• my new york story
    Ramblings

    My New York Story

    11/14/2017 - By 

    It’s my first time living in New York City. I’ve always seen it in the movies, watched its glistening greatness from a distance. In the movies, everyone starts out small—they have a big dream and maybe two pairs of shoes to their name. They wander into the vast city, a nobody. But then 60 minutes into the film, they’ve stumbled into the right person at the right time. They’ve fallen in love and then their closet is totally revamped. They’ve made it. Then the happy indie song plays as the credits roll and we’re sure that one day we will…

  • woman in blue denim jacket standing on top of building
    Ramblings

    Maybe Love is in New York City.

    09/28/2017 - By 

    In Japan, there was this sweet Korean girl that I worked with. One day, she came to the office wearing a black t-shirt that said, “maybe love is in New York City.” I asked her if she had been to New York before and she said, no. But ever since she was little, the Frank Sinatra tune had her fantasizing about this life in the concrete jungle. And now I am moving to New York City and that has me thinking, maybe love is in New York City. This sort of romanticism for the city might trigger some eye rolls.…

  • happy valentines day
    Ramblings

    A Note on Love

    02/14/2017 - By 

    In 2015, I stayed single for nearly 365 days. In 2016, I somehow quickly forgot everything that I taught myself in that romance free year. Maybe some of you are in happy relationships, but can still relate to this—some relationships are so powerful that they can throw even the strongest of people off-balance. In my case, I found myself dissatisfied, wanting more, doubting, and thinking, thinking, thinking. I found myself feeling lonely in love. The end of 2016 was a bit stormy as my relationship practically fell of a cliff. It broke my heart and I carried that ache around…

  • thanksgiving toast
    Ramblings

    A Thanksgiving Toast.

    11/24/2016 - By 

    It’s Thanksgiving and I must say, I’m grateful for lots of things this year. I’m grateful that the only thing on the agenda today is to eat. And then to reheat the same food again 3 hours later and do it all over again. I’m grateful for Snapchat filters. Shout out to the puppy and flower crown filters for letting me pretend that my skin is always flawless. I’m grateful that dark roots are still in style. I haven’t colored my hair in months— both my wallet and I are pretty happy campers about that. I’m grateful for these holiday…

  • Ramblings

    We are Orlando.

    06/13/2016 - By 

    As I sit here in my home—nestled in the neighborhood I’ve called home for 20 years— I am overcome by waves of shock, confusion, sadness and anger. In just 48 hours, two senseless acts of violence struck my hometown of Orlando, Florida. Within four miles of my old high school, in the heart of the city that has helped mold me, many innocent lives were tragically and unjustly lost. On Saturday afternoon, I learned about the death of singer Christina Grimmie—The Voice Season 6 contestant—who was gunned down while signing autographs after her Friday night concert in Orlando. A deranged…