Tim Be Told Releases a New Video: Analyze

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Life gets busy. Anyway, Tim Be Told, an Asian American Christian rock band, just released a new music video. You can watch it here and even download it for free from their website:



I had heard of the band several months ago and a friend even recommended I check them out. I like their sound and appreciate the fact that they use people of various nationalities in their video.

Their talent agency, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, is one of the top agencies in the world. I am glad for Tim Be Told that someone at that agency believes in them and that their audience is large enough to be worth spending time and manpower to promote.

Here is their press release:

Tim Be Told Releases “Analyze” Music Video and Announces Free Music Download

On May 5, 2010, Tim Be Told released a brand new music video for their song, “Analyze,” off the critically acclaimed “From the Inside” EP. Watch the video now at http://www.timbetold.com/, where you can download the single for free and visit the newly relaunched Tim Be Told store. Using real people rather than actors, “Analyze” highlights the internal struggles we all face and the battles waged between discouragement and hope. The video, directed by Jonathan Moy, projects the band’s positive outlook, with hope winning in the end. Tim Be Told’s uplifting music has earned them a legion of fans across the country. They have been touring relentlessly as a client of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment and, in between the dates, the band is spending some time in the studio working on a new record!

For those of you that want to see Tim Be Told perform at your university next year, the band has a limited number of shows that it will be playing at college campuses. Therefore, send a booking email request ASAP tobooking@timbetold.com to reserve a spot. Don’t miss out!

See the band on tour live in a city near you and stay tuned to http://www.timbetold.com for the latest news and updates:

May 6 - Columbus, OH - BoMA
May 7 - Cincinnati, OH - Mainstay Rock Bar
May 8 - Los Angeles, CA - Panel at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
May 12 - Denver, CO - University of Denver
May 18 - Campbell, CA - World Mission Baptist Church
May 22 - Seattle, WA - APA Heritage Bash @ Ibiza Nightclub
May 28 - Wheaton, IL - WCAC Church
June 25 - Mineral City, OH - Alive Festival
June 26 - Nashville, TN - Lipscomb University

Ginseng Radio Launches New Asian American Programming

Ginseng Radio is an online radio station that focuses on North American East-Asian culture. It features music from Taiwan, China, Korea, and Japan; call-in shows regarding important cultural issues; entertainment shows focusing on anime, dramas, and import cars; and unique Christian programming. Instead of airing shows using radio waves, all content is accessed via its website and can be downloaded or listened to from your computer. Based in Toronto, Canada, the non-profit organization is a program of Youth Unlimited for Christ.

I eagerly awaited the launch of their programs the week of January 11th. So far, I am able to access three: "Brown Rice and the Boss, " "Bento Box," and "Mandate." Each show is about 50-80 minutes long and consists of the hosts conversing with one another on various cultural or spiritual topics interspersed with music. My favorite conversation dealt with Jackie Chan movies and Sammo Hung's television show, Martial Law, with Arsenio Hall. Another interesting topic was about how J-pop, or Japanese pop music, has gone mainstream with the rise of anime, which has fans from many divergent cultures.

The station is also sponsoring an Ugly Jacket Contest. Send in a picture of a really ugly jacket by February 14th and you could win a prize! They have cool tee shirts, caps and other Ginseng Radio merchandise for sale, too.

As far as I know, Ginseng Radio is a unique Christian organization producing content in English aimed at North American Asians. I look forward to more new shows in the future.

Laugh with William at Soohootoons.com

Sorry I haven't posted since Thanksgiving. As with most of you, the holidays sweep me up in a flurry of activity. I usually search the Internet for artists to feature, but I knocked myself on the side of the head the other day because the obvious choice flashed before my eyes on Facebook. I've known William Soohoo since high school and recently got back in touch with him through social media. His cartoons always made me laugh and I was glad to find out he kept up his skills through college and career days to the present.

William (or Bill, but I never called him that) is a scientist by profession and many of his cartoons illustrate humorous situations in the fields of biology, physics, etc. But as a Christian, he finds comedy in church as well. Under "Humorous Illustrations," a worship leader is spotlighted and the rest of the room is dark. The leader says, "Good morning church! God is LIGHT and in Him there is no DARKNESS. Amen?"

