"I've been going to Cape Cod since I was a little kid, so it really feels like home. My Aunt Nance has always called the feeling of calm and relaxation when you arrive on the Cape as being 'Caped.' Life feels a little lighter when I’m there." -Richie Moriarty of GHOSTS 🔗 www.msn.com/en-us/travel...?

My interview with Thurston Moore from the Sunday @chicagotribune.com.

Watched some old home movies w/my mom & was surprised at how skinny we all were. My aunts used to tell my sister she was fat. They started in on me later. We were thinner than the average female Kpop idol is today. Was there a purpose other than to be cruel? And if we had actually been fat, so what?

Fear, ignorance, racism, and xenophobia have been weaponized. Will it ever end?

"We used to always go away when I was a kid to London. Some of those trips were very memorable. Once I moved away from Greece to New York for college, I would usually go back to Thessaloniki where I grew up and spend my Christmas there. Christmas in Greece is very festive." -Zina Wilde

Korean music offers so much more than just K-pop, and artists like Song Sohee are showcasing Korea's diverse music. On her latest EP “[Re:5],” Song incorporates world, folk and contemporary genres, creating songs that are memorable and uniquely distinct. [from today's Sunday @chicagotribune.com]

Emoji that represents me: 😒 #SonOfJae said this is me: 😘 Husband said I'm usually this: 🤷🏻‍♀️ How do you view yourself?

Q's for those who take cabs (not ubers) in big cities: Are drivers telling you how much the ride will cost w/o turning on the meter? They're doing surge pricing like ubers. I've had this happen in Chicago quite often lately, sometimes after they've already started driving.

Is anyone else underwhelmed (so far) by Physical: Asia? There are so many other Asian countries (hello, India?), but the showrunners included one that isn't. Australia?

Mental health isn’t taken seriously enough in general. It’s not like a fractured bone that can be put in a cast and healed. You can’t see a broken heart or a tortured mind. The K-drama "It's Okay, That's Love" tackles this subject in a nuanced way that feels real. 👇

Jae: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels? Thurston Moore: That your job as an artist is to bring intrigue, joy and respect to the people paying money to see you and hear what you’ve created.

REASONABLE DOUBT star McKinley Freeman in print today in outlets likethe Sunday @chicagotribune.com! 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

Don't forget. Because the U.S. has wacky time, too...

I have opened the bags of Halloween candy. I have released the kraken!

2 things can be true: this NYPD police officer absolutely should NOT be harassed by🧊just bc he doesn’t “look” American (we all know what that stereotype is). He made some good points abt how we're all from somewhere & then said this. Perpetual foreigner syndrome is a real thing.

2 things can be true: this NYPD police officer absolutely should NOT be harassed by🧊just bc he doesn’t “look” American (we all know what that stereotype is). He made some good points abt how we're all from somewhere & then said this. Perpetual foreigner syndrome is a real thing.

Korean music offers so much more than just K-pop. And artists like Song Sohee showcase her country’s musical diversity with their nuanced albums. On “[Re:5],” Song incorporates world, folk & contemporary genres, creating music that is memorable and distinct.

"I’ve performed in every state except Montana and Idaho. Those two seem tough to route through. I did a five-night residency in Anchorage that was pretty wild. I’ve done festivals all over, including Akumal [Mexico], Las Vegas, Denver and Green Bay." -JT Habersaat in the Sunday @chicagotribune.com

In Today's OLD LADY NEWS™ ... www.ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp/imsut/en/abo...

Baek Se-hee opened up about her dysthymia (persistent depressive order), detailed the conversations she had with her psychiatrist, reflected on trauma & tied together how all of that affected the state of her mental health. May she rest in peace.💔

"There was no version of media that could convince me or my sisters differently about the value of who we were, as defined by the examples we were blessed to see in our parents, grandparents and cousins." -McKinley Freeman

Baek Se-hee opened up about her dysthymia (persistent depressive order), detailed the conversations she had with her psychiatrist, reflected on trauma & tied together how all of that affected the state of her mental health. May she rest in peace.💔

One of the things I appreciate about my son is that when he hears music that he doesn't like—which is a lot tbh—he will say something positive about them like, "She seems like a really nice person." You can dislike something without telling the other person they are wrong for liking what they like.

Went househunting this morning and overheard a young man in his early 20s telling the real estate agent that his mom wanted a bigger house, because her current house was only 2,500 sq ft. That's a big house! And big houses for 1 person can be great, but that's a lot more house to clean, too.

My interview with the Vitamin String Quartet is in print today in outlets like the Sunday @chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune back issues: 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

Koreans are among the 200,000 victims trafficked to work in Cambodia's 'pig butchering' scams. And the K-drama TAXI DRIVER devoted two episodes to a fictional storyline in 2023 that proved to be prescient.

