The bigger boys loved to taunt me in their ripped jeans and expensive sneakers. They walked like cowboys from old westerns pelvis forward, shoulders squared, hands on their hips where their holsters should have been. Irritated with their own lives, they wanted to get back at somebody for it--anybody would do. My Korean face stood out from the others, so ..read more

There was an announcement. I think I was in second or third or fourth grade. That part is a little vague. Throwing trash on top of an already messed up world, where our king's palace had been turned into a zoo 50 years back, was a norm. And like good little Stockholm syndrome victims, we kept it a zoo for ..read more

Later this month, I am taking a trip with my Mom, my Umma. We are going to a tropical island for five days. I am doing this voluntarily and it's not something that I thought I would ever do, especially in the last 20 years. When I was five or six, my Mom left our family. I think she just ..read more

It happened in a swanky Bay Area hotel. We had finished a long day and had gotten together to debrief and socialize before all heading back to our homes throughout the Bay Area and beyond. It was a work event. Everyone was enjoying finger foods and drinks and making small talk. We talked about the weather. Because that's what you ..read more

According to Google: “Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response to being held captive. People with Stockholm syndrome form a psychological connection with the captors and begin sympathizing with them” My adopted father was undoubtedly affected by Stockholm syndrome in relationship to Japanese invasion of Korean, and then some. He held a deep reverence for power, flawlessness, and precision - traits ..read more

I had an interesting conversation with my son about the anti-Asian violence in the news in recent weeks. We were having different reactions to it, and I appreciate that we respect each other enough that we could just talk about it as adults. My reaction was one of pity, irritation, some anger, and flashback emotions to my childhood. I finally ..read more

Imagine a night when the family is fed, the house is clean, the children aren't bickering, and you have the rest of the night to relax. You draw a hot bath, you even use your "good" bath salts. You enter the bliss, let the water envelope you, you slowly begin to feel the world's weight come off your shoulders. Ahhhhhh ..read more

I recently watched Dear My Friends on Netflix. It’s a Korean Drama series about a group of elderly friends, mostly women, and their daily struggles with friendship, love, health, and family. All the important things. I found myself alternating between laughter and tears in a matter of seconds. Laughing and crying and laughing and crying. The writing is exquisite but ..read more

I have been actively making Youtube videos for the past nine months now. About a few months into it, while watching me struggle to grow my Youtube audience, my best friend bought me a bunch of rock & roll t-shirts and suggested that I try wearing them as a part of my dress up, to show my personality as more ..read more

Hi guys! I have been away for a while. I just wrote this for my blog and feel inspired to share it with you. "Strong" Sometimes when you are forced to fall, it is because you are trusted. It sucks when you fall. It hurts. You cry. You scream. You complain. You do everything you can to not feel the ..read more