borderline insanity

New Yorkers are an inherently crazy bunch. We tout our jam-packed schedules as a sort of badge of honor. After all, if you're busy, you must be in high demand--and that means you're popular and powerful, right? I must confess that I'm no different. Take last year, for instance: I was juggling my job (well, thanks to layoffs, technically two jobs) with training for a triathlon, fundraising for a charity, and co-writing a book. Oh, also moving in with Erik and taking my aging dad to Taiwan for his high school reunion. I didn't exactly handle it with grace. There were a few meltdowns, namely one in a Taipei hotel when I couldn't log on to e-mail an assignment. I've been pretty busy lately, but my new goal is to care less about what I should be doing and focus more on what I am doing. First step: Relaxing in Montauk next week.

cultural appreciation

Last night, Erik and I went to our lovely new neighbors' housewarming party. She's from Mexico and he's from Colombia, so, by the end of the night, their guests cleared out a space in the living room to salsa. It made me really appreciate being surrounded by different cultures, which is ironic because I hated being Chinese when I was young. Being called out for your dried squid sandwich and having to translate your mom's broken English at K-Mart? Soooo embarrassing. Why did my family have to be different? As I matured, of course, I came to realize how lucky I am to have parents that sacrificed so much to come to the United States. And I'm grateful that I can speak Mandarian and cook jia chang dou fu. Erik, on the other hand, is Cuban and Colombian, which is where he gets his unchecked enthusiasm and passion. And that's a big reason why I love him so much.

short cuts

These days, I'm recognizing that it's easy to be curt, mean, or grumpy when you're feeling hectic and overwhelmed. That's the path of least resistance. But I'm trying my best to rise above that natural tendency to stay positive and upbeat. After all, I have so many things to be thankful for: the best family, friends, and boyfriend; happy home; and so much more. One thing that helps me keep perspective? Twitter. Don't laugh! My brother clued me in that the Dalai Lama actually tweets. So every morning I wake up to his serene face and wise creeds. Today's quote: "The most compassionate form of giving is done with no thought or expectation of reward, and grounded in genuine concern for others."
P.S. Pic of my older brother in Coney Island. He's awesome. Look at him!

Beijing to Brooklyn

When I was 19, I made a rash decision. Since I didn't love my freshman year of college, I decided to spend my next semester as far away as possible--quite literally. That's how I ended up living in Beijing, China for six months. Now this was before the free market gates truly opened (not to date myself), so it was lightyears away from the North Carolina suburbs. It was thrilling to wait in line at the Communist-run commissary (kind of), elbow old tai tais to get on the bus, and soak up the hustle, bustle, and smog of Beijing. That semester really opened my eyes to a world beyond the neighborhoods I knew, and, for the first time, I realized that I really could do something exciting with my life. I also made some lifelong friends, like my buddy Chris here. Now he lives in Tokyo with his wife, Saki, and I had so much fun catching up with him last night. My favorite memory? Dragging a still-very drunk Chris and Matt to catch a 20-hour train to Guilin, China, then stepping off that smelly car and facing the breathtaking karst mountain range that I thought only existed in Chinese watercolor paintings. It still gives me goosebumps.

different point of view

I guess I don't really examine my reflection much on a regular basis, because every time I watch a clip of myself I'm surprised by my appearance. How did I get so tan? When did I grow out my bangs? Most importantly, why can't I get my face to look like that when I apply my own makeup? Maybe it's time I invested in a full-length mirror.

yummmm.

