Absolutely Fobulous

Although Psy’s new song, Gentleman, is rapidly growing in popularity, there’s still remnants of Gangnam Style playing…even in funeral homes. In Nanjing, the capital of the Jiangsu province of China,  netizens have reported hearing the catchy song play at funerals. While most people think such a comical song would be inappropriate to play at a somber occasion, I don’t think it’s as bad as having strippers dance for the dead!

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(Thanks, Chen!)

After Psy took over the world with Gangnam Style, I figured it would be hard for him to create any song after that would live up to the same hype. He recently released a video for his new song, “Gentleman” which also has a catchy tune, although I’m not sure if it’s as addicting as Gangnam Style. The video is also quirky with a lot of “WTF” moments, like him undoing girls’ bikini tops and taking a bite out of animal intestines wrapped around his neck. Our favorite “yellow-suit” character from the Gangnam Style video also appears in Gentleman.

As for the main dance move, it isn’t as physically exerting as the horse-riding move, but it involves some hip action similar to the one done in the elevator scene from Gangnam Style. I admit, I’ve already caught myself swaying my hips while watching Gentleman. The lyric, “I’m a mother-father gentleman,” is also repeated throughout the song, which I’m sure is meant to sound a lot like an English profanity.

The YouTube video was released on Psy’s official account on April 13, and it already has over 30 million views! Do you think it will surpass Gangnam Style?

Never thought mixing the styles of hip hop and an Asian rice farmer would look and sound so cool. Norwegian dance group, Quick Crew, definitely did a good job in their interpretation of combining the vastly different worlds. There isn’t much information on the crew so I’m not sure what ethnicity these dancers are, but their names sound Indian.

By now, everyone has probably heard about “Bob” the programmer who got in trouble for outsourcing his job to China. “Bob,” a man in his 40s, was making six figures and paying programmers in Shenyang a fifth of his salary while sitting back at work surfing Reddit and watching cat videos. Yes, you heard right, cat videos. If you’re puzzled at how much time he whiled away watching felines on the web, you obviously haven’t been introduced to the wonderful (and addicting) world of cat videos. Here is sampling of what you’re missing out on. Warning: you will lose hours once you get started on them.

The cutest thing ever — a kitty munching on watermelon:

Maru, the cat that adores boxes:

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If I ever have a daughter, I want her to be exactly like this adorable Japanese girl named Rino. Her mom documents Rino eating homemade meals from various countries, which can all be viewed on their YouTube channel. From Korean bibimbap to Vietnamese pho, she happily savors every dish without any complaints. Just watching her eat makes me hungry! I also love how her mom makes her pronounce the name of each dish before eating. Now that’s one cultured kid!

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(Thanks, Louie!)

The most romantic holiday of the year is traditionally Valentine’s day. But in Singapore, there’s another holiday that will get couples hot and heavy — and that’s August 9, National Day. It’s the day Singapore officially declared independence from Malaysia in 1965. It was naturally a very groundbreaking moment in the island’s history, and who knew it would inspire Singaporean couples to procreate in years to come? Mentos Singapore created this awesome rap music video “to celebrate not just National Day, but National Night too — and help give our population spurt it so desperately needs.” Oh yeah, and if you’re in a friends with benefits relationship or you’re unemployed, don’t bother watching the video. The blurb in the YouTube video says, “Only financially secure adults in stable, committed, long-term relationships should participate.”

Nice try guys, but the over-the-top lyrics makes it hard to take the message seriously. Some classic lines:

• “I’ll take your breath away like a sonic boom”
• “It’s National Night, so let’s make fireworks ignite.”
• “Like a government scholar, I want to cram real hard.”
• “I want to tap you all night like an EZ link card.” (EZ link cards are basically smart cards that are used to pay for public transportation. It’s akin to the Clipper Card in San Francisco.)
• “I’m a patriotic husband, you’re my patriotic wife, let me book into your camp and manufacture life.”
• “Let’s put a bao in your oven.”

(Thanks, Sara!)

I’m a huge fan of technology and its ability to make our everyday lives easier. But I believe some things, like dating, should require a little more effort.

I’m sure there’s a good number of guys out there who fantasize about dating anime stars or even the famous 3D holographic J-pop star, Hatsune Miku. Well, YouTube user, Alsionesvx, decided to make his dreams come true by using  an Xtion PRO, which is a Kinect-like motion sensor, and a pair of video goggles to take Hatsune Miku  on a date at the park. With the technology, he also gets to see her react to him touching her. Disturbing much?

As “cool” as it may be to go on virtual dates, these guys need to man up and take a real girl out on a date!

(Thanks, Fred!)

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There are very few things cuter than baby pandas playing on a slide as the video will attest to below. Watching this video just makes me want to grab all of them up for some cuddling!

What do Bruno Mars, Ryan Tedder, and Coldplay all have in common? They are all musical inspirations for Travis Graham, the lead singer of New Heights (pictured second from the left). I first saw Travis and New Heights perform at the ISA concert hosted in Seattle last year.  Since then, they’ve grown on YouTube, collaborating with popular Asian YouTube stars like Clara C and David So.

Want to know which artists inspire Travis, his go-to karaoke song, and what it was like meeting President Obama? Read on!

How did New Heights get started? Where did the name come from?

New Heights started right after high school. I always wanted to be in a band and found out Kiyung, who is now in the band, played guitar.  I saw his band play at the same event I was playing at and said, “Let’s jam together.” From that, things happened, everyone seemed committed, and we just rolled with it.

We were looking for something inspiring and uplifting and so at 17-years-old, we came to a conclusion: New Heights.

Are your parents supportive?

They have been always supportive. I owe them so much. I’m not the kind of person who would be the rebel. If my parents weren’t having it, I wouldn’t be the type of person who would be like, “Oh I want to do it.” My dad keeps telling me to get rich and famous so I can buy him a boat. That’s what I’ve heard my whole life.

What artists inspire you?

Bruno Mars, Ryan Tedder, and Coldplay.  Even more so than certain artists, I’m more influenced by producers.  So what I’ll do a lot is, if I like a record, I’ll look into the credits and see who produced it, mixed it, and engineered it.  I’m really into tones and the final sound.

How do you differentiate yourself from the other Asian singers and YouTube stars?

Sound—a lot of our friends are singer and songwriters, but it’s a different genre.  For us, we are pushing top 40’s pop.  We are pop kids at heart.  We are in love with catchy melodies, choruses, and epic sounds.  There are not too many Asian American bands pushing for that sound.

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By now, you’ve probably seen the popular Sh*t Girls Say YouTube video that had girls confessing, “Oh my god, that’s so me!” and guys shaking their heads mumbling, “Story of my life.” I’ve seen spoof videos pop up and one of my favorites is the Sh*t Asian Girls Say version. Perhaps because I can totally see a lot of my Asian friends saying some of the quotes. And if I’m going to be really honest, the comment about bad driving hit really close to home. Watch below to see what I’m talking about: