“As September 11th approaches each and every year, the tension just builds up and the stress, sometimes debilitation. We never forget.”

Harry Ong is the oldest brother of Flight Attendant Betty Ong. Betty Ong worked on Flight 11.  She calmly relayed important information during the hijacking, relaying critical information, helping to identify the hijackers and leading the FAA to close US Airspace. The 9/11 commission called her a hero. Ong died when Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center.

I think is a particularly good time to remember Ong, particularly as Chinese Americans are considered suspicious in the current environment. Ong was a native of San Francisco Chinatown.  San Francisco named the Betty Ong Chinese Recreation Center in Chinatown in her honor. In addition, the Betty Ong foundation has been created to commemorate her. You can find out more about Betty Ong at her Wikipedia page and at her 9/11 Memorial page.

(photo credit: www.bettyong.org)

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You may have heard that Coyote vs. Acme came out recently after a long controversial hold when Warner Brothers wanted to shelve the completely finished movie for a tax write off. You not have heard about the very Filipino background behind this story. Asian Canadian Eric Bauza voices the Looney Toon Characters in this movie, as you can see in this delightful video from Pablo Torre Finds Out.

Eric Bauza is hilarious here. You can see him connect with Pablo Torre on a diasporic Filipino level at 3:19. Filipino Americans and Canadians will probably love it. That moment just killed Son Number 1, Torre, and me! Bauza was born in Scarborough Ontario, a heavily Asian city where my cousin and her family live.

Bauza’s and Torre’s discussion of how a greedy corporation shelved a movie about a greedy corporation also makes it worth watching. Unlike the movie Batgirl that was shelved, Coyote vs. Acme received good audience test results. A protest campaign eventually lead to the movie rights being purchased by Ketchup Entertainment for $50 million.

Will Ketchup Entertainment recoup its costs?  Maybe.  Some point out that Coyote vs. Acme benefits from a new phenomenon called a “buycott”. I have to say that joining the buycott is motivation for me to see the movie. In addition, the movie has earned a 96% fresh rating and also stars Lana Condor. We have put the trailer below. It’s in theatres now.

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When Pablo Torre told some people that he had started working at ESPN, they assumed he did Tech Support.  But this Pulitzer prize winning journalist is definitely not an IT Guy. I find the story of this Filipino American fascinating.

First, if you don’t know Pablo Torre (likely if you don’t follow American sports), let me give you a quick summary. He began writing for Sports Illustrated, and eventually started appearing on ESPN on cable TV. Torre’s story on how athletes go broke became well known and resulted in a Security and Exchange Commission investigation. He left ESPN and created a podcast and YouTube channel called Pablo Torre Finds Out. A series of stories on how Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers evaded the NBA salary cap won him a Pulitzer prize.  I have embedded the first podcast of his investigation above.

Torre didn’t start off wanting to be a journalist. His Filipino parents wanted him to be a doctor (so typical!), but he wasn’t good at science. Law appeared to an acceptable career route, but he tested poorly on his LSATs and took at job at Sports Illustrated as a fact checker while gearing up another try at the LSATs. He eventually became a writer there, kicking off his career.

I can appreciate his frustration at being thought of as being tech support because he is Asian. Sad to say, but I remember seeing him years ago on ESPN and wondering “who is this Asian guy and why is he there?” A few weeks ago, ESPN recently released a story saying that NBA found on evidence of wrongdoing in the Clipper case. It seemed to refute all of Torre’s investigations. Then, the NBA’s recent announcement vindicated him.

As an actual IT guy accustomed to being behind the scenes (like most Filipino Americans), I am amazed at how Filipinos and Filipino American’s are increasing in visibility. Tennis player Alex Elea comes to mind. Paolo Pasco too- another Filipino American from Harvard like Torre. For his part, Torre is working on other investigations. I didn’t know who he was before, but my sons put me on him.  I am now a fan, and I can’t wait for his next story!

