In the past year since settling down in the East Bay, I’ve made a number of close friends that I’m very grateful for.

• Riss. Who is in grad school right now studying to be a therapist. She’s also a somatic healer, a business owner, who writes her own newsletter! But she’s also my friend, though I thought when we met we had nothing in common because she wanted to talk about horoscopes and she felt like my star sign was off. I think now what we have in common is the energy and loyalty we show to others in our life.
• Shuge. Who is now a home-owner! And is a person who I feel is so generous and open with her time no matter what.
• Leon. Who has gotten into music school and will be starting in the fall! And who has worked so hard for the past years since deciding he wanted to do this – going through a year of toiling through injury, a year of fog, not knowing what he wanted to do with his life, and an era of utter devotion to his craft – the piano – since we came back from Taiwan.
• Alicia. Who left her comfortable job in economics research to also do therapy! I admire the courage, the belief that things will work out.
• Arman. Who has an incredible memory about people and things, who lives in two worlds (Seattle & Oakland).
• Penny. Who is a Kaohsiung local, then moved to the UK for a year to study illustration, and now is back in the motherland (Taiwan) and, I believe that out of the forest of directionlessness she will find her way as an artist.
• Abie. Who is a top-notch solo practice lawyer right after graduating from Berkeley Law. Abie is incredible at what he does and I feel I can go to him with any legal question and he loves discussing, theorizing, walking through all the alternatives, and he shows up.
• Taj. Who moved back to Arizona to be with his grandparents, and I miss him! And who got arrested in California for animal activism, but still passed the bar, and we all wrote in for his moral character hearing, which was awesome.
• Don & Lily. Who are the most joyous, and free-spirited couple I know, who live life with no bounds, who are worldly and adventurous and live life to the fullest.

This list is not exhaustive and just people who come to mind right now as I’m writing this!