M.J. Wyn, a successful sportswriter with dreams of interviewing the likes of Michael Jordan and other superstars of the sports world, finds herself in the middle of the male dominated industry and attempts to break stereotypes to obtain her goals; Alex Kwan, a very competitive lawyer, finds herself questioning her morals and limits to succeed where men are recognized as superior negotiators; Lin Cho, a wealthy stock broker and member of a highly successful investment team, has to decide on accepting the challenge of working in London or staying in New York with the possibility of true romance within view. All three woman are successful, all three are Chinese, and all three fight the same stereotypes in their respective industries but can all three still achieve their desires, their dreams, and yet keep their personal connections intact?
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Tags: blossom kan, book, china dolls, michelle yu, review, stereotypes

Hah! Here’s a little post I’m going to write with Jason in mind!

You know how Japanese girls are obsessed with cuteness, and how Asian girls in general are obsessed with bigger eyes. First, we had stick-on eyelashes, and way too much eyeliner, followed with eyelid surgery, glue and stickers. Then there was that short lived Korean contact lens craze, that turned your irises into one big black solid thing of blackness.

Now, the Japanese have gone one step ahead of that, and have created Anime Eyes! Yay! Extra irises for everyone!
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Tags: anime, anime eyes, big eyes, Japanese girls

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2008/09/05/samurai_girl_fights_with_might/

I watched this miniseries this weekend all by myself in my living room. I was skeptical of it at first sight due to the murder of Jamie’s brother Jack Yang. I was like “oh here we go again, someone who could of served as a strong Asian male character was murdered within the first 15 minutes of the show yet AGAIN”. After that I wanted to grind my teeth out of my head. I proceeded to watch it moaning and groaning. Then I found out my mind was getting very biased, so I tried to make it as unbiased as possible.

So the plot involves what they call a “Japanese princess” whose destiny is written from a 500 year old scroll to become a sort of savior. She was adopted into a family that turns out to be warring with a rival Yakuza clan, equipped with a ninja assassin army. How many of us haven’t seen a ninja, samurai, or yakuza movie in our time? BUT it’s all about delivery. I feel that this mini-series wasn’t delivered well at all.

It left me feeling empty. I did enjoy some of the fighting scenes. I did not like the fact that her savior had to be someone non-Asian who happened to know all about the arts of the shinobi. He trained her to be such an excellent warrior. *rolls eyes really slow* Yeah, I’ve seen that before a blue million times. *yawns* What also pained me was that her “yakuza groom” to be was such a schmuck. He was annoying and uncaring. There was a part in the movie where he told her that he wished he was a better man. He said he was too selfish and weak for her. I was like omg! That certainly didn’t go over well for me with how an Asian male would/should be portrayed in the media. Her father was also uncaring and just about every Asian male on the show, save for her family’s driver, Sab Shimono.

Last mini-episode airs tonight.

Tags: abc, jack yang, jamie chung, japanese, martial arts, ninja, samurai girl, san francisco, yakuza

Taiyo Na, a 25-year old renaissance man of word, sound and action, released his first full-length solo album Love Is Growth in March of 2008 through Issilah Productions.

Influenced as much by Curtis Mayfield as it is Nas, Ben Harper or Chris Iijima, Love Is Growth is a blend of gritty New York hip-hop and classic American soul. Featuring collaborations with singers Vudoo Soul, Conchita Campos and Emily C. Chang, rapper/producer Koba, jazz violinist Jason Kao Hwang, guitarists Minimum Tek of Outernational and Mark Concerto of P.I.C. and more, the album is composed, arranged and produced entirely by Taiyo. Socially conscious, often funky and always personal, the album showcases the artist’s urgency, scope and depth through songs such as the champion’s anthem title track, the pulsating introduction “One More Time” and the ethereal rock-soul ballad “Take My Breath Away.”
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Tags: acoustic, asian american, beau sia, blues, emcee, Entertainment, hip hop, ishle yi park, music, new york, poetry, Singer, songwriter, Soul, taiyo na

Please note: that I had to transcribe what she stated and the question marks are in regards to an uncertainty to a word or phrase.

Thai: Tell me something about this association.

Chiang: This association is international which is over head quarters in Taiwan. Also international we have headquarter in United States in Los Angeles call the Shi Li Temple. This belongs to Fung Wan Shan and the Fung Wan Wai in Chinese we said. In New York each state we have a [?] which is Buddha’s Light International Association. So I am the President of the Manhattan sub-chapter. So today we just joined the Asian Pacific Heritage Cultural Fesitval. We put this Buddha Gazebo most pretty one I think in this festival and attract many many people’s attention. Doesn’t matter if they are Buddhist or all kind of religion. They come here to face the Buddha and seeking for blessing. We were told them what is the basic meaning, which means you use the water to purify the [salt?] your heart your mind and get Buddha’s blessing we all need in this world.
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Tags: association, buddha, buddhism, buddhist, Chiang, Chiao, Chun, Chun-Chiao, Helen, int'l, international, interview, light, manhattan, new york, NY, President, Sub-Chapter

Mahvish Rukhsana Khan is an American lawyer, born to immigrant Pashtun parents in Michigan. While persuing a law degree at the University of Miami, she became enraged by the illegal detainment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Having grown up listening to her mother tell her “Now is not the time to be complacent,” Khan felt compelled to help any way she could. With her fluency in Pashto and a familiarity with Afghan cultures and customs that no other “habeas” lawyer with security clearance had, she was quickly taken on as an interpreter for Afghan detainees. Six months later, in January 2006, Khan was on her way to Guantanamo Bay. Her role with the detainees quickly developed. She began providing supervised legal counsel and traveled to Afghanistan to find exonerating evidence for prisoners.
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Tags: afghani, freedom, guantanomo, law, lawyer, pashto, prisoners, san diego, victim, war

Christopher D. Vu admits as a child, he was jealous of children who received music lessons. It seems that soul filled music was always deeply embedded within his heart. While fully enrolled as an engineering student at MIT, Vu joined a a-cappella group called the MIT Logarhythms. This extracurricular activity of stage performances helped fuel his fire for musical experience and touring with the MIT group proved to be very rewarding. Soon he purchased a digital piano, teaching himself how to play and write music. It was attending an Alicia Keys concert that inspired him along the path of a musical career.
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Tags: American Idol, Kollaboration, music, Singer, Soul, Vietnamese, Vudoo Soul

As we gear up for our launch party during Fashion Week we’d like to share with you some juicy details about what we have planned for the night.

We will be featuring a stage area for models (male AND female!) to strut their stuff for the chance to win some fabulous prizes! Photographers will be able to shoot front and center within the VIP section, giving them the opportunity to expand their portfolios and showcase their skills as well (with the best being featured on GirlyBubble afterwards).

The goal is to bring together all kinds of stylish, fun, fashion-loving people together for a night of mingling and partying, but with the added twist of a Model Showdown, so everyone should be looking extra fly that night! We have lots of great gifts in the works from sponsors such as the Bacardi, Rubin Museum of Art, Lee’s Rehab, Viva Salsa Dance Studio, and more… I’m already trying to think of ways to sabotage my own party so I can think of ways to win these goodies for myself heh ;)
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Tags: bacardi, bloggers, lee rehab, models, nyc fashion week, party, party for a cause, photographers, prizes, rubin musuem, the plumm, viva salsa dance studio

Hello Fellow Humans!

In the words of Super Mario “Woo Hoo!!” How is life treating everyone? Where can I begin about myself… I am attending graduate school and going for a Master of Science in Library and Information Science with an Archives Management Concentration and I hope to become an Archivist.

Along with being a student I am a Ningin blogger. I hope on this blog I will be able to fulfill a dream one in which involved Chinese Hip Hop. My goal is to write or document the process and life of Chinese Hip Hop. As an undergraduate I did a presentation in my African American Music class. I chose that music genre, because I believe that it involves a hybrid of a western music genre and Chinese culture. I have grown interest in it from listening to the music of Jin’s ABC album. It spoke to me like no other music has. Because of an influential album and the music genre, I would like to continue my study and interest in Chinese Hip Hop.

Welcome to Ningin.com and I hope you will enjoy reading my blog. Peace out! ~BONK!~ m(_ _)m ZZzzz
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Tags: blogger, chinese, dream, hip hop, jin, linda thai, new, ningin, super mario

I don’t know how many of you at Ningin have actually listened to this single yet. Well, for my first review, I wanted to do a review on one of the things I’m most knowledgeable on, music. 

Tracklist:

1. “Truth”

2. “Kaze no Mukou e”

3. “Smile”
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Tags: arashi, jpop, kaze no mukou e, review, single, smile, truth