Welcome to the Sugary Scoop, my free biweekly newsletter where we help you see and experience the magic of NYC that I love so much through curated events, experiences, artists, and community stories.

Let’s get to this week’s Scoop!

Wednesday 🍬 12.11

• 7:00pm (Midtown): Sugary & Joust's Upscale Game Night - Sugary is proud to team up with the folks at Joust for an incredible night of gaming amongst peers and total strangers. We've taken over a part of a hotel to play in style with food and drink available for purchase all night and festive tunes of the season spinning in the background.

  So whether you're a novice or a seasoned pro, DO pass GO, DO Uno reverse your plans to stay in, and definitely know that it was Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the candlestick!  

  Joust (@joustsociety) hosts upscale game nights in hotels and lounges all over New York City. Join us for an intimate game night to cap off the year.

  Expect a line-up of:

  • ​Party/social games like Codenames, Wavelength and Taboo

  • ​Familiar favs like Uno, Monopoly Deal and your favorite card games

  • ​A few classics like Catan, Clue and more

  • Dress code: "Knives Out": cardigans, turtlenecks... just watch the movie

  RSVP HERE (Social Battery Level: Medium Ambivert - Crowd Size 40-60)

Saturday 🍬 12.14

• 2:00pm (Tribeca): Sugary's Handwritten Holiday Card Invitational - Join me in this 25 year tradition! A handwritten card for the holidays just hits different, trust me....I would know. ​We'll take care of some snacks and beverages while you write away!

  • For Sugary members of the community, we'll even take care of your cards and the postage.

  • RSVP HERE (Social Battery Level: Low Introvert - Crowd Size 20-30)

Thursday 🍬 12.19

• 7:00pm (Brooklyn): Fine Folk: The Holiday Party - Our final party of the year! Come join us for some holiday cheer in in good company. An exceptional evening for people of exceptional character.

  As with every Fine Folk gathering, the rules are simple… 

  If your rsvp is accepted, you are allowed 1 guest.

  Two Rules:

  1. You must know the guest for at least 1+ years

  2. You must share a real account of how your guest showed up in your life that meant EVERYTHING to you.

  No casual relationships at these gatherings.

• RSVP HERE (Social Battery Level: Medium Extrovert - Crowd Size 60-80).

_{(Space is very limited for each of these events so if you’d like to attend to any of these events, please hit the RSVP button below sooner than later!)}

NOTABLE NYC EVENTS FROM FRIENDS

Wednesday 🍬 12.11

• 6:00pm (Midtown): Arootah Presents: Festive Holiday Networking Event - ​​Celebrate the season with an evening, featuring an executive dialogue on Mastering Strategic Communication—a perfect blend of networking, professional growth, and holiday cheer! Join NYC’s top high performers to connect with like-minded professionals while gaining powerful insights into mastering communication.

  
  What to Expect:

  • Thought-provoking insights from industry leaders

  • A dynamic networking environment

  • Festive drinks and refreshments to celebrate the season
    

  Hosted by Arootah, this event is more than a learning opportunity—it’s your chance to mingle with like-minded professionals, raise a toast to the season, and leave inspired to tackle the new year with confidence and clarity.

  Spaces are limited, so secure your spot today to end the year on a high note!

  
  RSVP HERE (First 20 RSVPS ARE FREE, REG TIX $100)

Wednesday 🍬 12.18

• 6:30pm (Brooklyn): The Feels NY Presents: A Mindful Singles Event - This holiday season, let’s leave the dating app fatigue behind. 80% of NYC singles are burned out from swiping, ghosting, and gaslighting - but The Feels offers a more intentional way to connect.

  Step away from the screens and into the warmth of present-moment connection. Meet others who are thoughtfully approaching dating, and find something real to carry you through the season. Sound like the reset you need? You’re wanted here.

  RSVP HERE (code “Sugary” for 15% discount)

January 2025

Sundays at 12pm-1:30pm - The Sensitive Silly Men Summit - Explore the power of your anti-resume, gain new wisdom on your dilemmas and hot topics, and find a new hilarious and accountable community of friends to become the best silly man you can be. Virtual + In-person options are available. You can email David Metler for questions at [email protected].

More Info & RSVP HERE (3 spots left)

Let’s Build Together: A New Kind of Community + Creator Event

As we head into the final stretch of the year, I wanted to catch you up on what’s happening with the Empathy Project—and how you can help us take it to the next level:

Remember 2020?

That’s when the Empathy Project was born. I wanted to create something that could bring people together, especially when our country was more divided than ever. Fast-forward to now, after another election cycle and with major changes ahead, it’s clear this mission has become more urgent. We want to keep pushing forward to spark meaningful conversations, bridge cultural divides, and bring people closer through art, culture, and constructive dialog.

