Asians Should Take Advice from Beyoncé's "Formation" Performance

Beyoncé, with the release of her "Formation" music video and performance at the Super Bowl, basically said, "Excuse me, white stage director, outfit my dancers with Black leather tops and shorts, black platform boots, black fishnet stockings, and black berets. They will be keeping their hair natural. Oh, and one other thing - replace the white dancers with Black dancers."

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Beyoncé made sure that her music video got released the day after Trayvon Martin's birthday and a day before Sandra Bland's birthday, on February 6, 2016. Beyoncé commemorated the 50th anniversary of the origin of the Black Panther Party. In Black History Month. During this significant election year. In concurrence with the momentous #BlackLivesMatter movement. And on the most populous day for white folks to be glued to their TV screens, Beyoncé showcased her Black anthem during Super Bowl's halftime show.

Beyoncé unapologetically, single-handedly slapped Blackness, Black Pride, and #BlackLivesMatter in the faces of every mainstream media outlet known to humankind. Beyoncé proclaims her endearment for her negro-Creole mixed heritage, Blue Ivy's natural coily hair, and "Jackson Five nostrils". Beyoncé inspires Black people to love everything about their Blackness, so much so that she made me love my boo's Blackness even more than I thought possible.

While Beyoncé brought Black people up, I cannot help but wonder, "Where are the Asians bringing other Asians up?"

Where are the Asians encouraging other Asians to love our distinct almond-shaped eyes, compact noses, and darker-than-pale skin tone? Where are the Asians showing that an appreciation for their own heritage and culture is a wonderful and cherished sentiment? Where are the Asians assuring other Asians that dating another Asian does not remove you as an outcast? Where are the Asians inspiring other Asians to pridefully love their Asian-ness? 

More often than not, I see us Asians sitting quietly on the sidelines, merely wishing and hoping that our days of unabashed pride would come. Unfortunately, not taking actions ourselves equates to us raising white flags of surrender to our current predicament of empty self-love. Instead of wishing upon a wishing star, we should follow in Beyoncé's footsteps and lift one another up. 

My Experience Coordinating a PowerBall Lottery Jackpot Pool

With the $800 million Powerball lottery jackpot drawing on Saturday, I decided I need to get a piece of this action! So, I asked people at work if they were interested in pooling our funds together to purchase the tickets in order to increase our already minuscule odds at winning.

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Basically, the game plan goes like this. Say, 50 people chip in $2 apiece for a total of $100, which gets us 50 entries (1 entry is $2). So, instead of going solo and having my chance at 1 out of 200,000,000, it's now 50 out of 200,000,000. Yeah, I  know. Like that extra 49 entries are going to help.

I get it. But, I am a half-full kind of guy, so having 50 chances is better than just having one chance. And who knows, if we get that winning ticket, I'll be the last one laughing.

So, anyway, back to the original point (sorry, I got a little sidetracked).

I got a few coworkers to participate, whom got excited and reached out to other coworkers, whom were mostly white. We gathered a good number of participants (don't even ask me how many, 'cause I lost count). A brief while later, I bumped into one of my coworkers, a Black woman, in the break room, and asked if she was participating in the Team Lotto pooling.

Her: What?! I wasn't notified of the lotto pooling.

Me: Really?! (How did nobody not include her on this grand opportunity?! I mean, the other coworkers who I told first who went to tell others happen to reach people who were basically sitting all around her. I mean, left, right, up, and down the aisles. I was so surprised.)

Me: Well, I'm glad I reached you, 'cause it's not too late. (Then I described to her how we're going about this.)

If we were to win the $800 million lotto and had not reached out to our Black coworker that day, she wouldn't have been able to cash in on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'm glad I reached out to her, and that she's in Team Lotto.

At the end of our conversation, I couldn't help but wonder if, during the course of our recruitment process, we somehow reached out to white people in preference to Black people to join in on Team Lotto.

And more importantly, on the larger scale, how often are Black people overlooked for opportunities that they could have obtained? Team Lotto? Job opportunities? Promotions? Pay raises? Apartment rental approvals? Offer being accepted for a home? Dating? Modeling contracts? 

What can we do, as a society, to be more inclusive of  Black people, so that they too, can join in on the fun of a pooled lotto, even if we don't hit it big? 

As an Igbo proverb says: 

"If I am in heaven, then my brother has no business in hell."

P.S. - If you win the lotto, what are the top 3 things you would do?  

19 Dark Skinned Women That Will Make You Crave For More!

Let's face it. Dark chocolate women don't get as much love as the caramels, milk chocolates, and white chocolate women. It is a damn shame, 'cause the dark chocolate crave is REAL!

So...

Gents, lock your bedroom doors and whip out the lotion!

Ladies, ditch the skin-whitening cream, or, if you are into other women, whip out your toys!

Because, I guarantee you that these women will make you crave the 70%!

