8Asians at Alysa Liu Celebration Rally in Oakland

Posted on March 15, 2026 by John

The Oakland and the Bay Area has been celebrating Alysa Liu and her Olympic Gold. I’m based in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I was fortunate enough to attend the Alysa Liu pre-Celebration Rally press conference and Alysa Liu Celebration Rally on a beautiful and  sunny Thursday afternoon.

Pre-Celebration Press Conference.

The press conference started around 11:00 AM at Oakland City Hall. It was packed with media.

In attendance were were Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, Alysa Liu and her coach & choreographer Massimo Scali and Phillip DiGuglielmo are pictured below:

90% of the questions went to Alysa. Alysa seems very down-to-earth in person and kind of reminded me of a former colleague of mine – very casual. I’ve heard many of the questions before, including one about the controversy regarding fellow Olympian and San Francisco Bay Area native Eileen Gu representing China in the Winter Olympics  (12:45 in our video above). The press conference itself last about 25 minutes.

At the Rally

Prior to the rally getting started, I was able to spot Alysa’s dad in the crowd as the press section was right behind the VIP section:


The whole celebration rally had a ton of Oakland and Bay Area luminaries speaking or performing at the celebration rally starting around noon under the cloudless blazing sun, which was televised and streamed live for the 1.5+ hours, including by NBC Bay Area:

Continue reading →

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KPop Demon Hunters Sequel Confirmed

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Jeff

Picture of Maggie Kang, who will return as co-director and Screenwriter in KPop Demon Hunters SequelPicture of Chris Applehans, who will return as co-director and Screenwriter in KPop Demon Hunters Sequel

Netflix has just confirmed that a KPop Demon Hunters Sequel is on its way! Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, co-directors and also screenwriters on the previous version, will return.  Maggie Kang says:

“I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters. There’s so much more to this world we have built, and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning.”

In the meantime, we will soon see how many awards the film will win at the 98th Academy awards this coming Sunday.  It is currently nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original song for Golden. The Huntr/X singers will also perform at the awards show.

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Oakland Celebrates Alysa Liu

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Jeff

The city of Oakland celebrates Alysa Liu and her Olympic accomplishments with a billboard (see video above) and a rally in downtown Oakland. This celebration in Oakland City hall on Thursday March 12 event requires registration. Alysa Liu fans grabbed the free tickets in record time! Oakland residents have also put up a mural in Oakland’s Temescal district commemorating her achievements.

In other news, Alysa Liu has decided not to attend the 2026 Skating world championships later this month.,

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Allstate Check First Blue Man

Posted on March 6, 2026 by John
Allstate Check First Blue Man commercial, showing blue graduate from the University of Kansas I really love this Allstate commercial called Allstate Check First Blue Man! At first I thought the Asian American fan body painted in blue might be a Duke Blue Devil fan (I got my MBA from Duke). It turns out, student body president “Stephen Long” is graduating from the University of Kansas:
“Checking first is smart. So check Allstate first and you could save hundreds on car insurance. You’re in good hands with Allstate.”
I’m glad that this commercial shows that Asian Americans can be hardcore sports fans, just like any other American. I first saw this commercial while watching a Duke men’s basketball game back in January when it first aired, but couldn’t find it on YouTube until recently. I also love how the commercial shows a shocked, ashamed and angry Asian American mother and father (portrayed by actor Keisuke Hoashi as self-identified on Instagram profile as “Hollywood’s #1 Asian Everyman!”) at the graduation ceremony. Is that somewhat stereotypical? I mean, maybe some non-Asian American parents would be super proud of their son being such a hardcore fan. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the acting credits for the graduating senior nor the mother. Personally, I find the “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk” a bit weird for a sports cheer …
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Alex Honnold Free Solo of Taipei 101

Posted on March 4, 2026 by John

[Editor’s note – I missed this post from John until recently. A little dated but still interesting!]

You might have seen, read or heard of Alex Honnold free solo of Taipei 101. Taipei 101 is one of the tallest buildings in the world, based of course in Taipei, Taiwan. It only took Alex 1 hour, 31 minutes to free-solo the 1,667-foot skyscraper! Netflix streamed the whole event live.

Alex Honnold free solo of Taipei 101
I didn’t watch the event live since I was busy that weekend, but immediately saw on social media once Alex climbed to the top of 101. I caught most of the event later in the evening. If you have a Netflix subscription, you can watch the whole event here: Skyscraper Live

 

As a Taiwanese American, I have visited friends and relatives in Taiwan since the Taipei 101 opened in December 2004. It takes about 37 seconds on a super fast elevator to go from the 5th floor to the observation deck on the 89th floor. As the name suggests, the building has 101 floors and has become an icon for the city of Taipei and the country of Taiwan with its unique bamboo inspired architecture.

