I like science okay, but sometimes it's hard to understand the information. That's why I think visual aids can help. For my science homework, I had to draw pictures of how the body reacts when a pathogen infects the body, I got kind of carried away, and decided to learn on my own how to use Flash. After a few hours, I got the hang of it and created this flash animation about pathogens, antigens and antibodies.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Fighting Disease
I like science okay, but sometimes it's hard to understand the information. That's why I think visual aids can help. For my science homework, I had to draw pictures of how the body reacts when a pathogen infects the body, I got kind of carried away, and decided to learn on my own how to use Flash. After a few hours, I got the hang of it and created this flash animation about pathogens, antigens and antibodies.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Asian/Asian American Feature Movies that Kids will Enjoy
The LA Asian Pacific Film Festival is starting in a couple of weeks. We hope to see some of the movies showcased there. Like any American kid, we like the many of the mainstream American movies for kids. You all know how I am obsessing over the Hunger Games right now.
But beyond mainstream American movies, we get exposed to some Asian/Asian American movies because our parents like to watch them. While thinking about some of those movies, we thought it might be useful to start to compile a list of Asian/ Asian American movies that kids would like to watch. But sadly, it seems that there aren't that many such movies that are truly fun for kids, or about kids. But here are a few, and we hope that kids don't miss them because they are really good and give people a window into the lively Asian Pacific/Asian American communities.
We start with the movies that actually have kids featured in them, moving on to more general movies.
Feature Films:
Together
My mom watched this movie one night, and liked it so much that she had me watch it with her the next. It's about Xiaochun, a young violin prodigy whose supportive and loving single dad takes him to Beijing in hopes of finding a violin teacher and a better life for him. I cried so many times during this movie, but it isn't really sad; I just have a problem with crying during films that make me happy (Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., etc.). If you're looking for a heartwarming film, watch it. If you're not, watch it anyways. You can thank us later. Directed by Kaige Chen
Ping Pong Playa.
This is about a trash talking Chinese American NBA star wannabe who can't do anything right compared to his older brother. But, when his mom and brother are injured in an accident he caused, he has to take over the family after school ping pong program and compete (with the encouragement from kids he taught ping pong to) for a ping pong championship for his community's and his own pride. The movie is so very funny and has a lot of heart. We watch it repeatedly and would recommend it to everyone. Directed by Jessica Yu, Jimmy Tsai starring Jimmy Tsai, Andrew Vo and Khary Payton(the black dude who speaks Chinese better than the Chinese dude).
Whale Rider: This is stretching it as a movie about Asians, but since the movie is about a native girl from New Zealand, which is on the Pacific Rim, we'll make it count. The film stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Pai, a 12-year-old Maori girl who wants to become the chief of her tribe. Her grandfather Koro believes that this is a role reserved for males only. After rejecting Pai repeatedly, Pai finally shows Koro why she is the "whale rider" and deserves to be the tribe leader. This is a wonderful and inspiring movie that seeks to destroy many cultures' age old prejudice against girls.
A Great Wall
Middle aged Leo Fang is passed up for promotion. In anger, he quits his job and takes his wife and teenage son played by Kelvin Han Yee. Mainland China to visit his relatives, the Chao's for a vacation. The clash of cultures, between the Asian American and Chinese cultures leads to misunderstanding and confusion. The movie ends with a ping pong match between the American teen and the Chinese teen. The brashy American boy got schooled. Directed and stars Peter Wang. The Chinese cast was great too, but I can't find out much about them.
Bend it Like Beckham
It's been a while since I've watched this movie, but I've seen it at least a few times at this point. And okay, maybe it isn't exactly an Asian-American film. But it is about an Indian British girl whose love of soccer seems to be getting in the way of her orthodox Sikh parents' expectations for her to become a nice, Indian housewife. It's a great girl-power movie to watch with your friends. Starring Parminder Nagra, and Keira Knightley.
Rumble in the Bronx
This is a Hong Kong martial arts comedy directed by Stanley Tong starring Jackie Chan and Anita Mui. It's about a young man visiting and helping in his uncle's in New York City convenience store finds himself forced to fight a street gang and the mob with his martial art skills. It's a fun romp. One of the most entertaining scenes features Jackie's new aunt, an African American woman, singing in Cantonese. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find out who played her. Hilarious. We should mention that other Jackie Chan movies are kid friendly too, such as Karate Kid, Shanghai Noon, Rush Hour, etc.
White on Rice
White on Rice documents 40-year-old Hajime's numerous attempts to find a girlfriend while living with his sister and her husband and son. Unfortunately, when he falls in love with Ramona, his brother-in-law's niece and co-worker's girlfriend, things only go from bad to worse...Watch this if you're looking for a good laugh and family movie. Directed by Dave Boyle, and starring Hiroshi Watanabe, James Kyson Lee, and Lynn Chen. We love Lynn Chen.
Bride and Prejudice
This is a Bollywood musical version of Jane Austen's awesomely timeless novel. We blogged about in an earlier post and highly recommend it to viewers 10 and above. Directed by Gurinder Chadha who also directed Bend it Like Beckham, and starring Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson who plays handsome and haughty Mr. Darcy really well.
Shall We Dance Shall we ダンス? Sharu wi Dansu?
(THIS IS AMAZING!!! One of the funniest movies I've seen. Much better
than the American version). This is a Japanese film with subtitles.
Directed by Masayuki Suo, it portrays
asuccessful but unhappy Japanese accountant who finds the missing
passion
in his life when he begins to secretly take ballroom dance lessons. His
band of dance class classmates make the movie entertaining and fun.
Starring
Kôji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari and Naoto Takenaka.
The Wedding Banquet
The perfect balance between humor and touchy subject, The Wedding Banquet tells the tale of Wai-Tung, a Chinese man living in Manhattan, whose parents are setting him up with numerous young women in the hopes that he will marry and bear them grandchildren--but it isn't as simple as that: Wai-Tung is gay, and happily in love with his roommate, Simon. He enlists the help of his female tenant, Wei-Wei, to act as his fiancee when his parents decide to pay an unexpected visit. To all readers who are under 17, this movie is rated R. It is however, funny, heart warming and touching. Directed by Taiwanese director Ang Lee and stars Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah Lei Gua, Sihung Lung, and Mitchell Lichtenstein.
Flower Drum Song (I think this is the weirdest movie EVER, but as the first Asian American musical about the lives and romances of Chinese Americans in San Francisco, we think it deserves a mention. It's a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical starring Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta and Benson Fong The movie is a milestone in portraying Asian Americans, but it is also dated and difficult to appreciate by modern American kids.
It is surprising to us that so few features films are made for, or about Asian/Asian American kids. So, all you filmmakers and producers out there, think about this growing cool Asian kids market. We may have missed many good Asian/Asian American movies for kids. If you know of any, please let us know by commenting below. We'd like to check them out.
Now, anime and animation is another story. They are full of stories with Asian themes and Asian kids in them. We will mention a few of our favorites at a different time.
Also, it seems that many Asian filmmakers have gone on to do indie movies, great documentaries and TV episodes on their own through youtube, etc. There are some hilarious and good ones out there, but again, more on those later.
But beyond mainstream American movies, we get exposed to some Asian/Asian American movies because our parents like to watch them. While thinking about some of those movies, we thought it might be useful to start to compile a list of Asian/ Asian American movies that kids would like to watch. But sadly, it seems that there aren't that many such movies that are truly fun for kids, or about kids. But here are a few, and we hope that kids don't miss them because they are really good and give people a window into the lively Asian Pacific/Asian American communities.
We start with the movies that actually have kids featured in them, moving on to more general movies.
Feature Films:
TogetherMy mom watched this movie one night, and liked it so much that she had me watch it with her the next. It's about Xiaochun, a young violin prodigy whose supportive and loving single dad takes him to Beijing in hopes of finding a violin teacher and a better life for him. I cried so many times during this movie, but it isn't really sad; I just have a problem with crying during films that make me happy (Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., etc.). If you're looking for a heartwarming film, watch it. If you're not, watch it anyways. You can thank us later. Directed by Kaige Chen
Ping Pong Playa.
This is about a trash talking Chinese American NBA star wannabe who can't do anything right compared to his older brother. But, when his mom and brother are injured in an accident he caused, he has to take over the family after school ping pong program and compete (with the encouragement from kids he taught ping pong to) for a ping pong championship for his community's and his own pride. The movie is so very funny and has a lot of heart. We watch it repeatedly and would recommend it to everyone. Directed by Jessica Yu, Jimmy Tsai starring Jimmy Tsai, Andrew Vo and Khary Payton(the black dude who speaks Chinese better than the Chinese dude).
Whale Rider: This is stretching it as a movie about Asians, but since the movie is about a native girl from New Zealand, which is on the Pacific Rim, we'll make it count. The film stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Pai, a 12-year-old Maori girl who wants to become the chief of her tribe. Her grandfather Koro believes that this is a role reserved for males only. After rejecting Pai repeatedly, Pai finally shows Koro why she is the "whale rider" and deserves to be the tribe leader. This is a wonderful and inspiring movie that seeks to destroy many cultures' age old prejudice against girls.
Middle aged Leo Fang is passed up for promotion. In anger, he quits his job and takes his wife and teenage son played by Kelvin Han Yee. Mainland China to visit his relatives, the Chao's for a vacation. The clash of cultures, between the Asian American and Chinese cultures leads to misunderstanding and confusion. The movie ends with a ping pong match between the American teen and the Chinese teen. The brashy American boy got schooled. Directed and stars Peter Wang. The Chinese cast was great too, but I can't find out much about them.
It's been a while since I've watched this movie, but I've seen it at least a few times at this point. And okay, maybe it isn't exactly an Asian-American film. But it is about an Indian British girl whose love of soccer seems to be getting in the way of her orthodox Sikh parents' expectations for her to become a nice, Indian housewife. It's a great girl-power movie to watch with your friends. Starring Parminder Nagra, and Keira Knightley.
Rumble in the BronxThis is a Hong Kong martial arts comedy directed by Stanley Tong starring Jackie Chan and Anita Mui. It's about a young man visiting and helping in his uncle's in New York City convenience store finds himself forced to fight a street gang and the mob with his martial art skills. It's a fun romp. One of the most entertaining scenes features Jackie's new aunt, an African American woman, singing in Cantonese. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find out who played her. Hilarious. We should mention that other Jackie Chan movies are kid friendly too, such as Karate Kid, Shanghai Noon, Rush Hour, etc.
White on RiceWhite on Rice documents 40-year-old Hajime's numerous attempts to find a girlfriend while living with his sister and her husband and son. Unfortunately, when he falls in love with Ramona, his brother-in-law's niece and co-worker's girlfriend, things only go from bad to worse...Watch this if you're looking for a good laugh and family movie. Directed by Dave Boyle, and starring Hiroshi Watanabe, James Kyson Lee, and Lynn Chen. We love Lynn Chen.
This is a Bollywood musical version of Jane Austen's awesomely timeless novel. We blogged about in an earlier post and highly recommend it to viewers 10 and above. Directed by Gurinder Chadha who also directed Bend it Like Beckham, and starring Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson who plays handsome and haughty Mr. Darcy really well.
The Wedding Banquet
The perfect balance between humor and touchy subject, The Wedding Banquet tells the tale of Wai-Tung, a Chinese man living in Manhattan, whose parents are setting him up with numerous young women in the hopes that he will marry and bear them grandchildren--but it isn't as simple as that: Wai-Tung is gay, and happily in love with his roommate, Simon. He enlists the help of his female tenant, Wei-Wei, to act as his fiancee when his parents decide to pay an unexpected visit. To all readers who are under 17, this movie is rated R. It is however, funny, heart warming and touching. Directed by Taiwanese director Ang Lee and stars Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah Lei Gua, Sihung Lung, and Mitchell Lichtenstein.
Flower Drum Song (I think this is the weirdest movie EVER, but as the first Asian American musical about the lives and romances of Chinese Americans in San Francisco, we think it deserves a mention. It's a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical starring Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta and Benson Fong The movie is a milestone in portraying Asian Americans, but it is also dated and difficult to appreciate by modern American kids.It is surprising to us that so few features films are made for, or about Asian/Asian American kids. So, all you filmmakers and producers out there, think about this growing cool Asian kids market. We may have missed many good Asian/Asian American movies for kids. If you know of any, please let us know by commenting below. We'd like to check them out.
Now, anime and animation is another story. They are full of stories with Asian themes and Asian kids in them. We will mention a few of our favorites at a different time.
Also, it seems that many Asian filmmakers have gone on to do indie movies, great documentaries and TV episodes on their own through youtube, etc. There are some hilarious and good ones out there, but again, more on those later.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Food Faces
So, many people see famous people's faces in their food, ranging from Jesus potato chips, to jellybeans with Kate Middleton's face on it. There's even a potato that supposedly looks like Jay Leno and a rotten grape and grilled cheese sandwich with that looks like the Virgin Mary. The jellybean with Kate Middleton's face on it is selling for over $800! The grilled cheese sandwich that has the image of the Virgin Mary was sold for $28,000!
Feel free to email us pictures of food faces you find.
 |
| Kate Middleton Jellybean |
 |
| Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese |
 |
| Virgin Mary Rotten Grape |
 |
| Jesus Potato Chip |
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| Jay Leno Potato |
So how much do you think we could get for these Asian celebrity food faces we found while eating and cooking?
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| The face was actually there when we peeled the potato. We didn't do it purposely. |
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| Does the potato look like Jeremy Lin? |
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| Red Bean Bao |
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| Does Sammo Hung look like this bao? |
Feel free to email us pictures of food faces you find.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
We ran into Jackie Chan!
This picture is from a couple of years ago, but it is still cool. That winter, we took our grandparents to have dinner at Enoteca Drago, an Italian restaurant where my mom won a gift certificate for from a school silent auction event.
I don't remember if the food was any good any more, but when we came out of the restaurant, we ran into a group of people surrounding Jackie Chan asking to take a picture with him. His representative was trying to push everyone away, but when Jackie Chan saw me and my sister, he said to his representative "They are just kids. Let me take a picture with them".
So, we got to take a picture with Jackie Chan! He seems to be a really nice guy. We've always liked him in movies such as Rumble in the Bronx, Karate Kid, Shanghai Noon, The Drunken Master, Rush Hour 1,2,3 etc.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Asian Italian
When we were in Italy, we tried to look for signs of Asian culture in the local scene. There were tons of of Asian tourists who came in tour groups or who were traveling on their own. It was nice to hear Chinese, Korean, and Japanese spoken.
The Asian tourists are funny though. They seem to want to avoid the sun at all costs. They have their umbrellas, and other cover . . . so they can stay out of the sun.
Unlike Los Angeles though, aside from the tourists, you can hardly see anything that shows Asian culture has arrived in Italy. . . . But wait, we found a Korean church in Rome.
And, there were some Chinese restaurants. When we took a look at their menus though, we were fearful about actually trying the food. They have prociutto with melon on their menus. Wonder if they have Moo Goo Gai Pan in pesto sauce too. Maybe that's the future of new fusion cuisine.
Wish we had soy sauce though!
The Asian tourists are funny though. They seem to want to avoid the sun at all costs. They have their umbrellas, and other cover . . . so they can stay out of the sun.
 |
| Asian lady at the Roman Forum. |
Unlike Los Angeles though, aside from the tourists, you can hardly see anything that shows Asian culture has arrived in Italy. . . . But wait, we found a Korean church in Rome.
And, there were some Chinese restaurants. When we took a look at their menus though, we were fearful about actually trying the food. They have prociutto with melon on their menus. Wonder if they have Moo Goo Gai Pan in pesto sauce too. Maybe that's the future of new fusion cuisine.
Wish we had soy sauce though!
Friday, April 6, 2012
To Italy and Back
You might be wondering why we haven't blogged for a while. Well, it was spring break for us. We just transferred to a new school this year, so this was the first time our spring break lasted two weeks instead of one. Our dad decided that he wanted to take advantage of this break to do something on his bucket list: He wanted to see Rome and Florence. As a former architect, he's been dying to see all the architectural wonders Italy has to offer. We all went to see the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum, the Pantheon, and of all things, dad wanted to see Brunelleschi's Dome in Florence.
I almost didn't make the trip. I got into a fight with my parents the day before the trip, and it escalated to the point that they actually threatened to leave me in Los Angeles with my grandparents. I eventually managed to get my act together enough for them to be willing to take me with them. Close call.
We spent the first few days wandering around Rome and being tourists: armed with Rick Steves' Rome 2012, toting around a large camera, multiple maps, and backpacks and trying gelato everywhere we went. We took pictures of the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Colosseum, and admired the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and the amazing collection at the Vatican museum. We also got to see the Vatican documents, many of which I actually learned about in my AP European History class this year (YES, so it IS worth something!).
Setting aside the awesomeness of the monuments, though, Rome is basically one huge tourist trap. The food really wasn't that impressive and some of the streets smell like sewer. Still, it ain't got nothing on Florence: if Rome is a tourist trap, Florence is a tourist zoo. It's got some amazing sights to see, of course. The Duomo (Brunelleschi's dome), the Medici Palace, the Ufizzi, and the Ponte Vecchio were definitely impressive. I even got to see some of the paintings and sculptures in my history textbooks!
We also spent a couple of days in Manarola, Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a collection of 5 small towns about a two hour's train ride north of Florence. The towns are all very walkable and within a short distance of each other. Manarola is the second town, and, in my opinion, the best. It was so nice to be able to take a break from being tourists and relax by the sea. Because we had a kitchen in Cinque Terre, we got to eat some Shin Ramen that we hauled all the way from Los Angeles! It's still pasta, but not Italian pasta.
All in all, Italy was great and we had a lot of fun visiting the historical landmarks and eating gelato (oh boy, I gained like 5 lbs). Still, I'm very relieved to be back home. You'd think that internet should be freely available everywhere, but in Italy, it was very expensive to get wi-fi, and so we didn't use it much beyond checking our email. I was also warned to not text because texting and calling gets pricey there. We definitely didn't get to blog, or go on Facebook. Now that we're back, yay! We have internet! and cell phone! :D
 |
| Inside the Colosseum |
I almost didn't make the trip. I got into a fight with my parents the day before the trip, and it escalated to the point that they actually threatened to leave me in Los Angeles with my grandparents. I eventually managed to get my act together enough for them to be willing to take me with them. Close call.
We spent the first few days wandering around Rome and being tourists: armed with Rick Steves' Rome 2012, toting around a large camera, multiple maps, and backpacks and trying gelato everywhere we went. We took pictures of the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Colosseum, and admired the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and the amazing collection at the Vatican museum. We also got to see the Vatican documents, many of which I actually learned about in my AP European History class this year (YES, so it IS worth something!).
 |
| Eating Gelati at Grom's in Florence |
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| School of Athens by Raphael
I think it'd be a better idea to visit Rome and Florence when it isn't tourist season though--and remember, it isn't even summer yet! My favorite part of the trip was visiting lesser-known towns. While in Florence, we took a bus up to the small town of Fiesole. It's nestled in the Tuscan hills, way above all of the tourist attractions and museums in Florence. We hiked up a hill overlooking Tuscany and ate at a very good restaurant with a nice view. That was the best meal I had the entire trip.
|
We also spent a couple of days in Manarola, Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a collection of 5 small towns about a two hour's train ride north of Florence. The towns are all very walkable and within a short distance of each other. Manarola is the second town, and, in my opinion, the best. It was so nice to be able to take a break from being tourists and relax by the sea. Because we had a kitchen in Cinque Terre, we got to eat some Shin Ramen that we hauled all the way from Los Angeles! It's still pasta, but not Italian pasta.
 |
| Manarola |
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The Hunger Games:D
YAY!! This is one of my favorite topics EVER!!!! Now, not to be confused with my sister (she isn't impressed with the series) I am obsessed with the Hunger Games. I bought the book a while back and I finished it in a day. I finished the whole series in two days. I didn't like the 3rd book as much... the 1st book was definitely the best but the 2nd book is amazing as well.
Peeta is amazing. Gale is amazing. I'm not going to say that I'm on team Peeta, (although I love him) because this is not the Twilight series. I'm sick of people making the connection because they are NOTHING alike. I'm just going to stop talking about Twilight because it's contaminating my thoughts about the Hunger Games.
So, for those of you who have not read the amazing series, I'll sum it up for you. It takes place in the ruins of North America. Panem is created, and made of 13 districts and the Capitol. The districts had an uprising against the capitol but they were all defeated, and district 13 destroyed. In result of the uprising, and as punishment against the districts, the Capitol created the Hunger Games. In the Hunger Games both a girl and a boy from the ages of 12 to 18 participate. All 24 of them are put into an arena that could be filled with anything (a desert to an icy wasteland) and they have to fight to the death.
Katniss, a 16 year old girl who grew up in the Seam in District 12, has to hunt in order for her family to survive. The story is about Katniss in the Hunger Games. Hehe...there's a really cute love triangle too. Peeta is amazing. I can't wait!!!!
Anyway, I decided to write this post because the movie is coming out on March 23rd. First day of spring break for me. I am so excited. I hope I can go to the midnight showing. I am so obsessed with this book I look up all the trailers for the movie, all the actors, anything having to do with the Hunger Games. The premiere was yesterday... I was so jealous of everyone who got to go. Please read the book. You won't be able to put it down. I love it. (I've probably read it about 5 times in the past few weeks)
Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss. Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta. Liam Hemsworth plays Gale.
Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.
(Excited scream)
Trailer:
Woooww.. I get shivers just watching them.
UPDATE:
I can't go to the midnight showing... I guess the odds are not in my favor.... It sucks because it's on a Thursday night (which is a school night) and I have a math test the next day. Now I'm very sad. I hear that the movie is supposed to be AMAZING. Also, I forced my mom to read the whole series! I think she liked it. It's a pretty gory book. I've been making a lot of gifs lately, mostly about the hunger games. Here's one:
This is the way I portray myself in drawing form. (Same girl as the logo for Kool Asian Kids) My shirt says I loaf Peeta...... Yeah, I know....It's super corny, but I've seen worse. Example:
Pretty corny right? (I guess you wouldn't get it if you didn't read the book, but the character above is the guy who plays Peeta Mellark. Peeta Mellark loves Katniss, and he's a baker, hence the picture above)
Finnick is amazing. Finnick is so sweet and awesome and can survive on his own. I think I like him better than Peeta. I hope they choose someone good to play him in Catching Fire. (PLEEASEE don't make it Alex Pettyfer.)
Peeta is amazing. Gale is amazing. I'm not going to say that I'm on team Peeta, (although I love him) because this is not the Twilight series. I'm sick of people making the connection because they are NOTHING alike. I'm just going to stop talking about Twilight because it's contaminating my thoughts about the Hunger Games.
So, for those of you who have not read the amazing series, I'll sum it up for you. It takes place in the ruins of North America. Panem is created, and made of 13 districts and the Capitol. The districts had an uprising against the capitol but they were all defeated, and district 13 destroyed. In result of the uprising, and as punishment against the districts, the Capitol created the Hunger Games. In the Hunger Games both a girl and a boy from the ages of 12 to 18 participate. All 24 of them are put into an arena that could be filled with anything (a desert to an icy wasteland) and they have to fight to the death.
Katniss, a 16 year old girl who grew up in the Seam in District 12, has to hunt in order for her family to survive. The story is about Katniss in the Hunger Games. Hehe...there's a really cute love triangle too. Peeta is amazing. I can't wait!!!!
Anyway, I decided to write this post because the movie is coming out on March 23rd. First day of spring break for me. I am so excited. I hope I can go to the midnight showing. I am so obsessed with this book I look up all the trailers for the movie, all the actors, anything having to do with the Hunger Games. The premiere was yesterday... I was so jealous of everyone who got to go. Please read the book. You won't be able to put it down. I love it. (I've probably read it about 5 times in the past few weeks)
Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss. Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta. Liam Hemsworth plays Gale.
Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.
(Excited scream)
Trailer:
Woooww.. I get shivers just watching them.
UPDATE:
I can't go to the midnight showing... I guess the odds are not in my favor.... It sucks because it's on a Thursday night (which is a school night) and I have a math test the next day. Now I'm very sad. I hear that the movie is supposed to be AMAZING. Also, I forced my mom to read the whole series! I think she liked it. It's a pretty gory book. I've been making a lot of gifs lately, mostly about the hunger games. Here's one:
 |
| I Loaf Peeta! |
Finnick is amazing. Finnick is so sweet and awesome and can survive on his own. I think I like him better than Peeta. I hope they choose someone good to play him in Catching Fire. (PLEEASEE don't make it Alex Pettyfer.)
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Robo Games Trilogy
In honor of my favorite books EVEH "The Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins being made into a movie that's coming out this weekend, I'm renaming my 3 posts about my Lego League Robotics competition. The Robo Games Trilogy. These are real events, unlike the book. Check them out here:
Part 1: The Competition
Part 2: Catching the Pig
Part 3: Victory
Part 1: The Competition
Part 2: Catching the Pig
Part 3: Victory
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| Hehe....Kind of a spoof on the Hunger Games Logo...It's a NXT block (which is used in lego league robotics). Made it on AI. |
The Robo Games, Part 3. Victory
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| The Judge's Award at LegoLand. |
By the time the competition finally ended my mom asked me if I wanted to go on any rides (because there were absolutely no lines due to the rain). We walked through Miniland in Legoland, which is really amazing. We also walked through this Pharaoh's Revenge thing also. I am, a wuss when it comes to haunted walks. It's like the House of Horrors at Universal Studios. I get so creeped out even though the LegoLand one is not scary AT ALL. I still bury my face in my mom's arm, close my eyes and walk through without seeing anything. I do remember seeing this tiny door in the Pharaoh's Revenge that said "Knock For Assistance". My mom wanted to knock. I did not. The last thing I want was to get a heart attack from some creepy thing popping out of a mysterious door. I guess we were supposed to look for some keys but I just pushed my mom along so we didn't find any. We went on one other ride which was a tiny roller coaster for babies called Coastersaurus. My mom was screaming the whole time, which was embarrassing because even the toddler in front of us wasn't screaming. My mom and I are pretty pathetic when we go to amusement parks. I can't believe that last year, we even had the courage to go on Jurassic Park at Universal Studios together.
Miniland
Sunday, March 18, 2012
The Robo Games, Part 2. Catching the Pig
The LegoLand competition is a big event. For my school, since I’m in the Robotics class, if I don’t go to the competition, my grade will be impacted in a big way. We have to be at LegoLand at 8:30 in the morning (the competition starts at 9) so I had to get up at 5:30 to drive to LegoLand to be there on time. The whole competition lasts until 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon. We can't really go on the LegoLand rides either because we only have 10 minute breaks in between each competition. It sucks. On top of that it was raining so hard the day we went, most of the rides were closed, and whenever we walked from the theater to the pit (where we prepare our robots) we get drenched in water.
Before the actual competition, there were judges who walked around to interview us. (They all wore farm hats to match the farm theme so you could tell them apart from the rest of the crowd.) They asked us to show them our programs, describe how we tackled our missions, and scribbled our responses on a clipboard. Then they thanked us and walked away.
The actual competition and theater is pretty scary because the competition is projected on a giant screen behind the stage. That means everyone can see if you make one mistake. My team was very easy to spot because our t-shirt was bright pink with my design in black. We had two and a half minutes to try and fit in as many missions as we can to earn the most possible points. Then we leave, go back to the pit for 10 minutes, fix our robot, and go back on stage. We get to do this three times to try to improve our score. Each time mine got so close, even pulled the lever but failed to accomplish the mission. Our scores for the three times were 150, 200, and 75.
Exhausting right? So we get a break after that and get to eat lunch and go on rides? No. We have to go do the On-the-Spot mission. This year, the mission involved letting loose a Lego pig that's strapped onto a robot that moves in circles and we have to program our robot to catch the pig without damaging the robot. Another catch. We start on one half of the table and a competitor starts on the other side. We have to compete to see who gets the pig first. And it must be knocked onto our side of the table. If we knock the pig onto our opponent’s side of the table they win. So, we get 30 minutes (that's why it's called the on the spot mission) to practice our program. This may seem like a lot of time, but it takes a long time designing attachments for the robot and programming it to run the way you want it to.
To find out how we did, see our next blog: The Robo Games. Part 3. Victory.
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| Me and a teammate in our pink t-shirt. Judge behind in farm hat. |
The actual competition and theater is pretty scary because the competition is projected on a giant screen behind the stage. That means everyone can see if you make one mistake. My team was very easy to spot because our t-shirt was bright pink with my design in black. We had two and a half minutes to try and fit in as many missions as we can to earn the most possible points. Then we leave, go back to the pit for 10 minutes, fix our robot, and go back on stage. We get to do this three times to try to improve our score. Each time mine got so close, even pulled the lever but failed to accomplish the mission. Our scores for the three times were 150, 200, and 75.
Exhausting right? So we get a break after that and get to eat lunch and go on rides? No. We have to go do the On-the-Spot mission. This year, the mission involved letting loose a Lego pig that's strapped onto a robot that moves in circles and we have to program our robot to catch the pig without damaging the robot. Another catch. We start on one half of the table and a competitor starts on the other side. We have to compete to see who gets the pig first. And it must be knocked onto our side of the table. If we knock the pig onto our opponent’s side of the table they win. So, we get 30 minutes (that's why it's called the on the spot mission) to practice our program. This may seem like a lot of time, but it takes a long time designing attachments for the robot and programming it to run the way you want it to.
To find out how we did, see our next blog: The Robo Games. Part 3. Victory.
The Robo Games: Part 1: The Competition
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Each year the Legoland challenge is different. This time the challenge was farm related. For my challenge I had to move my robot out of base, turn left, and position the robot to pull back a handle which releases the "water" into the fields to feed the crops. (The water is really a blue ball). There are many obstacles that you have to try and avoid. It was actually pretty fun programming what the robot should do, how many rotations or degrees it should move and watching the robot carry out its tasks. It's pretty hard to picture all of this but I'll try my best to explain. You can choose out of several missions which ones you want to do. For example, knocking the rooster off the fence, using the tractor to plow the fields, finding the needle in the haystack, catching the cow and the pig, and so on and so forth. My mission actually worked pretty well, considering no one helped me learn how to do the programming, and I had to try out my program by trial and error. I almost got excited for the competition at Legoland. Almost.
(For more on how the competition went, see my next blog, Robo Games, Part 2: Catching the Pig)
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
My Own Funnies
I don't read the newspaper much, but I love to read the funnies. I also love to watch Sophia, Blanche and Dorothy on the Golden Girls on TV, so I decided to draw some comics about a young girl and her granny. I love both my po-po and nai-nai, by the way.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Mochi Magazine!
Hi everyone, happy March!
We recently stumbled upon a really fun website called Mochi Magazine. Founded by Maggie Hsu, Stephanie Wu, and Sandra Sohn, Mochi Mag aims to reach out to Asian-American teen girls. How cool is that? The magazine discusses the the struggles and the successes that come as part of growing up as an Asian-American girl, from eating disorders (how vulnerable we are to developing them and what we can do to maintain healthy body images), to fashion (the latest triends not only in America but also in various parts of Asia), celebrities (did you guys hear that Brenda Song is engaged to Miley Cyrus's older brother?!), college (we work our butts off all through high school....what's next?), and everything in between. We were ecstatic to find that Lijie is also featured on the site, along with a number of other up-and-coming Asian American musicians and actors!
After contacting Mochi, they wanted to interview us and write a short description of who we are and what we do here at Kool Asian Kids. We're really psyched about this; you guys should definitely check it out and all of the other great stuff on the site! Here's the Mochi Mag post about us. Be sure to make the most of all the great information the magazine has to offer by subscribing to it! It's definitely worth it. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to replace Seventeen with it. It's got all the fun and excitement of seventeen, minus the trash and plus great material really worth thinking over. Let us know what you think!
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| Mochi Pyramid |
We recently stumbled upon a really fun website called Mochi Magazine. Founded by Maggie Hsu, Stephanie Wu, and Sandra Sohn, Mochi Mag aims to reach out to Asian-American teen girls. How cool is that? The magazine discusses the the struggles and the successes that come as part of growing up as an Asian-American girl, from eating disorders (how vulnerable we are to developing them and what we can do to maintain healthy body images), to fashion (the latest triends not only in America but also in various parts of Asia), celebrities (did you guys hear that Brenda Song is engaged to Miley Cyrus's older brother?!), college (we work our butts off all through high school....what's next?), and everything in between. We were ecstatic to find that Lijie is also featured on the site, along with a number of other up-and-coming Asian American musicians and actors!
After contacting Mochi, they wanted to interview us and write a short description of who we are and what we do here at Kool Asian Kids. We're really psyched about this; you guys should definitely check it out and all of the other great stuff on the site! Here's the Mochi Mag post about us. Be sure to make the most of all the great information the magazine has to offer by subscribing to it! It's definitely worth it. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to replace Seventeen with it. It's got all the fun and excitement of seventeen, minus the trash and plus great material really worth thinking over. Let us know what you think!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
KOBO
Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. I've been busy with schoolwork. Today, I'm going to write about a special store. Last summer, we were visiting Seattle and exploring Chinatown when we found KOBO, which is a small store in Seattle that features Japanese, Asian, and Northwest arts and crafts. We ended up spending two hours there looking at all the art work and curios. The store features many different types of artwork by different artists. The artwork they feature is amazing and cute. They sell a wide range of items such as books, posters, paintings, mugs, ceramics, t-shirts (THEY'RE SO CUTE I BOUGHT TWO!), spray painted...objects, and much more. A few of my favorite art pieces were by Enfu. However, I loved all the other pieces as well. I'll post a few of them below.
We bought these silver spray painted baby durians. They're very cool and decorative. Maybe they are better spray-painted then eaten, because I hear that the inside is supposed to be stinky.
The store inspired me to paint some artwork of my own. For me, the topic is food, of course,. Here are a few.
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| Pompano |
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| tomato |
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| Eggplant |
KOBO website: http://www.koboseattle.com/category/main.aspx?
KOBO Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/KOBO/61999622226
Enfu: http://enfu.com/
Friday, February 24, 2012
New Update! Bravo Canada's reality show WAY OFF BROADWAY with Jon Lee!
Episode 1 of Way Off Broadway Can't wait to check out the first episode of the new series "Way Off Broadway" on March 2 at 8:00 p.m. on Bravo! Be sure to catch it.
Who says Asian students are just nerds?!! Our uncle Jonathan Lee (to the right) who just graduated from Medical School to be a psychiatrist, (nerdy, yes. . .) will be featured in the brand new 13 episodes Bravo reality show "Way Off Broadway" (way cool), undergoing intensive training for eight weeks to put on "The Wizard of Oz" to benefit charity. In the press release, he is described as Jon Lee – psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto who does research in transcranial magnetic stimulation at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. How awesomely nerdy is that!! Go Uncle Jonathan! Check out the link to information about Jon Lee on Bravo Canada's website. Jon Lee
Check out the newly released trailer for the show:
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Check out the newly released trailer for the show:
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Singer Songwriter - Lijie
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| Lijie Yang |
Hey guys, so if you’re looking for some good new music to listen to, boy do I have a treat for you.
Last year, I was mindlessly surfing Youtube for decent music when I stumbled upon a cover of Brandi Carlile’s “The Story” performed by Lijie Yang. I started checking out the rest of her posts, and I was really impressed with her voice and beautiful songwriting abilities. I checked out her website, read her great biography, and I was absolutely hooked.
My parents took us to Seattle for a short trip over summer vacation. I’d read on Lijie’s website that she was having her CD release party in Seattle while we were there, but it was going to be held at a bar so I knew I couldn’t go. Instead, my parents took us out to have dinner in celebration of my birthday. After our meal, the most unexpected thing happened: Lijie walked into the restaurant, walked over to our table, and started talking to my mom like they’d met before. Apparently, my mom had arranged for me to meet her, even though I couldn’t go to her CD party. It was definitely a great experience—I got a signed copy of her album and the chance to meet one of my favorite musicians.
As someone who follows her dreams, Lijie is definitely a role model to me. Check out her website here for free downloads of a couple of her songs: www.IamLijie.com. While you're at it, check out and buy her albums:The Music Maker, and Roam. Some of my favorite songs of hers are: I Left a Part of Me, Love's Melody, and Time from the Music Maker, Roam, Blue, and LA from the album Roam.
Friday, February 10, 2012
If Jeremy Lin can make it in the NBA . . .
I'm in the middle of my school midterms, which is why I haven't been thinking about blogging much. However, this last couple of weeks, a lot of news came out about Jeremy Lin, the Chinese American dude who graduated from Harvard, and now plays for the New York Knicks. My sister and I already follow Jeremy Lin and his funny Youtube videos with KevJumba and Nigahiga.
Last week, my dad keeps making me watch clips of Jeremy Lin playing point guard for the New York Knicks. I can't help but think that maybe there is athletic potential in all of us Asian kids after all.
I've been playing in an Asian League basketball team since 2nd grade. We had a very lame name for our team: "The Shooting Angels".
When we were kids, we didn't mind so much, but in 6th grade, we started feeling a bit embarrassed by the name. My teammates were saying that they don't want to wear our team shirts to go out because of the name. So we finally changed our name to the Magic. Still lame, but better. Apparently, the Asian leagues have the funniest team names: the QD's, Below the Rim, Happy Shoyu, Hoops a Daisies, Hollywood Dragonettes, Mustang Rainbows, Kukui Nuts, and many more. It's kind of quaint and nice, as long as you don't have to wear those names on your shirts.
In the Asian league, we play over thirty games a year. We play all over Los Angeles County, Orange County, and even in Las Vegas. We are drilled on the fundamentals, and we develop great friendships with our teammates whom we've been together with since 2nd grade or even younger. My team doesn't exclude girls who are not so good at playing. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, and we encourage each other during games. I started off shooting at the wrong basket, but now I am the point guard for my team (mainly because I'm short but fast). We've had some good seasons (we were last season's champs), and some bad ones (We're in the midst of a losing season right now). On my part, I also play with kids from my local parks and recreation center perhaps another ten to fifteen more games a year.
In middle school this year, I joined the school basketball team. Because my school is mostly non-Asian, I think most of the school coaches and students assume that this short scrawny Asian girl doesn't play sports. But, when I signed up for basketball this season, I find myself to be one of the more experienced players on the team. While we've been losing quite a few games, I know that I help keep the team competitive. When we play against other schools, I'm pleasantly surprised that I run into players from the other Asian league teams I've played against before. We're happy to see each other.
If we all keep playing, and schools and teams give us a chance instead of assuming that Asian kids can't play sports, maybe there will be more Asian boys and girls playing ball in college, and in professional teams too. Go, Jeremy Lin!
Last week, my dad keeps making me watch clips of Jeremy Lin playing point guard for the New York Knicks. I can't help but think that maybe there is athletic potential in all of us Asian kids after all.
I've been playing in an Asian League basketball team since 2nd grade. We had a very lame name for our team: "The Shooting Angels".
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| Me in third grade with the Shooting Angels |
When we were kids, we didn't mind so much, but in 6th grade, we started feeling a bit embarrassed by the name. My teammates were saying that they don't want to wear our team shirts to go out because of the name. So we finally changed our name to the Magic. Still lame, but better. Apparently, the Asian leagues have the funniest team names: the QD's, Below the Rim, Happy Shoyu, Hoops a Daisies, Hollywood Dragonettes, Mustang Rainbows, Kukui Nuts, and many more. It's kind of quaint and nice, as long as you don't have to wear those names on your shirts.
In the Asian league, we play over thirty games a year. We play all over Los Angeles County, Orange County, and even in Las Vegas. We are drilled on the fundamentals, and we develop great friendships with our teammates whom we've been together with since 2nd grade or even younger. My team doesn't exclude girls who are not so good at playing. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, and we encourage each other during games. I started off shooting at the wrong basket, but now I am the point guard for my team (mainly because I'm short but fast). We've had some good seasons (we were last season's champs), and some bad ones (We're in the midst of a losing season right now). On my part, I also play with kids from my local parks and recreation center perhaps another ten to fifteen more games a year.
In middle school this year, I joined the school basketball team. Because my school is mostly non-Asian, I think most of the school coaches and students assume that this short scrawny Asian girl doesn't play sports. But, when I signed up for basketball this season, I find myself to be one of the more experienced players on the team. While we've been losing quite a few games, I know that I help keep the team competitive. When we play against other schools, I'm pleasantly surprised that I run into players from the other Asian league teams I've played against before. We're happy to see each other.
If we all keep playing, and schools and teams give us a chance instead of assuming that Asian kids can't play sports, maybe there will be more Asian boys and girls playing ball in college, and in professional teams too. Go, Jeremy Lin!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Instant Ramen!!!
What is ramen? A staple for college students, a very pricy meal, a meal for people who don't want to cook, or just something that hits the spot. Either way there are so many different choices, it is bound to satisfy your taste buds. Ramen can be amazing and expensive noodles, in which chefs try very hard to make the perfect broth, noodles, and toppings. Ramen can also be non-perishable, full of preservatives and loads of unhealthy stuff. However, in my opinion they are both good!
There are many varieties of instant ramen, ranging from (what I call) "safe" ramen called "Cup of Noodles" as you may have all heard of, to the red, hot, spicy "Shin Ramyun" (our favorite). I suppose "Cup of Noodles" is good on a cold, non-adventurous day, however there are so many others to try! When you start watching Korean dramas, you will see dozens and dozens of ramen commercials. Especially, our personal favorite commercial, for "Hoo Roo Rook" and Shin Ramyun. Man these people are so dramatic! Here are the videos below:
From the commercials shown above can't you see how happy these ramen eating men are? The catchphrase for Hoo Roo Rook is literally "So good, slurping is allowed!".
We have tried the Japanese ramen before, and trust me you can tell the difference. The Japanese ramen, specifically the ones we got ( Shirakiku Tokusen Sio Ramen "JAPANESE STYLE NOODLE") was bland, not very spicy at all, and best when kimchi is added to it.
"Shin Ramyun" is very spicy and especially good when you add other fresh ingredients to it. For example, eggs, wakame(seaweed), bok choi, other greens, and anything else you desire.
Instant ramen is so delicious, yet so bad for you. I love it! Try to control yourself...like my favorite manga character, Yotsuba below:
Remember to read from RIGHT TO LEFT!!!!
There are many varieties of instant ramen, ranging from (what I call) "safe" ramen called "Cup of Noodles" as you may have all heard of, to the red, hot, spicy "Shin Ramyun" (our favorite). I suppose "Cup of Noodles" is good on a cold, non-adventurous day, however there are so many others to try! When you start watching Korean dramas, you will see dozens and dozens of ramen commercials. Especially, our personal favorite commercial, for "Hoo Roo Rook" and Shin Ramyun. Man these people are so dramatic! Here are the videos below:
From the commercials shown above can't you see how happy these ramen eating men are? The catchphrase for Hoo Roo Rook is literally "So good, slurping is allowed!".
We have tried the Japanese ramen before, and trust me you can tell the difference. The Japanese ramen, specifically the ones we got ( Shirakiku Tokusen Sio Ramen "JAPANESE STYLE NOODLE") was bland, not very spicy at all, and best when kimchi is added to it.
"Shin Ramyun" is very spicy and especially good when you add other fresh ingredients to it. For example, eggs, wakame(seaweed), bok choi, other greens, and anything else you desire.
Instant ramen is so delicious, yet so bad for you. I love it! Try to control yourself...like my favorite manga character, Yotsuba below:
Remember to read from RIGHT TO LEFT!!!!
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