My first-ever Bloomberg feature story just came out today on CityLab, Will New York City Finally Get More Public Bathrooms? 🚽 (no paywall. no paywall! no paywall!!!) This was sparked by the fact that every time I was with friends walking around in New York City, there was literally no way to find a bathroom … Continue reading My First Bloomberg Feature Is on NYC’s Public Toilet Shortage
Tag: Life Update
24th 🍀
Baby grows up… …and is finally a college graduate!!! It’s been six days since graduation. In another fourteen hours, I’ll take the AmTrak to New York; in about two weeks, I’ll start work. One chapter ends and another begins. Today marks yet another birthday I spend in a hotel room (see From 20-year-old Me, With … Continue reading 24th 🍀
Graduation!!! 🎓 (pt. 1)
Turned off the lights, dropped off the key, threw out the trash, and zipped up the bags. At 4:55PM, I said goodbye to Harvard. Graduation truly sank in not when Commencement adjourned, not when I received my diploma, not when I shedded my regalia, but when I removed all traces of myself from this institution. … Continue reading Graduation!!! 🎓 (pt. 1)
Harvard Israel Trek 2022
Hello dear friends, it's been a long while—On March 1, I submitted my History and Literature senior thesis!!! During spring break, a hundred of us embarked on the annual peer-led Israel Trek, which took us from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, into the West Bank and territories under the Palestinian Authority, to a hotel by the … Continue reading Harvard Israel Trek 2022
虎年快乐 ٩(๑･̑◡･̑๑)۶
年夜饭是外卖和巧克力，坐在宿舍里被我慢慢吃掉的。窗外是朦胧的雪夜。饺子像是泛着油光的金元宝，又像是漂泊的小白帆。家人都很遥远，年味淡如一缕烟，但爸爸告诉我：“这样的元旦因为不一样所以值得纪念。” 有个可爱的学妹送了一罐凤梨酥和一大罐蛋卷，带着漂洋过海的喜庆和家乡的味道。每一颗圆滚滚的凤梨酥落在舌尖上的重量让我很想很想家。“家”是红红火火喜气洋洋的阖家团圆，不局限于任何一个地方，是爸爸妈妈在身边的心安。当身在异国他乡时，家变成了一个符号，无法言说，只能意会。 隔着屏幕发现原来春节是如此的需要氛围。爷爷说我终于是大姑娘了，但我感觉自己仍如此需要长辈的关怀，好像一个永远长不大的小孩。我看了一会春晚，听了些老歌，抢了些红包，下载了些表情包，顺溜地说着祝福语，等着一个隐形的轮回（因为时差，仿佛要守岁两次）。时针坚定的迈向新的一年，安静却不乏温柔。少了喧嚣繁华，竟别有一番滋味。 确实是值得被记住的一次大年三十 ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪
Disney, nocturnal me, Harry Potter
Classes are over for the semester, senior year is past its midpoint, but Thanksgiving break still feels like yesterday. I feel older, not wiser, still grasping at the last straws of magic — of a world slinking away. The gates of college contain within them a world of their own, as do amusement parks. At … Continue reading Disney, nocturnal me, Harry Potter
Happy Fall Things: Wise Professors ft. Other Shenanigans : )
Note: here's a mandatory throwback to my November posts from freshman, sophomore, and junior year. Somehow every November always ends up becoming either my favorite or the most tumultuous month of the fall. Life is truly a cycle, not a progression. Conversations That I'll Remember In Salem's oldest witch shop, behind a curtain, the psychic … Continue reading Happy Fall Things: Wise Professors ft. Other Shenanigans : )
Just A Sunday Hike: White Mountains, NH
Crawling up slippery rocks, hair flying in the wind, shoes squelching, toes numb, fingers scrambling for a grip on branches, on trunks, on anything. Muddied gloves gripping hands that pull me against gravity. Anxiety, wonder, anxiety, wonder. And the air—so, so clean. A blast of oxygen after a mask-filled existence. There’s the easy rhythm of … Continue reading Just A Sunday Hike: White Mountains, NH
My Senior Fall Harvard Classes : )
For previous installments, check the Academic tab 💡 Hello dear reader, I’m baaaack!!! This marks my return to (hopefully) a blogging frequency of two posts per month, especially now that life is a lot more happening. And chaotic. And wonderful. In short: good writing material. We’ve only had eight days of classes so far - … Continue reading My Senior Fall Harvard Classes : )
Interning at Bloomberg News Pt. 1
Hi dear readers, long time no see! Realize I've broken my blogging streak for the first time in years — June whizzed past so fast I barely had time to reflect amid the journalism grind. But now that we're past midpoint of my internship, it's a good time to pop on here for some long-overdue … Continue reading Interning at Bloomberg News Pt. 1
Interning at Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Centre for Strategic Futures (CSF)
Read other internship diaries:Interning at CNN Fareed Zakaria GPS 🌎Interning at Northern Light Venture Capital in China 💸 TODAY MY CSF INTERNSHIP HAS ENDED. Yay! Celebrating a fruitful twelve weeks. 🌟 Feels like a good time to stocktake (without revealing anything confidential, cough): I’ve emerged with a lot more knowledge about many diverse fields and cool ideas … Continue reading Interning at Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Centre for Strategic Futures (CSF)
life update: hello, march
(felt incapable of typing in full sentences because of how much writing i've done recently so i'm going to do a list—throwback to my 2017 freshman fall list, Things I Love, teehee) started interning on Jan 11 at the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) Strategy Group CSF — my first ever public service/government internship! summing it … Continue reading life update: hello, march
Happy 牛 Year!!!
