After years of intense work, taking a sabbatical seemed like a dream—leisurely mornings, yoga, painting, and spontaneous café visits. The reality proved far more challenging. after decades of high-speed productivity, slowing down is genuinely difficult. It's like trying to brake while going full speed downhill. The ingrained habits of constant motion and guilt around rest don't disappear overnight.
As many of you may already know, I decided to leave my job at the UN on January 31. For one thing, the project I was part of since 2018 was set to end in January after a 6-year run.…
Coming from California where there is ample sun (even in San Francisco, known as the foggy city) and being Asian where we evade the sun at all costs, I never understood how Europeans could bake in the sun for hours…
One thing I noticed since I’ve not been working is that there are days when I don’t speak English at all. I didn’t come to this realization immediately since I watch, read, and listen to a lot of English content…
If spring were a person, she is a complete drama queen. Especially the springs in Switzerland. There’s a saying in Switzerland (however, I’ve heard my friends in Italy and France say the same thing so I guess it is a…
I’ve always believed that good vibes attract meaningful connections. Last week, I met a former colleague for lunch in the city. The first thing he said to me as we met up was that I had a “good glow” and…
Finding Balance, Rediscovering Joy, and Building a New Foundation had planned to write a detailed post about my sabbatical journey and UN departure, but the most important update is surprisingly simple: after 2 months of sabbatical, I’m doing fine. Actually,…
Guys, I know it’s 2025. I am not sure what I am doing, but here I am writing my first blog post like it’s 2004. I know you’re wondering, why the heck am I writing a blog in this day…