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Photo by Angela Xu

By Angela Xu

This summer, I went to Japan for my summer break, making it the third consecutive year I had traveled to Japan. The years before, I mostly visited tourist spots, which were fun, but also crowded. On this trip, we decided to tour more hidden cities. This year, it was only me and my mom, and we travelled throughout Japan for about a month, heading to places we had never been to before. 

Photo by Angela Xu

Kamakura, which is south of Tokyo, was one of our first stops on the trip, and we headed to this iconic temple with a fish pond. This temple, called Hase-dera, is known for having a huge wooden statue. Unfortunately, we didn’t head over to see the huge wooden statue. I did, however, walk around the gardens and came upon a cave, which was dark and had rooms for praying inside. This temple contained many hidden surprises in every single corner. 

We also went to another temple at a different location, in an area called Enoshima. At this one, there was a long shopping street before heading to a mountain. It was steep, and at the top of the mountain was the temple where you either had to climb or pay to use the escalator which took you to the top. I paid for the escalator and found myself at the top of the mountain, which had many activities. The wooden signs in this photo are all wishes made by visitors. They were mostly wishes made by people for their family or their relationships with others.

Kamakura was mostly full of temples, but if you weren’t interested in them, there aren’t any other things to do. However, it is a beach town, if you want to see beaches.

Photo by Angela Xu

Just south of Kamakura in Shizuoka prefecture, Tokko-no-yu is a small village renowned for its hot springs. The oldest and most sacred onsen in its area, it has a rich history with legends about the village. I learned that one of the onsens was supposedly off limits for any one to bathe in, because only the gods were allowed to. I did go into a public bathhouse there, which was strange to experience. It was communal and different from anything in America. The water there is all extracted from the ground, so it is hot. There was also a temple nearby, with fresh hot water to rinse your hands and mouth before praying. 

Photo by Angela Xu

Next, we went to Nagoya, a city famous for its breakfast tradition and Toyota cars. This bookstore at the Nagoya Noritake Aeon Mall is also at the former location of the factory of Noritake, a dinnerware company. The factory was changed into a museum. 

While I was in Nagoya, I went to Sakae, a shopping district that was the most lively part of Nagoya, with bustling streets full of shopping, eating, and activities. I went to Yabaton, a famous miso katsu restaurant, and also bought some Bape, which is cheaper in Japan. There was definitely more to do there, because the more popular activities in the city were there. The Fuji Nagoya Science Museum was also there, and it had many locals, who probably visit the museum on weekends. When I went inside, there were a bunch of experiments inside which explained about different science topics, such as water.

Photo by Angela Xu

A friend of mine was stopping by Japan for only a few days, so my mom and I took a train up to Tokyo and met up with them at DisneySea. There are two separate theme parks for Tokyo Disney, DisneySea and Disneyland. My mom and I heard about a typhoon coming to Japan, and quickly rushed to Tokyo in fear of not arriving in time. We met my friend there, who had a plane that was delayed. DisneySea is considerably cheaper than California’s Disneyland, with tickets at just about $60 USD compared to $130 USD. It was well built, and the rides were intricate. However, it was extremely crowded, so the lines were all more than one hour and the rides were short. 

I had gone to both DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland before, and it was my second time to DisneySea. In my opinion, Disneyland had less people, with shorter lines, but DisneySea is still fun to visit and has more photo spots. Both locations have great rides, but if you wanted to go on more of the newer rides, DisneySea has more.

Photo by Angela Xu

I headed to Osaka after DisneySea, taking public transportation. If you go to Osaka, there’s no way you’re not going to Dotonburi.  There’s neon lights, delicious food, and ads in every corner. The famous Glico man stands near massive shopping streets for tourists. I won’t recommend staying there, because it is heavily crowded at all times, but it’s nice to look at the touristy parts and take a picture for your friends to see. 

Besides Dotonburi, I also went to Tenjinbashi-suji, which is Japan’s longest shopping street. It was more for locals and had many good eating places. I have gone there before in previous years, but this year many shops had sadly closed. There was a delicious barbeque restaurant, which I had gone to three times in a week. 

