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...)

Island in Between: Review and Q&A with Oscar-Nominated Director S. Leo Chiang

Posted on February 22, 2024 by John

I live in Silicon Valley, and one of the benefits is that I live about five miles from Stanford University, where are often quite a few events of interest to me that are open to the public. Recently, there was … Continue reading →

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Golden State Warriors 2024 Lunar New Year Celebration Night

Posted on February 20, 2024 by John

Lunar New Year is a big deal in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it’s also a big deal with the Golden State Warriors. I couldn’t make the celebration night last year, but did back in 2022. This is the … Continue reading →

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Third State Books – A New Publishing House Amplifying Stories from Asian America

Posted on February 13, 2024 by John

Living within five miles of Stanford University, I often attend talks there that are  open to the public. I recently went to a Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club (SAPAAC) and Stanford’s Asian American Student Association sponsored panel discussion: Owning … Continue reading →

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Ken Jeong in Popeyes’ 2024 Super Bowl Ad “The Wait Is Over”

Posted on February 9, 2024 by John

My favorite fellow Duke Asian American alumni is Ken Jeong (’90), and he stars in this Super Bowl commercial announcing that the Popeyes fast food chain is now offering chicken wings as part of their menu: “The year is 1972. … Continue reading →

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Liberty Mutual Insurance’s ‘First Word | Truth Tellers’

Posted on January 29, 2024 by John

I forget when I saw this cute commercial – probably while watching the San Francisco 49ers play. The premise is that the mother has been telling everyone how much money she’s been saving switching her insurance to Liberty Mutual, causing … Continue reading →

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Netflix’s The Brothers Sun: Review (Spoilers)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by John

As we had mentioned back in December, the Netflix series The Brothers Sun premiered January 4th. I just finished binge watching the series, and I don’t think I can say enough great things about it!  The series is about: “When … Continue reading →

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Publishing Your Way as a Change Maker: The First Chinese Festivals

Posted on January 5, 2024 by John

I came across this Cornell webinar from an alumni email about a “Leadership Lunch and Learning” webinar series.  The topic was the following: “L Sam Zhang, author and illustrator of The First Chinese Festivals series of picture books, speaks on … Continue reading →

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8Asians Exclusive: Evan Low for Congress interview

Posted on December 28, 2023 by John

Full disclosure: I have donated to Evan Low’s campaigns in the past and will do so in the future. Back in early December, I had blogged about California State Assemblyman Evan Low running for Congress. A few weeks ago, towards … Continue reading →

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NYU Researchers Map Anti-Asian Bias and Xenophobia at State Level

Posted on December 11, 2023 by John

Back in September, New York University (NYU) released this press release regarding a recent study: “The researchers found that Republican-majority and swing states showed indications of greater stereotyping of Asian-born and Asian Americans, with European Americans more likely to see … Continue reading →

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California State Assembly Evan Low Running for Congress to Replace Retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo

Posted on December 7, 2023 by John

Full disclosure: I have donated to Evan Low’s campaigns in the past and will do so in the future. I was excited to hear that California Democratic Assemblymember Evan Low officially launched his bid for Congress for California’s 16th Congressional … Continue reading →

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APIAVote: Taste of Democracy Briefing on AAPI Voter Data

Posted on November 28, 2023 by John

During APEC 2023, the non-profit APIAVote was in town and had a briefing which I was able to attend. The focus of the briefing was the following: To understand AAPIs’ growing electoral power and become a part of the community … Continue reading →

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A Conversation with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu with SF City Attorney David Chiu

Posted on November 24, 2023 by John

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was in San Francisco recently during APEC 2023 to attend the California Asian Leadership Network of Elected and Appointed Officials (CALNET) 2023 leadership retreat. As a Taiwanese American born and raised in Western Massachusetts, I’ve been … Continue reading →

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