September 2009 Archives
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Shoe Envy
By Jocelyn Gan
There's almost nothing more satisfying than finding the perfect pair of heels and slipping your feet into that golden slipper. The smooth feeling of new, untouched leather, hugging the soles of your feet can make any girl feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But finding that perfect pair of heels can be excruciatingly painful at times (and I'm not referring to the actual experience of wearing them) and often I end up uttering the words "Why can't I just design a pair myself?!" Well Dream Heels is the answer to my (and your) dilemma!
Dream Heels is a contest-based website that allows aspiring shoe designers or people just like you and me to create a design that could be made into actual, wearable shoes. The public votes on their favorite shoe in the design contest and the website will make the winning design. The designs range from abstract pieces to Pop art-inspired motifs to an elephant circus!
What I find so appealing about Dream Heels is the idea of letting shoe lovers express their inner Louboutin or Jimmy Choo and allowing shoe fanatics to find that one of a kind shoe without having to devote a paycheck or two towards the purchase. So the next time you find yourself in agony over the lack of heels that grab your attention, perhaps it's time to take matters into your own hands and create that pair of heels that are to-die-for!
Posted by Jocelyn Gan | September 28, 2009 | Comments (0)Tags: Fashion, Jocelyn Gan
University of Washington: Asian American Women More Likely To Attempt Suicide
By Lara Honrado. From nrp.org
National Public Radio recently brought together Aileen Duldulao, the lead author of a University of Washington study, and Jen Wang, the co-creator of the blog Disgrasian, to discuss why Asian American women might have a greater propensity for thoughts of suicide than the American average.
Almost 16 percent of all U.S.-born Asian-American women have contemplated suicide in their lifetimes -- compared to 13 percent of all Americans -- according to new findings by the University of Washington. The study also finds that U.S. born Asian-American women are more likely to attempt suicide than other groups.
According to Jen Wang: "Asian-Americans come from an achievement-oriented culture. Failure is not an option. And I think that the flip side of that is that mental health disorders and mental illness are seen as failure, and so - and seeking treatment is seen as failure.
Listen to the audio interview or read the transcript at nrp.org.
Posted by Alden | September 25, 2009 | Comments (0)Tags:
Angry Asian Man in Vancouver, Canada
By Claudia Ho
For those of you who have never heard of Phil Yu, allow me to fill you in. Phil, a.k.a Angry Asian Man is the creator and editor of AngryAsianMan.com, a popular Asian American news and culture blog. He has been featured in the Washington Post and recognized in other well-known American media as well (e.g. USA Today, MSNBC and Los Angeles Times). Needless to say, Phil has garnered much of the public's interest in what he does best and no, it's not just about being an angry Asian.
Indeed, Phil has accepted the alias Angry Asian Man, but despite obvious implications of the title, he's "not as angry as you think." In fact, Phil clearly states that the real purpose of his blog is to share his personal opinions, "pointing out racism and noting any and all appearances of Asians in mass media and popular culture (the good and the bad)."
As quoted by Phil, angryasianman.com
Whether he's reporting the news, promoting the Asian arts or shouting "That's racist!" to yet another antiquated portrayal of the "typical Asian," Phil's blogs are never lacking in satirical humour and for me, it adds a lightness to controversial subjects that would otherwise be taken a little too seriously.
Posted by Claudia Ho | September 22, 2009 | Comments (0)Tags: Asian American, Ethnic Cool, Events
Phil Yu, aka. AngryAsianMan.com at UBC | Presented by Schema Magazine
By Schema's monthly web-media-writing series iWriteAboutMe.com
Schema Magazine is proud to welcome PHIL YU, the creator and editor of AngryAsianMan.com to kick off iWriteAboutMe.com—a new monthly series of web writing workshops and speakers, featuring some of the most pioneering, innovative and ethnic cool voices on the Internet. This series will showcase dynamic web personalities, social media gurus, bloggers and writers who will share how they transformed their personal stories and diverse identities into an online brand.
Since 2001, Phil Yu's Asian American news/culture blog AngryAsianMan.com has risen to become one of the most-well known blogs on the net, acclaimed by the Washington Post "as a daily must-read for the media-savvy, socially conscious, pop-cultured Asian American." Mixing humor with criticism, Phil's commentary has been featured and quoted in stories for the Post, Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, USA Today, MSNBC, Newsday, CBS News and SF Gate. On September 23rd at UBC's Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Phil will share the inspiring story of starting one of the most influential online spaces in today's Asian American movement, share tips on how he keeps his content accessible and relevant, and what was involved in moving AngryAsianMan.com from activism to super-blog status. To minimize the carbon footprint of this event, Phil Yu is speaking in Vancouver via video-conference from his headquarters in L.A.
Whether you're a student, aspiring writer, social media enthusiast or someone who wants to learn more about the intersections of diversity and identity on the web, this workshop is for you! For more information on how to register for this free event, please visit: iWriteAboutMe.com or Facebook.
Phil Yu aka. AngryAsianMan.com
Wednesday September 23, 2009
6:00pm to 7:30pm
Victoria Learning Theatre
The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre | University of British Columbia 1961 East Mall, Vancouver, B.C.
Free Event and everyone is welcome. RSVP required as seating is limited. Please visit NAAAP Vancouver to reserve a seat.
Register fast as seating is limited!
Presented in partnership with Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (University of British Columbia); the North American Association of Asian Professionals Vancouver (NAAAP); theTyee.ca; Fresh Media (Vancouver); the Office of Learning Technology (University of British Columbia). Sponsored by The Laurier Institution.
+ To minimize the carbon footprint of this event, Phil Yu is speaking in Vancouver via video-conference from his headquarters in LA.
Posted by Alden | September 20, 2009 | Comments (0)Tags: Asian American, Ethnic Cool, Events, Media
Making A Scene | Fritz Helder & The Phantoms
By Jocelyn Gan
Every so often I'll come across a song that manages to grab my attention the moment it starts to play. Every once in a while, I'll become completely obsessed with that particular music artist and once in a blue moon I'll come to view that artist as the greatest act in years to grace the musical scene. In a moment of musical evangelism, I feel inclined to introduce to you my latest find and hidden treasure. The song "Lagerfeld Lady" and the band is Fritz Helder & The Phantoms.
Hailing from Toronto, this electro-dance pop group consists of Fritz Helder (lead vocals, synth), Fierce Helder (bass, beats), Silk Helder (synths, guitar, vocals), Pastel Supernova (vocals), and Diego (vocals). FH&TP have already proven themselves to be a band to watch by being the first artist signed to Nelly Furtado's record label Nelstar Music.
Tags: Jocelyn Gan, Music
LUMINA | A Unique Thriller WebSeries
Warning: If you have ever watched Chinese or Asian soaps and found yourself inexplicably addicted, you may find yourself drawn to LUMINA as well, so read below with caution.
LUMINA is a webseries written, directed and produced by Jennifer Thym and stars JuJu Chan, Michael Chan and Vince Matthew Chung. The series is filled with mystery, intrigue and an unusual romance, all of which culminate in a wonderfully intricate story reminiscent of mysterious thrillers like Lost, Prison Break and Heroes.
Here's a synopsis of the series:
"Lumina Wong (JuJu Chan) is beautiful but works far too much; although she lives in a city of millions, she still feels lonely and isolated. Late one night, Lumina has a chance encounter with Ryder Lee (Michael Chan), a handsome young man from another world that she can see in mirrors and darkened window reflections. She revels in the fantasy relationship until mirrorspy Eben Sanchez comes into her life, warning her of the treacheries of the people of the Dark Realm. Soon Lumina must choose between the safety of the world she knows and the deadly allure of the unknown."
Excerpted from LUMINA
Tags: Ethnic Cool, Film
An Evening with Evelyn Lau
By Literary Correspondent Sara Chang
Geist presents An Evening with Evelyn Lau.
Join us on Saturday, September 19, 2009, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Listel Hotel, where Lau will read her work, discuss the art of writing and answer questions from the audience.
Evelyn Lau is a Vancouver writer who has published eight books, including three volumes of poetry. Her most recent book of non-fiction, Inside Out: Reflections of a Life So Far, was published in 2002 and her poetry collection, Treble, was published by Raincoast in 2005.
Read her latest poetry in Geist, "Into the Fire," her memories of John Updike and her other Geist short non-fiction.
Saturday, September 19, 2009 7:00pm
Listel Hotel, 1300 Robson St., Vancouver
Admission is $5.00 or free for participants of Geist's September workshops.
Taken from Geist.com
Tash Aw at VIWF 2009
By Literary Correspondent Sara Chang
I am excited to announce that Tash Aw will be at this year's annual Vancouver International Writers' Festival. Aw has had two successful novels, The Harmony Silk Factory, which won the 2005 Whitbread First Novel Award, as well as the Commonwealth Writers Prize (South East Asia and South Pacific Region Best First Book) and Map of the Invisible World , which is his most recently published piece of work.
