Author Archives: Jen

About Jen

I’m a Korean-American living in the bay area, I studied public health and social work in grad school, and I have an obsession for anything theater related, especially ballet and Broadway musicals. I just spent three years in NYC so I am still adjusting to normal winter weather and having a car, and most of the time, I am busy funding my passion for theater with a full-time job in healthcare public relations. On any given day, you can find me watching Project Runway, shopping, doing yoga, skipping to the theater, or looking for the perfect cocktail.

Figure Skating in the Vancouver Olympics: Yu-na Kim

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Jen

Figure skating is my favorite Winter Olympic sport. Sadly, the figure skating world in the U.S. lately doesn’t have the Kristi Yamaguchis and Nancy Kerrigans I’ve loved in the past. But I will be watching this year’s women’s competition closely … Continue reading →

Posted in (featured), Sports | 10 Comments

Interview with Alex Ko, Broadway’s Billy Elliot

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Jen

In October 2009, thirteen-year old Alex Ko made his debut as the star in Broadway’s Billy Elliot, the first Asian-American Billy on Broadway. I had the good fortune to speak to him about his new exciting role. Could you start … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Questions, Entertainment, The Arts | 1 Comment

AT&T Piano Commercial Featuring Pianist Kwan Yi

Posted on December 23, 2009 by Jen

In a dramatic AT&T commercial, Pianist Kwan Yi plays on AT&T touchscreen phones and a rather dramatic and beautifully played excerpt of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata. Yi has quite the education in music — he has an undergraduate degree from Philadelphia’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, The Arts, TV | Leave a comment

Japanese Men Perform Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics

Posted on November 27, 2009 by Jen

I have always found rhythmic gymnastics much more aesthetically pleasing and less “brute force” than the standard gymnastics with the balance beam & vault. Both are amazing sports, but given my preference for dance, rhythmic gymnastics seems to require musicality … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports, The Arts | 8 Comments

South Pacific on Tour in San Francisco: Racism is Carefully Taught

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Jen

The wonderful Broadway revival “South Pacific“, directed by the brilliant Bartlett Sher, is on tour right now in San Francisco. Written in 1949 by Rodgers and Hammerstein, most people remember this musical as a lovely romance during World War II … Continue reading →

Posted in Discrimination, Entertainment, Music, The Arts | 2 Comments

Shakira, Dancing with the Stars & Korean Drums

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Jen

Shakira made an appearance on Dancing with the Stars last week — a very odd combination, with ballroom dancing, Shakira’s non-ballroom dancing, hip shaking dancing, and the weirdest “backup dancers”… Korean drummers! Has anyone seen such shiny han-bok? I guess … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, TV | 1 Comment

Alex Ko: The New Billy Elliot on Broadway is Asian!

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Jen

Thirteen year old Alex Ko has been named to be the new Billy Elliot on Broadway. A gifted dancer and half Chinese-American, Alex Ko is set to become the first Asian-American Billy Elliot in the Broadway production of the Elton … Continue reading →

Posted in (featured), The Arts | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Alex Wong on So You Think You Can Dance

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Jen

So You Think You Can Dance seems to have some really good ballet dancers that end up on the show, Danny Tidwell being the most memorable in a recent season. I used to see Danny Tidwell dance with the American … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, The Arts | 5 Comments

Alvin Ailey’s Second in Command, Masazumi Chaya

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Jen

The Alvin Ailey Dance Company is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. I love the Alvin Ailey company — I saw them multiple times when I was in NYC (thanks to awesome student rush tickets), and when I found out … Continue reading →

Posted in The Arts | 6 Comments

Seoul Soo the Korean Cow Wants to be Californian

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Jen

Check out the latest cow that is auditioning to be a California cow! She’s Korean, her name is Seoul Soo. (Sorta cute, no?) I’m surprised how good her Korean is (a very slight English accent but barely noticeable), at first … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Lifestyles | 8 Comments

MAC Cosmetics Create Hello Kitty Makeup

Posted on January 9, 2009 by Jen

MAC Cosmetics has announced that they will release their Hello Kitty makeup line on February 12, 2009. Have you seen Hello Kitty so edgy? Whether you like Hello Kitty or not — the colors in the collection seem a bit … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyles | 6 Comments

Prostitution Near Bases Were Permitted by US and South Korean Governments

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Jen

A group of ex-prostitutes in South Korea have come forward in bold move accusing their former government leaders of enabling prostitution, and encouraging it near the US bases in South Korea. While prostitution is often commonly found near military bases, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Lifestyles | 2 Comments