Friends Next Door

Since Dan, Thomas and Mia spent the majority of their lives NOT living in New York, the other night we were asking each other about the city we consider our hometown. What is your definition of home? What makes you feel most at home? Does being at home give you a sense of self?  Let's talk about it :)   As always, if you have a burning question, find us here: Email: frndsnextdoor@gmail.com IG: @fr...

What are some of the movies or TV series you used to watch that still give you feels today? Let's walk down the memory lane, look back on our childhood faves and what they taught us in life. Sorry for the late upload, we were busy celebrating Mia's super old birthday! We also had technical issues while recording the video so there will only be audio for this episode.     If you have a burning ques...

Hey frands, switching gear to a more lighthearted topic, we're playing a game called "If You Could" today... something we made up for this episode. If you could lived in any country, where would you? If you could meet any person from history, who would it be? Listen along and come up with your own answers, and (maybe) tell us about them! Enjoy :)   As always, if you have a burning question, find u...

One of our listeners sent us this question about the idea of constantly wanting to get ahead in life, and how that seems to clash with another idea of being happy with what you have. Aren't these two ideas in conflict with each other? If you're happy with where you are, you might be seen as lazy and uninspired, but isn't the goal of wanting to achieve success to be happy? And if you're already the...

Last week we talked about whether men age like fine wine, but before they can get there, we should discuss the traits that turn silly boys into good men. What do you think those traits are? Respect for others? Having a sense of responsibility? Rowena is back and joining us in this exchange of thoughts on the things that make us go, "Now, THAT's a man."  What are your thoughts? Let us know what you...

So you've heard the saying, 'men age like fine wine'. We're asking two men, who are in the process of aging (lol), if they find that statement relatable.  What are you more confident in as you age? What do you care more, or less, about? What do you still struggle, where do want to improve?   As always, if you have a burning question, find us here: Email: frndsnextdoor@gmail.com IG: @frndsnextdoor...

On this episode, we dig DEEP into the question of whether we are 'romantically challenged' and we have to say that it was easily the most uncomfortable one to record, because that's what happens when we look within ourselves. BUT we think it is important sometimes to look at yourself (or each other in our case, lol) and ask hard hitting questions.  Hope you enjoy listening to this one and hope you...

Aaannnddd we're back! What was meant to be a short hiatus turned out longer than we expected, and for that, we're sorry! BUT now we're ready to get back into our humble little podcast and you're in for a fun ride. On this episode, we're talking about a simple question of whether we add value to those around us or whether we're a hindrance to people (oops). The idea of positively having an impact t...

Ro is back on Friends Next Door's humble abode and joined Mia in a fangirling session over Start Up, their latest K-drama obsession. Don't worry, we managed to get Dan and Thomas to start watching so they can join in the convo too! What makes K-dramas so fun to watch? What are some of your faves?  With our last episode of 2020 and as we close out the year, we want to thank every one of you who's b...

Is it too early to think about life post COVID? What's the one activity you really miss these days? Now that we're 9  months into the pandemic, I'm sure we sometimes find ourselves missing a 'normal' life. To soothe the soul, let's talk about what we want to do the most once this all blows over...  If you want to request a topic, share your story, or have a burning question, contact us at: Email:...

In a throwback to our inaugural episode recorded when we were a couple weeks into lockdown, we're now in December 2020 and things feel similar to how they were back then. Down to the fact that toilet paper is sold out everywhere again. The crew is checking in on each other to see how we're coping with the uncertainty now. What changed? How many lbs did Dan pack? And how can we spend the last month...

Growing up as a minority, I think most of us had this problem: that we didn't really see 'people who looked like us' on TV or in pop culture. Things are different now, but this lack of representation may have left some of us feeling lost somehow. But fret not, young padawans, role models are everywhere around you. And if you can draw inspiration and emulate the good traits of people in your lives....

What's your favorite holiday? What were your best memories of celebrating that holiday? Just because 2020 is the worst year in recent memory, doesn't mean we shouldn't make the most of our holiday season this year. It might look different, but hey, let's still try to make it a high amongst the lows.  If you want to request a topic, share your story, or have a burning question, contact us at: Email...

