Friends Next Door

*This episode contains light spoilers for the film Eternal Spring( https://eternalspringfilm.com/ ), Canada’s Oscar entry in the International Feature Film category for this year's Academy Awards* Hi Guys! We had such an amazing time getting this episode together and we are so thankful to Jason and his team for their time amidst a jam-packed schedule.  Make sure to listen to the end where we recap...

Just kidding, I didn't really quit. Well... sorta, I'm just making sure that work doesn't overtake my entire being because I've had enough.  The above is just one example of someone who decide to quiet quit. Have you heard of this term? Have you done a version of this in the past year or so? Let's talk about it.    As always, if you have a burning question, find us here:   Email:  frndsnextdoor@gm...

In this cruel, cruel world, we are sometimes guilty of passing quick judgement toward other people. "She's too pretty for him", or "he's too good for her". These are usually a split second comment of course, but why do we do this? What would you do if your friends are telling you that the person you're dating isn't good enough for you? Time to dig deeper!    As always, if you have a burning questi...

We don't mean a literal bamboo ceiling that may or may not exist out there, of course. We're referring to the theory about Asian Americans being the group that is least likely to get promoted in their workplace. Spicy! Let's weigh it in, shall we?    As always, if you have a burning question, find us here:   Email:  frndsnextdoor@gmail.com IG: @frndsnextdoor Dan: @therealdanchen Mia: @msmiaaa Thom...

Ahh... judgement. Nobody likes to be judged, right? Regardless of where it's coming from: sibling, parents, close friends, not-so-close friends, coworkers, total strangers... you get the idea. Yet sometimes we can't help but feel like there's judgment all around us so we can't help but ask: are people too quick to judge?    As always, if you have a burning question, find us here:   Email:  frndsne...

Growing apart is never fun, whether it is with your friends, family, or -GULP- your better half. But as life ebbs and flows, these things are often inevitable. It still does not feel good though. So how do we deal with it?   As always, if you have a burning question, find us here:   Email:  frndsnextdoor@gmail.com IG: @frndsnextdoor Dan: @therealdanchen Mia: @msmiaaa Thomas: @mundane_photos

So...who else spends too much time binge-watching shows? Or on YouTube, Instagram, and ... TikTok? The three of us have lived long enough to see how social media platforms went from zero to hero, how almost everyone is a content creator these days, and how much our lives are consumed by this thing called the internet. We have to ask then, are we in a golden age of content?    As always, if you hav...

Dan, Thomas and Mia spent some time reflecting on life in the Covid era. It should be safe to say that we're all trying to move on with life in our own way. With Covid being a part of our lives nowadays, do we think that things would be back to how they used to be? Or have we adapted to a new normal? How do you live life these days?    As always, if you have a burning question, find us here:   Ema...

Well well well, if it isn't our favorite hot topic - relationships. But this time, it is not the rosy kind. Here we are talking about the reasons couples argue. Some might be trivial and some might be more serious, one thing is for sure: they sometimes cause friction between couples. Do you agree with us?  As always, if you have a burning question, find us here: Email:  frndsnextdoor@gmail.com IG:...

Some of us just came off of an NBA Finals high (not Dan, he'd rather forget this year's Finals) that we're now experiencing basketball withdrawals. I mean, October feels so far away! So you can say we're obsessed and as you may know, sports permeate people's lives here. You can hear chatter around basketball, football, baseball, hockey, you name it - all throughout the year. Friendships are made o...

As much as we all want to be a winner all day every day, there are times where we just have to admit defeat (and plot for a comeback). We don't necessarily think losing is a bad thing though, as we can turn that sense of bitterness into a motivation to improve. Losing does stink, but is there such thing as losing graciously? And do we want to be one?    As always, if you have a burning question, f...

Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? What were our first impressions of each other like and how have those changed since? We've been told that making a great first impression is important, so how much effort do you take into it? And on the flip side, how much does someone's first impression affect the way you think about them?     As always, if you have a burning question, find us here: E...

