I had a blast in Philly. If one city gives me the vibe of being at home, it was Philly, for its walkability, boutique shops, and convenient public transportation. I also realized the accidental curriculum a city has to offer. It gave me a feel for the perks of living in big cities. Museums and libraries expose you to accidental discovery. If you're a reader of my blog, you might be aware of the Terence Tao interview. Since we're so drawn into AI these days, meeting something by accident has...

I am currently in California for summer school. On a rare free afternoon, our group visited the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda - his birthplace, where a small white frame house still stands on the manicured library grounds. As a Vietnamese visitor, an education policy researcher, I walked out of that archive with far more to think about than I ever expected. The Yellow Pad: Thinking vs. Posturing I have always been drawn to other people's handwritten notes in a way I can't...

This is an unexpectedly cold spring. I finished all my coursework and finally have room for a small collection. Here is what has been sitting with me lately. Things I Watched The Drama (2026, A24) caught me off guard — and I mean that in the best way. Directed by Kristoffer Borgli, who already proved with Dream Scenario that he is obsessed with how quickly we judge and cancel people, this one stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as an engaged couple whose wedding week unravels from a single...