The Northwest Kung Fu Club and Northwest Wushu performed at the recent Night Market in the ID (Photos by George Liu/NWAW)

A restaurateur asked me this question, so I talked to some people around. Here are some of their answers: Read the full story

Left: Hiroshi Hibi (left), Seattle Uwajimaya’s store director, and Parwati Martin, hold prizes. Right: Participants at Uwajimaya’s Outdoor Summer Festival gulped up blocks of tofu in a hurry in order to try and win a contest (Photos by Assunta Ng/NWAW)

Left: Participants also participated in a contest to see who can drink the most water. Right: From left to right: HR director of Uwajimaya Evelyn Mendoza, LJ Johnson of Gig Harbor holding his prize of ramen noodles, and Hiroshi Hibi.(Photos by George Liu/NWAW)

Let’s see who can smile and swallow a chunk of tofu in seconds. Who can live in a fantasy and pretend to be someone else for an hour? Read the full story

A few weeks ago, my blog, “We could’ve done better for Joseph Cao” stirred up controversy in the Vietnamese community. I wrote that the amount raised for Louisiana Congressman Cao was low in Seattle.   Read the full story

There are three ways in which he influenced my life.

He spoke the right thing at the right time and at the right place. When my son was a teenager, he was rebellious and combative. He would argue with me ceaselessly like a biting bulldog without listening. Once, I almost exploded, and my uncle stepped in. Read the full story

Image by NWAW staff

I made a big decision this Sunday. Should I give away my 32-inch television in my bedroom?
I have not turned it on once in the past three years. Read the full story

Left: The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace statue at Co Lam Pagoda. Right: Buddhist came from all over Washington state to pay their respect (Photos by George Liu/NWAW)

Last week, the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace arrived in Seattle at the Co Lam Pagoda, at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Graham Street. Thousands of people visited. Read the full story

President Barack Obama with Sen. Patty Murray, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and others at Seattle’s Grand Central Bakery (Photo from whitehouse.gov)

Since he started working for Obama, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke’s wish was to bring the president of the United States to his hometown. Last week, Locke got his wish. Read the full story

Bob Hasegawa (left) at his re-election campaign party at the House of Hong last Sunday. (Photo by Rebecca Ip/SCP)

In contrast to Cao’s lunch, Hasegawa’s re-election campaign party at the House of Hong this Sunday was a blast. What lessons can the Vietnamese Chamber take away?

1. Reach out to the entire Asian community. Don’t just invite Vietnamese people. About 150 people attended Bob’s function. It was a diverse group of Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Blacks, and whites.

2. Get big names on the support group and publicize them. Some powerful names in politics in the Asian community are Ruth Woo, Velma Veloria, and Kip Tokuda. If they give, others will follow.  Invite them to come and they will bring a flock of friends.

3. Pre-commitment is important. Several of Bob’s donors committed amounts of $800 and $100 before the event.

4. Sell to both Republicans and Democrats. In Cao’s case, his values are pretty much like those of Democrats, except for abortion. He’s also the only Republican congressman who voted for the health care bill.

5. A personal call is better than e-mail. After e-mailing, call your friends to attend and give. It can make a world of difference. If they cannot come, just ask for money.

6. Reward donors. If people agree to come and donate, give them something in return. The least that the organizers could have done was to offer donors a photo with Cao.

7. Organizers need to set an example. If you want others to give, each organizer or board member needs to set an example to give. The organizers can challenge their friends to match what they give. Peer pressure works. Persuasion is a must.

8. Create a buzz with the help of Asian media. The more coverage for a candidate, the more folks know about him. After all, he’s an outsider. He needs people to push him forward.

The Vietnamese Chamber should not be discouraged. Every time you do something, you gain valuable insights and learn to plan better for the next project. ♦

Joseph Cao receives a check for $1,000 from a donor at a lunch. (Photo by Ninette Cheng/NWAW)

How much do you expect the first and only Vietnamese American congressman to raise money in Seattle after flying more than 2,000 miles?

Seattle has a strong track record when it comes to giving money to Asian American elected officials from other states. But poor Congressman Joseph Cao from Louisiana raised only about $1,300 from 60 guests at a lunch on July 26.

Never mind that he had spent two days in Seattle, including participating in the Torchlight Parade. For his re-election campaign, he’s a Republican facing four Democrat challengers in an overwhelmingly African American district.

Money is critical to his campaign. He doesn’t have much time before his reelection this fall. If he raised $1 per mile, he should have received roughly $2,000.

Even that amount would be embarrassing to talk about.  He left with a basket without eggs. I hope he doesn’t think Seattle’s Asian community has given him the cold shoulder.

One Vietnamese American said if he had gone to California instead, he would have raised thousands.

So why didn’t more people attend the lunch? The host, Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, did not reach out to the Asian community.

“He wasn’t promoted right,” a Vietnamese American said.

The Northwest Asian Weekly received only an e-mail about Cao’s visit only a couple days before he came.

When Joseph was part of the parade float, I could not see him at first. There was no written sign to introduce who he was on the float car. A petite man, Joseph was literally buried. ♦

Ping pong aficionado Victor Wu (left) and Alan Lee (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)

“Love what you do. Do what you love.” This is easy to say, but nearly impossible to do, especially if your love is playing ping pong.

Alan Lee and his die-hard ping pong friends are proving that it can happen. They started the Seattle Pacific Ping Pong Club in Bellevue last week. If Alan Lee cannot make money out of this, at least he is having fun playing while running the club. However, he does plan on developing future ping pong champions (currently, most national champs are from California).

I went to the grand opening of the club. Several young promising players smashed their balls with the speed of a rocket. I wouldn’t want to play with any of these kids.

And for those of you who live on the Eastside, this club is a gift for you.  It rains a lot in Seattle; ping pong is the best indoor exercise and recreational activity for the young and old, male and female.

For their courage, zeal, and entrepreneurship, I hereby declare Alan and his partners as winners of the 2010 Smart Passion award! ♦

Vera and Joey Ing on their 50th wedding anniversary. Vera is wearing a Chinese wedding dress, Joey a traditional Chinese jacket.

Vera and Joey Ing have been role models in giving. The Ings celebrated their 50th anniversary last Saturday with about 250 friends at the Wing.

Vera never says no to the community when she knows she can help. Call Vera the glue holding the Asian community together. Joey, on the other hand, is the glue of the Ing family, providing support for everything Vera does. She is the speaker, and he is the listener. Few know that Joey has a funny side. Both external and internal glues are essential to the vitality, prosperity, and development of the community. Read the full story