Rice Daddies

2012-01-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

Sorry I couldn't resist, with all these videos circulating on the internet why not this one:

Tiger Math

2012-01-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

As a parent and a former elementary school teacher, I cringe every time a parent tells me his or her child’s teacher “can’t teach” or “doesn’t teach right” – And when that teacher is a math teacher I drop to the floor, curl up, and squeeze my eyes shut real tight -- I wrap my arms around myself and rock myself and tell myself that everything’s going to be alright – You see, my mother -- my

Economics of Fatherhood from Active Dad UK

2012-01-02T07:10:00.001-08:00

I stumbled across this video from Active Dad UK while searching for links to free ebooks for kids (their aunts and uncles got them Kindles for Christmas). In addition to providing descriptions to free ebook sites, Active Dad also included this video regarding the impact of parental (namely fathers) literacy on their children. It had some interesting statistics (though I didn’t see a source so

Studio Ghibli: Kid-Approved Movies for a Night In

2011-12-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Just before the recent Christmas holiday, Jennifer at Retrevo.com sent out a list of “Epic Nerd-Approved Movies for Kids.” It concluded a longer list of overall Nerd-Approved Movies (scroll to the bottom of their list for the kids movies). It included (in my opinion) some great movies like The Goonies, The Secret of Nimh, The Witches, and The Dark Crystal. It also included some questionable

Christmas, Santa, and Jesus

2011-12-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

As a parent, two stories I would like to tell better are the story of 9/11 and the story of Christmas. With the former, I’m still trying to get it “just right.” Both my children were born after 9/11 (my older one just nine months after). They are also still very young and naïve. People are still “linear beings” to them. There is a distinct line between right and wrong, good and bad -- And good

Help inoculate our kids against bigotry...

2011-12-13T22:48:00.000-08:00

My parents are against same sex marriage. At their advanced age, there's no convincing them otherwise. They are devout Catholics, and so they believe everything in the bible as it is interpreted by the Catholic church. Most of the people I know who are against same-sex marriage are just like my parents: elderly, religious, set in their ways. Fortunately, their old age means that they'll be dead

The Santa Cause Repost

2011-12-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

For the holidays, Netflix is streaming Miracle on 34th Street with Edmund and Natalie. With the recent brouhaha over kids being told by a teacher that there is no Santa, it felt OK to repost what I wrote last year around this time on my Cranial Gunk blog. For the record, I believe in Santa Claus. Not the jolly red-suited man who breaks into homes to leave gifts instead of taking, but the

Rad Dad in LA 11/12/11: An Asian-American-Family-Entertainment-Palooza!

2011-11-11T23:28:00.000-08:00

Today, Saturday, November 12, I have the honor of reading from the new Rad Dad: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Fatherhood anthology at my old neighborhood bookstore, Los Feliz' venerable indie Skylight Books.Please join me, editor Tomás Moniz, and two very special guests, YA/middle grade novelist Lisa Yee and kindie musician Mista Cookie Jar at 5:00 p.m. for an awesome, kid-friendly celebration

Boot Camp for New Dads (NYC Edition)

2011-10-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

My friend Daniel and his daughter Olive on this CBS segment about a Boot Camp for New Dads in NYC!

Fatherhood Lesson #692: STFU and Be a Good Sport

2011-10-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

Halloween's creeping up on us, and I'm dreading it.I've always hated dressing up, and I've never had a sweet tooth. Ok, maybe there were one or two Halloweens when I was a kid when my friends and I would shaving cream rival gangs of pre-teen suburban sugar hounds, or go on midnight missions to t.p. houses, and maybe I really enjoyed those. But I really hate wearing masks because I hate how warm

Transition Day

2011-10-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow's Eliot's first day of daycare.Actually, it's just a "transition" day: we drop him off in the morning, cry, leave for two hours, cry, come back and pick him up (and maybe cry some more). Tuesday, we do the same thing, but at the end of the day. His first full day is Thursday.Therefore, in both a symbolic and concrete sense, today is the last day of a very special period in our family's

I've Joined the Club

2011-10-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

Got an Engaged Father Fistbump (EFF) this morning. I can typically be found escorting our two Taiwanese Mountain Dogs (Agatha: black; Bao Bao: brown) around the neighborhood at about 8:30 every weekday morning, with Eliot strapped snugly to my chest.There's a Whole Foods on the walk, and, today, when I rounded the corner leading up to it an unencumbered, faster-moving dude came alongside to pass

New Rice Daddy

2011-10-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks. I'm a new edition to the blog, so I wanted to introduce myself.My name's Chris Fan, and I'm the proud father of a 5 1/2 month-old boy named Eliot. When I'm not making excuses to stay at home and play with him, I'm working on my dissertation in the English department at UC Berkeley. My wife's a legal aid attorney in Oakland, where we live. We also have two Taiwanese Mountain Dogs.

