It's weird to think that people my age are now buying houses or saving up for one. I would like to say that I was doing the same thing but it's hard for me to decide whether I would want to stay where I am now (the SF Bay Area) for the rest of my life, or at least for the next 5-10 years. Part of me would like to live back east or abroad, and who can resist the idea of having a place right by the beach in LA or Hawaii? So, in no particular order, here are my top 5 places of where I would own houses (or any type of dwelling, even a small apartment or loft would do, as long as I have enough space to sleep, store some of my belongings, and cook):

Santa Monica, California: Eclectic beachside city, environmentally conscious and progressive, it's the perfect Southern California counterpart to Berkeley. I felt completely at home here when I lived in LA. If UC had a campus here, it would have been my ideal college town. Lots of great shops and restaurants, and within reach of one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. It's also an easy drive to Santa Barbara and San Diego. And unlike most of Southern California, one can easily get around on foot or by bike.

New York: I know this one would have to be an apartment, most likely a studio. And it may have to be in one of the boroughs, but now I've heard that Brooklyn is where it's now at anyway, not that I've spent much time there. I love the East Coast, and not only does New York have everything you could want in a city, but it's also got an ideal location back east, with New England to the north, Washington, DC to the south, and Philadelphia a little to the west. I can easily go somewhere interesting when I need to leave town. But if you were stranded here forever, you could never get bored, with so much going on. The Bay Area may be diverse, but in New York you've got the whole world. As a theater and ballet fan, I'll always have my pick of shows to see. Lots of cheap food, street venders, festivals... And I won't even need a car! I should have gone to college back east... maybe in a few years.

Hawaii: I've only visited Oahu so far, but I've heard that Maui, Kauai and the Big Island are even better... I'll have to visit them all before I decide where I will have my Hawaiian residence. I didn't venture out there until this year, but I fell in love from the moment I stepped out. So laid back, lush, and gorgeous... I love tropical environments, or at least places where I can see the blue ocean. I know that I couldn't live here year-round since it's so isolated and there really aren't many opportunities out there so I would just keep a small house here as a retreat when I need some time to unwind. And it's one of the few places in North America where I could blend in and not stand out. In fact, if there was ever an emergency and all Asians in the US were sent to internment camps, I would probably pack up and move here, even though it's super expensive.

Paris: This was a difficult choice between Paris and London, and ultimately Paris won out. It's better that I practice my French, anyway. Once again, another major world city with plenty of activity to keep me busy. And if I worked here, I would get 8-9 weeks of vacation a year, work 35 hours a week, and have access to one of the best health care systems in the world. And as I love Europe so much, I would be within easy reach of many other exciting European destinations, and even Africa! Oh yeah, and the food (especially pastries!) are great too! Although I think I would have to give the Italians the prize for best overall meals.

Hong Kong: It would be unthinkable, especially to my family, to leave an Asian location out of this list, so here it is. My grandma asked me a few years ago whether I would want to work in Hong Kong, and at the time I barely even knew the place so I couldn't say if I did. Now that I've spent a bit of time there and have gotten to know it, I do feel a connection and appreciate the craziness of it all. It would give me a chance to get in touch with my roots as well as a base for exploring the rest of Asia. And I could put my Cantonese to use that I rarely use anymore except with family, and it would definitely force me to brush up on my reading and writing skills.

I do realize I left out my current home base, the Bay Area, but I figure that knowing so many people here, I could always crash at someone else's house when I'm around, most likely my parents'. I could never cut this place out of my life. A few years ago I would have done anything to get away, but I now realize that if you grow up here, you don't appreciate it until you go away and come back. There really is a lot of culture and diversity here that you can't find in most other places, and that is a fact that's known to a lot of locals and non-natives alike.