Tuck and hold
As I sat down to write this week’s newsletter, I wondered to myself if this whole thing is worth it. I do have 50 subscribers (and 157 page views last month), which is nice, but the lack of feedback is admittedly a huge downside of venturing forth with a personal blog/newsletter like this. Yes, I know I’m doing this mostly as a creative outlet for myself, but there’s a reason this newsletter is public and not private: For readership. Otherwise I’d just write in a journal, you know?
But! The whole point of a regular newsletter is to get used to writing like this on a regular basis. And who knows, maybe someday I’ll wrangle some kind of specific topic that I can write essays about, and it’ll all make sense eventually.
Anyway, I have a lot going on in my life at the moment, and I thought I’d just run down the list bullet-point style:
Barre
As the headline suggests, I’m trying to do Barre on a more regular basis (“Tuck and hold” is a common phrase in the exercise). I’ve gone to several foundations classes before, but this time I’ve actually purchased a membership so that I’m a lot more motivated to go.
For the uninitiated, Barre is an exercise that is inspired by ballet and incorporates a mix of dance, yoga and pilates in its movements. It relies heavily on technique and focuses a lot on small pulses. There’s a lot of core and glute engagement. One of the first things you learn is “tuck / heavy tailbone” which is basically tucking in the pelvis so that it's more in line with your body.
I’m mostly using Barre as a supplemental thing on my overall fitness journey. I already do strength training three times a week, so I'm thinking of Barre twice a week. And some form of cardio every day, be it walking or cycling. I’m not the best at sticking to a schedule, but I’m trying this out, at least for now.
Freelancing
I had an unwanted career change a few years ago, and it’s been very difficult on me mentally and emotionally, to the point where it’s affected my relationships with people. I have definitely tried applying for new jobs, but it’s really difficult to find one that aligns with my values and my needs.
So after years of just feeling depressed about things, I’m going to try to wrest control over my career. That means freelancing while having a full-time job. Will I be able to do this? Who knows! But I won't know until I try.
Starting Monday, November 6th, I’ll begin researching and pitching ideas to several publications and outlets. Cross your fingers for me. And please let me know of any opportunities!
Mahjong Mondays (plus a Chinese-American book club)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzMeHbwx007/
Also starting Monday, November 6th, every Mamahuhu (a local restaurant chain) location will have mahjong night every Monday. I’m really leaning into my Chinese heritage lately so I’m going to attempt to be there every week. If you live in San Francisco, you should come on by!
Speaking of Mamahuhu, the restaurant chain recently discontinued its Chinese-American Author book club (in favor of the mahjong nights), but I kind of spearheaded and organized a “book club refugee” movement, where those who are interested can continue with our own little makeshift book club. It’s already 16-members strong! I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into. If you’re interested, certainly feel free to ask for an invitation, but at this point I might keep it to just people I know.
Books and Movies and Things
The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok. The novel starts out with Jasmine, a woman who lost her daughter as a result of China’s One Child policy. She follows her all the way to New York City, where her daughter was adopted by an American family. The story gets quite a bit more complicated from there. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure I’m a fan of the writing — it seems a little cliched and the characters are not as fleshed out as I would like — but it’s still a good read. Pick this up before it becomes a scripted TV series on a streaming service (the film rights have already been picked up).
Killers of the Flower Moon. Much has already been written about this movie, so I won’t write too much here. But suffice to say, it is an absolute masterpiece. It is a thorough examination of the racism, greed and evil that is present in so much of American history, told through the lens of the Osage people and their murders. You could probably wait to watch it on Apple TV+, but try to watch it in theaters if you can. Yes, it’s 3.5 hours long, which is probably a little much, but I think it’s well worth it.
See me Live!
Just a reminder that I'll be performing this Friday! If you want to see me and my fellow comedy improvisers do some silly improv games, come to Feed The God of Comedy on November 10th at 7 p.m. at Endgames Improv 2965 Mission Street in San Francisco. I promise you'll laugh and have a good time!
End Notes
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