Voxcali

Voxcali

By VoxcaliSociety & CultureScienceHealth & Fitness
Download on the App Store

Voxcali episodes

  • Actor Rohan Mirchandaney Has Pikachu To Thank

    Actor Rohan Mirchandaney (La Brea) has traveled the world playing Pokemon Go. It's not as crazy as it sounds.

    Romen (00:00)

    Welcome! We are here with Rohan Mirchandaney. Rohan is a very successful actor. You probably recognize him from La Brea. That was on NBC.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (00:09)

    Thank you, nice to be here man.

    Romen (00:12)

    Thank you so much for coming. As we both know, people are trying to guess your accent right now. Why don't you just make it easy for them and tell us.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (00:20)

    Of course. My accent is Australian. I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia and have recently moved to Los Angeles.

    Romen (00:28)

    You came here for acting?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (00:30)

    That's right. Yes. After La Brea, I felt a calling to come and roll the dice in Los Angeles. And it's been a pleasant experience ever since. I'm really happy I did it. LA feels like home in a way that Melbourne never did.

    Romen (00:44)

    Really? Why do you think that is?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (00:49)

    Something about the city and I think something about me being in my 30s and discovering Los Angeles now is I'm just coming in at the right time for me.

    Romen (01:00)

    That's really great. When I moved to LA at first, I felt a little intimidated because there were a lot of people in their early 20s

    Rohan Mirchandaney (01:10)

    You know what? I don't think about it that much and it might be me being really naive, but I've always felt a youthfulness despite whatever age I am. I've noticed that I still feel like I've got a lot of energy inside me. I've got a lot of excitement and I love exploring new places. I really love finding what makes the place work in a local community and I do that all over the world.

    I've been really lucky to travel so much and LA is the place that's spoken to me the most.

    Romen (01:41)

    We're gonna get to your travel in a moment because I find it fascinating and I know our listeners will. But a little more on your boyish good looks I think is why you feel so youthful is because you look very youthful among other things. Do you get cast in roles that are younger than your actual age?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (02:01)

    Now that you mention it, the majority of auditions that I've had and the roles that I've played have been younger. Yeah, well, that's really interesting, you know? I think I have got this essence about me, this this ragamuffin, this kind of like rough around the edges, this underdog type of character that really resonates with lot of people.

    Romen (02:24)

    Tell us about your La Brea character. And do you mind giving us just like a quick synopsis of what La Brea was.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (02:30)

    Of course, yeah, La Brea was a action adventure sci-fi series about a sinkhole that opens up in the middle of Los Angeles, the biggest sinkhole in the world. And everything that fell inside got transported back in time to 10,000 BC. So a lot of people have to work together to try and figure out how they got there, why they got there, was it a mistake? Will it happen again? And what are the secrets this new prehistoric world holds?

    Romen (02:58)

    And tell us about your character and the question everyone's wondering: Did you speak in your native voice or did you adopt an American accent or otherwise?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (03:09)

    Sure, sure. So the character that I played was a student and an archaeological expert. He was fascinated with prehistoric times and so being in 10,000 BC was just this guy's in his element, you know, he's putting the pieces together in a really natural way and he's just excited to be there because this is something he never could have dreamed of.

    So my character's name was Scott Israni and I did get to play an Australian, which was very fun. I felt quite represented and seen and didn't feel the pressures of having to kind of work with an American accent, even though I auditioned with an American accent. During the callback when I was, yeah, yeah, yeah. Most of my auditions in Australia have been in an American accent and that was one of the reasons I was like, you know what, maybe LA has got my name on it. Maybe I should be going over there.

    Romen (03:53)

    That's so interesting.

    Well, you know, some of the actors, some of the other actors I've talked to out here who are Indian are told to do an accent and that means put on this BS character Indian accent. Whereas when you're told to do an accent, that means an American accent. So that's a fun departure unless you also get asked to do an Indian accent.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (04:21)

    Mm-hmm. yeah, yeah, absolutely. Don't get me wrong, I certainly get asked to do an Indian accent very often. Yeah, and I don't see that stopping any time soon And I actually have done an Indian accent in a film. I worked on Hotel Mumbai, which shot in India and also in Australia. And the director thought that I was from India when we actually met in person after my audition, which was really interesting.

    Romen (04:54)

    That's amazing. Did you sort of just keep the charade going and never drop the accent even when you were hanging around?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (04:59)

    No, no I didn't. I certainly didn't.

    Romen (05:02)

    Actually when you were playing, like, an archeological expert, did that require you in your real life to have to figure a lot of things out and do research?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (05:13)

    I started to actually, I started to put a lot of effort into research and learning. But the show that we worked on was an NBC show. was Network show. So there wasn't a lot of focus on that kind of attention to detail. It was more about the plot and the relationships of the characters. So learned pretty early onwards that that wasn't the focus of the show.

    Romen (05:37)

    That makes sense. This was not for the History Channel, this show. Okay, so you have a very specific hobby. You are a Pokemon Go aficionado, is that correct?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (05:39)

    Yeah, you can say that. That is absolutely correct. Yes, Pokemon Go, the mobile phone game that came out in July 2016. I have been playing that game every single day since to this day.

    Romen (06:06)

    Every single day since it came out in 2016?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (06:09)

    Yes, every single day. For minimum of like two hours a day. I am hooked. I am hooked.

    Romen (06:14)

    Okay, so for those who might be unfamiliar, could you tell us just like in broad strokes, what is Pokemon Go?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (06:25)

    Pokemon Go is a walking game, I would say. It's a collecting game, it's a battling game, it's a territory domination game as well. It really is just about getting you out of the house. The map of the world is the map of the game, and when you physically move in the world, that's when your character moves in the game. So if you're not moving, you're not really advancing. And that has helped me get out of the house. Especially during COVID. It's helped me discover a lot of special places in the new city when I get to visit. And I get to visit a lot of new cities for work, thankfully. So I like to think sometimes that work has paid me to play.

    Romen (07:10)

    Look, I have heard of lot more destructive hobbies than than Pokemon Go. Do you travel specifically for Pokemon Go ever?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (07:23)

    Yes, I do. Yes. In 2017, Pokemon Go started these festivals, these annual festivals that they would hold in three cities around the world. One in America, one in Asia, and one in Europe. And since 2018, I've been coming to the ones in America. Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, and even at the Rose Bowl in LA.

    Romen (07:51)

    So you would, when you were living in Australia, you would get on a plane and travel to the United States, to Chicago or New York, say, just to play Pokemon Go.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (08:03)

    Yes, the first time I did that was in 2018, where I went to Chicago for the first time. I told my agents in Australia that I would be visiting America and they said, we'll reach out to our connections over there and see if there's any interest for you. And if there is, go to LA and have those meetings. So I was able to combine that Pokemon trip with a work trip and managed to get representation out of it in America.

    Romen (08:29)

    So just to recap, you came to the US to play Pokemon Go and left that trip with a manager or with agents?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (08:38)

    That's correct, yes it is.

    Romen (08:41)

    So you have Pikachu to thank for your successful career?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (08:46)

    Pikachu and Charizard. Yep. yeah.

    Romen (08:49)

    This is truly fascinating to me. Can you walk us through, like, you get off the plane, you're holding your, the Pokemon Go app is open, is there like a Pokemon Master waiting for you with your name on a sign, at the airport?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (09:07)

    Good question. In the early days there wasn't, but now when I do revisit a city that I've already been to and made those friends and connections the previous trip, a lot of the time they are more than happy to come and pick me up from wherever I need and drive me around and show me around their home, their city. Yeah, I've met a lot of friends from this game ranging from 14 years old to 80 years old.

    And that's just been really fascinating, finding the different types of people that play this game and their backgrounds and how everyone's approach is so different. I learn a lot about people, I learn a lot about myself, and I learn a lot about the world playing the game.

    Romen (09:51)

    Wow, could you tell us about this 80 year old you've met playing Pokemon Go? Because I don't know. I don't think any of the 80 year olds in my life could like open the Google Maps app, let alone the Pokemon Go app.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (09:57)

    Absolutely. Oh yeah, this was a really, really fascinating experience. I was in Las Vegas playing an event in February, I think it was 2023, and I saw this lady playing the game and it was a really hot day and we were in the park and I said hi to her. Her name was Crystal. She was playing two accounts, one for herself and one for her husband. But her husband wasn't anywhere to be seen. She was holding two phones. She was holding two phones.

    Romen (10:30)

    Was she holding two phones?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (10:36)

    And it turns out that her husband had passed away three years ago. And that was something that they did together. They both played the game and would go on for walks together. He was in a wheelchair, so they would always be together. And he found the game really fascinating. He would call them critters. He wasn't as into it as much as Crystal, but the time that they spent together was really around the game and getting out into the world and walking. So…

    to keep his memory alive. Crystal keeps playing his account to this day. I added her secondary account and I send gifts and I trade Pokemon to both those accounts and Crystal lives in California so I was lucky enough to be invited to go visit her in her hometown and I spent some time with her. It was really nice. It was really lovely.

    Romen (11:29)

    That is so sweet. That is like touching. That's such an incredibly touching story.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (11:31)

    It was really, yeah, I gotta show you some photos sometime. It's something else, yeah.

    Romen (11:37)

    I mean, I also, and I truly don't mean to be as disparaging as this sounds, but like, my initial feelings about Pokemon might've been that it's just a bunch of like, male nerds with no social skills sitting around playing a video game. This sounds very different from what I was imagining. Is that the case, or are there still plenty of male nerds sitting around playing a video game?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (12:02)

    You know what I've noticed? That this game is really social and it appeals to all different types. I've seen families play together. I've actually met a family who was like, get in the car. We're going to play Pokemon. This was in Australia in Kananara. I shot a television series called Mystery Road in that remote part of Australia. And it was a really interesting way to meet the locals. know, it was a, it was a town that had only one street. Really small town and somehow I was able to find the other players just from playing the game. So I don't think it's just lonely men playing the game. ⁓ Like you said, I've really noticed all sorts of people. It's incredible.

    Romen (12:53)

    Do you make any money off this? Cause it sounds like you spend a lot of money on it traveling all over the world.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (12:59)

    No, no, no. It was really important to me to not try and get any financial return from playing the game. I think I would take away my love for it and what made me connected to it in the first place, it takes the pressure off as well. I can really just focus on playing and connecting with people rather than my income.

    Romen (13:22)

    It definitely sounds like you've gotten a ton out of it. Cool experiences, new friends, ⁓ something that forces you to exercise and walk around. Has it detracted from your life in any way? Has it gotten in the way of, you know, responsibilities or work or relationships?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (13:42)

    Good question. I'd like to think that as Pokemon evolve, we as humans also need to evolve and adapt. And I think I've really kind of had to make some changes in my life to accommodate for other people and responsibilities. But I think I've found a great balance and a great mix of being able to accomplish all of those things simultaneously.

    Romen (14:15)

    Well, based on the success of your career, it certainly seems like you have, and your friendships. And you and I are friends. You once said, I'll be right back, I have to stop by a gym. And I assumed you were going to work out. But there's such thing in the game called the Pokemon gym, is that right?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (14:36)

    Yes, that's right. Gyms in the game are significant landmarks that are opportunities for territory domination. So there are three teams in the game. There's the red team, the blue team and the yellow team. And only one team can hold a landmark at any time.

    Romen (14:54)

    So this is a team sport. There are other, some of these other people you're interacting with are on your team.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (15:00)

    Loosely it can be seen as a team sport. Yeah,

    Romen (15:05)

    Do you expect to be playing this game until you're 80?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (15:08)

    Such a good question. I think I'd love to say yes or if I found someone that I could pass the torch to to continue the game and carry on my legacy that's also an option as well.

    Romen (15:27)

    Aw, we all think about the legacies we want to leave behind. Your kids you would not force into acting, but they would be nepo babies in the Pokemon world.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (15:31)

    I certainly wouldn't push them, but I'd guide them in that direction of course. yeah. I think it'd be a great way to connect and share.

