Author Archives: Jeff

About Jeff

Jeff lives in Silicon Valley, and attempts to juggle marriage, fatherhood, computer systems research, running, and writing.

What would the Aloha movie look like with an actual quarter Chinese quarter Islander half White person in the Emma Stone role?

By now, you probably heard about the controversy over actress Emma Stone playing a quarter Chinese quarter Islander half White character named Allison Ng and the whitewashing of Hawaii in the movie Aloha.  But what would the movie looking like … Continue reading

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US Memorial Day: Remembering Captain Francis Wai

In 1996, the United States Congress ordered a new look at the stories of Asian American soldiers to see if any were passed up for appropriate medals.   As a result, in 2000, Frances Wai’s Distinguished Service Cross medal was … Continue reading

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AAPI MMA Fighters win at UFC Fight Night 66 in Manila as Mark Munoz Retires

Three Asian American/Pacific Islander MMA fighters won at UFC Fight Night 66 in Manila (Pasay to be exact) Philippines.  Jon “The Super Saiyan” Tuck, the first Chamorro signed to the UFC, submitted Tae Hyun Bang, by rear naked choke.  Mark … Continue reading

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Asian American Medical Hazard: Food Allergies

My father developed an allergy to shrimp, one of his favorite foods.  When he ate shrimp anyway, my mother warned him in Tagalog that he would get itchy.  “Then I’ll scratch,” was his reply.  While I laugh when I think … Continue reading

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Asian American Commercial Watch: AT&T Bedtime Story at Airport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRm2uyh3NQQ I really like this commercial for two reasons.  First, it shows a family with an Asian American Dad behaving as an active loving parent.  Second, it has actor and model Rick Lasquete in the foreground.  Rick lived around the … Continue reading

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The College Admissions Game Addendum 1: Rankings, Ratings, and Registering

How much is getting into a top ranked college worth? One family from Hong Kong offered up to $400K to a popular Silicon Valley consultant to get their “C” average student into a top ranked school. This raises many questions, … Continue reading

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History of San Jose Japantown on KQED Radio

When I first moved to San Jose from the East Bay 25 years ago, one very pleasant discovery has been San Jose’s Japantown. As one of the three remaining Japantowns in the US, I always thought it had much more … Continue reading

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Varun Ram thrills Indian Americans in NCAA Tournament

When the University of Maryland needed a defensive spark in the last seconds of their March Madness opener against Valparaiso, they called up reserve player Varun Ram.  According to the Washington post, Ram’s late game disruption of Valparaiso’s offense caused … Continue reading

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Hannah Hong: Elite Yelp Restaurant Reviewer

Many Asian Americans are foodies, but Hannah Hong’s more than 1300 Yelp restaurant reviews (including review updates) since 2012 has put into higher level of foodie, the Yelp Elite Squad.   While there are individual Yelp reviewers who have generated more … Continue reading

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Warriors and Rockets NBA teams have Chinese New Year uniforms

The Golden State Warriors debuted uniforms celebrating Chinese New Year in their February 20th game against the San Antonio Spurs.  The Chinese Characters are said to say “warriors.”   They will also wear  the uniforms in their games on February … Continue reading

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Asian Americans make up majority of Orange County Supervisors

The unique growth of Asian Americans in Orange County has resulted in the majority of Orange County Supervisors being Asian American.  Michelle Steel, a Korean native, and Lisa Bartlett, a Japanese American, were joined on the five member board by … Continue reading

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