After a really hot summer, it's nice to not have the air conditioning on today.

The breeze spilling in from the windows feels good against the skin, and is so needed.

I love how even during Friday morning rush hour on the 1/2/3 subway platform in Times Square, it's possible to run into an old friend from junior high school.

What an auspicious start to the holiday weekend! Have a great Friday, everyone.

You won't be fat, broke, and single forever.

"The faster we learn to drop our emotional dead weight, the more room we create for something better. I'm talking about everything from stewing about the guy who cut you off in traffic this morning to still refusing to forgive an old friend for an event 20 years ago.

We only have so much bandwidth. We only have so much time. We only have so much energy."

From the August 22, 2016, New York Times article: The Cost of Holding On. By Carl Richards.

"But breaking into the New York literary world was tougher than he had expected. His short story collection was turned down by 38 literary agents. 'I was writing to impress people, and it turns out that when you do that, you write very unimpressive prose,' he said."

From the August 26, 2016, New York Times story: Nathan Hill Is Compared to John Irving. Irving Compares Him to Dickens. Written by Alexandra Alter.

Running for a cab.

Daily To Do List
-Pizza
-Pasta
-Donuts
-Tomatoes with salt & pepper

-Tres Leches

"In this time of relentlessness and ubiquity, there is no art more potent, or shocking, than the art of disappearance."

From the August 21, 2016, New York Times article: Frank Ocean Ends His Long Silence With a Variety of Works. By Jon Caramanica.

"We'll never be those kids again."

From the song Ivy by Frank Ocean.

재미없어.

"Getting lifted,
never come down."

From the song Lifted by CL.

Good morning and happy Friday!

I woke up really early today for some reason. Since moving to my new place a few months ago, I haven't yet gotten shades or blinds for the window in my room. I sort of like being able to fall asleep to the moon at night and waking up to the brightness of the morning sun. And my body seems to have adapted to the natural rhythm as well.

Anyway, it's a gorgeous sunny day here in New York City. I hope everyone has a good one.

Dear friends,

Please check out my latest write up for VICE's MUNCHIES: This Sandwich Saves Me from Hangover Hell.

Thanks.

Stay busy. That's the solution to so many problems.

But the question is, stay busy how, exactly?

Go team USA!

형.

Sticky.
Sweat.
Soak.
Smirk.

It's mid-August and very hot here in New York City. The exposure of any part of flesh provides some relief to the body's rising temperature, or of course there's nothing better than good old-fashioned air conditioning. But perspiring until droplets of sweat are dripping down your chin can bring respite to the summer. It provokes, arouses. Leaves you ready to drop it all for the slightest opportunity of passion. Sometimes, you want to be drenched. To feel open and nimble. Because when winter comes, you'll be too busy shivering.

I want a love that will change my life.

Half the dialog in Korean dramas are characters talking to themselves out loud.

Romanticize.

This word. This word that does so much to mess with our heads. This word that conjures grand stories of epic levels that exist nowhere but in our self-hatred to feel less than. This word that is rooted in good intentions, but can never live up to expectations. This word that makes things seem serendipitous like a romantic comedy, but in reality is on the same level of fiction as The Muppet Babies. This word that is so often used to fill the gaps of something it has no business being a part of.

This word is dangerous. Be wary of it. It destroys. It disrupts. It can steal your joy.

Talking about it doesn't work for me. I've got to write about it instead.

"Patagonia exists somewhere on the spectrum between real and make-believe. It's a place where you can start the day with a glass of fresh-squeezed raspberry juice, just like the cartoon Moomins do in Mooninland, then head out to observe penguins waddling around extraterrestrially in their rookeries, and wind up experiencing a blistering mountaintop sunset that dazes you with the limitlessness of what this world is capable of."

From the story, Patagonia, Land of Giants, in the summer 2016 issue of Saveur. Written by Adam Leith Gollner.

When you're crammed into a packed subway, shoulder-to-shoulder with lungs contributing to the recycling of stale air enveloping all, there's nothing better than a great travel story to transport you far, far away.

Fried.

Thinking about you today, Anne.

Say thank you, and move on.

I'm really lucky to work just around the corner from the Flatiron location of Eataly. I go there pretty often to grab focaccia for lunch, and had an amusing interaction with the cashier ringing me up today.

"Nice cashier in the focaccia section: Do you work here? You look really familiar?