    Romen (15:44)

    I mean, I come from the Midwest. have heard of much weirder traditions than that. Your sounds actually pretty wholesome. Can we call you a poke master?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (15:56)

    You know what? You can. It's been done before and I've gotten pretty used to it. So please feel free to address me as Pokemaster.

    Romen (16:07)

    So ehen I played ultimate frisbee in college, I think the first question we were asked as sort of an icebreaker question was "If you were gonna eat any Pokemon, what Pokemon would it be"? my answer by the way to that question was Mr. Mime

    Rohan Mirchandaney (16:28)

    Mr. Mime is great Pokemon from the original 150. Fun fact about Mr. Mime, you can only catch Mr. Mime in Europe. There are some Pokemon that are region locked and you can only get them from visiting those places. So Australia has a Pokemon that you can't get anywhere else. So I mentioned the 14 year old Pokemon player that I met. This was a young boy in India who when he saw on a message thread that I was visiting and I was from Australia. He was very excited to meet me because he wanted Kangaskhan. He just never had an opportunity to catch him or never interacted with a person who had Kangaskhan and so we made it happen. We made it happen.

    Romen (17:10)

    Can you give the Pokemon to someone else?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (17:13)

    You can trade Pokemon, yeah that's a really big part of the game, sharing and yeah, giving people things that they don't have and that's usually where I come in because I've done so much traveling and I've gone to so many of these events where they will debut rare Pokemon only for that event. When I go back home or when I go to visit another city, I'm able to connect with the players and let them know that I've got these rare Pokemon if anyone wants to meet up and share and trade.

    Romen (17:42)

    That's really sweet. And then will you hang out with these folks outside of Pokemon? Will it be like Pokemon is an inn to meet someone? And then you guys will like, will you like go to a movie or is it like, no, just Pokemon?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (17:55)

    Yeah, it certainly varies every time. mean, with Crystal, we went and got lunch. We went to… It's an Italian restaurant. It's like a chain. They give you free soup and… No, no, they got… Olive Garden! We went to Olive Garden. That's exactly where we went. Yeah, we went to Olive Garden.

    Romen (18:05)

    Bucca di Beppo? Olive Garden?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (18:07)

    Olive garden, that's exactly what it was.

    Romen (18:10)

    Man you really haven't been in this country that long if you don't know the Olive Garden by name. I mean, all you can eat soup and salad and breadsticks. Yeah. That's so fun. So you, if, if absolutely nothing else, if you were to quit Pokemon right now, you could be like,

    Rohan Mirchandaney (18:17)

    Yeah, I've only been there that one time. And bread streaks? Yeah, that's it. I love soup.

    Romen (18:35)

    Thanks to this game, you got to experience the Olive Garden for the first time. And that alone would be a huge victory, I think.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (18:44)

    Yeah, that's a really positive way of looking at it and you're absolutely right. I can't wait to go back to the Olive Garden. In fact, when was the last time you've been?

    Romen (18:49)

    I went a year ago during Ramadan, a friend of mine was fasting and he said, would you like to join me for an Iftar dinner where I break my fast? Let's go to Olive Garden. So we went there, we ordered at just the right time and we timed it so the food would come out the moment the sun went down and he could eat again. And we feasted on Olive Garden, might've said some Muslim prayers, I don't remember.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (19:24)

    Wow, okay, there you go.

    Romen (19:26)

    Yeah, thank you for asking. I'm glad I got to volunteer that. But do you have a favorite Pokemon?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (19:35)

    I do. There's a Pokemon called Lucario from generation 4 that is known as the empathy Pokemon. It is a fighting slash steel type and yeah there's something about that particular Pokemon that I'm connected to.

    Romen (19:50)

    Cause you are an empath, would you say?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (19:53)

    I like that that particular Pokemon has a special bond with people. There's like a telepathy that is shared and even though that Pokemon is really really strong and can mega evolve, there's a softness to them as well.

    Romen (20:10)

    Will you very clearly both from my knowing you personally and from these stories you've told have, you know, are incredible at bonding with people and forging special connections. So that checks out. Are there any places you feel you need to travel to get certain certain Pokemon? Are there places in the globe where you're like, "You know, there's this one you can only get in the North Pole. So, you know, I'm hitting that up next Christmas."

    Rohan Mirchandaney (20:36)

    I have thought about going to many different places around the world to get specific Pokemon, but I'll tell you about one in particular. There is a Pokemon that is only available in Mexico called Hawlucha. It is a fighting slash flying type based on like the Luchador. And there were rumors that if you got close to the border, there is an opportunity to catch some Hawluchas. You don't necessarily have to cross over, but…

    if you play the game around the area and you're lucky enough you can get a Hawlucha. So a couple of friends I heard were driving down, I said pick me up on the way, let's do it and we spent the day just travelling around trying to get that one Pokemon and I ended up getting two, yeah, the rumours checked out.

    Romen (21:19)

    So what does that look like? Does it, you're just on your phone and suddenly it'll be like alert, how Lucha nearby or something like that? Or will you like…

    Rohan Mirchandaney (21:30)

    It will pop up on the screen it wouldn't say nearby no text would show up but if you're lucky you will just see it appear on the on the map

    Romen (21:38)

    And that's just gotta be the most incredible thrill ever.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (21:41)

    It was pretty fun. Yeah, it was exciting.

    Romen (21:45)

    Aw, that's really fun. Any parting thoughts related to Pokemon Go or otherwise that you want to leave us with?

    Rohan Mirchandaney (21:54)

    For me, it's really changed my life, I have to say. It's given me an opportunity to connect with the world in a way that I never thought I could, and meet people that I never thought I'd befriend. Yeah, just really lucky and really happy that I've been so fortunate enough to come across the game in such a pivotal moment of my life.

    I'm glad you wanted to chat about it because this is the first time i've done it and it's been nice.

    Romen (22:24)

    Are you kidding me? I've enjoyed this so much. I have a newfound appreciation who knows? Maybe I'll download the app and head down to the border.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (22:32)

    Hey, it's never too late. I can help you out. can trade you some Kangaskhan's if you want.

    Romen (22:34)

    Amazing. Well, thank you so much, Rohan. Really appreciated this.

    Rohan Mirchandaney (22:42)

    No worries buddy, good talking to you.

    23 min
  • Kishi Bashi’s Eclectic Pop Songs Revel in Japanese Heritage

    The acclaimed Japanese American musician has achieved success with genre-bending albums and impactful artistic projects.

    Even while combining electronic orchestral richness with indie rock beats Kaoru Ishibashi’s music glories in distinctive Japanese themes.

    The inveterate musical adventurer has found enough commercial appeal to release 5 independent albums, the most recent being Kantos in 2024.  But it was his 2019 release Omoiyari that peaked in the Top 40 of the US Album Sales Chart.

    The documentary Omoiyari: A Song Film by Kishi Bashi represents a significant new dimension to Ishibashi’s creative energies.  The film features various orchestral versions of his songs and explores themes of compassion and empathy, the Japanese American experience, and a history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II.  

    The film premiered on Paramount+ in 2022 and earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Arts & Culture Documentary.

    For three seasons beginning in 2020 Ishibashi composed the soundtrack for the Apple TV+ animated series Stillwater.

    In 2003 Ishibashi co-founded the rock band Jupiter One alongside Zac Colwell.  They had met while touring as circus musicians in Barnum’s Kaleidoscape.  Jupiter One’s 2007 self-titled debut album featured “Countdown,” a song that enjoyed broad recognition after its inclusion on the Madden NFL 08 soundtrack.

    Facing stagnant growth, creative restrictions, and financial struggles, Kishi Bashi decided to move on from Jupiter One and into his parents’ attic, where he recorded his debut solo album, 151a, a decision he considers the best of his career.

    The 2012 album was able to focus on a more orchestral sound, including “I Am the Antichrist to You” his most viewed YouTube video. The song enjoyed a resurgence after being featured in a 2021 Rick and Morty episode. It currently has over 52 million plays on Spotify.

    Ishibashi’s second most streamed song is “Bright Whites” which opens with fast paced Japanese lyrics that set up a radiant, uplifting folk soundscape. The broad appeal of “Bright Whites” led to its use in a Microsoft Windows 8 ad.  Similarly “It All Began With A Burst” was used in a SONY Xperia commercial around the album’s release.

    Kishi Bashi’s other albums include Sonderlust in 2016 and Lighght in 2014. Kaoru Ishibashi, 49, was born in Seattle to immigrant Japanese parents but moved to Ithaca, New York where he began learning the violin at 7.  The family eventually settled in Norfolk, Virginia where both parents taught at Old Dominion University.  Kaoru enrolled in Cornell as an engineering student before he found his calling.  He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1999 with a concentration in jazz violin and film scoring.

    5 min
  • Neopets was Nearly Forgotten Until a Superfan Took Over

    Before the world was deluged by social media, Neopets dominated the early 2000s until a data breach exposed millions of users. Now, superfan Dominic Law is giving Neopets a serious rebirth. 

    Before TikTok, Fortnite, and even MySpace, users were spending hours playing Neopets, an online browser game that had millions in a digital chokehold.

    Neopets was launched by two friends in September 1999 with a goal to make extra cash and keep college students entertained. The virtual pet browser game featured its own world called “Neopia” where players can transport around the map and play games to earn Neopoints, which can be used to obtain food to feed your Neopet or even clothing to dress them up.

    Users could also train their Neopets to compete in the “Battledome” against other players. At the “Battledome” they are able to interact with one another and also trade and sell using the message boards.

    Just a few months later in December 1999, Neopets was seeing over 600,000 views daily and by 2001 users were spending an average of 117 minutes a week online. By May 2005, Neopets calculated nearly 35 million users and 4 billion site views a month.

    But behind the scenes of the site’s hype, Neopets was changing hands. Viacom, Nickelodeon’s parent company, purchased Neopets for $160 million with dreams of creating a Neopets empire.

    Viacom expanded the brand to video games, stuffed animals, and even Happy Meal deals but because of the internet’s quick evolution, Neopets was struggling to keep up with the digital age.

    The site changed hands again and was acquired in 2014 by a well known Chinese firm, JumpStart. From there, Neopets was completely neglected with minimal updates and bugs clogging the site. The site was full of outdated Flash games so users were unable to play even the most popular games like Meerca Chase, Hasee Bounce, and Faerie Cloud Racers.

    And just when you thought there was a possibility of Neopets making a comeback, things got even worse as the years went by. In July 2022, the company confirmed a ginormous data breach where hackers were able to access over 69 million users, exposing names, birthdates, and emails.

    This created a big scandal and made longtime players completely ditch the game. But the next year fans got their first glimmer of hope back as Dominic Law, current Neopets CEO announced new management and also $4 million in investment funds to bring the site back to life.

    Law is set on restoring Neopia and reviving the Neopets community with modernized updates and rebuilding fan favorite games. And this seems to be working because by April 2024, the site’s monthly users went from 100,000 to 300,000.

    Dominic Law is currently at the forefront of what could be one of the biggest comebacks of 2025 and he is fueling his fire with millennial nostalgia while also expanding to a new generation of digital pet owners.

    3 min
  • Ohtani Headlines NL All-Stars, More Asian Stars Eye Selection

    Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will lead the Asian contingent on the 2025 All-Star  roster for which Tommy Edman, Steven Kwan, Yusei Kikuchi and Kodai Senga are also in the running.

    Superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been named the National League’s starting designated hitter for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game after leading all NL players in Phase 1 of fan voting.  This is his 5th consecutive All-Star selection.

    The 3-time MVP currently leads the NL with 30 home runs and a 1.015 OPS.  Ohtani’s performance has helped the defending World Series champion Dodgers to a league-best 55 wins.

    In this, his 8th season, the 6’3” Japanese star has accumulated 255 career home runs. That pace puts him in statistical company with legendary sluggers Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth.

