Happy Belated Birthday Aung San Suu Kyi

Yeu.

501 Things From 2010

1. Wing Young Huie's Identity and the American Landscape project.


2. Giant Robot and the general business and livelihood of APIA magazines.


3. The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.


4. The People I've Slept With.


5. Those miners in Chile.


6. Mistresses and wives.


7. Lame Duck seasons and the comeback of Obama?


8. Unicorn Girl.


9. Sarah Palin's "Alaska".


10. KevJumba and his dad on The Amazing Race.


11. My Asian American Penis.


12. The Korean American Film Festival New York.


13. Henry Hu And The SEC.


14. Glee (although not as much as I thought it would be in the new season).


15. Justin Lin and being retarded.


16. Mirai Nagasu.


17. CAAM's On The Clock.


18. Ali Wong.


19. Justin Beiber (whether I wanted too or not).


20. Katy Perry.


21. Like A G6 (and people asking what a G6 was).


22. Michelle Kwan.


23. Kathryn Ma.


24. Andrew Garcia.


25. Interpretations.


26. Not touching Ken Leung's ass when I had the chance (even though I never would, it's still fun to think that I might have -- just to say I touched Ken Leung's ass).


27. The Last Airbender.


28. If M. Night Shyamalan was a sellout.


29. The Winter Olympics.


30. Esther Chae.


31. The Asian Women's Giving Circle.


32. Hari Kondabolu.


33. Gurinder Chadha.


34. Bollywood movies and how I'd like to sometimes be in one (just because I think it would be fun).


35. This news story about how you're seeing more and more independents in the government, and that how before, some people would shake their heads if you were an independent and now they just think of it as being normal.


36. Giles Li.


37. JR Aquino.


38. Margaret Cho.


39. Ellie Meets Talent.


40. Yellow Face.


41. David Henry Wang.


42. Snow Flower And The Secret Fan.


43. The word "accent".


44. The LXD.


45. Adoptees Of Color.


46. The Oak Park Story.


47. Nerdhead.


48. Mika Nakashima.


49. Leaning that Utada was taking an extended break from writing music.


50. Saigon Electric.


51. The Slants (who are currently getting the shaft by the government for trying to trademark the name "The Slants" and are being told they can't because it's offensive).


52. Ramey Ko.


53. Dawen.


54. Kristine Sa (and how she never seems to age).


55. Valentines Day and that cute video by Kina Grannis.


56. Meeting Eddy Zheng who was a great guy to talk with about the projects he's involved in (even though I never did get to put up that video of him).


57. Kollaboration 10.


58. Maya Lin.


59. The Hong Kong Film Awards.


60. The Real Deal Straight Up.


61. Emmie.


62. Tomo.


63. Hello Kitty and the lexicon of cute.


64. Hawaii Five-0.


65. Grace Park.


66. DDK and his manly candies.


67. Has Ludacris come out with an actual song of his own lately or is he just doing cameos? Is that sad or just a good move because maybe he can't really hold a full tune anymore?


68. Stockings and High Heels.


69. Those DSW commercials.


70. Taking pictures of lingerie and sending them to my friend for approval to make sure everything I got matched.


71. The Mall Of America and how in the last three months I've been there more times than I have since it's opened.


72. Those really big NY style slices of pizza and the way sometimes your mouth just waters when you can taste that pop of tomato sauce and zing.


73. Yes, Yesterday and Van Vu and how amazing that was to watch.


74. Old White ladies who hand out fortune cookies even though I told them not too.


75. China and Google.


76. Gary Locke.


77. The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.


78. The Philippine Expressions Bookshop.


79. I am Korean (the site, not me).


80. Han Han.


81. Vincent Who.


82. Meeting Curtis Chin who seems like a really nice guy.


83. Sitting across from Bee Vang of Gran Torino and realizing that he's actually in college.


84. Koda Kumi and how I never tire of her videos.


85. Tze Chun.


86. Ngo Vu Bich Diem.


87. Shota Shimizu.


88. Meg And Dia jewelry.


89. Getting a shout out in the Choz Belen FM "I Party Video" (and while cool I still wonder why)?


90. Gina Apostol


91. Florante Peter Ibanez.


92. The AAA-Fund.


93. Getting shown around a little bit of Oakland by BCB blogger aznhearthrob.


94. Teen Pati and those people who decided to sit right behind me and a friend even though THE WHOLE movie theater was empty.


95. White On Rice.


96. Lynn Chen, her blog and diets.


97. Bambu.


98. Taiyo Na.


99. Magnetic North.


100. "Trust You" by Heather Park.


101. The very large BP Oil Spill that will have repercussions far into the future and what a clusterfuck that whole thing really was.


102. Charlie Chan.


103. Declare Indie 3.


104. South Philadelphia and the beatings of Asian American Youth in our schools.


105. Ed Wang.


106. Aziz Ansari.


107. "Super Power Blues" by Grek Pak.


108. Hmonglish.


109. Kal Penn.


110. Susur Lee on Top Chef.


111. How I have no idea about Tila Tequila anymore. Will 2011 be her comeback? Do we really need a comeback by Tila Tequilla?


112. Yes?


113. School Food Punishment.


114. The word half and how it's sometimes used in a derogatory way.


115. Aoi Sola and Japanese Porn.


116. M.I.A and all those redheaded kids.


117. Nylon TV.


118. Hot Vietnamese women.


119. Justin Nozuka.


120. White Washing: The Prince Of Persia.


121. KTown Cowboys and how I should have the experience of drinking way to much in LA's Koreatown.


122. Lakshmi Menon.


123. The You Tube Story Of Ryan Higa.


124. Jennii Lê.


125. Munsup Seoh.


126. Black April.


127. Spicy Pork Bulgogi.


128. Bean Sprouts and Chinese Radish.


129. A really good bowl of Pho on Sunday morning from Pho Ca Dao.


130. The Noodle Shop in St. Paul.


131. "Clouds".


132. Bandcamp.


133. How Google TV simply just didn't live up to the hype and you really do have to wonder where they go next now that Larry Paige is running the show.