看春晚 📺 吃饺子 🥟 幸福的滋味 躺在爸爸妈妈的手掌心 👋🏼 如此简单 拥有温暖被爱环绕的感觉 💞 Dear reader, wishing each of you a healthy, happy, fruitful and prosperous Chinese New Year — one that’s kinder to us, gentler on the world, steadier in these rocky times; 祝大家新春快乐，牛年大吉，牛气冲天，牛转乾坤，平安喜乐，健康万福 ❤️㊗️🐮🌟🧧🧨 With love,
A stroll at dusk: Chinatown
This is the 100th post on the blog and the first post of 2021. Here's the full Chronicle. Thank you for being here, thank you for allowing my stories to enter your life : ) I love walking. The best way to experience a city is, partly, to be a flâneur: passionate wanderer, aimless saunterer, … Continue reading A stroll at dusk: Chinatown
Goodbye, 2020
2020 is a year of records set, plans broken, trajectories transformed, passions lived. It marks the first time I've stayed indoors for four months straight. For 120 days, I didn't take a single step out of the apartment. (!!!) It marks the most words I've written in a year, ever. All these years I've talked … Continue reading Goodbye, 2020
July things
July is... staying indoors all month (except for the momentous excursion outdoors to the polling station on July 10). My hermit life continues with my mom — neither of us have taken a step out of the house for months. Life meanders: the whole morning wrapped in blankets, my mom's home-cooked lunch right after light … Continue reading July things
[Writing Updates] June 六月
整个六月都在室内度过，三点一线的生活：床，餐桌，还有皮沙发。我倚着餐桌打瞌睡，在床上看小说，在皮沙发上码字和偷吃零食。窗外有烈阳，有蓬勃生长的仙人掌，依山（很矮的武吉知马山）傍水（游泳池嘻嘻）。 这个月至少读了十本小说。我流着汗，也流着眼泪，滴答在屏幕上，流成故事。 📚 The whole of June happens at home, facing rolling green hills. A defence camp hidden somewhere inside. Every day, I write (though you can easily spot some bad days 😓). In June, I've written a total of 20,498 words. I conceived the idea for IDOL last summer in New York and started … Continue reading [Writing Updates] June 六月
22
hi dear friends and readers, today i turn 22!!!! today i feel very very loved and very very blessed. thank you to each of you — you know who you are — who have made it so special. i've waited seven years to play this song (so let this be the soundtrack to this blog … Continue reading 22
A Stay-home Wednesday, by the hour
(This is an 'A Day in the Life' post that I've only done once before - read: A New York Sunday. So here's another one, credits to Kyla Zhao my love, for the inspiration.) 12:00am I go onto Canvas, click the Zoom link, and wait for the class to load. I'm on my bed, wearing … Continue reading A Stay-home Wednesday, by the hour
Quarantine Diaries: 14 days!
On our way home from Changi airport, my face tightly clad in a N95 and my hands gloved up, the car hurtling towards my 14-day self-imposed quarantine in my bedroom, my mom casually mentioned, Isn't there some famous writer who said all you need is a room of your own? And money, I said. Virginia Woolf … Continue reading Quarantine Diaries: 14 days!
