tinabot's Blog

The GOOD: Dragons. And lots of them. There's nothing more disappointing than reading a book with the word "dragon" in the title and then finding that there are not enough dragons in the story. The character Lessa is amusing in a vicious sort of way, and it is pretty cool that a slave girl saves the world. 

The BAD: The plot is sound but a little too convenient. Revelations didn't seem to strike me as revealing. My reaction to major reveals was "Oh, okay, that's convenient." The relationship between Lessa and F'Lar the dragonman is kinda disturbing because the overall characterization of Lessa makes her seem like a "girl" in the teenage sense of the word whereas descriptions of F'Lar are like "man" in the mid-30s sense of the word. I think technically they're noted as closer in age, but the characterization pulls them apart. F'Lar always feels more like an uncle or father figure to Lessa, but they're also involved, so it seems a bit jail-baity. Also, their "romance" generally just doesn't feel substantial. They supposedly can barely be apart near the end of the story, and Lessa gets jealous at one point, but it just wasn't enough or believable. I couldn't get invested in the romance and it just felt forced. 

Bottom Lin: Great story for action, adventure, and dragons, but falls flat on the romance aspect.

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“I’ve signed you up for a Chinese language and cultural program in Taiwan for this summer,” my mom informed me in Taiwanese.I had just graduated from high school, and college was just a couple months away. Being a total goodie-two-shoes super nerd, I was delighted at the news. A summer of Chinese culture and language? Heck yeah. Immediately I shared the news with friends and quickly found out that others in my heavily Taiwanese American neighborhood were going on the trip. I waved the brochure around enthusiastically. Then someone asked, “So why did you decide to go on the Love Boat?”Read the rest of the article published on 8Asians:http://www.8asians.com/2011/02/10/the-love-boat-exciting-and-taiwanese/

Donnie Yen has been one of those awesome martial artists that have always had a solid presence in the martial arts film world, but with Jacky Chan and Jet Li always headlining, I've noticed it's pretty easy for the casual American viewer to pass him by, even though he's been the star of many films in his own right and has crossed fists with every kung fu film star out there. When I watched Blade II in 2002, for example, I cried out in disbelief when Yen was quickly and easily killed by mutant vampires. Apparently one of the only ones in the theater affronted by a such an easy Donnie Yen kill, I'm surprised I wasn't booed to silence as promptly I spent a good fifteen minutes complaining about it in my theater seat. At least he had a pretty sweet fight scene opposite Jet Li in the film Hero that same year.
Read more at the article published at 8Asians.comhttp://www.8asians.com/2011/02/02/ip-man-2-the-new-age-of-kung-fu/

Waking Dragons: A Martial Artist Faces His Ultimate Test by Goran Powell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I picked up this book at the right time.

My friends and I were working out preparing for a week of activities in Hawaii. Snorkeling, jet skiing, hiking, swimming...doesn't sound like much, but since we work and live a mostly sedentary life like ours, we'd only last a few minutes at each activity if we didn't shape up. So we started watching our calories and working out mornings and evenings. I started out with swimming a mile a week and worked my way up to four miles a week. We started losing pounds, slimming down, and getting physically fit. We even watched Rocky 1-6.

Waking Dragons is an autobiographical account of a regular guy living a modern life with job and family--the only thing is he's a passionate martial artist. The tale begins with his childhood judo romps and follows him from one martial arts school to another. He accumulates knowledge and trains his body over time, and the story culminates in a 30-man kumite where he has to fight 30 people, one every minute.

As I was reading this book, I related to it on two levels. First, I love martial arts, too. Although I haven't pursued it as seriously, I know what it's like to search for the nearest karate dojo or kung fu teacher everywhere I go and to try one school and then another, learning something new from each teacher and martial arts style. This passion and habit has made all the difference in my life. Second, since I was on this Hawaii fitness program with my friends, I was inspired by Powell's efforts planning his fitness and diet program, balancing the demands of life/work and fitness, and pushing against that wall while working out.

