8Asians.com » Guest Writer

Chinese New Year Lanterns

Guest Writer — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:41:00 +0000

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and it is always great to decorate your home with nice little lanterns. Oriental Furniture offers a set of Chinese New Year Lanterns ($18.00 for a set of 12) that can be easily hung or strung up anywhere. The bold and bright colors of the lantern will constantly remind you of the holiday spirit and festivities. Cheers to a new Chinese year!

Check out this product on our shopping blog, GASP!

Help Fight Stereoptypes With Asian Crew Clothing

Guest Writer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

By Matthew

I’m a member of Asian Crew Clothing, along with Hao-Kai Wu, Ryan Kwan, Kevin Han and Kevin Foo. I started this company because being Asian is cool.

In history classes, Asian Pacific American history is overlooked, and hardly even discussed. Our ancestors who moved here from their homeland faced hatred and were subject to hurtful stereotypes. Somehow, they managed to work hard, earning minimal wage to make their children’s lives better. They instilled in us a work ethic and discipline that has cultivated success. Yet some how, many Asian stereotypes still exist today and are exemplified in the media.

The stereotypes are not true and undermine hard work. For example, in high school, I took BC calculus and it was the hardest class I had ever taken. I struggled, and failed some exams throughout the year, but I worked hard and put the time and effort into learn everything I didn’t understand. By the end of the year I understood a majority of the material and received a 5 on the AP exam. There are people in the world who would think to themselves, “he got a 5 on BC calculus exam because he’s Asian”. For some reason, people think that Asians are born knowing how integrate and take derivatives. But the truth is, I worked just as hard as the rest of my peers, but few people would believe me.

So, we thought making cool shirts that inform people about Asian Pacific American culture as well as combat common stereotypes used against Asian Pacific Americans would be the best way to approach the problem. We all realized that Asian American themed shirts were limited to certain themes and stereotypical shirts. So at Asian Crew Inc, there are no “Got Rice?” jokes, Bruce Lee pictures, or over-used gimmicks here. We’re dedicated to making Asian American themed shirts with style and originality. We want to give you unique and kick-ass gear that makes you proud to rep Asian culture.

We need your help. We need to raise money to order our newest batch of designs so if you agree that being Asian is cool, donate to our Kickstarter project. We need all the help we can get, so tell your mom, your dad, your uncle(s), your second cousin(s), and even your friend you haven’t talked to in a long time, about our project. Help us spread the word. If you have any comments, critiques, ideas, or even experiences you’d like to share with us, send us an email at asiancrewinc[at]gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I’m a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts and partner of Asian Crew Inc.

Kisai Rogue KR2 LED Watch

Guest Writer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:41:00 +0000

When we were kids, we’d imagine how the future would be like. Sadly in 2012, flying cars and hoverboots haven’t happened yet, but we have the technology of LEDs. The future is now with this Kisai Rogue KR2 LED Watch ($128.00). Made by the folks at Tokyo Flash, it features sleek black stainless steel and a futuristic looking LED face. Its unique-looking layout may take some time to get use to but it’s a great style choice and a reminder of the awesome times we live in.

Check out this product on our shopping blog, GASP!

Behind The Scenes With Team Janet & A Call To Help Janet Find Her Match

Guest Writer — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:00:50 +0000

By Emily,

My name is Emily and I am the Publicity and Media Director of Team Janet. After Janet was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009, she and her closest friends immediately set up a website to encourage people to register to be bone marrow donors and to promote awareness about the dearth of minority donors. I became involved by volunteering to help with registration drives in Northern California. After Janet went into remission in June 2010, Team Janet disbanded.

Janet’s relapse in December 2011 brought about the need for a larger, more cohesive team.