    The 30-year-old signed one of the largest contracts in sports history in 2023. The 10-year $700 million deal was met with a mix of awe and scrutiny as over 97% of the payments are deferred until 2034 to 2043. The Dodgers’ strategic team-friendly deal has been admired for its innovation and criticized for exploiting a “loophole” in the league’s deferral rules.

    Ohtani’s Korean-American teammate Tommy Edman was seeking his first All-Star appearance but lost out to fellow second baseman Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round of voting.  The San Diego native etched his name in the record books last year earning the NLCS MVP during the Dodgers’ World Series run.  After their championship season Edman signed a 5-year $74 million contract extension. In his 7th year the 30-year-old is currently batting .244 with 10 home runs.

    Guardians’ left fielder Steven Kwan failed to nab an All-Star starter slot after earning the honor for the first time last year.  Kwan was named a gold glover in each of his first 3 seasons, and this year leads all left fielders with 169 putouts and 8 assists.  The 27-year-old is also batting .292, 20th best in the Bigs.  Playing under a 1-year deal with Cleveland worth over 4 million, his performance this year could set up a big contract in the offseason.  Kwan is a Bay Area native of Chinese and Japanese descent.

    Both Kwan and Edman remain in contention for the All-Star reserves through either player ballot or Commissioner’s Office selection which will be announced on Sunday, July 6th, along with pitchers.

    Japanese starting pitchers Yusei Kikuchi of the Los Angeles Angels and Kodai Senga of the New York Mets are in the running for the Midsummer Classic.

    Kikuchi is in his 7th year currently with a 2.81 ERA, the best of his career.  He also has thrown 106 strikeouts, tied for 9th best in the AL. The 34-year-old scored an All-Star selection in 2021, and is in his first year of a 3-year contract worth over $63 million.

    Through 13 starts this season for the New York Mets Senga posted an astonishing 1.47 ERA, picking up 7 wins in the process.   Unfortunately, for the second straight year he’s battling injuries. Currently he’s on the 15-day IL with a strained right hamstring.  Senga may yet be named to the All-Star team but a replacement would likely be named as well.  The 32-year-old was an All-Star pick during his first MLB season in 2023 and is currently on a 5-year $75 million contract.

    The 95th MLB All-Star Game will be held on Tuesday, July 15, at Truist Park in Atlanta.

    4 min
  • Yuman Fong Fights Cancer with Viruses, AI Robotics

    Dr. Fong has become a globally eminent surgical oncologists with innovative use of cutting-edge tools.

    Yuman Fong has led his City of Hope’s surgery department to the forefront of using chimeric oncolytic virus, CF33, to target multiple tumor types including colon, lung, breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers.  Clinical trials of the immune-stimulating virus have been underway since 2021 for patients with metastatic or advanced solid tumors. The early results look promising.  One bile duct cancer patient achieved full remission sustained for over 200 days. 

    Fong’s team also works with robotic companies to design surgical tools like advanced imaging technologies, ablative techniques, and surgical robots.  Fong is at the leading edge of efforts to combine robotic surgery with artificial intelligence to allow standard surgical procedures to be automated, leaving surgeons with energy and focus for critical procedures.

    As one of the world’s highest cited researchers, with over a thousand articles and 24 textbooks published, Fong is even innovating his textbook writing strategy to produce three versions: one each for trainees, experts, and AI.

    His world-class liver resection techniques have transformed Stage 4 colorectal cancer from a death warrant into a condition with more positive outcomes.

    In 2022 the American Surgical Association awarded Fong the esteemed Flance-Karl Award for pioneering contributions to cancer treatment in surgical techniques, gene therapy, and lab technology. The year prior he was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

    Since 2014 Fong has been Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the City of Hope’s Duarte, California facility where he holds the Sangiacomo Family Chair in Surgical Oncology.

    Before joining City of Hope, he served as Chair of Surgery at New York City’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center from 2001 to 2014.  He began his career there as an Associate Member in 1993, following two fellowships beginning in 1991.

    After earning his medical degree from Cornell in 1984 Fong devoted 7 years to complete an internship, three residencies, and a fellowship at the Weill Cornell Medical Center.

    Fong emigrated from Hong Kong and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Medieval Literature from Brown University in 1981. He is married to attorney Nicole Bergman Fong. They have 3 daughters who are all accomplished sport shooters. Abigail, now a thoracic surgeon at City of Hope, was a past U.S. national shooting champion.  Sandra competed on the U.S. team in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.  Danielle, who has cerebral palsy, was member of the 2008 U.S. Paralympic team.

    4 min
  • Jaedyn Shaw is 19 and Opening a Path for Vietnamese Americans in Soccer

    With an impressive resume at just 19 years old, Jaedyn Shaw is the first Vietnamese American in professional women’s soccer. 

    At just 20 years old Jaedyn Shaw is an Olympic gold medalist and the first Vietnamese American to play pro soccer in the National Women’s Soccer League.

    Born in Frisco, Texas to a Vietnamese mother and African-American father, Jaedyn began playing soccer at just five years old and always had high hopes of going pro.

    In 2018 she was developing an international career playing for the U-15 team at the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football Championship where she also won the golden ball award which is given to the best player in the tournament.

    By 2019 Jaedyn was only 14 years old when she committed to joining the Tar Heels’ 2024 season with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and 15 when French club Paris Saint-Germain invited her to train with the team.

    Her senior year she was the second ranked top prospect for the high school class of 2023 by Top Drawer Soccer.

    And when she was 17 she had the National Women’s Soccer League bending their own rules approving a discovery process that would adjust age restrictions allowing her to sign with the San Diego Wave.

    In her second season, Jaedyn scored the most goals for a teenager in NWSL history earning her a multi year contract with the Wave through 2026. This deal seemed like a fantastic investment until she was acquired by the North Carolina Courage in January 2025 in a trade that involved the Courage sending San Diego $450,000 in allocation and transfer fees.

    While her pro career was blossoming in the States, Jaedyn kept pursuing her dream internationally as she became a starter for the U-20 and helped her team win the Sud Ladies Cup in France, leading her to be added to the USA U-20 roster for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

    After being called up to the senior team in September 2023, it was only a month later when she scored her first goal for the United States Women’s National Soccer Team in a friendly match against Colombia. Months later she earned her spot with Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics where she won her first gold medal.

    Aside from the clear skill and record breaking stats, Jaedyn Shaw is breaking barriers as the first Vietnamese American to be a national soccer champion. Not only is she playing for herself, she is playing for the young generation of girls who have never seen themselves represented in this sport.

    3 min
  • Lillian Zhang is Giving Gen Z a Blueprint to Building Wealth

    She started out making and selling plushies at school and now she’s a Gen Z money expert with 300K+ followers and a debut book in the works. Pre-order Lillian's book now! https://www.amazon.com/New-Money-Rules-Personal-Finance/dp/B0DW678THW

    Kelli Luu (00:00)

    Lillian Zhang is a personal money expert who's built an online presence with over 300,000 followers across her platforms, sharing her own advice on finances and career growth. She has become a go-to girl for young men and women looking to level up and build success independently.

    Today, she's sharing her knowledge with us at Gold Sea. I'm Kelli Luu and welcome Lillian.

    Lillian Zhang (00:21)

    Hi everyone, thank you Kelli so much for having me on here. I'm super excited to be here and to chat with you.

    Kelli Luu (00:27)

    ⁓ thank you so much. So I really want to get into it to start. For people who have never come across your page before, how would you explain to somebody what it is you do?

    Lillian Zhang (00:37)

    Yeah, honestly, it is a little bit of everything. Most of my content is focused on financial literacy and financial tips, but I also talk about my experience as a corporate girly working in tech and also living in Bay Area. So I would summarize it as professional development and financial literacy.

    Kelli Luu (00:55)

    you're in the Bay Area right now. Have you been there your whole life?

    Lillian Zhang (00:59)

    Yeah, so my family, I was born in Illinois, but we moved here when I was six years old and I've been here ever since.

    Kelli Luu (01:05)

    Nice, awesome. And what do you do in corporate?

    Lillian Zhang (01:08)

    I'm a product marketing manager, so we help market tech products. That's like the big summary. Well, yeah.

    Kelli Luu (01:15)

    Yeah.

    Okay, also, so your content on Instagram revolves around leveling up with your career finances. What kind of sparked this ambition in you and do you feel like your heritage has anything to do with this mindset?

    Lillian Zhang (01:31)

    Yeah, so I started creating content on TikTok mostly around like resume tips and career internship related stuff in college.

    This was mostly because it was a very professional academic environment that I went to school in. And so since this was something that I felt like I had some advantage to or knowledge about, I made TikToks and content around it. I received like numerous requests for coffee chats at the time and realized that they were sort of repeating the same information. So creating content about this topic was sort of a way to scale the knowledge and information.

    that was much more efficient than repeating myself one on one. And in terms of your question on what sparked my ambition, I grew up in Silicon Valley where everyone around me was very high achieving, academically oriented. So I feel like from childhood, I've just been really disciplined about these things. It's just kind of been how I think about these sorts of topics.

    Kelli Luu (02:30)

    And do your parents like what you do? I'm sure they're very proud.

    Lillian Zhang (02:36)

    Yeah, they were definitely super proud. I think in the beginning they were kind of skeptical about like the whole content creation thing, but they've definitely come around to it.

    Kelli Luu (02:43)

    Mm-hmm.

    Do you ever feature them in any of your content or have you ever thought about it?

    Lillian Zhang (02:50)

    Yeah, so I do feature my parents occasionally, usually like if we go on trips or do fun things together, I feature like, hey, like this is how my parents shaped my upbringing or us doing like fun things together. So they do make an occasional appearance.

    Kelli Luu (03:05)

    that's nice. Since we're talking about your parents and everything, how was growing up for you? Did you grow up with siblings?

    Lillian Zhang (03:12)

    Yeah, I'm an only child, I've always, my parents always like, all their attention to me, which I was super grateful for, but I also sometimes wished I had a sibling.

    Kelli Luu (03:14)

    Okay.

    were your parents ever pushing financial literacy onto you as a child?

    Lillian Zhang (03:27)

    Actually, not really. I actually learned most of my knowledge through school, YouTube videos, books, and my parents actually never really discussed money in our household except when it was like a stressful topic. So those things I didn't learn from my parents actually.

    Kelli Luu (03:41)

    Yeah.

    may I ask where you went to school?

    Lillian Zhang (03:47)

    I went to UC Berkeley for undergrad.

    Kelli Luu (03:49)

    awesome. from what age did you feel like you always thought about money differently than other people around you?

    Lillian Zhang (03:58)

    For sure. I think the first inkling that I actually had about money and like spending it was when I was in middle school and that was mainly because I started a side hustle of selling like handmade plushies. Like I would sew them with like fabric and like make these like 3D creations. Yeah and so…

    Kelli Luu (04:14)

    Okay.

    That's so

    cool!

    Lillian Zhang (04:19)

    It was super fun. I would sell them at my school's craft fairs. I would sell them on YouTube. That's how I first got into content creation. But I feel like ever since I was 11 or 12, when I first started getting some spending money from this little side hustle, I've just been more conscious of the fact of what it takes to make a dollar and what spending a dollar means. And ever since I was young, my parents never really gave me an allowance beyond like

    basic living expenses, so I've always had that experience of like managing my own money since a young age. And so when I got to college, I became a lot more interested in like investing and like more of the personal finance side as I began to make a higher income.

    Kelli Luu (05:02)

    Okay, so when you were in college, were you living away from home?

    Lillian Zhang (05:06)

    Technically, yes, because my school was like half an hour away from home. So yes, I lived in an apartment, but like it wasn't that far away from where I grew up.

    Kelli Luu (05:10)

    Okay.

    can you give our college students that are listening some advice on budgeting while trying to get through school?

    Lillian Zhang (05:20)

    I think this really depends on your personal situation because some people have to deal with student loans or budgeting on a very limited like runway. I think most college students have that, you situation. For me, I did a lot of like internships and part-time work throughout the school year to help like supplement some of my living costs and living fees. But I was privileged enough to have my parents help with like the basic rent costs for most

    Kelli Luu (05:31)

    Mm-hmm.

