betty ming liu

The power of personal punting

February 3, 2012 9:29am

Here’s the headline: I found a way to survive my first month as a full-time, 21st century journalist. Despite overwhelming exhaustion and personal chaos, punting is helping me to make progress. Actually, I have no interest in Sunday’s Super Bowl game or the half-time ritual of watching the (hopefully) funny commercials that cost millions of [...]

Tagged as: branding, entrepreneur, Journalism, Work Tips, writing

10 comments Read the full article →

Sweet letters from my students: how to write conversationally

February 1, 2012 9:33am

At colleges everywhere, the spring semester has sprung without me! But at least my former students are still around. Some even send nice notes that are great examples of ways to grow as writers. When they email, I weep tears of joy — which is more pleasurable than the frustrated sobbing that comes with grading [...]

Tagged as: blogging, Life Skills, students, teaching, work skills, writing

8 comments Read the full article →

Laughing at Asian parents — of course, this isn’t me!

January 27, 2012 9:55pm

“We have to watch this together,” my daughter commanded. Her laptop was open to a YouTube video, “Shit Asian Dads Say.” For the next 2.54 minutes, we laughed like maniacs. This precious bit of parody revealed so much about…me. Ooops, I was busted! When this searing spoof was first posted on Jan. 15, the Asian [...]

Tagged as: asian, dad, family, Inspiration, mom, parenting

9 comments Read the full article →

Photos of a 10-course Chinese dinner — yum!

January 23, 2012 6:53pm

This is my first-ever Lunar New Year as a working mom. With a hectic 9-to-7 gig, I now totally relate to friends whose full-time jobs make it impossible for them to pull together a decent holiday dinner on a week night (or any dinner on any night, for that matter). In a few minutes, I [...]

Tagged as: asian, Food, friends, immigrants, kian lam kho, nyc

8 comments Read the full article →

Learning about relationships from the Year of the Dragon

January 21, 2012 8:03pm

I‘ve always viewed the dragon as one of the coolest symbols of Chinese culture. Then, I learned the unpleasant reality of his relationship to his mate, the glorious, wildly feathered phoenix. Of course, we have every reason to adore the dragon. As the first animal in the 12-creature Chinese zodiac, he represents the ideal time [...]

Tagged as: artist, asian, immigrants, Inspiration, love, my latest paintings, relationships, romance, self-esteem

23 comments Read the full article →

How to use Apple’s One-to-One program

January 17, 2012 12:05am

As we all know, embracing technology is key to both personal and professional success. Note the key word: “Embrace.” Absolutely, passion makes a difference. But if you’re not feeling the love for tech stuff, this post might offer you both help and hope. The information below is about Apple’s One-to-One membership for Mac training. I [...]

Tagged as: branding, entrepreneur, mac, tech

4 comments Read the full article →

I can do the job — how to prepare to go back to work

January 10, 2012 7:45pm

This is only my second full week as a full-time reporter. Yes, very exciting. But getting back in the game after 16 years is exhausting too. So when I saw my shrink this morning, I was relieved to learn that my feelings are normal. There’s even a special phrase to describe my experience. Work hardening. [...]

Tagged as: Inspiration, recession, work skills, Work Tips

17 comments Read the full article →

Making room for change, Part 2 — with more photos

January 5, 2012 11:24pm

Wow, reorganizing the crap in my house got done just in time. This is my first week on the new job and honey, work has been insane! But I am holding it together because at the end of every day, I am collapsing in a home that has a sense of order. Now the question [...]

Tagged as: alyson stanfield, branding, getting organized, Journalism, Life Skills, my art

15 comments Read the full article →

My YouTube inspiration for you

January 3, 2012 12:01am

YouTube is the future and I’m ready to be part of it! So here I am with my first home-made starring video, along with some useful links that might inspire you to explore YouTube as either a viewer or as a videographer. My glamorous two-minute debut is all about my favorite inspirational passage. As many [...]

Tagged as: bird by bird, one-to-one, rosebud, youtube

19 comments Read the full article →

Making do with loss

December 22, 2011 12:01am

My original plan was to make this an upbeat holiday post about a favorite inspirational quote. But I just found out that a dear, 80-something friend has died of a heart attack. So I’m feeling very sad. Still, the quote that I was planning to share has power, even in this moment: “Everything you [...]

Tagged as: aging, friends, Inspiration, love, self-esteem

25 comments Read the full article →

Making room for change

December 20, 2011 10:39pm

My fellow grasshoppers, I have seen the light: If I really want the new me, then there must be room for the new me. And that means getting serious about cleaning my house. It’s taken two dreadful days to get my home work spaces in order. But now, I have a beautifully functional desk setup. [...]

Tagged as: alyson stanfield, entrepreneur, Inspiration, Journalism, Life Skills, self-esteem, work skills, writing

25 comments Read the full article →

Last day of teaching

December 15, 2011 11:54pm

Well, it finally happened. This morning was the last day of the semester for my NYU journalism class. Now that it’s over, I am out of the teaching business. Starting Jan. 1, I’m back to full-time reporting. So the goodbyes today with my students were extra bittersweet. And I wasn’t the only one who left [...]

Tagged as: facebook, friends, Journalism, Life Skills, students, teaching, work skills

17 comments Read the full article →

Check out Islamic art at the Met

December 13, 2011 11:59pm

Tonight I went on a private tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The entire evening turned into one of those rare, perfect evenings in Manhattan. The magic began when I found street parking (free!). Then I walked into the Met (free!) to enjoy beautiful art, smart conversation and a nice reception. The Met had invited [...]

Tagged as: art, asian, India, Journalism, museums, networking, nyc, saja

12 comments Read the full article →

Dealing with change, letting go of the past

December 8, 2011 9:48pm

Last night, I couldn’t sleep. That’s pretty unusual because I love a good snooze. But with a ton of changes going on in my life, the brain was churning away and wouldn’t turn off. My seismic shifting began last month. First, I ended a 14-month relationship. Now I’m wrapping up my teaching gigs and getting ready [...]

Tagged as: Creativity, Divorce, family, Inspiration, Life Skills, love, self-esteem, work skills

31 comments Read the full article →

I’m leaving teaching & returning to reporting

December 6, 2011 12:01am

The good news is that I just landed a full-time journalism job! As for the bad news: I have given up all of my teaching gigs. At least, for now… I guess you want to hear about the job first. Early next year, Newsday, one of the country’s leading newspapers, is starting up a hyperlocal news [...]

Tagged as: blogging, branding, Journalism, networking, students, teaching, work skills

56 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries