Big Tiny Intern Update

Her hair is shorter but Rowena Li is still unusually tall for a Chinese woman. My 5'9" former intern is back at Northwestern University's...

PHOTOS: Reporting Live While I Drive

Driving while talking on my phone via Bluetooth is something I do all the time. But driving while reporting live on TV is something I hadn't...

Big Tiny Goal: The Chinatown 5B

The end of the year and my final blog of 2011 has me thinking about goals. I already workout and try to eat healthy so I don't make...

PHOTOS: B96 Jingle Bash 2011

Racing from a cheerleading competition to the B96 Jingle Bash with a teenager changing her clothes in the car is nothing I ever envisioned...

Jordan's New Helper Arm

Bye Bye Blackberry

Just when I finally came to terms and got comfortable with using my company-issued Blackberry, we're all...

PHOTOS: Holiday Party Blitz

One weekend, four parties. 'Tis the season to be jolly and run into my friend named Holly!

My Awesome Big Brother

Everyone should have a big brother like mine. Hanson is four years older and he's always looked out for me. Nowadays, he looks out for me...

Surprise Awards and Rewards

There aren't many weeks I am not scheduled to emcee or attend some kind of event outside of work. Last...

PHOTOS: Celebrity Scrabble for the Literacy Volunteers of IL

While competing in a school spelling bee back in first grade, I misspelled "CONVENIENT" by throwing in an extra "I". I have never...

In With Keratin

PHOTOS: Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards

Entering and attending the Emmy Awards is expensive. I haven't entered much of anything in years because of that. Also because I've...

PHOTOS: Happy Birthday, Billy Dec!

It's hard to keep up with Chicago restaurant and nightclub owner Billy Dec. Every time I see him, I'm amazed by his accomplishments and...

Way Off Broadway: The Oil Lamp Theater

The Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago is nowhere near the bright lights of Broadway. But twice a week, in a...

PHOTOS: Chinatown's Miss Friendship Ambassador Pageant

At no time during my journalism school education did anyone mention emceeing beauty pageants. But Chinatown's Miss Friendship Ambassador...

Cool Websites and Apps

PHOTOS: A Centennial Homecoming

Despite being a proud graduate of the University of Oregon, I have never returned for homecoming in Eugene. But I've been to several...

Nancy Loo Is Not My Name

<< That's me in Hong Kong when I was known as Mei-ling. In Chinese, my family surname is pronounced...

PHOTOS: Instagramming The News

Since technology is changing the way all of you consume news, I'm always exploring ways to deliver the news via new technology. Of course,...

Cool Websites and Apps

The new Apple iPhone 4S has kooky people like me ready to upgrade. But I'm behind in working to unload my old phones and other hardware. The...

PHOTOS: Team WGN at the JDRF Walk

The weather was perfect for this year's Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes. However, it was bittersweet to think this was the first walk since...

What Didn't Make The Newscast

Often, while out and about covering stories in Chicago, I meet fascinating people and see interesting places...

Reinventing Media Careers

As the only girl on the "Reinventing Media Careers" panel which...

Rolling Along With the New Facebook

Maybe because it's fall and the leaves are changing.  Maybe because I know how things are constantly...

Cool Websites and Apps

Social Media Week Chicago

Social Media Week kicked off today in twelve cities around the world and I am...

PHOTOS: Blackhawks Day at WGN!

To kick off the new Blackhawks season on WGN, we had a number of players, coaches and team executives at the station today. Perhaps you saw...

No Cool Websites and Apps

My typically busy week has been busier and atypical since I've been filling in on WGN Morning News at 4 a.m....

Big Tiny Print

The September issue of Today's Chicago Woman is now available at newsstands all over town.  I...

PHOTOS: Downtown Dash Chicago

Running around town to cover stories under deadline is a lot easier for me than running around for a scavenger hunt. The Downtown Dash is...

Cool Websites and Apps

Anupy's Life After Television

PHOTOS: The Betty Loren Maltese Garage Sale!

Despite her corruption conviction, incarceration and other challenges over the past decade, former Cicero Town President Betty Loren Maltese...

Cool Websites and Apps

It's already Web Wednesday again?  Are the days going by faster or did I make too much work for...

PHOTOS: Sam's Baby Shower Bounty

The youngest of my two kids just started high school last week. It's obviously been a long time since I cared for a baby. But at my...

PHOTOS: WGN Employee Appreciation Day

Pretty cool, 'eh? We have an "Employee Appreciation Day" at WGN at least once a year, complete with free food and fun for employees on...

Cool Websites and Apps

Since I listed all apps for this blog feature last week, I've got all website picks for this week.  And...

PHOTOS: Shopping Finds & Funky Foods in Kunming

Bugs and critters on a plate are not too appealing to Americans but they are like peanuts or calamari in many areas of China. Since the...

PHOTOS: China's Dragon Gate & Ethnic Villages

Because it borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam, Yunnan Province is the most ethnically diverse region in all of China. There are dozens of...

PHOTOS: The Stone Forest of Yunnan

The top tourist attraction in all of Yunnan Province is a massive collection of rock formations about 75 miles outside of Kunming. The...

PHOTOS: We All Speak Television

Our journalism teaching sessions wrapped up today with a tour of the Yunnan TV studios. It made me realize again that no matter what...

Cool Websites and Apps (Travel Edition)

Web Wednesday arrived early since I'm in China.  And because I'm away, this week's "Cool Websites and Apps" picks are all travel...

PHOTOS: Adventures in Kunming

It's the rainy season in Kunming (another reason for the Seattle comparison) and traffic here stinks because the subway system is still...

A Long Journey & China's Social Media Sieve

An exciting part of traveling abroad is getting your passport stamped.  After a 20 hour journey to get to Kunming, I feel like I really...

