A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon with the closest approach the moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system.

The full moon was 222,365 miles from Earth on Sunday at it shone overhead, so big and close and orange. That is 16% larger than average and almost 30% larger than the year’s smallest full moon. It reminded me of Smiling Buddha in Bali and the culture of measuring life in moon cycles.

It was my last day on Jeju Island. I woke up and did my daily ashtanga routine in unfamiliar surroundings. I was quiet within myself. We ate spicy kimchi fried rice for breakfast on the worn wooden floor on top of a folded blanket next to the yoga mat. There was an spoken and perhaps surreal, unknown finality to the start of the day. The alcohol drained from our system and pores, and life was real with a tinge of sad. Continue reading Supermoon Sunday →

Last night, the wind was howling. The hotel was swaying ever so slightly. There was a typhoon overhead. Many of my Hacker Paradise mates were over at the other hotel, gathered to play Cards Against Humanity and drink.

I had devoured some “beef on the rice” in my room, splayed on my bed, chopsticks bobbing between kim chi containers, dyed yellow tart radishes, and my beef bowl. Then I went on a snack run to 7/11 and devoured my purchases.

Then, there was little else to do except waffle around. Continue reading Typhoon morning →

Over the past 2 years, I have (finally) been learning lessons of detachment, particularly in my romantic life. I wonder if it’s a good thing or not. It’s likely not obvious to most people, even those who know me well, but I possess a (hidden) deeply romantic streak. And I get into relationships easily.

In high school, I experienced love-at-first-sight. When we ended up together years later, I cried in an outpouring of emotion, scaring the crap out of him. Freshman year of college, I began what I would have never realized would be an 11-year relationship. I had my first real date at the age of 30. My first OKCupid date turned into a 9-month relationship! And so the story goes on. Perhaps it’s the Korean cultural influence. We are known for our ongoing tele-dramas, and the streets of Seoul are apparently lined with googly-eyed couples staring deeply into each others’ eyes, by one account.

I’ve always had a hard time letting go of people. My attachment circle is forever growing and rarely pruned, though like for most normal people, there are periods of intensification in certain areas.

People have told me I trust too easily. I let everyone in. I’m overly inclusive to a fault. Ever since I was a child, I always included everyone, particularly those who seemed to sit on the fringes. Come join us, I would say. This past Thanksgiving, for the Friendsgiving meal at my NYC apartment, the list of people coming started to amass and amass. My friend who was helping me cook at one point got so agitated that he said he would not be able to come. I had just boarded a flight going who knows where (my typical routine), and he asked if I had a minute to talk. He sounded strange and stressed on the phone. Continue reading Relationships with expiration dates →