134. Ken Jeong and the fact that it seemed like he was everywhere, thinking about some of his earlier standup clips and how far he's come even if sometimes I have to wonder if he's the new Rob Schneider.


135. Getting a new Canon T2i and how great it felt in my hand.


136. Feeling like I had been to NYC more than I have in quite some time (which was actually the case) and how in a way while it was more than long enough, I still wish I had more time to just hang out and see some things I never got the chance too.


137. Meeting Portland filmmaker Ivy Lin and seeing her film up on the big screen.


138. Wondering to myself how long the movie "Poetry" was really going to last (because that wasy too long).


139. Hoping still again that Google's Blogger spellchecked the title in a blog post.


140. The Boston Celtics.


141. Getting some e-mail from author Le Thi Diem Thuy who wrote of one of my favorite books.


142. How it's still funny to me that when people send me e-mail they sometimes write "Hey You Guys".


143. Goodwin Liu.


144. The sounds of DJ Sharam.


145. Kim Yu-Na and that spectacular show of awesomeness.


146. White people still trying to make us feel a little Chinky.


147. "Sophie's Revenge" and Zhang ZiYi.


148. John Park making Shania Twain's panties perculate.


149. The Korean Film Festival LA.


150. The closing of East West Magazine.


151. Poreotix.


152. The NBA All Star Game.


153. How Twitter seemed to be everywhere (again) and how Late Night Talk Shows continue to have a segment on Tweets and that sometimes it's really not that funny and the look on the face of some of the talk show hosts is something like "Do we really have to do this?"


154. How annoying and absured it was to have a new mass transit system running through the heart of Atlanta's APIA community called the "Yellow Line" (thankfully they changed it).


155. Never actually doing my favorites from the Interpretations short film contest.


156. That blog post where Roger Fan talks about cleaning out his belly button and how I just couldn't help not reading it.


157. Ninja Assassin and how someone I knew said about RAIN "His body is like a work of art".


158. Thinking to myself how much I hate RAIN.


159. Mira Nair.


160. The rhetoric from the far right side that said after "Machete" came out there would be a bloodbath because people from the Latino and Hispanic communities would be swayed into mass murder by a film.


161. Because they were animals.


162. The fact that I never tired of any videos by J-Pop star BENI and how cute she looked in that one dress.


163. CLARA's Paramount videos that showed her recording her new record and that other video of her on EMT where she was asked the question of if her quirkyness + talent = a lot of marriage proposals.


164. Kearny Street Workshop and all the good they do.


165. Daniel Wu and wondering if he can be the next "fill in the blank".


166. How I happened to listen to the song "Pyramid" over and over throughout the year because it was just a really good song.


167. That Juicebox song and the video (with said juicebox in the video).


168. The Japanese American National Museum.


169. Deep Foundation.


170. Arizona's incredibly dumbass governor Jan Brewer.


171. The rise of APIA fashion designers and how they're changing the "who" and "what" we think of when it comes to trendsetting fashion.


172. How when I watched the film "Coco Before Chanel" that while it was a good movie, it was also suspect for not really touching on her relationship with the Nazis.


173. Thinking to myself how different that film was from Spike Lee's "Inside Man".


174. The spelling bee champ Anamika Veeramani.


175. Ted Lieu and his run for Attorney General in California.


176. Pornstar Sasha Grey.


177. The fact that I really did finally get into HBO's "True Blood" and there just seems to be a plethora of people that love to quote Jason.


178. I don't really think Buffy The Vampire Slayer was really that good (even though in the conversation I had with my friend who worships the show - really they do and they love that musical episode - that maybe I should give it another chance) - but I do realize why people liked it.


179. The fact that either I wasn't paying as much attention (which is very much the case) or that maybe there were just not as many Asian American Male/Asian American Female "You suck. No You do. No You Do. What The Hell. Aren't We Really Saying The Same Things?" conversations.


180. The really good Patsy Mink documentary.


181. My kick ass new 42 inch TV I got (which I picked up at a stellar Black Friday price even though I did freeze my ass off because I came directly from the casino and forgot to bring a hat and gloves).


182. My new glasses and how I'm the cheapest person you will ever meet.


183. That I've kept to my word and have not eaten at a Le Ann Chin's restaurant for about 4 years now because why would I ever pay that much money for food that isn't really that good, and on top of it, I don't even get that much actual food.


184. David C.P. Chan's "Good Shot".


185. Intel's Core i7 but how the i5 really gives more bang for the buck.


186. All the jokes made about the iPad.


187. Musician Jesse Barrera.


188. Still being infatuated with Hannah Storm (good things never really die).


189. Downloading lots of podcasts from vizualizeAsian.


190. The Fong Lee Rally and meeting a ton of great people who've been fighting for that case since day one.


191. Having coffee with filmmaker Mark Tang and asking him questions about the early days of the APIA film and arts community here in the Twin Cities.


192. Listening to the roundtable/panel on the White Washing of the Children's Theater and thinking to myself that even though in some ways it wasn't actually addressing the impetus for the panel discussion that there were some great things being said anyway.


193. Kero One's video for "On Bended Knee."


194. The New York chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance.


195. Mu Performing Arts.


196. The pleasure of having a drink with Rick Shiomi and David Mura who I've seen around but have never really talked with beforehand.


197. Getting lost in the suburbs on a blind date and thinking to myself "This woman is a pro at dating. She must do it a lot. Why am I here again?"


198. Miller Valley Elementary and the White Washing of their mural.


199. The Asian American International Film Festival Shorts.


200. National Queer Southeast Asian Conference.


201. Norman Mineta.


202. Rich Cho becoming the first Asian American General Manager in NBA history.


203. The story that was Jeremy Lin and the automatic fandom that seemed to happen almost overnight when word spread about his NBA tryouts and then getting signed by Golden State.


