Open Thread: What are your Holiday Traditions?

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Ernie

Merry Christmas Happy Early Lunar New Year by a couple of months Happy Holidays, from all of us at 8Asians.com! Our family being the standard Chinese converted-Baptists ripped apart by parental divorce and family problems, our family traditions have been less the sitting around eating Christmas Ham and steamed rice, and more taking my mom out to the Elephant Bar for lunch. I am, however, eagerly looking forward to Sunday, where a bunch of 8Asians.com bloggers – past and present – will meet up for a nice dinner. Hopefully that’ll be a nice tradition.

But enough about me — what about you? As a lot of us our children of immigrants that don’t celebrate Christmas in the traditional way, what are your family traditions? Leave a comment below and join in on the conversation!

(Flickr photo credit: w00kie)

Posted in Announcements, Observations | 6 Comments

SF Board of Supervisors President David Chiu & His Odd Prospects

Posted on December 24, 2010 by John

As the New Year approaches, not only has the San Francisco local media covered the political guessing game as to who will be the next mayor, but so has the national media. The other day, the Wall Street Journal profiled current San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and his odd circumstances of possibly becoming the next mayor:

Mr. Chiu’s unusual situation is the result of the vacancy being created by departing San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who leaves for Sacramento next month to take the job of California lieutenant governor. That leaves San Francisco’s 11-member Board of Supervisors with the option of choosing an interim mayor to serve out the remaining year of Mr. Newsom’s term. If Mr. Chiu were selected, he would resign his supervisory post, a spokesman said. But if no interim mayoral candidate can win six board votes, it would fall to Mr. Chiu as board president to oversee both branches of city government as “acting mayor.”

Now, the basic tenets of our government is the separation of powers and checks and balances, certainly at least at the federal level, but I believe this applies to all levels of government in the United States. Chiu has also expressed how demanding holding down two jobs would be! There has been some speculation as to whether or not Chiu wants to be just the interim mayor as well as the next elected mayor. With California Attorney General-elect Kamala Harris vacating San Francisco District Attorney seat, some have suggested that Gavin Newsom may be appoint David Chiu the next attorney general to replace Harris.

I first met David a little over two years ago when he was first running for supervisor for District 3, and got to know him a little bit better during his campaign through a mutual friend and even volunteered by walking some precincts putting door hangers in the district.

With a few weeks to go, we could have two Asian American mayors in the Bay Area – the first for San Francisco and the first for Oakland, and that would truly be historic. I can’t wait to see what happens.

Posted in Current Events, Local, Politics, San Francisco Bay Area | 1 Comment

Asian American Christmas Tradition: Simbang Gabi

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Jeff
flickr photo credit: Storm Crypt

“We have to be there at 5 AM.”
“What?”

My kids were rather unhappy that our first trip to Simbang Gabi was going to require waking up extremely early during their Christmas vacation.  What is Simbang Gabi?  It is a traditional Filipino practice during the Christmas Season – a series of nine early morning masses starting on December 16 and ending on Christmas Eve.  Even though I grew up in the Bay Area with a lot of Filipinos, I had never been to any part of Simbang Gabi or even heard of it when I was growing up.  But now, despite the pain of getting up to go to church before the sun comes up, this tradition seems to be spreading in the US.

What is the appeal of Simbang Gabi?  Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Food & Drink, Lifestyles | Tagged | 1 Comment

Peace Boat: Japanese Americans Travel the World With Other Nikkeis

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Koji Steven Sakai

I went to a high school in Southern California where the majority of the students were Taiwanese. Every summer they went on a trip called the “Love Boat.” I heard so many stories about my friends hooking up on the boat, I REALLY wanted to go. I thought that even someone like myself (nerdy and painfully awkward) could find someone that wanted to hook up with me.

Sadly, I never went, probably because I’m not Taiwanese. However, the idea of going on the Love Boat is still something I wish I could have done. That’s why when I found out about the Peace Boat, I was super excited.

Before I explain exactly what Peace Boat is, I should note that it has nothing to do with hooking up with people.

The Peace Boat is a Japan-based international non-governmental organization that works to promote peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment, on a chartered passenger ship that travels the world on global voyages.

By visiting the average of 18 countries, there are a lot of exchange programs and study tours, as well as some sight-seeing in each port, enabling participants to experience another culture first hand and learn about the issues affecting different regions of the world directly from the people who live there.

