That’s right…Ben Huh will be in NYC ktown this coming Tuesday, June 9th! Hosted by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, Ben Huh will be talking about his online and publishing success.

Here’s a quick bio from the event website:

Ben Huh is the mastermind behind the Lolcats phenomenon. As the CEO of Pet Holdings, he runs I Can Has Cheezeburger? and grew it into the global purveyor of absurd cat humor that we know and love today. The book based on the site I Can Has Cheezburger?: A LOLcat Colleckshun has spent thirteen weeks on the New York Times‘ paperback best-seller list. Allergic to cats himself, Ben’s ability to pick which memes to popularize has made him a cultural icon. Pet Holdings now includes the popular Failblog, Pundit Kitchen, and Engrish Funny among its repertoire.

I love Failblog, and I Can Has Cheezeburger? is just so randomly entertaining. I think Ben Huh’s story is really interesting and inspiring. Afterall, how many people can say that they started a cultural phenomenon? It just takes a simple, genius idea to create an empire. Props to him.

And thanks to Warren for letting me know about this great event. He currently works at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. Check out the event flyer featuring his beautiful cat: 

They’re located at:

16 West 32nd Street, 10th Floor 
(btwn Broadway & 5th Avenue)

And yea, admission is $15…kinda pricey but I think I’m still going to go! The Asian American Writers’ Workshop also holds other public events and workshops throughout the year. Visit their website for more info! 

I’ll leave you with my absolute favorite pic from I Can Has Cheezeburger?:

Will it be Quest…or Beat Freaks? For once, these two crews are both SO talented.

My favorite of America’s Best Dance Crew was Beat Freaks. I love that they’re a girl crew that can represent and dance as well as the boys. Every performance, they brought something new to the table. But their routine on the most recent episode was…not up to par. Overall, they’re the most consistent crew.

Quest crew had a lot of buzz about them too. They always had the sickest tricks, but lacked a bit in their routines. Then the most recent episode…they were ON POINT. Even the judges gave them a standing ovation.

I have no idea who will win. This is def the best season in ABDC history. As for my vote…

BEAT FREAKS. (Girl’s Rule!)

The second line of Tokidoki for Hello Kitty is available for purchase off the official tokidoki site. So cute! I think this second line is much better than the first

Hey guys,

I just got back home from the sample sale! Tons of great stuff at VERY discounted prices. For those of you who haven’t made it out there yet, I took some pictures on my phone of the price list and available items. I will post them up as soon as I eat dinner! Check back later

**EDIT

So I stopped by around 4pm and it wasn’t too busy. They had so many bags in a variety of prints:

Sorriso Hobo

Magia Belt Bag

More backpacks

LeSportSac

The majority of the sale is bags and just a few jewelery items (none of the good pieces). Same with the clothing. I think they only had one t-shirt design available. Here’s a list of the inventory:

Tokidoki Price List

BAGS		Retail	Now
	Bacio Mini	$138	$55
	Magia Belt Bag	$158	$60
	SorrisoHobo	$158	$60
	Graziosa Sm. Messenger	$178	$75
	Carezza Handbag	$184	$75
	Amica Tote	$210	$80
	Creativa Messenger	$248	$95
	Abbraccio Backpack	$248	$95
T-Shirts	Men’s & Women’s	$33	$20
Hats	Women’s	$35	$25
	Men’s	$45	$30
Earrings	Logo	$30	$15
	Nana Star	$36	$20
	Adiosstar Charm	$36	$20
Necklaces	Vinile Red	$36	$20
	Storm Cloud	$36	$20
	Skull Logo Chain	$36	$25
	Nana Star	$40	$25
	Killer Candy	$42	$25
	Diamond Chain	$42	$25
	Pirata Pendant	$45	$25
	Punk Pin	$75	$30
And More	Key Chain	$25	$15
	Gun Dog Tag	$25	$20
	Belt Buckles	$45	$30
	Heart & xbones Bracelet	$55	$30

Artist in Residence for LeSportSac Price List

	Retail	Now
Field Trip Duffle	$75	$25
Runaway Duffle	$106	$30
Compulsive Shopper Tote	$128	$35
3 Day Weekender	$146	$40
Sleepaway Backpack	$128	$25

And here is the very cute bag I got! Donutella was the deciding factor.

Carezza Handbag

Donutella

Good luck shopping!

