May 28Member-onlyEfficiency be DamnedA life lesson from writing personal essays — Back when I was a dancer, the part I liked the least was learning new choreography. Of course, learning anything new always comes with some level of discomfort, but I think it’s telling that I always wished I could just skip it. (Obviously — and to my dismay — that’s…Writing5 min readWriting5 min read
Apr 30Member-onlyThis Question Showed Me How I Can Add More Joy to My LifeIt’s not every day you get excited by a job interview question — A former office crush once told me that I should actively go on job interviews, even if I have no plans on leaving my job. Apparently, it would be a good exercise. …Happiness4 min readHappiness4 min read
Apr 27Member-onlyA (Tough) Love Letter To People Who Expect the World From ThemselvesIt is time to snap out of it — Do you sometimes tend to demand too much from your speck of a human self? Come, let us knock some sense into you. And me. (If you’re special and free from excessive self-expectation and thus probably not from this world, then k, congrats! we hate you! bye!) Now I know…Self Love5 min readSelf Love5 min read
Apr 22Member-onlyIt’s a Wobbleful LifeOn realizing that steadiness is not a prerequisite to security — On our trip to New York, my friend and I decided to take a class in a Broadway dance studio — a heels class, my first ever. And the teacher said something during the warm-up that struck me. She had us stand with our feet together, do a relevé (the…Life Lessons4 min readLife Lessons4 min read
Published inHello, Love·Apr 7Member-onlyWhat’s the Best Way to Show Up for Your Friend?The four support system archetypes — If you’ve ever watched a cheerleading stunt, I can bet my dog’s life that your eyes were glued to the girl up in the air. This girl is called the flyer. And the people lifting her are called bases. Which of the two roles is more impressive? Visually, the answer…Friendship8 min readFriendship8 min read
Mar 8Member-onlyInstead of Personal Growth, Choose ThisAnd eleven other learnings that have made my life feel significantly richer — I believe that the best way to crystallize a nascent realization is to articulate it. Four years ago, I began this birthday tradition where I share twelve things that describe Ria at *insert age here* (Here’s Ria at 28, 27, 25 (26 was the year the pandemic started, so I’d…Life Lessons10 min readLife Lessons10 min read
Published inHello, Love·Feb 20Member-onlyWas the High Worth the Pain?An inquiry into the famous Swiftie question. — In case the title doesn’t ring a bell, here’s the reference: Blank Space by Taylor Swift on YouTube or Spotify. I’ll begin by telling you how this one ends: I realize that I’ve been asking the wrong question. But let’s take it from the start, shall we? “If you knew…Relationships8 min readRelationships8 min read
Feb 8Member-onlyMy Online Existential CrisisTo engage, or not to engage? That is the question. — “Resenting a new technology will not halt its progress.” — Marshall McLuhan Please don’t go looking for these, but at one point in my life, I ran three very decorated, very cringey personal blogger sites. All at the same time. …Social Media15 min readSocial Media15 min read
Feb 2Member-only“Have I Turned Boring?”The loss of old joys and the wins of unsexy maturity — Last month, my friend Ally who’s also in her late twenties shared with me her year-end reflection. I had known about her buying a new car and condo unit, but apparently, she had a lot of other adulting endeavors. She had her home’s roof repaired. She initiated pest control services…Life Lessons8 min readLife Lessons8 min read
Jan 25Member-onlyThe Beautiful Game, as Told by a NoobI now get football. But also, I do not get football. — “So what’s your team?”, Ena asked me. She knew I wasn’t a football fan, so I readily admitted that I didn’t know. Argentina? Because you know, Messi, GOAT, the bandwagon. But I told her there was this cute French guy I’d met on vacation a few years ago, which was…Football7 min readFootball7 min read