Onboard, there are as many as 70-80 events per day. From taking part in some peace education forums, playing an active role in the issues that Peace Boat supports including human rights, sustainable development and respect for the environment, participating in lectures and workshops provided by our guest educators to sharing some fun and exciting cultural events, participants are encouraged interact cross-nationality and generation. Japanese, Spanish and English language program is available also.

For more information, visit the Peace Boat website. You can also check out a video of the voyage.

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APA Spotlight: Kent Wong, Director of the Center for Labor Research and Education at UCLA

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Koji Steven Sakai

APA Spotlight is a bi-monthly interview of Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIA) community leaders. It is a spotlight on individuals who have dedicated their careers to issues surrounding the APIA community with the goal of bringing much deserved recognition to their work and cause(s).

Kent Wong is Director of the Center for Labor Research and Education at UCLA, where he also teaches Labor Studies and Asian American Studies.

Kent previously was staff attorney for the Service Employees International Union, representing Los Angeles County workers. He was also the first staff attorney for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California.

Kent served as the Founding President of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, the first national organization of Asian union members and workers. He has also served as the President of the United Association for Labor Education, and the University and College Labor Education Association, national organizations of union and university labor educators. He is currently a vice president of the California Federation of Teachers.

Kent has published numerous books on labor unions, organizing, immigrant workers, and popular education. His most recent publications include:  Underground Undergrads, UCLA Undocumented Immigrant Students Speak Out, Miguel Contreras:  Legacy of a Labor Leader, and Organizing on Separate Shores:  Vietnamese and Vietnamese American Union Organizers.

The mission of The UCLA Labor Center is to promote research, education, and policy change to improve the lives of workers, students, and their communities.

What is the mission statement of your life?

I don’t have one. It is hard enough developing a mission statement for my work place, the UCLA Labor Center.

But I do enjoy life to its fullest, I feel fortunate to have a wonderful family and great friends, and I feel privileged to have a job that allows me to work for social justice.

Continue reading →

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Michigan Remembers Vincent Chin

Posted on December 23, 2010 by John

This week, the Michigan Bar Association association is remembering Vincent Chin by dedicating a plaque as part of their statewide Legal Milestones series, citing his case for spurring key legal changes in the state of Michigan law which include victim impact statements and mandatory minimum sentences.

Chin’s attackers received no jail time, and had only three years of probation and $3,000 in fines. That was what an Asian American’s life was worth in 1982.

Additionally, a second plaque by Ferndale, Michigan officials cites the city as “the birthplace of the Asian-American civil rights movement,” Mayor Craig Covey said. Both plaques are next to each other near the Post Bar (then, the Golden Star restaurant) where Chin’s supporters first met after Chin’s death.

With the rise in China, I do wonder if we will start to see the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans as Americans increasingly see the Chinese as an economic and possibly military threat. I can remember a distinct fear of Japan taking over the United States back in the mid-to-late 1980s – despite the fact that countries like the United Kingdom and other European countries owned or invested vastly more amounts of capital with the United States.

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Politics | 1 Comment

Village Voice Declares Far East Movements’ Rocketeer “Worst of 2010”

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Ernie

Hater’s gonna hate, and it looks like that’s exactly what the Village Voice did, calling Far East Movement’s “Rocketeer” featuring Ryan Tedder — you know, that guy who sings that “Apologize” song you hear too much on the radio — one of the Top 20 worst songs of 2010, using bullet points such as “lazy retro,” “hastag rap” and, ouch, “self-referentiality run amok.” Oh come on, guys, the song isn’t that bad. And for all those FM fans pissed off about the article, well, you know what they say about haters.

Posted in (simple), Entertainment, Music | 6 Comments

Scarlet Chan Wants to Know Why Hot Asian Guys Prefer White Girls

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Ben

Shh. Scarlet Chan thinks I’m hot. And go figure, I’m married to a beautiful white girl.

Why is it that hot Asian boys prefer to date White girls?

So is there any truth to what she says? I suppose it is somewhat surprising considering I grew up in the ABC crowds and they actually preferred Asian girls than white. I was probably one of the few from that crowd that wandered from the flock. Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, TV | Tagged , , , | 44 Comments

The Working APA Actor: Greg Watanabe

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Edward

The Working APA Actor is a bi-monthly interview of Asian Pacific Islander American actors in the entertainment world, whether it be theater, film, television, or commercials. It is an inside look at these actors exploring their passion in their craft and how they balance their personal lives with their work. But more importantly, this column is dedicated to knowing these busy actors a little better as individuals.

