"The following day, mother and son walked to the temple, where they met a monk and asked about Schwader's father. 'I don't know that name,' he replied, 'but you're welcome to look through the cemetery.' At first, all they saw were rows of discouragingly pristine tombstones, most of them clearly newer. But just before giving up, they came upon a cluster of older stones, decrepit and obscured by foliage, their Lao inscriptions nearly faded away. Except for one, Schwader noticed, with a barely legible engraving: THONGSAVANH VILAYTHONG. His father's name.

At dawn the next morning, Schwader, with his shaggy mane and cargo shorts, and a monk with close-cropped hair and a long orange robe paired up to lift the top off the stone tower, revealing a hollow where the jar of bones and ashes were kept. Five monks had formed a line beside the grave and began chanting in unison. Per Lao tradition, Schwader cleaned his father's bones and placed them in a bucket, along with flowers, candles, and incense. Soon, he and his mother were in a boat on the Mekong, gathering handfuls of the bowl's contents and scattering them on the river."

From the story, Home Away, in the November 2015 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Written by JJ Goode.

An absolutely wonderful and amazing story.

Warm weather.

A cold night in TriBeCa.

The past few months or so.

Sometimes, I just need to turn the television off and step away from the screen.

I spent most of August just bumming at home, doing nothing but plopping myself on the couch for hours or sometimes days on end. I had been working a bit much since the spring, and wanted to take the month of August to just chill out a little. Waiting tables on top of being at my regular office-hours job just ended up being way too much face time with people, so it was nice to take a short break from such a busy schedule. Walking home around 5 to go zone out on the tv all night for an entire month was pure bliss. To do absolutely nothing until the next morning just to go home at 5 later that day to do the same thing again, it was something nice to look forward to. Watching all that television though did make me see that there's a difference between watching a show you like, and flipping through hours and channels of inane programming, which ultimately does get tiresome. I have to say that while relaxing was nice, trying to be productive just makes more sense. There's stuff I know I should be doing.

With Labor Day now behind us, the summer is over. And it's time to get back into work mode and stop doing things that will ultimately end up being pointless.

I've come to realize some things recently, and I really need to break out of my patterns. Trying new things and meeting new people wouldn't hurt.

FOCUS.

The past few weeks or so.

Within the past month or so, somehow, it feels like my life has suddenly become quite busy.

It seems like lately, every single day of the week is earmarked for some sort of activity. Whether it's waiting tables at my second job right after finishing my office job, dinner dates with friends, social obligations, attempting to sweat it out at yoga, having people visiting from out of town, running an errand that should've been done a while ago or just trying to keep my overall shit together, all of the days and weeks look as though they're melding into one long blur. This constant cycle of busyness does make time go faster, but simultaneously had me wondering if I'm actually getting stuff accomplished instead of just going through the motions in life.

It does seem that my thoughts on all of that are connected to a truth that I've only recently learned to truly accept and understand, and that's that HAPPINESS IS IN THE RIGHT NOW. There's no future achievement or completed goal that will bring me any more than I can help myself recognize that I have today, and that I can make this very day as happy and fulfilling as any other fantasy moment where things in life might seem "better" or "easier."

Wow, it took me 31 years to see all of this in a different light... and from this day forward, I'm really going to try my best to never regress back to that mindset.

The past few weeks or so.

Winter in NYC is officially over, and it feels so invigorating to be able to enjoy the city and just walk around again. This past winter was pretty damn brutal, so not having to step out of the house into frigid and tortuous temperatures anymore is a real treat. I can't even bear to look at my peacoat another day until it gets cold again, and so I therefore happily bid it its long overdue farewell.

And with a new season comes some new changes in life. A little more than a month ago, I started a side weekend gig waiting tables in Williamsburg. I'm still working my regular office job in TriBeCa from Monday-Friday. Not having any days off in the week can be grueling at times, but eh, I'll live. The transition of working this new weekend job has been pretty smooth though, luckily because I'm working with some old coworkers and acquaintances from an East Village restaurant I used to work at years ago. This new restaurant I'm working at is cozy and pretty low-key, which I really like and appreciate. I've also never worked in the neighborhood before, so it's been nice seeing all the locals and folks who chill around the area. For the most part, the majority of customers are friendly and easygoing, but then of course there will always be those certain guests that are just a pain in the ass. I haven't waited tables since I was working at a restaurant in Venice Beach last year, but it really is like riding a bike. The unfamiliar newness of any job can be daunting, but having been able to get used to things in the past month has helped me finally find my own rhythm and pace of work. And then of course I can remember all my old methods on how to deal with specific types of annoying customers. Most of the restaurant's diners are really nice though, so striving to provide them with good efficient service and a quality experience is something that I'm more than happy to do. In a weird way, I usually have moments where waiting tables can feel extremely fulfilling when I know people leave the restaurant feeling merry and satisfied after having an awesome time. However, if I never in my life had to explain gluten-free options from a menu again or bust my ass for some dickhead who will just always be an asshole when they dine out, well I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Something else that I'm really excited about right now is that in a few weeks, my friend Junho and I will be moving into a new apartment together! Since returning to NYC last July, I've basically been couch surfing and living in somewhat unconventional living arrangements. That's why I'm beyond happy to finally have a place to call home, and have those simple things like a bed and my own room. Our new apartment is downtown in the Financial District and close to City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge. I've never lived in that area before, so getting to know the neighborhood really well is going to be great. And one of the best parts of the new apartment will be the fact that I can walk to work within 10 minutes.

Alright, well it's passed 2am and I've got work tomorrow morning. The adrenaline from working a shift earlier tonight is slowly waning, and it's probably time that I try and hit the sack.

Good night, and happy Monday to you all.

The past few weeks or so.