Shiv's Newsletter #9
It's been a minute! We back baby 💪
👋 Hi friends! I know it’s been over a month since the previous edition went out and I appreciate some of you asking when the next one was gonna come out. So here we go back by popular demand, I’ve got a few recent experiences I’d like to share below.
📖 ICYMI, here’s my last edition from Feb. 12 where I recommended a Chinese TV show and shared some deets about my gratitude journaling practice.
🔁 Community Connections
Last weekend, I organized a mini field trip to Flushing, a multicultural neighborhood in Queens and home to NYC’s largest Chinatown. I started an iMessage group chat and invited three of my friends who all knew me individually but didn’t know each other. I hopped on the 7 train at Grand Central Terminal all the way to the last stop on Main Street. We hit up 99 Favor Taste for an all-you-can-eat Chinese hot pot dinner on a brisk winter evening. Shoutout to Justin Lin, Lucas Lieberman, and Kadar Qian for the wholesome conversations as we simultaneously supervised the variety of foodstuffs simmering in each of our pots.
I went on a retreat in Costa Rica with Justin, took Mandarin classes with Lucas, and interned at Toast with Kadar. Now we all live in New York which is pretty dope. Earlier this month, I flew out west to San Diego for Josh Fujita-Yuhas’ bachelor party. Josh is one of my best friends from college and is getting married later this year!! We were a group of 10 guys split between the Northeastern crew and Josh’s OG friends from high school in Seattle. We all got to know each other over the weekend while hooping on the basketball court, catching waves along Pacific Beach, and hanging out at the Airbnb in the beautiful seaside area of La Jolla.
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” — Muhammad Ali
Both experiences reminded me of the power of bringing people together intentionally and the joy of seeing connections form organically. While I love cultivating friendships across countries and coasts, I also really value my alone time and just had one of the best meals I’ve ever had on my own. After signing off from work and leaving the office, I pulled up to ICHIRAN in Times Square for a fresh bowl of ramen. Their style includes solo dining booths to minimize distractions between you and the flavors in front of you. As Jaeki Cho would say, I tended to the noodles gently and then took decisive action. It was definitely my all-time fav ramen experience!!
📚 What I’m reading
🇮🇳 George Soros says Adani row may spark Indian democratic revival by Harish Pullanoor | Quartz India
🌍 Citizenship-by-investment programs are on the rise in Africa by Seth Onyango | Quartz Africa
⚽️ North London Forever by Martin Ødegaard | The Players’ Tribune
⚡️ The surprising key to a clean energy future by Bill Gates | GatesNotes
🎧 What I’m listening to
Papi (Bhabi) by Eden Shalev (first heard at my friend Karl’s gig at a speakeasy)
Around - Solomun Vox by Noir, Hayze, and Solomun
Adonis Interlude by Dreamville and J. Cole (from the Creed III soundtrack)
on the street by j-hope (with J. Cole)
👀 What to watch for
🎮 Ted Lasso Season 3 dropped on Apple TV+ (FYI it’s super fun playing with the likes of Jamie Tartt, Dani Rojas, and Sam Obisanya as AFC Richmond in FIFA 23)
📺 The final season of Succession premieres on March 26 on HBO Max
🏛️ Economists remain split on the prospect of a 25 bps rate hike by the US Fed at the next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on March 22
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed hearing from me again after a bit of a hiatus. Send any ramen recommendations, quotes from Coach Beard, and interest rate predictions.
With gratitude,
Shiv