Author Archives: Efren

About Efren

Efren is a 30-something queer Filipino American guy living in San Francisco. In the past, he was a wanna-be academic even teaching in Asian American studies at San Francisco State, a wanna-be queer rights and HIV activist, and he used to "blog" when that meant spewing one's college student angst using a text editor on a terminal screen to write in a BBS or usenet back in the early 90s. For all his railing against the model minority myth, he's realized he's done something only a few people can claim--getting into UCSF twice, once for a PhD program in medical sociology which he left; and then for pharmacy school, where he'll be a member of the class of '13. He apologizes profusely for setting the bar unintentionally high for his cousins. blog twitter

Newsflash: Non-Asian Americans Still Can’t Tell Us Apart!

Posted on April 22, 2009 by Efren

In a stunning revelation, the Committee of 100 just published a report about Chinese Americans and Asian Americans stating that Americans who aren’t Asian can’t tell us apart.  What’s interesting to note is that this group had done a similar … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Observations, WTF | 16 Comments

Tattoos in China Become Popular (or: Exoticizing Stupid in Any Language)

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Efren

I’m sure all of my fellow Asian Americans under a certain age have seen this — a non-Asian person with tattoos in different Asian languages like Chinese and Japanese because they’re in an exotic language that they don’t understand.  It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Observations, WTF | 14 Comments

Oregon Needs Asian Sperm!

Posted on April 5, 2009 by Efren

To my fellow Asian men: Found yourself out of a job? Need a quick way to make some cash while maintaining your dignity — and making women happy? If you’re close to Oregon Health Sciences University, a lab might have … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, WTF | 3 Comments

“Asian Flush” Means Higher Risk for Different Cancers

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Efren

So during one of my recent pharmacy school interviews, I was asked about the future of pharmacy. After I mentioned about how pharmacogenomics, or how genetics influences drug metabolism, will be used to help create drugs to benefit people of … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Health, WTF | 18 Comments

Women (from Hong Kong) Behaving Badly…

Posted on March 14, 2009 by Efren

I’m sure most of you lovely readers have seen the infamous YouTube clip of the woman from Hong Kong who went bat-shit crazy after missing her flight: Now comes the sequel: Hong Kong woman goes bat-shit crazy after finding out … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, WTF | 13 Comments

Granta.com’s “Portraits of My Father”

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Efren

From Granta.com comes a beautifully written piece by Alexander Chee on his father, which is actually a series of recollections on authors and their fathers.  I don’t think there’s anything more that needs to be said by me since I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations, The Arts | 4 Comments

UC Berkeley Students Protest Panda Express

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Efren

While catching up on my twitter feeds, I noticed a rather interesting article from rayfilwong‘s blog, Campusfork: UC Berkeley students protest Panda Express.  Apparently a group of 40 students last week  protested after Panda Express expressed interest in setting up … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Observations, San Francisco Bay Area, WTF | 12 Comments

Tonga Room in San Francisco Possibly Closing?

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Efren

SFGate.com just announced that the Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco could possibly be closing soon as the hotel considers converting much of its space into condos (which in this economy doesn’t make much sense, but I … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Observations | 8 Comments

New UC Admissions Policy Could Exclude More Asian Americans

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Efren

As the University of California attempts to increase the diversity of its undergraduate student body by including more Latinos and blacks without violating the terms laid out in Proposition 209 that eliminated affirmative action in California public institutions, a novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Education | 10 Comments

The Onion Enters White Guy/Asian Girl Fray

Posted on January 31, 2009 by Efren

Check out this great article by The Onion: Asian Teen Has Sweaty Middle Aged Man Fetish. They went there and did it — and really, does anything more need to be said? (At least by me, anyway.) Now, discuss.

Posted in WTF | 8 Comments

New Zealanders like Asians!

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Efren

A good close friend in New Zealand (that’s by Australia to all you geographically challenged folk) pointed me to an article from the New Zealand Herald declaring that New Zealanders like Asians! In rather broad strokes (and the rather odd … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations | 2 Comments

Aretha’s Inauguration Hat Propels Korean American to Fashion Limelight

Posted on January 23, 2009 by Efren

Love it or hate it, Aretha Franklin’s “church hat” during President Obama’s inauguration ceremony has been the talk of the net worldwide, with the hat being placed on random victims, here, there and everywhere, even spawning a Facebook group. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Fashion | 18 Comments