I will always appreciate the time you stood up for Asian Americans in film.

Thank you. ♥

I’m pretty excited about it. Last year’s show at the Orpheum was pretty off the hook and really blew my mind cuz’ it was just a whole ‘nother level from the past years I’d seen the show. Last year, also, I got to be a guest judge at the Acoustic show which was at the Ford Amphitheatre… and I was just super impressed with the quality of APA talent that’s out there now.

So this year, I am REALLY excited. It’s gonna be at THE SHRINE. A HUGE jump from the Orpheum! Wow. They have a very solid lineup including David Choi, Kina Grannis, Jazmin, Paul Dateh, Jane Lui… special guest performers including Jo Koy, Kaba Modern, Fanny Pak… AND they’ve got BoA headlining! This is so HUGE!!! What an accomplishment this is for Kollaboration! It makes me so proud to know the peeps involved with this great show…

And… there’s the afterparty… RIGHT NEXT DOOR… with a show right after the show! Roscoe Umali, Nylon Pink, and Tatum Jones will be performing! DJ Denkym will be on the turntables… complimentary drinks (oh my)… dang… this is going to be one unforgettable night (as long as we keep the drinks under control).

Wow. Kollaboration~ PK, Christine, Roy, and all of the staff: you guys are going to rock it tomorrow. I know it.

For those of you who haven’t purchased your tix yet, better get ‘em quick! Online sales stop at 3pm (PST) today: Kollaboration 9 Tickets

I just found out that a friend of a friend, DJ Hideo, was diagnosed with a Level 4 colon cancer. Doctors are saying it’s too late. Right now, it looks that it’s gonna take a miracle from above for Hideo to heal from this and I pray that one comes! Please pray with us. For Hideo, for his family, for his friends…

prayforhideo.com

I forgive you. And girl… I actually feel really bad for you right now. This class-action lawsuit? Super unnecessary, but if the woman’s making a statement, well, heck, she sure made it.

And well, you sure made a statement with that photo of yours, which once again, I feel bad for you, cuz’ I’m sure that photo was not supposed to be distributed publicly (the suck of being famous). So if you didn’t know before, you obviously know now that making the “slant eye” is offensive and you probably should avoid doing it again… especially when cameras are around. I’m pretty sure you didn’t need me to tell you that.

Now, you are still a teenager. That is another reason why I forgive you. However, you are also a huge star and probably a role model for many young girls out there (heck, my younger cousin loves you). Therefore, I would hope you would truly take this as a learning experience to better yourself as an individual.

That’s all I really have to say about that.

I highly doubt Miley will ever see this… but I am writing this because I just think this whole thing is super blown out of proportion. It was not cool what her and her friends did, but was she really trying to circulate that photo around and anger us Asians? I don’t think so. And I’m pretty sure it ain’t gonna happen again, at least not with her. Maybe this is the vessel to make a loud statement to the mass media… but seriously… a class-action lawsuit against Miley Cyrus for this? C’mon now.

For all you college/grad students out there, here are two great opportunities from Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP):

1) STEP UP!, the 2nd Annual Nissan Student Leadership Summit

Coming up on Saturday, March 7th! Featuring seven personal and organizational development workshops designed and facilitated by community leaders, this one-day conference will empower students to STEP UP! as leaders on campus, strengthen their organizations, and develop strong visions for the future. Come meet fellow student leaders from across California, learn new skills together, and organize for the years ahead!

2) Leadership in Action (LIA) Summer internship program

Interested in organizing for the community? Curious how life is like at a nonprofit job? Want to find all these things out while also developing your leadership skills and getting paid?

LIA is a paid eight-week summer internship that places interns at local, Asian and Pacific Islander (API), community-based organizations. Four days of the week, interns are placed in a range of API community-based organizations in order to gain real-life experience working at nonprofits. Every fifth day, interns come back to LEAP for leadership development workshops, panels, and dialogues with community leaders.

Program Date: June 22, 2009 – August 14, 2009

For more information about STEP UP! and LIA, visit the LEAP website, www.leap.org.