    Lillian Zhang (05:48)

    of college and I paid for like trips and things I wanted to buy with my own money. So in terms of budgeting I will say like in college

    don't expect to live like a really extravagant lifestyle or anything. You just have to be mindful. You know, this is like a temporary time where you might have to make some sacrifices and sort of figure out where your career is going. And then as you move up, then there's more room for more like fun spendings. And so that's like my general opinion on this.

    Kelli Luu (06:19)

    Okay, thank you for that. could you tell us what your most lucrative form of income right now? Because I'm sure you have multiple. And for your viewers, where would you tell them to start if they wanted to do the same thing that you were doing?

    Lillian Zhang (06:33)

    So this is hard to sort of explain in a podcast because I feel like when people talk about their income streams, it's really easy just to say like, I made X amount of dollars doing this. But what people don't see is like the journey of how it all came to be. And I would say right now, even though my most lucrative stream is content creation.

    This wouldn't have been possible unless I got my education and first got to my full time job, which was at the time like what I was studying for. And because my content is rooted in like professional development, like working in tech, financial literacy, like if I hadn't gotten this job first, it wouldn't have led to the content creation, if that makes sense, even though like that's the thing that is currently making the most. So it's kind of hard to like.

    Kelli Luu (07:15)

    I see.

    Mm-hmm.

    Lillian Zhang (07:21)

    say like, this is a thing I recommend right now and you should do that because I personally believe that you should work on like building your foundations first and then branching out to these more like side income streams. But they all kind of like stem from this one thing.

    Kelli Luu (07:36)

    I see, okay. So do you work one-on-one with clients?

    Lillian Zhang (07:42)

    I do like some coaching calls with people who want to have more time with me, but my main like, I guess clientele is other companies or brands who are placing ads in the content.

    Kelli Luu (07:52)

    Got it.

    Lillian Zhang (07:54)

    process works.

    Kelli Luu (07:56)

    Okay, cool. So at what point, I think you kind of said like you in middle school, you're kind of on YouTube and stuff, but when did you want to start sharing your knowledge on the internet?

    Lillian Zhang (08:06)

    Yeah, this was mostly during the end of my college years where I started sharing more like careers slash internship job search tips. And that pretty much like evolved as I grew into like financial literacy and more broader topics as well. So it's definitely started when I was like in my early 20s.

    Kelli Luu (08:22)

    Mm-hmm.

    Okay, Is there any specific content on your page that does super, super well?

    Lillian Zhang (08:31)

    So the content that does the most well on my page are usually content around like financial tips specifically for the age group in their 20s. And I find that really interesting because I've posted lots of different types of content, but people come back to me more and more for the financial content as evidenced by like the metrics and the engagement. So that's sort of my main thing right now.

    Kelli Luu (08:42)

    Mm-hmm.

    Okay, awesome.

    alright, so I know you said that you're still doing your corporate job and then you're also doing the content creation. That's correct. OK, so I want to know how are you balancing the two? A lot of people quit their full time job in order to do content creation. They go a long time just doing content creation full time

    Lillian Zhang (09:05)

    Yes,

    Kelli Luu (09:16)

    Do you have any kind of advice towards that for somebody that wants to do it?

    Lillian Zhang (09:20)

    Yeah, in terms of balancing everything, it is pretty difficult because your most precious resource is your time. And I'd say if a job takes up nine to five of your work week, that's like 40 to 50 hours per week, including commute time and other prep time. So you're only really left with early mornings, evenings, plus weekends, which I try to take advantage of.

    I'm definitely not a morning person, so that pretty much defaults it to the evenings and the weekends. And so I think it's just a sacrifice that you choose to make, honestly. And I also feel because you're doing like multiple things, at least in my case, sometimes content has to go on the back burner if you are prioritizing other things that you have to do.

    Kelli Luu (09:50)

    Right.

    Mm-hmm.

    Lillian Zhang (10:09)

    And

    for me, it's just being okay with not having everything at 100%. And I think depending on how seriously you're taking like your business or your side hustle, if that's okay with you or not.

    Even though I've never quit my nine-to-five to pursue this full-time in terms of like some things I would think about if you are at that stage I would definitely make sure that it is sustainable for you and that you're seeing like consistent revenue over the months or years you've been doing this Because it can be very irregular with how you are paid versus a full-time job where you're paid every two weeks

    Kelli Luu (10:50)

    Right.

    Lillian Zhang (10:51)

    And I think especially in America, people don't realize how expensive other benefits are like health insurance, like your 401k match. Like all those things are sort of invisible benefits to your job that you don't realize that you get and the value of that's actually quite a bit if you add it up over the year. So those are some of the considerations I'll definitely think about when it comes to pursuing your own business.

    Kelli Luu (11:17)

    Yeah, definitely. don't think a lot of people don't talk about the insurance part, the 401k, like you said, at least I know for a fact, when I was in college, they didn't teach anything about 401k or anything like that. having somebody like you on social media is really nice for those kinds of things.

    I want to know if there's like a common trap that you see people fall for a lot. Maybe, I don't know, with school financial aid, like people fall for pyramid schemes, obviously. Is there something that you see that people, a lot of people fall for that has to do with financial literacy?

    Lillian Zhang (11:52)

    For sure, one of the trendiest topics right now is buy now pay later. I recently read a news article that around 60 % of Gen Z use buy now pay later at some point, which I find very concerning.

    Kelli Luu (12:02)

    Wow, sick.

    So why is that concerning? How is that a trap?

    Lillian Zhang (12:08)

    Yes, so it is a trap because basically how it works, for example, if you go online and you want to buy like a dress, for example, there's like an option on the checkout page where you can use Klarna or Afterpay and you can divide the purchase into four separate payments and they claim that there is no interest. So what happens is that you can get this item immediately but not have to pay out the money until later on and

    This is definitely a trap because it tricks you into thinking that you can afford more than what you can actually afford to pay for. And a lot of people fall into the trap of not being able to or thinking that they can get away with not paying the payments because it is marketed as low or no interest when in reality there is a lot of fine print and fees that can be incurred.

    if you don't pay off those payments. And especially if you don't consider what this BNPL concept is, it can really make people like spend a lot of money and.

    push them into a cycle of over-consumerism for things that you don't necessarily need or can afford in that one purchase. So I personally avoid BNPL like the plague and would advise you to as well if you're listening to this.

    Kelli Luu (13:22)

    Oh, interesting. Wow. Okay. it is super popular. It's trendy everywhere. on TikTok, I feel like it's, it's available. I didn't know 60 % of Gen Z uses that. That's, that's crazy. Yeah. So if you don't pay it off, cause I know another common thing about it is that

    Lillian Zhang (13:32)

    It's insane, it's actually insane.

    Kelli Luu (13:39)

    they, it doesn't like affect your credit score, but does it if you don't pay it off?

    Lillian Zhang (13:47)

    It is marketed like that and I feel like for most people your credit score won't be negatively affected. But I feel like it's more about the habit because if you get into the habit of purchasing things on credit, what is stopping you from doing that on a credit card or some other big loan that you have that has an interest rate and that you can't pay off? It's more of like a mindset thing.

    Kelli Luu (13:54)

    huh.

    Mm.

    Yeah, okay, okay, well, I understand that you have like a solution for everyone who's seeking like financial advice like this. I hear you're coming out with a new book.

    Lillian Zhang (14:17)

    Yeah, it's actually been super fun. It's a project that has been in the works for over a year now. this is my very first book and it's out with Sourcebooks, which is distributed by Penguin Random House. So it is something I'm very excited about and

    Kelli Luu (14:24)

    Love it.

    What can we look forward

    to in this book?

    Lillian Zhang (14:34)

    Yeah, so essentially there are a lot of finance books that are written by a lot of older people and people who are maybe not in touch with Gen Z as much as like current Gen Zers. So as a Gen Z who has seen like the issues firsthand that lot of people my age and who are younger than me are facing, this book is geared towards Gen Zers and beginners who want to learn more about personal finance and how they can manage their money.

    best in today's digitized and modern finance world.

    it's coming out in November of this year, but pre-orders are now open and available. So it's available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and anywhere that you can get your books.

    Kelli Luu (15:18)

    We definitely have to get our hands on that book. As somebody in Gen Z too, my mom, she's super frugal growing up. So I was like listening to like Dave Ramsey when I was like 12 years old and hearing all of these financial things my mom was always telling me about.

    Lillian Zhang (15:26)

    Uh-huh.

    Kelli Luu (15:33)

    a lot of other people around me like don't understand the financial literacy thing they the buy now pay later was a great example so many people use that just like casually too you know I could just after and now you can add the after pay to your wallet on Apple Pay now and you could use yes you can add it to your Apple Pay wallet and use it in stores

    Lillian Zhang (15:40)

    No.

    is that really a thing? wow.

    wow, that is super dangerous.

    Kelli Luu (15:55)

    Yeah,

    definitely I'm glad that you touched on that. Yeah. ⁓

    Lillian Zhang (15:59)

    Yeah, I would add a note to what you said. I

    do relate a lot to like the whole very male space in finance. I think there's not a lot of voices who are younger leaning on the female side as well. So I also think that someone something that a lot of people are missing when it comes to financial education, like they're seeing people who maybe don't look like them, they can't relate to and.

    Kelli Luu (16:12)

    Of course.

    Lillian Zhang (16:22)

    The goal of what I'm trying to do with my platform and the upcoming book is to provide a more relatable standpoint from someone who's been through the same challenges that they've been through.

    Kelli Luu (16:31)

    I love that. Awesome. Okay. I want to know if your relationship has, I want to know if your relationship with money has changed since you started making more of it.

    Lillian Zhang (16:41)

    For sure. I'd say I was first starting out. I also grew up in a household where it was very much a scarcity mindset of there is limited amounts of it. you have to save all your money. You cannot be wasting your money by spending it. So that was definitely my mindset ⁓ as a child and also in my early adulthood.

    But now that I've been in the working world for several years now, I've been able to understand that there are more than one or two ways to make money and that as long as you're providing some sort of value that it will come back to you in the value of money. So it's definitely helped me become more abundant with the possibilities that are out there and that as long as you are providing value to the world that it will come back to you in the form of money and that money.

    at the end of day is just an exchange of value and a tool to live your life.

    Kelli Luu (17:34)

    Great mindset. so is there a platform that you think that is underrated for building a business right now?

    Lillian Zhang (17:39)

    Yeah, I'd say I started out mostly on TikTok and Instagram with short form and that's worked out pretty well for me. But in terms of up and coming platforms that I feel like are more underrated, definitely Substack and LinkedIn actually. I don't know if you've seen…

    Kelli Luu (17:53)

    What's Substack? Because I've

    been hearing a lot about it and Can you explain what it is?

    Lillian Zhang (17:58)

    Yeah, so Substack is basically like a newsletter slash blog platform in one. essentially what it does, you can write articles. It's kind of like Medium, but it's more like social interactive. if you have an email list of some sorts, you can add them to Substack. And whenever you publish a Substack post, it basically emails all of your email subscribers.

    What's unique about subsack I feel like is that it's also like a hybrid social media platform So when you post an article it not only goes out on email to your subscribers But it also gets posted publicly for anyone to discover you through web search or through subsack directly so I feel like that is a really good way to

    Kelli Luu (18:37)

    Wow.

    Lillian Zhang (18:40)

    sort of provide more insight on what you are thinking about in a longer format compared to like Instagram or TikTok where you only really share a limited amount of your thoughts, especially if you talk about more like topics and want to expand more on something that you are writing about.

    Kelli Luu (19:01)

    wow, interesting. it's like basically like you're sharing your articles on social media

    Lillian Zhang (19:05)

    pretty much. And then you can always cross post and promote your articles on Substack. And so it's like a cycle where people from social media can come to your Substack for those who want to learn or see more in depth of your thoughts.

    Kelli Luu (19:17)

    Cool, interesting. I thought it was just like a new kind of like Instagram photo sharing platform. since you mentioned LinkedIn, how important do you think it is for someone in college to start building their LinkedIn?

    Lillian Zhang (19:27)

    So I'd say for LinkedIn, it wasn't as prevalent a few years ago, but I feel like now it's becoming more of like a content and social platform increasingly. When I was in college and even now, all I mostly did was keep my LinkedIn profile active and I made sure to have all my like schooling, my like work experience on my LinkedIn and put some like other skills that would complement the profile.

    What I also do is whenever I have like a win about like my career or an update, I would share that as a post. And that's a good way to keep people in your network, like updated on what you're doing. It helps to keep you top of mind for other people because a lot of folks on LinkedIn are most likely in a corporate setting or have some sort of like professional.

    edge to them. So if they see that you're doing something and they have a project or a job that they're hiring for, they're probably on LinkedIn looking for that type of person. And so the people who are giving you opportunities are likely to be on the platform. And so if you post about yourself and what you are doing, your perspectives, it is likely that someone in a position of power can see the value you are bringing.

    Kelli Luu (20:39)

    Okay, cool. So you would recommend most Gen Zers who are looking to get into the corporate field to get their LinkedIn.

    Lillian Zhang (20:49)

    it's like a resume now. A public resume.

    Kelli Luu (20:51)

    Yeah, I think I've seen LinkedIn on the come up for sure. people are utilizing it a lot more as almost like a social media, like you said, people like posting all their accomplishments on it. And I honestly love it. It's like almost, ⁓ it's almost like I checked LinkedIn first before I check Instagram now. Yeah.

    Lillian Zhang (21:10)

    social media, even though it's probably, like, not really, but, like, treats my mind. Yes.

    Kelli Luu (21:14)

    Exactly.

    I don't know, it's like a little more reading that you have to do so you feel like you're doing a little bit more than just scrolling. Alright, so I know I have just a couple more questions, but you've built a presence online by sharing your own advice. So do you ever feel like a certain pressure when it comes to the content that you're posting?

    Lillian Zhang (21:22)

    ⁓ yeah, for sure, for sure.

    I honestly don't really feel like there is pressure when it comes to the types of content I'm making when it comes to advice and my opinions because I personally don't speak on something unless I'm confident on that topic and something that I can only personally explain. And I'd say that when I do speak on something, I stand by what I say and don't go back on what I'm saying.

    Kelli Luu (21:56)

    Okay, awesome. Gotta be like that for sure. Especially as a content creator, So as somebody who works a corporate job, does content creation, has all of these things going on for herself, what does a normal day kind of look like for you?

    Lillian Zhang (22:11)

    Yeah, in terms of my daily routine on weekdays at least, I try to wake up at seven-ish and do like some workout or exercise because I feel like it really helps clear the mind and makes my body feel good. Then I work pretty much a standard nine to five. I feel like with tech, that's really nice because you're not really working extra hours beyond like what's expected of you. So the work-life balance for that is really nice.

    Kelli Luu (22:15)

    Mm-hmm.

    Lillian Zhang (22:36)

    In terms of after work, usually on some days I might have like a dinner activity or something that I'm doing outside of work, but if not, I usually spend the time planning or writing my content, which includes like editing videos, my sub stack. For the last year, I was mostly like writing the book, so that took up a lot of my free time.

    Kelli Luu (22:59)

    I'm sure,

    yeah.

    Lillian Zhang (23:00)

    and having to keep up with the book writing as well as my quote regular content on my social platforms. That was quite an adventure, honestly. But yeah, I mostly just work at my job, work on my own stuff, sleep, eat, hang out with friends. That's pretty much my life.

    Kelli Luu (23:10)

    Yeah. ⁓

    Nice, she's very well-rounded. seem like you have like a glow to you that's like really like you don't look stressed. Yeah, of course. Is there anything you wish more women in their 20s and 30s knew? what is one financial tip you think everyone in our age group should know?

    Lillian Zhang (23:28)

    I appreciate it.

    Yes, I believe that financial education, especially for women and young girls, is extremely important.

    And the reason why I believe that is because oftentimes, because we live in a very patriarchal society, we default like a lot of the financial knowledge and the management of our money to the men in our lives, like fathers, partners, husbands. And I think it's super important for women to understand how to manage your money, learn the basics of financial literacy as early as you can, because money really does give you a lot of power when you are walking away from a

    situation when you want to a toxic job and that's just not something that is super emphasized in our community and that's definitely something that I want to empower more girls and young women to learn about.

    Kelli Luu (24:26)

    Awesome. Love that. Yeah, definitely. think learning at a young age is ideal So and I love seeing Asian women represent in this area. So it's great. It's amazing. What is

    Lillian Zhang (24:34)

    for sure.

    Kelli Luu (24:41)

    the end goal for you? do you feel like you've made the amount of money that you wanted to? What steps are you taking to like make more? what do you see yourself doing in five years? tell us what you have in mind for your future.

    Lillian Zhang (24:55)

    Yeah, I'd say since I'm still really young, I'm definitely still on the upward trajectory. I'm 25.

    Kelli Luu (25:00)

    Sorry, how old are you? Okay,

    Lillian Zhang (25:04)

    I also feel like with the constant hedonic treadmill where you get to a point and you feel like there's always more to achieve. feel like even though I know that's something that I need to be grateful for and have in the moment, which I am super grateful for, I think that's always something in the back of my mind where I could be doing more. And because I still have a lot of years ahead of me, I definitely am in that mindset. So.

    I'm still doing that, but the goal definitely is to empower and impact and impact as many people as possible. And no matter what that means or through what sorts of measure, that's my end goal for sure.

    Kelli Luu (25:38)

    Yeah.

    Awesome. We love that. All right. My last question to you is how can we keep the lookout for your upcoming book? I know you said pre-order is ready, I know you said, is it going to be in stores? Can we just get it online?

    Lillian Zhang (25:54)

    You can follow me on Instagram and my newsletter on Slipstack to be notified when those pre-order bonuses will be ready and they're only available to those who pre-order.

    Kelli Luu (26:04)

    Awesome. All right. Thank you, Lillian, for sharing your voice with Gold Sea. We really appreciate your time.

    Lillian Zhang (26:10)

    Thank you so much, Kelli and thank you everyone who's listening.

    27 min
  • Dev Patel Rose from Slumdog to Stardom

    Dev Patel rose to international fame with Slumdog Millionaire and added to his critical acclaim through hits like Lion and Monkey Man

    Dev Patel is an established British Indian actor with 20 film credits.

    Patel’s breakthrough role was Jamal Malik in the critically acclaimed 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. The film famously won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture while Patel snagged a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Young Performer.  Slumdog was also a financial success, grossing $378 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.

    His next film The Last Airbender in 2010 was largely panned but grossed over $319 million, more than twice its budget, barely putting it over break even.  The experience helped Patel see the importance of listening to his instincts and saying “no” to projects that don't feel right.

    Patel moved to Los Angeles in 2012 after being cast in the HBO series The Newsroom. The political drama created by Aaron Sorkin received generally favorable reviews and currently has an 8.6 IMDB rating. Patel starred in all 25 episodes over 3 seasons.

    He also starred in several films, including 2012’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the 2015 sequel The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and the 2015 dystopian science fiction action film Chappie.

    His performance in 2016’s Lion solidified his status as a household name by earning Patel an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor. Lion also did well at the box office, grossing $149 million.

    In 2024 Patel made his directorial debut with Monkey Man a film he also wrote and starred in. The film draws partial inspiration from the Hindu story of Hanuman, a deity depicted as half-man, half-monkey. Netflix acquired the film for $30 million. Now 35, Patel began is acting career in 2006 with 18 episodes of the British series Skins.  His parents are of Gujarati Indian descent and immigrated to the United Kingdom from Nairobi, Kenya.

    3 min
  • Mason Ji’s Legal Career Flies on Brilliant Credentials

    Mason Ji’s entry into international law is rooted in early experiences at the White House and the United Nations.

    At only 30 Mason Ji has every credential that can be earned by a promising young lawyer.

    Since 2020 Ji has practiced business litigation, corporate affairs and international sanctions law as an associate at Seattle-based Perkins Coie.   His Chinese fluency was put to use helping clients with international trade and Bureau of Economic Analysis filings.  It also proved useful in defending international investors in EB-5 investment fund disputes.

    In Picciano v. NaphCare, a high-profile case involving claims for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by Clark County Jail in failing to provide gluten-free food for over 20 days to an inmate with celiac disease, Ji induced NaphCare to settle.

    Since 2021 he has been a lecturer on international law at the University of Washington.

    In April 2025 Ji was honored with the American Bar Association’s Rosner & Rosner Young Lawyer Professionalism Award.  In 2023 he was listed as 2024’s Ones to Watch by Best Lawyers and the ABA named him a Top 40 Young Lawyer in America.

    He is the founding member of Asian Americans for Justice and Equality and a columnist for United Chinese Americans since late 2021.  Since August 2020 he has hosted Decoding America, a monthly radio show on Chinese Radio Seattle focused on civil rights and social action.

    In 2013 he was appointed as a UN Adviser on the Republic of Seychelles Mission in which he participated in conferences on nuclear disarmament, climate change and human rights treaties.  In the Obama administration Ji was a White House Ambassador for AAPI community needs. 

    While enrolled at Yale Ji traveled every weekend to New York City to attend UN meetings, becoming the youngest delegate to the General Assembly at age 18.  He graduated summa cum laude in 2016 with a BA in global affairs and political science.  As an undergrad he also studied at Cambridge in 2013 and Peking University in 2014.  As a Rhodes Scholar in 2017 he earned an Oxford master’s in governance and diplomacy and in 2018, in public policy.

    Ji earned his JD from Harvard in May 2021 and passed the Washington State Bar in September 2021.

    Ji was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and raised in Bellevue, Washington by Chinese immigrants. While in high school he was mentored by, and worked for, Conrad Lee, Bellevue’s first Asian mayor.

    3 min
  • Best Evidence for Alien Presence on Earth

    Despite recent government efforts to characterize US Navy UFO footage as products of a government disinformation campaign to distract from actual top-secret military aircraft projects, an abundance of encounters of various types show not only that aliens are behind many UFOs but that deep-black contractors are in possession of alien craft and alien "biologics" for reverse engineering efforts.

    Transcript

    Tom Kagy (00:02)

    Hello, this is Tom Kagy with Unconventional Wisdom. Today we have Najla Zaidi, who will be our expert on the strongest evidence that we have of an alien presence here on Earth. Hello, Najla, how are you?

    Najla Zaidi (00:20)

    I'm good, Tom. Thank you for having me again. This is an exciting topic to talk about.

    Tom Kagy (00:24)

    Yes, I love the topic. think it's probably one of the most interesting topics that a human being can contemplate. OK, so now recently we've seen articles suggesting that, you know, some of the ⁓ UFO evidence that had been released by the New York Times, you know, namely the Tic Tac video and the ⁓ gimbal video, that these were.

    Najla Zaidi (00:32)

    Exactly.

    Tom Kagy (00:52)

    Somehow, I'm not sure they actually explained how, but they tried to suggest that these were deliberate disinformation releases by the US government and that they're not really ⁓ footage of an encounter with UFOs. Now, I don't believe that, ⁓ but…

    Najla Zaidi (01:11)

    Yes.

    Tom Kagy (01:16)

    even if that were the case, even if somehow they managed to defy the laws of physics and create these devices that were zipping around these naval pilots, even then I would say, well, even if you manage to do that, how do you explain all this other stuff that we've accumulated over the centuries and the millennia?

    ⁓ So today you're going to be telling us, I understand, about some of the strongest evidence that we have that we actually have been visited and in fact they're probably being visited constantly by UFOs.

    Najla Zaidi (01:52)

    And yes, we actually have been and there's just evidence that goes all the way back to 865 that we've been visited. And I believe personally that the reason why not only our government, but all the world's governments are not talking about this and are doing disinformation campaigns is to protect us because they're afraid too. They don't know, you know, how to deal with something outside of us.