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1. Yaya Dacosta

2. Nia Long

3. Heather Headley

4. Adaora Akubilo

5. Arlenis Sosa Peña 

6. Damaris Lewis 

7. Tomiko Fraser Hines

8. Geidy Mena Cuesta 

9. Kiara Kabukuru

10. Kenia Martinez 

11. Veronique Boubane

12. Lydia Marsha 

13. Chavoy Gordon

14. Philomena Kwao

15. Lupita N’yong’o 

16. Isabel Correia 

17. Joelle Kayembe  

18. Danai Gurira

19. Michelle Obama

Who are your top 3? Any dark chocolates I am missing? 

4 Cheap, Time-Saving, Thoughtful Valentine's Day Ideas for your Asian Boyfriend!!

So, you (an attractive, down-to-Earth, 12/10, non-Asian girl) snatched yourself an Asian boyfriend. It's exactly 3 days before the big V-Day (no, not vaginal copulation day). You're on a tight budget, and you're as busy as a bumblebee studying Biochemistry at UCLA, bar-tending at the local bar, and volunteering at the Humane Society. You want to make Valentine's Day special for your boyfriend. 

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Your heart's pounding. You are freaking out as you are reading this blog post. "SOMEONE GIVE ME A MIRACLE OR MY BOYFRIEND'S GOING TO DUMP ME!!" you scream to yourself (yes, I can hear you from here). First, he's not going to dump you. Second, fear not, 'cause "Asian"-man (da-dada-daa!...yah, I know, corny) has got you covered!

Why the Following 4 Ideas
Asian men have long been marginalized by Western mainstream media as weak, effeminate, asexual, and unattractive, among other things. Western mainstream media outlets also continually undermine many different Asian cultures. The perpetuation of these negative stereotypes and inaccurate cultural portrayals seep into many people's minds, ingraining in them the idea that these representations of Asian men and their culture are accurate. Asian men, in turn, must try to refute these misconceptions and prove their worth in society, or risk losing out on opportunities.

Despite the negativity that surrounds your boyfriend, you can show him your appreciation of his culture, and empower him as a person. The following are 4 inexpensive, time-saving, and thoughtful ideas that you can put into action and make it seem like you poured your heart and soul into Valentine's Day!

1. Food

Tease your boyfriend's taste buds by whipping up his favorite dish from his Motherland, whether it is Chinese Fried Rice, Adobo with rice, Sushi with Miso Soup, Murgh Kari with rice, or Bibimbap with a side of rice (we can't get enough of rice!!). 

Why: There's a saying that goes something like this: "the key to an Asian man's heart is food from his ethnic group cooked by his significant other". OK, I kind of made that up. But don't be fooled by your boyfriend's physique. We may be ripped from head to toe, but we love to eat (especially rice)!! Don't believe me? Go ahead and tally the percentage of Asian Yelpers. Yah, go on.

To do: Find a simple Asian recipe, gather the ingredients, put an apron on, fire it up, and surprise your boyfriend with an ethnic meal when he comes home from work. And don't forget the rice!

Cost: Depending on the meal, it should cost less than ordering a three-entree meal from Panda Express.

2. Adventures

Validate the livelihood of your fiancé's culture by taking him on a date night to his town (e.g., Chinatown, Koreatown, Japantown, etc.). 

Why: Just by window-shopping the establishments that are brought in from my Mother country, I feel like I'm sharing a part of me with my significant other. What's more special than sharing a part of my culture with the person I love?

To do: Take a bus or car ride into town, take a stroll along the street, and ask your fiancé about things around town that may relate to his culture, or ask him to share his childhood stories.

Cost: $1.25/person for a bus ride (depending on the bus and if you have student discounts), and $5 for a car ride and the damn meter.

3. Movies

Empower your spouse by watching movies with him that portray Asian men in an attractive light and that showcase more accurate depictions of his ethnic background. 

Why: As an Asian man, I feel significantly more appreciated and acknowledged when celebrating my people and my culture.

To do: Become a Netflix member, or stream free movies on Hulu, Crackle, or YouTube.

Cost: $7.99/mo for Netflix. Free for Hulu, Crackle, and YouTube.

Movies I enjoy: The Walking Dead TV Series, The Raid: Redemption, Extraction (on Crackle), Slumdog Millionaire, Ip Man Series, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, The Tower, War of the Arrows, Shanghai Kiss, Mulan (don't judge ;)), any K-drama movies 

4. Gifts

Give your lover the gift of fashion to make other men envious, and make the females eye him from Fedora to Loafer over his sexiness.

Why: An Asian man's style challenges others' perspectives of him. And you get other women jealous of you, too!

To do: Look for a come-up at local thrift stores like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or DSW.

Cost: $0-$20 (I sport three like-new blazers for no more than $20, all from thrift stores. Like Macklemore says, "One man's trash, that's another man's come-up".)

What's in It for You?

So, there you have it, ladies. Ideas that can make your Asian man feel extra special! It may offer you a new learning experience, and you might receive a special something in return! *Wink wink* *Nudge nudge* It's not V-Day for no reason! 

Now, go get 'em, Tiger Mamas! OK, just kidding on that one. But seriously though. GO FOR IT!!