The days stretch furiously long. The lack of a wall clock or digital clock in our condo has rendered us impervious to time. I find myself sometimes a bit delirious from lack of sleep and exhaustion — walking around in my half-buttoned loungewear anticipating the next feed, diaper change, or pumping session. There is lingering dread and paranoia as you fight the urge to take a nap while the baby naps. There is a surge of postpartum hormones that heighten all the existing complex emotions that seem to resurface during my most vulnerable state. Tears are shed aplenty. A few silent breakdowns shoc ..read more

I’ve had a draft saved about 10 months ago for this purpose. It felt like such a herculean task back then to breakdown the planning, the event itself, and all my ruminations in between. Probably because at that time, the actual wedding felt like such a momentous event. A year after, when things have settled and actual life sets in, I start looking past it as an event but as the beginning of this lifelong partnership. I’m writing this post and scheduling it in advance on the day of our first wedding anniversary. A year is nothing compared to forever, but milestones like these should always be c ..read more

I was supposed to put up a post about our wedding in this blog many months ago. But things have taken a rapid turn that I’m guessing I can reserve that post sometime in the future or in time for our anniversary. I am hardly promising anything because October will be a pretty major month. First off, my husband and I are expecting our first baby — BABY GIRL! YES. A GIRL. I announced more than a month ago that we were having a boy. But the last two ultrasounds have cleared that up and confirmed our little girl! It was a shock and I felt all sorts of emotions until, at one point, several sonol ..read more

I am not even going to begin justifying the lack of content in this space. I am sure this place will be evolving soon. On the other hand, my Instagram is pretty busy with a lot of my recent travel photos, so that’s fine. It’s been a busy and eventful year filled with big life changes and a whole new set of firsts. I know it’s easy to poke fun in all the essay writing that befall social media during this time of year. But I personally love reading them as much as making them. It allows me to get to know my friends and reflect on the good, the bad, and even the ugly. Thus, I am making this ..read more

Traveling solo was definitely not in my non-existent bucket list. I did travel for work domestically on my own once but a two-week long overseas flight for a holiday is an entirely different thing. Although it has gotten me very curious, I never intentionally dreamed of traveling alone. I do get the thrill–the yearning to soul-search and have that special one-of-a-kind experience. People do it for several reasons and with the aggregate information available on the Internet and technology, solo travel felt seriously doable and even safe. This year, I had an opportunity to travel abroad for some ..read more

Less than two months to go and a bit of wedding frenzy has got me wanting to write something a little more personal. I do not want to neglect this space as I feel like I still have so much content to share. But I’m writing this post mainly for me to capture the mild insanity of being right in the middle of this transition time. At this point, it’s good to get all the assistance and support I need. I did not get a wedding planner and just hired a wonderful on-the-day wedding coordinator. I’d like to think I did not really cram anything since we have a long engagement of 1.5 years. There real ..read more

Here is the second round of my sakura guide in the Land of the Rising Sun. This time I give a brief rundown of some scenic spots in my favorite Japanese region of Kansai. The region is huge. But my 2014 trip at the height of cherry blossom season was spent mostly in Osaka and Kyoto. I initially combined both Osaka and Kyoto in one post, but it turned out to be way too photo heavy for my liking. Thus, I’ll post another set for Kyoto in the next few days. I actually just came back from a trip to the Kansai region. This recent visit was right smack at the Winter/Spring transition where the weathe ..read more

I remember my first cherry blossom sighting back in Washington D.C. during the Spring of 2013. It was my first glimpse of abundant blooms in the cool weather and it was absolutely glorious. Several cherry blossom trees (gifts from Japan, apparently) encircled the Tidal Basin area and it was just as I hope it would be and more. Unlike the US, Japan takes the experience of Hanami or viewing these beautiful flower sakura (ie. Cherry Blossom) trees to a whole new level. My first two visits to Japan happens, fortunately, to be two consecutive springs at the peak of sakura blossoms. A friend who has ..read more

This is the first of several Japan-related posts in the near future. So far, I could easily say that Japan is my favourite country to visit. My first visit back in 2014 made such a wonderful impression that I have gone back every year since. I feel like there is always something to do and discover every trip back — even if it is in the same city or region. Thus begins my yearly homage to the land of the rising sun. Since it’s winter and I’m simultaneously planning another trip early next year, I figured I’ll start with one of the best, most sulit tour in the beautiful Kansai region. Tucked in ..read more