Author Archives: John

About John

I'm a Taiwanese-American and was born & raised in Western Massachusetts, went to college in upstate New York, worked in Connecticut, went to grad school in North Carolina and then moved out to the Bay Area in 1999 and have been living here ever since - love the weather and almost everything about the area (except the high cost of housing...)

Andrew Yang Concedes NYC Mayoral Democratic Primary

Earlier this week, the New York City Democratic and Republican mayoral primaries occurred, and candidate Andrew Yang did not perform well: “Andrew Yang, a former 2020 presidential candidate whose name recognition once made him an early front-runner in the New … Continue reading

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Vote for J.J. for ‘Beachbody Challenge’ – First Asian Male Finalist!

My friend JJ asked me to help spread the word on voting for him for the “Beachbody Challenge”: “Hi! I’m JJ. I’m the first Asian guy to ever make it to the Finals of the Beachbody Challenge, from the company … Continue reading

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Andrew Yang for Mayor of NYC: ‘Hope Is on the Way’

Back in January, former Democratic presidential candidate announced his candidacy for the Mayor of New York City. I was pre-occupied with personal matters at the time, so I didn’t blog about it. The mayoral primary election is less than two … Continue reading

Posted in 8Series, Asian American Commercial Watch, Local, New York, Politics | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Asian Rapper DESTROYS Model Minority Myth

I saw this rap on Facebook recently and was shocked that this was published last July 2020 and had not gone viral (as I last saw it had less than 1,200 views). ‘Matt R. Fact‘ does a brilliant job of … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Entertainment, Music | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Marvel Studios’ Official Teaser: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Marvel Studios recently released their official “teaser” on their upcoming film, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” – in theaters September 3, 2021. For the Asian American community, I have to imagine this is our ‘Black Panther’ moment (a … Continue reading

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Asian American Frozen Foods: Tonkatsu Miso Ramen

I was at Costco recently and came across Pulmuone Foods USA’s Tonkatsu Miso Ramen. It looked appealing to me for two servings for a cost of $11.99. In the San Francisco Bay Area, a single bowl of ramen at a … Continue reading

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PBS Documentary ‘Asian Americans’ & More Available for Online Streaming (free)

With the rise of hate crimes against AAPIs due to the COVID-19 pandemic (exacerbated by the previous president’s “China virus” and “Kung Flu” rhetoric) and the recent mass shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, Jada Leng, PBS’s Business Strategy Director, Content and … Continue reading

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Steven Yeun Makes Oscars History as First-ever Asian American Lead Actor Nominee

It’s 2021, and it’s about damn time that an Asian American has been nominated for an Oscar for lead actor: “Steven Yeun made history Monday morning with his Oscar nomination for his performance as Jacob, a Korean father who moves … Continue reading

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Documentary ‘Love Boat: Taiwan’ Now Available for Streaming – Rent or Buy!

As I had mentioned back in April 2019, the documentary Love Boat: Taiwan, was premiering at several film festival in May 2019 in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Taipei. It is finally available via streaming online on Vimeo – either … Continue reading

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Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation

October 23, 2020 would have been special effects engineer and TV host Grant Imahara‘s 50th birthday.  His mother and others used that day to announce the Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation.   The foundation’s mission is: To inspire emerging talent and empower … Continue reading

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Asian Americans Lead in Intent to Get COVID-19 Vaccinations

A friend of mine had posted about this recent Pew Research report on ‘Intent to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine Rises to 60% as Confidence in Research and Development Process Increases.‘  It surprised me that Asians are currently more likely to … Continue reading

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Asian American Frozen Foods: Trader Joe’s ‘Bulgogi Beef Fried Rice With Kimchi’

I was at Trader Joe’s a week or so ago and saw  this new frozen meal available -‘Bulgogi Beef Fried Rice With Kimchi’: “Translated directly from Korean, bulgogi is a compound word that simply means “fire-meat.” Literal translations aside, bulgogi … Continue reading

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