Who is that hilariously goofy gravelly voiced man? Why, it’s none other than Greg Watanabe. Greg recently just wrapped up a San Jose theatrical production of David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face where he played the titular DHH character. I had the pleasure of seeing this extremely talented man act in No-No Boy, the first theater show I saw in Los Angeles.

From the get go, he not only has a tremendous aura of charisma and charm, but he is extremely passionate when it comes to social justice activism. With these two passions, he has combined them together for many projects he puts out for the company that he is part of, the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors. But let’s hear what this man has to say for himself!

Tell us about yourself! What are you most passionate about in this world?

I love theater, its collaborative nature, all the creative people and energy involved. I love the audiences’ willingness to support and participate and be a part of the communication and ritual of theater.

And I love that theater is essentially telling a story. And that sometimes i get to tell stories that resonate strongly with me, that have great personal meaning to me.

I love that there’s Asian American theater and that it attempts to speak to those both inside and outside the community about what the community is, it’s struggles, it’s triumphs. And even though it’s just one facet with  it’s failures and biases, and weaknesses, participating in Asian American theater projects makes me feel like I’m participating in the process of community.

Continue reading →

Posted in 8Questions, Entertainment, Southern California, The Arts, The Working APA Actor | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How To Be A Bad Asian: I Love Being A Blonde

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Xxxtine

Life is hard enough as an Asian. Not all of us can get perfect SAT scores, graduate from medical school or trick out a Honda Civic. The pressure to embrace our culture remains but sometimes, we just don’t want to. How To Be A Bad Asian is an ongoing series of personal essays by the 8Asians writers about what sets us apart from the API community, how we deal with the stereotypes that we put upon ourselves and why we all can’t be that perfect Asian. It’s time to be bad.

Xxxtine is a bad girl who think she’s a good girl trying to be bad … when she really is just bad to begin with.  Her caveman boyfriend likes it.

My natural hair is black and straight. And while I would like to thank my ancestors for my rather luscious healthy locks, I damage it, on a fairly regular basis by dying it.

Colour of preference: blonde. Champagne blonde to be exact.

I actually started dying my hair red when I was 18 to the great opposition of my mother. I grew tired of my black hair that didn’t do anything except fall straight and hang. To me that was boring and I disappeared among the Asian population in Toronto. That irked me, being invisible. As if what I looked like could be easily replaced with someone else who looked similar and if I could be easily replaced, I could be easily forgotten. Going red was fine, but got played out quick and it wasn’t my style to go with daring colours like purple, blue or green – so I went blonde when I was 25 and immediately wondered why I hadn’t done it sooner.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, How To Be A Bad Asian, Observations | 1 Comment

The K-Town Reality Show: “It’s Really Gonna Happen”

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Ernie

Oh, the K-Town Reality Show. We’ve talked about the planning, we talked about the casting, hell, we’ve seen the cast of the show in countless reels and Asian American photo shoots; they were the most famous cast of a show that hadn’t been picked up by a cable network. But will that change now? This ambiguous Facebook status by one of the cast members, Scarlet Chan, reveals that “the producers of K-Town sealed the deal and it’s gonna really happen.” Now, the big question: will their MTV lead in show be their Italian counterparts from the Jersey Shore, or something classier, like Teen Mom 2 or I Used to be Fat?

Posted in (simple), Entertainment, TV | Leave a comment

LA’s Koreatown & Anaheim Shooting Leaves 2 Dead, 1 Wounded

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Moye

File this under Asians Behaving Badly: a Sunday shooting rampage across Los Angeles County left one victim in critical condition and two dead, including the gunman: “The suspect, 54-year-old Young Choi of Los Angeles allegedly shot and killed the boyfriend of his ex-wife, 55-year-old Fung Yoon in Anaheim then drove 35 miles to Koreatown where he got into a dispute with a second man, 58-year-old Ick Choi.”

That’s quite a drive with the huge rainstorm we had this past weekend. The upcoming holidays only make this story more heartbreaking, and our condolences go out to the families affected by these deaths.

Posted in (simple), Current Events | Leave a comment