Unforgettable 2009

KoreAm Journal threw a classy shindig by the name of Unforgettable last night. It was a star-studded gala held at the historic Park Plaza Hotel in downtown LA.

The ballroom was exquisitely decorated under the guidance of the ultra-fab event coordinator, Joyce and guests were treated to an amazing meal provided by Lawry's. I have been having a hard time cooking for myself at home that I wolfed my entire plate of spinning salad, prime rib cut, creamed spinach, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy and yorkshire pudding. My entire table clapped for me. I felt embarrassed but proud. (Ma, if you're reading this, I'm back to eating spinach and salmon fillets!)

I was brimming with anticipation to watch the entire show, so excited because I actually wrote the script for the show (with editing help from the ever-eloquent Julie) Words that I wrote, sentences that came out of my brain, ideas that I conjured up, were going to be uttered by hotshots like Sandra Oh, Daniel Henney and Joy Osmanski.

I think they did a pretty fine job interpreting it, don't you think?

Funnygal host Amy Anderson is so grateful for Unforgettable's sponsors that she sang a song for them. Okay, so it's to the tune of Sixpence None The Richer's Kiss Me. I'm not a musician, so sue me.

For your sing-along pleasure, below are the lyrics:

Thank you, thank you Park Plaza Hotel

For this, this big and lovely room

Where we, we can eat our ribs

Given to us by Lawry’s, where’s the bib?

Oh, thank you, Willow Hotel and Tiger Asia

So do, so do you Verizon Wireless

Can you hear me now

Premier Plastic Surgery and Ocean Radiation Oncology

We thank you

Time Warner, Kamsahamnida and SeAh Steel

Also, Sans Souci, Intertrend

K-T-A-N channel, Net Kal

Can’t skip Radio Seoul and Korea Times, oh

Oh thank you, to all our sponsors tonight

We couldn’t have asked for any more.

I lied, yes we can

Ten Communications, La Premiere, and Kollaboration

We thank you

There’s one more, group that’s really special

And that’s the, alcoholic beverage group

You know you love them too

So dear Johnnie Walker, lovely Jinro and delicious Hite

We thank you

We thank you

[seems like she’s done with the song, then strums up again]

wait there’s more

[strum guitar]

like Pan Com

[strum guitar]

or TVK24

[strum guitar]

KOTRA

[strum guitar]

IW Group

[strum guitar]

Waking up Media

[PAUSE so it seems like she’s really ending the song, but strums again]

and UNI Insurance

[strum guitar]

Insurance for you and I

[strum guitar]

And Future International

Wilshire Bank

[strum guitar]

and ABC Disney

[strum guitar]

and J.P. Morgan

[strum guitar]

and Wilshire Dental

[strum guitar]

And Kanye West

[strum guitar]

should get up here

[strum guitar]

and stop me nooooooooooooow

Sandra Oh teaches Daniel Henney a thing or two about being a television doctor.

Justin Chon is "Just Like Us!"

CS Lee wants to wrestle Daniel Dae Kim.

The show also featured beautiful performances by Priscilla Ahn, Lena Park and the hottest b-boys ever, Last 4 One.

As if the evening wasn't enough of a blast, there was a pretty sweet (if cold) after-party where I got to reunite with old friends.

And make new ones.

And shamelessly ask celebs to take pictures with me.

Near the end of the night, I chatted with Sandra Oh for a little bit. After I subtly (of course) mentioned I had written the script for the show, she told me that she thought it was the best Unforgettable script she had heard in the past 6 years.

"I usually have to edit the hell out of these things but you made it work," she told me.

Sure, she may have just been polite and was trying to make me happy but dude, the words came out of her mouth! I don't care if she was drunk, lying or crazy when she said it, she said it! Sandra Oh, one of my most admired and respected acting idols, said I made it work!

And that is truly unforgettable.

*Edit: Oh yea, and I also worked as red carpet interviewer. Check out what I got the celebs to say here.
*Edit Edit: We also ran into Rex Lee from "Entourage" at Hodori after the after-party. I'm so grateful he's not freaked out of his mind by my deathgrasp.

"And We're Live..."

Would you like to hear the soothing, silky, sexy voice of yours truly for roughly one whole hour? My deliciously girly giggle? My awkward transitions? My dumb gaffs? If so, click below!