Destination: Kunming, China

It's referred to as the "Seattle of China".  But even if I started out over in Seattle, getting to the city of Kunming would take an...

Cool Websites and Apps

PHOTOS: Behind the WGN Anchor Desk

There is so much you don't see on TV during a newscast. Since I'm filling in this week as co-anchor of WGN Midday News, I thought I'd share...

A Zombie Shift Break

As much as I love WGN Morning News, the shift is brutal.  Going on the air at 4 a.m. means getting up...

A Guest Post By Rowena Li

(<--- proof of our height difference. I'm not actually that

Goodbye, B.T.I. (Big Tiny Intern)

Time has flown since I welcomed Rowena Li to WGN-TV for her summer internship. ...

Cool Websites and Apps

Not to say I didn't have to do any work for this week's blog, but somehow all of the websites and apps...

We All Work For Weather

For those of us in the news biz in Chicago, it seems like we've spent about 90% of the summer covering storms and weather-related problems.&...

PHOTOS: TCW Magazine Shoot

Photo sessions always remind me of how much time and effort can go into capturing a single image of a particular moment in time. Even...

Cool Websites and Apps

It's time for more cool websites and apps! This week's selections will help you save some money, cook up...

PHOTOS: A Weekend in Cleveland. Yes, Cleveland.

Few people would consider Cleveland a vacation destination. I passed through and barely stopped with my family when we moved from New...

Cool Websites and Apps

The app of all apps would be one that turns your phone into a fan. These dog days of summer would be so...

Cirque Shanghai Extreme at Navy Pier

There's something about contortionists.  They always look so happy when they're performing.  It'...

Cool Websites and Apps

If this blog was solely for people like me, it would probably have only apps and websites relating to food...

PHOTOS: The Wedding Emcee

Throughout my career in television, I've emceed a lot of events outside of work. I have no idea how many gala benefits, fundraisers and...

PHOTOS: I'm a Chinatown 5K Winner!

I won in the Chinatown 5K this morning. No, not in the race. I won a prize in the post-race raffle - a $20. gift certificate for B.B.Q....

PHOTOS: Intern Torture Time!

For those of you just joining us, my summer intern is a coulrophobic. Northwestern senior Rowena Li has quite a fear of clowns. I find...

My Week in the Chevy Volt

On my first day commuting to work in the Chevy Volt electric car, I felt...

A Google+ Post On Other Google+ Posts

I've spent the past few days getting to know Google+, the new social media platform that has geeks all...

PICTURES: A Jolt of the Chevy Volt

The 2011 Chevy Volt electric car doesn't go on sale in Illinois until the end of this year. But the company just dropped one off at my...

Cool Websites and Apps

Finding interesting websites and apps to feature every week isn't too tough.  There are cool things...

A Not So Big Tiny Intern

My summer intern is not only much taller than me at 5'9", she is also coulrophobic.  That's a fear of...

The WGN Parking Lot War

My WGN nemesis has spiky hair and a desk right next to mine in the newsroom.  Marcus Leshock is...

Cool Websites and Apps

I've spent the last week getting to know a new favorite app on my phone.  I suppose I'm secretly...

PICTURES: Taste of Randolph Street

There are a lot of Chicagoans who feel the Taste of Chicago has lost its appeal. Perhaps it's because the appeal moved west to the Taste of...

PHOTOS: Squishing is Trending

Have you heard about "squishing"? It's a fun and creative way people are sharing pictures through social media streams like Instagram. A...

WATCH: Staycation Vacation to the Station

Journalists are never really on vacation.  Phones keep ringing and emails keep flying in.  I had...

Cool Websites and Apps

I am on a "staycation" this week so I am off the air.  But I am never off the internet.  Many of...

You Must Remember This: A Visit With My Mother-in-law

My 83-year-old mother-in-law lives in an Iowa nursing home and has a pretty advanced case of Alzheimer's.  The last time I saw Sally at...

The Live Truck is a People Magnet

Working in the WGN live truck is always an adventure. ...

Cool Websites and Apps

Another week has whizzed by.  But as always, I ran across or heard about more cool stuff via my computers and smartphones. ...

PICTURES: The Blagojevich Trial Court Drill

Covering a major court case like the federal corruption trial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich requires a lot of planning and...

PICTURES: A Tweet Baby Shower For Sarah Evans

Sarah Evans is a pretty common name in North America. But if you Google it, Chicago's Sarah Evans is always among the top search results....

Look, We're Not The Same Person

Why do some people find it so hard to remember who's who among the Asian women they know?  Those of...

It's Web Wednesday and My 1st Anniversary at WGN

It was on this date exactly a year ago that I started working here at WGN.  Most reporters and...

The Easiest, Tastiest Casserole Recipe Ever!

Much like any other workplace, there is usually some downtime in newsrooms when people might chat about...

A Ninja Turtle Home

My hope for rain during the broadcast of my first TV special didn't turn out too well on two fronts. ...

Rain, Rain, Come Our Way

For selfish reasons, I'm somewhat happy to see rain in the Chicago forecast for tomorrow.  My WGN special program, "Big Tiny World:&...

Cool Websites and Apps

Years ago, when I worked at another station in town, I used to do a daily segment on the morning news called "Cool Websites".  The...

Reporting From High Crime Areas

As one of the reporters for WGN Morning News, it's not uncommon to be assigned a story in a dangerous...

Are The Bosses Reading This?

I've always blogged about what I've felt like blogging about and whenever I've felt like blogging.  Now...

The Start of Big Tiny World... Again

Anyone who has ever moved anywhere knows what a pain moving can be.  Moving a blog is equally as...