THE UNAPOLOGETIC TRAVELER
Warning: This is rated R*
*If you’re under 18, please don’t read this. Thank you.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
This is the story of my Dragon Boat Festival holiday, when I met a serial killer. Last week was a long weekend, so my friends and I packed our bags, booked a flight to Chongqing, and headed to the airport. But on the way, we met a mysterious man who changed the course of our adventure.
Her
This is a love story. A story of how I found the girl of my dreams, a girl who traveled thousands of miles to meet me, and gave me the biggest surprise of my life.
Kafka on the Shore
There was a warning for a record-breaking rainstorm. “Stay in,” the meteorologist said, but I didn’t listen, and went out for an adventurous misadventure.
Trust Me, I’m a Liar
What happens when you create a fake identity in a foreign country? That’s exactly what I did, and it worked like a charm.
The Most Ineligible Bachelor
What happens when you’re single, and surrounded by bold and beautiful girls in a resort in Switzerland, but everyone else thinks you’re taken.
The Silence of the Lambs
Shanghai was on lockdown. People ran out of food. Their only hope lived on the 7th floor of a posh building: a black foreigner.
Picnic in the Graveyard
Imagine a gorgeous girl in a ghastly graveyard asks you to do something unimaginable. This has to be one of the most awkward dates I’ve ever had in China. Happy Tomb Sweeping Day.
Perfect Numbers Like Perfect Men are Very Rare
Numbers have powers - some are perfect just like all the girls I initially meet, and some are imperfect just like me. Here’s the story of how I played with Chinese numbers or how the numbers played with me.
I Will Always Love You
One of my best friends lives in Russia, a country that attacked Ukraine, while Ukraine is the homeland of my ex’s family who are fearing for their lives. What do you do when you have people you love on both sides of the war?
Life of π
Should I follow the pattern of the universe and see what happens or travel to Borneo and take the road less traveled?
Just Don’t Get Caught
What happens when you meet rebellious people in a harmonious country.
An Uninvited Guest
After a successful dinner date, we made a quick stop at my place for nature’s call. But all of a sudden, we heard a loud siren, followed by an announcement that the building had been sealed. So, my date had no choice but to spend the next 48 hours in my bathroom.
The Only Truth is Music
I have traveled most of my life, and regardless of where I went, the first question I usually got asked was “where are you from?” Why do we ask that question? Why do we label each other? Why not go straight to the truth, the only truth: music.
A Twinkle in Your Wrinkle
I had to travel only 9000 kilometers to realize why I was unhappy most of my life.
Be Authentic, Be Dateless
I listened to Brené Brown and she ruined my dating life. This is the story of how my year-long dating experiment came to an end this weekend. Or was it a new beginning?
Being Brown in Any Town
A decade ago, I stumbled upon a well-kept secret in the HR world of pretty much all the top North American companies. At first, I didn’t believe it, but once I experimented with the idea, it worked. I was enraged yet fascinated.
Hairy on the Prairie
This is a story of when I was eighteen, a freshman, and a virgin.
Lose Face: Instantly
I pulled out my phone to message my friend’s boss that the deal was off, but my friend took the phone away from me, “I have an idea,” she said. The plan was to go with the original plan. Her boss would get me what I wanted, she would show up for the date, and one of her colleagues would leak the info to his wife. That would make a great reality TV episode, I thought.
French Fries are Not French
I thought I was gonna die, during the winter of 1998. I was at the end of my teenage years, working at a fast food restaurant known for their square beef patties and a cold beverage called Frosty. The local meteorologist, Darr Maqbool aka Uncle Darr, predicted that the weather would take a turn and it would be a bad one.