Year: 2013

Go Away With … Kevin Olusola of Pentatonix

Jae-Ha Kim

The son of a Nigerian psychiatrist and a Grenadian nurse, Kevin Olusola enrolled at Yale University intending on pursuing a medical career. But the classically-trained cellist and innovative beatboxer couldn’t resist entering the “Celebrate and Collaborate with Yo-Yo Ma” international competition, where he won second place. As a member of the a cappella group Pentatonix, the 24-year-old musician and his bandmates won the third season of the NBC reality series “The Sing-Off.”

Hair and makeup

Jae-Ha Kim

A few years back, I was flown out to Los Angeles to audition for a new entertainment news show that was being developed. There was a handful of journalists, as well as “personalities,” vying for the position. Honestly, I didn’t want to go. I was newly married and looking forward to heading overseas on vacation with my husband. But, it seemed like it could be a good opportunity, so off I went.

Accents

Jae-Ha Kim

When I was in graduate school, my journalism teacher asked me, “Why can’t Asians pronounce r’s and l’s?” Seriously? I looked at her and said in perfect English, “I really, really don’t know.” She didn’t get it. She basically was asking an Asian who spoke perfect English, why I couldn’t speak perfect English. She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that maybe I was fluent because I was raised in the United States.

Go Away With … Tristan Prettyman

Jae-Ha Kim

“Mexico is pretty amazing,” says singer Tristan Prettyman. “From San Diego, it’s so close to drive to Rosarito and rent a house for cheap and relax, surf and chill out. My parents also have property about 19 hours down in a little surf town. I love going there to get away. No phone service or Internet. It’s the perfect unplug-from-everything getaway.”

Gas station ice cream

Jae-Ha Kim

A long time ago, a friend asked me why I shook my bottle of milk before I poured it. I said what my father had always told me (or what I thought he had told me) — that shaking it distributed the vitamins evenly. The person laughed and said, “No, it doesn’t.” I didn’t give it much thought until recently. I realized that the reason I shook my milk was because when we first immigrated to the United States, we drank powered milk.

Go Away With … Matthew Salesses

Jae-Ha Kim

Author Matthew Salesses says his year in Prague was one of his favorite years: “It was very cheap for Americans when I was there. Beer cost about one dollar, rent was about $600 per month for a four-bedroom apartment and you could get a really good meal for a few dollars. As soon as I ran out of my American money, I had to live off my earnings. I was paid in crowns, not dollars, so then I was even poorer than I am now. It’s not the kind of place where you can make a lot of money and travel around. But it was such a beautiful city and there was plenty to see. There is this great beer garden in Prague on Letna Hill where you can have a drink and look over most of the city.”

My mother’s memories

Jae-Ha Kim

This memory made me think about Korean singer Insooni and Ronald Lewis, an American GI who befriended the biracial teenager when she was ostracized by Korean society. There was never anything romantic between the two. Lewis said he had experienced racism in the U.S., but hadn’t expected it in other countries. When he saw it happening to Insooni, he and his friends took her under their wings. They bought her food. They didn’t assume they could buy her. Are there men today who would still be this kind to a child?

Go Away With … Brittany Bowe

Jae-Ha Kim

“I just got home from Japan, and it is by far one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to,” says U.S. speedskater Brittany Bowe. “The culture is so unique. We actually got to do a little bit of sightseeing on this trip and visit some of the temples. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. All the castles and architecture of Europe are beautiful. But then seeing Japan and its architecture is completely different and so special. Also, we went to Kazakhstan for a World Cup race and it was by far the coldest place I’ve ever been to so far. But it was a beautiful area. The buildings looked so cool and futuristic.”

Go Away With … Kevin Michael Connolly

Jae-Ha Kim

Kevin Michael Connolly, photographer and author of “Double Take: A Memoir” (HarperCollins, $14.99), can now add television personality to his resume. The 27-year-old adventurer, born without legs, is the host of the new Travel Channel series, “Armed and Ready.” A resident of Bozeman, Mont., Connolly was a medalist at the 2007 X Games’ monoski event and on his show he challenges himself to try feats such as climbing a 50-foot tree in the Smoky Mountains and diving from a 40-foot cliff on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Fifty shades of Jae

Jae-Ha Kim

A few months ago, the book club I belong to picked “Fifty Shades of Grey” to read. You know what I’m talking about. “Mommy porn,” as it came to be called by the media, which took note of its popularity with middle-aged married women. With a controversial subject (S&M, kinky sex), it’s the type of book that no one wants to admit they read, much less liked.

Sohn Kee-Chung of Korea, not Son Kitei of Japan

Jae-Ha Kim

Growing up, I had heard my father talk about Sohn Kee-Chung (손기정). Sohn was the first Korean to win an Olympic medal, and it was gold. At the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, he set a world record in the marathon. So it wasn’t surprising that when the 1988 Games were held in South Korea, Sohn had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch into the Seoul Olympic Stadium.

Komodo Dragon Attacks Tour Guide

Jae-Ha Kim

Remember when Sharon Stone arranged for her then husband, Phil Bronstein, to pet a Komodo dragon at the Los Angeles Zoo? And remember when dragon bit him on the foot, completely crushing his big toe? I thought about this when my husband and I were on the eastern Indonesian island of Komodo, touring an area full of the dragons for which it’s famous. There were experienced guides leading our little group, and they carried large, pointy sticks. I remember asking the lead guide if that’s what he’d use if a Komodo dragon were to attack, and he said, “Yes. It’s very effective.”

Go Away With … Gino Strada

Jae-Ha Kim

Dr. Gino Strada is the founder of EMERGENCY, a global organization that brings free health care to war-torn countries. Strada is featured in the documentary film “Open Heart,” which is nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject at this year’s Academy Awards. The film follows eight Rwandan children who travel to Sudan for life-saving open-heart surgery. Strada, 64, resides in Khartoum, Sudan, where he spends at least nine months each year working at the Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery.

Go Away With … Meghan Markle

Jae-Ha Kim

“I got the travel bug quite early,” says “Suits” actress, Meghan Markle. “My earliest memories are of going to Mexico twice a year and Hawaii quite a few times. We never did conventional family trips like Disney World. Hawaii and Mexico were closer for us than going to Florida or the Caribbean.”

My shoes

Jae-Ha Kim

Back before MTV aired shows about pregnant teenagers, it had a program on called “House of Style.” I used to love that fashion show, which was hosted by Cindy Crawford. I remember seeing an episode where models Shalom Harlow and Amber Valetta (I think it was them, anyhow) showed viewers what was in their closets. The thing that stuck out was their boxes and boxes of shoes, which were stacked neatly with Polaroid photos of the contents taped to each box. I thought this idea was brilliant. So I did the same.

Go Away With … Alana De La Garza

Jae-Ha Kim

“My first trip was at six years old. We drove from Tucson to Columbus, in our cream-colored station wagon that we affectionately called Betsy,” says actress Alana De La Garza. “We drove through the night, with my brother, sister and I lying across the back seats. All I remember is my brother poking me, as I tried to fall asleep. I kept thinking, “I don’t like vacations. I’m not so sure what all the fuss is about.” I did love seeing my grandparents.”