That said, I wonder how well a non-martial artist would relate to this book. I'm thinking if you're one of those readers who's into books about interpersonal relationships or romantic dramas or occult intrigue, this is probably not the book for you. However, if you're looking for a companion on your own journey towards fitness or someone who's experienced and pursued martial arts training, this book is one of the best martial arts literature out there.


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Since people are asking when the next Phoenix Mountain book coming out, I thought I would share my upcoming book writing projects that are in the works. Here they are in the order of planned completion:


Copper's New School - 40% complete


Copper's a little Taiwanese American girl who just started first grade at a brand new school. She's the only Asian kid in the entire school, and that causes her have a tough time trying to figure out who or what she is, but eventually, she travels full circle and finally comes home.

The Writing Teacher's Toolkit - 20% complete


Writing is an extremely important skill to master, but it's one of the hardest subjects to learn and teach. This book is a collection of practical strategies for teaching writing based on over a decade of experience teaching writing to students of all ages as well as on the existing literature on writing pedagogy, including a theoretical framework to help teachers understand and manage the complexities of the the writing process and human learning. Reproducibles included.

The Return to Phoenix Mountain - 15% complete


Qi script power is awakening all over the world creating panic and fear. Authorities start to take drastic measures to try to control the situation, and Kyle and Tai find themselves having to battle people who are using their qi script abilities for selfish purposes. They then find themselves summoned back to the world of Tian to face a new and unexpected enemy.

NIN - 20% complete


In a United Earth society with its central government located on the moon, Siraya is an average 8th grade girl from a unremarkable neighborhood who is accepted at the NIN Academy, the most exclusive high school in the world that is located on the moon itself. Only the best, brightest, strongest, and fastest are accepted to the Academy, and Siraya is the first from her family to gain entrance. Graduates of this school are destined to become leaders of humanity, but as Siraya starts her first day, she finds out that she's out-classed, out-run, and out-smarted by everyone in her class. Not used to being the dead last worst student at school, Siraya struggles with homesickness and failure as she tries to decide whether she's cut out to be a NIN.

COWBOY NINJA - 5%

In the old west, a young writer Eowyn and her older brother Aidyn find themselves surrounded by a band of outlaws. All seems lost when they miraculously are rescued by a mysterious young cowboy who throws sheriff stars like daggers and takes down the bad guys with super human fighting. Eowyn quickly puts pen to paper as she begins to record the tall tales of the Cowboy Ninja.

I can't wait to finish all these books ^_^

I ended up watching Chaos Theory because I was looking for another movie like The Proposal and I'm a student of chaos/systems theory.

What a pleasant surprise. This one had me cracking up and crying at the same time.

Ryan Reynolds really outdid himself in this one, bringing the main character, OCD afflicted Frank Allen, to life with a vengeance. I couldn't help by join the poor guy on his tragic journey of self-discovery while at the same time laugh at his quirky stress responses.

Favorite Quote: "Speech...my wife...the movies...tsh gah!"

My first impression of this movie when I saw it on billboards was that it was just a rehash of a same-old same-old tale of green card marriage scams, but I was interested in watching it because of Sandra Bullock. When I had chances to watch it, though, I didn't follow through, thinking I probably wouldn't enjoy it. Finally, while folding laundry one day and cleaning up my desk, I figured, what they hey, it's on my netflix streaming. I'll just let it play while I work.

This ended up being one of the funniest romance comedies I've seen. There were three elements that made it a great film.

First, Sandra Bullock is always fun to watch. She did a great job of playing a real pain in the neck, matriarchal boss and then showing the small emotional changes the character goes through as she develops.


Second, Ryan Reynolds was great at being the snarky and lowly assistant. The comedy timing and chemistry between the two of them was excellent.

Third, the writing and overall storytelling was really solid and very clever. Though the plot was old, it was regenerated in a new context with very interesting and likable characters. I especially like the use of anti-climax through out so that things get serious, but not too serious, so there's always a level of playfulness.

A supporting cast of seasoned actors didn't hurt, either.

My favorite line? "She comes with a lot of baggage." lol Gammy you crack me up.

