This post is not about how to become an attractive, alluring woman with a hot bod. (To get tips for that, check out glamour.com.) No, I’m here to admit this fact: I am guilty of looking down too much while walking. It’s not some deeply engrained custom relating to my Asian culture to avoid making eye contact with strangers. I guess it’s just become habit. But lately, I’ve made a concerted effort to look up more and be more aware of my surroundings. Perhaps it’s a metaphor for expanding my horizons and seeing the forest instead of only trees, yada yada.

At any rate, I now often gaze up at buildings and towards the sky. And guess what? I’ve noticed unexpected pops of color and a smattering of stars.

OK, this might be cheating a little because I saw these great windows at NYU’s Hayden Hall a few months ago

Chinatown’s Friendship Arch in Washington, DC

The Forever 21 store located in the ornate, historic Woodward & Lothrop building in downtown DC

View from the canal in Georgetown

Seeing stars in Georgetown

Luckily, with my head in the clouds, I haven’t walked into oncoming traffic…yet.

In an upcoming post: looking down is sometimes as equally rewarding.

Update on May 20, 2012: Listen to this segment from NPR’s TED Radio Hour which features Charlie Todd, creator of Improv Everywhere, talking about a project several years ago called “Look Up More” in NYC’s Union Square.