// writing
Essays, Memoir,
Musings
As a storyteller, one of my main modes of sharing narrative is through writing. Here are several works ranging from essays to creative writing pieces all touching upon themes I love to muse over: culture, philosophy, martial arts, design, self-development, social issues, and even existentialism to boot.
// essayNov 2022
To Decide: Breaking through imposter syndrome
There's a concept in Japanese Karate called kime (決め), which translates into "to decide." In martial arts terms, it signifies the act of channeling all your muscle, technique, will power, and belief into a singular, focused, decisive execution of a technique.
// essayNov 2022
Choosing our responses.
Looking back over these last few months, there has been a lot of joy. But there has been a lot of sorrow too. And while that's a lot of daily opposition outside of our control, what I've come to learn is that there is one thing in spite of it all that we can control: our responses and the meaning we make together in the face of struggle.
// essayJul 2022
In times like these.
Companies like to measure how we perform under pressure and use that as indication about who we are, what we're capable of, and what we deserve. I also think it's important we observe how companies show up under pressure, to see what it says about them and their character.
// essayMay 2020
While the city burns.
The fear we're feeling due to the protests tonight — imagine feeling that sort of fear everyday. Now magnify that fear to every facet of living in our society. That's why the country is on fire right now.
// essayMar 2020
America, Where.
This is America. Where protesting masks and health ordinances with threats of violence is deemed patriotic while protesting systemic murder is seen as thuggery.
// observationJul 2016
A Chink in My Armor
They say you build a thick hide the more you endure. I still feel soft inside, though the metal armor I've slowly wrapped around my identity continues to dent and ding with the passing of time.
// memoirJul 2016
Egg Yolk Subway
Time. Like passing trains on parallel tracks. I'm crammed into one in New York, and then Boston, then Chicago. In every car I see clear, lucid frames, my window intersecting with the windows of the passing carts, all quick snapshots in time.
// essayNov 2015
Struggle Against Entropy
We aren't owed anything in this world and I personally do not believe the universe has any inherent meaning specifically lawed by nature for us humans, the minuscule things that we are in the greater vastness of space. And yet, despite believing such, life is full of poetry.
// essayOct 2015
"The Struggle Is Real." — Sisyphus
We are struggling, in the final truth, to become ourselves — people worthy of the existential privilege of the small, vast debt of life we have been granted by destiny. Embrace it. And when able, enjoy it.
// essayDec 2013
Legacy
As my family tells it, his face—with its defined lines grooved by dirt, strife and time—held a solemn look most days. Weary or apathy was not the matter, it was a face well worn. A face having spent time in his village watching the nearby river slowly dismantle the fading banks.
// memoirNov 2012
Rain-streaked Windows
Again the rain begins. And so it's been. Stare long enough out there into that rain-streaked window and you may start to lose sight of the picture on the other side.