A lot of times, it seems like “art” necessarily means “something pretty to look at, but absolutely useless”. This Koa Wood with Half Tray ($650), however, is both beautiful and functional. Handcrafted by Hawaii artisan Roy Tsumoto, it will make the perfect addition to your desk or dresser. Not sure you want to shell out that much? Smaller boxes are available as well.
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Etsy put together this awesome short video about Korehira Watanabe, one of only about thirty remaining swordsmiths in Japan. I know next to nothing about swords, but even so, his swords look incredible, as in I watched this video with my mouth gaping open in awe. He’s been trying to recreate the Koto sword for the past 40 years for which there are no written instructions. But besides garnering massive respect for that, a lot about what he says about traditions and passion rings true to me – how some of the essence of tradition gets lost when they are adapted to modern times and this: “What I received from my master is not only the technique but also his passion for sword making.” So, I’m thinking new plan for after graduation: move to Japan, learn how to make swords, and maybe learn Japanese in there somewhere.
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Turkey is synonymous with Thanksgiving as I think hot dogs are to Takeru Kobayashi. This past Wednesday, Kobayashi is trying to make a name for himself out of hot dog eating outside of the Major League Eating world (he refuses to sign an exclusive contract with them) by downing 7.50 pounds of turkey on Wednesday, setting a new world record according to RecordSetter.com. As part of Kobayashi’s effort to build a name for himself, he’s recently started his own Facebook fan page as well as a Ustream.tv channel.
In a separate event, Sonya (The Black Widow) Thomas ate over 5.25 pounds of turkey in an eating contest, winning $1,581 in prize money from the contest sponsored by Wild Turkey 81 Proof.
On May 25, 1887, a group of up to 34 Chinese miners were massacred by a group of white frontiersmen in Hells Canyon in a section of the Snake River now officially known as Chinese Massacre Cove. After robbing them of every ounce of gold they had, the Chinese were hacked to pieces, and some of their mutilated bodies were found at Lewiston, Idaho, 65 miles downstream.
It is one of the worst acts of vicious hate violence against Chinese in American history. They could have stolen their gold and left the Chinese miners alive since there were few laws around to protect Chinese or their property. But they gunned them down and then mutilated their bodies on top of that. If that isn’t a hate crime, I don’t know what is.
What’s an all-star b-boy to do after graduating from UC Irvine in Economics, winning Season 3 of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, dancing for such groups as LMFAO and releasing his own album? Why, create some swag sneakers of course. These TWEAK Victor Kings sneakers ($65.00) were created by Victor Kim himself. They feature high-quality light-weight leather so you can be just as comfortable on the dance floor as you are kicking it back with some friends. Available in high or low top, and in red or black, these shoes are bound to send even the least-movable folks spinning.
“Dear China’s Got Talent, Thailand’s Got Talent and Korea’s Got Talent:
Hi there, we are your neighbors from India. We’re a talent show called Ahdurs – definitely not India’s got Talent, but we are a talent show which have judges that include the stern older media magnate and a pretty female. Do you know what we also have? WE HAVE THE WARRIORS OF GOJA.
Meet Eddy Tsai. He grew up the only Asian in his neighborhood and was bullied all his life. He has come to hate being Asian. He’s even changed his last name to “Richards” and lies that he was adopted by Caucasian parents. His hate for himself is only eclipsed by the hate he feels for other Asians.
Eddy’s lifelong dream is to become a serial killer, like his hero Ted Bundy. He has spent years working toward this dream by training his body through strenuous workouts in his apartment and training his mind by reading serial killer related books.
Apparently Hollywood and the world in general are falling in love with martial arts movies and producing them by the dozens. “As the world is shrinking, it’s also coming together in its appreciation of kicking, lunging and screaming.” Even Taylor Lautner and Courtney Cox do karate, while Russell Crowe, Keanu Reeves, and (dreamboat) Ryan Gosling are all getting in on the kung fu fighting bandwagon too as the genre expands way beyond its Hong Kong roots of olden days. What do you think of the trend? [h/t John]
The last time I blogged about Nvidia’s CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang, was when he was on The Charlie Rose Show. This latest interview was a few weeks ago during All Things D (Digital) Asia conference in Hong Kong. Being in the mobile space professionally, I’ve been quite interested and impressed with Nvidia’s entry into the smartphone and tablet space with the Tegra line of processors. In this interview, Huang talks about Nvidia’s latest upcoming Quad-core processor and the future of mobile computing.
Ninjas are hard to capture, everyone knows that. A little known fact is that they also love cookies (and in their defense, who doesn’t?), especially if it’s in the shape of their opponents: other ninjas! This holiday season, you can use these Ninjabread Men Cookie Cutters ($8.99) to try to catch your very own! Unlike that other elusive guy, ninjas take their time while eating cookies.
A few weeks ago, some lucky 8Asians readers in Los Angeles were able to see Outrage, the new film from Japan’s legendary Takeshi Kitano (ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN, BROTHER, VIOLENT COP). Now it’s time for our readers in the Bay Area to see the film! Opening in Los Angeles and New York on December 2, 2011, it stars Beat Takeshi, Kippei Shiina, Ryo Kase, and Tomokazu Miura.
In a ruthless battle for power, several yakuza clans vie for the favor of their head family in the Japanese underworld. The rival bosses seek to rise through the ranks by scheming and making allegiances sworn over saké.
Long-time yakuza Ôtomo (writer/director Kitano, using his screen name “Beat Takeshi”) has seen his kind go from elaborate body tattoos and severed fingertips to becoming important players on the stock market. Theirs is a never-ending struggle to end up on top, or at least survive, in a corrupt world where there are no heroes but constant betrayal and vengeance…
Running Time: 109 minutes
Language: Japanese (with English subtitles)
Rating: R for violence, language, and brief sexuality
Ok, ok, so you just want to know how you can win some free tickets? Read on!
Continue Reading »
Bravo TV’s reality show Work of Art – Next Generation (Wednesdays at 6pm), now in its second season, is the art version of Project Runway. Every week a group of emerging artists living together in a Manhattan apartment are given limited time to produce “works of art” based on prompts and materials delivered by actress/model host China Chow and guided by art auction house owner Simon de Pury, the Tim Gunn of the series. The artists’ works are then shown in a gallery and judged by a panel of art critics and a well-known guest, such as executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker. Read more about the show – and the Asian American contestants on it – after the jump! Continue Reading »
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