katta!

(i won)

I woke up this morning to find a phone message from my host family... while I had no problems reading most of the message, the part that I couldn't understand well was a large amount of names in Katakana. All I could understand was that someone or some organization had called me and wanted to go somewhere. Everyone had left the house, so I couldn't ask anybody what was happening...

It all made sense when I checked my e-mail here at the internet cafe. A couple of months ago, I had entered a bookmark design contest that I read about in the newspaper. Turns out I won... something. The Japenglish of the e-mail was a bit difficult to understand.

The bookmark:



The picture is the same of the cherry blossoms I took on this day.

Home in America, I never win anything. But for some strange reason, I'm a winner here in Japan. Wow, gaijin power...


...

...

...


...ummm yeah.


.:.


are you down?

This was posted on AngryAsianMan a few weeks ago (06.16.04), but it's so hilarious, I have to repost it here.

Are You Down?
The Code for Being a Young AA/APA/APIA/AAPI Activist

By Minnie Yuen '04, Margot Seeto '04 Wellesley College, and Lisa Wong Macabasco UC Berkeley '03 (guest writer of UC Berkeley's Hardboiled)

One point for each question answered in the affirmative.

1. You own a BlackLava t-shirt. (+1 if you have the V. Chin shirt, +2 if you wear it to Asian American events.)

2. You own a spoken word CD.

3. You are or once were a spoken word artist. (+1 If you performed in a skinny scarf and spaghetti strap tank top.)

4. You hate Abercrombie & Fitch and dog on Asian Americans who wear it, even if they bought it pre-boycott.

5. You think Yuri Kochiyama is totally rad!

6. You own an autographed copy of "Better Luck Tomorrow." (+1 If you were on the street team for BLT.)

7. You have a poster of one or both of the following: 1. Che 2. Malcolm.

8. You HELLA think that San Francisco is the center of the universe and the APA Movement.

9. You dyed your hair bright red at one point.

10. You protest the Euro-centric, hegemonic, patriarchal, heterocentric, capitalist petty bourgeoisie of THE MAN.

11. You are a "brother" or "sister" of the "The People's Movement."

12. Instead of saying "goodbye," you say "peace".

13. You have a Xanga, are on Friendster, and were a part of Asian Avenue.

14. You write your Friendster testimonials in Spoken Word verse.

15. You AIM name includes the words "Angry" or "Asian" or "Yellow Brown Power."

16. If you wear glasses, they must be the thick, plastic, black rimmed glasses to show the world how intellectual you really are.

17. You are an APA conference whore.

18. You cried the first time you heard "I Was Born with Two Tongues". (+1 If you actually cried and not just claimed you cried.)

19. You majored in, minored in, or helped start Asian American Studies at your school.

20. You only listen to hip hop and only really enjoy Talib Kweli or Dead Prez.

21. You have read one, part or all of the following: The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Fast Food Nation, Stupid White Men, or anything by bell hooks.

22. You're so underground, you're f****** magma.

23. As you chain smoke, you intellectualize how nicotine is the tool of THE MAN.

24. Every time you watch TV or movies, your Asian-dar kicks in. ("Look! Asian woman's arm in the back! WHAT WHAT!")

25. You mad dog Asian women with White boyfriends (minus 1 if you've ever had a White boyfriend; minus another 1 if you actually admit you had a White boyfriend, but you swear it was when you were really young and before you became down).

26. You hate on AZN Asians as much as White people, if not more.

27. You hate on Asian fraternities or sororities, but used to go those parties before you were down (minus one if you ever pledged an Asian sorority, minus two if you were a Little Sis).

If you scored 21 or more:
Congratulations, Poster Child de La Revolucion. You're so down, you're abajo. After finishing your manifesto and reaping vegetables in your biosphere, we'll see you at ECAASU 2005, fool. Paz.

11 - 20:
Poseur. What's up, poser? Put down that copy of Audrey and read Asian Americans: The Movement and the Moment already. Practice raising your fist and looking hard in the mirror when no one's looking.

0 - 10:
You're a tool of THE MAN. Proceed immediately to San Francisco and get a picket sign already.


.:.


I scored a 21... whut whut whut(thumps chest)! Makes me want to buy this t-shirt. Anybody wanna send it to me? heh.

On another note, as the writer of AngryAsianMan mentions... I feel like a stereotype. But certain truism about angry asian man do exist, I suppose.

There's not enough angry asian men here in Japan. If they happen to be angry, it's never about social r spiritual issues... usually it's things like their hair or brandname bags. Yes, men here in Japan are afflicted with handbag mania as well.

Any man who carries a Louis Vuitton handbag is not a man at all in my book.
posted by G at 11:21 PM   |

in?scrip?tion (n-skrip-shun)n.
1. The act or an instance of inscribing.
2. Something, such as the wording on a coin, medal, monument, or seal, that is inscribed.
3. A short, signed message in a book or on a photograph given as a gift.
4. The usually informal dedication of an artistic work.
5. Jeremiah 31:33