Map of the Invisible World contains a unique and fascinating storyline and has been receiving rave reviews since its release. The novel is set in Indonesia and Malaysia in the mid-1960s:
In the forefront, we have Adam's quest to find Karl: a Dutch Indonesian artist who has stayed after independence to help rebuild the new country. He adopts the orphan Adam who is distinguished by his "neutral Indo-Malay features". They live on the Indonesian island of Perdo, shrouded in legends and myths. Karl's distaste for colonialism is so strong that he bans Dutch in his house: "it's the language of oppression". One should not grow up absorbing the culture of a country that has colonised one's own. "We are independent now; we need our own culture." From: independent.co.ukPosted by Alden | September 20, 2009 | Comments (0)
Tags: Books, Events, Literature, People, Vancouver
The Happiness Project | A New Beat to Music
By Jocelyn Gan"The natural cadence of peoples speech can sometimes carry beautiful melodies ."
A founding member of Canada's own Broken Social Scene and Do Make Say Think, Charles Spearin, has taken everyday conversations and turned them into pieces of musical creativity. Titled The Happiness Project, Spearin interviewed his Toronto neighbours' views on what their thoughts were on "happiness". With his recorded interviews, Spearin and the help of his musician friends have crafted melodies and cadences to accompany the spoken dialogue.
Spearin defiantly holds a unique outlook on the way we speak:
"It has always been interesting to me how we use sounds to convey concepts. Normally, we don't pay any attention to the movement of our lips and tongue, and the rising and falling of our voices as we toss our thoughts back and forth to each other. We just talk and listen. The only time we pay attention to these qualities is [when we're listening to music]."
The outcome of The Happiness Project is a delightful collection of tracks that fuses an array of musical instruments, echoing jazz and swing influences. From "Mrs Morris" to "Vittoria," Spearin accompanies the voices of his neighbours with instrumental support and the combination of spoken word, rhythmic percussion and musical tone is artfully and seamlessly blended. Plainly stated, you simply cannot listen to these songs without smiling.
Posted by Jocelyn Gan | September 14, 2009 | Comments (1)Tags: Culture, Jocelyn Gan, Life, Music
Blind Date Turns Ugly
By Nick YungWe all know how the entertainment industry portrays celebrities as beautiful and attractive, leading our society to become immensely superficial, but who knew it would go to these extremes?!
Internet dating, also known as "online dating," has become a growing trend among youth and for a 17 year old boy from China, this was no exception. He was a simple love-sick teen who committed suicide after a disappointing personal encounter with a supposed 19 year old "hottie" he had been chatting with online. The two had been conversing for several weeks prior to their encounter on the Chinese instant messaging and chatroom service known as Tencent QQ or simply just "QQ".
A little tidbit: "Tencent QQ" was originally called "I Seek You," which then became known as "ICQ," and now it is simply just "QQ." (Thank you Chelsey Guo for this factoid.)
(Above: Screen capture of what using QQ looks like. Similar to Windows Live Messenger, eh?)
The alleged "hottie" with whom the unsuspecting teenager was chatting used the name "QunJiaoFeiYang" (which translates to: "Flying Skirt"). Haha. Sorry, but was I the only one who laughed at this selected username? To me, it would have seemed like an obvious predatory name, used to purposely lure naive young boys. This woman described herself to the young boy as beautiful and the two had conversations via QQ for weeks before finally deciding to meet in person. The two "love birds" met up in the nearby town of Mudanjiang, revealing what this "hottie" really looked like. Sadly, she was not a cute 19 year old girl as previously described. In fact, she turned out to be a 27 year old less-than-attractive female.
The boy had become disappointed and depressed, returned home and stopped eating and sleeping. He continued this routine for four days before finally deciding to end his own life.
I feel really bad for this individual and I wonder how many similar cases occur worldwide that just isn't known to the mass media.
The teen is just one of many in China, which has one of the world's highest suicide rates.
Check out the original article at these locations: WeirdAsianNew.com, and V3.Co.UK.
Posted by Nick Y. | September 7, 2009 | Comments (0)Tags: Dating, Ethnic Cool
Schema Presents: iWriteAboutMe.com Writing Workshops | Sept 23, 2009
Presented in partnership with Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (University of British Columbia); the North American Association of Asian Professionals Vancouver (NAAAP); theTyee.ca; Fresh Media (Vancouver); the Office of Learning Technology (University of British Columbia). Sponsored by The Laurier Institution.