Me: Funny you say that, but no, I don't. My office is actually a block away, and I can't get enough of your focaccia so I'm here pretty often."

It's the little things that make my day.

Hey, world!

Want to order some pizza?

Dear friends,

Please check out my latest story for VICE's food channel, MUNCHIES: Why This Recovering Alcoholic Wants Restaurant Workers to Stop Meeting in Bars.

Thanks.

"If he's not reading your essays, he's not reading you."

Said by the character Jessa in the HBO series Girls. Season 2, Episode 2.

"Bravery can oftentimes be measured by the act of taking a first step."

From the Letter From the Editor in the August issue of American Vogue. Written by Anna Wintour.

The news has never had the responsibility to make people happy, but it's now reached a serious point of no turning back.

In these current times we live in, there's so much going. Its aftereffects of shock and disbelief come easily for everyone who have never experienced it, or even let alone knew occurences like that existed. Everyday events in America and around the world are now available to document and experience in video and real time, forcing us all to accept its truth and work on finding a solution.

This is probably true for being on the planet at any time in history, but it's an honor being alive right now. I live with the hope of somehow contributing to the world---or even one person's world---to leave an impact while here.

I will not take what I can get.

"Have you been to Ssäm bar yet?"

From the book Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. Page 45.

Patterns and patterns and patterns.

A doughnut a day keeps the sadness away.

"An emotional President Obama declared on Thursday that 'all Americans should be troubled' by fatal police shootings this week of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, saying that they were 'symptomatic of a broader set of racial disparities that exist in our criminal justice system.'"

From the July 7, 2016, New York Times article: Shootings of Blacks Symptomatic of Racial Disparities in U.S., Obama Says. Written by Matt Furber and Richard Pérez-Peña.

You can't help but get chills watching the footage of these videos. Everything else around gets silent, and the disbelief in the reality of what's unfolding leaves nothing but shock.

These men did not deserve to die... we need to fix this problem, America.

My heart breaks for their families. My blood boils at the racial injustice. Black Lives Matter.

When life gives you tomatoes, go buy pizza.

The past few weeks or so.

Queens Boulevard never stops. The street does grow slightly quieter at night, but there's still always a constant stream of cars and people (no matter how intermittent they are). Trucks rattling, emergency sirens blaring, or the occasional drunks howling are just some of the noises that carry over into my new 8th floor place whenever I'm home. And since staring out windows has always been a personal passion of mine, I very much appreciate my bird's eye view of everything. All of it is comforting in a way. I haven't lived near such a lively street since I was by Petchaburi in Bangkok.

I moved out of the Financial District at the end of May, and have been living in Woodside, Queens, since. It was a blast living downtown with my best friend Junho and we have a lifetime of memories to cherish from it. But after two years, we were both also ready for some change. He decided to go uptown to be closer to his hospital, and I chose to come back to my hometown borough of Queens.

I like being in Woodside. I haven't lived in Queens for a good eight years or so, but the adjustment is exactly what I was in need of. I'm happy to report the transition has been smooth with no problems so far. My commute to work is painless, I know my way around the area, and there are tons of good ethnic food spots all within walking distance underneath the 7 Train. Everything just feels natural and like I'm back home in a way. I mean, I'm pretty sure I won't ever live in Flushing again, so Woodside is the closest to home that will do.

Aside from my move, I haven't had much else going on. The summer has been pretty hot so far but I've been enjoying walking around and spending lazy Sundays at Prospect Park with friends. I've been trying to churn out a food story here and there whenever I can, so that's kept me somewhat occupied as well. I also had this idea to write about being chronically single my whole life, and how it feels to still be this way at 33. But then a coworker friend of mine mentioned that it's somewhat cliche to write about being single in New York City. And I realized how right she was.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far. Be sure to stay hydrated and do absolutely nothing if possible.

Dear friends,

Please check out my latest write-up for VICE's food channel, MUNCHIES: Hustling Weed on the Side Helps Keep My Restaurant Open.

Do. Don't eat.

Wallflower.

"Abby: Tell me you know what you're doing.

Carol: I don't. I never did."

From the movie Carol.

Dear friends,

Please check out my latest story for VICE's food channel, MUNCHIES: This Chef's Korean Ramen Is a Dish Best Served Cold.

Thanks.

I really need to get away for a bit.

Happy Birthday, Anne.

On a day like today, your love and words are needed the most.

