Amateur Hour with KY

Hi - I'm launching a new, twice-a-month podcast focused on stories of the Asian diaspora on December 17, 2020 called "Almost Home". Please subscribe and support! Follow 'Almost Home Podcast' on your favorite podcast app or Instagram All links will also be on: https://linktr.ee/AlmostHomePodcast I'll also be uploading episodes on Amateur Hour with KY (sporadically) as per usual so stay subscribed here, too!

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

From Beijing/Hainan, standing 185cm tall, at Forward, meet Mcrid! This globetrotter is probably the most woke person I've met in Singapore. Mcrid talks about how studying in Canada and the US has shaped his identity as he experiences Black Lives Matter at a predominantly white New England liberal arts college (12:30) before transferring to Cornell (21:30) and finding himself in an offshoot Buddhist sect (30:55). And as if he hasn't toed the line enough, Mcrid talks about becoming a Christian in China - where the party, not the trinity, comes first (39:00). And if you're curious what a man named "Mcrid" looks like, you can listen and find out (47:45).

Most management consultants are in the field because they want to try different things - and Willa is the epitome of that stereotype. Reporting from the 6 (Toronto), Willa tells us about just a few (like ten) of her new hobbies in Corona-induced house arrest. Some of the hobbies are of the nursing home variety such as puzzles (12:50), friendship bracelets (16:45), and baking (29:05). Others are a bit more new-age, like beginning a career as a voice actress for Audible audiobooks (18:25). To cap it off, Willa shares where she might be in a post-Corona world (33:40).

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

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

We get doused with updates on the coronavirus every day thanks to the Internet. Unfortunately, it’s easy to become numb to escalating patient counts and 45's fake news. So what's really happening? My friends and I offer our experiences staying in cities that you may have heard a lot about in the news (New York, Singapore) and one other that has been flown under the radar (Dubai).

Forbes columnist and New York’s (self-proclaimed) youngest entertainment lawyer Marc writes his own bildungsroman on this episode as he details how he first broke into the theatre industry as a college kid with an algorithm he built to predict Broadway show success. On the way up, he’s picked up a few trade secrets - including how Broadway theaters have figured out how to make money out of thin air!Marc then grabs the mike for a more personal question - why is Kevin moving to Singapore?To cap it off, Kevin and Marc also pull out their metaphorical lawn chairs as they crankily recount their limited participation in the Cornell social scene during their year as dorm neighbors.Check out Marc's work with Forbes here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/#3bb8bb361059

Speaking of taking a whiff, Cherry took one to start the second half of our conversation and ended up preventing a fire in a Murray Hill condominium. Pretty neat. With a bottle’s worth of Malbec likely still metabolizing, this part-time firefighter analogizes sommeliers to failed perfumers, gives three Asian languages a taste test, and answers an age-old question: Why do Korean men look so good?While recording this episode, Cherry painted my smell. Take it in (with all your senses) here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cKZ5-l0nk9-Bwy60EO5cVPMjbeFC_V

Take a whiff of this. Taste anything? Maybe the color purple? Find the answers to these questions in this conversation with your neighborhood synesthete Cherry. She talks smelling her roommates’ moods, what the deal with Hollister’s signature scent is, and why building her career in the perfume world must end in France. While recording this episode, Cherry painted my smell. Take it in (with all your senses) here: https://tinyurl.com/sanaz8dThe evening's setup: https://tinyurl.com/u9qtgvy

Ever wondered what gambling looks like when you can’t get into the high roller rooms or miss your exit onto the Las Vegas strip? Dweng, Brett, and Jon/Gomez show their hands on playing back-room card games in New York City, making a 3-hour commute to the local casino "worth it", and dipping their toes into online poker / sports betting.This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Kevin's Cornell friends Iggy and Andrea share their journey in getting their families to buy into their interracial relationship. Iggy talks about his experiences with the police as an ethnic minority (11:00) and how they kickstarted his journey from the basketball courts of the Bronx to Big Law (26:20).This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Kevin sits with neighborhood hypebeast Caleb Chen to untie the knot on the sneaker game. Caleb explains the cult of Supreme (22:10) and lays down the hammer on fakes (42:50). I want to hear your thoughts and comments (anonymously or not)! Leave them here: https://tinyurl.com/AHKFeedbackThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Celebrate the 10-month anniversary of Crazy Rich Asians with this September 2018 discussion of the film with Rohan George and Arthur Chen.Rohan gives a local’s perspective on the movie that sent half of the world searching for his hometown on Google Maps while Arthur shares an Asian-American perspective on the film’s cultural impact. They then turn their focus on the Asian experience in the American workplace (1:08:00) and stack up Singaporean food against New York’s (1:23:13).Also, today is Arthur's birthday. Happy 26th! I want to hear your thoughts and comments (anonymously or not)! Leave them here: https://tinyurl.com/AHKFeedbackThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Hate him or love him, the smartest kid in class has a story too - and of course, it's about kicking ass and taking A's. Tony Lee talks 1L at Harvard Law and student leadership at Columbia (26:25) before giving the dirt on life as a "law firm analyst" (35:34). He also makes the case for lawyers as modern magicians (47:35).Please note that this episode was recorded ~1 year agoI want to hear your thoughts and comments (anonymously or not)! Leave them here: https://tinyurl.com/AHKFeedbackThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Online dating strikes again, this time for Yvonne Ye. The biggest personality in central New York returns to her hometown to find herself a man on Coffee Meets Bagel as a "first time user" (6:36). Little does she know that there is an irreconcible difference between her and her new Romeo (17:13).I want to hear your thoughts and comments (anonymously or not)! Leave them here: https://tinyurl.com/AHKFeedbackThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Forest Hills’s daughter Yohanna Kim discusses building her Korean-American identity in the churches and school cafeterias of American suburbia (06:20) before sharing her 6-year long battle with an improperly diagnosed health condition (15:30). She also finds some time to hop on the hot seat for some spitfire questions (32:00).I want to hear your thoughts and comments (anonymously or not)! Leave them here: https://tinyurl.com/AHKFeedbackThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Marty and Julia restore our faith in online dating apps with their "how we met" story, starting with the first text in 2015 before bringing us through the fateful "re-match" to the present day. Henry thinks big picture on Tinder's usefulness in NYC. Henry and Kevin get a dating profile makeover.I want to hear your thoughts and comments (anonymously or not)! Leave them here: https://tinyurl.com/AHKFeedbackThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Kevin sits with Yesung "Ryan" Lee in Queens's K-town, Murray Hill, to talk Korean dating apps, kindling friendships in undergrad and grad school, and final thoughts on transitioning careers from cancer researcher to Yale medical school student.I want to hear your thoughts and comments (anonymously or not)! Leave them here: https://tinyurl.com/AHKFeedbackThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

The inaugural episode features an impromptu conversation with Wiley Xu in LAX about Asian nightlife, flight attendants, finding the ideal spouse and reasons not to bring your child into the bathroom.I want to hear your thoughts and comments (anonymously or not)! Leave them here: https://tinyurl.com/AHKFeedbackThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.