So, change of plans. I’m writing this from the Rome airport, where I will soon board two flights that will land me home in Los Angeles in approximately 21 hours. I had hoped that I didn’t need to write about this because I honestly hoped that things will get well enough that there would be no need to. But that is not the case. So now I’m not sure how to write about it, so I’m just going to cut…
Life, purpose, and a new future
I can always tell when I’m going into a slump. I’ll stop reading books, my emails will go ignored, maybe even my hair will go unwashed. Instead, I’ll spend a little more time playing games, too many hours watching mindless shows, and days thinking about writing instead of writing. Lately, I’ve been in a slump. And hence the lack of regular posts. I have so, so many things I want to share, but instead of the beautiful fluid sentences in…
Breakfast around the world, Vol. 1
I have a confession: I’ve never been a huge fan of breakfast. Breakfast is usually cereal hastily gulped down before rushing to school, toast being nibbled at a work desk while reading emails, or in most cases, just a cup of tea slowly getting cold as the demands of the day take priority. But on weekends, breakfast is an activity to be enjoyed slowly. And then breakfast becomes a spread of my mom’s homecooked traditional Chinese items, a leisurely brunch with…
Grandma’s kitchen: a taste of my childhood
Through numerous foodie adventures over the past year and change, I’ve fallen in love with many new foods. My mouth waters at the thought of salty garlicky bun cha in Hanoi and spicy succulent khao kha moo in Thailand and soft pungent French cheeses. And of course, who can forget my ultimate profession of love to the pierogis of Poland? But even with all the newly discovered favorites, when it comes to comfort food, there is still nothing, nothing, that…
The Great Wall Simatai Section in photos
One negative side effect of constant travel is that after a while, you become more numb. Things don’t appear as glittery or exciting as when you first start out. White sands and turquoise waters aren’t exactly a novelty anymore, nor are ancient churches and dazzling skyscrapers. Perhaps it sounds haughty of me to say that it’s hard to be truly surprised anymore. Believe me, I treasure every single place I visit, but it is true: there are few things that…
June 2015 travel re-cap: goodbye Asia and hello Europe!
Well, I didn’t intend to take a mini blogging break, but I guess I got swept up in the romance of summer in Europe. Instead of words and editing photos, my thoughts are of ice cream cones and cobbestone streets and outdoor cafes. I’m finding it hard to focus on blogging tasks when the weather is so beautiful and the town looks like a fairytale and there’s so much ice cream to be had. Whereas Asia made me want to stay indoors…
Chinese hotpot: a spicy good time
Hotpot (火锅) is a favorite among the Chinese. It’s so ubiquitous in China that it can be found just about everywhere – from the very north in Mongolia (where it’s believed to have originated) all the way to the humid south. Each region does it a little differently: Beijing is known for lamb hotpot in a copper pot, Sichuan for their signature numbing-spicy broth, and the Cantonese region for fresh seafood. But in all versions, hotpot is essentially the cooking…
Travel must-packs: beauty edition!
I am interrupting my China series with a linkup to my friend Upasna‘s blog party. This month’s theme: travel packing musts! I used to pride myself on being a super light-weight packer (1+ years as a full time nomadic traveler and all in a carry-on!), but lately, I feel like I’ve been accumulating more and more (useless, as D would say) things. Maybe it’s the fact that it has been so long on the road and I’m starting to crave…
[Wuhu] Geng Fu Xing: the best xiaolongbao in the world?
Xiaolongbao may just be the world’s favorite Chinese dish ever created. Who doesn’t know it by now?? They are commonly known as soup dumplings, or my personal favorite – “dumplings with delicious juice running down your chin,” as seen on the English translation menu of many Chinese restaurants where I lived in LA. (Actually the literal Chinese translation is “little bamboo steamer buns”, because these buns are a lot smaller than traditional Chinese steamed buns, so they are made in a much…
China beyond the big cities: a weekend in Wuhu
I’ve already talked at length about Beijing and introduced you guys to where I come from. Beijing is special to me because it’s where my life began and where my favorite people in China live. But what about my other set of family? The ones on my dad’s side? Now, I’m admittedly not as close to my dad’s side of the family as to my mom’s. I lived with them for a short stint as a baby. And I wasn’t able to return…
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- …
- 26
- Next Page »