A new generation of rap rock music has hit the airwaves in the form of afterschoolspecial. Hailing from San Diego State University, Dan aka Dan (emcee), Jaimie (vocals), Brian (keyboard), Keane (guitar) and Todd (bass) first got together while at school, but soon took their talent and creativity to a professional studio. After several years of touring and recording up and down the West Coast, the group was nominated for Best Hip Hop at the San Diego Music Awards. Dan, also a coordinator for the San Diego Asian American Film Festival, shares some insight on how the band is embracing their newfound rockstar-dom while also managing to stay true to their roots.

Mochi got the chance to interview Jessica Lee, a former Google employee who worked with Google Maps. Jess, who grew up in Hong Kong and went to Stanford for college, gave us some great insight behind the scenes at a big online company. Jess left Google in 2007 to work for Polyvore.com, a fashion community website where people can mix and match products from any store, and currently resides in California.

On Gossip Girl, Nelly Yuki is perhaps the most complex character in the it-girl group. We’ve seen her buried behind her books, acting in a fat suit during the school play, using the girls against one another to climb the social ladder, and, in the finale, hitting on our dream boy Dan Humphrey after one too many drinks. Mochi meets Yin Chang, the actress behind Nelly Yuki, for the scoop on what goes on behind the scenes, from the casting office to the infamous fashion closet.

Hong Kong celebrity make-up artist Gary Chung gives Mochi his best tips for Asian features and skin.

At 25-years-old, Brooklyn-based poet Tao Lin toes the fine line between the sublime and the just plain ridiculous.

As one of the women who pioneered Asian American awareness in mainstream society through literature, Maxine Hong Kingston fought for our voices before we knew we had them.