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

Not Another Happiness Project

We’re told happiness comes from purpose, goals, and self-improvement. But maybe the point of life isn’t to chase joy, but to be it.

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

Two Ways to Starve

He keeps his Rolex wrapped tight, waiting for a moment that feels real. She orders oysters with borrowed money, chasing a self that might be loved.

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

Diary of a Gaslit Husband

She made lasagna. From scratch. Said I “deserve the world.” Wild, considering 12 hours ago I was the worst husband for asking if she was okay.

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

Echo No More: Aria

To love a narcissist is to lose yourself by fading in someone else’s world. But Echo was not lost. She found her voice—and became Aria.

Vanessa Liu 6/2/25 Vanessa Liu 6/2/25

Fruitless Longing

A loop of longing, sweet and sly—each fruit wants what it is not, and joy slips quietly by.

Vanessa Liu 6/2/25 Vanessa Liu 6/2/25

When the Pencil Stops

Some days don’t shine. This is a note for those days—and the quiet truth that we all find ways to hold on.

Vanessa Liu 6/2/25 Vanessa Liu 6/2/25

Ain’t Your Porcelain

I’ve been courted by cowards and studied by men who think they discovered me. I’m the storm you never warned yourself about.

Vanessa Liu 6/2/25 Vanessa Liu 6/2/25

California Girl

You come to California chasing light. You stay long enough to get lost in it—and somewhere along the way, you learn to carry your own.