When I was a kid, I used to watch the news channel every day before school while my mom did my hair. My favorite channel was Fox News, not because I was Republican (what kind of third grader is Republican?), but because they told a lot of stupid jokes.

Ok, I was actually Republican. The only Republican in my grade, I touted conservative ideals to my non-believing classmates and tried to convert them to my party. My Democratic teachers intervened and sent me to detention for being against labor unions.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11

Life isn’t going to happen the way you want it to or even planned it to. When I was 5 years old, I planned out every year of my life from age 5 to age 100. What accomplishments I would make each year, what schools I would go to, what jobs I would have. I micromanaged my life to the point of obsession, giving myself more anxiety than necessary.

The old gods have deceased, leaving chaos in their wake. Seven planets competing for pagalite, a dwindling essential mineral that is needed to control the elements, host a competition to be crowned God of the godless world. The new God will be given the power to make pagalite from the 4 elements and as a result save their planet. 

Kaya, a girl from the planet Kairos, enters the competition with three others from her planet. Chosen by the Elders, Kaya cannot fight but she possesses a special gift given to her by the moon: the power to create minerals from water. She can hence heal people’s pain through using the water inside them and talk to others inside their minds. 

Kaya, a girl from the planet Kairos, enters the competition with three others from her planet. Chosen by the Elders, Kaya cannot fight but she possesses a special gift given to her by the moon: the power to create minerals from water. She can hence heal people’s pain through using the water inside them and talk to others inside their minds.

I published my first ebook! It's on Gumroad and comes in the form of a 24 page pdf, complete with short stories on love, loss, and the spaces between people in relationships and life.

“Hearts aren’t meant to be drawn. They’re meant to be fixed.” My mother would scold me in Mandarin when I was six years old, as I drew hearts all over the medical textbook she gave me, as an act of rebellion.

To make up for it, I drew an extremely detailed picture of the heart, including atria, ventricles, and valves. I included the aorta and vena cava for fun. And all of the veins. And the arteries. And some capillaries, just to put a cherry on top.

A continuation of the 75 Favorite Things Game, here is the Thirty Foodie Question Game!

1. Favorite eggs - poached eggs

2. Favorite breakfast - eggs Benedict

3. Favorite lunch - tuna avocado bagel

4. Favorite cooking trick - warming bagels in a rice cooker to make it puffy and warm and soft

5. Favorite home cooked food - braised beef

6. Favorite fries — kimchi fries

7. Favorite dinner - chicken parmesan

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews. Sometimes when people ask me what my favorite things are, I draw a blank and I reply, "I don't know, I don't think about it that much." But a big part of getting to know yourself is knowing what your likes are, dislikes, and propensities are.

I’ve been reflecting on the transformative power of words as used in praise and prayer. The verses in the Bible have the power to call upon angels to protect us, guide us, and comfort us. Speaking the words out loud during prayer is like sprinkling stardust on the spaces between us, creating something out of the void, shedding light on the darkness.