this week, apart from climbing mountains in taipei to make myself feel small and making new friends to make myself feel a part of something larger, i finished the subtle art of not giving a f*ck by mark manson. this book was a fast read. everything made sense. nothing felt extraordinary. it's not the kind of book that makes your jaw drop and think wow, never in a million years would i have thought of defining happiness or success or freedom like that. it is instead the kind o

As I close out The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, I wanted to turn the page by reflecting on fresh starts of mine. It’s easy for me to get stuck on endings, so in the spirit of trying new things, I’ll highlight just the opposite. Big or small, these beginnings of the past week have brought—and hopefully will continue to bring—me happiness in some way. First time reading a book that explicitly studies happiness. First time eating at Xi’an Famous Foods. Those hand-pulled

Happiness Resolution #10: Post more frequently, less wordily. I’ve been in an uncannily good mood lately. It’s summer, I’m seeing old friends and living with others, I have a job that pays me to learn, and I still have time to take dance classes, eat out, and write, too. Yep, I’m living the good life (as I define it). But it feels especially good because, thanks to The Happiness Project, I am 1) not only more aware of all of the above but also am 2) more conscious of other pe

I’m sitting on a bench in Tompkins Square Park, reading a book next to Sandra and enjoying a rare errand-free afternoon in the heart of East Village. Across from us, speakers are playing 70s throwback songs–Boogie Shoes, Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting, Beethoven mashups. Dancing along to the tunes are a woman in hot pink shoes, light pink shorts, and a polka-dotted fuchsia shirt and a man in Elvis bellbottoms and a Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet. Passersby pause to soak in the