    Tom Kagy (02:20)

    So they're afraid that we're going to all flip out and act like the people in the War of the Worlds episode ⁓ based on that fake radio broadcast. Is that what you're saying?

    Najla Zaidi (02:30)

    Exactly.

    Yes, exactly, because this is something that, you know, from what our understanding is, they have technology that we don't understand and we're not even close to. So that's frightening in itself.

    Tom Kagy (02:45)

    Okay, that doesn't frighten me, frankly, because the way I look at it is if they're that advanced, they must have developed some sort of an ethical sensibility because you can't have a civilization becoming highly advanced without destroying itself unless they also develop a very strong ethical sensibility, essentially not going around destroying creatures for no reason.

    Najla Zaidi (03:13)

    I absolutely

    agree with you on that. And from all the accounts that we've had, I would say the majority, 95%, have been benign. And they're just trying to learn about us. And only, as we discussed before, there were only a few accounts where it was hostile.

    Tom Kagy (03:33)

    Okay, yeah, so we did discuss that. right, Najla, tell us ⁓ what is the strongest evidence that you can think of? I mean, obviously it doesn't have to be in sequence because, you know, who can rate how strong a piece of evidence is? What's the strongest evidence that you can think of that would prove that aliens have been visiting us on Earth?

    Najla Zaidi (03:53)

    Well, I think the strongest, which everyone has seen is probably David Gersh's, who went before Congress under oath. And this is a person who is a former Air Force intelligence officer and even ex-co-lead of the UAP task force. And he came forward as a whistleblower and said, there's things going on that Congress is not aware of and the people are not aware of.

    Tom Kagy (04:18)

    Okay, so what were the things that he thought that should be brought to the attention of Congress and the American people?

    Najla Zaidi (04:25)

    Well, he basically said that he had interviewed over 40 high-end people in the military with top security clearance, which he also has, top security clearance, who had witnesses ⁓ like UAP crash retrievals. And then actually, the government, along with companies, ⁓ aerospace-type companies, had reverse engineered these programs.

    Tom Kagy (04:53)

    Okay, so basically he's saying that the whole ball of wax is there. mean, UFOs, aliens, alien technology actually being taken apart and used to develop projects. So what did he offer though as far as proof that what he's saying is backed up?

    Najla Zaidi (05:19)

    Well, the problem that he had, is because this is so high security, it's classified information, the only way that he could tell Congress would be in a classified location like a SCIF. But there were actually two…

    Tom Kagy (05:35)

    When

    you say a skiff, explain to us what a skiff is.

    Najla Zaidi (05:40)

    So,

    SCIF is basically a secure classified setting within the government and everyone has classified clearance in order to be in that room. And it's a room where absolutely there's no sound, there's no way that any other government or any other human being could be in on that conversation. And he was more than willing to do that with any members of Congress, but they would have to have the clearance in order.

    to talk to him in that environment.

    Tom Kagy (06:11)

    Okay, so he was ready to name names and dates and locations, they, what happened? I mean, why didn't they go ahead and have this disclosure?

    Najla Zaidi (06:22)

    They are.

    It is ongoing. They are talking about continually talking to him in private because the reports that he made to the intelligence community inspector general, the ICIG, he gave all the information, the names, the dates, the times, the locations in his whistleblower report. So that part of government has the information already.

    Tom Kagy (06:47)

    Okay, so you're saying that he has already provided information to congressional investigators, but that they can't actually talk about it to the public until it's been cleared by. Okay, okay, so.

    Najla Zaidi (06:58)

    Right.

    The DOD, yes.

    Tom Kagy (07:05)

    Has there been an actual SCIF meeting in which he has detailed all of the ⁓ locations and names and projects and so forth?

    Najla Zaidi (07:17)

    not with Congress, there has been with the intelligence community people that he gave the information to when he filed the whistleblower claim. Because when he filed his claim, he went through the proper channels and they do have all that information, but they've not released it.

    Tom Kagy (07:33)

    Okay, so what,

    okay, so I mean, do they have any reason why they're not making any of that public? mean, even if they don't get into particulars, it might compromise confidentiality or rather.

    Najla Zaidi (07:47)

    Well,

    according to him, the people that have this information that are a part of this are high-end people in both in and outside of the government. So there are corporations that are also involved, and there are government officials very high up in the military. So that's why they're in charge of the material.

    Tom Kagy (08:11)

    Okay, so

    who has been putting the kibosh on releasing this information or in at least, you know, giving some idea of what was learned at these discussions with Grush?

    Najla Zaidi (08:26)

    So it's basically the Pentagon and the Department of Defense because they are the ones that don't want this information to get out and they've been evading. They've been using like a particular, ⁓ it escapes me the exact name of the government document, but they're using this in order to not tell, basically not report to Congress what they're doing.

    And every year, like the Department of Defense's budget is classified. So Congress has no access to it. So part of this budget is what Gersh is saying is used for this kind of technology with corporations and giving the technology to corporations to secretly work on it. So the money's coming in from the DOD budget and also from private corporations.

    Tom Kagy (09:20)

    Okay, so the reason they're able to keep it this confidential is that the actual details of the projects are in the hands of these deep black corporations, these deep black contractors with the defense firm.

    Najla Zaidi (09:32)

    Right, exactly. In

    accordance with the Department of Defense.

    Tom Kagy (09:38)

    Okay. What about the members of the House or the Senate? mean, have they been fully cooperative with his efforts, Grush's efforts to get this information out to the public?

    Najla Zaidi (09:53)

    The guy,

    he has not spoken to the Senate, he only spoke to the Congress and Congress has been very supportive and protective actually of him because he stated that his life, his wife's life and other people that supported him within the departments have been threatened basically as a result of him speaking out. So they are protecting him. However, in the Senate, the, ⁓

    Sean Kilpatrick, he's the director and he's the director of the AARO, the Department of Defense and the Pentagon that works with the UAPs. And he, know, under oath testified to the Senate that there's no evidence of aliens. But Gersh is saying that he lied, that this is not true.

    Tom Kagy (10:42)

    Okay, are there any specific senators who have?

    access to this information.

    Najla Zaidi (10:50)

    Not that I'm aware of.

    Tom Kagy (10:53)

    Okay, so, well, so there's this treasure trove of information that Grush is able to reveal, but only if he knows that he's not going to be sentenced to 20 years in the federal penitentiary for revealing it. otherwise, we can only take his word that there are these ⁓ programs that have possession of UFOs and alien bodies. Is that correct?

    Najla Zaidi (11:21)

    Yes, that's correct. At this point, we can take his word and then there were two officials within the UAP that were former officials and they both backed him up too and said that what he's saying is accurate.

    Tom Kagy (11:34)

    What kind of guy is Grush? mean, is he somebody that deserves to be believed?

    Najla Zaidi (11:39)

    Yes, absolutely. was he I actually listened to and read the entire ⁓ his entire, you know, that he made under oath in front of the House Committee. And he was logical. He was consistent. He's had an excellent reputation his entire career. He's done been in his high end. He has top secret and SCI clearance for over 14 years. And there's never been anything negative.

    that he's done, as part of his job or otherwise.

    Tom Kagy (12:14)

    Okay. All right. Well, I guess that particular treasure trove of evidence will have to be locked up until ⁓ somebody in, I guess, in the Senate or maybe the Defense Department is willing to corroborate what he says and to reveal this information. But aside from what people have said, I mean, do we have any actual like tangible, undeniable physical evidence?

    That shows that we've had advanced aliens visiting the Earth. ⁓

    Najla Zaidi (12:47)

    Well, like the an interesting one, which is also very recent, was the Phoenix Lights summary. The Phoenix Lights was really interesting because so many people saw it, including the governor at the time. And he said, you know, the governor, his name was Phyfe Symington, Arizona's governor. This happened in March 13th of 1997, where hundreds and hundreds of people across Arizona and even into Nevada saw

    these light red and orange lights in the sky. So this was undeniable because it was caught on camera and everyone saw it including the governor.

    Tom Kagy (13:24)

    Okay, so there is footage of these UFOs.

    Najla Zaidi (13:28)

    Yes, there's actual footage and not just one person and then so many witnesses, which included private citizens and amateur astronomer with a telescope named Mitch Stanley. And then even the governor himself saw it and said that this was out, his exact words were otherworldly and bigger than anything I've ever seen before.

    Tom Kagy (13:50)

    Okay, so they're able to make out

    some outline or shape and size.

    Najla Zaidi (13:54)

    Yes, they said

    that it was gigantic and it was in the shape of almost like a big square floating through the sky.

    Tom Kagy (14:04)

    Well, still we're now, okay, we have footage, so that's two dimensions, but do we have anything that's three dimensional that would tend to prove that we've had these visitors?

    Najla Zaidi (14:15)

    The three-dimensional things would probably be like crop circles, which are controversial, but there's enough evidence to show that they were made by life forms that are not human.

    Tom Kagy (14:27)

    Okay, so what about these crop circles would make it impossible for human beings to create them?

    Najla Zaidi (14:34)

    Well, there's certain things about the crop circles that are unique to, I mean, there have been a lot of people that have faked them, but the real crop circles, they're always surrounded initially by somebody seeing balls of light or some kind of a, you know, UAP or UFO. And then what happens basically in a crop circle is that a formation is made and it's usually right overnight or within a few minutes or a few hours. It comes out of the blue.

    And it's usually in fields of some kind of grain or cereal. And then what happens is ⁓ the crop gets flattened down. So when it's been an actual one from an alien, you know, a lot of researchers that have done this for years say the same thing. The crops are flattened. There's no breakage. There's no damage to them. And on top of it,

    in the areas where inside the circle there's been radiation.

    Tom Kagy (15:38)

    Okay, and what about on a more microscopic level? Is there any evidence in examining the actual plants themselves that they've been…

    Najla Zaidi (15:50)

    Yes, there was

    a study done in the 1990s by Dr. Levengood and Hasselhoff, and they basically checked the plant nodes, plants naturally have three or four nodes in them that look like knuckles, like on your fingers. And these knuckles basically not only exploded, but they grew in size from being ⁓ roughly… ⁓

    like a few centimeters to up to 45 to 200 percent they elongated and Even one of the BLT this company that Leavenworth was working for was called BLT research so Nancy Talbot was one of the researchers who actually worked on the plants and she said that without a doubt there were two scientifically documented changes all over the world and they were consistent that the a pickle not

    and node elongation was the first node beneath the seed head. That node became elongated and it stretched in comparison to the control nodes in the field. And it ranged from 45 to 200%. And then other ones, the cavity's holes literally blew out as if they were hit by some powerful force.

    Tom Kagy (17:09)

    Okay, so the changes to the nodes, the length of the nodes are things that could not be done by human beings, I assume. I mean, they didn't find this on the fake crop circles.

    Najla Zaidi (17:20)

    No, this is absolutely-

    No, this was nothing on the fake crop circles. Plus, the fake crop circles had evidence where they were like the stocks were broken. There were proof like, you know, of footprints and these sort of things, which were not there in the actual ones. And the investigators who've been to actual, there's one in fact, her name's Linda Moulton. She's a journalist, is very respected journalist, and she's been to these crop circles, not only in England, but all over the world.

    And she said, it feels different. You can see the difference, that she's done both. And in fact, one of the greatest ones was called a golden ball formation, and it formed overnight in 2005. And they have pictures from the actual, ⁓ you know, from when it actually happened. And even the flowers on top of the stocks have not been disturbed, which is not the case when it's fake.

    Tom Kagy (18:17)

    Okay, so now how many crop circles have they recorded?

    Najla Zaidi (18:22)

    There have been like over 10,000 formations from all over the world. And they've been reported in 50 different countries. And they've come from being very small to hundreds of feet across. And the other interesting thing is the real crop circles after the crops are harvested, they leave a ghost imprint that doesn't go away for a very long time.

    Tom Kagy (18:43)

    Okay, so the hoaxers would have had to have been very clever and extremely diligent to make these 10,000 crop circles.

