A Day at the Met
I went to a costume exhibit at the Met last weekend. It was the Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion exhibit. There was so many beautiful dresses, decorated like roses and butterflies and seafoam. The exhibit had perfume scents scattered along the dresses and it made for an exhilarating experience. Going to the Met made me appreciate New York City all the more; the city's full of life and vigor and things to see and things to do. I feel so fortunate to be living in one of the best cities in the world, and I'm been so grateful towards God for directing my steps back to this city. Here are pictures of the fashion exhibit along with me and my beautiful friend.
The Ideal Evening Routine
You know I’m obsessed with routines. I used to watch Youtube videos of morning and evening routines. There's something so comforting about seeing people get ready for work and wind down after work. Routines and rituals also take a load off your mind because you don't have to be making decisions -- it just becomes a habit for you, and you can escape decision fatigue.
the 5am morning routine
In a previous post, I talked about the ideal morning routine. I’ve been reading a lot of productivity books and trying to adjust my morning routine to accommodate my work schedule. I started getting up at 5am because I needed more time in the mornings before heading to work, since I have to get to work by 9am and transit is notoriously a time-killer. I chug a couple cups of coffee to optimize my energy levels, and so far, it's been working. I have enough energy to last me to 10pm at night, when I usually go to sleep. I also have enough energy to work out after work. I like to run at the gym instead of outside now because I just feel it's more efficient. Optimally, I would like to run in the mornings, but I feel it takes a huge chunk of time and makes my mornings feel somewhat cramped. But the point of the morning routine is to be productive and optimize your day.
the ultimate act of sacrifice and self-control
“Gentleness and self-control; against such things there is no law” - Galatians 5:23
Recently I listened to a sermon by the late Tim Keller on self control. This was spurred on by an act that I deemed as my loss of self control. On Sunday, I left church early. I was dealing with anxiety, and I didn’t feel comfortable with my environment or with myself, so I left church in the middle of a sermon. Thinking about it, I was debating on whether it was the right thing to listen to my body or was it the wrong thing to leave church early. I had already gone to Catholic mass earlier that day, and I was mentally exhausted from the day. Against my body’s and the weather’s wishes, I tread to church, and it just didn’t feel good when I was there. And listening to myself, I decided to leave.
My Running Journey
I started running regularly since January 2023 and haven’t looked back since.
It was really tough getting into running. I used to run sporadically around my neighborhood, but I would give up on making it a habit because of physical exhaustion and inability to keep myself accountable. But after I started taking multi-vitamins and supplements and started eating better, my physical form improved. In January 2023, I decided to brute force myself into running. I ran 1 mile a day for 5 days a week every week for 1 month. My time ranged from 9 minutes a mile to 12 minutes a mile. I was more focused on getting my legs adjusted to running than improving my speed or distance. After 1 month, I got major shin splints. I also didn’t know that stretching was necessary before and after running, so I incurred some running injuries, mainly around my hip. I walked strangely for a month or two before getting back into running.
a perishable gold that is tested by fire
“But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.” - 1 Corinthians 15:46
We’re tied to the earth. 1 Corinthians 15:46 speaks of the physical body coming first, then the spiritual body. Without our physical body, a vessel for the spirit, we would be unmade and unformed. It is hard then, to resist things of the material world. We were taught first to live materially, than to live spiritually. For me, engaging in the teachings of Christ to nurture my undying spirit is an ongoing investment in my spiritual health. Caring for my soul relates to not tainting my body with immorality of the flesh, from sexual immorality to material greed to earthly desires.
chasing eternity: a changing light
“A self is not something static, tied up in a pretty parcel and handed to the child, finished and complete. A self is always becoming.” - Madeline L’engle.
I don’t believe that people don’t change. It doesn’t matter the terrible things you did as a child or as an adolescent, but if you repent for them and come to Christ later on, you will be granted eternity as well. I used to think that the people who are saved had their names written down since their birth. I was privileged in that I was baptized at birth, but the struggle to grasp on to God in the midst of sin and to hold onto faith despite the inundation of secular messages from this world ruled by Satan are battles that I’m still fighting.
The Best Pen Goes To…
I’m a pen geek. I inherited this hobby of collecting pens and all things stationery from my mom. She’s a major fan of fountain pens, which I don’t actually find super appealing due to the necessity of ink. Too many ink blots, too little time, and too much hassle to deal with fountain pens. They look good on a wooden oak desk next to a paper weight, but unless I was a CEO, I don’t see the need for them.
To Be Loved By Those Who Love
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” - John 15:18
Ever since I was a kid, I wondered, why some people hated. And why some people hated me. It was part of my personality to try to make everyone love me, and I thought if I loved people, people would love me back. I’m naturally reserved on the surface, but my father told me that I was a lover of people, a people-pleaser, yes, but someone who actually loved people, and he knew me better than anyone else did.
Morning Routine for Christians and the Non-Huberman
I recently looked up Andrew Huberman’s morning routine, because not only is he the most talked about “neuroscience expert” due to his scintillating Youtube videos and verbose podcasts, but his morning routine is espoused by many to optimize your day. I found similarities between his morning routine and mine, with some key differences.
Mornings are hard. Especially if you’re not a morning person. But is there really such thing as “morning person” and “night owl”? Sure, our biological clocks run a huge part of our lives, and our physiology and biochemistry affect our productivity and routines. But for Christians, “with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26).
World-Rounded — The Importance of News Outlets
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.
Begin Again: 3 Ways to Optimize Your Day
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.
Age of Atheos: Excerpt
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.
Space and Sky Entwined: EBOOK
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.
Fixing Broken Hearts, Meet My Mother
“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.
Thirty Foody Question Game
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
70 favorite things - the game
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.
the power of words in praise and prayer
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.