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.

6 things...

...I did this week.

1. Made a dee-diddly-icious soup from scratch.
2. Ran 9 miles (!!) with Amanda and Sarah in Prospect Park.
3. Experimented with my new camera. (I did it! I actually bought it...and I NEVER buy things. Ask Erik: I loathe shopping.)
4. Had lunch with an Iron Chef.
5. Hung out with Meg and Mehdy, who were both in town. I've known those guys since I was 12.
6. Taught a nutrition class in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

16 again

I was 16 when I went to my first big concert: Pavement at the Ritz. I remember shouting the lyrics at the top of my lungs with my friends Meg and Eva. That's why it was so awesome to see Pavement last night in NYC. Meg flew in for the weekend from Colorado, and we headed to Central Park to see them play. Surprisingly, I remembered most of the songs! Afterwards, we went to our friend Mehdy's b-day party in the East Village. North Carolina reunion!

hug your dad

A dear friend of mine's father had a heart attack this week. My heart goes out to her. I know how hard it is to watch your dad—the epitome of strength—be treated like a brittle autumn leaf. It's scary to see this once-powerful man depend on machines and tubes to take a breath; it shakes the foundation of everything you know and believe in. Although my father was by no means perfect, he always put us kids first. And his favorite phrase is "if you happy, I happy." I love him for that. For the past decade, he's battled a string of heart attacks, strokes, and brain clots. There have been dark times when I've said a teary good-bye to an unresponsive body in a hospital bed. But he's always pulled through, and I've had the blessing of being able to truly appreciate someone I thought I had lost forever and say all the things I wish I had said. I hope, with all of my being, that my friend gets the same chance.

the high road

Something silly happened recently that had me questioning my faith in people. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I couldn't let that happen. How can you live your life with an open heart and kindness without trusting those around you? Everyone has a reason for doing what they do. My lesson: You can feel disappointed and lower your expectations accordingly, but it's important to realize that their actions really have less to do with you than their own personal motives. Then—and this is the hard part—move on. Dwelling on it will just harden your heart. I have to confess that there are times where I make hasty judgments about people, too, and this post is a reminder to myself to try to rise above that. On an unrelated and non-contemplative note, Erik and I went to an awesome Japanese restaurant on Friday. We sat in a little booth separated by a bamboo curtain, ate chicken wings, and laughed until our cheeks hurt. No matter what happens, I feel lucky to be so in love! [Photo credit: Amanda.]