204. Really liking that last number by Kanye West on the MTV Music Awards even though yes, he's still Kanye.


205. Seeing everyone make jokes about Jay Leno because he really did deserve it.


206. Catching that video by APIA's who were supporting Conan O'Brien.


207. Seeing numberous bloggers get into making some short films.


208. Meeting filmmake Athena Lobit and seeing her pose for photos and even getting my ugly mug in a few as well.


209. Meeting her sister at the NYAAFF.


210. Getting a bubble tea down at Cafe Kem.


211. Thinking to myself how cute that little banana was in White On Rice (aka Joy Osmanski).


212. That guy who was hitting hard on Karin Anna Cheung from the top balcony at SFIAAFF.


213. Hoping to high hell that I never have to fly out of Terminal B again because that was just somehow worse than I ever thought it could be.


214. Getting sucked in for a time by the blog 365 Days Of Being Single.


215. Receiving links to works by author Sun Yung Shin.


216. Thinking to myself how incredibly great it was to see Christy NaMee Ericksen make some White People really uncomfortable.


217. That I should really quit smoking because I just don't seem to have that baby face Asian gene that many of the people I know do. But then I stand to White People and I feel better about myself.


218. The Pork Filled Players.


219. The Viet Pop group 4Me and how even though the song wasn't that bad I just really hope they never do a movie anytime soon even though it could probably do really well.


220. Wondering to myself what Joseph Anh Cao is going to do next in his political life or if this is the last we'll see of him.


221. How incredibily obtuse (and that's the only word I can come up with now) that Chicago actually wanted to initiate a law similiar to SB 1070.


222. SB 1070.


223. The documentary film "The Power Of Two" and Yul Kwon.


224. Hearing the news that the Kardashians top the list of most paid Reality TV stars and then wondering to myself WTF is wrong with us and why do we feel so compelled to actually watch crap like that.


225. Watching crap like that.


226. Wanting to get to know more about the The Khun Brothers and hoping to see a feature length film by them.


227. Seeing the power of YouTube stars supporting each other and creating a community for APIA artists in a very different way than in some ways we've ever seen before but still wondering what the long-time viability is for most artists in that landscape.


228. Loving the video by Jake Shimabukuro "Blue Roses Falling" and getting really excited to see the documentary by Tadashi Nakamura.


229. Thinking to myself how neat it was that Jeannie Mai stopped on over here to make a comment.


230. Also thinking to myself how I really like her show "How Do I Look" when I can catch it and how utterly fantastic she is in that purple dress.


231. Facebook taking on down the pages for Racebending, only to be put back up a few short hours after they realized what a clusterfuck that was and then thinking to myself how great it was to see that the power of the being online can actually make a difference if you really do care about something and put some work into it.


232. Completing my 4000 post and then thinking about how fun it would be to write a post on it and then forgetting about it simply because I'm that lazy.


233. Getting a txt from a friend while I was at the local strip club telling me that a friend of hers wanted to set me up on a blind date because I was nice, her friend was nice, and we both had the same ethnic background.


234. Seeing the above blind date, both of us getting that look on our face, and then thinking to myself that I really need to get out of here and how this never works anyway so why did I do this in the first place and then realizing it was because I was thinking about sex.


235. The story that was Joel Stein.


236. 4Chan and trying to help Justin Beiber get on down to North Korea.


237. Wondering why I posted as much as did on The Beiber (again).


238. Seeing that video by Harry Shum Jr. and wondering to myself why some people are blessed with rock hard abs and those six packs.


239. Poking my belly.


240. Meeting some of the hard-working people from the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families.


241. Having to meet a friend out in the suburbs for a birthday party and asking one of her friends what her tattoo meant to which she replied "It's a dragon".


242. Feeling like a dumbass.


243. Being at that same party and completely lying about how I met my friend, spinning a tale of bullshit about how she hit my car, argued with me that it wasn't her fault and me thinking "I really need to get to know her", even though we met on Match.Com.


244. Getting on, off, back-on, and then off Facebook simply because I have issues.


245. The Tea Party.


246. That video of Dumbfounded in South Korea (and by that video I mean just one of them).


247. "Imma Be The Best" by Thai Viet G feat. Michelle Martinez.


248. The Viet rock band White Noise.


249. North Korea's attack on the Cheonan.


250. The delight of Erik Spoelstra getting handed what amounts to a Dream Team even if it might take a little work and even if it could mean his job in the next year or so if they don't keep it together.


251. The way that Lebron quickly became enemy #1 and the possible implications of race on the comments that ensued after he left Cleveland.


252. The ID Film Fest.


253. The YouTube channel Viet Channel.


254. The passing of community and civil rights leader Irvin Lai.


255. Taking a picture of Jason Bayani in his National Poetry Slam 2010 t-shirt.


256. Hearing soem incredible spoken word down at the APIA Open Mic portation of the National Poetry Slam.


257. Wondering to myself why I actually wanted to walk the full length of the Brooklyn Bridge and then thinking to myself that I was never going to do that anyway so I'm not exactly even sure why I started.


258. Getting some tips on good places to eat by Jeff Yang.


259. Thinking to myself that even though I like the Film-Am Trio Triangle Offense, I also can't wait until they really blow me away.


260. Far East Movement getting signed by Cherry Tree records.


261. Wondering to myself who that woman was in their G6 video and how I really wanted to take a shot too.


262. Viet American musician Mondega and "For The People".


263. Getting to see Michelle Wie finally do more in 2010.


264. Bristol Palin and DWTS.


265. Finally seeing the film Au Revoir Taipei (online of course because that's just the way I roll, but don't worry - like always I'll pay down some $$$ for it in the future).


266. Being one of the few bloggers out there to think Wo Ai Ni (I Love You Mommy) wasn't the cute family story everyone else thought it was and how I couldn't help but wonder how many people actually knew what they were talking about.


267. Also realizing not everyone subscribes to my ruff ruff (starts with a d....).


268. Kollaboration Accoustic 4 and that we should all take off our shoes especially when we're getting down unless you're one of those people that like the extra grip.


269. Pitting Fake K-Girl against Real K-Girl.


270. The phrase "Blood Laptops" and Time writer Peter Ha.


271. Asking myself again what the hell Eliot Spitzer must have on EVERYONE and wondering how long the Parker/Spitzer show is really going to last and if anyone will be able to take Client #9 seriously.