Subaru's "Sweet Tomorrow" Commercial

2011-10-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Long-time readers of RiceDaddies might know that we got a Subaru Outback not long after our little Sunshine was born. As with most other car brands, we get a free subscription to their monthly car magazine (Subaru Drive). This month's issue mentions a TV commercial called "Sweet Tomorrow" that Subaru is running in key Asian-American markets. The ad "tells the story of a young Chinese couple

Fatherhood and Testosterone

2011-09-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

This is my shortest RiceDaddies post ever. Oh noooooes!!! Fatherhood Leads to Drop in Testosterone "Testosterone, that most male of hormones, takes a dive after a man becomes a parent. And the more he gets involved in caring for his children — changing diapers, jiggling the kid on his knee, reading “Goodnight Moon” for the umpteenth time — the lower his testosterone drops. "

Once in a Lifetime: Ten Years of Telling My 9/11 Story

2011-09-10T19:56:00.001-07:00

Originally posted at cranialgunk.org. There’s a curious lyric right after the famous opening lines of the Talking Heads song, “Once In A Lifetime.” Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down… It’s curious because when you think of “letting the days go by,” you think of “going with the flow,” you think of “floating.” This lyric seems to say, “Allow yourself to drown.” Letting

Buck to School: Education Costs

2011-08-28T03:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun: “Buck to school.” With the start of a new school year so close at hand, this infographic from Credit Donkey provides the basis for some interesting commentary on going to school in America. For example, what does it say about American culture when we spend nearly three times more on clothes for school than we do on books for school? Or what does it say about

Trophy husband, one year later

2011-08-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

[originally posted on August 10, 2011 at daddy in a strange land] Exactly one year ago today, The Today Show told the entire morning-news-watching nation that I, as a stay-at-home-dad married to a doctor, was an example of a new status symbol for "alpha women." I was a trophy husband. If you watch the entire segment linked here [having trouble embedding it, sorry]—which was pegged to a Marie

Race Is Always a Parenting Issue

2011-08-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

[originally posted at The Good Men Project] Last week, The Good Men Project started a conversation about race by publishing 8 articles from diverse points of view over the course of the week. However, the site launched the series last Monday with four pieces, all approaching the topic from a black/white perspective and written by black and white writers. I wrote the following response in partial

Jewish and Chinese American Ideas on the Humanities

2011-07-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I recorded a podcast with my Jewish American friend Hertsel. We discussed Jewish American and Chinese American culture. Many people have said that the cultures are similar, and in many cases I agree--in many (but not all), there tends to be a focus on family, education, and prosperity. But from the experiences I've heard and read through the years, there is one area which modern

Master of the Manly Arts

2011-06-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk.] Sometimes when I hear talk of “manliness,” Damon Wayans appears in my head wearing a ridiculously tiny bowler with David Alan Grier alongside him sporting the shiniest lip gloss. They’re the hosts of Men On Film, a “show that looks at movies from a male point of view.” According to Wikipedia the Men On Film sketches on In Living Color split the gay community.

Animal Husbandry

2011-06-12T03:52:00.001-07:00

[Cross Posted at Cranial Gunk.] It began with a Tweet. I had read Panda Dad’s “epilogue” and Tweeted that he had me “up until he decided to plug his friends’ book.” He Tweeted back that he was concerned about the cheesiness of it too but really did believe in the worth of his friends’ book. I Tweeted back “No worries. We’re on the same page (though I might be interpreting the text

Time Out for GLEE!

2011-06-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Introducing Kellen Mirador Sarmiento! As a parent, when/if your child's video goes viral, there must be a feeling of glee, yet also a bit of trepidation, especially if one starts going through the comments. These parents were smart, because it looks like they created a new account with just this one video. The original video must have gotten millions of hits and hundred of comments, too.

Left by the Ship

2011-06-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

LEFT BY THE SHIP trailer English from visitorq on Vimeo.This just came through my Facebook feed, and I wanted to share it with anyone who might possibly be able to catch this screening tonight at 10PM in New Jersey (or on July 9th in LA).It's a film titled Left by the Ship, and it's about the children of Filipina sex workers and American servicemen who were stationed at Subic Bay, Philippines.

The Khan Academy

2011-05-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Check out the video above to see Salman Khan's presentation at the TED conference. I blogged about him here. The back story is that Mr. Khan created video tutorials to share with his cousin Nadia whom he was tutoring in math, and his videos went viral. He began recording more and more videos after the positive feedback, and now he runs a non-profit that shares videos and makes education free.

