Meet Jenny, from the blog “Visitor’s Day at the Institute”, who is our top commenter for the month of September.

Just like last month’s top commenter Ben the Single Guy, I want to thank Jenny for being the top commenter by interviewing her and introducing her site to the rest of you dear readers. When I asked her for a profile pic, she sent a picture of these cups of coffee, which “represents her perfectly”.  So you can tell already, she is a caffeine addict with a quirky sense of humor. 🙂

As it turns out, Jenny is (like me AND Ben) a Chinese from Hawaii. Jenny actually knew Ben from the University of Hawaii Journalism School! (It’s a small world, after all! Makes me wonder, how many more readers out there have a Hawaii connection?) She’s been a long-time commenter, and occasional blogger.  Her Seattle-based blog is an interesting mix of the thoughts and eats that are running through her life, peppered with her brand of humor.

Let’s enter the Institute to meet Jenny!

HA: What school you went?

J: Kaimuki High School, class of ’84. Go Bulldogs! (Oh, wait, I just gave
away my age). I also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from
the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where I was editor-in-chief of the
student newspaper, Ka Leo o Hawaii, for two years.  During evenings and
weekends, I worked as a copy editor and reporter at The Honolulu
Advertiser, a daily newspaper, which was heaven for a journalism
student.  There was so much to learn and I loved it!

HA: What keeps you busy these days?

J: There’s so much going on all the time. I’m happily married with two
healthy kids, so family activities keeps me hopping. I also work in
media relations for a local public affairs firm. Like a lot of people, I
have to be the Energizer Bunny from morning to night, but I try to find
time to do some of the other things I enjoy, such as community
volunteering, reading, working out at the Y, and following awesome blogs
like yours!

HA: Tell us what your blog is about?

J: It’s a hodge-podge of topics that go all over the place, which is how my
mind works, too. Food, movies, current events, rants/raves, you name it.
Sometimes the posts are little sarcastic and goofy, and that’s how I am,
too! I went through a period in which I was overwhelmed with day-to-day
life and didn’t make time to blog, but now I’m slowly getting back into
it and realizing that I really missed it!

HA: What brought you to Washington?

J: After college I went to work for an airline (Can you say flight
benefits?) and they sent me to the Seattle base.  I knew nothing about
the Pacific Northwest, but it ended up being the perfect place for me. I
don’t do well with extreme weather, hot or cold, so the Pacific
Northwest’s mild climate is ideal. The people are friendly and the
cost-of-living is reasonable. There’s a good diversity in cultures and
ideas. I also love all the trees and seasons. I’ve traveled quite a bit
all over the place, but every time I’m on a return flight and see all
the mountains and greenery outside my window, that’s when I know I’m
home. It’s a great feeling.

HA: What’s your favorite place in Seattle for Hawaiian food?

J: We are so lucky to have a lot of Hawai’i ex-pats living in the area! I
like Bobby’s Hawaiian Restaurant and have enjoyed the Kona Kitchen. But
to be honest, I get my fix at a lot of Asian eateries in Seattle —
chicken katsu and sushi at Japanese restaurants; kalbi at Korean
restaurants; ramen at ramen shops; and dim sum and noodles at Chinese
restaurants. I’m also quite addicted to pho, and you can’t throw a stone
here without hitting a pho restaurant!  I appreciate having a large
diversity of restaurants in this region, which partially comes from
Seattle being the gateway to Asia for much of the mainland U.S.

HA: Thanks, Jenny, for being a good sport and sharing a little of yourself!

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