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I hardly get to go to theaters to watch movies anymore, but thanks to some friends who have been long time Jay Chou fans, I ended up watching this one on the opening weekend. 
I went into watching this film with very low expectations. I didn't expect to be laughing and smiling the whole way through. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. This ended up being one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. 
The chemistry between Jay Chou and Seth Rogen worked out really well. Overall, it was great storytelling, cutting edge but basic at the same time. 

This article was originally published on ASIANWEEK.COMOn January 8, Yale professor and writer Amy Chua published an article entitled “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” in The Wall Street Journal. It caused what has been called “a firestorm of controversy“.Chua’s article has brought an important issue to light, though I haven’t seen it mentioned in any of the scathing comments I’ve read so far. I haven’t read all of them (3397 comments at the writing of this).The important issue is: What’s the point of all this achievement anyways?

In my shifting through standardized test data during my doctoral years, I noticed pretty consistently that Asian Americans tended to outscore their peers. This is even true when they’re compared to White students, who they either score close to or higher than. Apparently, this trend continues as seen in College Board’s Total Group Profile Report for the 2009 SATs. (To be fair, it should be taken into account that API make up only 5% of the nation, so there’s naturally a smaller sample size.) I’m not familiar with classical music performance statistics of Asian Americans compared to their peers, but I wouldn’t be surprised if similar results were found. Although I attended high school in a very diverse neighborhood, with almost equal amounts of Hispanic, White, and Asian students, the most advanced classes were always filled with Asian Americans. I think we had eight valedictorians in my graduating high school class, all of Asian heritage. I think it is evidence such as these, both statistical and anecdotal, that have lead people like Chua to think that Chinese American parents or Asian American parents in general are “better parents” since they produce more “successful children”.The obvious problem is that “success” is a very subjective and culturally/personally defined concept. Success to one guy may mean getting a job that pays six figures, buying a house, and raising a family. Success to another guy may be becoming a world renowned rock musician who is able to mobilize the support of a massive international fan base to help tsunami relief victims. To guy number two standards, guy number one is a total and utter failure, and vice versa.So, given some of the evidence discussed and to respond to some of Chua’s comments, let’s say it can be generally concluded that Asian Americans are, as a group and on average, 1) extremely good at taking tests, 2) getting good grades, and 3) playing classical piano and violin. Basically, the model minority stereotype. Of course, there is great diversity in the category of Asian Pacific American that don’t fall into these characteristics, but we’re speaking in terms of the general average of the overall group.Let’s take each of these achievements and consider for a moment what they are worth.1) Asian Americans are excellent at taking tests.As a public school teacher, I was asked by one of my Hispanic American students “Why are Asians so smart? How do they do it?”What a great question. Well, here’s what I think. At around AD 605, an Imperial Examination system was established in China in which people in China could study to pass a test and get promoted to a higher standing in society as a government official. The higher your test scores, the better your social standing and career projections. Clearly, much of China’s culture and knowledge were spread all over the Asian continent in major exchanges. Such Imperial Examination systems were established elsewhere such as Vietnam and Japan. It seems that Asians have been taking standardized tests for almost 1,500 years. That’s a lot of practice.All this testing and getting a better job sounds great, like America, right? All you have to do is study hard and you can climb the socioeconomic ladder to a better future for you and your family. Unfortunately, there’s more. I quote from Iris Chang’s book “The Chinese in America”:“But the most effective weapon in the Manchu arsenal was the imperial examination systems, which used civil service tests as a mechanism of social order, forcing all aspiring officials to write essays on ancient Chinese literature and philosophy…These tests created the illusion of meritocracy, of a system in which power and prestige were achieved not through lineage but through individual hard work and the rigors of learning…the examination system had the nefarious result of creating a society in which the Han constantly competed against each other for favor with their rulers.” (p. 7-8)So, while the kids of other American ethnic groups are writing books, painting great works of art, making films, creating powerful social networks, learning about life in the real world, and gathering in political activism, Asian American kids are communally if not individually pushed to spend entire summers strapped to a chair trying to