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.
Participating in the Political Process
I’ve realized that money drives a lot of things in politics, so in the past few years now, I’ve been making contributions to candidates that I support.
This week, after some nudging from an old friend (thanks Kaeleigh!), I also started volunteering and text-banking for Elizabeth Warren’s campaign. I previously did some text-banking during the midterm elections about a year ago, but had been a little lazy to start helping this time around.
It’s nice to connect with potential voters and help educate them on issues that they care about.
Why Warren? She is smart, progressive, practical, and truly cares for people and their families. I agree with a lot of what she says about health care, wealth inequality, climate change, and racial and economic justice.
She’s an academic at heart, but has also proven that she can get things done (see: proposing and creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has already returned $12.4 billion to over 31 million people cheated by financial companies).
Above all else, Elizabeth is a planner. I love that she has a plan for pretty much any issue you can think of! Plus, it’s about time we had a woman in the White House.
If you’d like to read more about her plans, you can do so here. I hope you join us in supporting Warren for President. Let’s dream big, fight hard, and win!
Otherwise, I would still encourage you to participate in the political process, whether that be through volunteering, donating, or just chatting with your friends and family about issues you care about and which candidates can help you put that into policy.
A lot of last year was spent trying to find myself, and while I don’t think that quest is or ever really will be complete, I’m happy with where I currently am.
In March of this year, I made a big career move. After seven years in healthcare tech, I ventured outside of the industry when I found a company, Pipefy, that really fit what I was looking for.
I joined the young but burgeoning tech startup and continue to be excited about what we’re doing. I’ve had the opportunity to work with customers all over the world, helping them automate and improve business processes on a global scale.
Ever since I met people through the interview process and on my first trip to the Curitiba office, I felt a special connection to the company culture. At the heart of it, we are all honey badgers: driven, hungry, fearless, persistent to make a difference. Honey badger don’t care, honey badger don’t give a shit.
I’m happy that I was able to find a company that I connect with so well and believe in. I’m excited to continue dreaming big at Pipefy in the new year.
In 2020 (crazy to actually say that out loud), I want to read more! I feel like I’ve gotten away from that in the hustle and bustle of life, but I picked up a few books this past month and it reminded me how much I enjoy learning through stories.
Here’s to a well-read 2020! Can’t wait to see what this new decade holds.