a chill guy gives some chill life updates
august - november 2024
As we approach the final month of the year, I wanted to break up a string of reflective posts with some casual updates on what’s been going on with my life.
I stopped sending out monthly updates in June because they began to feel monotonous and boring. Since then, I’ve realized that this is a skill issue; there are many talented writers on this platform (i.e. rish and arden) who are 1) more creative with their life updates and 2) in turn are able to facilitate community and engagement around their pieces.
As I mull over how I’d like to structure my newsletter in 2025, I hope you enjoy reading this speedrun of my last few months. I actually had fun writing this, unlike my previous life updates. If you have any thoughts on what you’d like to hear more of from me, please share them via the comments section, carrier pigeon, or astral projection telepathy. Pick whichever works best for you, I’m pretty flexible and can be reached in many different ways.
Yosh, let’s jump into some recent happenings.
august was for stomping around north america
The college roomies reunited for the first time in Madison, which is where Nick—the busiest member of the rat pack—is currently being held hostage. In all seriousness, Madison was pleasantly fun and a much needed repose from the summer city-life that had been draining me. We visited Epic’s campus (which was quite the spectacle), ate too many cheese curds, and spent quiet time reconnecting with nature.
After a quick pitstop in DC, I was on the road again, this time to meet up with my girlfriend in Quebec. I was surprised at how French everything was and thought it was really cute how anytime we walked into a patisserie or cafe, we’d be greeted with a “bonjour, hello!”—simultaneously a display of hospitality and a choice between which language we wanted to continue conversation in.
We spent a few days in the Old City before taking the train down to Montreal, where we ate lots of poutine, pastries, and enjoyed a fun maple syrup tasting experience. Oh, and despite loving oysters, I almost died from stomaching 1.5 mammoth-sized ones—appropriately named sea angels—at Jean Talon Market (the left-most ones in the picture).
Finally, I created my new Instagram account, wry.mood. I’m still trying to figure out how I want to leverage social media going into 2025. Is it a platform for growth? Is it a journal? Is it a way to connect with other creators? Is it merely an extension of my other projects, or is it something completely new? The answer is probably a mixture of all four, but I’ll have to figure out how much of each flavor to include in my dish. Would love to connect with anyone else going through a similar dilemma!
september was for new beginnings
In September, I finally rotated off a toxic team at work. Inspired by a YouTube video I watched on the subway ride home after my last official day on the old team, I hopped off at my stop and made a beeline to the convenience store to acquire a packet of instant Yakisoba and a six-pack of Kona Big Wave. I FaceTimed my parents while I ate my boy dinner (two packets), as we held a mini celebration together.
I immediately took advantage of better work-life balance and newfound energy by pursuing something I had in mind for a few months at that point: a cooking newsletter. For a few weeks, I took careful notes of how I made my favorite meals, and eventually went all the way through and created a mock post for one of them.
After asking for some genuine feedback from my friends, I felt as though the timing wasn’t right for this sort of focused endeavor, so I’ve shut it off for now. With that said, it’s something I’m still open to starting up again in the future (perhaps in video form?). In the meantime, here are some pretty photos I took while I was still toying around with the idea.
I also made a trip back home to LA for a few exciting reasons: my sister coordinated an Oktoberfest concert, my mom performed in Madame Butterfly, and my dad celebrated his big 60th birthday. While I was home, I was reminded how beautiful golden hour in the sunshine state could be.
october was for taking action
I started off October HOT. My roommate and I went to a local bingo night for the first time and I got lucky twice. Bad news was that both times I called bingo, someone else did too. The MC—who loved putting people in awkward scenarios—forced unlucky co-winners onstage to battle it out. My first draw was settled with rock-paper-scissors, but the second time I had to break out my most potent moves for a dance battle. I won one of the two.
You know who else was hot in October? Every single member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Postseason baseball is matched in energy only by March Madness and the World Cup, and this year was no different. From the a killer Dodgers x Padres first round matchup, a Mets fairytale, and the long-coveted LA vs. NY World Series, this October had it all. I kept myself locked in by writing a bunch of silly mini-posts / notes to hype up my Dodgers. Here’s one of them below.
With the cooking Substack tabled for the time being, I fell into a semi-productive spiral trying to figure out what next to pour my efforts into. After much internal debate and anxiety, I decided to launch a podcast. Iterating on the podcast has been incredibly challenging for multiple reasons. I’m forced to constantly listen back to my voice, along with all the ums and likes and filler words that come with it. With a higher quality mic capturing my audio, I can hear my voice shake with lack of confidence. I feel like I’m drinking from the firehose and it’s uncomfortable! The only saving grace so far has been the support I’ve gotten from my friends, along with the really great conversations the podcast environment has facilitated.
Another highlight of the month was when I saw Basquiat’s works in person for the first time at the Hirshhorn Museum. The main exhibition featured Basquiat’s original piece and Banksy’s reinterpretation of it, side-by-side. I only learned about Basquiat this past year, but I’ve since been thoroughly attracted to his boyish allure and confidence. I left the museum feeling creatively rejuvenated.
november was for perseverance and gratitude
I’ve been asked many times how election season, and more specifically, election night was like as someone living in DC. To be honest, things were quite uneventful, aside from the boarding up of establishments prior to election day.
In November, I also got news from my surgeon that my most recent knee surgery had failed. I’ve racked up four knee surgeries in my life thus far, which is way too many for someone my age. Neither my body nor mind can handle another surgery, so I’ll be thugging it out without surgery for the time being.
Perhaps it was from the embers of this traumatic news, but I subsequently wrote and shared a piece on the discomforts I feel as a corporate clog living a secret creative life. It was the most genuine piece I’ve written to date, and much to my surprise, it’s been met with more positivity and reception than I could have ever imagined.
On November 16, I attended a Wallson Glass poetry session, run by Geoffrey Nutter. It was an uncomfortable experience, but I’m glad I tried it—I learned a lot from others in the class and got some valuable tricks for jumpstarting new ideas and building upon complex thoughts.
the rest of my year will be for rest, relaxation, and reflection
I will be spending the rest of my year back home in LA and taking some much needed time off with family and friends. I am wrapping this post up while sitting in a cozy coffee shop by Waikiki Beach, and in a few days, I’ll be meeting up with friends in San Francisco.
I’m looking forward to doing a lot of reflecting and reconnecting this December. I have so many ideas for creative pursuits and want to get better at prioritization so they can become realities, rather than spoiled figs.
If you’ve made it this far, you a real one, for real for real. Hope you all are doing well and taking the holidays to rejuvenate. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any thoughts, questions, or if you simply just want to say hi.
instagram: @wry.mood
goodreads: what i’m reading / what i’ve read
great post ray, I feel u on the insta account part haha
So cool to see that you've started a podcast. Excited to listen!