Woohoo. Sample sale TOMORROW! First ever in NYC for toki doki stuff:

January 22nd-25th, 2009

Thurdsay: 12noon – 7pm
Friday: 8am – 7pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8am – 7pm

Metropolitan Pavilion
123 West 18th Street
(6-7 Avenues) 4 Floor

Wholesale prices & Below Wholesale Prices

Sample & stock sale.The first-ever tokidoki sample sale! Over 10,000 treasures from the tokidoki bag collection. Handbags, totes, backpacks, messenger bags, belt bags and more. Come experience the cute and playful yet sexy and sophisticated world that is tokidoki! 60% to 80% off current and past collections. All sales final. No exchanges or refunds.

Thanks to tokidoki blog for spreading the word.

I am definitely going tomorrow. Be sure to get there early since sample sales tend to have long lines! I’ll probably stop by around 4pm, some random hour. Let’s hope most people are stuck at their full-time jobs.

I was just flipping through the channels and stumbled upon a music video playing on mtvU’s The Freshman. It sounded a bit like Jason Mraz, but it wasn’t. Instead, the singer was young artist, Justin Nozuka (half Japanese/ half American). He’s been writing his own songs since he was 12 years old!

Here’s his video for “After Tonight”:

**Edit: I can’t embed the video! you must click on the link to watch.

Pretty talented, no? Listen to more songs on his mySpace page.

I just stumbled across this great humor blog, My Mom is a Fob. It’s a user-submitted blog that posts content about Asian moms and the funny things they say and do. The blog itself describes itself as:

…the place to find solace in the fact that thousands of moms out there are as painfully nosy, unintentionally hilarious, and endearingly fobby as yours is.

After reading through some entries, I thought I’d post one of the funnier ones:

Black is the new black

December 26, 2008

looking at pictures of some asian girls…

stepsister 1: is that tiffany?
stepsis 2: wow, she got really dark!
stepsis 1: she must’ve gone on vacation or something, she’s really tan
stepmom: dark cool now, obama black!

It then prompted me to sift through some of my old emails from college. Here’s one of my favorites, from my loving mom:

mom: Hi Pui May,
I sent you the new health insurance card last week but
was returned back to me with address unknown.

me: What was the address you sent it to?

mom: 144 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02215

me: thats the wrong address…it’s 844 beacon

mom: I got it from your email dated 10/9.  You must have
too much drink!

See you,

Mom

I love my FOB mom!

There’s also a dad version, by the same creators, called (surprise) My Dad is a Fob.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

I’m just going to take a few moments to plug my sorority, Delta Psi Sigma. I spent the past few nights putting this rush video together. If you’re in college and are interested in starting up a sorority at your school, consider DYS! We’re relatively new, but growing fast.

Our goals include sisterhood, academics, social, and philanthropy. We’re also very culturally diverse–we have sisters that are Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Hmong, Spanish, African American, and more. And we’re also intercollegiate, which means each colony/chapter isn’t located an only one school. For example, our Boston Chapter includes sisters from BU, BC, Havard, etc. That way, it’s easier to meet and network with other girls who don’t go to your school.

Check out the rush video:

More info is up on our website: http://www.deltapsisigmainc.org

And if you’re def interested, please email our Expansion chair: dysenchante@gmail.com

Ok, I was wrong. This is even crazier than a Hello Kitty themed hospital. How about a Hello Kitty themed wedding?

Ok, seriously. Hello Kitty is only nice when used sparingly. This is just overkill. There is no need for your wedding to look like an amusement park. I feel bad for the husband…can you say, whipped?

There’s a funny blog called Hello Kitty Hell, “from the perspective of a hello kitty fanatic’s husband and the cute overload he endures.”

From his FAQ section:

Does your wife read this blog?

Rarely. When she does, I usually end up on the couch in the Hello Kitty sleeping bag.

What do your friends think of your wife’s Hello Kitty obsession?

They think “Wow, my life could be a whole lot worse. Thank your wife for making me realize this.”

Remember, a hello kitty obsession is okay when it’s in moderation. It only becomes unhealthy when it starts to intrude into other people’s lives.

You know how much I love Hello Kitty. How much of an obsession I have with this little character. But even I think this is a little crazy…

Hello baby! Hello Kitty welcomes Taiwan newborns

Mommy, daddy — and Hello Kitty — welcome newborns at a cat-themed Taiwan maternity hospital that hopes the Japanese cartoon icon will ease the stress of childbirth as well as boost business.

Newborns get everything Hello Kitty but a set of whiskers, including pink or blue receiving blankets, nurses dressed in pink uniforms with cat-themed aprons, cot linen and room decor.

In the lobby, a Hello Kitty statue in a doctor’s uniform greets patients, and twice a year people in feline costumes visit mothers and children.

The cat’s likeness even shows up on birth certificate covers.

Read the full article here.

It’s so crazy, I think this idea just might work. Great branding on the hospital’s part. A great way to make mommies feel at home.

–Source: Reuters