Sea Nettle Jellyfish at CA academy of science

Clear Lake 2010

A restful weekend at Clear Lake with good friends.

Asian = Feminine?

The topic of Asians in the media came up at dinner last night, after a group of us watched The Incredible Mr. Fox (entertaining film). I asked who in the group was watching "Glee" and one person mentioned he gave up on the show, disgusted with how the Asian characters were always in the background. For a show supposedly written with minority characters in mind (Gay, ethnic and disabled to name a few), the Asian characters are relegated to pretty much wallpaper. So with a few exceptions like John Cho in Fast Forward, Kunal Nayyar in Big Bang Theory and Sandra Oh in Greys Anatomy, Asians are still a tiny blip on the TV landscape.

That is why I took notice when Verizon released their new Droid ad lampooning a certain phone for being "tiara-wearing, digitally-clueless beauty pageant queen". It's a not so subtle stab at Apple's dominant iphone, and one picture stood out for me. There's a shot of three people gazing a the "queen" phone, a likely copy of a famous photo of the iphone, and there happens to be an Asian guy in the mix. Hmmmm, you have a woman, a feminine looking white guy with longish hair, and a nerdy looking Asian guy. What's the message Verizon??? And please don't tell me it was a fluke that they hired an Asian model for this commercial.

Vancouver - Pre-Olympics

My hometown Vancouver is certainly getting Olympics-ready. The city has that freshly-scrubbed feeling as a good host city expecting millions of visitors coming 2/12-2/28. I paid a short visit last week, and tried to sample the various construction projects I had been monitoring over the last few years.

I didn't get to see the Olympic village, but caught sight of it from a distance. A friend tells me it's on track and looking good. The downtown area is still cleaning up from the Skytrain extension of the Canada Line, and Granville St is not fully open yet. But the CL is running to the airport (since August 17th), and I got the chance to try it on my way back to SF. It was extremely easy and fast, and pretty economical at less than $4 from anywhere in Vancouver (2 zones). I worried that the trains were too tight to carry your luggage, and it was rather cramped, but better than the BART trains in SF.

I finally visited the gorgeous new Shangri-La Vancouver. The exterior seems to be "in progress", and I didn't have time to check out the posh interiors. However, it has already changed the skyline of the city with it's handsome profile. The other high profile skyscraper Jameson House, the Norman Foster designed condo, has barely progressed. I wonder if it's back on track?

I was most eager to check out the new Convention Centre, and it's almost ready. The green roof looks complete but gates are still keeping the place closed to the public. I asked a security guard about the opening, and he vaguely stated "after the Olympics".

And once again I admired the Coal Harbor area, thinking "now this is development done right". I hope someone in SF is taking notes.

Downtown changes II

The downtown Union Square retail environment keeps changing. Given the current economy, it's not surprising that some stores remain empty (Virgin, Benetton, Shoe Pavilion, Ritz Camera). But occasionally, you see some new shops opening and thriving. Since it's all in my "backyard", I've taken notes.

A new Japanese Sweets store Minamoto Kitchoan on 648 Market. Delicious but pricey and all imported with expiration dates. Let's hope they don't get caught up in another date change scandal.

What are these alien flowers pods doing in Yerba Buena? A place to recharge your electronics and take advantage of the recent solar heatwave, brought to you by Prius.
Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys is bringing Vegas style gourmet burgers to SF Macy's 6th floor. Burgar Bar opens soon, with great views of Union Square.
I went to Loehmann's recently to check out their discounted designer clothing, only to find they have a whole new Men's shop across the street in their old shoe store 211 Sutter. Yeah for us!
And so long to my favorite brand of runners: New Balance
Curiously, Gap is opening in the old Ann Taylor space on 240 Post. Perhaps it will be a different concept store, higher end? likely in this location.

J-Pop Center Opening

I checked out the opening of the new J-Pop center (1746 Post St) in Japantown over the weekend, and was surprised to see a relatively large turnout for a niche type retail market. Who knew there was so many people interested in Japanese pop culture? Post street was jammed with Asian hipsters and girls in Little Bo-peep outfits-they must have been sweltering in the 80 degree heat.

I stood in line for a good 30 minutes to check out the modernist glass structure, designed by Japanese architectural firm Torafu. It reminded me a lot of the SPUR building, with its three narrow floors (plus theater basement) and compact use of space. The main floor had a coffee/snack bar serving...you guessed it, Blue Bottle Coffee. Man those guys are everywhere. There's also the New People retail shop, that seemed to specialize in expensively designed Japanese products like a cute ipod speaker ball thingy...that cost almost 40 bucks! They are going to have their work cut out for them in this economy.

The second floor seems to be focused on fashions for young Little Bo-peep wannabees. I don't get it, but it looks colorful and fun. There's also a wall of glass looking over Post street, which might be useful for people watching. The third floor is a gallery space for Japanese Pop art (my term) that I could see hanging in some millionaire Google employee's loft. Roy Lichtenstein would be proud. I didn't get to check out the theater, but will definitely make a trip back soon. The new complex finally puts a spark in the dowdy Japantown district. Now if they could only modernize that mall...

Takeshi Kaneshiro

I've always loved these pics of Asian mixed race superstar Takeshi Kaneshiro for Prada back in 1998. I remember feeling proud that an Asian (especially one that is half-Taiwanese) face is being advertised for a major fashion design house.
Of course, TK is now one of the most recognized Asian actors in the west, having been featured in at least 2 Wong Kar Wei films: ChungKing Express and my personal favorite Fallen Angels. He also starred in one of the most popular kung fu films House of Flying Daggers.

I've been impressed that his personal life seems very private. I can certainly hope that he may be "family", one always wonders about attractive single men in their late 30's. But as I heard my young female cousin respond to these rumours, his fans really don't care that much. He's that good.