More so than ever before, I believe the chasm between adults and the younger generation has never been wider. We have a generation of young people who were born with the Internet and do not know of a life that existed before it. Unlike previous generations that spent time walking and playing in neighborhoods and [...]
Our Asian culture is a part of our identity that gives us a sense of pride and should be embraced. But when does it go too far? When does it restrict our desire for friendships outside our own race? In L.A., I can remember instances when after meeting people at a social event and exchanging [...]
Abandonment can happen to anyone. You can be single, married, divorced, come from a nurturing home or a dysfunctional one. The key issue in abandonment is honestly looking at loss. It can be a traumatic event like the death of a parent or a cumulative one such as the loss of a connection with your [...]
It’s estimated that as many as 10 million women and 1 million men are battling with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. Millions more are struggling with binge eating or compulsive over-eating. Prior to my work in Seattle, I worked as a counselor at a community [...]
Healthy self-esteem is sorely lacking among many Asian Americans. While some can try and hide behind their careers, wealth, beauty, family connections, or accomplishments, its become apparent that our culture has done a poor job in building self-esteem. Healthy self-esteem is rooted in our uniqueness as human beings and not on what we can do [...]
You may be married. You may have kids. You may have been together for some time. In any case, you can’t seem to find the fire in your romance anymore. What can you do? No amount of inspiration works. You know that flowers, chocolates, exotic trips, and dinner dates all seem to come up empty [...]
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. – Aristotle Dating is hard enough as it is but dating in an Asian American context is made even more difficult because of our culture. Asians pride themselves on their marriages, families, children, and continuation of the family lineage. Despite this obsession on fostering marriage, [...]
“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.” -Soren Kierkegaard/Danish Philosopher The challenge of life is in the hard work of discovering ourselves. The question, “Who am I?” usually crops up after someone encounters a major crisis such as a job loss, divorce, or death of a loved [...]
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” — Theodore Roosevelt Authenticity is defined as being genuine or real. When [...]
The holidays are upon us and it’s my first holiday season back in Seattle where I can celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year with my family since I left more than 12 years ago. As with most Asian families, our holidays and celebrations revolve around some aspect of eating. It’s part of our cultural [...]