I was already aware of Alex. The documentary Free Solo catapulted Alex to general public fame, as it documented Alex’s free solo of  climbing the 3,000-foot El Capitan at Yosemite without any gear.

Alex is an extremely physically fit and experienced climber with nerves of steel. Prior to the climb, he had commented that climbing Taipei 101 was not technically challenged, but physically challenging. After watching the event after he completed the climb, I agree. I think climbing El Capitan was more technically difficult. During the event, Netflix did have these pre-recorded video vignette where Alex went into more details regarding the physical challenges that were different from climbing a skyscraper rather than a mountain.

Congratulations to Alex on accomplishing a life long goal! Taipei 101, amazingly enough, allowed Alex to climb the building. The payoff was fantastic in regards to the free publicity for Taipei 101 as well as Taiwan. I can’t even imagine what the global reaction would have been if Alex had fallen and died. I had read that the live stream had a 10 second delay just in case.

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Oldest Asian American film included into the National Film Registry

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Jeff

Poster for "The Oath of the Sword," the oldest Asian American filmThe Oath of the Sword,  the oldest Asian American film, has been included into the US National Film Registry. Produced in 1914, it is the story of a Japanese couple separated when the man goes to study at UC Berkeley. Studying at UC Berkeley?  Definitely very Asian American!

The film was considered lost when it was rediscovered by Northeastern Professor Denise Khor. Notably, UC Berkeley serves as a location in the movie. It doesn’t seem to be available on streaming anywhere, but National Film Registry has the film.

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Alysa Liu’s Gold and other Asian American Winter Olympics News

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Jeff

We have news of Alysa Liu and other notable Asian American Winter Olympics athletes. Milano Cortina witnessed an interesting mix of triumph, disappointment, and controversy for Asian American competitors. Some of that news extends far beyond athletics.

In the highly unlikely case that you missed it, Alysa Liu won gold in figure skating. This caps an interesting career where she retired at the young age of 16 and then unretired to become a world and Olympic champion. Watching her performance, I am amazed when she does that trick of bending her leg back and holding on to her skate behind her head.  Amazing flexibility! My back hurts just thinking about that.

Chloe Kim took silver in her half pipe event, giving up her crown to South Korean Choi Gaon.  It’s really amazing that she got a silver at all considering her injuries. Number Two Son said that she thought that Chloe Kim should have won, but I didn’t see the finals and can’t give an opinion. The ice skating team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates took silver in Ice Dancing. Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron from France finished ahead of them, generating debate over the questionable scoring in the finals from the French judge. Chock and Bates do not plan to appeal.

Eileen Gu, skiing for China, won a gold and two silvers in freestyle skiing. As a result, she became the most decorated woman in that sport.  She also became a villain  to some since she competes for China. As this BBC articles notes, some people in American media are asking why she doesn’t speak out on Chinese human rights abuses. Gu is often compared unfavorably to Alysa Liu. Liu’s father Arthur, an activist during the Tiananmen Square protests, fled after China crushed the protests. Chinese intelligence later spied on Alysa and her family in the United States.

Alysa Liu’s treatment is Chinese media is similar according to the BBC. Any praise of Alysa Liu in Chinese social media is usually followed by comments saying that her family are traitors.

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USPS Stamp Honoring Bruce Lee Stamp Released

Posted on February 20, 2026 by John

USPS stamp honoring Bruce Lee showing him doing a flying kick

This past Wednesday, February 18th, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced the release of a stamp honoring Bruce Lee:

“Lee was born in San Francisco in 1940 and raised in Hong Kong, where he began appearing in movies. His first lead role was at age 10.

When Lee returned to the United States as a young man, he encountered a film industry that had no place for Asian leading men. However, he would go on to captivate film audiences and inspire a generation of young fans to explore action movies, mixed martial arts and Asian culture.

“The Big Boss,” “Fist of Fury,” “The Way of the Dragon” and his masterpiece, “Enter the Dragon,” showcased incredible martial arts choreography, and in contrast to common stereotypes at the time, presented Asian men as strong, intelligent, charismatic and heroic.

Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using a portrait by Kam Mak depicting Lee’s iconic flying kick.

The Forever stamp will be available in sheets of 20 at Post Offices and at usps.com.”

Although there have been many notable Asian Americans since Bruce Lee’s passing, Lee is still probably one of the most famous, if not THE most famous Asian American in popular culture.

