Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Hey Hyphenites! As a Hyphen intern, I get assigned a lot of different things, from bios and profiles to crossposts. I guess you could say that I'm getting my feet wet. This week, they've asked me to round up some stories of interest for our readers.

Now, I have three reasons why this link round-up is going to be subpar.

1. I've spent the last month living in my school's library, reading about international politics and memorizing French grammar.
2. Now that I'm on break, all I've been doing is vegetating.
3. I'm new at this, a total amateur.

But snaps for me, because I'm giving this a try. And what better way for me to kick this off than with a collection of noob-related links? Bear with me, please.

• This is an adorable Tae Kwon Do version of noob-ness.

• I don't know how to feel about this new admissions trend. On one
  hand, Asian Americans students are keeping their race under wraps, but on the other
  hand, they’re using their clever Asian brains to find a way to beat the system that may discriminate against them.
  
  
• President Obama appoints Preeta D. Bansal, an Indian American, to an important post in the Advisory Council of the Administrative Conference of the US. Bansal joins over two dozen Indian Americans serving in the Obama administration. 
  
  
• A Thai
  American living in Thailand is sentenced to two and a half years of jail for
  translating and uploading the book The King Never Smiles online, which was
  banned in Thailand. Instead of fighting for his right to free speech, he is
  going to ask for royal pardon and endure his punishment. In pleading not
  guilty, his punishment could have been much severe. It’s a choice between the
  rule of law and freedom. Fahrenheit-451, much?
  
  
• Uh-oh.
  Diabetes is on the rise among Asian Americans, but the physical traits of Asian
  diabetics are not the same as white diabetics, making diagnosis harder. Most
  Asian diabetics are slim but have hidden fat tucked away in their
  midsection, meaning that they are not fit. So instead of weight loss, doctors
  are recommending regular exercise.

• Fairfax
  County, Virginia had their first Asian American Appreciation Day which was
  hosted by the Voice of Vietnamese Americans.
  
  
• Perhaps
  the next Alexandra Wallace? Two people from the University of California,
  Irvine order food at their local Chick-Fil-A to find that the cashier named them “Ching” and “Chong" on their receipts. One of the customers talked to the
  manager, and the cashier was immediately fired. What refreshing justice.
  
  
• Honestly,
  this last one is kind of silly. MetLife uses stats to show how the American Dream has
  shifted for South Asian Americans. Personally, I think the concept of American Dream is
  getting kind of outdated, but I guess it’s worth doing countless polls on the
  matter. Apparently, South Asian Americans (presented as one general mass demographic) are becoming more flexible with their idea of “happiness”
  and are more confident in achieving it. It also says they are savers (read: hoarders), materialistic, and dang good at getting to The Dream, whatever that
  means. I hope they at least polled a wide spectrum of South Asian ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Let's hope...