cover story

Did I ever tell you about the time I was on the cover of Reader's Digest? I was 22, and I had written a first-person story during my internship at Washingtonian magazine. A very kind editor suggested that I write a short piece about a vacation I told her about, and—in my youthful naivete—I handed in a 2,500-word feature. Fortunately, they liked it, and Reader's Digest picked it up. It ran worldwide and even appeared on the cover of the Asian edition. That story helped kicked off my magazine career; it helped land me my first full-time job at Reader's Digest as a fact-checker and gave me the confidence to move to New York City. I'm in the process of scanning in the piece itself. Will post it soon!

keeping perspective

There's no rosy way to put this—even for me—so I'll just go ahead and say it: This week blows. I'm feeling overwhelmed, run-down, and downright whiny for various reasons. Still, it's hard to take my problems seriously when there are so many things that put them in perspective. Last week I learned that a vivacious woman I interviewed for a story lost her battle to ovarian cancer. When I wrote her husband to express my condolences, he mentioned that he, too, was fatally ill—and he was worried about his two young daughters. The news broke my heart. It made me so grateful to be alive, healthy, and surrounded by the people I love. It sounds hokey, but I am channeling my love and positive energy his way.

my avatar

Erik always says that Monkey is my avatar. It's so true! We both love to eat, sleep, and lay in the sun. And whenever Erik sits on the couch, one of us immediately cuddles near his side. Plus, we kind of look alike, don't you think?

6 things...

...I did this week.

1. Went to two CMJ shows.
2. Worked a few consecutive 11-hour days and developed a splitting, two-day migraine. :(
3. Pretended to cook on-camera.
4. Caught up with Ben, Mara, Ali, and Adam at Amanda's b-day shindig.
5. Got out of bed the same time Erik went to bed two mornings in a row. (It was a rough week for us! I had to do two early-morning TV things and Erik had a huge meeting on Friday. Blech.)
6. Fueled a 10-miler with pork gravy, apple cider, cheese, and chocolate. We stopped at a greenmarket near South Street Seaport. And, yes, it was a bad idea.

exciting stuff

Last night Erik and I went to a party where his friend Theophilus was performing. We used to see his shows at small venues throughout Brooklyn, and now he's on MTV and sponsored by huge companies like Mountain Dew. It's so thrilling to see people's dreams come true right before your eyes, and lately a handful of my friends are making it happen! Take Erik, for instance: On our very first date, he mentioned that he was going to quit his job designing albums at J Records to do this clothing full-time...and now their stuff is in hundreds of stores worldwide. And there are so many other exciting success stories. An old coworker's book is being made into a TV series; another buddy is publishing her novel this year; and a friend's husband scored a development deal for his comedy show. I couldn't be more proud and inspired by my pals! Hooray! [Pic: Erik's clothes. These shirts are from their collaboration with Wu-Tang.]

my mom

After college, my mom got a job working on a cruise/business ship. She visited Europe, Brazil, and Africa (and Disney World!)—all before her 22nd birthday. Then, at age 23, she became engaged to my dad—and moved to New York City for him, despite the fact that she didn't have any family in this strange country and barely spoke the language. She even lived on her own in the old YWCA on 58th street for a few weeks before they got married. Talk about a leap of faith. I like to think I inherited my mom's sense of adventure. I also like to think that I inherited her skin. Beautiful, right?

travel itch

Today I worked 11 straight hours. Boo! Hiss! So on the train ride home, I daydreamed about my past and future adventures. I conjured up images of the sun rising over the Nile river as the felucca's sail billowed above; Lisa and I jumping from a waterfall into a crystal-clear pool in a Thai rainforest; and a million motorcycles whizzing by me on a crowded Taipei street. I also remembered the cool drizzle as I swam next to Costa Rican mountains and the smoky mustiness of the overnight train from Beijing to Inner Mongolia. Running through my memory reel made me realize that traveling is worth every single penny and frustration/panic caused by taking time off of work. Next on my dream list is Vietnam and Cambodia. Then I'd love to go to Barcelona to see the architecture; Greece to soak up the beautiful white-and-blue scenery; India to walk around the Taj Mahal; and Japan to eat delicious food with good friends. Ah, life is so exciting! [Pics: Taipei, Ko Samet, Abu Simbel]

6 things...

...I did this week.

1. Stayed out until 2 a.m. wining, dining, and partying on a work night. Whooaaaa. Who am I?
2. Hiked the beautiful and rocky Giant Ledge trail.
3. Went to a haunted house in an old hay barn. So hilarious!
4. Ate a giant s'more by a campfire. (Warning: When it comes to marshmellows, bigger isn't always better.)
5. Played egg-on-spoon, memory, and other fun games. The girls rallied respectably! (Side note: Those guys are cursed to have such a level-headed group of ladies. They tried to scare us by cutting the power and rattling the doors, but we instantly started looking for flashlights and the fuse box. Haha!)
6. Brunched at Sweet Sue's, the most delicious breakfast place ever. Pancakes the size of frisbees.

the chalet life

A group of us go camping in the Catskills twice a year. We pile into a barebones bunkhouse (read: no heat or electricity), play "beerlympics," and hang out by a smoky campfire. I always come home exhausted, stinky, and happy. This year there was a double-booking snafu, so we wound up staying in the fancy chalet about a mile from the farm grounds. There were beds, bathrooms, a kitchen, television, and—wait for it—LAUNDRY. Still, tradition was upheld: Winter beerlympics was played, including an amazing Irish dancing opening ceremony. (I especially liked Anthony's body wave-slash-Riverdance!) Hot toddies were sipped. A gorgeous trail was hiked. And we stayed warm and toasty despite the cold, rainy weather. Hmm...I may be more of a chalet kind of person than I thought.

gone camping

Come 7 p.m. tonight, I'm off to the Catskills for a weekend of hiking, boozing, campfire dancing, and ghost story telling. I can't wait to see the brilliant firecracker colors of the leaves and eat gooey s'mores. The drive up is equally fun: Let's just say singing "Party in the USA" and shotgunning beers at a random parking lot and/or taking whiskey shots at a local bar are sacred traditions.

instant smile

Today was a bit of a wash (rainy, dreary, busy, grumpy), so I kept looking at this picture on my phone. Isn't it so cuteeee?!?! Erik texted it to me while I was in Oregon. There's something about the idea of him teaching our cat to give little kisses that makes me incredibly happy.

three-two

Holy macaroni. Today is my birthday, which means I've been on this earth exactly 32 years. Whoa! But, as Aaliyah once sang, age ain't nothing but a number. I have to agree; I'm finding that life gets more fun with each passing year. And, so far, my birthday has been happy indeed. I rang it in last night at the top of the very fancy Standard Hotel (even their stairwells are stylish!). Erik and Kenshin are featured in the latest issue of Day Trip magazine, so we headed to the release party and soaked up the beautiful view and fun tunes with friends. Since I have the day off of work today, I've spent the morning doing my absolute favorite things: sleeping in, eating, giggling with Erik, snuggling with my cat, running, and chatting to friends and family on the phone. I'm realizing that all of the old adages are, in fact, true: Material things matter less and less as you age; the most important gift of all is time.

6 things...

...I did this week.

1. Go to Grand Asia Market in Cary, NC, with my adorable parents.
2. Attended a four-course "scent" tasting dinner at Tom Colicchio's new restaurant, Riverpark. Did you know that 95 percent of your taste is based on smell?
3. Received a heavenly massage at Great Jones Spa and ate burgers and profiteroles at DGBG in honor of our birthdays.
4. Hung with MaryBeth and Kelly. I've known those girls since I was 12.
5. Went to yoga twice and ran a total of 23 miles. (Half-marathon, here I come!)
6. Made roasted tomato soup and whole-wheat rolls from scratch.

neighborhood walk

Today Erik and I took a long stroll around our neighborhood. We browsed stores, took pictures, and people-watched. We also snacked on tacos and a scuttlebutt sandwich from Saltie. Delicious! It made me feel so lucky to be alive.

cccaa

When I was 13 or 14, my friends and I formed a club called CCCAA. The name comes from a long, silly story, but membership pretty much included giggling at swim meets and practices. Most of us parted ways at college with lots of fun memories. And as we grew up and found our places in the world, our lives headed in the most separate ways possible. MaryBeth is a mom of two in Cary; Kelly is moving to Texas; Meg is a Phish follower in Colorado; Jenny is a world-ranked Ironman triathlete; and Eva is a corporate lawyer in NC. And I'm here in NYC. But we're still all dear friends and CCCAA members at heart.

top chef

I don't watch much television. But the one show that I follow is Top Chef and, of all the contestants, Fabio (from season five), is my favorite. So I was pretty psyched to meet him at a press event this morning. He radiated charisma and charm, and had all of us editors swooning and starry-eyed at his stories of Grandma in Italy. His delicious eggplant carbonara and sirloin steak with tomato confit was the icing on the cake. It was a fun way to spend my morning. Also, I Googled him when I got to my desk and found out we're the same age. Hellooo?! That blows my mind.

roots

This is the wallpaper in my parents' kitchen. They built that house in 1978, and have not redecorated since. Seriously. There's a rotary telephone in one of the rooms. But that's all part of the charm! In that house, I took my first steps, called my first boyfriend, and packed/unpacked for college, D.C., and NYC. It's where my memories live. I love that place.

family tree

I was in North Carolina visiting my parents over the weekend when I happened upon this amazing photo of my mom when she was young. (She's on the far right.) My grandparents look so dashing, don't they? My poupou (grandmother) was a piano teacher, and my gonggong (grandfather) was some bigwig in the Taiwanese navy. It's pretty boggling to think about what a different world they lived in. I remember my dad once telling me a story about how, during the war, the ship my granddad was on sank, so he swam really far to get to shore. That didn't mesh with the granddad I knew, the tall, funny golfer who would slip out his dentures and wink at me. (Since he didn't speak much English, and I didn't speak much Chinese, that was his way of communicating with me.) Even that young, I could feel how in love they were. My granddad would shake his head and say "nag-ing" when my grandmom fussed at him, with a teasing look in his eye. And she would bat her lashes back. What a lovely memory.