This week we feature the current favorites and obsessions of Upma Singh who lives in West Philadelphia with her husband and two cats. She aims to design better websites, products and systems for the good of all. You can find her on Twitter @upmasingh.
Philadelphia
I came to this city in 2002 thinking I’d be here for no more than two years before exploring another part of the country or world. I’ve now been in Philadelphia longer than I’ve been anywhere else and I never want to leave! Except for winter (arguably), it’s almost always a lovely time to be outside. We’re a very walkable and bike-able place. We have so many parks including one of the largest urban green spaces in the world, Fairmount Park. You can make it to the Jersey shore in about an hour for a summertime beach day-trip, or the Pocono’s in about 90 minutes for a hike and beautiful scenery. Maybe because we’re a port city, or maybe because we’re a big (sanctuary!) city, or maybe because it’s a largely welcoming place, Philadelphia is an immigrant city and the diversity is comforting. Take a walk on South St. from end to end and you’ll hear ten different languages being spoken. And the food! Philadelphia, like many other places, has undergone a food renaissance in the last decade and our bellies are very happy. I love this city.
Podcasts
Who doesn’t love a good podcast? Especially one that brings South Asian voices to the fore. My favorites change probably monthly. Right now they are (in alpha order): 99% Invisible, Good Muslim Bad Muslim, S-town, Undisclosed (The Killing of Freddie Gray series).
UX/Design
I’m on my second career, and I love this one maybe more than I loved the first (film/video maker). I am a user experience designer. If you like to solve problems, have a curiosity about people, technology or the way systems work or don’t work, this might be for you too. If you’re an open-minded, detail-oriented person who loves organization and can deal with collaboration and constructive criticism, I highly recommend this as a career track. It is so much fun and can be very rewarding. 
South Asians In Pop Culture
We up in this #metgala @hasanminhaj @mindykaling @azizansari A post shared by Riz Ahmed (@rizahmed) on
To see Mindy and Aziz and Kumail and Riz and Hari and Taz and and and…! This is not something us ’80s kids had the luxury of growing up with. It means so much to me that these people are in the system; they’ve made it! They are telling our fellow citizens in subtle (and unsubtle) ways that we’re American too. It really means a lot.
Green Beauty
Sometime in 2006 I read an article that explained how there might be more harmful-to-you ingredients in sunscreen than helpful ingredients. What?!?!? I threw out all my conventional products that evening, poured over the Environmental Working Group’s skin deep website and that’s how I began my green beauty obsession. AMA (ask me anything). The only thing that’s been difficult is the never-ending journey to find the exact right foundation shade.