272. How come I wasn't looking for more Yuna Ito music like I had the previous year.


273. HBO's "East of Main Street: Asians Aloud" with Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai and wondering if that was intentional - the geographical "East" and "Main Street" aka Main Stream.


274. KoreaAm's September cover shoot and the APIA goodness of it all.


275. DKwan's Dr. Pepper Cherry YouTube Hip Hop Audition video.


276. The fact that Dolph Lundgren can still be in a movie.


277. With Jet Li even.


278. The quote from Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire who called out the racism that was and still is Hollywood.


279. The way that we just couldn't help but wonder at the CW advertisements for Maggie Q's Nikita but that no matter what, she was still one of the main attractions down at San Diego's Comic Con.


280. Ellen Wong in the film "Scott Pilgram Vs The World".


281. Thinking to myself a lot about remakes, even the Swedish ones (because "Let The Right One In" was just that good).


282. That I didn't watch a ton of film the past year, and that in some ways I was more into the music, but that the films I did see I really did like.


283. The K-Town Jersey Shore Reality TV show.


284. The fact that my DSL went out at the most inconvenient of times.


285. The completely incomprehensible fact that North Korea had a YouTube and Twitter page and how this was in fact real news because what the hell is NK doing with a Twitter page?


286. Like other magazines "Hyphen" needed to reach out to their readers and subscribers to get some dollars for future issues.


287. The release of Koua Fong Lee and those new commercials by Toyota to help shape their image back up.


288. Vera Wang.


289. The colonial Anything But Asian mentality of picking up Asian Women With Hypnosis.


290. How everyone seemed to think Gabe Bondoc was a tasty little treat.


291. All of the accessories for the iPhone down in Japan.


292. Actually watching Step Up 3-D and thinking to myself that it wasn't really that good even though I appreciate all that went into it.


293. Seeing Wyclef Jean make a bid to be the President of Haiti.


294. Not remembering the actual count, but thinking to myself how geeky and fun it was that Google had put a number to the total books there must be in our Universe.


295. Knowing that the 172nd most frequent surname in the U.S. is Patel.


296. The Manilatown Heritage Foundation.


297. If the film "Runaways" was going to be a White Wash just like we'd happen to see so often this year.


298. Not calling the murder of Divyendu Sinha a Hate Crime.


299. Heading on down to South Beach and getting my drink on, watching people dance on bars, and doing some random Asian Spotting.


300. The Hmong Veterans Resolution HR 5879 and the government starting to recognize ALL THE PEOPLE that have sweat and bled for the U.S.


301. Wondering if Obama was just having a bad year.


302. Pictures of Annie Ling in the New York Times.


303. Vlogger Leena Nguyen.


304. Wondering if I'd see more videos from Disgrasian on YouTube.


305. Loving my netbook like I didn't think I could really love it.


306. The appointment of Amardeep Singh to the Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.


307. Seeing writer Ed Bok Lee down at a dinner, rushing out to fill my meter, and than later sending out an email apologizing for being abrupt when I said hello.


308. Asking myself if I really wanted to move out to L.A. for a job.


309. The good work that the Asian American Women In Leadership Conference does just because they can.


310. The South Korean Girl Band 2NE.


311. How I kept on liking the phrase "Viral Like Sars" more and more.


312. The cuteness of the film "Passport To Love".


313. That Asian American teenager who faked the racial epithets himself because he was sad he had to move.


314. Wondering if Strip Clubs really do contribute to the mistreatment of women or if we're all just there to have a good time.


315. Wacko gunman James J. Lee who went off on the Discovery Channel because he was too much of tree-hugger and that just goes to show you what hugging too many tress will actually do to your mind.


316. The awesome Ukulele power of seventeen year-old xdiannex12.


317. The founder of the San Diego Asian Film Festival Lee Ann Kim.


318. Not getting to see the Hmong Fasion Show "Fresh Traditions" even though I kept on telling myself I really need too if only for the fact that I get to see kick ass SE Asian American Hmong women strutting their stuff down the runway.


319. Questioning what the hell was wrong with Apple for putting out a phone that you needed to hold a specific way just so you could make an actual call which in some ways is the primary function of a phone even if that might be changing.


320. Seeing that you South Koreans can't actually do everything (I'm talking about tennis here).


321. The video for the Power Struggle documentary.


322. Chantho Sourinho's incredible good looks and old school swagger.


323. Even if briefly, the pleasure of meeting filmmaker Tammy Chu.


324. The Performance of "Paper Angels" and how I really wish I would have gotten to see it because I think it would have been cool.


325. The novel "All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost."


326. Wondering if the "Viet Notebook" would actually be anything to write home about.


327. Thinking to myself how blogger, writer, teacher, and stats man C.N. Lee is still cranking out information.


328. That kick ass dance troupe "Fighting Gravity" from America's Got Talent.


329. Viewing those vloggers/bloggers Artichoke & Peachies.


330. Thinking about that comment by YouTuber CommunityChannel that if you think being a woman helps out on YouTube because of horny dudes you might want to think again about that.


331. Loving the song Rocketeer, but even though the video had an AA face in it thinking to myself that somehow I still wanted more.


332. Manny Pacquiao beating the crap out of everyone.


333. The race baiting of Floyd.


334. The people who seemed to get off on it.


335. Not getting to see "Cowboy Versus Samurai" and beating myself down because of it.


336. Wondering what will happen to Taylor Swift.


337. What does it really mean that Aung San Suu Kyi is out of house arrest and where will she go next.


338. How I was never quite able to get onto "Millions The Series" and see what it was really all about.


339. Wondering if a piece of technology could be racist (and just for the record I'm now loving the Kinnect and I've learned that I'm a better bowler with my left hand).


340. Yay for WikiLeaks?


341. The fact that even though it seems like he's old school and I can remember him getting into it with Sarah Silverman, that instead of fading away (and not like he should though) we're still hearing about Guy Aoki.


