Here is a comprehensive list of every singe blog post I’ve ever written. Happy Reading!
30 Day Challenge: Social Media
Sometime toward the end of February, I suddenly had this idea to go on a social media purge for the month of March. If you know me at all, you know I tend to make impulsive decisions. I am one of those nutty people who say crazy things, and then…
Evening Snapshots of Shanghai
The passing of the 26-year-old photojournalist, Camille Lepage, has been on my mind for the past few days. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her work, and what it must be like uncovering the untold stories in conflict-ridden areas of the world. Her life was unfortunately short-lived, but…
Shanghai Social Run
A relatively new co-worker of mine is really into running, and has been trying to get the office to join in on various runs around town. I’m not a serious runner, but I do enjoy the occasional jog. I used to run a lot more when I lived in places…
China Cameroon Connection in Luoyang
In August 2008, I visited Bafoussam, the provincial city of Cameroon’s West Province for the first time. A volunteer whom I would replace, showed me around this city that is a 30-min bush taxi ride from our village. This is where I could bank, buy essentials, and splurge on good meals. He mentioned that there is a Chinese store, and led me there. That was the first time…
24hr Vacay
Recently, I’ve been getting back into running. I’m not a good runner by any means, but I enjoy the process. I enjoy the meditative nature of zoning out to music and having time totally to myself. Since being introduced to Runnershai, a running group in Shanghai, I’ve been going to…
San Francisco Beauty
This summer, I’m back in the Bay Area again for work. Last year, I was in the area for about a month, yet didn’t spend much time in San Francisco. This year, my sister was visiting over the weekend, and I played tourist with her. San Francisco is a small…
California Surprises
Last year, during my trip to Cali, I discovered my love for mountains. I love the surprises that the mountain tops reveal after a good climb. After being trapped in the concrete jungle of Shanghai for the past few months, I was dying for a good climb. This afternoon, my…
Home Again
Amongst my travels, people seem to be the most impressed by my stint in Cameroon with the Peace Corps. People often asked, “What was it like adjusting to the culture?” Surely, something so different would have been massively difficult. Yet what most people don’t realize is that moving to a…
28 Gratitude
It is with immense gratitude that I welcome another new year of my life. Within merely 36 hours, I traveled 8,237 miles from St. Louis to Shanghai, caught up with friends who have been in my life for over a decade, as well as celebrated this milestone with new friends whom I’ve met over these past two years. In between, flurries of message came in from all corners of the world. I marvel at the connections that I have made, literally across the globe.
At times, the life of a wanderlust can feel awfully lonely, but today, my heart is full and I feel love coming from all corners of this magnificent world. How wonderful it is to travel between my different worlds, and be reminded just how wonderful the human connection is. I don’t know how else to express how thankful I am to the universe, so, in honor of my 28th birthday, I share the 28 things that I am thankful for today, in no particular order:
Posh Corps Shanghai
Today is the last day of October break; what a whirlwind of a week it has been! I put my girls in a taxi to the airport this morning, and am now sitting at a café reflecting, and taking in this blissful week. On their last evening, we experienced a classic…
Ordinary Life
It was a rather ordinary day here in Shanghai. I struggled out of bed at 6am and went to work. It was the 2nd week in a row of beautiful weather, so I took note of the clear Shanghai skyline from my 25th floor office, with floor to ceiling windows….
Vanishing Shanghai
Shanghai has been unseasonably warm this fall. Yesterday was the first of November, yet I was still strolling around the city in a t-shirt and a scarf. Days of rain had subsided, and I went for a stroll with a friend. It was still somewhat overcast, combined with pollution made…
The Trouble of a Busy Life
It’s 9pm, and I am writing from my office. Somehow, and I am not sure how, there are only 12 days left of 2014. After putting in a 12+ hour day at the office, I wanted to stop and reflect, and think about where time has gone. Nearly two months…
Christmas Gratitude
This year is the third holiday season that I’ve spent away from home, marking it the longest consecutive holidays abroad. Truth be told, I was more homesick this year than usual. There is nothing particularly special about what my family does for the holidays, but just being around them provides that air of comfort. The holidays tunes about being home for the season resonated me more this year than ever.
That Time When NYT Published My Words
Earlier this year, NYT printed my words on its website. For an amateur writer like myself, this was a big deal. Sure, my journalists friends are publishing on big name publications all day long like it’s no big deal, but for me, it was rather out of the ordinary. It…