I wanted to read more this year and with an aid from the pandemic lockdowns, I did it! I reached my reading goal for the year.
To be honest, 2020 has been a really tough year. It has been filled with stress, anxiety, loss, heartbreak, and change. The pandemic helped intensify some of it, but maybe some of it was inevitable too.
It’s hard to tell since the world seemed to be flipped upside down since March.
I am drained.
A lot has changed in my personal and work lives. But I can say I remain hopeful and more sure of myself, in how I want to live my life and what I’m looking for.
I’m grateful for being able to still connect with friends and family virtually, and can’t wait until we can safely meet up again in person like old times.
Next year will be about healing and rediscovery.
2021, let’s get it.
We’re now two weeks out from when the election was called, and it is still amazing to see Kamala Harris as our first female Vice President Elect.
It is a huge moment in history that I feel has been overshadowed by the Trump sideshow. 12 years after I voted to elect our first non-white President, I am proud to see our country take this next step.
Last week, Kim Ng was also named General Manager of the Miami Marlins baseball team, becoming the first woman to achieve that position in any of the major men’s sports leagues in North America. As a huge baseball fan myself, it’s about time that a woman got this opportunity.
It is inspiring to see women, especially women of color, break these barriers and expand opportunities for everyone. In the midst of this crazy year, these things help keep me hopeful for a brighter, more equal future.
My grandma passed away peacefully last week.
She lived a long, good life and I’m glad that I got to spend some time with her the day before.
We usually did family gatherings with my cousins, aunts, and uncles for birthdays and holidays and I’m just incredibly sad that we didn’t get to share those together over the past six months.
My grandma was so kind and good to me. She babysat me and other kids when I was younger and my parents had to work during the day. She watched me and my brother over the summers when we were off from school, always making sure to cook our favorite foods and letting us watch cartoons.
As she grew older, I noticed that she became more playful and even joked with us more. At some of the more recent family dinners, we played a raucous Vietnamese gambling game Bau Cua Tom Ca and she joined in. The cousins kept following her lead on what to bet on and she had a lucky streak going. “Chicken” was a common winner.
It was great to just laugh and have fun with her. She always had a happy spirit with us grandkids and her smile was biggest in those moments we were with her.
Last Christmas, my cousin got us all matching shirts in honor of that special memory.
Thank you, Ma-Ma for all your love and support and helping raise me from a baby to who I am today. I look forward to when we will be betting on chicken together once again.
I have now spent the past 4.5 months working remotely and sheltering at home.
It feels weird to say that time has felt like it passed by both really quickly and really slowly.
The days just sort of blend together now. Weekends aren’t too different from weekdays. The one constant is waking up and spending all or most of the day at home.
I’ve started to get used to this new normal and without much else to do, have mostly worked and worked out.
Work has been busy with sales picking back up after the initial market shock. My boss left for a new company so I’ve also been taking on more leadership opportunities, which is exciting but challenging as well.
On the exercise front, I’m in the best shape I’ve been in a long while through a combination of high intensity interval training, running, and core workouts.
With all the chaos going on in the world outside, it’s been sort of calming to follow this fairly simple, disciplined lifestyle. I feel more centered.
In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s been seven weeks now since sheltering at home and working from home full-time.
I’m more of a natural introvert and have been able to adjust to the new circumstances relatively okay.
I’ve picked up random hobbies and found the time and curiosity to do some home projects I’ve put off when other social options were available.
- Grew a batch of mushrooms using a growing kit: The Back to the Roots kit is easy and produced a nice batch of oyster mushrooms.
- Exercised more, with workouts like the deck of pain and abs challenges almost every day: I feel healthier and more fit than I’ve felt in a while.
- Found my old ipod, loaded with a lot of playlists back from my high school and college days. So nostalgic.
- Watched my first k-drama: Crash Landing on You is amazing! Highly recommend, but prepare for misty eyes.
- Made scallion pancakes from scratch: Pretty easy recipe actually, and they turned out quite tasty.
So quarantine hasn’t been all bad, though I have also realized that I am not as much of an introvert as I thought. I really do miss regular social interactions with friends. Zoom hangouts are a good way to catch up, but don’t quite feel the same.
I miss normalcy and the previous freedoms we enjoyed. I miss walking around without being on high alert and avoiding others. I miss watching live sports. I miss playing basketball with my friends.
I do understand why we must socially distance and take precautions. It’s not okay to just say we need to “reopen the economy” and accept that people will die. We need a plan.
As a public health and healthcare system junkie, it has been fascinating in a weird way to see how everything has played out. Our government has been a shitshow with no plan whatsoever and Trump who just actively makes things worse. The major issues with our healthcare system, especially how it is funded, has been exposed.
It makes me sad to see some other countries taking early measures, actually following through on a plan to protect its citizens, and containing the virus much better than us. That’s what a well-functioning government that represents the best interests of the general population should do.
I hope we can turn it around soon. I really miss sports.