The awesome awesome new KoreAm Journal website www.iamkoream.com was even more awesome because they asked me to host the site's first-ever live chat with singer-songwriter, Big Phony.
Even though I had to miss out on a much-anticipated Owl City concert to conduct hosting duties, it was so worth it 'cause, I mean, what girl doesn't like to be serenaded to?

I swear, I'm really happy here.

See? Happy.

But in all honesty, the live chat went really well. We chatted, gave away free stuff, played some sad music, and just got to know the artist known as Big Phony a little better.
On my part, I probably should have done a little more advertising beforehand (like, ahem, on this blog maybe?) but there will be more in the future. Right? Right? Riiiiight.

Thanks for allowing me to show my stupidity all over the Internet, Michelle and KoreAm! Thanks for getting pics, Liz! Thanks for watching, you, you and YOU!

All in the Family

Some articles are really easy to write. An interview with Jenna Ushkowitz, a star of Glee, a show I not only manage to catch every week but spare two to three tweets every week in anticipation of? Yea. You can bet the article's a breeze to concoct.

But some are a bit tougher. How tough? Think a young single mother undergoing stage 3 of a very rare form of cancer. Yea. You heave that sigh.

When I was assigned this article, all my skills as a journalist was put to the test. I had to conduct extensive research muddling through the complex medical terms and scientific causes to the cancer. I needed to be a sensitive interviewer, asking intelligent, tactful questions and listening patiently and sympathetically to the oft-teary-eyed responses.

The ordeal of this interview took a toll on me physically and mentally. The entire weekend I was working on the article, I was sad, moody and dissonant. And can you blame me? It's a difficult story to tell.

Adding to the challenge was my own family's experience with cancer.

My grandpa had battled with stage 3 of pancreatic cancer on and off for the past 4 years. He underwent extensive surgery 3 times. He underwent chemotherapy. He pees out of a bag now. His butt always hurts.

My family is very close. Like unusually close. Like we all wish we lived right next door to each other and can see each other all the time and are each other's best friends and love love LOVE each other close. To have my grandfather, the grand patriarch of our line, be struck with such a fatal and (at the time) foreign killer was life-altering.

I wish I could write in words how much my grandfather's cancer changed our family. But I really can't. Words won't do. It's in everyday things. Like how my grandma has a really hard time smiling. Whereas before she was a twinkly-eyed, saucy old lady (and I mean that in the sincerest of ways), she now cries for no reason at all in the middle of everything. Or how my parents can't even fathom the idea of taking a night off to eat dinner somewhere in the city, let alone take a vacation. Every single birthday for the last couple of years has been celebrated either at home or at a Chinese restaurant nearby because of my grandpa's illness.

My own behavior has not been the most honorable. I would not win the "Best Granddaughter Award" by any means. I spent the last couple of years rebelling, shedding my overachieving ways, partying (and puking) my guts out, trying this and that out, traveling as far far away as I possibly could every chance I got.

"I just want to lead a normal college life, like all my friends. Is that too much to ask?" I would ask my cell phone emblazoned with my mom's phone number calling me at 11 in the evening and hastily shut it off. I even have the indent of a cartilage piercing to show you how bad to the bones I was.

By the grace of God, my grandfather miraculously overcame his cancer (dude, I have to reiterate, surgery THREE times in the past four year, on anyone, let alone a 80-something y/o man, is a miracle) and I (think) overcame my bad girls ways. He and my grandmother are currently vacationing in Hong Kong right now and for the first time in ages, I actually heard my mom utter the words, "I'm kind of bored." (I submitted her for a commercial to help her kill time, he he).

I'm living at home with my parents full-time and we have this refreshingly pleasant relationship that I cherish to the maximus. Are there times where I want to take the next flight to New York and get away from them as fast as I can? Of course. But it doesn't happen as much as often and I'm-dare I say this-even having fun hanging out with them. My dad's funny. Did you know that? I didn't know he could be. I think I get my humor from him.

Who knows how long this time of peace will last? I'm just grateful it's even here at all.

A Keeper

The life of a reporter, no matter how glamorous, is notorious for paying jack. That's why it thrills us to no end when we get free stuff.

Coming from a family who hoards hotel shampoos and lotions like we're saving up for Y2K (one which we'd actually care about personal hygiene), and will drive forty miles, wait in line for two hours and wear a chicken costume for a free meal, I get especially thrilled.