Interesting article...

2011-05-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to pass on an interesting article I just read regarding Asians in America, written by Wesley Yang: http://nymag.com/news/features/asian-americans-2011-5/

Tiger Mother’s Day Celebration

2011-05-08T04:05:00.000-07:00

How concerned should I be that without the creepy music and with the substitution of an event more benign and commonplace Mrs. Bates sounds like my mother (or any Tiger Mom)? I couldn’t feasibly write about Mother’s Day this year without mentioning the Tiger Mother. I joke that my mother and I cannot spend more than two hours in a room together before we start arguing. I like to say that my

GET OUT YOUR HANKIES

2011-05-05T09:52:00.001-07:00

Osama Bin Laden is Dead

2011-05-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

This isn't Daddy-related, but today is a historic day. Osama Bin Laden was killed by Navy Seals today. He was living in a large city of about a million people, and the Navy took him out in a firefight. Reports are saying that his son was also killed. According to early reports, the U.S. carried out the mission independently and only told the Pakistani government after the fact. More

Who Loves More, Parents or Children?

2011-04-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

(Also posted at bigWOWO) I caught an interesting dialogue on parental love at Daddy Dialectic and Hugo Schwyzer. In the original post, Jeff at Daddy Dialectic writes about Sam McBratney’s children's book "Guess How Much I Love You," where an adult rabbit and child rabbit frolic and take turns making statements about how much they love the other. Whenever the child makes a comparison, the

Geena Davis on the Effects of Gender Inequality on TV and in Movies

2011-04-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

In today's issue of the Wall Street Journal, Geena Davis talks about why she founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and how gender inequality on television and in movies has a powerful impact on kids. I couldn't find the following quote in the video, nor on the WSJ website, but it appeared on page R11 of today's print edition:The more hours of television a girl watches, the fewer

Canine Dad

2011-04-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Cross-posted at NoraebangI'm not just a dad to girls. I'm a dad to a girl dog.A lot of dog owners wonder why Korean dog owners raise such delicious, eh, I mean highly successful dogs. They wonder what these dog owners do to hone so many brilliant dogs, what it’s like in the homes and kennels of these families, and if they could do it, too. Well, I can tell them, because I’ve done it. Here

I don't mean to offend you but...

2011-03-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Why is that when someone, usually someone who doesn't know you that well (or really at all for that matter), prefaces a statement with "I don't mean to offend you but..." they usually succeed in doing the very thing that they told you they're not going to do? Serenity now! So here’s the setup: at a kid’s birthday party, I strike up a conversation with one of the other

Raising Asian Boys into American Men in a Western World

2011-03-10T23:28:00.000-08:00

I've been spending the last couple weeks obsessed by the question of masculinity and manliness. After a long discussion in a blog post on Asian American masculinity, followed by a growing discussion in a blog post on Asian American manliness (please read the posts, but check the comments on these two posts--I think they're awesome), I and some of the people who commented came to the conclusion

It's only cute if you're five

2011-03-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I am amazed by the things a small child can get away with in the name of cuteness. The following is a list of things that Snow Girl will do on a near daily basis to try and get my attention, try and get out of trouble, or just try...period. 1. Get naked in the middle of the living room. 2. Smack her butt while looking at herself in a mirror. 3. Pull down her underwear and lie on

Hollywood Blood

2011-03-04T21:47:00.000-08:00

As a pop culture geek who grew up in the Star Wars (original trilogy) generation, I’ve picked up some odd, geek knowledge in my youth. As a father, I never thought I would be imparting some of that odd knowledge to my own children, at least not until a recent inquiry my 7 year old son made to me. He wanted to know if the blood you see on TV when someone gets cut or hurt was real.Now, the

Interview with Author Lisa Yee

2011-02-27T16:09:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year I interviewed children's author Lisa Yee. Find out how Yee got started writing novels for kids, if she made a conscious decision to have Asian Americans be central characters in some of her books, and how an obsession with putting marshmallow Peeps into a microwave turned into a great way to meet famous authors. Her latest book, Warp Speed is available in bookstores starting

Rice Daddies Here, There, and Everywhere!