Background image adapted from Phil Yu's AngryAsianMan.com
Schema Magazine launches a monthly series of web writing workshops and speakers, featuring some of the most pioneering, innovative and ethnic cool voices on the Internet.
In the world of social networking and Web 2.0, having an online presence on the web is becoming more and more important. Social media gives us the tools to be a part of this growing conversation, but how do we define our voice on the web as a writer, a producer and as a blogger?
iWriteAboutMe.com will showcase dynamic web personalities, social media gurus, bloggers and writers who will talk about how they transformed their personal stories and diverse identities into an online brand. The series begins withPhil Yu, aka. AngryAsianMan.com, a trailblazer for Asian American voices on the web and someone who has truly set the stage for online discourse around race, culture and identity for the blogging generation. Phil will share the inspiring story of starting one of the most influential online spaces in today's Asian American movement, share tips on how he keeps his content accessible and relevant, and what was involved in moving AngryAsianMan.com from activism to super-blog status.
The upcoming workshop:
Phil Yu aka. AngryAsianMan.com
Wednesday September 23, 2009
6:00pm to 7:30pm
Victoria Learning Theatre
The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre | University of British Columbia 1961 East Mall, Vancouver, B.C.
Free Event and everyone is welcome. RSVP required as seating is limited. Please visit NAAAP Vancouver to reserve a seat. Register fast as seating is limited!
To minimize the carbon footprint of this event, Phil Yu is speaking in Vancouver via video-conference from his headquarters in LA.
Posted by Jordana Mah | September 7, 2009 | Comments (0)Tags:
Part V: Same same, but different
Guest Contributor Julia Lin tells us about what it's like to be "same same, but different" (the words of Thai locals spoken to her as she travelled Asia) growing up in Canada and having to answer to the curious questions of her "whereabouts":
When I used to work at Safeway as a cashier, customers often guessed that I was Filipina, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean or one quarter White, depending on who decided to chat with me while I scanned their groceries through. To the rest, I was just Chinese; that is, if the question ever crossed their minds in the first place.
Read the Julia's entire story here.
Posted by Claudia Ho | September 8, 2009 | Comments (0)
Takashi Murakami "Self-Portraits" Exhibition Preview
By Nick Yung
From: hypebeast.com and slamxhype.com (and all over the Internet)
Iconic Japanese artist Takashi Murakami previews a new piece from his upcoming exhibition, entitled "Self-Portraits," at the Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin in Paris. As seen in the preview, Murakami will focus on works featuring a series of self-portraits along with a multitude of other paintings. For those of you who think they don't know who Murakami is or claim never to have seen his work, think again. In addition to his impressive portfolio of anime and manga-inspired artwork, Takashi Murakami is recognized for designing Kanye West's 2007 album, Graduation. The famous "Dropout Bear," this time appearing in golden grandeur, will be one of the many pieces of art featured in the Paris exhibition.
(From worldfamousdesignjunkies.com)
"Self-Portraits" opens next Tuesday, September 15th and runs through to October 17th.
Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin
75 Rue de Turenne & 10 Impasse
Saint-Claude 75003
Paris
For the full scoop on Murakami's show, take a look at World Famous Design Junkies.
Posted by Nick Y. | September 8, 2009 | Comments (0)
Makeup Tips for Asian Eyes
By Jordana Mah. Originally published on Being High Maintenance, not BitchyFor at least one moment in every Asian girl's life, we have wished for bigger eyes with double lids. From color contacts to eye-lid stickers, I've tired almost every trick in the book that promised to enhance my mono-lid eyes. Over many years of practice, I've learned to utilize some basic tips in order to make my eyes appear bigger than they really are. However I found that it was easier to make my eyes look bigger with night time makeup, oppose to daytime makeup. But fear no more. Schema's very own Jordana (aka. MizzJ to thousands of online fans) has come to our rescue. With her easy instructions, and how-to videos, we can finally stop worrying about our eyes and move on to our next dilemma.
Awhile ago I got a reader from reader Katherine asking for some serious makeup help. As a self-professed makeup "noob", Katherine was having problems finding easy daytime looks and makeup colors that matched her Asian skin. Her biggest question was how to define her eyes, which are the typical mono-lid, meaning no crease, making traditional Caucasian based makeup advice obsolete.
