Category: Recent Articles

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Holy Buckets, She’s Still Alive!

I know! I know! I know! It’s been about 18 million years since I last posted anything on this long-neglected website. I have no excuse, other than life has been… a lot, these past few years. But in all honesty, hasn’t life been a lot for all of us these past few years?

Despite going MIA as Zombie Mamma, I’ve been around… Writing for Rakuten Viki, writing occasionally for Kpopconcerts.com, and most recently, taking a job as a full-time instructional writer who specializes in… wait for it…

Boats!

Yeah… Don’t even bother trying to ask about that. I still can’t quite figure this one out. But here I am! Writing about boats… Learning how to operate boats… Attending boat shows… Visiting super awesome boat building facilities… Making friends with actual boat captains… And meeting said boat captain’s very awesome friends… Which brings me to the whole point of this rambling…

A couple of months ago, I was attending a boat show in Annapolis, Maryland and while I was there, my co-worker captain friend introduced me to one of her good friends. We had a lovely lunch together and spent a good portion of the afternoon just talking and as we parted ways, my new friend asked me if I’d be interested in being a guest on her podcast.

Now, as you may or may not know. When it comes to dramas and music, I have no problem being on podcasts and panels and whatever else comes my way, because talking about stuff I love is easy. But when it comes to talking about myself, especially in a public space, I get a little nervous. After all, who really wants to know about the Mamma behind the Zombie? I have a hard time believing anything about my life is all that special. (A bit effed up maybe, but special? Not so much…)

Be that as it may, when Alka asked me to be a guest on her podcast, Changing Platforms, I found myself inexplicably saying yes. Blame it on too much time in the sun or the bottle of wine we shared at lunch… Whatever the case may be, two weeks after I got home from Maryland, I was on a call with Alka, recording the podcast I present to you now.

Unlike anything else I’ve ever done on this site, this podcast is a very open and honest conversation about me, my life, and how many strange and unexpected turns it’s taken over the years. Of course, I can’t really have any lengthy conversation about myself that doesn’t ultimately lead to Korean pop culture and entertainment; because apparently that isn’t something everyone just randomly becomes an expert in??? Who knew!?

So there you have it, a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one very Zombified Mamma. If you gave the podcast a listen, or a watch, depending on where you get your podcasts, then you’ve proved Alka right (when she said people who like to hear my story) and me wrong (when I told myself there’s no way anyone would ever want to hear my story and I was crazy for agreeing to this in the first place. Yeah, I know, I’m still working on that whole self-love thing. It’s just that it’s REALLY HARD!) Feel free to leave a comment, if you want, or just drop a long-overdue hello. Because let’s be real here, it’s been WAY too long since we last met and I’ve gotta say, I’ve really missed ya!

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LET’S CHAT: Hallyu Journalist Lisa Espinosa Talks About Work, Dreams and Dealing With Life’s Curveballs

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Photo courtesy of Raine (aka the friend who actually remembers to take pics)

The world of American Hallyu experts and professionals is a beautiful place, full of amazing and interesting people. People who have dedicated a large portion of their time and energy to delivering unique, original and entertaining content to the world. People whose names you probably recognize but may not know much about. With so many incredible people bringing Hallyu to the world, I thought it might be fun to take some time to sit down and chat with some of them, to give you a chance to get to know a little more about those who help fuel the Hallyu fire that blazes so brightly, here in the States. My very good friend, Lisa Espinosa, from HanCinema and Raine’s Dichotomy (to name a few), is the first of these individuals I’d like to introduce to you. She was gracious enough to take time out of her busy schedule to chat with me for a bit about her work, how she got started in the Hallyu journalism business and what some of her favorite moments have been thus far. Continue reading “LET’S CHAT: Hallyu Journalist Lisa Espinosa Talks About Work, Dreams and Dealing With Life’s Curveballs”

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DRAMA OF THE MONTH: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

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Sitting down to write this review, I feel completely conflicted. Not because this drama isn’t fantastic (because it totally is) but because it’s also terrible and wonderful and amazing and awful and it makes you feel so many things and sometimes it’s wonderful and sometimes it hurts and sometimes you cry and sometimes you laugh and other times you swoon and all of the time you wonder how you’re ever going to find a way to go back to “normal” life because you know this drama has completely ruined you for all of eternity, in both the best and worse ways possible. Yeah… That pretty much sums up all of my feelings for Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Continue reading “DRAMA OF THE MONTH: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”

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TUESDAY’S TEASE: ASTRO and BTOB Join the Fall Comeback Lineup

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It’s no secret that this fall has been nothing less than a lethal string of comebacks designed solely to bring both life and death to K-Pop fans the world over. One might think that with such an overwhelming number of comebacks dropping in October, things might slow down a bit now that it’s November. But nope! This string of fall comebacks seems to be almost never-ending as ASTRO and BTOB have recently jumped aboard the comeback train. Continue reading “TUESDAY’S TEASE: ASTRO and BTOB Join the Fall Comeback Lineup”

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Which October Comeback Was The Best? [Poll]

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You know, it’s really hard for me to sit down at the end of a month and decide which album it is that I love them most. Especially when that month has been crammed full of the most amazing comebacks! Trying to decide which album I love the most is like trying to decide which drink to order at the local coffee shop… Each one has its merit and really it all comes down to whatever fits my mood at the moment.

The same can definitely be said of this past month’s K-Pop comebacks. Each one has its merit and each one satisfies my different moods. When I’m in the mood for some good old-fashioned, make my heart skip a beat, 90’s boy-band goodness, I turn to SHINee’s 1 of 1. When I want something a bit edgier but fun, I head straight to Monsta X’s The Clan: Part 2. When I just want to feel a warm and fuzzy, I turn on 100%’s Time Leap and my heart gets all squishy as it swells with all the “I’m so happy their finally back” feels. And then there all the rookie singles, like SF9’s Feeling Sensation, or HIGH 4:20’s “Hookê°€” or BASTARZ “Selfish & Beautiful Girl,” which are perfect for a quick K-Pop fix. And when I simply want to die, I turn on BTS’ WINGS and wave goodbye to my soul as it departs from my mortal frame.

With so much great music out there, you can see why choosing a single album to talk about can be difficult. The choices really are almost endless and I love them all. Which is why I’m asking you to help me decide which of this past month’s comebacks should be lauded as the best. All you have to do is cast your vote for your top 3 (because who can really choose just one?) in the poll below.