2011-02-24T08:27:00.000-08:00

This has been quite a week for the Rice Daddies! You'll find us on the web, on the radio and in person, plus our anniversary contest ends this Saturday! The deets on our doings:• Sorry for the short notice, but tonight from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. PST, I'm a guest on KPFA's Apex Express, an Asian American public affairs call-in program in the Bay Area. Hyphen Magazine blog editor erin Khue Ninh and teen

Hummingbird Dad

2011-02-23T23:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a week since a winged interloper built a nest on a string of lights in our backyard. When she briefly flew off, I grabbed my camera to see what was inside. Two eggs. Oh man. I've since become embarrassingly invested in the goings on our avian decorative light surfers -- checking out hummingbird websites, watching nesting videos on YouTube, buying a feeder. It's tapping into all those

Late, Messy Reaction to this Amy Chua stuff...

2011-02-20T19:08:00.001-08:00

Hello all, thank you for creating this necessary space, and for giving me a spot on it. Here's the post, which has also been posted over at Racialicious. It is slightly revised from its original version, which was semi-private on Facebook.I was going to work on an essay in response to Ms. Chua’s article. I had several pages of notes, and was going to take the two or three hours it took to

Doing Battle with Tiger Mom - Tiger Mom, Tiger Mom, What Do You Say?

2011-02-19T10:14:00.000-08:00

Crosspost from TimeOutDadSo, I recently wrote a short book review on BookDads of Amy Chua's, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I actually had my Mother-in-law read it, too, and initially, as she started reading it, she was a bit infuriated with Amy Chua. As she continued reading it (because it's hard to put down once you get started), the book definitely grew on her, and it made for lots of

Asian Dad Spotting

2011-02-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

I saw this little ad in the mall. Do YOU have time to be a dad today?

Jobs for our Kids?

2011-02-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks back, I asked my 4 year old son Gun what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said, "I want to be a doctor...and a cowboy." I liked the answer. I said, "A doctor? That's great!" Gun was silent for a moment, and then he said, "But wait...where am I going to get a white shirt?" Doctors will always have jobs, as will dentists, plumbers, Xerox machine technicians, and

The P to the D to the A

2011-02-12T03:00:00.000-08:00

I was among the little boys who chased the little girls in the schoolyard. Back then girls were icky. I joined the slightly older boys who chased the slightly older girls in between classes in high school and college. They weren't icky anymore. When my eldest was in pre-K and the parent of a student in his class told me that my son had kissed her daughter, my initial reaction was fear. I was

Rice Daddies Turns 5! To Celebrate, We're Giving You Gifts!

2011-02-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Rice Daddies, the group blog by Asian American dads, launched on February 6, 2006. Which means that yesterday, we turned 5! And we're still here! I mean, happy birthday to us! Heh. Five years ago, I wrote: We're a group of dads of the Asian persuasion, most of us only 2 years or less into the parenting game. We're bicoastal and multiethnic, Chinese- and Japanese- and Filipino- and Korean- and

Happy New Year!

2011-02-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

This is my all time favorite depiction of the Zodiac animal race. It’s an Onitsuka Tiger ad.

A Dad’s Perspective on the Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

2011-01-30T21:36:00.000-08:00

Originally posted in BookDadsby TimeOutDadOn the cover, it reads, “This is a story about a mother, two daughters, and two dogs.” Immediately, I thought, "What about the father?" After reading this book, I firmly believe that it’s also about the “Unsung Hymn of the Tiger Mother’s Husband.” One might think Jed Rubenfeld (Tiger Dad) sat around and did nothing, while Tiger Mom ruled and

Bolar for Dollars

2011-01-29T18:18:00.001-08:00

If you ask me to choose between a struggling single mother wanting to provide better opportunities for her children and a school district whose sole concern is its bank account, I’m going to go with the former. As an Asian American parent of modest means, my allegiances are with Kelley Williams-Bolar, the single mother from Akron, Ohio who was jailed for sending her daughters to a school in the

Fox in Socks

2011-01-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

I saw the video above on Angry Asian Man. Xin Yan can read Dr. Seuss's Fox in Socks in under 2.5 minutes, despite all the turns and tongue twisters. I have enough trouble reading Dora without tripping over myself.

Paper Tiger Mom

2011-01-15T20:22:00.001-08:00

It’s easy to hate Amy Chua right now. If her intention was to garner publicity for her book by writing a controversial article for the Wall Street Journal, she has succeeded. Her article has spawned several follow up WSJ articles. From “Western mothers” like Ayelet Waldman and Hanna Rosin to interviews with mothers in Hong Kong, the response has been negative to gently understanding. Amy has also

Deciding Not To Have Kids

2011-01-13T11:11:00.000-08:00

Man, that Amy Chua article has lit the Asian American blogosphere on fire. Amy Chua's got the World on Fire. No kidding. I've been fielding e-mails, getting a decent number of comments, getting Facebooked all over. What a trip. I think this is the closest that I'll ever get to being totally in sync with the mainstream. :) Even if I disagree with Amy in some respects, I think it's great that

Dear Asian America: Forget Chua’s Book, This is Our “It Gets Better” Moment

2011-01-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

Guest post by Cynthia Liu, originally published at K-12 News NetworkDear Asian America,As so many have pointed out through gut-wrenching personal testimony and the horrible statistics surrounding high suicide rates among young APA women–and a high rate of untreated mental illness in our community overall–Amy Chua‘s book hit a nerve. Big time.But, let’s make this flood of commentary and outrage

I'm a Chinese Parent, Raised by Chinese Parents...