"After calling 911 to declare his allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group, a gunman here killed 49 people and wounded 53 in a crowded gay nightclub early Sunday, the worst mass shooting slaughter in American history, law enforcement officials said."

From the June 12, 2016, New York Times story: Shooting at Orlando Nightclub Kills 49, Police Say. Written by Lizette Alvarez, Richard Perez-Pena, and Steve Kenny.

Waking up this Sunday morning was routine as ever, and I opened my eyes to check the news on my phone while still in bed. That's when I read about the shooting in Florida, and my pillow was wet with tears before I even lifted my head off of it.

I'm not sure what can be said about a tragedy like this, so many more things are felt instead. Sadness. Anger. Despair. Unity. My heart aches for all of those who perished and were injured, and all of their family and loved ones. 49 lives lost. 49 Americans gone. 49 fellow LGBT brothers, sisters, and friends no longer here. Countless lives forever changed. It's all so hard to take in. 

Thank you to all of the police, medical emergency workers and armed forces who helped bring the gunman down. It's because of you that our country remains as great as it is.

Delayed gratification.

This is it. This is life.

"I've always believed in the power of broke: the less you have, the more creative you get. And (usually) as a result of this, you end up creating way cooler things than if you had millions of dollars and amazing connections to create your masterpiece."

From the May 30, 2016, MUNCHIES story: How I Threw a Party and Made It Into a Career. By Jeremy Fall.

"That's why I always wind up coming back to my diary---I start there and end there because Kitty's always patient."

From the book The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank. Page 157 iBooks version.

"'I need it,' he kept saying. 'I need it. It makes things right.'"

From the book A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Page 411.

Dear friends,

Please check out my latest write-up for VICE's food channel, MUNCHIES: All The Delays of Opening a Restaurant in New York City Are Well Worth It.

Thanks.

Knotted.

Nodded. 

Not it!

24/7 life.
24/7, appetite.

24/7 strife.
24/7, unsatisfied.

"He believes deeply in focus---clearing away whatever he doesn't need to worry about so he can concentrate on his art---and now has a retinue of helpers. He gets three meals delivered each day, so he doesn't have to think about food; he has a stylist and a nutritionist and a trainer..."

From the May 13, 2016, New York Times article: A ' Hamilton' Star's Story: How Leslie Odom Jr. Became Aaron Burr, Sir.

The older we get, the bigger our foreheads get.

There's something about getting older, where it's so easy to forget who you were and how you felt at 18.

Everything that's happened since then has shaped and formed these conditions where the things experienced from that time in our lives seems long gone.

But then once again, either when surrounded by extended relatives you love or gabbing late night with a familiar voice from high school, it completely transports you back. And serves as a reminder to always remember where you came from and what will always stay true.

"I left a note in the hallway. 
By the time you read it, I'll be far away."

From the song Sorry by Beyoncé.

"You interruptin' my grinding!"

From the song Sorry by Beyoncé.

"Find your strength in love."

From the song Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

I love my mom so much. Thank you 엄마, 사랑해!

"But he hated summer in New York. All fat people hated summer in New York: everything was always sticking to everything else, flesh to flesh, flesh to fabric."

From the book A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Page 295.

"Why wasn't friendship as good as a relationship? Why wasn't it even better? It was two people who remained together, day after day, bound not by sex or physical attraction or money or children or property, but only by the shared agreement to keep going, the mutual dedication to a union that could never be codified. Friendship was witnessing another's slow drip of miseries, and long bouts of boredom, and occasional triumphs. It was feeling honored by the privilege of getting to be present for another person's most dismal moments, and knowing that you could be dismal around him in return."

From the book A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Page 257.

They just couldn't see passed the bloat.

The past few weeks or so.

The first four sentences of one of my non-existent short stories:

The dewy air at the top of the mountain felt chilly, but with a touch of softness. The all-day hike had exhausted Harriet and she plopped herself down on a small circle of sparse grass even before she took a moment to appreciate the view. Then almost like a reflex, she shot back up to her feet and began to scream, "I'm here, Finn! I'm here!" as tears and anger poured out of her. She yelled into the luscious green valleys not expecting her message would reach him, but that didn't stop her from trying until she had exhausted everything from within herself.

Hamburger Navigation.

"I don't know how to talk to you. 
I just know I found myself getting lost with you."

From the song Too Good by Drake featuring Rihanna.

I refuse to be bogged down anymore.