Daily Archives: April 11, 2011

All You Can Eat Sushi with Justin Chon

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All You Can Eat Sushi with Justin Chon

Justin Chon released a project that he collaborated with his friend Ben Jackendoff. In the comedic short, Justin Chon inherits an All You Can Eat Sushi restaurant with plenty of unique characters. It’s not so easy running your own business, especially when you serve up uni. (Who’s had uni?) You may recognize some of the cast in the short including Amy Davidson from 8 Simple Rules and Big D (aka Daryl J Johnson from Bacardi Commercials).

See Justin Chon in these other shorts : Turbo and Ktown Cowboys. Look for him next year in the indie flick Rock Jocks.

All You Can Eat Sushi with Justin Chon (contains profanity)

Don’t Let Anyone (Tell U No) by Shin-B

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Don't Let Anyone (Tell U No) by Shin-B

Shin-B released the song “Don’t Let Anyone (Tell U No)” off her “3 Choices” mixtape. It’s an inspiring track about overcoming adversity. The motivational piece provides a positive message.

Here’s a special note from the female rapper:

A song about not letting anyone dictate or enforce anything upon you. Ultimately, you are the one that’s behind the wheel. I went through a lot of b.s., but in the end, I’m thankful & grateful. It has molded me into the person I am today.

Check out these other Shin-B tunes: Gotta Move Gotta Groove, See You There, and Prelude to Point 9.

Don’t Let Anyone (Tell U No) by Shin-B

Violince : Episode 9

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Violince : Episode 9

In the latest episode of Violince, musician Paul Dateh collaborates with musician Jane Lui. The pair play a beautiful duet for Lizst’s Greatest Hits on multi-colored boomwhackers. Fun times with boomwhackers. Who keeps screwing up the piece? (You pay for it when you miss a note.) Can you guess the name of the Lizst piece they play in this episode?

Violince : Episode 9

Behind the scenes of Violince : Episode 9

Previous episodes:
Violince – Episode 1
Violince – Episode 2
Violince – Episode 3
Violince – Episode 4
Violince – Episode 5
Violince – Episode 6
Violince – Episode 7
Violince – Episode 8

2011 New York City Asian American Student Conference (NYCAASC)

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2011 New York City Asian American Student Conference (NYCAASC)

If you’re in NYC this weekend, drop by the 2011 New York City Asian American Student Conference (NYCAASC). The theme this year for the 5th annual New York City Asian American Student Conference (NYCAASC) is “eMerging Profiles.” Keeping in mind how new media has been a catalyst to many vast social and political movements today, they play on the wording “eMerging” to convey the dynamic processes of merging and emerging and opt to highlight tangible “profiles” rather than the often hard-to-grasp concept of “identities.” In these fast-paced times, blogs, YouTube and other forms of new media have been helpful in reaching across physical boundaries, increasing the accessibility of resources, and connecting with those that seek commonality and recognition. Moreover, they want to emphasize that this theme surrounding “new/alternative media” also recognizes that throughout history, when traditional media and spaces were exclusionary, Asian Pacific Americans have consistently showed creativity in forging new media through which to think for themselves. Social networking, both online and in person, has been the forefront in the ability to establish who we are as social creatures.

This year’s conference will be a place to merge different perceptions of Asian Americans, to reveal the clashes as well as the similarities of the many views out there. We will closely examine the multi-layered relationship we as individuals have with the term “Asian American,” by delving into what it means to be Asian, to be American, and to be Asian American. From there, we will bring to light our different emerging profiles and reinvent ourselves in order to educate, communicate, organize and build coalitions for broader movements of social and political change.

This is a FREE event with FREE food and drinks! Register today here. The last day for registration is April 13th at 5PM.

NYCAASC goes down on April 16, 2011 9:30AM
NYU Kimmel Center
60Washington Square S.
New York, NY

Join fellow Asian Americans in NYC from colleges and universities like New York University (NYU), Columbia University, Hunter College, Baruch College, School of Visual Arts (SVA), and more

2011 New York City Asian American Student Conference (NYCAASC) Trailer

More about NYCAASC
NYCAASC (pronounced NYE-SACK) is an annual gathering dedicated to promoting awareness of Asian Pacific American issues and history among youth. Based in New York City and planned by college students, NYCAASC offers a broad range of engaging workshops and panels that address issues pertinent to Asian Pacific Americans on local, national, and global scales.

Agents of Secret Stuff – Behind the Music

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Agents of Secret Stuff - Behind the Music

Composer George Shaw has been collaborating with Wong Fu Productions on several projects including Agents of Secret Stuff. For the Youtube hit film from Ryan Higa and Wong Fu Productions, George created an original exciting spy-infused soundtrack. It’s a hilarious mash-up of the spy and teen-drama genres, and the story revolves around a secret agent who must go undercover in high school to protect a girl. The soundtrack is now available along with bonus tracks featuring music from other Wong Fu films including:

“Funemployed” (starring Kevjumba), is a whimsical web series about two friends’ journey through unemployment as they discover what their friendship and chasing dreams really mean.

“These Four Walls,” a poetic short film which journeys through picturesque Italian landscapes and scenery to question the endless possibilities the world has to offer when we step outside our comfort zone.

“Technology Ruins Romance” examines how difficult romantic situations, portrayed in movies and stories of the past, can be in the modern digital age.

“Up In Da Club” is a comedic series about the clubbing scene.

“Just a Nice Guy” is a 3-part mini-series dealing with the frustration of being a nice guy and single.

You can get the soundtrack for Agents of Secret Stuff along with bonus tracks here.

Agents of Secret Stuff – Behind the Music

Baja Fresh CEO David Kim on Undercover Boss

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Baja Fresh CEO David Kim on Undercover Boss

In the latest episode of Undercover Boss, David Kim (CEO of Baja Fresh) goes undercover to make sure the customer service provided is keeping up with the fast growth of the company. While working in the field, he hopes to uncover potential problems and recognize the people who solve those problems everyday. Not only does he get first hand experience at one of the nation’s largest restaurant chains, but he also connects with the employees who make his company run.

Here’s a statement from Baja Fresh CEO David Kim:

“I hope you enjoyed the Baja Fresh episode of Undercover Boss. I greatly enjoyed working on the front line and learning more about our great company and the hard work that occurs daily. The Baja Fresh family rocks even more than I already knew and I saw our guests are very passionate about our food. I also learned that making a Burrito Ultimo is about as easy as cutting your own hair – I’m lousy at it!”

Jobs that Baja Fresh CEO David Kim did while undercover:

General Manager
He teams up with Jose (General Manager). The boss learns that there is much more to supervising than bossing people around. How will the boss react when tasked with the simplest job of mopping the floor? The boss will have to clean up his act in order to live up to the standards of this exemplary employee.

Cashier
He partners with Anthony (Cashier). Customer service is key when it come to working the register. Can the boss handle the pressures of a long line let alone remember what’s on the menu? The boss is also moved to tears as he learns that the hard work of this employee goes far beyond the job.

Store Manager
He works with Rami (Store Manager). Part of the manager’s job is to maintain the quality of the food being produced by the restaurant. Will the boss step up to the tasks at hand when it comes to the safety of his employees and customers? Will the boss watch as things heat up or will he take matters into his own hands?

Operations Manager
He collaborates with Carrie (Operations Manager). David Kim sees what it’s like to hit the streets as he heads out to set up lunch for businesses in the area. Is he ready for the lunch time rush. He also has an eye opening experience as he makes his first lunch delivery.

You can see the fill episode here.

Baja Fresh CEO David Kim on Undercover Boss

Spoliers:
Baja Fresh CEO David Kim knows what it takes to build restaurant empires from the ground up. And on the CBS’s hit series “Undercover Boss,” Kim showed America what it means to give back when he offered a Baja Fresh franchise (valued at more than $50,000) and personal mentoring to Las Vegas general manager Jose Manzanarez. The gift was among the biggest in the show’s history.

“America is the greatest country on the planet,” said Kim, who came to the United States from South Korea. “I wanted to give the Baja Fresh family a piece of the American Dream I’ve been blessed to experience. Giving ignites success. I tell our employees, ‘Don’t follow your dreams—chase them!’”

Baja Fresh, the fast-casual Mexican pioneer known for its fire-grilled hormone-free chicken and all-natural steak, now operates or franchises 255 Baja Fresh restaurants in 24 states and Dubai. David Kim said he wanted to go on CBS’s hit show to reconnect with employees and to ensure that the company’s passion for freshness—Baja Fresh maintains a strict “no can openers, no freezers, no microwaves” policy in its restaurants—is being carried out. The executive says he was extremely pleased with what he saw.

David Kim is known for his unorthodox leadership style. The author of “Ignite!: The 12 Values That Fuel Billionaire Success” and the CEO of multiple food brands, including Sweet Factory and La Salsa, Kim refuses to carry a smart phone and foregoes a cushy executive corner office, instead working out of a small cubicle alongside other staff at Baja Fresh headquarters. “People are what matter most,” said Kim. “Fancy phones and huge mahogany-walled executive offices separate leaders from what matters most in business—people.”

For his stint on “Undercover Boss” Kim worked with Manzanarez, Rami Mohammed Abuelhawa, a general manager, Carrie McCharness, a district manager, and Anthony Abinuman, a cashier. Like Manzanarez, each earned a reward from Kim for dedicated service to Baja Fresh: Abuelhawa of Mesa, Arizona received $5,000 toward his education and another $5,000 for a vacation with his father and a year’s mentoring from Kim; McCharness, based in Boise, Idaho, received $5,000 for her business-building ideas and $7,500 for her daughter’s education; and Abinuman, who works at the Cypress, California Baja Fresh location, received $15,000 to support his family and $2,500 for his uncle’s ministry. “I always believed in the benefits of eating well, being active and making contributions to the communities in which we live. But being a CEO has so much more to do with people than with business,” said Kim. “Going undercover merely reminded me of all the reasons I am so passionate about the Baja Fresh family and the guests we serve.”