New volunteers were recruited, including a new CEO (as Janet herself does not have the energy to oversee the entire campaign), regional coordinators, web designers, photographers, and a media contact. All current team members are Janet’s personal friends and people she trusts. Some of us know each other well, and some of us have never met, but we are all in constant contact with one another.
Janet is a very shy person, which is why I was surprised to see how she publicly laid her emotions bare in her wrenching plea for help. She recorded and uploaded the video herself, without any input from her team, and the results were astounding. My heart nearly shattered when I saw the video, because Janet is someone I love, but I never thought the public would react just as strongly as I did. I was awed to see that Janet had the ability to touch the hearts of complete strangers.

One such stranger ingeniously uploaded Janet’s video to Reddit, and her video was featured on the front page. The “likes” on the Helping Janet Facebook page jumped to over 1,000 within that day. The Reddit post was the beginning of the swell of awareness, and I will forever be indebted to the man who launched us to large-scale Internet recognition. Another stranger, dancer/singer Victor Kim, used his Facebook, YouTube channel, and Twitter to promote Janet’s campaign. He hosted a bone marrow registry drive at UC Irvine and sold a song on iTunes as a fundraiser for Janet. Janet has never met Victor. No one from Team Janet reached out to him to ask for his help, but his feverish crusade to help Janet find her match is one that has inspired countless individuals to do the same.

Since the Reddit post, we have had thousands of people – ordinary citizens, celebrities, newspapers, radio stations, and television news – help promote our campaign. We now have over 8,700 likes on Facebook, and we are growing every day. We at Team Janet are so grateful for all the support, love, and prayers, but Janet still has not found her match, and she still needs help. Please continue to spread the word and encourage people to register, especially people of Chinese descent.

Please help us keep the momentum going and save Janet’s life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I met Janet in September 2005, the very beginning of our freshman year at UCLA, and we have been close friends ever since. I am the Media and Publicity Director of Team Janet, so if you have media inquiries, please contact me at helpingjanet[at]gmail.com.

Handcrafted “Oswald” Wooden Sunglasses

Guest Writer — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:41:00 +0000

The retro silhouette of the Wayfarer sunglasses has come back in style, but the signature black plastic is getting old fast. So get your hands on these handcrafted wooden shades (as shown, $145) by Shwood Eyewear. This Portland-based company uses sustainably-sourced premium materials like East Indian rosewood and Koa wood from Hawaii. Each pair comes with an engraved wool storage pouch to keep it safe from scratches and your choice of Carl Zeiss or polarized lenses. If that isn’t cool enough for you, Shwood’s Project Collection features frames created in collaboration with well-known San Francisco skater company HUF.

Check out this product on our shopping blog, GASP!

Jason Wu’s Target Collection Debuts With Super Bowl XLVI

Guest Writer — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:00:32 +0000

By Joni

This past Sunday, women (and some men, I suppose) all over the nation put their big game strategies in motion. Noooo, I’m not talking about football. Football is a walk in the park compared to what some people went through in order to score pieces from Jason Wu’s highly anticipated collection for Target stores. Wu, a high end fashion designer, created a 53 piece collection for Target which consists of fun dresses, skirts, tops and to complete the look, handbags and scarves!

Jason Wu’s designs can cost thousands of dollars! Sure, $3,000 is pocket change to the rich and famous and the First Lady, but for me, how about no. Not just no, but WTH?! Fortunately, for the average Joe, Wu’s collection of separates and bags for Target ranges in price from $19.99 to $59.99. Touchdown!

The early bird gets the worm, or the Wu in this case. This not-so-early-bird suffered the consequences of sleeping in. Little did I know that by 10:30AM, everything I wanted would be sold out at the Van Nuys store in Southern California. First down. I advanced to the Culver City store where there were literally less than 10 pieces on the display. The colors and patterns of the various blouses and skirts available were lovely and perfect for Spring and Summer. The rayon material of the shirts seemed a little flimsy, but for $19.99, one can get past it. Alas, none of the pieces were in my size. Second down and I keep fighting. The Redondo Beach was the worst of the three. The only trace of Wu’s collection was an empty rack. One of the employees said that there were ladies lined before the store opened. That’s just crazy! (But I considered it.) Third down and Uncle, I give. Like the Patriots, I walked away with shattered dreams.