    Najla Zaidi (18:55)

    Right, mean, plus one of the, I believe it was one of the investigators, I believe it was Charles Mallett, he's been investigating them since the 1990s. And he said that, you know, there's like a clear pattern of damage that doesn't happen, including bruising and scraping down the stems. And they use boards to crush them, they use ropes and boards to crush.

    Tom Kagy (19:24)

    You're talking

    about the Hoxers, ⁓

    Najla Zaidi (19:25)

    Yes, yes, the hoaxsters. And the aliens

    don't have anything like that. Plus, there's radiation.

    Tom Kagy (19:32)

    Are the farmers upset about these crop circles? mean, are these aliens destroying their arable land by creating these giant formations, or what's the impact that these crop circles have?

    Najla Zaidi (19:41)

    It's kind of

    funny, the impact is that they get so much attention that none of them have ever complained about it because they get so much attention. Plus the fake circles are usually produced near where there's populations and cities, whereas the alien ones are usually in areas where there's not a population or it's more remote.

    Tom Kagy (20:07)

    Okay, well what about the fertility of the areas that have had the crop circles? Are the crops able to grow as well or better or worse?

    Najla Zaidi (20:16)

    They're growing

    from within the circle where the crop circles are, the seeds that are taken from that and replanted end up growing five times faster and are five times healthier than the normal crops, which is very interesting.

    Tom Kagy (20:32)

    So it sounds like the aliens might be trying to help these poor farmers out.

    Najla Zaidi (20:34)

    I think so too. mean

    whatever they're doing it's positive.

    Tom Kagy (20:39)

    Okay. All right. now do we have any, you mentioned that people saw ⁓ some of these crop circles actually being formed in real time. Do we have any footage or photographs showing some UFO ⁓ zipping around creating these amazing crop circles?

    Najla Zaidi (20:58)

    In Wiltshire, England, I was not able to find the video, but in Wiltshire, England, 1990, there were balls of light that were actually seen to lay the crops flat. And it was filmed. And that's like one of the ones that are the most famous crop circles in the world. And then like another thing too that the scientists have said that the way that the actual crop circles are formed, they contain mathematical astronom.

    astronomical and scientific equations. Like one of the crop circles is an actual every turn of it is comes out to pie, you know, in science.

    Tom Kagy (21:37)

    Okay, so what about the ⁓ universality? mean, you're saying there are these crop circles everywhere. Are there ⁓ any signature patterns or anything that sort of seems to tie these crop circles together?

    Najla Zaidi (21:58)

    There's one interesting

    thing that happened actually at ⁓ the Rockwell crash. There was a rock that was found at the Rockwell crash, which had an impression on it of a symbol. And it ended up that in 1996 in Chiseleden, England, that's where that image showed up in a crop circle, the exact image.

    Tom Kagy (22:22)

    Okay, so was it maybe somebody heard about the rock and then they faked the crop circle? I mean, is that possible?

    Najla Zaidi (22:31)

    It's remotely possible, but there was no connection at all. Like the rock had been found, I think it was years after the crop circle had already been there.

    Tom Kagy (22:42)

    Okay, so it would have had to have been a very big fluke for somebody to have planted that rock and expected it be found by somebody else.

    Najla Zaidi (22:51)

    Exactly. like some space astronaut theorists, believe that these crop circles are kind of like markers for aliens to know where to land and where to come. And they're leaving messages for each other and possibly for us, but we're not understanding them yet.

    Tom Kagy (23:12)

    Okay, aside from crop circles, do we have any other physical tangible evidence that's compelling that the aliens are visiting us now?

    Najla Zaidi (23:23)

    Um, there was a, and that one, like one of the earliest accounts, which is one of the most famous accounts is the Betty Barney and Betty Hill, who were actually, you know, claimed to have been abducted in back in 1961. And there was so much information that they have to this day, their niece Kathleen Mars Martin has a website and she's still

    working on bringing their case to the surface and she's actually written a book recently with new evidence and there's more evidence.

    Tom Kagy (23:57)

    Okay, so what happened to this couple, Barney and Betty Hill?

    Najla Zaidi (24:01)

    So Barney and Betty Hill were driving through New Hampshire around 10, 1030 at night and they saw this bright glowing object and it appeared to be following their car.

    Tom Kagy (24:13)

    Okay, and then what happened?

    Najla Zaidi (24:14)

    And so Betty said, the way she described it, it said she first thought it was a falling star, but then the falling star started to go upwards instead of down like they normally do. And so they ended up, as they kept driving, saw that this thing was following them and they described it as a saucer shape, just exactly the way that we see it. So finally, Barney was so frightened that he even stopped, they had their dog, Delcie with them as well.

    They stopped to let the dog out and at that point Barney had a gun in the trunk and he was so frightened that he even pulled out his gun and put it under his seat in the car. And so they stopped two times before they finally were actually forced to stop by this spaceship that was stopped in front of them in the woods.

    Tom Kagy (25:06)

    Okay, so were they taken aboard?

    Najla Zaidi (25:09)

    Yes, like they describe this as being kind of feeling like an out of body experience, as if they were sleepwalking. And they said that Barney actually said that as the spaceship got closer to their car, he could see, he looked up and he could see there were about 12 figures that looked non-human. And these were like, you know, as we've heard over the years, the grays, they had the big dark eyes and gray skin.

    and they were basically, you know, stopped him, they, six of them came out of the ⁓ spaceship and like led them into their spaceship basically. And they both remember walking up a ⁓ kind of like a ramp into the spaceship, but then they had no memory of what happened until they ended up going to a very reputed psychiatrist at the time, Dr. Simon.

    and went under hypnosis to recover those memories.

    Tom Kagy (26:07)

    Okay, and what were some of the memories that he managed to recover that tends to show that this was not just some hoax or some false memory?

    Najla Zaidi (26:18)

    So what happened was basically under hypnosis, they discovered that they were tested. Both of them were individually tested separately in separate rooms. And on Betty, they actually had torn her dress. They asked her to take off her dress, and it was like a doctor and two or three other aliens. And they couldn't do the zipper, so they tore the zipper, they tore the hem of her dress. And they did a pregnancy test where they put a needle through her navel and actually

    There was on the dress, there was a blood sample that, you know, the DNA matched to be her blood. And then besides that, like she had asked them for a book, there was a book there, the way they were communicating was through telepathy. And so she talked to them and asked them where they were from. She asked them, you know, various questions like, what are you doing? And they said, we don't wanna cause you any harm. We just want to take tests. So they took finger.

    fingernail samples, hair samples, skin samples.

    Tom Kagy (27:21)

    Okay. But aside from the ⁓ fluid that they found on her dress that suggests that she had at least been punctured there by something. And of course it could have been somebody, you know, some earthling. But aside from that, is there any other circumstantial or physical evidence that would tend to conclusively show that ⁓ she's not imagining or making this episode up?

    Najla Zaidi (27:49)

    Yes, there was. She had a book that she asked the leader if she could keep and he initially said yes, but then as they were sending her back to her car, he took it back. And in that book, she had seen a map and she recreated the map and years and years later, initially everyone thought she was nuts, but years and years later, it was a map of a star system.

    Tom Kagy (28:13)

    A map of what?

    Najla Zaidi (28:18)

    of where they came from. asked them where they came from. Years later, ⁓ an amateur, basically she was an amateur, her name was Marjorie Fish, and she was an amateur astronomer, but she figured this out that it was a zeta reticulite star system.

    Tom Kagy (28:21)

    Okay.

    So in other words,

    she correlated the drawing that Betty made with an actual star system that's somewhere out there.

    Najla Zaidi (28:46)

    Yes, yes, and it's been confirmed. Now there's some controversy on it. A few astronomers say that it's not real, but other astronomers say that it is real. So it does match up to exactly what Betty had drawn. And aside from that, in the book, the symbols that were in the book, which was the alien's language, that has been confirmed also when Betty drew those. It's been confirmed also.

    that this all abductees since the 1970s are drawing the exact same symbols.

    Tom Kagy (29:19)

    Same symbols as where? you mean every time they're referring to that incident, the symbols were exactly the

    Najla Zaidi (29:24)

    Right,

    every time an adepti draws symbols of what their language was or what they saw on the spacecraft, it's always exactly the same. And Betty drew the same thing.

    Tom Kagy (29:38)

    Was there any other like physical evidence left behind by this encounter that

    Najla Zaidi (29:46)

    yes, was, Barney had scuffed shoes with vegetation on his shoes. And this is from being taken into the woods, because the last thing he remembered was being on the road. And he had very like dressed, nice shiny shoes that were scuffed up and they had vegetation. He had binoculars, the strap had been torn, like cut apart basically. And then on top of that, on their car, so they had said right before they were abducted,

    They were hearing these beeping noises and felt vibrations like their car was vibrating. And on the trunk of their car, there were these perfectly round, shiny spots basically. And every time they took the compass to it, the compass would go haywire because it magnetically, those circles were, you know, often magnetically charged. And so those circles didn't go away for a very long time.

    Tom Kagy (30:39)

    Okay, so something zapped the car and created those circles of magnetized areas.

    Najla Zaidi (30:46)

    Yes, and they were like perfectly round like silver dollars and extremely shiny. Even when Betty got her car washed a month or two later, the circles didn't go away. So they were there for a very long time. She said in the winter is when finally the circles went away.

    INSERT AUDIO 2

    Tom Kagy (00:00)

    Okay. Okay, Najla. So how far away ⁓ was this Zeta or is this Zeta reticulized star system?

    Najla Zaidi (00:09)

    So the Zeta Reticuli star system is only 39 light years away. So it's actually, you know, not that far from us.

    Tom Kagy (00:17)

    Okay, so it would have been entirely possible for an amateur astronomer to be able to match the star map to an actual astronomical data.

    Najla Zaidi (00:27)

    Yes, and then her account, actually Marjorie Fish was brilliant, and her account was backed up by actual astronomers too. After, you know, when she went, discovered this, she contacted, I believe his name was Webb, and he was an astronomer at the time, and he backed up what she said.

    Tom Kagy (00:45)

    Okay, so the fact that ⁓ Betty Hill was able to draw a star map that actually accurately depicted those aliens home planet in the Zeta Reticuli system way before ⁓ our astronomers had the capability to identify these stars. So in other words, what she was drawing was information that

    could only have been gotten from aliens, not from anybody on Earth.

    Najla Zaidi (01:16)

    Yes, absolutely, because no one on earth was aware of it at the time. And it took many years after this encounter when Marjorie Fish figured this out.

    Tom Kagy (01:20)

    Okay.

    Okay. Okay. So let's move on to ⁓ the testimony. You had mentioned Sergeant, Master Sergeant Banks as providing some testimony ⁓ that tends to suggest that the U.S. government, you know, kind of backing up

    Najla Zaidi (01:40)

    Yeah, yes.

    Tom Kagy (01:50)

    what is that, Grush's testimony that the US government is in possession of alien hardware and what they call biologics, I guess.

    Najla Zaidi (02:00)

    Yes,

    that's what Jason Sands says that he actually saw a spacecraft, which the government denies that it was a spacecraft, and he overheard conversation about where they were referring to alien. And then he actually had an alien encounter himself.

    Tom Kagy (02:20)

    Okay, so describe that encounter for us.

    Najla Zaidi (02:23)

    So he was driving with two other people in his Jeep or vehicle across, he was at the Air Force base at the time, he was at a military installation, and he saw this funny looking, kind of like he was running sort of funny across the, towards his car, basically, that looked almost human but not quite, this was like a bluish colored figure with large eyes, it didn't have ears.

    And he also saw a small spacecraft in the distance. this alien was running towards him. And although they were not able to verbally communicate telepathically, the alien asked him for a substance that he needed for his vehicle.

    Tom Kagy (03:11)

    Okay, so what was the substance of what Sans has said about this encounter, other than the fact that he saw this alien and he was asking him, was he talking to him? mean, how did he manage to communicate?