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How K-Pop is changing Korean and English

Posted on February 19, 2026 by Jeff

Huntr/X singersEven while many people were upset about Bad Bunny’s Superbowl performance in Spanish, songs with Korean words have been topping American music charts.  Moreover, American families have been singing along with these songs in movie theatres.  In that context, I found this video on how K-Pop is changing both Korean and English particularly fascinating.

Linguist Erica Brozovsky covers the history of the interaction of Korean and English.  K-Pop evolved in part from the clubs in South Korean that were set up to entertain US Servicemen stationed there. Those clubs influenced musical taste. Korean songs started incorporating English into their lyrics. Now, songs in English are starting to incorporate Korean into their lyrics (think Golden or APT).

I have given a quick summary of the video here. I recommend seeing the whole video for other interesting topics, such as Korean language influence on English.

 

 

 

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New York Times Cooking: The Dying Art of Serving Dim Sum | On the Job

Posted on February 17, 2026 by John

Recently, the New York Times did a nice video story on ‘The Dying Art of Serving Dim Sum,’ following Pik Chan and Cheong Yin Ho at Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood:

“Pik Chan and Cheong Yin Ho have worked together for nearly two decades. They weave through packed dining rooms, pushing heavy, metal trolleys laden with stacks of bamboo steamers. Amid the roar of the lunch rush, they communicate without speaking — a glance or a quick hand gesture for chicken feet, beef balls, cheung fun, bean curd rolls — always understanding each other perfectly.

Pik and Yin start each shift the same way: Sharing a home-cooked meal, side-by-side. “It’s rare to meet someone you can work with for 16 years,” Pik said.”

Dying Art of Serving Dim Sum - Dim Sum cart servers are pictured

I’ve noticed that dim sum places more and more are moving away from the dim sum carts to ordering from a menu – which I hate! I hate to wait as well as I hate that I can’t see what I am ordering right in front of me.

But after watching this video, I can understand why. It takes a lot of effort to keep those dim sum carts hot and also remember what dishes you have and managing the inventory of food you have. The dim sum pushers have to SELL the inventory, and pushing around a hot cart can be dangerous.

The video is also a heartwarming story of a long friendship developed between two colleagues who have become like sisters. You can also read more here.

If I’m ever in Brooklyn, I will definitely have to check out Golden Palace to enjoy the dying art of serving dim sum before it fades away.

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Forgotten Flowers: A Stanford Project on Asian American Flower Growers

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Jeff

Sign for Asian American Flower Growers organization called the Bay Area Chrysanthemum Growers Association Cooperative

People associate the Bay Area with technology and Silicon Valley. Asian Americans in the region are often thought of as engineers and software writers. But in the last century, agriculture was a major industry and employer of Asian Americans. A Stanford University project called Forgotten Flowers is uncovering the history of Asian American Flower Growers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I grew up in the Bay Area, and some of my Asian American classmates’ families were in the flower business. Asian Americans farmers for a time could not legally own land. In that era, leasing a small farm and growing flowers was a way to make a living. University Archaeologist Laura Jones says that there is substantial literature about the history of Bay Area orchards but little about flowers. Forgotten Flowers aims to create an exhibit that allows users to explore a map of historical flower farm data, accompanied by family interviews.

This is very timely. My current ethnoburb in the Santa Clara Valley paved over former agricultural lands. When I first moved in during the 1990’s, I could choose between two long standing flower shops in the neighborhood. Chinese Americans ran one, and  Japanese Americans ran the other. The Bay Area Chrysanthemum Growers Association Cooperative (sign above) had a warehouse and meeting space within walking distance. A few years ago, both flower shops closed. The Chrysanthemum Co-op building is now for lease, and the co-op has moved out to be closer to operating farms. I am happy that the project will preserve a unique piece of Asian American history.

Forgotten Flowers is part of Stanford’s Community Engagement Impact Projects.

 

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Apple’s 2026 Chinese New Year Short: Glad I Met You

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Jeff

Every year, Apple releases a  Chinese New Year short film that is shot on their latest iPhone, and every year I look forward to the story that is created. This short for 2026 is called Glad I Met You. Apple’s description of the Chinese New Year Short:

A girl, a talking dog, and a meticulously thought out scheme make up this heartwarming tale about finding family. Apple joins forces with director Bai Xue for an imaginative blend of cinematography and stop-motion to usher in Chinese New Year.

The stop-motion segments surprised me. Amazing what you can do with an iPhone!

As usual, a “making of” video has been released (you can see it below). Also, while this was shot on an iPhone, additional hardware and software were used and it was professionally edited.

Here are all of the previous Chinese New Year Shorts that we have talked about. Happy Lunar New Year!

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