I. Am. Floored.

If you follow this blog or have talked to me in person in the last three weeks, then you'll know about the meltdown I had over my magically busted MTA card.

Remember: the second station manager I spoke with that night said it would be a few months until I heard back from the MTA after I mailed in my refund request. When I called the MTA info line before mailing my form, they said the same thing, and that because there was a backlog in requests, it could be the end of the year before I heard a thing. In fact, Yin told me it took two months to just get $7.49 back.

But then last night, upon checking the mail, look what arrived:

I've been approaching ABC's Fresh Off the Boat with cautious optimism since last summer when the show was announced. I love Eddie Huang's book, his voice--everything that makes the story what it is. It isn't a story I personally relate to, but there are moments scattered throughout his memoir that resonate with me and reflect personal experiences too. When I heard ABC was turning it into a sitcom, I was excited, but nervous. I didn't want to see the flavor of Eddie's voice disappear.

But along the course of reporting and watching its production and development, I began to get excited. When the cast was unveiled, I got even more excited. I'd been waiting for a show like this my whole life. Last February, I wrote about never seeing a family that looked like mine on TV when I was growing up. Fresh Off the Boat was the representation I'd been craving for years.

Disclaimer: I'm not a television critic.  There was no way I would even attempt to be one. I'm an observer of the community, and I want to continue to be one for as long as my career will allow me.


On Wednesday night, I covered a watch party in New York City for the two-episode premiere of the show that was attended by the cast and crew of the show, along with more than 1,000 fans. I was watching the show, but I was also watching the faces of the people around me. Their faces reflected the excitement and emotion I felt inside. I took a breath as the second episode was ending, put down my reporter's notebook, and focused on the projectors.

One month down, 11 to go!

I don't have a diagnosis yet for 2015, but it's been a mixture of highs and lows. My new philosophy when things hit "low" is to treat it like water off a duck's back. The way I see it, it's so easy to complain, complain, complain...I'm trying to approach all of the frustrations and anxieties with a better attitude and approach. It boggles my mind when people complain non-stop, but don't do anything about the thing that's causing them so much anger. I've been that person before--and can still be that person, in many ways--but I'd like to be different now, if I can help it.

Anyways, that's all another blog for another time... here are some January photos that never made it onto social media (with the exception of the picstitch on the right! Those are photos from my trip to Orange County near the end of the month, where I was one of the keynote speakers at the Asian Pacific American Awareness Conference at UC Irvine...more on that below...)