Life in The Time of Coronavirus
The first time I heard the word ‘coronavirus’ was at our last dinner in Istanbul. (note: COVID-19 is the newest strain from the coronavirus family, but forgive my then-ignorance of epidemiology.) "What virus?" I asked. "It’s happening to a few people in China, but no one knows what it is," J said. "How do you … Continue reading Life in The Time of Coronavirus
2020 新春快乐 • Happy Chinese New Year
新春快乐！Happy Chinese New Year 🧧🥟❣️ 祝大家鼠年大吉，心想事成，平安喜乐 🐹 A week ago I was making manti (Turkish dumplings) at a cooking studio in Istanbul alongside other students on the CMES (Center of Middle Eastern Studies) excursion. Today, after waking up way past noon, I wander into the living room in my PJs and see my family making dumplings. … Continue reading 2020 新春快乐 • Happy Chinese New Year
Thanksgiving with Books and BBQ
What's in your magnitude? What's in your library? What's in your details? Happy Thanksgiving!!! This break, I've been on campus: empty cobblestone streets, a handful of lit windows in the wintry night, closed restaurants and libraries, vacant laundry machines — solitary, quiet, and kind of really nice. I've been reading and reading and writing and … Continue reading Thanksgiving with Books and BBQ
Conversation Sparks: Life, you’re the dancing queen
We tend to romanticize the past. For a while, I complained to friends that I was feeling the belated onslaught of the Sophomore Slump — call it the Junior Jetlag. Every seven hours, I would reminisce about my idyllic, fulfilling sophomore fall. But then, I went to read what I wrote one year ago — my pillow … Continue reading Conversation Sparks: Life, you’re the dancing queen
[Late night thoughts] October is unraveling…
First things first: I'm listening to Lana Del Rey's The greatest on loop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndo8r_Hg_lg No other song has been able to put me more immediately in the mood of my novel than these guitar strums. The tint of melancholia conjures to mind the moment of nearly unbearable light, the breath right before sunset. On Sunday, … Continue reading [Late night thoughts] October is unraveling…
My Junior Fall Harvard Classes!
Hello folks, we're entering week 4 of Junior Fall?! Summer feels like yesterday — banana shirt days in flip-flops, lounging in the shade reading novels, and smearing the ring of condensation on my fingers when sipping iced tea/milk green tea with golden bubbles/pineapple smoothies (happy sigh). My life has never been this routine and packed … Continue reading My Junior Fall Harvard Classes!
A New York Sunday
12:00am It's pouring in New York City. Curtains and curtains of rain in the darkness with speckles of light. Apocalyptic streets with the occasional yellow cab and barely any human alive. We are all drenched after dashing out from shelter in Central Park and scuttling up the restaurant's shuttle. And then in a state of … Continue reading A New York Sunday
A day ft. Jeff Zucker, Fareed Zakaria & Amanda Lee Koe
🌟 07/10/2019 🦄 Just want to mark this date on the blog: July 10, 2019 (even as the minutes slowly tumble into July 11, 2019). If there's one day I want to carve into my memory from this entire summer thus far, it's July 10. It's the most exhilarating and stimulating day I've had in a … Continue reading A day ft. Jeff Zucker, Fareed Zakaria & Amanda Lee Koe
Futuristic thoughts while grocery shopping
This marks the end of my third week in New York. Say what? It is true. This means three weeks of LIVING ALONE in the biggest city in the United States, actually WORKING eight to nine hours a day in a cubicle on the 21st floor of a massive glass tower, and actually being a … Continue reading Futuristic thoughts while grocery shopping
(120) Days of Summer/Internship
Hellooo May! My favorite month of the year. (Because it's my birthday at the end of it. Jk.) 😇 Since I'm flying from Boston Logan this Friday, the summer calendar is on the verge of starting. 120 days stretch out before me till September 3 when the Fall 2019 term starts. It's so surreal that … Continue reading (120) Days of Summer/Internship
April is tough. And brilliant. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ
Easter Egg: Screenplay at the end of the post. 🥚✨ ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪ 🌏 Harvard China Forum 💡 April 12th to 14th, Harvard College China Forum happened. Remember last year when I was the Programming Associate in charge of the Culture Panel (ft. Fang Wenshan 💕)? As the Programming Chair this year, I oversaw how my amazing team … Continue reading April is tough. And brilliant. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ
My Sophomore Spring Harvard Classes + Some Little Things
Belatedly, wishing all of you: Happy Year of the Pig!!! ❤ ❤ ❤ First things first, things that have served as brilliant reminders when life works weirdly: 1. Turn your FOMO into JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) — I would like to interpret it as loving yourself and realizing that doing nothing or doing less … Continue reading My Sophomore Spring Harvard Classes + Some Little Things
Another Christmas Comes and Goes
Not winter, but always Christmas. My mom sweeps into the room and starts shaking me by the shoulders. She briskly turns off the air-conditioning. WAKE UP! she thunders. For the first time in twenty years, I know that Christmas starts with no immediate present to unwrap on the morning itself, and so I roll around in … Continue reading Another Christmas Comes and Goes
my pillow book: the pathos of November
Inspired by Sei Shōnagon's diary-lists in The Pillow Book. Things That I Will Remember Shivering as we tread the familiar path to Annenberg in the canopy of night. Everyone holding signs celebrating the declaration of their concentrations. Shimmery silver streaks, Trophy Wife and Sugar Daddy signboards, bare cookies, beaming faces, flashing lights, postcards sent into … Continue reading my pillow book: the pathos of November
I declared my concentration!