342. NBC putting on that semi-racist, it could be racist, there are a lot of people who may not think it's racist but still can't help but not watch it show "Outsourced".


343. Sweet sweet Padma even though I didn't really watch her that much this year.


344. Getting on a phone call with some people from Comcast and program directors of film festivals from the AAPI community and then asking myself why I was there again and what I had to offer to the conversation.


345. Seeing people I knew take the MNTRFF to new heights by getting it sponsored by PBS, Target and other good companies.


346. The Loft's Equilibrium shows and the goodness that can come from them.


347. Meeting a friend for beers down at this place in St. Paul I never new existed and somehow getting myself into a project where I'm helping to film people with my new Canon T2i and then wondering again why I decided to get into it and not because I wasn't interested in it, but simply because I'm the laziest MF you'll ever meet and it begs the question of why I decide to actually tell people I'll do something when I know I just really want to spend my time masturbating.


348. To porn.


349. Or my new fake girlfriend who we'll call Harem Girl.


350. Because say what you will but we all want a Harem even if it's a Harem that just washes dishes and feeds us grapes and yes just in case you wondering I do think that Harems can have swinging penises.


351. That cute girl Kylie Kim who graced us on those Microsoft commercials.


352. The band Tim Be Told and their song "Analyze" which also had a really cool video.


353. Racist cameras.


354. New Hampshire State Rep. Nick Levasseur making dick comments that Japan really should have been nuked a lot more (because two just wasn't enough).


355. Not getting to see Aasif Mandvi's film "Today's Special" and wishing I really had and then calling up their rep not knowing it already played here (but that's for another time...).


356. Haiti and the plethora of kids scooped up in the name of Jesus.


357. Newberry award winner Grace Lin.


358. Wondering if using R.I.P in an article is really that respectful when talking about someone that passed away.


359. The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment.


360. The band afterschoolspecial and Dan Matthews.


361. Still thinking to myself the many reasons that we all love George Takei.


362. Tian Sheng Yu.


363. John Cho and his TV gig "Fast Forward" getting the plug pulled.


364. Nikki Haley getting called a "Raghead" and even though I have a distaste for the Right - really?


365. Seeing the film "The Mikada Project" and thinking to myself how utterly lovely Tamlyn Tomita still is and how yes, I probably should sit on down and watch TKK2.


366. The horrible remake of The Karate Kid (whatever you want to call it).


367. Ly Tong pepper spraying the hell out of singer Dam Vinh Hung.


368. That thing called The Dream Act and how important it really was that it got started in the year that saw American Idol implode (well maybe not implode but those Seacrest jokes got to be an issue didn't they?).


369. Even though I didn't actually watch it while it happened (I did see the recaps) - Ada and the way she seemed to get a hold of America.


370. Hardass Asian Parents.


371. Priscilla Chang who's dating the youngest 20-something billionaire in history.


372. Kobayashi crashing the NYC hotdog contest and wondering if he gives new meaning to the words eating and disorder.


373. Lucy Koh's nomination to California's District Court.


374. Touching a dildo that was a good color. A spendiforous color. A color that was like me. Well not quite like me. But I got the point even though I was a procastinator and never actually bought one.


375. The fact that people still get called "stupid Japs" (see John Suzuki down at Chevron).


376. Really fun girl group KARA.


377. Ayumi Hamasaki getting naked for Vivi (well you know, as naked as you can be).


378. BoA's "Hurricane Venus".


379. Asking myself if we have more duct tape on our cars than other people.


380. Se7en's "Digital Bounce".


381. Getting a road rash in Elliot Park.


382. Trying to fix my man Ku up with a friend of a friend. And when I say my man Ku I really mean some random guy I happened to meet who I asked if he was single to which he replied "Yes" and I decided it was a match made in heaven.


383. Finding out about something called K2 and asking myself the question of if it should be legal when there's so much more medical marijuana out there in the world to smoke and then thinking to myself that I really haven't had a good blunt in quite some time.


384. Getting rubbed up by a stripper who asked if I wanted to get a bed dance because it's a lot like sex and then thinking to myself that I didn't feel like paying $125 for the pleasure of a bed dance.


385. Being at the same club and looking at the Asian guy who was crawling around making an ass out of himself getting called a little monkey and laughing like a little monkey.


386. Hating traffic.


387. Realizing that being completely random albeit still within a general topic or subject, even if really really general, was still a good thing because that's just the way I am.


388. Thanking goodness that almost no one sees me doing my little happy dance.


389. Using the phrase "Crazy Korean Women".


390. Li Bingbing.


391. Those weird pillows that people use to curl up with that aren't in the shape of an actual person but that look like the person they wish it would be shaped as.


392. The group 2PM.


393. Oh Eun-sun becoming the first woman to reach the top of the EVERY SINGLE ONE of the world's tallest peaks.


394. Not quite caring for Lee Hyori's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang video.


395. The 46th Korean Baeksang Arts Awards and how those statues really do look quite phallic.


396. Wondering what was going to happen to the Wonder Girls.


397. Thinking to myself what a sellout Jackie Chan was for just a minute.


398. Having that moment again.


399. Blogger Phil Yu on the cover of KoreAm magazine which in a way is ironic to me since you have to wonder if bloggers take away from magazine readership (but that's why it's also interesting to think about).


400. Still asking that simple question of whether or not Asian Americans can make films that feature other Asian Americans and still have them be profitable and then wondering about the predicament of being but not necessarily wanting to be called an Asian American film.


401. The juggernaut that was Bruno Mars.


402. The way we still wonder if Chinese Americans are really spies even though they just want to play with their cool iPads like all the other non-spies do.


403. Mirai Nagasu.


404. Kristi Yamaguchi.


405. Kristi Yamaguchi getting called a hoochi.


406. Wondering if I too could ever skate like that to which I always had to answer No.


407. Loving the Brazilian Steak House.


408. Having multiple conversations that started with the following "Don't get me wrong - I get it - but what did she expect? I mean c'mon, he's Tiger Woods."


