Hi - I'm launching a new, twice-a-month podcast focused on stories of the Asian diaspora on December 17, 2020 called "Almost Home".

Please subscribe and support!

I'll also be uploading episodes on Amateur Hour with KY (sporadically) as per usual so stay subscribed here, too!

Please note that this episode is in Korean.

아시아 땅 밟고 데이팅 앱을 깔아보니 그 비참한 현실을 알게 된 케빈 - 그가 아시아에도 일반적인 남자에 불과하다. 방법이 뭘까요? 아시아의 연애와 미국의 연애는 얼마나 다를까? 현지 연애 고수들 케이트와 그레이스와 그 차이점을 알아보자!

From Beijing/Hainan, standing 185cm tall, at Forward, meet Mcrid! This globetrotter is probably the most woke person I've met in Singapore.

Mcrid talks about how studying in Canada and the US has shaped his identity as he experiences Black Lives Matter at a predominantly white New England liberal arts college (12:30) before transferring to Cornell (21:30) and finding himself in an offshoot Buddhist sect (30:55). And as if he hasn't toed the line enough, Mcrid talks about becoming a Christian in China - where the party, not the trinity, comes first (39:00).

And if you're curious what a man named "Mcrid" looks like, you can listen and find out (47:45).

Recording date: August 2020

Most management consultants are in the field because they want to try different things - and Willa is the epitome of that stereotype. Reporting from the 6 (Toronto), Willa tells us about just a few (like ten) of her new hobbies in Corona-induced house arrest.

Some of the hobbies are of the nursing home variety such as puzzles (12:50), friendship bracelets (16:45), and baking (29:05). Others are a bit more new-age, like beginning a career as a voice actress for Audible audiobooks (18:25). To cap it off, Willa shares where she might be in a post-Corona world (33:40).

Recording date: July 2020

Kevin is joined by Jenn Cha for the English-speaking world's first and only series recap of the Korean dating show 'Heart Signal 2' - a miracle given that Jenn found this show literally 2 years after going off air. Jenn and Kevin figure out why 8 attractive and high-flying members of Korean society would come on this dating show before dissecting the magnetism of the polarizing chef Hyun-woo. Kevin shares what his strategy would be as a Korean dating show contestant.

Recording date: 05/03/2020

In Part 2, the group discuss their lifestyle changes during and after the coronavirus lockdown. Vikrant makes a split second decision to move cities to "shack up" with his significant other. Rohan pushes forward with a newfound DJing career, playing in the same empty venue everyday to an audience of one. Ishita shows up for Zoom meetings like these, presumably.

And to tie it back together, the group discusses sharing these so-called "productive hobbies" with their social networks.

Recording date: 04/19/2020

We get doused with updates on the coronavirus every day thanks to the Internet. Unfortunately, it’s easy to become numb to escalating patient counts and 45's fake news. So what's really happening?

My friends and I offer our experiences staying in cities that you may have heard a lot about in the news (New York, Singapore) and one other that has been flown under the radar (Dubai).

Recording date: 04/11/2020

Forbes columnist and New York’s (self-proclaimed) youngest entertainment lawyer Marc writes his own bildungsroman on this episode as he details how he first broke into the theatre industry as a college kid with an algorithm he built to predict Broadway show success. On the way up, he’s picked up a few trade secrets - including how Broadway theaters have figured out how to make money out of thin air!

Marc then grabs the mike for a more personal question - why is Kevin moving to Singapore?

To cap it off, Kevin and Marc also pull out their metaphorical lawn chairs as they crankily recount their limited participation in the Cornell social scene during their year as dorm neighbors.

Check out Marc's work with Forbes here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/#3bb8bb361059

Recording date: 11/03/2019

Speaking of taking a whiff, Cherry took one to start the second half of our conversation and ended up preventing a fire in a Murray Hill condominium. Pretty neat. With a bottle’s worth of Malbec likely still metabolizing, this part-time firefighter analogizes sommeliers to failed perfumers, gives three Asian languages a taste test, and answers an age-old question: Why do Korean men look so good?

While recording this episode, Cherry painted my smell. Take it in (with all your senses) here:

Recording date: 11/07/2019

Take a whiff of this. Taste anything? Maybe the color purple? Find the answers to these questions in this conversation with your neighborhood synesthete Cherry. She talks smelling her roommates’ moods, what the deal with Hollister’s signature scent is, and why building her career in the perfume world must end in France.

While recording this episode, Cherry painted my smell. Take it in (with all your senses) here:

The evening's setup:

Recording date: 11/07/2019