So I have to admit, when I was first assigned to interview the owner of Keep Company, a hip and socially conscious lifestyle/clothing/shoe brand, even though I was delighted by the extra responsibility and bigger byline I would get, the first thing that popped into my head was, "I hope she'll give me free shoes."

And really, can you blame me?

The Benten

Funky

The Homer

Sweet

The Tatum

Adorable! Their shoes are utterly lustworthy.

But no, I wasn't able to snag some yummy sneaks for my own feet that day. Instead, I drove home filled with the excitement of a great story to tell, another fascinating person I want to expose to the world. Here was a woman who looks like she's just out of college, but with her own fashion empire. Here was a woman who was the epitome of a model Asian child but risked it all to do what made her happy.

The knowledge that I was just as happy to share her story without the promise of some colorful kicks to cover my feet, figuring out that I would be willing to write for free for the rest of my life if I could afford it, well, that is worth more than any pair of shoes.



Except for maybe these...
That is, like, a car and shoes rolled into one!

{ Keep }

Yup, That's Me!

The facade that I have been masquerading around as a "journalist" who's "on assignment" and "working" finally comes off as my editor sent me an email with an incredulous, "is this you?" on the subject line and this picture attached.

Obviously, I can't pretend any longer and say that I had been hard at work reporting and observing this particular wedding ceremony when it is plainly shown here that I have sipped a little too much gin and tonic at the open bar (and thus resulted in that unfortunate, "too cool for school" face) and is actually just dilly-dallying, jumping and jiving with the bride's little sis and a particular Asian acting wonder.

It would be nice to be a full-time wedding correspondent. Then I could do this all day. Sigh... I think I dream about that career more than I dream about my own actual wedding!

Music Makes Me Lose Control

Music is one of the hardest things to put into words. It differs so much from ear to ear and means so many different things from heart to heart, how can any regular muggle translate a tune for the rest of the world?

I certainly can't. But that didn't stop me from trying.

In the April09 issue of KoreAm, I became the resident music connoisseur and gave a little rundown of cool Korean American artists rocking out.

I did what any soldier had to do for their line of duty. I rocked out to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, sighed wistfully as Maggie Kim crooned to me about love, and chuckled at foul-mouthed Steve Lee's indignation to Kim Jong Il.

When it came time to actually share what my thoughts on the songs, I pretty much racked my brains for all the descriptive adjectives I could find. (And there is a lot to look through, I'm prone to store up these things.) Then, I just inserted them into sentences like I was playing a round of Ad Libs.

Just kidding. I take my job very seriously.

Why don't you see if you agree or disagree with my opinions? Read over the reviews, check out the good works yourself, then tell me what you think. If anything, I highly recommend singing sisters Meg & Dia and this is not just because they gave me a free album.

As I said, I take my job very seriously.

Holy hotness! After much delay, I finally have digital copies of all my work for KoreAm Journal and Audrey magazine! Yes! I will slowly upload articles on days when my brain can't think of anything witty to blog about.

I feel the articles should be introduced in chronological order so you will be able to read the first pieces I started from when I was a lowly intern to where I ended as this almighty fancy schmancy contributor.

Here is my contributor bio. Look! I even have my picture in the mag! *squeal

So how did I end up here? Well, it all began with this little piece. Apologies for the outdated pop cultural references. It has been a few months.

Working...

Since quitting my job, I have been keeping myself preoccupied with an abundance of activities. Ballroom dancing (finally got my dance shoes, yay!), gym (muscles shown upon request), job hunting, chinese learning, family bonding, website-building, Jesus-learning, the list goes on and on.

The past month has taken me on some pretty interesting adventures.

I was this close to getting a job with a top-notch, He Who Must Not Be Named celebrity gossip website. I got asked to be on TV twice, once for Extra and once for a Korean Home Shopping Network, both of which I happily obliged (hey, gotta practice that anchor voice somewhere), I was almost going to tutor the child of one of the richest families in show biz (and that's... pretty rich), I have 90% of Guang Liang's beautiful song, Tong Hua memorized, and there are more projects coming but I'd rather disclose them at a later time.

Yet, none of these things brought home any bread for my family and shoes for my (imaginary) children. None of them qualified me as contributing to the society.

Oh--one did. A little. I freelanced. I freelanced as a journalist for KoreAm Journal and Audrey Magazine.

This is where I worked...