He also editorializes on current affairs from a Christian worldview, not in a mean mocking way, but graciously funny. Under "Physics," a picture shows the earth in outer space. Someone on earth says "...Mankind will create the BIG BANG which started our entire universe." A light shines forth in space highlighting the words "...BEEN THERE...DONE THAT..."

You can view his cartoons on the website (averaging 14,222 hits per month and growing) and even order mugs, mousepads and tee shirts with his illustrations. You may even be able to custom order an item. (But if you can't, don't tell him I said so.)

Thanksgiving the Chinese Way, sticky rice and all

As the holiday season draws nears, I'd like to post the very first article I got published ten years ago. Can't believe I've been writing that long. It appeared in the San Jose Mercury News. BTW, the Chinese characters to the right mean "Thanksgiving Day."

Thanksgiving the Chinese way, sticky rice and all

While I was growing up in the nineteen sixties and seventies, my family always ate the same dishes every year at Thanksgiving—but, oh, were they delicious! As a Chinese American family, we blended the best from both cultures into one meal.

My mother was very Americanized. She was born in San Francisco, but grew up in Alameda. She seasoned her turkey with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning and beau monde. These flavors mixed together on the skin formed a savory, crackly, pudgy texture. The most flavorful part of the turkey was the wing, because it was covered with the most skin. However, the very best part of the turkey, over which my sister, brother and I constantly fought, was the turkey wing tip, not only for the aforementioned taste, but because it also had the most fat and was good for gnawing. We weren’t concerned about our cholesterol as children.

My mother was also famous (at least in our family) for her stuffing. No one made it better than my mom. The aroma of the stuffing and the turkey roasting together was mouth-watering rich. Sourdough French bread cut into cubes mixed with cream of mushroom soup, celery, bacon, eggs and seasoned with thyme and sage---mmm-mmm, savory and pungent.

My Auntie Eleanor, however, made the Chinese equivalent of turkey stuffing, a traditional Chinese sticky rice dish called naw mei fahn. Her dish consisted of sticky bumps of sweet rice mixed with green onions, cilantro, tiny dried shrimps and Chinese sausage. I must describe the Chinese sausage. Salty sweet with big chunks of fat dripping out. The Chinese call the effects of the sausage yeet-hay—greasy, oily, fried foods that tasted so good, but were very bad for your health eaten in large quantities. It’s hard to translate exactly.

Homemade turkey gravy was the best--smooth and creamy. My mother claimed she made it the Chinese way. She put flour and water in a clean mayonnaise jar, screwed on the lid and shook it up. When the flour and water were thoroughly mixed, she poured it into a pot and stirred constantly. The American way, according to my mom, was to put the flour in a pot, add the water and stir. She said her way produced no lumps in the gravy. I never argued with her because, truly, the only lumps in her gravy were huge button mushrooms and tiny pieces of giblet and liver chopped fine. (That’s the only way I’ll eat liver.)

My favorite American side dish was broccoli casserole—sharp cheddar cheese mixed with cream of mushroom soup (again) topped with crunchy Ritz cracker crumbs drenched in melted butter baked in the oven. Oh yes, and broccoli.

One of the families that lived near San Francisco Chinatown was always brought a particular apple pie from a certain bakery in Chinatown. This pie was different from American apple pie in that it was flatter in height and the texture of the crust was drier and flakier. The apples were not as sweet and seemed more compressed. The fruit also seemed to have a matte finish rather than a glossy one. I like all sorts of apple pies, but this one is not overly sweet and the texture is unique to “Chinatown pies.”

After dinner and dessert, we were all more stuffed than the turkey was, and had lots of leftovers to eat for several days. More importantly, we were filled with memories of a joyful family celebration for years to come.

Malcolm Gladwell Discusses Asians in The Outliers: The Story of Success

Malcolm Gladwell is not Asian American, but he discusses Asians and others in his bestseller, The Outliers. "Outlier" is a scientific term to describe something that lies outside normal experience. Why did so many Korean Airlines planes crash in the 1990's? Why are so many Asians good at math? Gladwell theorizes that generational legacies have more to do with success and failure than we realize.