My online experience later that afternoon was much of the same; very few pieces were available, none in my size, nor on my wish list. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and information all over the internet advises that Target will restock their online inventory. The stores however, will not be replenished.

The day was not a complete dud. It was Super Bowl Sunday after all and it was a gorgeous day for party in Eagle Rock. To be honest, everything after half time was a blur. Stupid beer. I do remember one fellow at the party lost a bet and had to change into an evening gown for the second half. He looked beautiful as he descended down the stairs to Abba’s “Dancing Queen.” Congrats to Eli Manning and the Giants for giving the Patriots a winning dose of déjà vu.

ABOUT JONI: Just an average Chinese-Filipino gal who loves the beach, good wine and pancit!

Hard Boiled Egg Mold for Bento Decoration

Guest Writer — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:41:00 +0000

Bento boxes are a great way to “fun-up” mealtime. These cute little Hard Boiled Egg Molds ($2.80) by Kotobuki form and imprint hard boiled eggs into shapes like bunnies, bears, fishys, or “zoom zooms “ (aka “cars” for those of you who lost your imagination).

The colorful apparatus looks similar to the Playdough molds, it’s colorful and plastic with a hinge. The process is simple. Boil an egg, then peel off the shell while it is still warm and put it into the form and close. Place it in the fridge to cool and PRESTO you have an edible figure ready for your matching bento box and chopstick set.

It’s so easy even a caveman can do it! At less than $3 it’s a fun little kitchen gadget to add to your collection.

Check out this product on our shopping blog, GASP!

CDC Study Suggests Low Cancer Screening Rates Among Asians in US

Guest Writer — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

By Mina

20 years ago, Susan Matsuko Shinagawa’s surgeon told her that she didn’t need a biopsy, despite the fact that a sonogram had revealed the lump in her breast was a solid mass. Why? Because he thought that she was too young to have breast cancer, and because he was convinced that “Asian women don’t get breast cancer”. I’d never heard of this myth before, but maybe other APIAs have, because the CDC just came out with a study that shows that the Asian population in the US had significantly lower screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal (bowel) cancer compared to white and black populations in 2010.

64.1% of the Asians surveyed had been screened for breast cancer by mammography in the past 2 years, compared to a national average of 72.4%. For cervical cancer, 75.4% of the Asians surveyed had been screened for cervical cancer by Pap smear testing in the last 3 years (national average 83.0%). 41.3% of the Asians surveyed had been screened for colorectal cancer (national average 58.6%).

This study is especially relevant in the context of Komen announcing to end its funding for Planned Parenthood’s breast cancer examinations, referrals and education services (and then kind of taking it back?). Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood explained that “Over the past five years, Komen funds have enabled Planned Parenthood health centers to provide nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams and referrals for more than 6,400 mammograms”. One of the Komen grants had also funded Planned Parenthood’s outreach to the Vietnamese community through breast health education in hair and nail salons. Let’s hope that the public response and pressures can convince Komen to continue funding these breast health services!

My family and community never likes to talk about cancer, because it seems to be yet another taboo topic among Asian immigrant communities (at least the ones I’ve known). Which is probably why it never even occurred to me to get screened for breast cancer. But Susan Matsuko Shinagawa, a third-gen Japanese American woman, started to break through those taboos and myths 20 years ago by telling her story – and it still seems to be so relevant today. Is talking about breast cancer taboo in your families, too? Or is it just the people I know that absurdly seems to think that talking about cancer will somehow make us get cancer?

P.S. Of course, mammograms aren’t cheap, especially if one doesn’t have insurance. The CDC has some resources for uninsured and low-income women, though, so check them out!

ABOUT MINA: I’m a 20 year old first generation Japanese American born in New York, but I peaced out a year later. I spent most of my life in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Two and a half years ago, I arrived in Philadelphia for college, back in the US for the first time in 17 years. Over time, I’ve come to identify as Japanese/Hong Kongnese immigrant, Asian American, (fierce) Womyn of Color… and since reading the guest post on 8Asians by Johnny C, as a Third Culture Kid.