BLACK SCREEN. FADE IN. INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT Selina (20, Singaporean-Chinese) has both hands on the Mac keyboard. She is leaning forward expectantly before a desk piled high with dog-eared books, loose sheets of paper and thin notebooks with mythical, cartoonish covers. Cue music: something whimsical like Hisaishi's Nausicaä Requiem! something dramatically perching on … Continue reading I declared my concentration!
After the Darkness, A Meadow of Books
The number of papers I've written this semester: 7. Words that appeared in my first 10-page screenplay*: Wong Kar-wai. Temple. Claypot. Kant. Fortune-teller. White peach tart. Mahjong. Wikipedia. Red Mansion Dream. The Gods are real. *If you are intrigued and would like to read it in exchange for giving me your genuine critique and constructive … Continue reading After the Darkness, A Meadow of Books
My Sophomore Fall Harvard Classes! (ft. Life)
I realized I'm almost through with September and have not talked about the biggest chunk in my sophomore life thus far—my classes! There's a reason why I've literally had no time to write about this. Life has been an absolute whirlwind. Here's a snapshot of the residential problems plaguing our suite of four: I discovered … Continue reading My Sophomore Fall Harvard Classes! (ft. Life)
Confronting My Worldly Fears
At some point in your life, this statement will be true: Tomorrow you will lose everything forever. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, by Charles Yu At the most random of moments, I consider my own mortality. One such instance was as I was seated in the cozy office of Professor Racha … Continue reading Confronting My Worldly Fears
When In Kyoto ≧◡≦
Kyoto is one-hour strolls along train tracks, washed-out pink carpets hanging on strings, bottles of sake behind second-storey windows, two scrawny girls trying to catch a pale yellow butterfly with a net, watery rice paddies beside a parking lot full of Toyotas & Hondas. Kyoto is that moment my hair almost rustles as my bones quiver … Continue reading When In Kyoto ≧◡≦
From 20-year-old Me, With Love
Today I turn 20! I wonder how past birthdays feel like because this one feels very homely despite the fact that I'm in a country I've never been before. Last night, I was sitting cross-legged in a hotel room on the 46th floor of Japan's tallest building, wearing a dripping sheet mask, clad in Mickey … Continue reading From 20-year-old Me, With Love
Before It Ends (Part I & II)
Part I Typed on May 5, Sunday in the Canaday basement while waiting for my laundry (surrounded by the humming of the washing machines and dryers). Freshman year is ending, it really is. I can feel it in my bones. I'm flying off in four days; I'm done with three out of four of my … Continue reading Before It Ends (Part I & II)
Quirky Snippets of An Untold April
I guess there's an untold side to every story. He handed me a Whole Foods bag. I took a peek and saw a glass bottle of red wine vinaigrette resting against some other random-shaped items. "There're some salt, olive oil, and chili," he said, "and chocolates." "Okay, I don't cook, but thank you, Prof." I was … Continue reading Quirky Snippets of An Untold April
To Harvard China Forum • 致哈佛中国论坛
