8Asians.com » Lifestyles

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.

Woman In China Gives Birth To 15 Lb Baby

Moye — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:30:45 +0000

From the AP: “A mother in central China has given birth to a 15.52 pound (7.04 kilogram) baby, possibly the largest newborn on record since the country’s founding in 1949.” The baby was born via c-section and nothing out of the ordinary was reported about the pregnancy. Aside from the fact that the baby was 15 pounds. In other news, Asian babies rule!

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.

Asian Americans Have Mixed Results In Retirement Study

Tim — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:00:22 +0000

ING recently published a new study on retirement readiness in different racial communities. Asian Americans had mixed results in the study. There are some positive results. Asian Americans overall had saved the most for retirement, $81,000 in an employee sponsored retirement plan (versus $69,000 for the population in general). Not surprising, Asian Americans are more likely to contribute to a employee sponsored retirement plan, with 81% saying they contribute (compared to 75% of the overall population).

But Asian Americans don’t excel everywhere when it comes to planning their retirement. See where Asian Americans fall short in retirement planning and where else we excel after the jump.

Given the higher amount in retirement savings by Asian Americans, it should be no surprise that Asian Americans also contribute more to retirement accounts, 10.3% of a paycheck on average (versus 8.4% in the general population), and $324 on average per paycheck (versus $220 in the general population). Even with the higher contribution to retirement savings, Asian Americans also save more in general with 69% having savings outside of retirement plans (compared with 58% of the general population).

When it comes to routine savings and expenses, its generally considered a good idea to have an emergency cash reserve (90% of Asian Americans say they have one, versus 81% of the general population), and even better if that reserve can cover 6 months of living expenses (51% of Asian Americans have 6 months of reserve versus 32% of the overall population).

When it comes to debt, Asian Americans seem to manage it better than other groups. Only 15% of Asian Americans have student loan debt (compared to 25% overall), 23% of Asian Americans have a car loan (compared to 44% overall). Asian Americans use credit cards more (96% versus 91%), but have better control of them with 35% carrying debt on credit cards, versus 40% overall, and more likely to pay off credit cards in full every month (75% versus 50% overall).

So if Asian Americans are so great at their finances, is there anywhere they need help? The answer unfortunately is yes. Asian Americans are the least likely to have actually done any estate planning by writing a will and testament (26% versus 35%). This may be cultural, as it’s taboo to discuss death in many Asian cultures, with some believing discussion or activity around one’s death is inviting death into your home. Asian Americans are also the least likely to have actually calculated how much money they will need to continue their lifestyle after retirement (39% vs. 43%). Asian Americans are also least likely to work with a financial professional (22% vs. 28%).

The last place where Asians differ from the norm is concern for saving for short-term expenses (versus the long-term retirement savings). Asians are more concerned about saving for vacation (21% vs. 14%), and saving for a down payment for a home (12% vs. 8%).

My own parents were great examples of the results of this study. While they were successful in accumulating savings for their retirement, they didn’t think about it much, nor did they ever wonder if they’d have enough. They always figured they’d have their kids to depend on if they didn’t have enough. In addition, they really didn’t do any estate planning, as they were highly superstitious that it would bring bad luck, that is until it was pretty obvious they weren’t going to be around due to their terminal cancer diagnoses.

On the other hand I’ve probably well exceeded Asian Americans in retirement planning. I work with a financial planner, I’ve probably got way more life insurance than I need, and I’ve been contributing to a retirement plan since I was 22. Part of this drive, especially around life insurance and estate planning didn’t happen until my daughter was born. She was really the driving factor in setting up a living trust. So if you haven’t thought about life insurance or a will, and you have kids, you should get out and do some estate planning, not for yourself, but for your kids.

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!