• 2017 lessons
    Ramblings

    Lessons from 2017

    01/01/2018 - By 

    Every single year, we are a slightly different version of ourselves. It’s like there is a constellation of experiences scattering and rebuilding us—altering us in some way. We stumble, we grow and we learn. If I learned one thing last year is that things can go from absolute shit to true magic. The end of 2016 was a strange one for me, filled with a haze of self-doubt and an anxiety that I can’t quite explain. I was a mess, that year was a mess. But I needed that mess because it culminated in an epiphany that has made 2017…

  • Ramblings

    Tell them who you are.

    12/07/2017 - By 

    I started this blog two years ago today. And I used to wonder what sparked it. Sure, it was a ‘creative outlet.’ But it ended up being so much more. Now I realize—I just granted myself permission. Permission to feel exactly how I feel. To have the guts to sit with those feelings, and tell them that they’ve been felt. What a wild gift we have to choose in favor of a healthy heart. That feels, that loves and that aches—but does not choose to stay there. When you choose to write your life into a public display of lessons…

  • my new york story
    Ramblings

    My New York Story

    11/14/2017 - By 

    It’s my first time living in New York City. I’ve always seen it in the movies, watched its glistening greatness from a distance. In the movies, everyone starts out small—they have a big dream and maybe two pairs of shoes to their name. They wander into the vast city, a nobody. But then 60 minutes into the film, they’ve stumbled into the right person at the right time. They’ve fallen in love and then their closet is totally revamped. They’ve made it. Then the happy indie song plays as the credits roll and we’re sure that one day we will…

  • woman in blue denim jacket standing on top of building
    Ramblings

    Maybe Love is in New York City.

    09/28/2017 - By 

    In Japan, there was this sweet Korean girl that I worked with. One day, she came to the office wearing a black t-shirt that said, “maybe love is in New York City.” I asked her if she had been to New York before and she said, no. But ever since she was little, the Frank Sinatra tune had her fantasizing about this life in the concrete jungle. And now I am moving to New York City and that has me thinking, maybe love is in New York City. This sort of romanticism for the city might trigger some eye rolls.…

  • Scrapbooks

    The Weird and Wonderful of Tokyo

    09/26/2017 - By 

    In case you haven’t noticed, Tokyo became a piece of my soul. It may be strange to some, but to me this place is pure magic. Memories that I will never forget took shape here and in this city, I fully embraced the weird and the wonderful. Here are my favorite, weird and wonderful things about Tokyo. The Trains Always on time, clean and quiet, the trains are an experience of their own. Outside of rush hours, it provides a break– a place to briefly decompress from the city on the way to your next stop. Vending Machines There is…

  • Scrapbooks

    Goodbye Tokyo

    09/21/2017 - By 

    One week ago I said goodbye to Tokyo… And I was more emotion than human. After spending three months in this place, I can honestly say I wouldn’t change a thing, not even the messy parts. Exploring a new place is like a book. We get out of it what we desire to get. The book itself isn’t going to change. The words don’t magically reshuffle themselves to our liking. We interpret the story a certain way depending upon the state of our heart. I found many things in the storied city of Tokyo. A magnetic contentment. A contagious outlook.…

  • kyoto
    Scrapbooks

    Postcards from Kyoto

    08/31/2017 - By 

    If Tokyo is the NYC of Japan, then Kyoto is the Washington DC or Boston. It’s full of charm by the way of over 2,000 temples and shrines and gorgeous green landscapes. Kyoto provides a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. It’s so open; therefore there is this element of discovery and feeling of free reign here. I’m not going to pretend to know even a small bit of the intricate history of Kyoto. Even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to fit it on this page, nor would I want to rob you of learning…