action Network
Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs
Register On-line: https://www.acteva.com/go/apisummit
For More Information: www.assembly.ca.gov/apilegcaucus
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APA Events
Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) East West Players presents THREE YEAR SWIM CLUB
Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) OR (Orphan Relief): China Care Bruin’s 4th Annual Awareness Night
Feb 10: (Los Angeles, CA) CAUSE: Women in Power Annual Luncheon
Feb 15: (Seattle, WA) Pork Filled Players Enter The Year of the Dragon Spam*O*Rama
Feb 16: Adam WarRock and Kirby Krackle: West Cost Tour Dates!!!
Feb 16: (New York, NY) Amar Chitra Katha: Monica Ferrell, Chitra Ganesh, Keshni Kashyap, and Himanshu “Heems” Suri of Das Racist
Feb 17: (Los Angeles, CA) All My Sons- Feb 18: (San Francisco, CA) NAAAP-SF Lunar New Year Gala 2012
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