2011-01-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

...and I think Amy Chua's book is full of crap.Wow! There are so many things I want to comment on after reading that excerpt... I'll just do it stream of consciousness because there are so many things to unpack in Chua's book and in the reactions of the APA blogosphere over the weekend.First off and full disclosure, while my parents were first gen immigrants, my upbringing was decidedly not the

5 Days to a Perfect Night’s Sleep For Your Child (Review)

2010-12-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

If you are having trouble getting your child to sleep, this may be the right book for you: 5 Days to a Perfect Night's Sleep for Your Child: The Secrets to Making Bedtime a Dream by Eduard Estivill. I will admit--the last couple months have been very trying, with a baby who wouldn't sleep. When my son was a baby, he fell asleep by himself quite easily--he'd cry for five or six minutes before

The Santa Cause: Imagination

2010-12-21T17:30:00.001-08:00

Listening to my children play superheroes: My eldest says to my youngest: You can’t do that! He doesn’t have that power! My youngest responds: We can pretend he does. My eldest responds: That’s silly then it wouldn’t be real! It sort of stabbed me in the heart. I was raised on the Isle of Can’t - Don’t be silly! You can’t be a writer! Chinese aren’t writers! Be an accountant!

Fatherhood: Imagine 30 Years on Today

2010-12-12T04:01:00.001-08:00

Writing about the 30th Anniversary of John Lennon’s murder I came across a somewhat snide Bloomberg article by Mark Beech who asked his readers to “imagine there was no shooting.” Imagining John Lennon was never shot is a good thing – Imagining nobody getting shot is even better - But Beech’s imagination belittles John for choosing fatherhood over the music business. He writes: On the

Holiday egg rolls

2010-12-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

Shanghai style eggrolls under construction Happy holidays, Rice Daddies! It’s that time of year already, and its been a while since I’ve blogged about my favorite rice daddy topic: great food! After all, nothing connects you to a culture more than eating your way through it. Also, an old high school friend recently emailed me for a recipe (hi JS), so I thought this would be the best forum

So I Must Kill You!

2010-11-28T15:43:00.000-08:00

While cleaning the house, I found this book that my parents brought back from a trip to Asia as a gift for my kids. Either something's lost in translation, or children's stories in Hong Kong are just straight-up hardcore: "In a hot summer day, there was a little thirsty lamb drinking water in the river." "A wolf was passing by the river, too. He felt so happy when he saw the lamb." "The

Faith

2010-11-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

I had dinner with someone recently who complained that her mother was not supportive of her life decisions. I pointed out that everyone else around her (personally and professionally) believed she was making smart strategic decisions about her life. She said something to the effect of: “I know but it would just be nice if she (her mother) supported me too. After all she is my mother.” I was

My Swearing In

2010-11-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

I am Nels. Some of you may know of my web site, AArisings. I'm a father of two children - a son who is 7 years old and a daughter who is 4 years old. This is my first entry on Rice Daddies.During the summer, the big buzz in the music world was Cee-Lo Green's song "F**k You." I shared the catchy song and video via YouTube with my wife because I thought she would get a kick out of it. We were

Gracie Jujitsu for kids, and the Gracie Bullyproof DVDs (Review)

2010-11-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

(also on bigWOWO) I saw this article in the Christian Science Monitor about a woman whose child was bullied. She responded by taking her child to learn Gracie Jujitsu, where they have a program called Bullyproof. She took her son to the park after he learned GJJ, and what followed was some scary behavior on her son's part, which this woman not only condones but praises! While I appreciate

Like a 4-Banger

2010-11-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Quick plug to a thing I did for KQED yesterday. It's a "Perspective" on the Far East Movement and the song "Like a G6." It's about waiting our lives to experience this moment to see Asian folks on the charts but being too damn old to appreciate it fully. :)On a side note, it's inspiring how our kids will grow up in a time when it's completely normal to have a black president and to see Asian