I was very happy to try to help out Katherine and any other of my fellow Asian sisters who were wondering the same things, so I hope my advice proves useful!
The Grocery List:
There are some basic items one needs to purchase to get a full makeup arsenal:
However, you don't need a ton of each item to get an array of basic looks; sometimes it's as simple as adding eyeliner, or applying heavier shadow to get a different night time look.
Posted by Christina J. | September 7, 2009 | Comments (0)Tags: Beauty
Metis Dog | A hotdog wrapped in good ol' bannock
By Tamiko Ogura
I can't say that I'm an actual fan of hotdogs, save for "Hotdog Day" in elementary school. I always ordered one hotdog with mustard and an orange drink. The hotdog came wrapped in a yellow napkin to signify it was adorned with mustard, whereas the plain hotdogs came wrapped in a white napkin. In Gr. 1, I thought this was a genius organization. What? I'm a Capricorn, dammit.
Then sometime in Grade 7 I learned about what goes into the making of a hotdog wiener, and I could no longer stomach hotdogs. That is until Vancouver became home to the Japadog (and the Tandoori Tikka Dog with butter-fried onions and tandoori paste - the likes I have yet to try), as well as the newest addition to the ethnic-fusion hotdog family -- the Metis Dog.
If you happen to come across Lisa St. Goddard's booth Sweet Grass Grill at a local farmers' market, you'll be instantly lured in by her wild boar and bison hotdogs, cinnamon-sugar bannock (fry bread - which I love because they taste like big versions of those mini donuts you get at the PNE!), and of course, the Metis Dog ($4.00).
The Metis Dog stats: pillowy and warm bannock (fry bread, sans cinnamon sugar) wrapped around a grilled hotdog, topped with sauteed onions and homemade corn relish.
I must confess...I ordered a Metis Dog but ate it in one sitting before I realized I should've taken a photo because it is a glorious thing to behold.
And heed Lisa's advice when she warns you: "Watch out, it's a bit messy!" Grab a handful of napkins, or you'll be tempted to lick off the remnants which may or may not be the most sanitary thing you could do...unless it's done in the privacy of your car. Er, you know, I'm just saying...
MORE: Metis Dog & Sweet Grass Grill Times/Locations @ Eat Local | Lisa St Goddard's photo credit by Jamila @ Royal City's Farmers' Market | Who are the METIS people?
Posted by Tamiko | September 5, 2009 | Comments (0)Tags: Aboriginal, Food
Ford's MyKey System | Keyless Entry Preventing Mindless Mishaps
By Christina Jung
Every once in a while without even realizing, our minds wander as we do our simple, daily routines. It's like your body is programmed to go on auto pilot while your brain is preoccupied to serve some other purpose and in such cases, we can do the most ridiculous things. For me, that ridiculous thing happened just a couple days ago at Real Canadian Superstore. With my cell phone wedged between my ear and shoulder, wallet tucked under my arms, car keys in my hand, I pushed my shopping cart out of Superstore, towards my parked car. Everything was running smoothly. I neatly put all my groceries into the trunk even as I was conversing on the phone. I returned the shopping cart and retrieved my loonie, but it wasn't until I walked back to my car, that I realized my key-less hands. I locked my keys in my car trunk. I thought "no problem, I'm a BCAA member, this is what I pay my yearly fees for." Unfortunately, being a member of BCAA doesn't necessarily mean that they'd fly to my rescue like Superman would. While I waited 90 minutes for a BCAA driver to arrive, I began to think about how slow our progression of innovative car technologies has been in this technology dependent era. That's when I found out about Ford's new MyKey system.
Ford's MyKey system is "designed to help parents encourage their teenagers to drive safer." The key allows owners to program speed limit features, earlier low-fuel warnings, and safety-belt warning chimes. In fact, in order to encourage safety belts, the system will automatically mute the audio until the driver has buckled up.
By teaming up with Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering, Ford is expecting the MyKey system to become a standard feature on all other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models.
So while I continue my search for a key-less car, you can check out Ford's website for additional features and descriptions.
Posted by Christina J. | September 7, 2009 | Comments (0)Tags: Technology
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University of Washington: Asian American Women More Likely To Attempt Suicide
Angry Asian Man in Vancouver, Canada
LUMINA | A Unique Thriller WebSeries
Phil Yu, aka. AngryAsianMan.com at UBC | Presented by Schema Magazine
Making A Scene | Fritz Helder & The Phantoms
The Happiness Project | A New Beat to Music
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