...Okay, so no. I didn't exactly work at the famous CAA building in Century City.
More like I worked in the amazing park outside the building. Nicknamed the "Savannah" by my working galpal, the savannah is by far the prettiest park this side of town (save for the Getty) and a completely zen and tranquil location to get some writing done.

I wrote about events I went to, people I spoke with, things I saw. All of which shall be published in the upcoming weeks and which I PROMISE YOU I shall upload to this blog soon. (In fact, just made an appointment to go into the office next week to get digital copies of my work so stop fidgeting impatiently already!)

But something I don't really get to write about in those articles, but which I do get to do plenty here, are what I learned from the events I went to, people I spoke with and things I saw.

what I learned:

I learned about the precarious nature of balancing being an artist and a "celebrity" from Linkin Park and Fort Minor frontman, Mike Shinoda. I had always been aware about the dangers of fame and the blurriness of mixing art with commerce but with the recent temptation of almost working for that famous celebrity blog, I almost tossed out my morals and personal beliefs just so I can receive a regular paycheck every month. Well, not tossed out exactly, but altered it drastically. That was a big NO-NO and I have Mike Shinoda (and JCrisman) to thank for reminding me that.

I also got to check out some of his awesome artwork. His exhibition Glorious Excess (Dies) runs at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, LA until early October.

I was humbled and inspired to learn of White on Rice actress Lynn Chen's battle with eating disorders. As a former fat kid, most of my life consisted of fad diets and exercise regimes, overreating and complaints about my figure. I would always distastefully joke that I didn't have enough will power to develop a eating disorder but deep down, I knew that I do have one, as small as it might be.

The fact that Chen, as opposed to other actors and actresses who make remarks like, "oh, I had anorexia, like, five years ago" or the even worse, "I eat whatever I want. I'm just naturally skinny," is so open about her battle with anorexia and bulimia and has even taken to blogging about it to combat her addictions is admirable. It also gives me hope that not everything and everyone in Hollywood is as awful as my jaded view of the business might assume.

There are more. There were weddings and cute boys and "society girls" bonding time and oh yea --the realization that as amazing, free-ing and nourished I feel when I write and report, I don't think I could ever become a professional/full-time freelancer.

I would write for free if I could afford to but my parents don't really dig the idea of their college grad eldest daughter lounging around in pajamas, laptop permanently attached to her wrists.

So let's wait and see what else is in store for me...

Thanks Liz for the Shinoda and Chen snapshots!

Society Girls

You know those fabulous writers and journalists who get to hit all the hottest clubs and parties and events around the city for a living, schmoozing with power players and socializing for the sake of their job?

Liz and I aren't quite like that but we'll get there.

We've already named ourselves, "Society Girls" and we're planning on hitting the next hip party near you! (BTW: if you think up an even cooler name, please share...)

Society Girls: Saga 1:
We hit up Wokcano in Santa Monica to listen to Kamala Harris speak to the mostly Asian American crowd on why she should become California's next Attorney General the other night.

Photos of the speech and accompanying article will be revealed once it's published (eeks!) but here are some snaps Liz took after work was over. (And sometimes during but what are you going to do. Sigh...life of a journalist.)
This here is Dawen. He just moved from Chicago. He sings pretty songs. Listen to him here.
This here is Kelly Hu. First Asian American Miss Teen USA. She's so gorgeous and it's great to see her supporting Kamala and the Asian American community.

At first, I have to admit, I didn't recognize her. When an organizer who knew we were reporting on the event gestured that she was someone we should talk to, I had whispered to Liz, "who's that?"

Liz was like, "ask her."

But what would I say? Who are you? Um...are you Kelly Hu?

Lucky for us, someone came by and introduced themselves to her and she replied, "I'm Kelly." Jackpot. Now I know what to do next time I don't know someone's name. Just introduce myself to them. Genius!
And this here is Lisa Ling! There are not too many role models out there for a young female Asian American reporter so what she's done with her career has been thoroughly admired on my behalf for many years now. I can't completely express how blessed I am to have such amazing opportunities like this. I am one lucky girl. I need to remember not to take my life for granted. Work hard!

Farewell KoreAm!

My favorite internship ever ended with a lunchtrip to...where else...a Korean restaurant. (We actually hardly eat Korean food at KoreAm, Gardena is a very Japanese cuisine-loving town.)

Over burning pieces of meat and spicy cabbages, the mostly female magazine team (both Audrey magazine and KoreAm are run by gals) and I reminisced about the great chats, lovely advice and superb fun I've had my four months here.

