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.

Letting Go in the Wake of My 30th High School Reunion

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Tim

I’m writing this on the day of my 30th High School Reunion. No, I’m not traveling the 3000 miles it would take to go there and be at the party tonight. So let me start by saying this isn’t going … Continue reading →

Posted in LGBT, Lifestyles | 2 Comments

8Books: Learning Chinese Characters

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Tim

In my on-going quest to get my daughter fluent in Chinese, I came across the opportunity to review a book called “Learning Chinese Characters” published by Tuttle Publishing. In case you’re not familiar, I have a nine year old daughter, … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Books, Books, Family | Leave a comment

8Books: Free Kid’s E-book for Chinese New Year, ‘The Emperor Who Built the Great Wall’

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Tim

If you’re an Asian American parent like me, you probably struggle to find books for your kids that have the right blend of age appropriateness and entertainment while still offering a glimpse into the history and culture of your ancestry. … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Books, Books, Entertainment, Family | Leave a comment

No Surprise: Asian Americans More Likely to Care For Elders

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Tim

http://youtu.be/VvnoVq86oqk A new AARP study tells us what all of us Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) already know. AAPIs are more likely than any other racial group to care for their elders. “Caregiving Among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders” … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Health and Beauty, Lifestyles | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Racial Divide Between Elementary Schools

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Tim

As a child, I attended public school. I didn’t have a choice, it was all my parents could afford, there was zero chance with my parent’s financial status that I’d ever get to go to private school. Even attending public … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Family | Tagged | 3 Comments

8 Questions for Ken Fong of “The Ken Fong Project”

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Tim

I was fortunate enough to meet Ken Fong of the Ken Fong Project this year during the V3con digital media conference in Los Angeles on June 20-21, 2014. Ken was part of the panel titled “Secrets Online: Topics that are … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Questions, APA Faith Matters, APA Spotlight, LGBT, Religion, Southern California | 1 Comment

American Girl “Archives” Asian American Ivy Ling Doll

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Tim

Back in 2010 I wrote about the few available Asian appearance dolls on the market for our Asian American daughters, and more specifically as a Christmas present for my own five year old daughter. Top of my list was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Family, Shopping, Toys | Leave a comment

Being Pushed Over the Glass Cliff

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Tim

Almost everyone’s heard of the glass ceiling, the inability of women and minorities to get promoted to higher levels of the executive ranks due to discrimination. What most probably haven’t heard about is the new “glass cliff”. NPR discussed it … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Current Events, Discrimination | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Screening for Colon Cancer, “The Silent Killer” of Asian Americans

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Tim

As an Asian American, there’s one killer out there that affects more Asian Americans than any other. The leading cause of death for Asian Americans since 1980 is cancer (unlike for the general population of the U.S. which has heart … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Health | Leave a comment

Made In the USA: American Surrogates for Chinese

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Tim

When I was in college, I stumbled across the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, by Bill Watterson. In particular I was quite taken with the strip where Calvin and his toy tiger Hobbes discuss where babies come from. By the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Family, Health, Health and Beauty, LGBT, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Dilemma of Chinese School

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Tim

If you’re a Chinese American child of Chinese American immigrants, then it’s quite likely you spent part of your childhood attending Chinese school. It’s a coming of age ritual of growing up ½ or 1st generation Chinese American. And of … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Family | 2 Comments

So, You Speak Really Good English

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Tim

This week, Buzzfeed ran an article on a photography project from the photographer Kiyun, where she asked students from the Fordham University Lincoln Center Campus to “write down an instance of racial microagression they have faced.” If you haven’t heard … Continue reading →

Posted in Discrimination | Leave a comment