What makes you get up everyday? Some people want to be rich, some are working towards a job promotion, and some may be living to achieve their dreams of becoming an NBA player (sorry, we're in the thick of the NBA Finals now...). What we live for might change as we go through different phases in life so we sit down to discuss what keeps us going every single day. It doesn't always have to be a gra...

Moving isn't an easy process, let alone moving across the country! Not only do you need to figure out your way around your new place, but you're in a way starting from scratch so there's a lot to learn in the process. That said, it's always better to have a friend to go along for the ride, right? We're THOSE friends so tune in for tips and our takes on how to make the most out of your experience. ...

We always hear that adulting is hard, so today we will peel off these endless layers of the very definition of adulting and discuss when we feel like we've successfully done that and where we fall short.  Do tough life challenges force one to grow up? How did our mentality change when we were in our 20vs. vs our 30s? Come on in and give it a listen!   As always, if you have a burning question, fin...

Pressure is inevitably a part of our day to day lives (ugh) and it can come from different places. Sometimes it is self imposed, like you feel as if you need to fulfill every obligation life throws at you. Other times it comes from those around us, manager who demands a lot from you, parents who want you to get married, like, tomorrow. How do we deal with pressure? Is pressure a good thing or a ba...

And the topic of l.o.v.e continues! This time we learn about our love languages and discuss the importance of knowing what our love language is in our daily lives. Do YOU know what yours is? If you do, do you find that to be helpful in building relationships with the people around you?    As always, if you have a burning question, find us here: Email: frndsnextdoor@gmail.com IG: @frndsnextdoor Dan...

Ever thought of how despite SO many books and articles about relationships have been written to this day, a lot of us would still struggle to maintain them sometimes? That's because human hearts are very... special. To those of you who may have recently started a relationship, first of all - CONGRATS. Listen on as Dan, Thomas and Mia try their best to give advice here; we hope you get some useful...

We're BAAACK! What was originally intended to be a short break turned out to be a much longer one, and for that we apologize, but we're excited to start another season of FND! We actually recorded this episode quite a while back, so long ago that Tom Brady had announcement his retirement AND came out of retirement but we think the underlying topic of putting celebrities/public figured on a moral p...

As we close another year, let's take some time to look back and reflect on the things that happened this year. Things haven't been so easy recently and that might be an understatement to some people, but we hope you'd be able to find happiness and moments of gratitude in your day to day. If this hasn't been your year, that's okay, we can always do better moving forward! Quick PSA: we're taking a q...

Would you want your friend to tell you when you have spinach stuck between your teeth or no? Some of us may think that it would lead to an awkward situation (we don't blame ya!) but we think the end your friend would appreciate it. By the same token, what are some of the things you would not know unless someone tells you? Would you like them to tell you, whether it is spinach in between your teeth...

"I peaked in high school" is not a description most people like to claim. At least not for themselves anyway. But if we talked about our frenemies back in high school... yes THEY PEAKED IN.. KIDDING! :)  So today we talk about peaking in life, however you want to interpret it. Physically, emotionally, ... financially? Interested? Come sit with us.   As always, if you have a burning question, find...

5 year-old Mia learnt how to play piano, she kiiind of thrived. Then her sister joined and she uuhhh pivoted, QUICK. So, is piano just not Mia's sister's cup of tea or did she not give it a fair shot yet? (I swear this isn't me trying to diss my own sister.) The point is, sometimes we may close ourselves off to a new experience or may give up too soon. How do we know when we haven't tried hard eno...

How deep is your love? Okay we're not talking about love strictly in a romantic sense, but also in friendships. A lot of times, friendships and relationships form out of a supercificial reason whether it's because you like how they look, they are 'cool', they have money (GASP), the list goes on. Have you subconsciously done this? Have you ever been on the receiving end of it? Let's talk about it....

In today's busy world, we're all trying to get more things done in the same amount of time. This can result in  multitasking throughout much of the day, but are we actually effective? What if we're just distracted and can't really focus on a single task?  Listen to our thoughts on getting distracted while focusing, habits which lead to multi-tasking, and self-discipline :) As always, if you have a...