master the art of the multiple choice question and, worse, feeling pretty smug about scoring higher on a standardized test score than everyone else.2) Asian Americans are great at getting perfect grades.I’d like to answer this with a personal anecdote. In my AP Calculus class in high school, we had this horribly incompetent teacher who one day decided that since she liked to see kids dressed up formally, we could get a perfect score on the next day’s quiz without taking it if we come to class dressed up. Basically put on a tie or some heels, and you get a 20/20 perfect score automatically. Many of my mostly Asian American classmates (this is AP Calc after all) complained about how stupid that was and how they weren’t going to play her little game. Following the crowd, I too defiantly stated that I wouldn’t be her monkey. The next day, I went to school in my normal t-shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers, and what did I see? Practically everyone from that class had dressed up, even the ones who had said they were going to be defiant and not play her game. Upset that I was almost alone in my little demonstration of defiance (one other girl out of a class of 32 didn’t dress up either), I took the test and scored 16/20, a B-. I was horrified and wanted to cry. Afterwards, one of my Asian American peers said to me “You’re so stupid. Why didn’t you dress up? It’s an easy A!” Luckily a friend of mine defended me with “At least she knows she earned her grade for real!” or else I would have burst into tears there and then.While being trained as an educational researcher, I found out that no respectable researcher wants to use student grades in their research. Teacher grading is just too variable and unpredictable to be a reliable measure of student abilities.So, this leaves us with the question, is the straight A student a genius or just a really highly functioning monkey? (Hint: The answer’s not a simple one.)3) Asian Americans are great at playing classical piano and violin.When I was studying Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan during my college summers, I often saw posters of young boys wearing black tuxes or girls in white flowing dresses holding a violin or poised at a piano. Clearly there was a market for people wanting to see prodigy musicians.When I watched the newest “Karate Kid” movie with Jaden Smith, his Chinese girl love interest was also an expert musician…at a western instrument.This phenomenon has of course leaked over to Asian Americans, many of whom were forced to learn violin or piano.“Asian Americans are great at playing classical piano and violin” can be easily restated to say “Asian Americans are only good at imitating music written by Western composers with Western instruments.”Now, I don’t want any Asian Americans who are really talented with and passionate about a Western instrument or musical style to think I’m attacking them personally, nor do I take lightly the skill it takes to play Mozart or Beethoven. But as a group phenomenon, the fact that most Asian Americans and Asians put so much value on being able to play Für Elise instead of High Mountain and Running River (one of the oldest songs in the history of the world) to me is evidence that as a group, we are not valuing our musical heritage at all.Conclusion:What am I advocating? Should Asian Americans start failing tests and dropping out of school? Should we all be ashamed to pick up an electric guitar or violin instead of a guqin or shamisen? Absolutely not. What I advocate is what Lisa Delpit inspired me to understand in her book “Other People’s Children,” that there is culture and politics in education. When we take the standardized test or receive grades, we should take them not with the mindset to gain personal glory or advancement. We should have the understanding that tests and grades are political tools used to sort and control us, that until this blockade is removed, we should beat it in any way we can, whether it is by scoring so high that nobody will have an excuse to close a door of opportunity on us or by encouraging views of alternative forms of “success” or by writing your first book before your 19, an accomplishment no one can deny you once you’ve done it. Instead of blindly pushing our kids to master Western classical music on Western instruments, maybe we can ask them if they might want to try the pipa or kulingtang. Maybe we can encourage them to create a musical style that is uniquely Asian American the way hip hop, jazz, rock, and latin music are credited to their respective ethnic origins. Maybe they can become composers of new and brilliant music.For all our high test scores and record breaking GPAs and award-winning classical music performances, politically we fall behind all the other American ethnic groups and are the last in line for the presidency.There are many reasons why we are in this situation, but at the very least, we shouldn’t be the ones making chumps of ourselves.So whether or not you agree with Amy Chua’s style of parenting (a style my Taiwanese Chinese American mom did not use with me), the important question for the Asian American is what sort of future are we really taking our children towards? Are we truly empowering them to be agents of freedom and change for themselves and their communities or are we only helping them learn how to enslave themselves further in systems of control?“Arrogance diminishes wisdom.” – Arabian Proverb