Harvard College China Forum happened! 🌻🌻🌻 感谢你，哈佛中国论坛。这一年过得忽快忽慢，有时磕磕碰碰，但终归时常能让我深夜里兴奋得睡不着。从一开始担心文化分论坛一个演讲嘉宾都请不到，到奇妙地看到一位位重量级嘉宾加入，再到最后在Seaport会展中心看着座无虚席的剧场和台前分享的方文山、李路、童之磊、杨晖、陈楸帆和刘林老师，也许那一刻感受到的是几百人思想上的碰撞和略微不可思议的欣喜。这是一个有魔力的平台，吸引着太平洋两岸、各行各业的人才一起前来贡献他们对于这个世界的想法。谁能想到一年前在香港红馆《地表最强》演唱会挥舞着荧光棒、亲眼看到台上的周杰伦时泪流满面的我，一年后能有幸邀请到方文山老师出席文化分论坛？反正我一年前跟全家一起追着看《人民的名义》时，完全想也想不到一年后我能亲自与李路导演交谈。 作为大一新生参加哈佛中国论坛的团队是我2017年做的最好的决定之一。感谢向我强烈推荐HCCF的Zara Zhang学姐（who happens to run an amazing blog; she was also last year's Co-President）、整个Organizing Team （尤其是我所属的Programming Committee），以及热心帮助和引导我的每一位学姐学长。团队的力量真的令人震撼。一年前的我很青涩，但这一年来我学会了如何待人处事。这些点点滴滴我会放进人生的行囊里。感激每一次成长的机会和与我一同成长的你们。 Now, time for some life updates! It has been a week since Harvard College China Forum concluded at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. Time has been hurtling forward since Spring … Continue reading To Harvard China Forum • 致哈佛中国论坛
When Reality Beckons: Confessions of a Drama Addict
Recently, my dad sent me this photo which expressively demonstrates my aggressive territoriality over a french fry (or my incurable love for food since I was a kid). When my phone ding!-ed and the screen lit up with this incoming message, I was in the midst of a rough week built up from a lack … Continue reading When Reality Beckons: Confessions of a Drama Addict
春节快乐！
Happy Chinese New Year!!! 春节是红色的，是栩栩如生的剪纸娃娃，是在角落那只名叫旺财的小狗，是桌上瓷碟里的清蒸红斑鱼。 春节是金色的，是墙上倒贴着的亮晶晶的福字比划，是一双沟壑纵横的手递来的红包上的绵绵希冀，是财神爷爷手里滑稽的金元宝。 春节是蓝色的，是屏幕上的蓝光，闪烁着千丝万缕的挂念和祝福。我们抢着红包，发着表情包—最后，声音和指尖的温度都被传送到千里之外。 这些红色的、金色的、蓝色的，模糊而又清晰的点滴，跨过时差和海洋，温暖着我在异国他乡的心。 祝所有爱你们和你们爱的人狗年汪汪（旺旺）❤️
As I Stand, I Feel
Minutes before the day ends in my time zone, Merry Christmas everyone!🎄🎄🎄 1. Christmas Today, I am grateful for— Funny presents (the wrapped mango slices still win) This year, my dad told me with a straight face: "I'm no longer going to be Santa because you're nineteen." My parents pretended to be Santa for years … Continue reading As I Stand, I Feel
First Snow • 初雪
I haven't seen snow in three years. The last time I did was in December 2014 when it was barely snowing in London and the brownish-grey slush in the fairgrounds weirdly resembled the chocolate slurpee from 7-11. It was not pretty. I was sad. This morning, I was barely awake and on the phone with … Continue reading First Snow • 初雪
November is…
November is the great mystery of daylight saving time. It's the time when night comes early, days turn dark in mid-swallow, and the sense of time grows distorted. It also makes me freak out a bit when it’s 5pm but it feels like 9pm and I’ve not yet started on my paper. November is days … Continue reading November is…
Book Reviews: Sel Takes on the Classics! Part 1
Life Updates: the odds and ends of this at times extraordinary, at times off-kilter month of October Happy Halloween, dear friends! 🎃✨ I can't believe October is coming to an end -- this month I sat for my first college midterm (Anthropology), submitted my first graded college paper (on Oedipus Rex), had my story workshopped for the first time … Continue reading Book Reviews: Sel Takes on the Classics! Part 1
Things I Love
1. Sundays on hammocks in hot Singaporean-like Cambridge weather. Hurrah! 2. Learning. The room is warm. My pulse is throbbing at an almost manic pace. In a hitched breath's moment of unconscious cerebration, it occurs to me that I am surrounded by knowledge coming to life -- in eager minds, raw stories, bustling thoughts, and this … Continue reading Things I Love
Selina Xu 