We’ve Hit Some Early Milestones

We’re proud to have sold over 1,000 empathy-themed t-shirts—one small but meaningful step.  One t-shirt at a time, one person at a time. And that’s just the start. In the new year, thanks to our partnership with Do Good Points, we’re planning more IRL events, community gatherings, and safe spaces where tough but important conversations can happen. We’re talking about new speaking series like S P A C E: Powered by Empathy, curated socials, and creative activations that bring folks together face-to-face.

Why Your Support Matters Right Now

Here’s something to keep in mind that I actually didn’t know until looking into it a bit: over 80% of year-end giving decisions get made in the last week of the year. If you’ve been fortunate this year—perhaps a windfall in stocks or crypto—consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Empathy Project before December 31. Every bit helps us continue growing this work that’s all about encouraging understanding and compassion.

Company Matching? Let’s Put It to Good Use!

If your company offers a matching donation program and you haven’t used it yet, we’d love for you to choose the Empathy Project through Do Good Points as your charity of choice. It’s a powerful way to double your impact and truly make a difference.

Easy Ways to Give

All donations are tax deductible. And we’re nimble on that front, (i.e. credit card, stocks, crypto) — whatever works for you. You can donate right now by clicking Donate Now, or if you’d like more details on other donation methods, just hit “reply” and I’ll send you our donation sheet. It’s that simple.

Thank you for being part of this journey. With your support, we’re going to keep building a kinder, more understanding world—one conversation, one connection, one event at a time.

Join me in making it happen.

THE SUGARY EFFECT

Études of Gratitude (Part II)…

There we were.

I looked at my mother and she looked at me.

In front me was this tiny frame of a woman, barely 4 feet 10 inches and maybe around 75 lbs tops.

When I looked at her, I saw a visage with a permanently furrowed countenance, gazing at me with an aged blend that contained hints of anxiety, disappointment and sadness…a rare vintage indeed.

This time around though, there was one more note to add to this complex palate…confusion.

Dementia takes on many forms for many people. In my mother it manifested in such a way that if you didn’t tell me that my mother had a terminal cancer diagnosis, it would’ve really been hard for me to tell because my mother’s mental state took center stage during my visit with her.

While I’ll spare you the details of the painful specifics, I will tell you that what I witnessed consistently for 30 days was a woman trapped in her own mind, unable to break free of the maddening loop that droned on like a broken record without a stop button. It was a paranoia that was at best irrationally overbearing and at worst frighteningly manic.

However…

There were rare moments of lucidity. Moments that when they came were accompanied by abject embarrassment, a rush of desperate apologies and a plea for forgiveness.

And in those brief moments, I found I was grateful…

Grateful to see my mom for who she was and not who she can’t help being now.

There would only be fewer moments like this to appreciate…

Being that my dad had a stroke and was hospitalized, I took my mother to see him daily and as our time with my father concluded each day I would thank the nurse who offered him around the clock care…Ah Mei we called her.

It made me also think about how fortunate it was that my parents decided to move back to Taiwan for their sunset years.

Nationalized health care and elderly care is no joke. For a fraction of the cost here in the US you can have a commendable level of care.

Don’t believe me? Nurse Ah Mei’s 24 hour care of my father amounted to (drum roll please)…

$437.50 per week.

Wild isn’t it?  

Had my parents stayed in America, even with insurance they would have been wiped clean of their savings in one fell swoop.  

And so I am honestly quite grateful for nationalized health care. 

It’s painful to see how wrong we’re getting it here in the states… and if the latest indifferent reaction to the tragic news regarding the United Healthcare CEO signifies anything, I‘m probably not alone in this assessment. 

At least in Taiwan, my parents can get the care they need not just what they can afford and not lose everything they have. 

Perhaps it’s a model worth investing in…

With my father’s care in good hands, I felt our daily pilgrimage to see him was the proverbial cherry on top.

Instinctually I felt it was important because I am the ultimate believer in human connection and its power to heal.

I may not be a scientist but what I can say based on my daily observation, is that my mother showed clear improvement THE MOMENT she was near my dad…it was uncanny.  

During the 1-2 hours we spent with dad each day, my mother walked with greater balance, had a clearer sense of presence and her cognitive function improved to accommodate actual conversation…remarkable ain’t it?

But perhaps even more remarkable than that was when we would be leaving my father for the day. Without fail, my mother would walk over to my father, lean over and offer a simple kiss on the head and say…

“I love you.” 

“I love you” always came in return.

This may seem like nothing to a lot of you but I can’t emphasize just how shocking it was for me to witness that.

