Author Archives: Tim

About Tim

I'm a Chinese/Taiwanese-American, born in Taiwan, raised on Long Island, went to college in Philadelphia, tried Wall Street and then moved to the California Bay Area to work in high tech in 1990. I'm a recent dad and husband. Other adjectives that describe me include: son, brother, geek, DIYer, manager, teacher, tinkerer, amateur horologist, gay, and occasional couch potato. I write for about 5 different blogs including 8Asians. When not doing anything else, I like to challenge people's preconceived notions of who I should be.

CAAMFest and Disney+ preview American Born Chinese

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Tim

Perhaps one of the most anticipated young adult Asian American media releases this year is Disney+’s upcoming streaming series American Born Chinese,   The series, set to release on May 24 on Disney+, is based on Gene Luen Yang’s award … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Entertainment, Reviews, San Francisco Bay Area, TV, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SF Theater Review: Asian American LGBTQ Themes in a New Production of “Fun Home”

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Tim

If you get the chance, catch “Fun Home” at the Gateway Theater on Jackson Street in San Francisco, between now and May 8, 2022. Many of the storylines around being closeted (her dad), difficulty coming out to parents and parents who won’t talk about your LGBTQ status all resonate deeply in the Asian American community. Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Entertainment, Family, LGBT, Local, Reviews, San Francisco Bay Area, The Arts, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

8mm Review: ‘Abominable’

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Tim

Abominable is a new animated film coming out on September 27, 2019 from Dreamworks Animation and Pearl Studio, set in China.  Dreamworks labels this the first animated film to feature a modern Chinese family.  The movie is voiced by an Asian … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: ‘SWIM’ by Eric C. Wat

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Tim

There’s a column series on 8Asians, called “How to Be a Bad Asian”.  I myself wrote one in the series, called “How to Be a Bad Asian: Turning Out Gay”.  But, if there’s one way you can be a worse … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Books, 8Series, Books, Entertainment, Family, LGBT, Southern California | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mamma Mia – Finding Representation in the Theater Community

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Tim

Theater is another one of the mainstream entertainment arenas where finding Asian (or even minority) representation remains difficult. With the exception of dedicated Asian companies (like East West Players), it’s rare to find an Asian American in the cast of … Continue reading →

Posted in Discrimination, Entertainment, The Arts, Theatre | 2 Comments

8Questions with Barney Cheng, Director of “Baby Steps”

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Tim

Back in September 2018, I did a review of a movie Baby Steps on 8Asians. The movie was written, directed and starred Barney Cheng. I was still so intrigued with the movie, that I got in contact with Barney and asked him … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Questions, APA Spotlight, Entertainment, Family, LGBT, Movies | Leave a comment

“Baby Steps” Review: A film about two gay dads, surrogacy and a tiger mom

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Tim

“Baby Steps” is a film released in 2015, written, directed and staring Barney Cheng.  He plays the lead character, Danny Lee, a Taiwanese-American living in Los Angeles with a Caucasian boyfriend, Tate.  They’ve decided to have a child, through surrogacy, … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Family, LGBT, Movies | Leave a comment

Comparing Chinese Death Beliefs with Disney/Pixar’s ‘Coco’

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Tim

During opening weekend, I took my daughter to see the new Disney/Pixar movie, Coco.  It’s a movie she’s been looking forward to seeing for almost a year, since the trailers for the new movie came out quite some time ago.  I … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Family, Movies, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

8Books Review: The Discovery of Ramen

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Tim

Instant ramen noodles have been one of my comfort foods since I was a kid.  I wrote about how I even ate them raw as a kid in a previous 8Asians post, and how I’m still searching for the elusive … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Books, Books, Entertainment, Food & Drink | Leave a comment

Breast Cancer Rates Increasing Among Asian American Women

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Tim

A new study from the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC), with Scarlett Lin Gomez as the lead researcher of the study, is showing an increase of breast cancer in Asian American women.  This is particularly troubling because the rate among … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Family, Health, Health and Beauty, San Francisco Bay Area | Leave a comment

8Books Review: “Adventures in Asian Art” by Susan DiCicco

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Tim

I’ve been a member of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco since before their move to the old public library in SF.  It’s been a membership I’ve enjoyed greatly, and something that I happily share with my daughter.  She’s now 11, … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Books, 8Series, Art, Books, Education, Entertainment, Reviews, San Francisco Bay Area | Leave a comment

8Books Review: “The Year of the Rooster” by Oliver Chin

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Tim

A number of years ago I stumbled upon a series of children’s books, subtitled “Tales from the Chinese Zodiac“. There was a book for the Chinese New Year, and I eagerly bought the one for the Year of the Snake, … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Books, 8Series, Books, Education, Entertainment, Family, Reviews | Leave a comment