Many asian babies are adopted into caucasian households where the parents don’t know enough about asian culture to pass it on to their kids. White kids living in asian bodies. Now there’s an identity crisis waiting to happen.

I got to thinking though that many of the same principles apply to half asians.

Many half asians have lived predominantly white lives and view themselves as more white than asian. I think it’s a result of the fact it’s difficult to approach asian activities without feeling like an outsider. We don’t speak the language and other asians view us as white.

Among adoptees, numerous support groups were formed that offer these kids exposure to their culture (language classes, food, music, dance, etc.). In a similar vein, I’m planning on taking the time to explore the concept of identity and celebrate my asian half each month.

I’m also going to plan on hosting a Lunar New Year event in 2010 and all my readers are invited!!

In the meantime, here are common as well as lesser known examples of half and halfs:

My brother TJ with our Halmoni

yes, i use the mitten when people ask me where I'm from

DISLIKE: There’s no real dish soap in the house. All the dish soap is watered down to save money and therefore rendered completely useless.

LIKE: A house- Whoa, a bedroom door that I can close! Rooms that we don’t even use! A lawn with a birdhouse!

DISLIKE: Value food shopping- Being here brings back memories of a staple we had growing up, frozen vegetable lasagna from Gordon Food Service. It’s a fine institution that services schools, prisons and the Wilkinson household. Also, why does a family of two do almost all their food shopping at costco? Does it really make sense to buy 150 individual serving sizes of cream cheese?

LIKE: Time moves more slowly- Are there more hours in the day in Michigan? Somehow my mom has time to drive all the way to Costco to get her gas.

DISLIKE: Freezer abuse- “Did you just buy a loaf of fresh bread? Great! Put it in the freezer and take the frozen bread out.”

DISLIKE: Microwave abuse- “Dinner will be ready in 3 minutes and 25 seconds!”

LIKE: Getting to know my parents in a new light- Me: “Was it hard to have your 13 year old go to boarding school in CT?” Dad: “No! It made my life easier!”

DISLIKE: Tupperware- Our fridge looks like a plastic jenga game. I witnessed my mother saving a teaspoon of extra sauce after lunch the other day. The scariest part was that she had a piece of tupperware to fit that serving. These Tupperware people really know their market.

DISLIKE: Old photos- originally I had this under the like category. Another look at the family photo albums has left me cringing from the platform sandals, the orange/yellow highlights, the bronzer, the plaid shirts! This is blackmail-worthy material.

TJ, please chime in . . .

Here are the two new additions to my home.

I’m obsessed with my new Howdy print. I see some cowboy boots in my near future.

My new mantra:

Good reminder when my husband's not around to keep me on track

Katie and I have been working hard on finishing up our business plan, and I’m happy with how it’s going. We’re more excited and motivated than ever about the idea and the market. One frustration is that we want things to go faster than they are now so we’re looking at the timeline and budget to outsource some of the labor.

On a side note, the electronics in my life have been on the fritz, including:

My computer (currently using my husband’s + thank goodness for google docs)

RIP Macbook

My Kitchen Aid mixer

and my stereo system

RIP music at home

I’m beginning to feel like Jack Black in, “Be Kind, Rewind.” Keep me away from Blockbuster.

Running update: I’m running the 17km Pacific Coast Trail Run in Marin this Saturday. Yes, I will be wearing spandex.

We’re screwed from the looks of it.

I keep reminding myself why I’m doing this though. Can you hear that ticking? Listen closely.

It’s the collective biological clocks of all us 30 something year olds. Okay, maybe that was overly dramatic (plus, I’m still 27) but something has definitely changed for me in recent months.

It hit me that I’ve spent the past 6 years in what Tim Ferriss describes as a “comfortable but completely uninspiring job. The most insidious kind of all.”

It’s high time I put my facilities to work- before I have kids. As I rapidly approach baby making time, I’ve become completely inspired and enamored with my friends and relatives with children. Family is what it’s all about. I’ve decided to combine my interests in food, health, female issues and motherhood and make the product I would want during my pregnancy. A high protein, high fiber, high calcium, low sugar/calorie snack. I would want to eat that now in fact.

Inspiration has hit again. Back to the biz plan. If all else fails, maybe I can get some extra credit.

Extra Credit

I’m a spandex convert who’s come out of the closet. I love my Nike running spandex. I mean, I really really love them. They’re comfortable, they help me control my temperature and they’re so much more practical when you’re stretching and moving around. They recently helped me run my personal best at the Nike half marathon in San Francisco (check out this nifty site that tracked my run and watch the animated me run the course. Weeeeeeeeeeeee!).

Watch animated me run the Nike half marathon!

I put them up there with my scooter for top 5 purchases in my lifetime. That’s the line that got Jennie. She’s got a scooter she’s obsessed with also. After one run, she’s now a convert. We’ll see her proudly wearing her spandex this weekend in NY.

I have two pairs of Nike Core Tech Capris. Get involved, people. You won’t regret it.

Nike Core Tech Capri

This blog is my new 4 pm snack. As my friend Katie and I try to start our own line of snack foods for pregnant and nursing women, I’m going to try this as another afternoon indulgence. Part entrepreneurial journey, part food and workout blog, and mostly ramblings, I hope you come along for the ride.

Daily workout: none. One of those days I was up and at am at 6 am. I changed into my workout clothes but decided to skip bootcamp in lieu of scanning Craigslist for lamps. I didn’t find anything, but it certainly was a worthy excuse.