Photo by Angela Xu

Another tourist spot in Osaka is Universal Studios, which consists of thrilling rides, themed snacks, and shorter lines than other theme parks. In total, after 6 hours, my mom and I went on around 8 rides. The best one, in my opinion, is The Flying Dinosaur, which flips you onto your stomach. Riders experience what pterodactyls might have actually done.

Universal Studios in Osaka had different characters than the park in Los Angeles. In Osaka, they have characters such as Hello Kitty, Snoopy, and Elmo, compared to the characters in the US, which include Harry Potter, The Minions, and The Simpsons. There are more decorated foods and rides in Osaka’s Universal Studios park, but the American ones are also fun. I think Universal Osaka was more themed than the one in Los Angeles because it had more decorations.

Photo by Angela Xu

After Osaka, we traveled back up north to Yokohama, which is home to the Cup Noodle Museum, as well as a theme park near the shores. Yokohama is also famous for its Chinatown, which contains hundreds of Chinese restaurants. During my visit, I went on three rides at the theme park next to the Cup Noodle Museum. I went on a log ride, which was not very thrilling, and a mini rollercoaster, and a rollercoaster that went under water. It was a shame that the ferris wheel had such a long line, so I didn’t go on it.

Yokohama had many activities to do, and it is a port, so if you wanted to go on a boat or cruise ship, you would probably have to go to Yokohama. The Cup Noodle Museum is a little bit smaller compared to other museums, but does explain how Cup Noodles were invented. Lastly, Chinatown is slightly touristy, and as someone who is Chinese, their food is really good. 

Photo by Angela Xu

Finally, we left Yokohama for Tokyo. One of the most famous crossings in the world, Shibuya Crossing is seen in many shows. It is considered one of the most touristy spots in Tokyo, so you should definitely go there. As many as 3,000 people cross the crossing per green light, making it one of the world’s most used crossings. 

Shibuya is known for shopping and is very trendy, so there are a lot of people there, as shown in the picture. However, I still recommend going there for the shopping. In Shibuya, I also went shopping, and they had a lot of stores there compared to many other cities. Compared to the other times I went to Tokyo, there were less people this year, which was indeed surprising. 

My trip was mostly a combination of touristy and not so known spots. It was exciting to see how a different country lived in their daily life and to experience different versions of our everyday routines. Japan is definitely a safer country, but it is not really sociable. I would enjoy going to the theme parks again and Nagoya. They were places with great activities and enjoyable experiences. If I were to go to Japan again, I would probably go in a few years, and also go to other parts of Asia. 

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WalletHub has updated their ratings for the happiest cities, and Fremont is “Happiest” City again in 2026. Last year, we mentioned two other Asian American cities being in the top 3, but this year Irvine has dropped to 8th and San Jose has dropped to 10th.

Florida has no cities on the top 30 list while Texas has only one.  I have definitely heard good things about Plano in Texas. As we have noted in other “top city” lists with Asian American cities in them, the criteria for selection makes a huge amount of difference.

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After tuning in to the tournament this week, I noticed that 2026 Jeopardy Masters are mostly Asian.  Most are Asian American, with Juveria Zaheer being Asian Canadian. The contestants are from a wide variety of Asian ethnicities, ranging from Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, and South Asian.

For those of you who don’t know, Jeopardy Masters is tournament of six highly ranked Jeopardy contestants. They include current champion Yogesh Raut and past winner Victoria Groce. 2026 Tournament of Champion winner Paolo Pasco and 2026 Jeopardy Invitational winner Andrew He are joined by Juveria Zaheer and Long Nguyen.

While I am not the only one to have noticed the large number of Asians, I have not detected any backlash. I find that some of these contests are interesting aside from being Jeopardy masters. Juveria Zaheer is a psychiatrist, medical school professor, and noted authority on suicide prevention. Paolo Pasco is a two time American crossword puzzle champion and creates puzzles for a living.

