The Life Explorer

Nicole explores life at every turn. She seeks out off-beat experiences, pauses to dig up more details about whatever piques her curiosity, and tries to avoid doing the exact same things twice.  Here are some examples:

6.6.09 Each of us paid $1 to prove we could sing while scrambling our brains on a space-shuttle simulator ride in Little Rock, Arkansas.

5.31.09 My 2.5-week cross-country relocation roadtrip begins! Live blogging it in 140-character bits at www.twitter.com/nicolecwong.

5.16.09 Chasing the Volvo Ocean Race in Boston Harbor

5.11.09 Entrepreneurial journalism lesson 1: Must be able to dive in as a guest speaker on five-minutes notice when sitting in on a Harvard Extension class on entrepreneurial journalism.  (Thanks for letting me learn that first hand, Adjunct Professor Beard!)  

5.8.09 Rice pudding indeed can be finger food!

5.2.09 Won’t anyone on Martha’s Vineyard sell us lobster ice cream?

4.28.09 Learning interviewing techniques from an FBI agent

4.25.09 Art in Bloom

4.24.09 Uncovering Mr. Bitter Melon’s hideout

4.18.09 Chandelier in the sky

4.17.09 Fleshing out an idea in 15 minutes

4.16.09 “Sometimes the bad ones are funner…” said the restaurant reviewer before we sat down for dinner.

4.15.09 Saga beef comes from a cow that drank more beer and sake in one day than I drank in my entire life! (That made for an especially memorable dinner at Morimoto.)

4.14.09 Go ahead, cut my hair any way you want, Take 2.

4.12.09 The “best” Chinese restaurant in Greater Boston serves strawberry chicken?

4.8.09 Miss Tess is the best swing singer I never knew!

4.7.09 How much would a bottle of enthusiasm sell for?

4.4.09 I guess I am geeky.

4.3.09 This non-profit opened libraries at a faster rate than Starbucks opened coffee shops! An inspiring speech and cocktail party conversation with CEO John Wood.

3.21.09 Do live termites taste better in the Belize jungle?

3.20.09 Who knew a snorkeling photo would make my mom scream?

3.17.09 In Guatemala, the Street Fighter arcade game’s female characters have names like “Jane” and “Vanessa.”

3.16.09 I know why chickens cross the road in El Remate, Guatemala!

3.15.09 The thrill of roasting s’mores over flowing lava must be masking the smell and taste of volcanic sulfur…

3.14.09 It doesn’t get cold enough in Boston to wear a rainbow-knit ski mask. (At least that’s what I told the lady trying to sell me one in Guatemala.)

12.20.08 I only play football in the snow. (Fortunately, there’s lots of that in Boston.)

12.15.08 Even New York City’s scaffolding exudes holiday cheer!

12.14.08 No, waiter, I’m not a food blogger. (But thanks for the idea!)

12.13.08 Skating on synthetic ice is not fun. (We learned the hard way.)

12.05.08 Sweater Vestival’s second anniversary, at least in our office.

11.27.08 Can’t beat a traditional, touristy Thanksgiving dinner in Plymouth, MA!

11.22.08 Chinese consumption, Lesson 6: How to eat hairy crab

11.18.08 Chinese consumption, Lesson 5: Noodles aren’t just for eating

11.16.08 Chinese consumption, Lesson 4: How to eat Din Tai Fung dumplings

11.15.08 Chinese consumption, Lesson 3: The best chicken wings are tucked away in a dimly lit hutong

11.14.08 Beijing Art District 789

11.13.08 Chinese consumption, Lesson 2: How to swallow your fear of insects in one gulp

11.09.08 Chinese consumption, Lesson 1: How to cook jianbing in the street

10.25.08 Caution: This block is pilgrim territory

10.19.08 Speedy the World-Traveling Turtle explores New York

10.12.08 Forget the ferry. We’ll sail ourselves to the Boston Harbor Islands!

10.11.08 Honk music festival raises a ruckus in Davis Square

10.4.08 The Pumpkin People take over Jackson, NH!

10.3.08 Fall foliage horseback rides in NH’s White Mountains

10.1.08 Some people color-coordinate their shoes and purses. Others match their cars with fall foliage.

9.28.08 What the Fluff? (That’s right, this is Somerville, home of the jarred sticky stuff.)