My parents were NEVER proponents of PDA and if you’d asked me about it I would have stated openly that they were in a loveless marriage bound by duty and cultural values and nothing more.

Yet here they were…offering affection to each other in a way I had honestly never seen growing up.

I guess I was foolish in my sweeping assessment. And in that moment for the first time ever…

I was grateful to have witnessed requited love between my parents.

And it was beautiful.

TO BE CONTINUED…

PAST EVENTS

Dec 3rd: New York Asian Film Festival: A Special Evening Honoring Asian and Asian American Film Excellence - I produced the end of the year VIP reception for the NYAFF that drew nearly 150 luminaries from the entertainment, creator economy, arts & culture, business and fashion worlds to embrace NYAFF’s vision for 2025. It was a magical evening and brought the community together in such a lovely way.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Stephen Wilson Jr.

From the rural planes of Southern Indiana, a star is born.

Stephen Wilson Jr. is the kind of artist you wished to God you had a chance to see before the world embraced him for the unmistakable singular talent that he is.

A blend of country, indie rock and a dash of grunge helps him craft a style that is self described as “death cab for country”.

I first discovered this artist on TikTok right as he was about to go viral with his absolutely stunning cover of “Stand By Me”…probably the best cover I have heard of any song in five or more years.  

Within less than a month’s time, his following more than quadrupled and virtually every show on his tour was sold out instantly.

A truly gifted self-taught musician and a lyricist of impeccable depth, Stephen skated by for many years as a supporting musician and songwriter in the Nashville music scene before finally betting on himself and now the entire music listening world will thank him for it.

The songs that this man writes…Jesus Christ…and the way in which he sings them are second to none.  

“I’m the words that’ll hit ya it’ll get ya where you’re going so you’ll never go there alone.

I’m the melody glued to the memory that you can’t shake when it comes on.

I’m the part of you, that you listen to ridin’ with the radio all night long  

I’m a song…”

With an unassuming demeanor and an introspective soul, Stephen’s songs are relatable at such a deep level and regardless of your preferred genre, you’ll find something that resonates with you in the songs of this talented genius.

It’s just THAT good.

Year to Be Young 1994 (Most Popular Song)

I’m a Song (Lesser Known Song)

Cover of Stand By Me (Most Recent Release)

Become a Curator for the Unsent Letter Mailbox!

The Unsent Letter Mailbox is a grassroots storytelling movement creating anonymous spaces for vulnerability and radical honesty in New York City.

Over the past six months, we’ve hosted 18 park installations, 5 sold-out salons, we've seen over 15 people cry in public, and received over 500 unsent letters capturing the full spectrum of human emotion.

We’re thrilled to launch our pilot Curator Program, inviting like-minded folk to host anonymous gatherings in their communities. If you're keen, fill out this form!

Connect IRL. Experience Fabrik.

Get in touch with NYC’s brightest communities and make new friends.

Fabrik is a home for communities and where everyone has a place to belong. With spaces designed to feel more like your living room than your office, Fabrik’s 'third spaces' are vibrant hubs where you can come together in real life, explore interests, forge meaningful connections, and enjoy a sense of community.

Sign-up here to experience a day pass at Fabrik.

Weekly events at Fabrik HERE

Othership offers immersive sauna and ice bath experiences that help human beings feel good now. A sanctuary for social self-care to move you from city buzz to inner calm.

Dive into the largest performance saunas in North America, experience otherworldly ice bath spaces and connect in an intimate amphitheater-style tea lounge surrounding a cozy fire place for socializing.

Expect towel-waving performances, aromatherapy, guided breathwork, visualizations, and somatic release to help you shift your state and regulate your emotions, in a world that can’t be regulated.

The founders of Othership have gifted us a New York 2 for 1 Deal. Get yours while they last!

EMPATHY PROJECT

DONATE to the Empathy Project

Your support matters right now.

Over 80% of year-end giving decisions get made in the last week of the year. If you’ve been fortunate this year—perhaps a windfall in stocks or crypto—consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Empathy Project before December 31. Every bit helps us continue growing this work that’s all about encouraging understanding and compassion.

Company Matching? Let’s Put It to Good Use!

If your company offers a matching donation program and you haven’t used it yet, we’d love for you to choose the Empathy Project through Do Good Points as your charity of choice. It’s a powerful way to double your impact and truly make a difference.

Easy Ways to Give

All donations are tax deductible. And we’re nimble on that front, (i.e. credit card, stocks, crypto) — whatever works for you.

Every bit helps us continue growing this work that’s all about encouraging understanding and compassion.

You can donate right now by clicking Donate Now

Thank you for being part of this journey.