Category Archives: Observations

The 8Asians Writers Talk About: Guys Looking for Nihonese Ladies on the Internet

Posted on November 21, 2008 by Guest Writer

Our internal e-mail lists have us discussing all kinds of stuff: Asian American identity, representation in the media, the experiences of activism in an academia setting and its progression as we transition to the working, adult world. And sometimes, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations, TalkAbout, WTF | 8 Comments

China the Hot Spot for Studying Abroad

Posted on November 21, 2008 by John

When I was growing up as a kid in Western Massachusetts, going to Chinese school on the weekends was no fun — I was missing Saturday morning cartoons or my Sunday mornings. Besides, why should I study Chinese when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Education, Observations | Leave a comment

Robert Kiyosaki: Rich Dad? Poor Dad? Wha?

Posted on November 20, 2008 by Ben

It was only ten in the morning when I first saw Robert Kiyosaki infomercials on how to become wealthy on one of the financial news stations; apparently, he’s coming to town to give some sort of motivational finance advice. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Truth Stranger Than Fiction: Rob Lowe Woos Chinese Officials

Posted on November 19, 2008 by John

This week, Los Angeles is hosting the Governors’ Global Climate Summit with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger playing lead host. The Chinese delegation arrived a day early, so Schwarzenegger thought that it would be wise to entertain the visitors: “… Lowe arranged, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Entertainment, Observations, Politics | Leave a comment

The SiPort Killings and the Death of the American Dream

Posted on November 18, 2008 by Ernie

If you’re in the Bay Area or you work in the tech industry, you may be acutely aware of Jing Wu, the lead QA Engineer from SiPort who was fired, then returned to his office later that day to shoot … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Lifestyles, Observations | 4 Comments

Praxis Language Releases Additional Language Podcasts

Posted on November 16, 2008 by Ben

I was talking to a friend of mine and he asked if I’ve ever heard of Chinesepod. In fact, I had a long time ago — John had previously blogged about Praxis Language and its predecessor, ChinesePod — but apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Observations | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

No on 8: How NOT to Run an Initiative Campaign

Posted on November 12, 2008 by Efren

Given the passage of California Proposition 8 which attempts to add an amendment in the state constitution to ban marriage among same-sex couples, there’s been a lot of finger pointing at who’s to blame.  Given the statistics that have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Discrimination, LGBT, Observations, Politics | 30 Comments

Junshien Shoots Ya Good

Posted on November 11, 2008 by Ben

Ever since my cousin in the Bay Area added this guy to her Facebook, I’ve been watching and paying attention. And if you happen to be close, wedding and portrait photographer Junshien has got to be worth every penny in … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Chinese “Shanzhai” Brands

Posted on November 11, 2008 by jozjozjoz

This lesson is courtesy of chinaSMACK.com: “Shanzhai” (山寨) = shan1 zhai4 = literally “mountain stronghold” in reference to historical warlord holdouts that were outside of government control. A “shanzhai” edition product thus refers to products outside of government regulations that … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations, WTF | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Do you know a Grace Kim? Meet Playboy’s Miss November 2008

Posted on November 11, 2008 by John

Do you know a Grace Kim? That is a very common name… I’m sure Korean American parents all over America are wondering if their daughter, Grace Kim, is indeed the Grace Kim that they’ve heard from friends and family that … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 5 Comments

Irvine, California Elects Sukhee Kang as Mayor

Posted on November 10, 2008 by John

Irvine, California elected its first non-white mayor last Tuesday, as reported in The Los Angeles Times: “…Irvine is more than one-third Asian American and is home to a large Iranian American community. And on Tuesday, voters here elected the city’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations, Politics | 6 Comments

The King of Bhutan is HOT!

Posted on November 8, 2008 by jozjozjoz

From Wikipedia: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the fifth Dragon King of Bhutan and head of the Wangchuck dynasty. He became king on 14 December 2006, and was officially crowned on 6 November 2008. He is currently the world’s youngest … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | Tagged , | 12 Comments