8 Asians

Those who know me know I’m a sci-fi/fantasy geek. When I was younger, I used to only read the classics. I think it was partly because I felt as though I should read those and wanted to look smart when I understood a reference that no one else got. But as I’ve gotten older, I don’t really care about any of that anymore. I pretty much read every zombie and vampire book I can get my […] Continue »

I’m working on a screenplay and one of the films my co-writer asked me to watch was Flower Drum Song. As my writing partner noted, it is “perhaps the only mainstream musical with all Asian American characters.” The sad thing is that he was right. The closet thing I could think of was the King & I. And that play wasn’t all Asian American. So over the holidays I watched the 1961 Universal –International film starring […] Continue »

I know recently there’s been a backlash against the whole Elf on a Shelf phenomenon. If you aren’t a parent, then you might not know what I’m talking about. Elf on the Shelf is a book that comes with an elf. The story goes that the elf watches the children during the day and then at night returns to the North Pole to tell Santa if the kids have been naughty or nice. The fun […] Continue »

As a filmmaker and as a blogger here on 8Asians, I get hit up to write about everyone and their mother’s webseries. While I’ve seen a lot of good ones (don’t worry, yours was great!), I mostly see a lot of really bad webseries. That’s why when my friend, Tom Huang, sent me an email about his newest project, Unusual Targets, I didn’t have very high hopes for it. However, because I love Tom’s films and writing […] Continue »

It might be just me, but I assumed that everyone had the same earwax. But while researching my last article (Do Asians Smell?) I found out that (most) Asians have completely different earwax than those of other races. I even told my wife this fact and it blew her mind. Okay, she didn’t really care, but she did express mild surprise which is more than I can say for most of my articles so you’ll forgive […] Continue »

Dear 8Asians readers, After a long long long hiatus, I’m back! And asking the hard hitting questions I’ve come to be known for. Please send me questions that you want answered! Today’s topic is—drum roll please—“Do Asians Smell?” (This should not be mistaken for my article, “Do Asians have the worst smelling farts?”) Before I begin, let me be clear: I don’t smell. Never have. At least, I don’ t think so. Any ex-girlfriends out […] Continue »

Please Note: This story is fictional and was originally intended for a children’s book.  Previously… “Kuma” (Part 1) and “Kuma” (Part 2) Kuma (Pt. 3) Eddy’s life changed right away.  He stopped going to school and his family wasn’t allowed to leave the house at night.  Eddy spent the first couple of days playing with Kuma and with Julia once she got back from school. Eddy noticed a lot of strangers were going in and out of […] Continue »

Please Note: This story is fictional and was originally intended for a children’s book.  Previously… “Kuma” (Part 1) Kuma (Pt. 2) Eddy was a Nisei, which means second generation Japanese.  In other words, his parents were born in Japan, but he was born in America and was therefore a citizen.  Because he had never visited his parent’s homeland and since he couldn’t speak a word of their native language, he always felt more American than Japanese. But […] Continue »

Please Note: This story is fictional and was originally intended for a children’s book.  Kuma  Eddy Murakami’s10th birthday was on July 4, 1941 and he knew he wanted a dog.  He even had a name picked out already.  The dog’s name was going to be Kuma, which in Japanese means, “bear.” For the entire month of June, Eddy begged his dad to get him a dog. “Dad, can I have a dog?” Eddy would ask every time […] Continue »

Watch out world, the center of Asian America is the 626, which for those of you who don’t know is the area code for the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County. Okay, maybe there’s a little bit of hyperbole (or a lot) there but do you blame me taking some pride in my neighborhood? Having been born, raised, and still living in the 626, I remember back in the 90s when no one outside […] Continue »

It’s Hip to be Asian in the US by Elizabeth Lee of Voice of America, argues that there is a new coolness in being Asian. I have noticed it too. Asian America isn’t as much on the fringes (of popular culture) as it was when I was younger. It has become much more part of society in general. One great example of this is boba tea. In the early 90s, I had to go to […] Continue »

Ever since I had a baby, I’m way more emotional than I have ever been. Put it this way, it’s not uncommon to find me tearing up during television sitcoms and romantic comedies. That’s why the first time I heard about Nina and what she is going through, I felt like crying and wanted to do everything I could to help her. Here is a little bit more about Nina: An extraordinary woman, mother, and […] Continue »