Another year. It's been a crazy one. I've been running this blog for a very long time, and I can safely say that this has been one of the wildest, weirdest, most heartbreaking, hilarious and anger-inducing years in recent memory. I've covered a pretty large share of tumult and tragedy. That said, I looked back into the archives and plucked out a handful of posts that I really enjoyed sharing, for one reason or another, in the past year.
In no particular order, here's a look back at some of my favorite posts of 2014:
Get paid to hang out and hug and play with pandas
Looking for a career change? This has to be the best job in the world. Earlier this year, the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Ya'an, China was recruiting caretakers. Job duties include hanging out and hugging and cuddling with pandas. I know -- it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.
Brooks Brothers is selling a pair of chopsticks for $245
It pains me to know that these ridiculously expensive Brooks Brothers chopsticks exist, or that somebody might actually pay for them, but I have to admit that writing this post was a lot of fun. Because I don't care who you are -- anybody who buys or sells $245 chopsticks deserves to be mocked with gusto.
File Under Badass: Gas station clerk thwarts robbery with mixed martial arts
Crime doesn't pay. In fact, sometimes it hurts like a kick in the face. Some would-be thieves in Houston learned that the hard way when they tried to rob a gas station employee... and got their asses kicked by a convenience store clerk who also happens to be a muthaeffin' mixed martial arts fighter.
"Royals" parody skewers Hollywood's sassy sidekicks of color
This hilarious parody of Lorde's "Royals," written and performed by actress Tess Paras, is a funny lament on the plight of being a performer of color in Hollywood, and enduring the cattle call of auditions for the limited chance to play shining roles like "White Girl's Nerdy Friend," "Oversexed Asian" or "Urban Girls with Flavor."
Congressman mistakes U.S. officials for Indian nationals
This totally awful and amazing moment is brought to you by the United States Congress. Watch this embarrassingly awkward House hearing in which Rep. Curt Clawson, a freshman Republican congressman from Florida, mistakes two senior U.S. officials for representatives of the Indian government. Oops.
Hari Kondabolu's Great Redskins Compromise
Whenever Hari Kondabolu turns to the camera and says, "Hello, I'm comedian Hari Kondabolu..." you should definitely sit up and listen, because he's about to drop some knowledge. In this video, Hari discusses the unfortunate name of the Washington Football Team, and offers his solution for a compromise. Literal red skin.
The Greatest Business Card Ever
Behold, regular business card holders. I give you the business card of Chen Guangbiao, CEO of Recyclable Material Salvage & Reclamation Corporation. It is, hands down, the Greatest Business Card Ever.
This Ferguson business owner is tired of Darren Wilson supporters and their bullshit
In Ferguson, Missouri, weeks of community unrest over the fatal police shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown gave way to tensions between protestors and supporters of Darren Wilson, the officer who killed Brown. So check out this one local business owner, clearly tired of all the bullshit, who interrupted a CNN interview to tell obnoxious (and racist) Wilson supporters to get the hell out.
Asians! Have you told your parents "I love you"?
Asian parents are not always the most verbally expressive when it comes to love. Getting a simple "I love you" uttered between you might be a rare moment. It's often shown in other ways. In this sweet video by Steven Lim, several young Asian Americans call up their parents to tell them "I love you" -- some, for the very first time.
ABC orders 'Fresh Off the Boat' to series
Few projects have had the Asian American community buzzing like Fresh Off The Boat. As hopeful as I was, at nearly every stage of development, I was skeptical that we'd ever get to see it on TV. But it's happening, and based on everything I've seen so far, this is going to be a gamechanging, groundbreaking show.
Jeremy Lin dunks on mom. And it's awesome.
Whether it's going undercover as a shoe store employee or pretending to be a wax statue, NBA star Jeremy Lin has shown he has a flair for pulling pranks. But this video, in which he dunks on unsuspecting loved ones for no apparent reason, is my favorite. Mainly because of the look on his poor mom's face.
Hey, Jeremy. Need a place to stay in LA? Try Craigslist.
When news broke that Jeremy Lin would be joining the Los Angeles Lakers, it caused quite a stir among LA basketball fans. Many wondered how Jeremy would fit in with the team dynamic. One local Chinese American mom just wondered if he had a place to crash. So she offered him a room in her house. Why not?
Girl Scout selling cookies outside medical marijuana clinic
Give it up for this savvy, enterprising Girl Scout who picked a prime spot to sell cookies: outside a San Francisco medical marijuana clinic. They say it's all about location. If you stepped outside this clinic, you got an immediate answer to your cookie cravings. Needless to say, girl made a crazy killing.
Poet Franny Choi wields words like muthaf*ckin' machetes
In this video, poet Franny Choi performs her piece "Pork Fried Rice," dropping destruction and laying waste to a cat caller -- the man who shouted "I like pork fried rice" at her on the street. A wordsmith's act of greasy revenge for all who have been on the receiving end of these countless ignorant-ass cracks.
Contestant's blind guess kicks ass on 'Wheel of Fortune'
Call it luck. Call it skillz. Call it being graced with the blessing of the game show gods. This guy solving a near-impossible final Wheel of Fortune puzzle with a crazy lucky first guess is the stuff dreams are made of.
Time traveling photographer encounters her younger self
Have you ever wanted to go back in time and encounter the younger you? Time travel is possible, if only in photographs. London-based photographer Chino Otsuka took old photos from her childhood and adolescence and digitally inserted her present self, circa 2005, into them, for a photo series entitled "Imagine Finding Me."
Kristina Wong wants reparations for Yellow Fever
Fearless provocateur Kristina Wong appeared on the premiere episode of Myx TV's new documentary series I'm Asian American and... to wreck some shit up, setting her target on guys with an Asian fetish. Yes, that is a colander on her head, and yes, she wants reparations for yellow fever. Now pay up, white boys.
How to Put On Pants Without Using Your Hands
This video is a blessed reminder of why the internet was invented. Watch as this incredibly nimble young man puts on a pair of pants without the use of his hands. It's an epic spectacle of hands-free ass-wriggling set to the tune of "The Final Countdown." Clearly, I have been investing my time in the wrong skills.
Fight the good fight with Overeasy and these third graders
San Francisco-based musician and educator Edgar Camago, aka Overeasy, created this super-fun audio/video remix from samples by the cute kids in his third grade classroom. It just puts a smile on your face.
And finally...
Dear Readers
Earlier this year, I opened up and appealed to you, the good readers of this blog, for your support to keep the blog going as my full-time gig. This was a difficult post to write -- asking for money is never an easy endeavor -- but it felt oddly freeing. And so many awesome people stepped up with generous donations, big and small.
Thank you. Here's to another year of blogging!