I've had many internships in my days. Mostly in the media and entertainment industry but I've worked in marketing, PR, research. I've worked for big companies in spacious suites atop Beverly Hills skyrises. I've worked in amazonian studio lots where soap stars would drive by on golf carts. I've worked in offices where the furniture probably costs more than my college tuition.

But it was in this steely factory-looking building in a city full of industrial trucks and Mexican fruit stands where I got the opportunity to explore my full print journalistic instincts, be faced with new challenges and obstacles everyday, and learn that you can love your job. And not only that, I was in the presence of an array of amazing, talented and accomplished Asian American females that dish out life advice and snarky commentary like no other. Through their life experiences, I'm able to gaze into a crystal ball and see how my life can turn out and what I should avoid.

My cousin and I had a discussion about this and I feel like if I could afford to, I would love to write, report, comment and investigate even if I weren't getting paid. I love feeling like I'm touching someone somewhere with my words and making a difference in my own way--by shedding light to stories that otherwise might not get told.

Asian American media has always had a hard time staying afloat and "in this economy" and with print journalism dying out, it's a wonder everyday that KoreAm Journal is still alive. But it's important for Asian American media to be here. When I read about Katie Holme's struggles to become an actress, it hits me differently than when I read about Sandra Oh's. I relate to Sandra more, whether it be her physical appearance of having black hair and a flat face or her family or her circle of friends. I want other Asian Americans out there to feel that kind of relatability, belonging. My feelings on being Asian American and working in the entertainment industry are long and complex and must be saved for another entry (hopefully coming soon) but I just end on one note:

Thank you KoreAm and Audrey, for giving us a voice.
Thank you for sharing our stories.
Thank you for making me feel like I belong.
Ok, so that's three notes but still...

I will miss being part of that family but you know, I'm still working on these issues right here on this blog and who knows, I might be back sooner than you think. We'll see!

Yea, we're Asian and we're proud.

EPIK HIGH

Timeliness. Something I should think to work on.

No excuses that this blog has been neglected for the past couple of weeks (month?) but it's "time" (excuse the pun) to catch up! I recently made a new fan by the name of Eve and I can't disappoint! Let's bring it!

So I get all these cool perks working for KoreAm, right? One of them came out of nowhere. Epik High, Korea's biggest hip hop stars, rambled through the U.S. for a tour, alongside cool cats, FM and Kero One and MYK.

I must admit, I had no idea who they were before I got the assignment to go and interview them at their red carpet. So imagine my surprise when my friend Freckles and I drove into the Sunset's House of Blues parking lot and faced this...

This is just the tip of the iceberg, kids! Lemme tell ya, the lines stretched all the way around the block! It was ridonkulous! Some of the fans we interviewed said they had been waiting since 7AM to get good seats to the House and were quite miffed that people in the roped off section seen in the pix above bought HOB merchandises to cut the line.

HOB merchandises are the least of Epik High fans' worries. These baby ballas got chauffeured to this concert in their parents' Mercedez's or BMW's. Why not drive themselves? Probably because they're not even old enough to get their licenses yet!

So Freckles and I had a lot of time to kill because we got there early and the red carpet started late. What do two Asian girls, with some time, a nice camera and an empty red carpet equal to?

PIC-TURE TIME~!!

Just when we were starting to feel at home on the other side of the red carpet, the main attractions came.

Awesome hip hoppers Far East Movement first touched down in Cali-town. I really admire these guys. I've loved their music for years now and say what you will about "Girls on the Dance Floor" (which, BTW, sounds nothing like their other stuff) it's dang catchy!

And Epik High! I've never heard their music before this but it's really good! It's poppy, playful and decent even though I have no idea what they're saying. I went crazy asking them questions because everybody else on the red carpet seemed all shy. But then one other reporter started turning on her Korean and for awhile, they spoke only in Korean. I was like..."NO! Language has failed me!" and I couldn't let her dominate the questions so I asked a final question, which was something like, "how do you guys feel about your fans?"

The ensuing conversation resulted in a "high"larious end quote which I want to tell you now, but will save for when I link to you my article. =)

Thanks Freckles for a fabulous evening! Your photog skills are amazing and I miss you oodles.

*Edit: Article published! Awhile back but you know you want to read it anyway. BTW: Epik High music is really really good. I have no idea what they are rapping/singing about but I can't stop listening to it regardless. Get it!