The quarter finals continues tonight.  The tournament goes on through next week. You can catch the broadcasts on ABC at 8 PM/7 Central. Games stream the day after airing on Hulu.

(screenshot credit: Jeopardy)

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By Yung-Yi Chang

Dear Me from 2 Years Ago,

You’re carrying little more than a suitcase and entering a new world that you don’t know. You’re also carrying the weight of a new language in your mouth. 

No one warns you how exhausting it is to translate English into Chinese.

In your 9th grade year, you almost can’t understand anything in class, constantly feeling awkward because you can’t even answer a single question when the teacher is asking. When speaking in English, you always hesitate, and your voice becomes low and weird; this is why you are afraid of speaking to others. You work hard on your English and are able to speak to others after a while. 

This struggle feels heavier because you’re at the age when you are learning who you are and where you belong. Immigrating as a teenager especially makes people feel insecure but it will also help you become stronger. Not only will you learn a new language, but you will find yourself a new place in this world. I know it is really hard for you to be here in America, but this is where you find your strength. Each challenge here will always help you to grow despite being at such a young age, and you will be able to handle many problems by yourself and become a better person.

I know it is hard for you to be in a new and unfamiliar country, but you will try your best to fit into everything, from school to friends to culture. People will love to talk to you, especially when you do your best to make a joke, and it turns out that everyone will love it and laugh. 

You will deserve all your successes due to your hard work. There will be one specific moment that will show that you’re growing strong. During a group project, everyone will be talking about their ideas, and you’re the only one who can’t say anything–at first. You want to share some ideas, but are scared to speak out because English is not your first language. Finally, you stand up and share your ideas, and everyone agrees with you. After that, people start talking to you, and they find you interesting. This will help you feel more confident, something hard earned from all your efforts.

Attending school in a new country and learning a new language is one of the bravest things that a person can do. Feel proud that you had the courage to do it. 

One day, you will no longer be behind; you will overcome the barriers to improve your English to the next level. So live freely and don’t let the pressure get to you. 

You’re going to do just fine. 

Sincerely,

Claire 

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John Luk Story and Mall Strategy

Luk started off as an emergency room nurse.  He even worked his way up to becoming head nurse.  Then, after noticing the lack of Asian groceries stores and banquet halls in the Santa Clara Valley, he gathered resources and partners to launch Milpitas Square. While we liked going to Lion Plaza, Milpitas Square is a massive Asian oriented developed on a scale we had never seen before. It situated itself strategically in Silicon Valley’s Golden Triangle.

Luk focuses on two things for developing an Asian themed mall – an anchor tenant and banquet hall facilities. Ranch 99 was the key anchor for Milpitas Square. Incidentally, he was involved with Lion Plaza also. He also worked with an older center in Newark (not far from where I grew up) and brought in a Ranch 99 and a banquet restaurant.  I have been to both.

Willow Lung-Amam Paper on Asian American Malls

The history of Asian malls in Silicon Valley is an interesting one. The growth and evolution of these malls reflect the changing demographics and economic realities of Silicon Valley.  If you are interested in more detail, I recommend this paper from Willow Lung-Amam on Asian mall evolution in the Valley. Note that if you can’t access it, JSTOR provides an overview here. Lung-Amam also talked about some of the challenges to open Asian malls, such as opposition by local residents, in her book Trespassers?: Asian Americans and the Battle for Suburbia.

The John Luk interview and Lung-Amam’s paper resonates with me because I lived this history. These Asian malls are places near to me that my family and I still go to. The paper also discusses the challenges of urban Chinatowns as suburban dwellers like myself have little reason to go there.

One area that the interview and paper didn’t cover is how the catering to Asian customers doesn’t just happen at dedicated Asian malls. I have talked about how mainstream malls like Valley Fair and Stonestown Galleria have remained viable by catering to Asian American customers. Perhaps a future paper from Lung-Amam will cover this developments.

(photo credit: Nandaro licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.)

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