Author Archives: claire

About claire

Mabuhay! I'm Claire: a bastard, both in attitude and literally - I can be quite flippant and my parents were never married. By trade I am a graphic designer, and by birth a hurler of sarcasm and irreverence. I love books, travel, pop culture, bacon and you!

Born in the Phillipines, A Real American Hero: Major General Antonio Taguba

Posted on August 22, 2007 by claire

A few weeks ago, U.S. Army Major General Antonio Taguba presided over San Francisco’s Pistahan Parade. The Pistahan Parade and Festival is an annual celebration of Filipino culture (and also a clever name since “Pistahan” means fiesta or festival, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events | 14 Comments

LA Weekly: The Rise of Fil-Am Hip-Hop

Posted on August 10, 2007 by claire

LA Weekly features the Filipino-American Hip-Hop movement, and provides an accompanying list of places where you can experience it first-hand. An excerpt: Icy Ice breaks down the rise of Fil-Am hip-hop like this: As hip-hop migrated west in the ’80s, … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Lifestyles | 4 Comments

Mister Wong Launches International Logo Contest

Posted on August 9, 2007 by claire

Before you aim the international flame thrower, this post is not going there. We are all going to settle down and make love, not war. Or in this case, we are going to make art, not war. Okay? Okay. Mister … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Technology | 24 Comments

Nearing 4 Billion Asians…There Must Be Some Good Artists

Posted on July 23, 2007 by claire

This is the tagline of startdrawing.org, “the Asia drawing portal.” As Ernie said when he provided the link, “who knew such a thing existed?” Prepare to spend some time on the site if you are a fan of illustration. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyles | 4 Comments

Is too much self-esteem bad for you?

Posted on July 10, 2007 by claire

Andrew Lam of New American Media has an interesting article on Alternet about the self-esteem movement that could be considered kind of a counterpoint to J. Peter’s recent post about the sometimes insanity-inducing pressure some Asian kids feel to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyles | 12 Comments

Quick Link: China Executes Former Food Regulator

Posted on July 10, 2007 by claire

The New York Times (along with every other major media outlet) reports that China’s former food and drug regulator Zheng Xiaoyu was executed today, after being convicted of accepting bribes to approve untested medicine. According to the article, the sentence … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events | 8 Comments

So you think you can…BE ASIAN?

Posted on June 25, 2007 by claire

Joz just discussed those who wish they weren’t Asian and now Boston Progress Radio (BPR) writes about those who perhaps wish they were. BPR is an online radio station dedicated to featuring Asian-American music, and they recently posted this humorous … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment | 10 Comments

Peeling Good, Getting Paid: YouTube Elevates Happy Slip to Partner

Posted on May 8, 2007 by claire

Mike first wrote about the utterly hilarious Christine Gambito of happyslip.com and her growing YouTube following back in February. Many of the Happy Slip videos highlight Gambito’s Filipino family members (all played by her, in sidesplitting hysterical perfection) and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 3 Comments

Overseas Filipino Workers: A Good Provider is One Who Leaves?

Posted on April 24, 2007 by claire

Sunday’s New York Times Magazine examined the Overseas Filipino Worker phenomenon by chronicling the Comodases, a Filipino family now spanning two generations of members leaving the Philippines to work abroad, hoping to reach “the ultimate” United States. I read this … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Lifestyles | 12 Comments

NPR’s Robert Siegel: Cho Lived and Died as an American

Posted on April 18, 2007 by claire

This excerpt of NPR’s All Things Considered makes me want to invite host Robert Siegel over for one of my mother’s homecooked multi-course Filipino dinners; I’m that impressed with what he has to say. I insist that you listen to … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events | 52 Comments

Hot, With Effort: The Advantage of Being an Outsider

Posted on April 12, 2007 by claire

I found this article about the pressures faced by overachieving high school girls through this blog, which explored the piece from a feminist perspective. Guess which direction I’m going to go? I am haunted by the quote from the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyles | 4 Comments