409. Thinking to myself that I will never ever do giveaway's again.


410. How even though I couldn't stand Justin Beiber I did think to myself that yes, maybe he really is bringing something to people other than, well, what he is -- and that would be the band Legaci.


411. Wondering to myself why people would wait that long for some movie called Eclipse and than thinking to myself those other words "Their kids."


412. Refudiate. Refudiation. Refundimation?


413. Forever 21.


414. That place called P.S. and how I won't go there unless I have too (and by have too, I mean getting dragged there by anyone as long as they'll let me go on a kid's ride just because I think it'll be fun).


415. Telling jokes and stories that absolutely no one got.


416. Having a few drinks and being really obnoxious kissing some girl downtown who decided to straight up MAC on me and then going to get pizza where we sat in a booth and decided to get a little.


417. By a little, I mean having people stare at us while going "Excuse me miss. Your areola is showing."


418. Thinking to myself "Who uses the word "areola" anymore. Can't you just call it a nipple?


419. Drake.


420. Mila Kunis.


421. More Mila Kunis.


422. Tupac.


423. Meeting Filmmaker Koji Steven Sakai and thinking to myself that I'm sitting across from an extremely intelligent and driven individual.


424. Taking a video of Jimmy Vanglee who I learned is also a graphic designer in St. Paul and just happens to make films that sell out theaters every now and then.


425. Liu Xiaobo.


426. David Choi.


427. Paul Datech.


428. Mindy Kaling.


429. The Boston Asian American Film Festival.


430. Blue Scholars.


431. Esna.


432. Bobby Lee.


433. Marié Digby's "Breathing Underwater."


434. Melisa Polinar.


435. Leonard Nam.


436. Laura Ling.


437. Kissing my girlfriend late one night out on the street after just enough drinks to make me completely dangerous to everyone walking by us.


438. Filipina workers suing for discrimination.


439. Sitting next to this really cool guy Art down at a film festival who was telling me what it was like in his day to be an Asian American.


440. The NAACP.


441. Author Lac Su.


442. Zac Efron.


443. The Big Eric down at Mickey's Diner in St. Paul at 3:00 in the morning, having coffee, and spending as much time as I could just soaking up the pleasure of it all.


444. Yo-Yo Ma.


445. Hearing this in a conversation which went something like this: "Koreans - what do you do? You bury cabbage and you put eggs on everything."


446. Brenda Song.


447. Kimberly Lee becoming the first Asian American woman in the Arizona State Legislature.


448. The word orphan.


449. Afghanistan.


450. Bush Tax Cuts.


451. The Ground Zero Mosque.


452. Walking out of the film "The Other Guys".


453. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.


454. The awesomeness of Kick-Ass.


455. Leeland Yee getting death threats.


456. The Asian American Journalists Association.


457. Seeing a "Street Car Named Desire" with Ricardo Antonio Chavira down at the Guthrie.


458. Going to Target Free Thursday at The Walker and thinking to myself that in some ways while I liked it, I'm kind of glad I didn't have to pay to go down there.


459. Chuc mung nam moi.


460. Red and White Envelopes.


461. Chua Phat An Temple.


462. Mango Sticky Rice.


463. The words 'Watashi Wa".


464. The Moonlight bar.


465. Frogtown and University with cars stopped along the street.


466. Formally meeting writer Bao Phi and then some weeks later bumping into him kind of awkwardly at a local Wallgreens because I was thinking to myself how embarassing it might be if I would have been in the aisle I was actually on my way too (think water-based products).


467. Listening to a friend of mine close an open mic session with a poem that was so very powerful.


468. Smoking cigarettes outside Hobans on the curb for a good 3 hours getting to know someone.


469. Getting told that Mirror Of Korea sucks over and over again by countless numbers of Korean Americans.


470. Going out on a date and having my date walk about 10 feet away from me as I was escorting her back to the car even though we spent the whole day together - of our own volition.


471. Thinking to myself the phrase "Crazy Korean Women" once again.


472. My Ninjas.


473. ISA 2010.


474. The closing of the Sulu Series.


475. Not a ton of Yao Ming.


476. The Red Dawn remake.


477. Olivia Munn


478. Priscilla Ahn.


479. Hung Lo.


480. Tacos Al Pastor.


481. Shopping at IKEA.


482. The days of Summer.


483. How there is some truth to the fact that we only have two seasons: Winter and road construction.


484. Sambusa.


485. The World Market.


486. Namie Amuro.


487. Free drinks and the sounds of slot machines.


488. Blackjack.


489. Lingere shows.


490. Little T's fried chips and salsa.


491. The Bad waitress on a summer afternoon.


492. Thinking about how sometimes it's really not about the money, but more about just a sense of community and those small interactions that come about from them.


493. Wondering about the possibilities of what's out there. What happens next.


494. Artists, Musicians - people that are just honing their craft in a great way, something I get to see and feel.


495. Having a whole theater almost all to myself and sitting in the back center row with a medium sized popcorn kind of wishing it was the only


496. Being in that same theater except I was nudged up against someone, very close, thinking to myself that this was an incredible feeling, that I hope everyone gets to feel it at some time or another.


497. The year I embraced who I really was.


498. Saying goodbye to someone very dear in my life and thinking to myself how strange life can sometimes be, but that in the end, maybe that's just the way it's supposed to be.


499. Knowing that even though we sometimes say goodbye to somone it doesn't really mean saying goodbye - but that those goodbyes turn into coffees and dinners and still wondering how far we've really come.


500. The great friends in my life and thinking to myself that I actually do get the better end of the deal and that I hope everyone has at least one or two of those same touchstones in theirs.


501. Thinking to myself what a great life I really do have and that it is true - the happiest people aren't the ones who have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they do have. It doesn't mean I can't work towards something greater or something more, but that sometimes it's just good to remember what I really do have, what I've experiened, and at the end of the day just being thankful for the days I've had and for the days ahead of me.

Released: Aung San Suu Kyi

This has been a long time coming and to be honest, when I caught the news over at a friend's house, I thought two things:

1. Finally.

2. What happens next? What does this mean for Myanmar (aka Burma)?

I don't think anyone - especially me - really knows what it means and how things will play out for her in the future, but this, at the very least, is a start.