Because of Korean views of authority and heirarchy, Gladwell says, a co-pilot and flight engineer had to speak to a pilot in "mitigated" or polite speech, even when they thought he was wrong. The pilot was in charge, despite being tired or otherwise not at his best. They could do nothing unless the pilot told them to. So when bad weather, a minor technical malfunction, and a tired pilot combined, trouble ensued and crashes happened. But Gladwell also gives an example of a non-Asian country in which the people have similar views of authority and heirarchy and a high percentage of plane crashes. So it wasn't just an Asian thing. Korean Airlines has since changed the way their cockpit crews communicate.

Gladwell theorizes Asians are good at math because 1) it's faster to count in Asian languages like Cantonese than in English and 2) Asians persist until they understand it. Where do they get this persistance? From their ancestors who worked extremely hard at the complex task of growing rice. He quotes a Chinese proverb that says "No one who can rise before dawn three hundred sixty days a year fails to make his family rich."

Gladwell enumerates on many factors that contribute to individual success. Of course, a person has to be talented, intelligent, and hard-working, but those characteristics in themselves do not guarantee success. Outside factors which individuals have no control over such as birthdate, and birthplace are sometimes overlooked. Opportunities and cultural legacies also play an important role.

As an Asian American Christian, I can thank God for creating me the way he has and placing me in the time and place I live. I can seize the opportunities he places before me or ignore them. I have the choice to embrace generational legacies that help me and reject those that hinder.

Success can be a group project. In an interview, Gladwell said, "It's because of the contributions of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances— and that means that we, as a society, have more control about who succeeds—and how many of us succeed—than we think. That's an amazingly hopeful and uplifting idea."

Asian American Sports with Rick Quan: Interview with Michael Chang

When I found out about Asian American Sports with Rick Quan, I could hardly wait to share my thoughts on this unique website. Rick Quan is a Christian and had been a sportscaster in the San Francisco Bay Area for a number of years. In April 2008, he started his own video production company, Rick Quan Productions. With the sports website, Rick is doing for Asian American athletes what I am doing for Asian American Christian artists and writers--showcasing the talents of sometimes overlooked Asian Americans.

At the time of this writing, Rick has posted seven video interviews of athletes. Featured this week is Michael Chang, retired tennis champion and devout Christian. Besides enjoying life with his new wife, Amber, Michael keeps busy with the Michael Chang Foundation, a faith-based ministry.



Other athletes profiled are Oakland A's catcher Kurt Suzuki, Olympic gymnast Kevin Tan, basketball player Willie "Woo Woo" Wong, Mariners' manager Don Wakamatsu, tennis champ Peanut Louie Harper, and LPGA golfer Christina Kim.

In most of the interviews, Rick asks the athletes if they have experienced racial prejudice in their sport. Interestingly, very few say they have. Each of the stars also gives advice to young Asian American athletes.

I will definitely bookmark Rick's website and eagerly await the next interview.

Francis Chan's Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

The topic of the Holy Spirit can become a litmus test. What you believe about him either puts you in one camp or another. But Francis Chan tries to emphasize what all Christians basically believe about the Holy Spirit. He shows that when Christians truly allow the Holy Spirit full control, marvelous changes can happen. He says, "I'm not going to get all charismatic." Neither does he discount what charismatics believe. He respects what theologians on both sides of the issue have written.

Some pointed questions he asks are "Why Do You Want Him?" Do you have right reasons for wanting to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Do you want to draw attention to yourself or to God? Do you want his power for selfish reasons or to edify other believers? I must be able to answer these questions satisfactorily before God can use me for His glory.

Francis tries to make doctrine practical. Churches can produce wonderful programs, attracting crowds, but if the Holy Spirit is not present and active, what good is that? (I'm paraphrasing.)

Interspersed between chapters are stories of Christians who have submitted to the Holy Spirit and are greatly used by him. Some are famous like Joni Eareckson Tada and Francis Schaeffer. But most are ordinary people whose lives are filled with supernatural power from the Holy Spirit. I appreciate the fact he includes Asians and Hispanics as well as others here. Francis's writing can appeal to any ethnicity.

Fogotten God gives food for thought. More importantly, it challenges Christians to not forget the third person of the Trinity and live lives that reflect his indwelling presence.