ALICIA YOON DOB: n/a Birthplace: Seoul, Korea Ethnicity: Korean Occupation: Founder/CEO of Peach & Lily Residence: United States Dina’s Thoughts Asian skincare, particularly Korean skincare, has been sweeping the beauty world in a dramatic manner the likes of which we haven’t seen since perhaps the Jennifer Aniston haircut back in the…
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CHEF SRIJITH GOPINATHAN Dina’s Thoughts It’s been over four years since I first tasted Chef Sri’s cooking yet the memory of that first meal lingers in my mind as potently as spices permeating the air in an Indian kitchen. It was at Campton Place inside…
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MICHAEL CZARCINSKI DOB: n/a Birthplace: United States Occupation: Managing Director Residence: Los Angeles, CA Dina’s Thoughts As someone who has been on both sides of hospitality (having worked on hotel acquisitions and having been a lifelong patron of hotels worldwide), I am always deeply impressed when I come across…
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JEREMY LIN DOB: August 23, 1988 Birthplace: Torrance, CA Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: NBA Residence: USA Dina’s Thoughts What fascinates me about Jeremy Lin is not so much his stardom as a basketball phenomenon but that he has accomplished what only a handful of other Asians…
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NELSON CHAN DOB: July 14, 1974 Birthplace: Hong Kong Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Hair Expert Residence: Los Angeles Dina’s Thoughts Nelson Chan is one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed hair gurus with A-list clients including Heather Graham and Lady Gaga. Prior to opening his now successful Nelson…
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JENNIFER YEN DOB: October 8, 1978 Birthplace: Taiwan Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Actress, Entrepreneur Residence: Los Angeles, CA Dina’s Thoughts Fans of the ever popular Power Rangers will recognize the gorgeous Jennifer Yen as Vypra in the series’ 8th season, titled Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue. While…
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ARJUN DEV ARORA DOB: 1984 Birthplace: United States Ethnicity: Indian Occupation: Entrepreneur Residence: California Dina’s Thoughts I first met Arjun several years ago to discuss whether there was room in the Silicon Valley ecosystem for a multimedia startup. At the time, he was deep in…
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ANDREW CHUNG DOB: 1981 Birthplace: Toronto, Canada Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Writer, Producer, Director Residence: Toronto, Canada “I’m extremely passionate about putting more Asian faces on screen in North America.” Dina’s Thoughts Passionate, relentless and focused- these are the three words that first come to mind…
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PARRY SHEN DOB: June 26, 1973 Birthplace: New York Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Actor Residence: California Dina’s Thoughts on Parry Breaking into Hollywood for an Asian actor is still incredibly difficult today, let alone ten years ago. Learning about Parry’s journey from the east coast moving…
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MAY KING TSANG DOB: November 13 Birthplace: Manchester, United Kingdom Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Tea Expert and Entrepreneur Residence: Brisbane, Australia Dina’s Thoughts For several years now, May King Tsang has built up a one-woman brand focused on all things tea. Coming from a Chinese background,…
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CHEF ALEXANDER ONG DOB: June 19 Birthplace: Malaysia Ethnicity: Chinese Malaysian Occupation: Chef & Restaurateur Residence: California, USA Dina’s Thoughts In a culinary era when the word “fusion” has become synonymous with directionless and tasteless cuisine, Chef Alex Ong breathes new life into this oft…
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Kirstie Maldonado- Interview With Pentatonix’ Lead Singer I recently had the chance to chat with Kirstie Maldonado (bio below)- the female lead singer of the wildly popular acapella group Pentatonix. They’re about to launch a tour this February 2014 and I wanted to get Kirstie’s…
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ELA BLATT DOB: September 3, 1933 Birthplace: India Ethnicity: Indian Occupation: Business Woman & Philanthropist Residence: India Dina’s Thoughts Before I and many others of my generation were even born, there was a diminutive woman in newly independent India already single handedly paving the way…
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DAVE LIANG DOB: January 6 Birthplace: Kansas Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Musician and Producer Residence: New York Photo Above by Zhuang Yan “My parents were paying lots and lots of money for my education. The least I could do was give consideration to their recommendation as…
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YUJA WANG DOB: February 10, 1987 Birthplace: Beijing, China Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Classical Pianist Residence: New York, NY Dina’s Thoughts In a world increasingly obsessed with pop and rap music, those of us who love and were trained in classical music worry that these spectacular…
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MIKE KIM DOB: December 11, 1976 Birthplace: Chicago, IL Ethnicity: Korean Occupation: Author & Consultant Residence: Los Angeles, CA Dina’s Thoughts Amidst a modern Asian culture that all too often prioritizes finances as the only measure of success, author, consultant, human rights activist and expert…
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DAPHNE PHUNG DOB: January 1975 Birthplace: Vietnam Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Activist Residence: San Diego, California Dina’s Thoughts In an era when child and human trafficking are at an all time high, few citizens of the world have the courage and dedication to tackle these horrifying issues. Child…
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VIKAS KHANNA- MASTER CHEF & CULTURAL ICON DOB: November 14, 1971 Birthplace: Amritsar, India Ethnicity: Indian Occupation: Chef, Author & Television Host Residence: New York and India Dina’s Thoughts If one were to look at Vikas Khanna’s early life, it wouldn’t be illogical to presume that he would never have…
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BRIAN HIRONO DOB: June 15 Birthplace: Los Angeles Ethnicity: Japanese Korean Occupation: Actor & Writer Residence: Los Angeles & Kona Dina’s Thoughts In a highly competitive industry that still seeks to stereotype and provides few leading roles for Asian actors, Brian C. Hirono is helping…
