Celebrity Spotlight -Blong Lee

Favorite advice I give: The best advice I ever received: be forgiving. I would not be who I am nor where I am if not for others having forgiven me…sometimes, several times over.

Interesting experience: A vibrating bed in one of the hotels my cousin and I stayed at during our trip to a Hmong New Year in Madison, WI. It was my first culture shock. I was asleep and my cousin turned it on. I woke up thinking it was an earthquake. I’m sure it was a culture shock for him, too, for he didn’t know how he got it turned on and couldn’t turn it off either.

Favorite restaurant, dish, or pig-out food: I don’t have a favorite restaurant or dish but my pig-out food was the Tommy Burger in Los Angeles. When I was at USC, my room-mates and I go to Tommy’s after every home-football or major basketball game and just pig-out. Now I remember where that extra 20 pounds came from.

Proudest moment: The birth of my son. I have a daughter, too, but my son was the first-born and he brought light into my life. That event not only transformed me from the carefree rock-n-roll & sports loving buffoon into a responsible father and citizen. I still listen to classic rock and watch sports but I think my priorities are in order now.

Greatest personal accomplishment: I haven’t done it yet. However, if we’re talking about the past, it’s graduating from high school. As a teenager, I played so much and studied so little that my aunt, uncle and relatives thought I would fail to graduate or just get married young. That event triggered my trek into college where my real journey began.

Best vacation I’ve taken: My trip to Fresno as a junior high student. I was living in St. Paul and came by van with a bunch of friends. For them, it was for the Fresno Hmong New Year. For me it was to visit my mom. We took different scenic routes coming and going and saw the Rocky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Calico Ghost Town, Las Vegas, Yosemite, and Mount Rushmore. We did all this in a span of a week and a half.

Favorite weekend activity: Fall/Winter: Watching college football. Spring/Summer: Family gatherings at the parks.

Last good movie I saw: King Kong. It is not thought provoking compared to my all time favorites but it is the latest visually entertaining one I saw.

Scariest experience: Escaping the communist. We were on the run for weeks in the jungles of Laos during the monsoon. We had little money, no food and were freezing cold. Most of us walked for weeks in the mud without shoes. I was 5 years old and recall being so scared but so tired that as soon as I leaned on a tree I fell asleep standing up.

If I had a million dollars I would… Donate what I would be paying in taxes to EOC, start a business that can be franchised to employ refugees and the low-income.

Favorite place to shop: Online.

Favorite childhood memory: Nong Khai Refugee Camp in Thailand. I saw my first movie there. The UN arranged for “walk-in” (we had no cars) movie showings on weekends at the soccer fields. I was not allowed to go but my cousins and I snuck out practically every weekend for the three years we were in the camp. I hope my aunts and uncles are not reading this.

I admire… The founding fathers who drafted the Constitution. It’s what makes America the greatest country on earth.

3 words that describe me best: humble, thoughtful & helpful.

I like to watch: USC Football. Go Trojans!!

Favorite music or artist: Billy Joel & U2

In my spare time… I play video games with my son and talk with my daughter.

If I’ve learned one thing in life it is… “Though friends and relatives flatter you, keep both feet on the ground.” It’s from a recent fortune cookie. The recommended lottery numbers didn’t work out though.