    Najla Zaidi (03:28)

    So again, the communication is consistent always with even the abductions that is telepathically done. it was telepathically, you know, he told him that he needed this substance and he wanted to basically get back onto his craft and leave. And he was also disgusted at military programs studying extraterrestrial tech. So he was, you know, communicated that as well.

    Tom Kagy (03:57)

    Okay, and what the, I mean, how do we know that this Jason Sands actually had this sort of very close encounter? I mean, do we have any evidence that suggests that he actually had this encounter?

    Najla Zaidi (04:14)

    We don't have any evidence, but we do have the two other people that were in the vehicle with him that also backed up his testimony and what he said.

    Tom Kagy (04:24)

    Okay. What did he notice about this ⁓ alien? Anything in particular?

    Najla Zaidi (04:28)

    So

    he said that he was a humanoid being. He communicated with him telepathically. And then he was a pale blue skin humanoid. He had large black eyes and no ears. And then he ran into him on a military test range. So why would this being be there if they were not actually doing UAP testing? And also, he was a credible person. Everything that he talked about having

    seeing this, he also had top security clearance. Everything he talked about in seeing, you know, what was going on there was legitimate.

    INSERT AUDIO 1

    Tom Kagy (31:18)

    Well, is there any other physical evidence that could only have been created by aliens or at least by people that are far more advanced than anything that we are aware of?

    Najla Zaidi (31:32)

    Well, on Betty Hill's dress, to her niece Kathleen Marden, she recently, like within the last few years, two or three years, she had more analysis done on Betty's dress. And on the fabric, they found rhodium and pteryllium, which is one of the two most rare elements on the earth, and it's usually found in space. And there's no other accounting for how it could have gotten on her dress. And there was also this pinkish powder.

    which to this day it's been tested by five different laboratories. It's never been found of where this comes from.

    Tom Kagy (32:09)

    Okay, so they couldn't relate it to anything from Earth. Okay, so moving on from the Hill incident abduction, do you have any other physical evidence that could only have been left by aliens?

    Najla Zaidi (32:11)

    No.

    The only, like, another one that is controversial, but there's enough evidence to prove that it could be ⁓ alien-related is cattle mutilations, because this has been going on since 1967.

    Tom Kagy (32:39)

    Okay, so what happens in calamity lasions?

    Najla Zaidi (32:42)

    So basically, like farmers have been reporting that their cattle are mutilated with great precision as if a surgeon has done this, removed their organs, which are usually like their heart, their reproductive organs, or like any other organ within the body. And the reason why we believe that ⁓ they're using cows,

    is because they're mammals and they're large, but they're also very close to human in their anatomy and the way that they, you know, mammals are.

    Tom Kagy (33:17)

    Okay, well why couldn't just some humans have ⁓ grabbed the cattle and maybe euthanized them and then cut away the body parts that they wanted?

    Najla Zaidi (33:31)

    It could be humans too. It's possible that it's humans, but researchers that are very, very respected like Linda Howe, her name is Linda Moulton Howe. She's a renowned ufologist and she's been a journalist and researcher for many, many years. She's found too much evidence all over the world. And what happens every time that these mutilations happen, when it's an alien related mutilation, is that there are, ⁓

    spacecraft near them that somebody has reported lights and spacecraft

    Tom Kagy (34:05)

    Okay, but again, that depends on a sighting. What about the actual ⁓ physical evidence left by the mutilations? What makes it ⁓ not something that could have been done by pranksters?

    Najla Zaidi (34:16)

    Well, around the mutilation, again, there's like a different electromagnetic signature that is, you know, other than normal to humans. Like it's different, like there's some sort of radiation usually, and there's some sort of electromagnetic change on that animal and in that surrounding area. And other animals will not go near that, you know, cow or they've done it also sometimes on pigs and horses, but normally it's cows.

    Tom Kagy (34:48)

    Okay, but what about the…

    Evidence left around the cattle that were mutilated. Is there anything to suggest that it was not done by humans?

    Najla Zaidi (35:01)

    It's just like there's usually just, you know, the mutilation when it happens, it's so intensely removed, like it's so intensely removed that there's no even blood. Like there's no blood loss. There's absolutely, it's just a very precise cuts as if a supernatural surgeon did it. And there's no blood loss. There's no other evidence.

    of any kind of scavenger animal or any other attack by any other animal.

    Tom Kagy (35:33)

    Okay, so after these cattle are mutilated, there's no blood found in the area and there are ⁓ no, what would you call it? I guess no insects that have been feeding on the.

    Najla Zaidi (35:39)

    No.

    No, there's no insects. Right. mean,

    when it's like a scavenger animal, it's a different scenario. it's also possible that there's internally from human, you know, when an animal dies from human gases will also make the animal explode or from, you know, scavengers attacking the cow. But those incisions are different. They look different. And there's, you know, there's blood loss and then the tears are different.

    but these are usually exact precise as if a surgeon cut these parts open.

    Tom Kagy (36:21)

    Okay, and there are no further ⁓ depredations by scavengers after the mutilation.

    Najla Zaidi (36:27)

    No, and no

    animal will go near that particular cow.

    Tom Kagy (36:33)

    Okay. All right. So aside from the cattle mutilations, by the way, how many cattle mutilations have there been? I mean, do they have any estimate?

    Najla Zaidi (36:42)

    There have been like hundreds and hundreds. The FBI has been looking at these files since the mid 1970s. So this has been going on and it's all over the world. they say, like the first report was they said at least since 1967. And it's not only in the America, it's all over the world. Like there was an incident in Brazil, which is famous in the 1970s, where they saw the UFO sightings and there were cattle being mutilated at

    like an unnerving pattern. And so it was so extraordinary. Even the residents were reporting feeling weak or burned after the encounter. And again, there was like surgical-like incisions. internal organs were taken away, hearts, livers, reproductive organs, and their blood was completely drained. And there was absolutely no evidence that, you know, that any human had done this. And to this day, they have not been able to solve it.

    Tom Kagy (37:37)

    Any other evidence that you can think of that tends to make it impossible to believe that these sightings were the product of human activity?

    Najla Zaidi (37:52)

    There were some that are human activity, but these sightings, just the way that they stand out, and again, there are normally some sort of spacecraft is sighted in that vicinity the day before or around that time or within hours of the mutilations.

    Tom Kagy (38:11)

    Okay, well, I meant other than the cattle mutilations, are there any other types of evidence?

    Najla Zaidi (38:14)

    Oh, yes.

    Well, so there's a another former U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant named Jason Sands, and he also has worked in intelligence roles at Nellis Air Force Base and Area 51. So he's made claims that he overheard communications indicating that there were nonhuman intelligence at the military installation.

    Tom Kagy (38:39)

    Okay, and so what types of things did he see or hear?

    Najla Zaidi (38:44)

    So what he's basically said is that he saw, he overheard a conversation where they referred to aliens and he actually saw a spacecraft. Now the DOD claims that he, that the word alien was a nickname for a spacecraft, like not a spacecraft, a ⁓ craft that the U.S. government was working on, a secret project. But again, you know, again, they've denied anything that he said. But he also,

    claims that he had run in with an actual alien.

    Tom Kagy (39:17)

    Okay, and how did he describe that encounter?

    INSERT AUDIO 3

    Najla Zaidi (00:18)

    Yes, he, so the encounter basically he spoke of was he saw that this, you know, person that looked not non-human, he was had bluish color, large black eyes. He was actually in the same uniform and dress fatigues. But the interesting thing was he had, his shoes were very shiny as if no dust had ever touched them. And when he was coming, he was running towards the vehicle.

    that Jason was in. And he had a very funny gait and he looked when he got close to Jason it was almost as if he was going to fall over. And Jason thought maybe he was so pale he was going to die of hypothermia.

    Tom Kagy (01:01)

    Okay, so I assume it was a cold winter day then.

    Najla Zaidi (01:04)

    Yes, it must have been a cold day, but he was dressed like that, like ⁓ any other soldier, but he did not look physically like them.

    Tom Kagy (01:12)

    So he was part of the same unit that Jason was in.

    Najla Zaidi (01:16)

    Right, right.

    Tom Kagy (01:21)

    So what was the substance of the conversation?

    Najla Zaidi (01:24)

    So basically, in the distance, Jason was also able to see a small spacecraft. And he was looking, asking for tritium. But they never had a conversation verbally. Like just like every encounter with aliens, it's usually telepathically. So they were conversing telepathically. And he asked for tritium because that's what he needed in order to get in his spacecraft and leave.

    Tom Kagy (01:50)

    Okay, so what happened? What happened between them after that?

    Najla Zaidi (01:57)

    Like he told him that he doesn't have any tritium and this entire counter was also witnessed by the two other soldiers that were with Jason at the time. But afterwards they basically, like when he reported this, this ended up not being in any government report. So the only witness evidence that Jason has is the other two people. But Jason is an amazing artist and he drew.

    He painted what this man, what this ⁓ alien life form looked like along with his spaceship.

    Tom Kagy (02:35)

    Okay, so he had an accurate drawing of what he claims to have encountered. Okay. So do we have any other evidence that in your mind overrides this disclaimer that the government keeps trying to issue saying that these are, know, what do call it, miscidings of natural phenomena or, you know, human objects? Do we have any other evidence?

    Najla Zaidi (02:39)

    Yes.

    Well, mean,

    there's just so many people in and out of the government who are now talking about this. And I think that, like, you know, they've tried to backtrack. They've tried to say that this hasn't happened. But when you even have a governor of Arizona saying, saw it too, then I think it's like none, not all of us are crazy. So everyone is seeing the same thing.

    Tom Kagy (03:29)

    Okay. Well, and also, guess, aside from what we discussed today, we had discussed the Vedas, the Indian Vedas, which are ancient sort of encyclopedias.

    Najla Zaidi (03:38)

    Right, ancient texts,

    the ancient texts which refer to Atma, which Atma they believe is like life force, they've talked about that, that if everything they believe in the Vedas is accurate because it's real, so they've talked about aliens from that point. And it's interesting, in Hindu culture, it's just very commonplace. It's not something that's hidden or not discussed. It's just part of their culture. It's accepted as part of the culture.

    Tom Kagy (04:07)

    Right. And then I guess even in the Bible, there's in the book of Enoch, there's talk about him traveling in a spacecraft.

    Najla Zaidi (04:14)

    Right, and I've

    read about that as well. Enoch has traveled in a spacecraft. He has also described, like, other, ⁓ you know, like, could be realms as heaven, but we don't know it could be another planet, for all we know.

    Tom Kagy (04:28)

    Right, right. it's, yeah, it is a little hard to believe that all these ancient peoples would make up sort of science fiction-y accounts of, you know, flying crafts or, you know, battles between flying crafts. We're talking about, you know, 2500, 3000 years ago.

    Najla Zaidi (04:48)

    Right, and even if you look at Australia, the Aborigines are one of the oldest cultures on earth. They also have accounts of flying saucers and invitations from centuries ago.

    Tom Kagy (05:01)

    Right, right. And of course we have our own here in the US and the Southwest where they talk about the star people and they actually draw UFOs and so forth. Okay. All right, Nigel. Well, that's been an interesting discussion. And I mean, I'm fully convinced that aliens have visited us and probably are visiting us constantly and that they're actually among us.

    Najla Zaidi (05:08)

    Right, exactly, Native American culture.

    Tom Kagy (05:31)

    So thank you for your research and your help in ⁓ clarifying this point.

    Najla Zaidi (05:39)

    Thank you so much, Tom. It's been a pleasure. And I, like you, 100 % agree that they're out there, and I think they will make contact within the next five to 10 years. I think so. From what's been happening, and Congress is talking about it, people are coming forward. I think we're going to have this some sort of contact within the next five to 10 years.

    Tom Kagy (05:49)

    Well, let's hope so. That would certainly be interesting.

    Okay, great. Well, I'm certainly looking forward to it. Thank you, Najla.

    Najla Zaidi (06:07)

    Thank you, Tom.

    45 min

About Voxcali

From the publisher's feed

California Asians share favorite people, places and stories.