Leena Nguyen

Despite feeling she doesn't have the "model look," 24-year-old Viet-Chinese part-time model Leena Nguyen was among the top ten finalists at the 2007 and 2008 Miss Vietnam USA pageants and at the 2007 Miss Norcal Vietnam pageant. She was also crowned Miss California Asia and "Miss Talent" at the 2007 Miss National Asia Pageant. Achievements she is very humble about.

Leena, whose first passion is singing, was a Viet Idol finalist in 2006 and also made the March 2007 cover of the popular Viet lifestyle magazine, BN. She says she currently works with disabled children and plans on going back to school later to pursue a career in dentistry rather than compete in any more pageants, which she had previously considered doing.

An admitted pool addict, she jokingly told me that she "spent most of her high school and college years shooting at a billiards hall" and is an avid video gamer, making time specifically for them every day. And for those of you wondering if she can cook; she can and desserts are her specialty. "Name 'em, I can probably bake 'em," she says.

Korean Belly Dancer Ahn Yoo-jin

An article I read at another site about Chinese ladies taking up pole dancing, reminded me of another form of dance not rooted in the Far East, that's become popular there.

Belly dancing was introduced in Korea in the mid-90s by Ahn Yoo-jin (now 39) shortly after she had begun studying it in New Zealand. Yoo-jin (also know by her English name of Xena) went on to found Belly Korea Academy in 1995, according to the site. However, I remember first reading about her in this article from the Korea Herald in 2001, in which the dates given don't seem to jive. Anyway, regardless of the dates given, You-jin/Xena has appeared numerous times on Korean network television, is the only Korean belly dancer to hold a license from the Istanbul Total Dance Academy and has taught dance classes at several top universities in Korea.

Kim Tae-hee vs. Soy

Popular Korean actress Kim Tae-hee outdoes singer/not-quite-as-popular actress Soy (Kim So-yeon) in a small face challenge in this TV ad for Corn Silk Tea. (Yes, a small face is considered a standard of beauty to many in Korea.)

Korean Bodybuilder Yu Mi-hee

Former aerobics instructor Yu Mi-hee (34) started bodybuilding 12 years ago when she claimed she weighed 176 pounds and wanted to lose weight, but it wasn't until just last year that she won the Miss Korea Bodybuilding Championship. Although still a small field in Korea, the 5'2½", 112-pound Mi-hee is considered to be one of the top female Korean bodybuilders in her weight class. When in training, she says she works out everyday for 3-4 hours and in case you're wondering; she's stated that she does not take steroids.

Friday the 13th Victim, Vickie

It's Friday the 13th, so to commemorate that, here's another victim from the horror movie franchise that took its name from this unlucky day. Vickie (as it's spelled in the closing credits and played by Lauren-Marie Taylor) finds a pre-hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees laying in wait under the covers in Friday the 13th Part 2. As mentioned previously, Jason didn't don the now iconic goalie mask until part 3 (in 3-D).

Whatever Happened to Kristara Barrington?

I recently commented on an article at another website, that I wondered what happened to Kristara Barrington, who became one of the top Asian ladies in the adult film industry during the videotape explosion of the early-to-mid-80s, which also marked the end of porn's "Golden Age" of 35mm productions.

Also billed as Kim Charoensuk, China Lee, Kimberly Wong, Mai Nguyen and a few other aliases, Kristara (the name she finally settled on and became best known by) was cast in roles that both did and did not, have to do with her ethnicity, which was believed to be at least part Korean. Her real first name may very well be Kimberly, as that and "Kim" were what she was referred to by in the 1985 porn documentary Fallen Angels.

Foxy Singer and Model, Da-ham

I first noticed Da-ham (23) two years ago as half of the Korean singing duo "Foxy" when her and partner Gemma sported World Cup cheer gear and performed in the fan festivities in Korea. A reader reminded me of her when he linked to her Cyworld blog in the comments on the entry on Oahm Da-hye, that I shared with Asian Sirens.

Da-ham (whose real name according to her Cyworld is Choi Eun-shil and according to her Daum bio is Choi Yea-ram) and her singing partner Gemma (Lee Hwa-young, whose Cyworld is here) are known more for their sex appeal than their singing talents. In fact, it was hard to find any photos of either one of them actually singing. In addition to modeling and singing in little more than swimwear, Da-ham also adds some spice to a Korean TV comedy show called Real Gag.