It's all about me

In case you don't have the chance to pick up the paper copy of the Asian Reporter, you can catch my contributions to the My Turn opinion column at their website. My latest topics include hip-hop, a recent racist comic and the recent coverage of the Olympics (old news by now). Thanks for reading!

Legal Immigration path, illustrated

On Boing Boing I read about Reason's amazing poster they created that comically charts the "legal" path to immigration. Check it out:

Too hot to hibernate

Yes I've been hibernating. Haven't posted in ages. Way overcommitted this summer. Looking forward to fall when I can reprioritize my life. The truth is I don't have too much to report. Too tired, too hot, whatever. Thought I'd point to two of my current favorite blogs:

- Bitch Magazine recently launched their new website which looks amazing. Full disclosure, I am on the board so this is surely a biased review. But they've been doing such a great job with their blogs! They're keeping it real: interesting, thought-provoking, diverse. Stay tuned for more info on our 2nd annual [sm]art benefit featuring the legendary Judy Chicago and loads of other local and national art people.
- Angry Asian Man is always at the top of my list for excellent blogs. He's a voracious, cutting surveyor/analyzer of all things Asian.

On a slightly different, but still opinionated note - I recently started contributing to the My Turn column at The Asian Reporter. Check me out if you interested in seeing other stuff I've been up to...

Two, count 'em two benefits!!

In case I didn't get to spam you...

Two benefits I'm working on are coming up (in the same week, yikes) and I would love to see you there!

Benefit for Bitch Magazine
The Bitch Pub Quiz, Thursday June 5
Support what you love; come to Bitch's first ever fundraising Pub Quiz! It'll be a trivia-licious evening of questions, answers, games, music, and more! Quizmistress Toni Tabora-Roberts (yes, that's me!) will test your knowledge of women and pop culture with everything from general-interest questions to name-that-tune brainteasers. You'll expand your knowledge, get the chance to win some great prizes, and support the work of your favorite local feminist magazine. $5-$20 (sliding scale) per person to play--up to 6 people per team. Bring your friends, your competitors and some dough. For more information check out bitchmagazine.org or call 503-282-5699. Thursday, June 5, 6 p.m., Vita Cafe, 3024 NE Alberta, Portland.

Benefit for KBOO
Pink Martini Fundfest 2008 June 3-6 at the Crystal Ballroom
KBOO is one of the lucky beneficiaries of this year's Pink Martini FundFest! Each year Pink Martini does a series of concerts to benefit four local non-profits. If you are interested, or if you'd like to tell other potentially interested folks about this great opportunity to support KBOO, let us know. The goal for this event is to raise $80,000 total or $20,000 for each of the four non-profits and 100% of the net proceeds go directly to the organizations.

In addition to the main concerts, there is a very special Patron Reception happening on Friday June 6 from 6-8pm at Lola's Room. Pink Martini's band leader Thomas Lauderdale will play Gershwin's Rhapsody while folks mix and mingle with the band. Tickets are $100, $55 of which is tax-deductible. Patron ticket includes a ticket to the main concert at 8pm and is available directly through KBOO or Ticketmaster.

Of course, you can also support us by attending one of the main concerts. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Those tickets are available through the Crystal Ballroom box office or through Ticketmaster.

More details about this event are available at kboo.fm.

Clowns Without Borders rocks!

Our friends jesikah and Thom were in town this weekend and fortunately they were very enthusiastic about joining us for the annual Clowns Without Borders benefit show at daVinci Arts Middle School.

Our good friend Sarah (who just finished her fabulous Nomadic Theatre show Running Into Walls which I wrote about in my previous post) was one of the main organizers and it was a truly wonderful show.

I remember last year's being a smidge too long (okay, a lot too long). This year most of the acts got the clue and brought some really fun, clever performances. In my humble opinion I would say that most of the acts took some great leaps and bounds in evolving their work over the past year. Notables for me were Nomadic, Nanda (an energetic, amazing acro-performance troupe), and another act (can't recall their names!), a duo who did clown, juggling and some funny stuff with a bowling ball, some of it in lovely pink tutus.

Something so RIGHT, and one RWONG

This week I'm writing to recommend two FABULOUS shows. The first is a wonderful, imaginative, hilarious, poignant clown show featuring my good friend Sarah in her company Nomadic Theatre Co. The show is called Running Into Walls. If you've never seen a clown show (and I'm NOT talking Ringling Brothers) this is a great introduction into that delightful world. The story follows two very close clown friends as they take a strange journey to confront mortality. Wonderful physical comedy, engaging performances, touching story. Plus, you'll find out the origins of the word "muffin" and what the word "Himalaya" means. The show runs through April 27 at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont, Portland.

Next is Roberta Wong's art exhibit at IFCC gallery in North Portland. If you've never been there it's a pretty darn cool space. She's showing some of her installation work from the past 2 decades and it's all still extremely relevant stuff exploring race, gender, history and identity. I wrote about Roberta's show in The Asian Reporter so check out my story. The exhibit runs through April 26.

Movie quotes meme, inspired by hambox

Okay I admit I first had to figure out what a meme was. Wiktionary defines it as:

Any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. Examples include thoughts, ideas, theories, practices, habits, songs, dances and moods and terms such as race, culture, and ethnicity.

A cultural virus of sorts. So, here's my movie quotes meme, inspired by my friend hambox who go it from spark and foam who got it from Life in Scribbletown and so on...

The rules:

• Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
• Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie.
• Post them on your blog for everyone to guess in the comments.
• Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
• GUESSERS: NO Googling/using IMDB search functions. I mean, you can cheat if you want, but all that would do is make you win. Where's the fun in that?
• One movie guess per human allowed in the comments, but email me with additional guesses, if you like.
  

The Quotes:

1. "Oh, you think you're hot shit 'cause you get to sit over there and play Pictionary, well guess what? My five year old daughter could do that and let me tell you, she's not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed." Rico's good he got 2 of the quotes. I'll credit him for both cuz he's my bro. This one's Juno .
2. "Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place." Rico's done it again. Breakfast Club, baby.
3. "My embarrassing admission is I really like that you're nice, right now."
4. "I've been trying to write her a poem, but I can't seem to finish it. What rhymes with 'glass'?"
5. "Great pate, mom, but I gotta motor if I wanna be ready for that party tonight."Nice get Ms Polly! Great line from Heathers
6. "Oh, I just think I'm gonna barf... Well, that passed. Now I'm hungry again."
7. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." That's Princess Bride of course. Ms. Becky was quick on that draw.
8. A: "Would you like another schnitzengruben?" B: "No, thank you. Fifteen is my limit on schnitzengruben." Thanks for playing FreshHell! Blazing Saddles is correct.
9. "I don't care what you believe in, just believe in it."
10. A: "Is life always this hard, or is it just when you're a kid?" B: "Always like this."