December in Taipei
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December in Taipei

We flew out on Christmas night, skipping over the 26th and arriving the morning of the 27th in Taipei. I hadn’t been to Taiwan since before the pandemic, and Alex hadn’t been in a decade. This would be our first Asia trip together! After dropping off our luggage at the hotel in Gongguan, we then…

Los Angeles, 2024
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Los Angeles, 2024

Second Thanksgiving has been an annual tradition with the Yaus since 2011. It happens the Saturday after Thanksgiving, with a full new Thanksgiving feast (not leftovers– that’s for Sunday) and an ever-expanding group of friends and their little ones in attendance. For me it has become a signpost, marking the years with a trek down…

San Francisco Crosstown Trail, Section 1b
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San Francisco Crosstown Trail, Section 1b

The Crosstown Trail is a wonderful volunteer-assembled walking/biking trail that extends from the southeast to the northwest corners of San Francisco. They recently just celebrated the 5-year anniversary of the trail and added a “Double Cross Trail” to complete the X from the southwest to northeast corners of the city. It took us and the…

July in Taipei
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July in Taipei

I was just in Taiwan over Lunar New Year in February, so I had no plans to return so quickly– and in the middle of summer when the heat and humidity soar to the high 90s. However, my maternal grandmother, my last remaining grandparent, passed, and so I was grateful to have the time and…

Yayoi Kusama at The Broad
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Yayoi Kusama at The Broad

I still feel rather ambivalent about the ‘instagrammable museum’ phenomenon, with galleries, installations, and exhibits designed specifically with the selfie and instagram in mind. On the one hand, I love to post these cleverly crafted images just as much as the next person, but on the other, churning people through these instagram factories seems to…

Los Angeles | June, 2017
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Los Angeles | June, 2017

I headed down to Los Angeles for Jason and Karena’s wedding last month, and I was in good company with about fifty mutual friends who were also guests to the wedding. We basically ate all weekend, lots and lots of great Taiwanese food. See below! Pre-wedding drinks with Jason. Alhambra Farmer’s Market Taiwanese breakfast! So…

Izzo, San Jose | The Quest for the Best Beef Noodle Soup in the Bay Area
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Izzo, San Jose | The Quest for the Best Beef Noodle Soup in the Bay Area

I am on a quest. I am determined to find the best beef noodle soup in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I will eat a hundred bowls of noodles if I must! Beef Noodle Soup, (niu rou mian in Mandarin), is a traditional Taiwanese dish. It’s my comfort food, and it’s one of my…