From CNN:

Freed activist Aung San Suu Kyi pledged Monday to keep working toward restoring democracy and improving human rights in Myanmar, saying she is not concerned about being detained again in the future.

"Actually, I don't think about it," Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest Saturday, said in her first comments to CNN. The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient has spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest for her dogged opposition to authoritarian rule in Myanmar -- which she calls by its former name, Burma.

"I may be detained again," Suu Kyi said, noting she's been in and out of house arrest over the last two decades. "I just do what I can do at the moment," she said.

"We have to work together," she said. "That is the main message. Those inside the country have to work together and also those supporters outside."

Suu Kyi had much the same message for her supporters Sunday, telling them in a speech, "I'm not going to be able to do it alone. You've got to do it with me. One person alone can't do anything as important as bringing change and democracy to a country."

"We would like to form a network of people working for democracy," she told CNN Monday, and said she would like to open a dialogue with "those who are in a position to do something, to change the situation in Burma for the better."

Apparently she hasn't had any contact with Myanmar's military leader and head of state Gen. Than Shwe and probably won't be seeing her children anytime soon as they still haven't gotten visa's to visit her - so that dialogue is still ongoing.

Statement By The President

While the Burmese regime has gone to extraordinary lengths to isolate and silence Aung San Suu Kyi, she has continued her brave fight for democracy, peace, and change in Burma. She is a hero of mine and a source of inspiration for all who work to advance basic human rights in Burma and around the world. The United States welcomes her long overdue release. Whether Aung San Suu Kyi is living in the prison of her house, or the prison of her country, does not change the fact that she, and the political opposition she represents, has been systematically silenced, incarcerated, and deprived of any opportunity to engage in political processes that could change Burma. It is time for the Burmese regime to release all political prisoners, not just one.The United States looks forward to the day when all of Burma’s people are free from fear and persecution. Following Aung San Suu Kyi’s powerful example, we recommit ourselves to remaining steadfast advocates of freedom and human rights for the Burmese people, and accountability for those who continue to oppress them.

I'll Believe It When I See It

Aung San Suu Kyi and the US envoy Kurt Campbell. Photograph: Hla Hla Htay

Yeah. Miracles can happen. But usually no one's around to see them.

Like I said. I'll believe it when I see it.

Burma's opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, may soon be released so she can play a role in next year's election, a senior Burmese diplomat has said.

"There is a plan to release her soon ... so she can organise her party," Min Lwin, a director-general in the foreign ministry, to ld the Associated Press. He gave no details and it was unclear whether Aung San Suu Kyi would be allowed to campaign or stand for election.

Despite the conciliatory remarks, the country's constitution includes provisions that bar her from holding office and ensure the primacy of the government in the military.

The Nobel peace prize winner has spent 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest. In August a court sentenced her to an additional 18 months after an American, John Yettaw, swam across a lake to her villa in Rangoon and stayed overnight.

Burma's junta in the the past has raised expectations of Aung San Suu Kyi's imminent release only to dash the hopes of her supporters at home and abroad.

Pro-democracy campaigners cautioned against reading too much into the latest hints on Suu Kyi's release. "They've been saying these sorts of things for a long time but they have never delivered on them," said Anna Roberts, the director of the Burma Campaign UK. "The regime's main concern is get economic sanctions lifted and get approval for the sham elections next year."

The Asian Search Engine Algorithm And Not Being Suitable For Work (Which Should Tell You Something)

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Hear Someone More Intelligent Than Me On Aung San Suu Kyi's Conviction

Statement by the President on Aung San Suu Kyi’s conviction and sentencing

The conviction and sentencing of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi today on charges related to an uninvited intrusion into her home violate universal principles of human rights, run counter to Burma’s commitments under the ASEAN charter, and demonstrate continued disregard for UN Security Council statements. I join the international community in calling for Aung San Suu Kyi’s immediate unconditional release.

Today’s unjust decision reminds us of the thousands of other political prisoners in Burma who, like Aung San Suu Kyi, have been denied their liberty because of their pursuit of a government that respects the will, rights, and aspirations of all Burmese citizens. They, too, should be freed. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. I call on the Burmese regime to heed the views of its own people and the international community and to work towards genuine national reconciliation.

I am also concerned by the sentencing of American citizen John Yettaw to seven years in prison, a punishment out of proportion with his actions.

Another article at the Washington Post with Suu Kyi's international counsel Jared Genser.

Suu Kyi and American Convicted By Burmese Court

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced Tuesday to an additional 18 months under house arrest on charges of breaching the terms of her previous incarceration by harboring an American tourist who swam across a lake bordering her villa and entered her heavily guarded property uninvited.

*Will This Ever End?*

Aung San Suu Kyi: And I Wonder What's Going To Happen Now

You know what people - I just don't like the feeling I'm getting from the news I'm reading on the current trial for Aung San Suu Kyi who's bascially getting the shaft for some dumbass who decided to swim across a lake and sneak into her home earlier this month - because let's face it - the timing is suspect.

Hmm...I wonder what's going to happen now.

The Boston Asian American Scholarship: Give It A Name

Out at Boston College there's a push to get the Asian American Scholarship a name - versus just the "Asian American Scholarship" which apparently is the only type of Heritage Scholarship which doesn't seem to have a name - and from what I can tell - from watching the videos about it - keeps on causing controversy not only because it doesn't have a name, but also because finding someone to name it after is also apparently hard - there wasn't enough support for Yuri Kochiyama who some considered too far left, and now they seem to be focused on Aung San Suu Kyi.

I'm all up for the principles of Aung San Suu Kyi - at the same time though - she's not Asian American - and I kind of find it hard to believe that there's not one Asian American who this scholarship could be named after who the President of the school and other "higher-ups" wouldn't find too controversial (which is another issue altogether).

Can someone just name this thing already?

Myanmar frees 8,500+ prisoners, but still denies true democracy

While it's a start towards something that looks a little better - even if just a little - the Myanmar junta are still denying Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy a place in the new government reform plans, even as they free thousands of prisoners.

