Ode to 6 Chefs on My Global Favorites List
April 30, 2013
Many people have asked me why I don't do negative reviews on my website- AsianFusion. Simple- I only put up reviews of restaurants that make it to my global favorites list.
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Dealing with Bullies, Haters & Roaches
April 12, 2013
In elementary school I was bullied because I was Asian and a good student. In junior high I was bullied by a girl who was considered one of the queen bees of the school because she saw me as a threat to all the boys she wanted to “conquer,” (never mind the fact that I wasn’t even thinking of boys at that age). In high school, I was bullied by a cynical, mean spirited girl because I dressed and spoke more maturely than most of my peers. In my early 20s I was bullied by men in business because they saw a naïve girl lacking in confidence.
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Letter to My Father
February 21, 2013
I felt compelled to write this to you because Asian families don’t talk about emotions. It’s a foreign concept in our culture but I could not go another year without expressing what I have felt all my life. Where most of my friends get impatient and annoyed when their parents keep asking them the same questions over and over again, I love that you love me enough to do that.
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Having Children vs Adopting
January 7, 2013
Let me preface this piece by iterating that I rarely discuss matters so personal such as this but that this is such a crucial topic at the root of so many global issues that I felt compelled to share my recent revelations. Ever since I was a child myself, I had loved children younger than me. I loved babysitting other kids; I loved having a younger sibling. By the time I was in my late teens, I even began getting regular dreams that indicated I would end up with four handsome sons one day. With these dreams visiting me about once every two months for the next ten years, I was convinced they were premonitions and kind of came to accept that someday, I would be mother to four boisterous boys.
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Reflections on 2012
December 13, 2012
This year has served to further validate what I’ve learned over many years- that life is sacred, time is precious and people will always matter most.
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Why Introductions Aren’t Like Facebook Friending or Unfriending
October 26, 2012
I thought I was one of the few experiencing this issue but in the past few months I’ve had numerous friends and colleagues complaining about the same thing- people don’t understand the value of introductions.
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Letter To My Younger Self
October 11, 2012
I think of you now and recognize how precious you are, how young your heart is and I long to wrap you in my safe embrace. The world seems exciting and terrifying to you, a life ahead filled with great ambitions and even greater uncertainties. You put on a brave face with those defiant eyes, chin held just a smidgeon too high from that youthful delusion that ego equals true confidence.
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Freedom
September 13, 2012
Where does a person’s freedom begin and another’s rights end? We live in a bizarre era where for many, freedom reigns sweetly and for many others, it is a foreign concept reserved for those in distant, strange lands.
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Are CEOs Allowed to Be Human
August 13, 2012
This is my second time around as CEO after an 8 figure success in my early 20s and my fourth posting in an executive position in my fifteen year career. Through all the trials and tribulations of building three companies from nothing and helping many others grow, there were certain characteristics that helped get me through every heart-wrenching moment.
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Japanese Obsession with Black Lifestyle (B-Style)
August 7, 2012
As someone who loves and respects cultures and traditions around the world, I fully understand and appreciate the adoption of others’ cultural aspects into our own. In fact, I have built a good part of my brand on fusing different cultures, particularly when it comes to food and fashion. I do think however, that there is a huge difference between appreciating and admiring aspects of someone else’s culture and trying to become something you are not and will never be.
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