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...)

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 →

Posted in 8Series, Entertainment, Local, Southern California, TV | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 8Books, 8Series, Entertainment, History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Current Events, Local, Politics, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Discrimination, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

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

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 →

Posted in Local, Politics, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Current Events, Local, Politics, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

8mm Review: Quiz Lady

Posted on November 20, 2023 by John

Awkwafina and Sandra Oh star in Hulu’s Quiz Lady, which premiered on November 3rd: “A hilarious and heartfelt comedy starring Awkwafina and Sandra Oh as estranged sisters forced to cover their mother’s gambling debts, set out to get the cash … Continue reading →

Posted in 8mm Film Review, 8Series | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

8Books Review: End Credits – How I Broke Up With Hollywood, A Memoir by Patty Lin

Posted on November 16, 2023 by John

I’m not sure how I first came across End Credits – How I Broke Up With Hollywood, A Memoir by Patty Lin. I think I saw a post on Facebook and then became excited once I knew that Lin was … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Books, 8Series, Books, Entertainment, Local, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , | Leave a comment

SVAPFF 2023: ‘A Great Divide’ – Q&A and Review (Spoilers)

Posted on November 8, 2023 by John

A few weeks ago, I attended my first screening at the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest (SVAPFF), the 9th and most recent edition of the festival. I was eager to see the independent film A Great Divide, as I had … Continue reading →

Posted in 8mm Film Review, 8Series, Discrimination, Entertainment, Local, Movies, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Asian American Commercial Watch: Ronny Chieng & Old Spice’s “The Expert”

Posted on November 6, 2023 by John

This Old Spice commercial has been on YouTube for four months now, but I only recently saw it as an online commercial. I was blown away! It made me wonder if the commercial was airing on TV as well, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Series, Asian American Commercial Watch | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Mill Valley Film Festival: ‘Invisible Nation’ [Taiwan] – Intro, Q&A & Review

Posted on October 17, 2023 by John

I’m not sure how I became aware of the independent documentary Invisible Nation, screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival, but I am glad I did. I was able to make the second, Saturday morning screening a few weekends ago … Continue reading →

Posted in 8mm Film Review, 8Series, Entertainment, Local, Movies, Reviews, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment