Monday May 20

So happy its the last Monday of the school year : 3

Hey everyone! I’m sure you’re just all as happy to relax as I am. I thought that to break from the two previous more rock-heavy weeks, I’d feature the singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu this week. This song is called Furisodeshon. I first heard about Kyary from Generasian’s Art Editor Rachel Liu, and thus began my weird obsession with this song. At one point I was listening to it on repeat maybe 20 times a day. I know it sounds crazy but I just couldn’t stop > <

Since then I’ve toned it down a little but I still love this song so much. It’s inherently happy and uplifting, and the art direction is fantastic. I haven’t seen such a well-made music video in a while, The whimsicality and imaginative spirit are just perfect for the song and Kyary. Give it a listen! Everyone I’ve shown this song to has reacted pretty much the same way (as in disbelief) but I really think you’ll fall in love with it. As always, have a great week! And let me know what you think of the song :)

Friday May 17

When Does Plastic Surgery Become Racial Transformation?

This extensive Buzzfeed article investigates the troubling story of Leo Jiang, a man who has spent years and tens of thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgeries designed to mask his “ethnic” Chinese features. While the phenomenon of plastic surgery is an increasingly common one, Jiang’s deliberate attempts at “de-racialization” and obvious psychological issues confound the conversation on beauty, race, and the choice to go under the knife.

Relax after finals with a cute bowl of Rilakkuma Curry!

Watch how to make it here!

(Source: taeyeon-9muses-rilakkuma-ohyeah, via daintypersnicketydingo)

Happy Friday everyone!

Hopefully most of you are done with finals and are basking in the breezy freedom of summer. But for the rest of you that aren’t, you are so close to welcoming summer into your lives!

As college students, summer typically means an internship, a job, more NYU courses, or volunteer work. Maybe you are going back home, exploring a new country or staying in New York. Regardless, being fearless is something you can do anywhere. Forging relationships with strangers, examining unfamiliar territory, and impulsively going out with no set agenda are great ways to add a daring punch into your summer routine.

Do not be afraid of the unexpected outcomes of your brave choices. Fate may bring a surprising shake-up into your life, maybe even the jolt your life needed.

Here’s to your bold risk-taking!

Have a fearless weekend everyone!

Wednesday May 15

Lucy Liu: On Race in Hollywood

In this recent interview with Net-A-Porter, actress Lucy Liu talks about typecasting in Hollywood and her struggle to transcend “ethnic” roles:

“I wish people wouldn’t just see me as the Asian girl who beats everyone up, or the Asian girl with no emotion. People see Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock in a romantic comedy, but not me. You add race to it and it became, ‘Well, she’s too Asian’, or, ‘She’s too American’. I kind of got pushed out of both categories. It’s a very strange place to be. You’re not Asian enough and then you’re not American enough, so it gets really frustrating.”

Another cute way to make your own omurice ~~once you escape from the library after finals~~!

cupofpetite:

Pikachu Omelette Rice (Omurice) 簡単ピカチューオムライス Recipe

(via irresistableness)

Monday May 13

Marine Corps Campaign Targets APAs, Ignores Incidents of Racially-Motivated Abuse in Armed Forces

mark-putterman

The Marine Corps have unveiled a new recruitment campaign targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The campaign, “A Warrior’s Education,” will run from May 8 through June 7 and was designed to bolster the presence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Corps, who make up only 2.41% and .65% of the military division, respectively. It features an assortment of social media content spotlighting the “authentic stories” of two Asian American Marine officers, while invoking values of education, discipline, and family honor.

Monday again :3

Up this week is the fantastic song “Hybrid Rainbow” by Japanese alt-rock band the Pillows. Sometimes called the Japanese version of the Pixies, they’re the guys behind the FLCL (Fooly Cooly!) soundtrack. (Link to an anime video version of this song if you’re interested!) The guitar is delightfully twangy and melodic and this song is just the best. It always puts me in a great mood. Great way to get into them, I hope you like it! Have a great week.

Picture of the band for fun

Saturday May 11

Know Your History: Har Dayal

mark-putterman

In celebration of Asian Pacific American month, Know Your History presents a series of profiles of prominent Asian/Pacific/Americans, chronicling an American history too often overlooked. Far from being “perpetual foreigners,” our collective history has shaped this country’s trajectory in important ways.

A political activist, Indian independence leader, scholar, and philosopher, Har Dayal (1884-1939) was part of a group of young Indian expatriates living in the United States and Canada in the 1910s. Such was the context for a political activist movement led by an Indian revolutionary in America that would be one of the first iterations of A/P/A activism in the country.

Photograph of Har Dayal, 1934. From the South Asian American Digital Archive.

Friday May 10

Happy Friday everyone!

As finals are right around the corner, remember that this only means that summer is not too far off either! Granted though, finals come first. While living in Bobst for the next few days is not appealing to anyone, remember that it’s the final stretch and you are almost free!

Covering an entire semester’s material is a daunting task, but keep trudging forward at your pace and you will make it there. Just as this week’s fortune asserts, patience is vital. Don’t stress it, keep at it, and you will accomplish it. Practice patience this week and you will surely have the grades of a genius to show for all of your efforts!

Here’s to your patiently productive study sessions!

Good luck studying for finals this weekend everyone!

This Friday, May 10, watch the movie “Back to 1942,” set during the Henan Famine in which hundreds of thousands died. After the film author Liu Zhenyun will speak about his book, which inspired the movie. The talk will be translated and the film has English subtitles.

Date: Friday, May 10

Time: 6:30-10pm

Place: 19 West 4th St., Room 101

Admission: Free

Tuesday May 7

Know Your History: Wong Kim Ark

mark-putterman

In celebration of Asian Pacific American month, Know Your History presents a series of profiles of prominent Asian/Pacific/Americans, chronicling an American history too often overlooked. Far from being “perpetual foreigners”, our collective history has shaped this country’s trajectory in important ways.

To be born in America is to be American - to enjoy the full rights and protections conferred by United States citizenship. This much we know. That this birthright of American citizenship is the legacy of a 19th century American born Chinese man named Wong Kim Ark is a fact that is much more frequently overlooked. Wong Kim Ark fought the “perpetual foreigner” stereotype when it was still in its infancy, and in doing so, confirmed what we all know—that Asian Americans are American by right.