NYCC 2010: Marvel Superhero Squad

2010-10-31T03:56:00.001-07:00

Once a year I indulge myself (and my kids) in spandex and uwangis at the annual New York Comic Con (NYCC). It’s a fun distraction for me to consider the longevity of some of my favorite heroes and learn about new ones. If I had to pick a single highlight from this year’s NYCC, it would have to be Marvel’s Superhero Squad. In addition to the usual video game offerings (new Spiderman and X-Men

ABCs v. FOBs in Flushing Queens

2010-10-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

Bullies and technology and the meanness that is on the rise

2010-10-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

(from bigWOWO)I saw this article in the Times today: The Playground Gets Even Tougher. It's about how kids are getting nastier and nastier at younger ages. Girls in particular can be very mean. In light of the Tyler Clementi incident and other suicides, the entire news media has been focusing intently on bullying and how to prevent it. With the power that comes from new technology--blogs, social

Challenge Update: 2 new proposals added

2010-10-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

HOLY CRAP, would you believe that it's been almost TWO YEARS since we added some new proposals to the RiceDaddies Empowerment in Diversity Challenge? Since that time, all of our educational proposals have either been fully funded, or have expired.I'm not even gonna try to make up any excuses for why I dropped the ball on this. Anyway, this morning ThisisLarry finally gave me the kick in the butt

Help underprivledged kids in NYC enjoy "American Born Chinese"

2010-10-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Update: Rice Daddies rule! Less than 5 hours after this post went out, the project is funded -that's like $20 an hour! Take THAT Malcolm Gladwell! Now let's keep the ball rolling! --- Hey Rice Daddies, excuse the intrusion, its just Thisislarry rising from limbo. I was on Donorschoose.org and came across this funding project from Ms H. at a high-poverty school in NYC: "My Project: I am

Tell Me More: Dad as Teacher

2010-09-29T17:36:00.001-07:00

There was an interesting discussion on NPR's Tell Me More about fathers getting involved in their children's education. I didn't respond in time to be on air but wrote a post accompanying the segment. After the fact, I began thinking about the things my dad taught me. I love my father but we don't exactly have a Brady Bunch type relationship. I wondered how much of my relationship with my

bigWOWO Podcast with James and Ben

2010-09-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

My latest podcast featured James from Alpha-Asian and Ben from Conceived and Composed. In this latest installment, we talk about what it’s like to be a dad. You’ll hear how new dads James and Ben live today, what they were thinking before they had kids, and what life lessons they hope to impart to their kids. See it on bigWOWO here, or download it directly here.It was pretty cool to talk

Daddy Bloggers on the Rise

2010-09-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

I thought some of you might enjoy the video above. I was a bit surprised by the stats at the end. 42% of dads are sole providers? I'm glad some people are making big bucks in this economy!

PS40-something

2010-08-22T11:52:00.001-07:00

[Cross Posted at Cranial Gunk.] I’ve been calling it my “succumbing to mid-life crisis” purchase (in addition to the electric guitar). For my birthday this year I bought myself a Playstation 3 (or as the young people refer to it – a PS3). I convinced myself that the PS3 was more than just a video game console – like the ads say “It Only Does Everything” – My “investment” in a PS3 game

2010-08-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

Preorders for the iPhone 4 in South Korea were so overwhelming Wednesday that they brought down the servers of carrier KT Corp., which sold 130,000 handsets by 7 p.m. local time. Interestingly enough, this article indicates that Koreans due to their cultural upbringing don't really like to blab: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/08/culture-and-genetics/

Mnemonic Rocks

2010-08-15T05:49:00.001-07:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk] Even before my eldest could write proper words, I made him keep a journal. I was inspired by a friend of ours whose daughter (same age as my eldest) kept a sketchbook diary – images of events she felt were important to record. Every week I would ask him to “write” – usually a picture or invented words (spelling) - about something good that happened and

Pass the Peas

2010-08-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

I always knew this day would come but nothing prepares you for when it actually does. The above picture is our 5-year-old son Maceo posting up with funk legend, and his name source, Maceo Parker. A nice security guard hooked us up with the privilege of a face-to-face with a musical icon.These things could turn out disastrous (I feel bad for all the kids named after Mikes Tyson or Jordan) but

The Deferred

2010-08-08T07:19:00.001-07:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk] I grew up among a handful of Chinese families in Hollis, Queens. I have been mugged three times in my neighborhood. When I was 12, two or three kids around my age tackled me off my bike, kicked me, told me: “This is our neighborhood! Go back to China you Fuckin’ Chink!” They rode off on my bike, celebrating and Hi-fiving. When I was 14 or 15, three kids asked