Ever succumbed to peer pressure and did things you didn't originally want to? Yeah we thought so. How do you balance between playing the (social) game and staying true to who you are? Maybe this episode can give you some idea... If you want to request a topic, share your story, or have a burning question, contact us at: Email: frndsnextdoor@gmail.com Instagram: @frndsnextdoor Don't worry, you can...

If there's ever a time for us to take better care of our mental health, 2020 is definitely that time. It's been a challenging year all around, to say the least, and we are all struggling one way or another. We've invited Rowena Tsai, YouTube megastar and one half of Beauty Within, to join our convo so that we can pick her brain on how to be at peace with who you are and how to stay calm in the fac...

Do you believe in the idea that there's one soulmate for every individual walking on the face of the earth? Why or why not? How does that belief affect your approach in finding or treating your significant other?  If you want to request a topic, share your story, or have a burning question, contact us at: Email: frndsnextdoor@gmail.com Instagram: @frndsnextdoor Don't worry, you can always "ask for...

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder... can you imagine having the eyes of over 2 MILLION PEOPLE on you?! With social media and the beauty standards propagated there, how does one stay true to oneself? Of course we can't talk about beauty stuff without having our resident expert Felicia, so listen on for her tips on the million dollar question of the day - how to not let social media affect you...

Asian men have always had to fight against Hollywood's portrayal of them - usually as the nerdy, socially awkward type. With Kpop reaching peak popularity these days, what do Thomas and Dan think about the impact they have on the perception towards Asian men in general? Mia's playing a moderator here to get their hot takes on this very, serious, issue.   If you want to request a topic, share your...

Do you have trust issues? Dan is the type who'd easily trust others but Mia and Thomas can be jaded sometimes (sorry Thomas). On this AFF episode, we share our thought on the topic of trusting others - in friendships, in a romantic relationship, and at work.  As always, if you want to request a topic, share your story, or have a burning question, contact us at: Email: frndsnextdoor@gmail.com Insta...

Do you find yourself constantly checking Instagram to see who liked your posts or replied to your stories, even when you just did 5 minutes ago? Do you go on Twitter to see what news broke the internet today or in the past hour, for that matter? Congrats, you might have a problem there... but don't worry! We're here to talk about how to maintain a healthy relationship with social media in this day...

Her new cooking channel? Check. Her new identity as a plant mom? Check. Crazy OffTheGreatWall days stories? Check! For those who used to watch OffTheGreatWall, this one's for you. Carmen came on our podcast to fill us in on what she's been up to, how she's doing in quarantine, and reminisce about the good ol' days. Enjoy!  If you want to keep up with Carmen, check her out on socials: Youtube: yout...

We turned to our mailbox and answered questions that some of you sent in. How did we meet? How important is physical attraction in a relationship? What are some of the New York things that only locals would know? We loved reading your messages so keep sending them in!  What's your story? Hit us up and tell us about it as we'd love to hear it!  And if you have a burning question, email us at frndsn...

Asians who grew up in the West, or as a minority, love it when we see people who look like us in the media. What's not to celebrate, right? They're representing us on a big platform! BUT, what happens if those who are supposed to represent us, do not? Worse, what happens when the person who’s supposed to represent us stands up for a cause that goes against our values? How much value/weight should...

While all three of us are Chinese, we were brought up under different circumstances so this time we sit down to compare our experiences growing up. How do we define identity? How much is our sense of identity influenced by external factors? How did we come to terms with who we are?  What's your story? Hit us up and tell us about it as we'd love to hear it!  And if you have a burning question, emai...

Friends who troll one another, stay together? On this episode, we tackle the topic of friendships - how much importance do you put on friends? How do the nature of friendships evolve as you get older?  What's your story? Hit us up and tell us about it as we'd love to hear it!  And if you have a burning question, email us at frndsnextdoor@gmail.com. Don't worry, you can always "ask for a friend"!