Inspired

A few days ago I was fortunate enough to interview the founder and CEO of S.M. Entertainment for my senior thesis project. The interview ended up going beyond the scheduled hour and I realized how passionate and educated Mr. Lee really is about what he does. It's sad how so many fans of K-pop find it so easy to blame him for a lot of things, when really he is the reason for why K-pop is what it is today. I don't mean that it doesn't have room for improvement, because I think Asia as a whole certainly does. And I can also go off on a different branch about some problems I see recurring in Asian pop culture that situates East Asia as "superior"..... But I think it takes a certain level of vision and passion to the point of being unrealistic to make bigger things happen-- slowly but surely.

I can't write too much about the interview here because it was kinda long and he is quite a public figure, but for now all I will say is that I was inspired and think that Asian Americans in media and entertainment will only truly "make it" when Asia itself does. Transnational and diasporic frameworks > assimilationist... academia this is what you have done to me.

Anyways, it's probably bad for me to be saying these Obama-esque "YES WE CAN" things as a second semester senior on the verge of graduating with no place to go... but I really appreciate these moments of inspiration that come about every once in a while.

Also, Happy New Year everyone! I am starting the new year with absolutely no resolutions and no feelings of standing on a clean slate or whatever. The Korean news always shows these huge crowds of people who gather on beaches to watch the first sunrise of the new year, but I never really understood that either. I guess it's something I might understand as I get older and have more reasons to forget and start anew. For now, I like it because I am still young enough to get money from relatives and get to eat lots of DDUK. Yummmm.