The Newly Chinese

2010-08-01T08:55:00.001-07:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk] It’s not hard to draw comparisons between the new century vilification of Mexicans and the turn of the century vilification of the Chinese just leafing through Jean Pfaelzer’s Driven Out - Although the poorest of the poor, the Chinese bore the blame for the era’s widespread hunger and homelessness… Racial stereotypes began to reflect the desperate economic

The Pursuit of Parenting

2010-07-26T03:58:00.001-07:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk] Recently, I suffered my children’s fierce complaints about having to go to Chinese school over the summer. All of their other friends had the time to themselves – they travelled and played and filled scrapbooks (or hard drives) with tokens from their adventures. My kids were frustrated that they were spending the summer sitting at a school desk for four hours a

MADE IN THE USA ONLY

2010-07-25T11:20:00.001-07:00

Hilarious (and fascinating) article from today's L.A. Times about the challenges of bearing gifts back to China. I guess the mini-Hershey's chocolates of my youth in the '80s don't cut it anymore.

LESSON PLANS

2010-07-25T08:55:00.001-07:00

Funny, I was writing in response to a new post on the site but by the time I finished tapping out my comments, the OG post was removed. In respect to the privacy of the original poster, I'll just paraphrase the part I was responding to: "to what extent should we push our kids to learn things that they may not enjoy?" The OP was talking about Chinese school, a grand tradition that many an ABC can

Do Rice Daddies Hate Parenting?

2010-07-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

You've no doubt read the flurry of reactions that followed writer Jennifer Senior's New York Magazine cover story earlier this month, "All Joy and No Fun: Why Parents Hate Parenting." Last week, NPR's Tell Me More with Michel Martin devoted its regular parenting segment, "Mocha Moms," to discussing the article.Today, I joined Keith Morton of African American Dad (who I had the pleasure of

The Default Human Being

2010-06-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

(originally posted at bigwowo)Answer this question quickly--what race are the people in the picture above?What are their defining characteristics, what color is their skin, how are their eyes and lips shaped? Can you tell what race they are? If you answered White, you're wrong. If you answered Asian, then answer the next question: who are these people? Actually, that question might be too

Father’s Day & that Chapin Song

2010-06-21T19:48:00.001-07:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk] Father’s Day always makes me think of that Harry Chapin song, “Cat’s in the Cradle” – More so now that the kids are getting noticeably older. As the kids get older, I get older, so maybe it is just me getting old and sentimental but Chapin’s Cradle seems to have more resonance now. It’s like a friend once told me about reading Hesse’s Steppenwolf. He said it

Wu Are You

2010-05-31T06:50:00.000-07:00

Heavenly Kings is one of my favorite movies. It's sort of Spinal Tap but from the HK Boy Band Pop perspective. Daniel Wu interviews well in this CNN clip. I'm not going to say he makes any revelations but its oddly comforting to know we have shared frustrations and challenges.Now, look at this clip. I used it in a post I wrote reacting to Arizona's law banning ethnic studies classes. It's from

Cooking Making a Comeback

2010-05-12T10:56:00.001-07:00

Since Vincent posted about food, I thought I'd post too. I don't think it's possible to overstate the importance of food when you're a parent. Here it is (originally from bigwowo.com):Cool article in CNN today: Food 101: Seeking Clues in the Kitchen. In the article, the writer Stephanie Chen writes about the new movement spearheaded by Jamie Oliver and Michelle Obama to bring good food back

The Happy Americana Meal

2010-05-11T17:21:00.001-07:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk.] Andy Warhol from The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: The most beautiful thing in Tokyo is McDonald’s The most beautiful thing in Stockholm is McDonald’s The most beautiful thing is Florence is McDonald’s Peking and Moscow don’t have anything beautiful yet. In 1990, Moscow became beautiful. Beijing (formerly Peking) didn’t become beautiful until 2007

Not Ready For Prime Time

2010-05-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

Mace Marvelous turns 5 this summer. Wifey and I spent the past couple of months checking out potential kindergartens. We live in California and the woeful budget is slowly chipping away at what's left of the public schools. Even in lovely, coveted Cupertino where I work, the town literally held a city-wide bakesale to stave off furloughs and layoffs. The prediction was that even in Cupertino

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

2010-04-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

I made it official. I now put the "ass" in Assistant Coach for a bunch of U-6ers one of which is my son Maceo, now 4. The team is composed of mostly first-time soccer players mixed in with a couple of 5-year old ringers. At the other end of the spectrum there are the oblivious ones, who I like to call "daisy pickers," that I try to point in the general direction of the goal. The head coach is the

Bitter Tea

2010-04-03T09:31:00.001-07:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk]Recently Turner Classic Movies played The Good Earth and The Bitter Tea of General Yen back to back. I caught the former as the locusts descended upon the crops and continued to the latter as a “Chinked up” Nils Asther rode away in “Yellow Face” without care or concern for the rickshaw driver his car had just hit. I grimaced as I watched Nils Asther’s exaggerated

Siblings...