The Associated Press

Myanmar's military government has granted amnesty to 8,585 prisoners as a gesture to the United Nations and to celebrate progress on its long-awaited constitution, state media said Tuesday. It was unclear, however, if any of the prisoners released were among those detained when the junta cracked down on anti-government protests in September, sparking global outrage and a flurry of visits by U.N. officials. A dozen political prisoners were among those released, but none of them was detained in connection with the recent protests, said Nyan Win, a spokesman for the opposition National League for Democracy.

BBC News

Burma's military government has said there is no role for the opposition in the drafting of a new constitution. The announcement comes despite international pressure for the regime to open up the process of reform and engage with other parties. At a rare press conference, Burmese Information Minister Kyaw Hsan said the military-appointed reform panel did not need outside help.

At the same time, while still being put at arms length, NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi was given a special award for lifetime achievement in politics by the Political Studies Association (PSA) of the UK last week.

Here's more coverage on the emerging political situation:

• Myanmar rejects calls to include Suu Kyi in reforms
• Myanmar to Restrict Drafting Constitution
• Myanmar back on a roadmap to nowhere

30 artists for Burma

This is pretty cool. Apparently thirty artists have signed a letter which has condemned the violence in the Burma/Myanmar region and supports the release of the National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Among those who have signed the letter: novelists Michael Ondaatje - The English Patient, Maxine Hong Kingston - The Woman Warrior, Amitav Ghosh - The Glass Palace, Le Ly Hayslip - When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, as well as poet Bamaw Nyo New.

U.S. ambassador Shari Villarosa meets with Myanmar junta official

From the International Herald Tribune:

The top U.S. diplomat in Myanmar sat down for a rare meeting with a representative of the military government Friday, a day after the junta announced a conditional offer to meet with the detained democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi.

The acting U.S. ambassador, Shari Villarosa, met with Deputy Foreign Minister Maung Myint in the remote jungle capital of Naypyidaw, according to a senior embassy official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

UN Envoy meets with Aung San Suu Kyi

From The Chosun Ilbo:

Diplomats say a senior U.N. envoy has met with Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon, where security forces have violently suppressed anti-government protests.

They say Ibrahim Gambari met Aung San Suu Kyi Sunday for a little more than an hour at a government-run guest house. The Nobel Peace laureate has been under house arrest for more than a decade and is rarely granted visitors. The two also met last year in Rangoon

Burma/Myanmar - The continued protests of Buddhist Monks, and the greeting of Aung San Suu Kyi

Hundreds of Buddhist Monks continue their successive protests and marched along flooded streets in Rangoon (Mizzima.com)

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, non-violent activist, and leader of the National League for Democracy - Aung San Suu Kyi - currently still under house arrest by the Burmese government - stepped outside to greet and show support for the Buddhist monks currently marching against the military junta and dictatorship in power.


Aung San Suu Kyi (from her biography on womeninworldshistory.com)

Put under house arrest again in 2003 by the government, Suu Kyi has not made a public appearance since then. With her showing, along with the growing support for the Buddhist monks, there is speculation that this latest challenge will be the most substantial to the government since General Ne Win stepped down, and the current military took hold of Burma (and subsequently renamed it to Myanmar).

From the UK Independent:

Burma's imprisoned democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, made a rare public appearance yesterday when thousands of Burmese monks, marching in protest against the military regime, passed the Rangoon property where she is under house arrest.

...

The alliance of Ms Suu Kyi and the Buddhist clergy could be crucial as the Burmese regime confronts its most sustained challenge in two decades.

"Aung San Suu Kyi has not been seen in public since 30 May 2003, when her convoy was attacked by [government-sponsored] thugs," said Mark Farmaner, of Burma Campaign UK. "By visiting her the monks are putting their spiritual authority behind the democracy movement. It is a strong message of unity."

From the Washington Post:

"Today is extraordinary. We walked past lay disciple Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's house today. We are pleased and glad to see her looking fit and well," a 45-year old monk told about 200 people at Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city. "Daw" is an honorific used in referring to older women.

"She came out to the gate and paid obeisance to us and later waved at the crowd when we left," said the monk, who did not give his name.

Government, Human Rights, and the current protests by Buddhist Monks



Burmese Christians at a Hindu temple in New Delhi, India, conduct a prayer ceremony on Monday for the release of political prisoners in Burma who have been detained during protests for the reduction of fuel and commodity prices in Burma. Photo: Huai Pi - Mizzima

While the latest protests have been sparked due to the sharp increase in commodities and fuel from the government, they are a continuation of the almost twenty years of struggle between the nation's people and the current military government.

After the military regime took control in 1988, elections were held in 1990 to elect a new government and Prime Minister. While Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy won decisively, the military nullified the results, never allowing Suu Kyi to lead Burma as a democratic nation causing a national outcry. Since then, over the long periods of unrest, Burma (officially named the Union of Myanmar), while being the largest country in Southeast Asia geographically, is still one of the poorest countries in the region where the current military regime has had a long history of human rights abuses.

From Wikipedia:

Several human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have reported on human rights abuses by the military government.^[30] They have claimed that there is no independent judiciary in Myanmar. The military government restricts Internet access through software-based censorship that limits the material citizens can access on-line.^[31][32] Forced labour, human trafficking, and child labour are common.^[33] The military is also notorious for rampant use of sexual violence as an instrument of control, including systematic rapes and taking of sex slaves as porters for the military. A strong women's pro-democracy movement has formed in exile, largely along the Thai border and in Chang Mai. The Women's League of Burma is the leading women's civil society organization, an umbrella organization uniting many smaller women's ethnic organizations into a political force working for democracy and women's human rights in Burma. There is a growing international movement to defend women's human rights issues.^[34]

More links about the protests:

• Burma monks continue protests (UK's In the news)


• Burmese Urged To Back Boycotting Monks (Buddhist Channel)


• Emboldened Myanmar monks challenge junta rule (AFP)


• Thousands join Burma monks on protest march (icWales)