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RAY CHEN DOB: March 6, 1989 Birthplace: Taiwan Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Violinist Residence: n/a Dina’s Thoughts I first discovered violin virtuoso Ray Chen around 2010 and was floored by the beauty of his musicality. Some have called him the “Lang Lang of violin” and while…
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TADASHI SHOJI DOB: n/a Birthplace: Sendai, Japan Ethnicity: Japanese Occupation: Designer Residence: Pasadena, CA Dina’s Thoughts Tadashi Shoji is an eminent couture designer of Japanese origin, who has steadily grown to become one of Hollywood’s most sought after fashion gurus. In a highly competitive field,…
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DR. KIT KA HUI DOB: n/a Birthplace: Hong Kong Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Physician Residence: Los Angeles, CA Dina’s Thoughts One of the most highly acclaimed Asian American doctors, Dr. Kit Ka Hui is a pioneer in the field of integrative East West medicine. In a…
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YOSHIDA BROTHERS DOB: 1977 and 1979 Birthplace: Hokkaido, Japan Ethnicity: Japanese Occupation: Musicians Residence: Japan Dina’s Thoughts In an era dominated by pop music, the Yoshida Brothers bring a new dimension of music to the world scene with their unique fusion of traditional Japanese shamisen…
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PRABAL GURUNG DOB: March 31, 1974 Birthplace: Singapore Ethnicity: Nepalese Occupation: Fashion Designer Residence: New York, NY Dina’s Thoughts With a name that is now synonymous with iconic style, avant-garde sophistication and leading ladies, Prabal Gurung has swept the fashion world by storm in recent…
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RAHUL KHANNA DOB: June 20, 1972 Birthplace: Mumbai, India Ethnicity: Indian Occupation: Actor Residence: India & USA Dina’s Thoughts Long an advocate of animal rights, Rahul Khanna has been an active voice for PETA India in the efforts to protect elephants. He is one of the few…
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KRISTI YAMAGUCHI DOB: July 12, 1971 Birthplace: California, United States Ethnicity: Japanese Occupation: Figure Skater & Author Residence: United States Dina’s Thoughts Gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi inspired an entire generation of Asian American athletes to pursue their dreams and achieve that revered gold metal status.…
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ARJUN BASU DOB: December 14, 1966 Birthplace: Canada Ethnicity: Indian Occupation: Author Residence: Canada Dina’s Thoughts With well over 130,000 ardent supporters on Twitter, Arjun Basu has stealthily climbed his way to becoming one of the most popular writers in modern social media times. Of…
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YUNDI DOB: October 7, 1982 Birthplace: Chongqing, China Ethnicity: Chinese Occupation: Pianist Residence: Hong Kong Dina’s Thoughts With his romantic and passionate interpretations of classical music, world renowned pianist Yundi has long become the darling of Asia’s classical music aficionados. In his native China, Yundi…
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INDU SUNDARESAN DOB: n/a Birthplace: New Delhi, India Ethnicity: Indian Occupation: Author Residence: Seattle, Washington Dina’s Thoughts Indu Sundaresan has engaged readers across several generations with her captivating stories focused on Indian history and culture. For a global audience unfamiliar with but fascinated by the…
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SHIHAN KEIKO FUKUDA DOB: April 12, 1913 Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan Ethnicity: Japanese Occupation: Judo Master Residence: San Francisco, CA Editor’s Note: Shihan Keiko Fukuda passed away in early 2013. Her students around the world and those of us who were ardent fans continue to feel…
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HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA TENZIN GYATSO DOB: July 6, 1935 Birthplace: Tibet Ethnicity: Tibetan Occupation: Spiritual Leader Residence: Dharamsala, India Dina’s Thoughts His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has been the spiritual and political leader of Tibet since his early childhood years. Amidst violence…
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INDRA NOOYI DOB: October 28, 1955 Birthplace: Chennia, India Ethnicity: Indian Occupation: CEO of PepsiCo Residence: United States Dina’s Thoughts Ms. Nooyi is one of the few Asian female CEOs in America, breaking numerous ceilings in women minority’s battle to climb corporate ladders. Her dedication,…
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ANJALI BANERJEE DOB: Unknown Birthplace: India Ethnicity: Indian Occupation: Indian Residence: Seattle, Washington Dina’s Thoughts Banerjee has long been creating prize winning literary jewels for both children and adults with a uniquely witty and accessible voice. As one of the most popular and best selling…
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AMY TAN DOB: February 19, 1952 Birthplace: California, United States Ethnicity: Chinese American Occupation: Writer Residence: California, United States Born in the US to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan failed her mother’s expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She settled on…
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LAKSHMI MITTAL DOB: Jun 15, 1950 Birthplace: Rajasthan, India Ethnicity: Indian Occupation: CEO Arcelor Mittal Steel Residence: United Kingdom Dina’s Thoughts Mr. Mittal has created the world’s largest steel company which produces the steel used for one in every five cars in existence. He has…
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CHEF KAZUTO MATSUSAKA Dina’s Thoughts As owner and executive chef of Los Angeles’ popular Beacon Restaurant, Chef Kazuto has become, in my opinion, one of the best Asian American chefs. He left his native Japan at the tender age of 22, hoping to become what…
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CHEF JAY MARIADOSS Dina’s Thoughts Most renowned chefs begin illustrious careers by skillfully mastering their native cuisines before venturing into foreign territories. This wasn’t the case for Jay Mariadoss, owner/chef of Indian Palate. Then again, Jay isn’t just another chef. Born in a remote area…
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GLENN CHU Dina’s Thoughts A native of Honolulu, Chef Glenn Chu, owner and executive chef of Indigo, found his roots in his grandmother’s kitchen early on. Coming from a Chinese American family, Chef Glenn grew up having the opportunity to watch his grandmother cooking up…
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