2010-04-02T21:39:00.001-07:00

Growing up as an only child definitely gave me my own unique perspective regarding family life. I remember the looks on people's faces when I told them I was an only child. They often remarked on how "spoiled" I probably was. In retrospect I guess I was spoiled, but definitely not to the point that I wasn't thankful and appreciative of what I had. My mother made sure of that. I did often wonder

The Art of the Chinese Compliment

2010-03-28T18:28:00.001-07:00

[Cross posted on Cranial Gunk]I pulled a real Chinese parent move recently. My eldest’s piano teacher told me he was playing very well but instead of turning to my eldest and saying: “Hey! Did you hear that? That’s excellent! Good Job!” I said: “Hey! Did you hear what your teacher said? If you concentrated and practiced more, you could be even better.” It wasn’t until the next morning that I

Picture (Book) Perfect

2010-03-21T18:10:00.001-07:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk]There’s this story I like to tell about my introducing “literature” to my children. It involves my eldest. He must have been two. I had bought a copy of Maurice Sendak’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are, to read to him at bed time. I was so proud of myself, suddenly eligible to join the cult of NPRents simply by reading classic Western children’s literature to my

Educating Children about Food

2010-02-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

(Originally from bigwowo.com)I thought some of you might enjoy this. Jamie Oliver, a winner of the 2010 TED Prize, talks about how America can help its young people live longer and healthier through better school cafeteria programs and education about food. His recommendations are interesting: kids should know what they're eating, and they should be able to cook at least ten

Joe and Heidi Wang on the Amazing Race

2010-02-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

(from bigWOWO.com)I just got the newsflash from 8 Asians: Joe and Heidi Wang will be running the Amazing Race, beginning this Sunday on CBS. Like the winners Tammy and Victor Jih from last season, the team has an Asian American male and an Asian American female, but unlike last season, they're not brother and sister. Woohoo for diversity! They're also parents of two children, so cheers for

For the Record

2010-01-16T07:41:00.001-08:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk]Listening to Rosanne Cash speak at the Times Center got me thinking about what “The List” I give my children would look like? What kind of intellectual/cultural legacy will I leave for them? What legacy will I be able to forge for them? My father and I do not talk about music though we have argued politics. Rosanne says this on her blog about The List: The

Dudescape to Dadscape

2010-01-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

I caught this article linked by the fine people of BicoastalBitchin.Alls I gotta say is that the writer hit the nail right flat on the head. This was my favorite sentence:When baby makes three, the abrupt lifestyle change spells an end to these spontaneous expeditions.Age three is the magic number, and it's a dad thing, almost exclusively. Wives and women are cool checking with the singles,

I Miss Pat Morita

2009-12-23T13:45:00.001-08:00

So I guess they're remaking "The Karate Kid", with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith playing the Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio roles. And from the looks of this trailer, the movie's set in China, the ancient land of mean-eyed wushu-trained boys and demure violin-playing girls. During the course of the flick, Jackie Chan (sporting a moustache wispier than Mariah Carey's in "Precious") sagely teaches

humbug

2009-12-20T18:49:00.001-08:00

[Cross posted at Cranial Gunk] I remember our first Christmas together. I had gotten her one of those hand-held electric back massagers (which she asked me to return). She had gotten me a DVD player (which we had to buy a new TV to accommodate). And we had a live tree that we bought from a reformed drug addict who was selling them outside the Rite Aid on Grand Street. He brought it to our

Our newest edition.

2009-11-29T15:47:00.001-08:00

So many changes come along with bringing a baby into the house. We've done as much as we can to prepare and now with 40 weeks gone by, a new little bundle of responsibility has again been thrust upon us. We find ourselves having the same conversations we had when our first child was born. Challenges like breastfeeding, diapering and volatile sleep schedules will now plague us for the next

The Kid Whisperer

2009-11-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

So my brother recently alerted me to this recent NY Times piece about parents using techniques they learn from TV host Cesar Millan on their children. If you aren't familiar with Cesar, he's the man behind the mega popular National Geographic show "Dog Whisperer." So as you can see, the tips he's teaching on the tube aren't necessarily appropriate for junior.A year before we became parents, we

Swine Flu

2009-11-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't caught this, but many people I know have. There have been 3,900 deaths in the U.S. so far. Protect yourself. Wash your hands often, especially if you have kids. And if you have any questions regarding the current state of this epidemic, check out the CDC website here.