By Lexington S.
“The reason why ya’ll do so well,” my non-Asian friend once said, “is because ya’ll work insanely hard.” But what if all that hard work has a dark underbelly? What if society rewarded Asian Americans by setting a higher bar for success? Asians applying to college have long known about the heightened standards for admission. There are just too many of us who work insanely hard to achieve high grades and SAT scores.
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A few months ago, our friends at 8Asians reviewed the new EP Nocturnal by Aziatix ($27.41), a new Korean-American group. This past week, Aziatix won Best New Asian Artist at the MNET Asian Music Awards (MAMA). So if you haven’t checked them out yet, start with their new acoustic version of Go–your ears (and eyes) will thank you.
Shopping With GASP!
Take note, unoriginal-guys-thinking-of-organizing-flash-mob-proposals. This is how you combine viral pop culture with sappy milestones in your life. Timothy Tiah in Kuala Lumpur decided to take the jump and ask his girlfriend, Audrey, to be his wife. And the creative part is that the entire proposal was done through flash cards incorporating popular Internet memes, like the Y U NO guy and Lord of the Rings. The result? A sweet, endearing, funny, relevant (at least for the next month or so) moment that will live forever on the Internet.
So I guess all those hours on Reddit was time well spent.
[Via: The Daily What]
I haven’t been following the case of Private Danny Chen, a 19-year-old from New York’s Chinatown neighborhood, and his suicide in Afghanistan in October too closely, but caught the recent report about his eight fellow soldiers being charged for his death due to bullying:
“Chen’s fellow soldiers dragged him across the floor, threw stones at the back of his head, forced him to hold liquid in his mouth while upside down as part of an apparent hazing, and called him “Jackie Chen” in a mocking accent in a reference to the action star Jackie Chan, according to Elizabeth OuYang, president of the New York chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans. The details of his alleged hazing came from Facebook and email messages, discussions with cousins and a few pages of Chen’s journal released by the Army, OuYang said at a Chinatown news conference.”
It’s the holidays so I decided to forgo the hard hitting “research” based articles I usually write (The Science and History of the Asian Squat Or Do All Asians Have Flat Butts?) to bring to you something more in the spirit of the season: Christmas ornaments. Specifically, Asian “inspired” ornaments.
I admit that when I started to research this article I thought I’d find more overtly racist ornaments. Something I could get upset about. (Maybe a bucktoothed Japanese figurine or an “I hate Asians” bulb?) But in reality it was all rather tame. Most were strange, funny, and/or ironical, some were somewhat racist, and all were incredibly tacky.
Without further ado, here are my top 10 Asian themed Christmas ornaments:
Via the Telegraph: A new project by researchers at Fukushima University will use monkeys to test radiation levels in the forests around the Fukishima nuclear plants devastated by last spring’s earthquake and tsunami. Outfitted with collars that have radiation meters and GPS transmitters, as a professor involved said, this is “the first time such an experiment has been carried out with monkeys.” Well, yes, that seems unsurprising to me since the headline alone was enough to draw my confusion. Whereas prior to this experiment forest radiation levels were measured via helicopter, apparently the monkeys are ideal for measuring the radiation because they spend so much time at various levels of the forest (tree tops, forest floor and everything in-between). [h/t Jasmine]
“If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place.” – Jake Shimabukuro
TED conferences are known for hosting some of the deepest thinkers in world who talk about profound and world changing ideas. So why was ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro invited to speak at TED conferences, such as this local conference hosted in Honolulu?
It’s been a long time since we featured an item focused on our favorite thing: sushi. So when we found this Big Inari Sushi Kitty Pillow ($29.99), we had to jump on the opportunity. Measuring a whopping 14 inches across, this pillow is sure to keep you full for a long time.
UPDATE: Congrats to our winners: Joshus Tadayoshi Kimura, Ariel, Pedro Gamuzza, and Sand!
This is part of 8Asians’ 2011 “8Days of Giveaways” Celebration.
Established in 2009, Akufuncture is dedicated to creating Chinese-inspired fashion, riding the fine dichotomy between high fashion and street-wear. The cultural mystique and ancient heroes of China have fueled inspiration in global fashion for generations. Now through stories of journey, luxury, struggle, and romance, Akufuncture aims to create a clothing line that brings to life a culture with much influence, and to tell the historical and cultural stories this influence has transpired from.
In historical China, during the Qing dynasty, an emperor commissioned the production of an extravagant yellow dragon robe. Made from the best silks and embroidered with colorful and elaborate patterns, this robe would signify a major milestone for the foundation of fashion in China and would become the first of numerous influential looks to come. From the opulence of traditional embroidered silks to the iconic image of the chic 1930′s Shanghai women, to refined military inspired looks, Chinese fashion has often extended its influence to the rest of the world. And now? By re-imagining the traditional mediums of the brushstroke, the thread, and the silk, Akufuncture now works to redefine Chinese fashion – by fusing over 5,000 years of rich history with modern-day expression.
Akufuncture is giving lucky 8Asians readers a chance to win a t-shirt and a keychain!
Ok, ok, so you you’re ready to enter? Read on!
Continue Reading »
To commemorate this past year, Jason Chu, a Chinese American hip-hop artist currently in Beijing, recorded a rap review of 2011 for Asian America integrating such big news as Jeremy Lin, tiger moms, Ed Lee, etc. into this nice crazy compact summary. Lyrics and links after the jump!
I’m as knowledgeable about writing Haiku poetry as Silvio Berlusconi is about being discreet, but this isn’t such a bad idea. Signs in New York City have appeared which are designed to try and lift awareness of road safety in a light and humorous way. John Morse created a total of 12 different types, 10 in english and 2 in spanish, with the designs made to stand out in a cluttered landscape, although I am surprised there’s no Japanese signs.
It’s a good idea in a world where your every move matters (that’s one of the Haiku!) but I can’t help but feel from a planning perspective that it’s a band-aid solution and perhaps a unconscious response to the growing population of cities. Still, it does make for amusing reading, provided you can read and you don’t get hit by a car while reading. Has anyone seem them yet? (Hat tip: Kayla Gordon from Planetzien)
[Photo courtesy of NPR]
Via US News: “New research finds that pregnant women in New Hampshire, which has high levels of arsenic in drinking water in some wells, may also be ingesting arsenic through rice…Karagas said arsenic levels in rice ‘should be monitored,’ although she added, ‘at this point, we’re not making any specific dietary or nutritional recommendations.’” It’s ok, you don’t need to panic, rice won’t give you arsenic poisoning.
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