I'm feeling rather smug right now. Tonight I whipped up a fantastic dinner with my CSA bounty: Pan-seared salmon with dill sauce, green salad, sweet yellow corn, and a peach cobbler for dessert. (I added blueberries on top for a burst of color.) See? Delicious dinners can be healthy! By the way, I've totally been prepping, cooking, and baking to avoid what I really need to be doing: work. Sigh. Well, at least my procrastination techniques are tasty...

monkey cat

The weekend is finally here and the only being more excited than myself is a grey nugget of a cat named Mimi. I can tell because she keeps nudging her head into my computer and making noises. (She squeaks and squeals instead of meowing, which is why Erik nicknamed her Monkey.) She's soft and chubby, and there's nothing I love more than cuddling up with her and and my handsome boyfriend on our couch. Every night, no matter how busy we are, our little family snuggles for at least 30 minutes before we break to design, write, or pace back and forth. It's absolutely heavenly.

a little insanity

Oh my. This week has been, as Rachel Zoe would say, bananas. Erik has been caught up in a trade show here in New York (and all of the parties and politicking that goes along with it). Meanwhile, I've been knee-deep in deadlines and other assignments. Take yesterday: I got up at 6 a.m. to study for a TV segment, filmed at 9, went to an event at 10, ran to another meeting at 2, and then prepped and went on another segment at 5. Then I finally got down to work at 6, and met an out-of-town friend at 9. Phew! Plus, last weekend (or lack thereof) is really catching up to me. Tomorrow can't come soon enough!
P.S. The pic is of me in Kauai. Wish I was there!

random evenings

Last night, I was running on empty so my plan was to hop a subway home and call it a night. But it was so nice out that I decided to walk. When I reached Union Square, I got distracted by the strains of a wailing sitar. My pied piper must have also been a famous Indian musician; there were gorgeous chalk drawings and dancers in costumes surrounding him. Then Erik called, and we met up at a fashion party/concert in Williamsburg. The headliner was Kid Cudi, a rapper who I like even more now because he's super charming and funny on stage. Also, some random guy on a bike rode by and grabbed my crotch and then I screamed at another guy on a bike who chose that inopportune time to try to hit on me. But that's another story...

aloha dreams

This is my lovely friend Tricia, whose life I seriously covet. She lives in Honolulu, Hawaii with her sweet surfer boyfriend, Bill, and their bunny, Bunker. I had dinner with them yesterday and they just radiated a calm happiness that is almost impossible to find in New York. Isn't she beautiful?

windy city

This weekend I went to Chicago to give a speech at a conference. It was hectic and exciting. I only had a little bit of downtime, and I spent it roaming around the city and soaking in the architecture and green parks. One morning I decided to go running on the path that wraps around Lake Michigan. With the sunrise and skyline in the background, it was absolutely gorgeous. (Unfortunately my ankle gave out and I totally ate pavement in front of crew of teenage boys, instantly conjuring a flashback of my embarrassing middle school days.) Before I caught my flight on Sunday, I met up with my old Alphabet City roommate Lisa and we spent the afternoon lounging at her friend's pool. Now that I'm back in steamy NYC, I'm having serious metropolitan city envy!

mullet ballerina

So I'm sitting at my desk typing away yesterday when my phone bings. I open the text message from my brother...and see this photo. Turns out he's in Raleigh, going through old albums, and came across this gem. OMG, my haircut! My dad refused to pay a barber so he styled my hair in the way he knew best: 1960's Chinese style. (Hello, Red Guard!) To make matters even worse, scissors scared me so I would wiggle around in the chair, resulting in this scarecrow-like effect. I can't stop laughing. Tim also sent me another one titled "your emo afro stage" but I can't bring myself to post that monstrosity online. Let's just say I look a cross between Gary Coleman and Melissa Etheridge—as an Asian third-grader.

neighborhood festivities

Riding my bike through my Brooklyn neighborhood, Williamsburg, is like taking a short jaunt across the world. To the north is a Polish section, followed by Italian, Puerto Rican, and Hasidic blocks. Peppered throughout are plenty of yuppies with baby strollers and hipsters in Ray-Bans and skinny jeans. I live in the Italian section, which I love, because that means there's lots of delicious sausages, gelato, and crusty bread available. Also there are cute old ladies in housedresses that chill in folding chairs on the sidewalk, along with their grumpy white-haired men with walkers. Every summer the Italian church throws a street fair. The air fills with the scent of fried food and throngs of people clog the streets, clutching neon pina colada containers. That part I could do without, but the statue is pretty cool. To close the festival, a group of guys carry this 20-foot high statue through the streets—a tradition that dates back to 1887.

home alone

Erik's in Germany on business, so I've been all by my lonesome this week. It's been nice wandering around the city on my own. I've been catching up with friends I haven't seen in a while and doing lots of girlie things, like getting my nails done, baking bread, and watching Nancy Myers movies. Yesterday I ventured in the city to get a facial and go to yoga, and today I'm headed to the pool (albeit the free one in Bed Stuy) and maybe catching an indie rock concert in Williamsburg. I feel like a Real Housewife, only poorer and more Brooklyn.

back in the day

How hilarious is this photo? This was taken when we spent a few months with my grandparents in Taipei, Taiwan. My memories of that summer are patchy, like a photo montage in a movie. I remember hiding behind my brother during his Chinese language class (learning bo po mo fo's), watching an IV drip into my arm when I got overheated, and being disappointed at the very plain hamburgers at "Burger Queen" (no ketchup or pickles!). And how elegant does my mom look? I love digging into the past and catching glimpses of people's former lives...It's funny to think that my K-Mart-loving mom was so stylish. And that I used to be the biggest tomboy clad in my brother's hand-me-downs. Well, okay, so I'm still a little rough and tumble, but I've since traded in the sweatbands for pretty headbands.

old friends

Today my buddy Tim was in town from Florida, so a group of us gathered for beers at a bar in Times Square. It was so good to see him; even though we don't chat on a regular basis, we didn't miss a beat. We immediately fell back into our same cadence of jokes and laughs and inside looks shot across the table. It's funny, most of the time I consider my NYC friends my "new" group of pals, since I've known them for less time than, say, my swim or college friends. But, as we were swapping stories and jokes, it reminded me that we've all known each other for at least five years and have shared many funny/crazy experiences. (Camping trips, kickball games, and rooftop parties come to mind...) In this city, we're all so hectic that we see each other once a week (at very most!) or even every few months. But I realized tonight that doesn't mean that the bonds we form aren't any less strong.

100 degrees

That's how hot it is in NYC these days. You can almost see the humidity in the air. It feels like a steam room only, except for that refreshing eucalyptus, there's a stench of trash and urine. Everyone on the subway is grumpy and covered in beads of sweat. I'm hoping that a huge thunderstorm rolls through and breaks the heat.

P.S. My feet make me laugh. They remind me like baked buns shaped into feet, with a little butter glaze on top.

today

Well, actually, yesterday I was on the Today Show! I talked about a food article that I edited in the magazine. Although I've done a handful of appearances before, this was my national debut. It was pretty cool to meet Kathy Lee and Hoda, and catch a glimpse of Ann Curry in the halls. Best of all, my parents in North Carolina actually got to see. Now they believe I have a job! (They're super old school and think the world is only run by doctors, engineers, and computer scientists. Writing and editing? That's a hobby, not a career.)

i love...

fresh corn on the grill. eaten with real butter.

when my cat does a full-body stretch, down to each pad on her little white paw.

sharing a pint of gelato with two spoons.

watching my boyfriend lip-synch and dance to 90s r&b.

laughing until my cheeks hurt (at said boyfriend).

a warm breeze on my brooklyn patio.

today was a good day.

a steady climb

I'm lucky enough to have a fun group of girlfriends who are always up for adventure. So when my friend Amanda found a sweet deal for a local climbing gym , a group of us jumped at the chance. The place itself is a huge warehouse filled with climbing walls of varying sizes and difficulty (one looks like the Brooklyn Bridge!). After a fun belay class, we channeled our inner Spidermen and started clambering. Two words: So. Fun. I loved how climbing worked every muscle in my body, and gave me a serious adrenaline rush. Plus, the place was crawling with dreamy, outdoorsy boys. Jack pot!