Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“Being in the desert felt like the safest place to be during the pandemic,” said Grammy-nominated songwriter Hollis Wong-Wear of her trip to Joshua Tree. “I could go on walks without a mask and not feel like I was endangering anyone.”
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Coincidentally, it’s also Mental Health Awareness Month. And while the latter designation draws attention to the benefits of taking care of our overall well being, mental health care traditionally has been overlooked by Asians – a mindset that experts say has trickled down to Asian Americans.
Marie Myung-Ok Lee’s linguistic skills and travels play a prominent role in her latest novel “The Evening Hero” (Simon & Schuster, $28.99), which centers on a septuagenarian doctor whose past in Korea threatens to upend his perfect American life.
Here’s where to start on your K-drama journey — including the one romance everyone seems to be talking about.
“I may be biased but I swear every time I go to Puerto Rico, I keep finding new things to see and do,” said “The Time Traveler’s Wife” actress Natasha López. “If you are staying in the San Juan area you must visit El Yunque National Forest and Old San Juan.”
“Military Prosecutor Doberman” explores some of the same themes as last year’s superior “D.P.” — but with more fight scenes, comedy and shirtlessness, courtesy of the series star Ahn Bo-hyun (“Itaewon Class”). It also stars Jo Bo-ah as his kickass colleague who’s as full as vengeance as he is.
Boy bands generally don’t get a lot of respect from journalists regardless of what language they speak. But if BTS was a white boy band singing in English, I’m positive their songs would get more attention and radio play.
At the time of our Zoom interview, AleXa had no idea that she would win NBC’s “American Song Contest.” “I’m just grateful for this experience,” she said. “I performed for a huge American network in front of a live audience. Hopefully, I can take this positive energy and move forward with it.”
Actor Lee Byung-hun told me, “I experienced touching emotions, and found consolation and hope ever since I read the script for ‘Our Blues.’ I hope that this drama will be able to comfort all wounded souls.”
“My father really pushed me to travel the world,” photographer/musician Isné Bobo Nuyent recalled. “He said, ‘You need to train your mind and understand other people and cultures and what they go through. So go travel.'”