Words

I didn’t plan to say but needed to.

Somewhere between ennui and spark, my raw, unfiltered bits are here.

I’m a nerdy girl with a pen—the type who always carries a black Pilot Precise V5, has read thousands of books, and still scribbles in the margins. Sometimes I’m just writing back to an author who’ll never read it.

Maybe one day, all these scribbles will grow into books of their own.

Vanessa Liu 6/9/25 Vanessa Liu 6/9/25

IQ 300

The smartest man in history didn’t change the world. He disappeared from it because the world didn’t know what to do with a mind like his.

Vanessa Liu 6/9/25 Vanessa Liu 6/9/25

Let’s Eat Grandma

One missing comma turned dinner into a crime scene. By the end of the day, I had alarmed my family and traumatized my coworkers.

Vanessa Liu 6/7/25 Vanessa Liu 6/7/25

Good Daughters, Guilty Women

Many women carry guilt as a default setting. The cost is invisible, but it shows up in burnout, resentment, and the slow erosion of self.

Vanessa Liu 6/6/25 Vanessa Liu 6/6/25

Surviving the Faces

They call it 脸色: the “colors of the face.” It’s the weather someone wears— shifting shades of storm and sun. Not all power is permanent.

Vanessa Liu 6/4/25 Vanessa Liu 6/4/25

重男轻女的代价

“重男轻女”是中国根深蒂固的性别偏见，不仅伤害了无数女性的成长与尊严，也带来了家庭失衡、社会问题、甚至国家层面的长期危害。

Vanessa Liu 6/4/25 Vanessa Liu 6/4/25

The Toxic Legacy of Son Preference

How the belief that boys matter more than girls still shapes lives in China—and beyond.

Vanessa Liu 6/4/25 Vanessa Liu 6/4/25

So Traffic, So Busy

Why Filipinos blame “traffic,” Americans say they’re “so busy,” and what both excuses reveal about modern life.

Vanessa Liu 6/3/25 Vanessa Liu 6/3/25

The Golden Throne

To stand alone, yet hold with grace, is to reclaim a rightful place. No vacant seat can rule your soul; the only reign is self-control.

Vanessa Liu 6/1/25 Vanessa Liu 6/1/25

Not Bali, Just Tuesday

Sunscreen, afternoon tea, and a closet full of gowns. This is what luxury looks like when work never stops.

Vanessa Liu 6/1/25 Vanessa Liu 6/1/25

Spider-Man and the Rubber Band Model

The Rubber Band Model isn’t just a framework for ambition. It’s a way to understand identity, love, healing, and the sacred friction of growth.

Vanessa Liu 5/31/25 Vanessa Liu 5/31/25

Cutting Rapunzel’s Hair

Real growth doesn’t begin when we add more to our lives. It begins when we’re willing to release what no longer serves us.

Vanessa Liu 5/31/25 Vanessa Liu 5/31/25

I’m Not Interested

Saying it can feel strange at first—too direct, too final. But it’s a quiet decision to stop trading our time, energy, and attention for approval.

Vanessa Liu 5/31/25 Vanessa Liu 5/31/25

Winning the Office Game

The office is a game of people, power, and perception. Mastering it means playing smarter, not harder. Work has never been only about tasks and deadlines.

Vanessa Liu 5/30/25 Vanessa Liu 5/30/25

Nice Isn’t a Strategy

Game theory shows that stable outcomes only emerge when players adjust their strategies—breaking old patterns to create new possibilities.

Vanessa Liu 5/29/25 Vanessa Liu 5/29/25

The Power of Second Best

I used to think you had to be the best to win. Then I learned about a rule in auction theory that flipped everything I believed about success.

Vanessa Liu 5/29/25 Vanessa Liu 5/29/25

The Cult of Busyness

You’re tired because you’ve forgotten how to rest. In a world that rewards constant motion, busyness becomes a mask we wear to feel worthy—until it breaks us.