I chekced the list of books that I have on hold at the library. I'm No. 147 for one of them, but No. 6 and No. 7 for the others. Winning!

I saw Elvis Costello and the Imposters, and Charlie Sexton last night. Such an amazing show with musicians who been honing their craft for decades. Made me feel young again, like during my school days. Gratetful to be this old, but wistful for young me, too.

"At this point, I’ve performed in every state except Montana and Idaho. Those two seem tough to route through. I did a five-night residency in Anchorage that was pretty wild. I’ve done festivals all over, including Akumal [Mexico], Las Vegas, Denver and Green Bay." -JT Habersaat

It's been 7 years since BTS released their YouTube Red docu-series, “BTS: Burn the Stage.” I reviewed each episode weekly, before retiring them. Since then, readers have asked if I would share them again, especially now as we wait for the septet’s much-awaited 2026 comeback. I'm happy to oblige.

CHARLIE SEXTON?! OH MY G-D!!!

💙❤💜 Thank you, Louise! 🔗 jaehakim.substack.com/subscribe

"I’m pretty methodical about luggage. I don’t unpack parts of my suitcase. My passport always stays in the same pocket. My pens are here, my aspirin is there. But the main thing I always lose are chargers." - Charlie Sexton @chicagotribune.com back issues: 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

Protect yourself as best as you can. Even if you are a U.S. citizen, please ensure that you have proof of citizenship just in case, ESPECIALLY if you're a POC. If you adopted a child, it is your duty to get them their proper documentation! (If you find the enclosed info valuable, please share.)

I reviewed a couple of songs that made it onto this list, including NewJeans' "Hype Boy" and Girls' Generation's "Gee" for @rollingstone.com's 250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (so far).

“My grandfather took me to Germany when I was in high school. It was my first time out of the US & an amazing experience. We went there specifically to look for a cello.” -Vitamin String Quartet's Derek Stein

What BURN THE STAGE shows is that being a part of BTS is fun and amazing. But when it’s not, it’s filled with doubt, fatigue & fear. It’s this willingness to let people hear their disagreements and watch them give up control that makes this so intriguing. 🔗 jaehakim.substack.com/p/bts-burn-t...

"My 1st time performing for thousands of people was when I opened for @lindaronstadtmusic.bsky.social. I had to get over my stage fright quick, but it was an exhilarating experience." -Stephen Bishop Chicago Tribune back issues: 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

Some people have said that Asian Americans should just feel grateful to be represented at all, and I absolutely do not feel that way. I used to when I was a child, when there was almost no representation. And that’s actually a bit depressing to think about. #TheSummerITurnedPretty

"When you travel, you bring back what you’ve heard. There’s this amazing Chinese instrument [sanzian] with a long neck & a little snakeskin body. I’ve heard it being played on the street in various parts of the world, and it has the most beautiful, haunting sound." -Charlie Sexton

Singer-songwriter @darwilliams.bsky.social gets real in her latest album HUMMINGBIRD HIGHWAY. My interview with this amazing artist is featured in print today in Sunday newspapers like the Chicago Tribune. 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

I mean, who doesn't love access to free K-dramas, right? 🤷🏻‍♀️ It's only good through the end of the month, though, so start watching NOW!

I mean, who doesn't love access to free K-dramas, right? 🤷🏻‍♀️ It's only good through the end of the month, though, so start watching NOW!

"The biggest turning point came last year when my wife and I welcomed our first and only child, a baby boy. My own father was never really around. He spent most of his time on the golf course. I want something different for my son. I want to be present in his life." - @stephenbishop.bsky.social

My interview with @aliciahannahkim.bsky.social is in print today in the Sunday @chicagotribune.com (and other newspapers nationwide). If you're not already watching her latest show, TEMPEST, do so immediately! It's soooo very good! #kdrama Back issues: 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

This 3rd season of The Summer I Turned Pretty was not bad. But as for all the Jelly slander, I wanted to remind you that Jeremiah was a bullfrog. He was a good friend of mine. I never understood a single word he said, but I helped him drink his wine.

according to an immigration attorney representing several arrested workers, ICE agents chose to arrest the Korean workers to fulfill the quota of 3,000 daily immigrant arrests set by Stephen Miller www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...

“I love walking through a museum, then getting a coffee & working on a song,” said HUMMINGBIRD HIGHWAY singer @darwilliams.bsky.social. “I also love being at home with my guitar and messing around with different chords to jumpstart things. The best is when songs just come up in daily life.”

Do I think people truly want a K-pop idol to be detained and harmed? No. But the truth is that in today’s world, the unthinkable is a reality that can’t be underestimated.

To celebrate being cancer-free for 5.5 years now (!!), I'm offering 30% discount to annual subscribers, with proceeds being matched (by me) to the American Cancer Society.