Dedicated

Becoming a parent has been the wildest crash course of my life. There’s the sleepless nights, the tiny socks, and the big thoughts—What am I shaping here? How much of our kids is nature, and how much is nurture? I don’t have all the answers—actually, I have way more questions than answers. So I sought out an expert. In this episode, a child and adolescent psychiatrist unpacks how kids develop emot...

When the power pop band "Material Issue" soared to stardom, Balin Schneider was just born. Yet it's as if he was right there in the crowd at their concerts, experiencing every beat and melody firsthand, after he spent several years making a documentary about the band’s ascent and downfall. What began as a short student project blossomed into a full-fledged feature film and a lifelong...

In this holiday season, we visited the Skyline Ranch Christmas Trees Farm in La Honda, California, where we we met its wonderful owner Donna. From a fruit orchard to a tree wonderland, this place has been a nature-lovers’ paradise since the 1970s. Besides bringing a festive spirit, their trees play a crucial role in nurturing the environment and spreading the joy of the great outdoors. In this epi...

Hey there, pumpkin lovers! It's that wonderful time of the year when pumpkins become the unofficial dress code at grocery stores. But if you're up for real pumpkin parties, check out the pumpkin patches in Half Moon Bay if you're visiting the Bay Area. These farmers have been growing pumpkins for almost a century. Are they all set for the busiest time of the year? Join us on a journey...

For ethnic cuisines, navigating the balance between authenticity and adaptation can be tricky. While there’s a strong urge to stay true to the original recipe, compromises have to be made to appeal to the local palate. But Jia, the founder of a Chinese sauce brand called Hotpot Queen, doesn’t want to play it safe and aspires to bring the boldest Sichuan flavors to Americans’ plates — from sandwich...

We never get tired of foods that give us a funny feeling. Like mustard that sends a shockwave through our skull. Like carbonated drinks with a playful fizz in every sip. It’s not necessarily the flavor that sets us on fire; it’s the sensation that does the magic. For those in the food industry, creating a sparkling sensory experience would be key to crafting a killer product. This is precisely wha...

When the thirteen-year-old Zao first saw Margaret Cho’s standup comedy on TV, he was intrigued by her loud and unapologetic persona and wished to see more not-your-average Asians on stage and screen. Later, Zao became a filmmaker himself and met Joyce, a producer who also aspires to debunk the model minority myth by creating more “irreverent” Asian characters . The two hit it off and went on makin...

Next time you proofread your writing, watch out for timidity — anything that sounds vague, indirect or hesitant unless you truly mean it. It's not just the grammar that matters, but the tone. As much of our communications have gone digital across text, emails and shared docs, it’s even more crucial to know how to add sparkle to what we write so that the readers would jump up and implement what we...

One of those cool perks at tech companies is their joyful office space . Open floor plans, game rooms, and even a rooftop garden to relax in. It’s not just for fun; it’s about branding, attracting top talents and increasing productivity . Even though the pandemic has receded, these stylish spaces are often half empty since few can resist the comforts of working remotely. Are companies still intere...

When Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts comic strips, first learned a museum would be built for him, he wasn’t really up for it. Thankfully, he was later convinced it would be a huge treat for his fans to see his original drawings up close (and it truly is!) At Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center located in Santa Rosa, California, one could either indulge his comics craving, or sto...

If there’s one thing that all human beings love, it's probably food . It nourishes our body, mind, and soul. For some, food is about desire, pleasure or taste. For others, it’s a creative outlet, and they even translate this passion into a career . Not necessarily a cook; there are many other niches in the market — food photography, recipe design, food styling and the list goes on. You may not rea...

This is the stereotype we have of pharmaceutical scientists: smart, isolated workaholic who spend most of their day in a laboratory. They have a clear roadmap for drug discovery. They are close to offering the world a new promising cure. In fact, scientists are also employees like you and me. They can feel stuck at work or struggle to collaborate. Besides studying compounds and organisms, they als...

Ever since the Hogwarts Sorting Hat wisely placed Harry Porter into Gryffindor, we’ve all dreamed of a magic hat that can point us to the right career. The popular MBTI personality test sounds like one close thing, but if you’d like something more interactive - meet a career counselor ! Not only have career counselors seen countless applicants with similar background, but they’ve also maintained c...

Katrina is a first-year teacher and she teaches ethnic studies, which is a new high school requirement in California. In fact, she started teaching a long time ago - not in a traditional classroom, but on social media platforms like YouTube, where she creates videos on how to live sustainably, reflectively and purposefully. Once she becomes a licensed educator, she finds that her YouTube experienc...

When you think of Chinatown, what comes to your mind? Most people are fascinated with its hole-in-the-wall restaurants, its pagoda style building or its mystique as an urban enclave, while for many Chinese immigrants it is real life and home sweet home . Bryan was born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, which is the one of largest Chinese enclaves outside of Asia and the oldest Chinatown in...

Whether you are fresh out of college or going through a mid-career crisis, you might feel the urge to stay on top of emerging trends and join a startup in one of those fields. What the company hopes to achieve can be risky, but what if “ the only risk is not taking risk at all ”? Dr. James Canton came across an offer like this in his twenties and fortunately he said yes! Though a computer newbie,...

For any artist who desires a wider audience, he needs at least two arrows in his quiver, a creative one and a business one . Pek Nan always knew he was born for some creative career. He has won numerous national and international photography competitions ever since his high school teacher lended him a professional camera. He also sees how photography acts as a form of therap y while mentoring chro...

In the last episode, David shared his best memories from the military. When his time of service was finished, he thought if he’d like to join a band, he’d better do it in his twenties. So he got on the road and started full time music. In the 1960s, rock & roll took America by storm. There was never a shortage of talented musicians, but not every band could find the same level of success as th...

People usually have a good memory of what they were doing during a historic event. David clearly remembers where he was in the winter of 1963: America and the world was stunned by the assassination of President John F Kennedy, and he joined the United State Air Force one month later. In the 1950s, as the Cold War intensified, the United State Air Force started to maintain air bases in France to co...

If a professor titles his course with “Rock, Sex & Rebellion”, the top three things on each college student’s (or everybody’s) mind, it’s likely he himself is a rebellious rocker. This is true of Mark Applebaum, who’s been offering this popular course at Stanford University for 10+ years, and rocks the musical world himself. He composes with pictographs, which ends up a 72-foot wide, hand-draw...

He doesn’t quite remember how many dives he’s done; he’s lost count ever since diving turned into his weekly routine. He dived casually while growing up in South France, then became an enthusiast after moving to Coastal California. And guess where he dives now and where he’s headed! If you feel he’s slow in texting, he’s probably bubbling somewhere in the ocean. For him, going beneath the sea reve...

She has worked with major media brands like NPR, Vox and LA Times. She has produced videos for former Secretary of State and leader for the American feminist movement. Speaking of passion project, she’s more into filming foods from around the world , and it all started with growing up in multiethnic Los Angeles and being well-treated at her friends’ family meals. In this episode, Lulu talks with V...