what i'm up to now

I just got back to new york city from spending the past week in California and Washington state.

I am tan and am relaxed.

Last week was Camp Nominal which was surprisingly fun! It was much more fun than last years tbh, and I got to be more vulnerable and also just talk with a bunch more co-workers that I actually enjoyed talking to. Overall a great week there and I'm grateful for the opportunity I do have to get to work here.

The week before that was also very very fun. Ashley and Honoka hosted a cafe day, I went snorkeling and fishing, and we played a bunch of games and had some good talks. Mount Baldy was not too bad, but my knees ached after the hike down. Gotta stay in shape and but I don't think I'm that interested in mountain climbing like that.

Being back home helps you ground yourself and makes you reflect on all the things in your life. In general I think my life is great and I really enjoy the opportunities I have. The fact I get to live in NYC without any financial burden is a huge blessing. But I really want a car. It just makes you feel so free. I also really want to live closer to the beach. Being in the water is also so liberating. It challenges you but also is so mesmerizing.

BUT, I think it's not time yet. There are a bunch of other experiences I want to have and live. But it's nice to know when I go back, I have friends and family that all make me feel welcomed and valued.

I also took the "What attachment style do I have" quiz. Apparently I have an disorganized avoidant attachment style. And it tracks. I have high self-esteem and low trust in others. But I hope that changes. Trauma healing. Good communication.

Anyways, onwards to the future! Good things are ahead.

i wish my first sentence is not always, 'it's been a while...'

But hey! It's been a while...!

I've been doing pretty well! Or at least while I'm writing this, I'm in a great mood and feeling optimistic about life.

For the past two days, I've been waking up at 6:30am and doing workout classes. Haha who would've thought that morning exercise would make you feel great.

Lame 'fitness is good for you' commentary aside, my life and mental state have been pretty well recently. The job has been pretty good. I've learned to balance the workload and my life outside of work. I still reap the great benefits of working at nominal, but I've also been able to enjoy my time at home. The problems I work on are technically complex that it feels like I just get paid to solve a bunch of puzzles. Not bad for a gig??

If all goes according to plan, I might be in London in July! Work will send me there for a few weeks to help out with projects, but I'm excited to add that to my dad lore that my kids will never ask me about.

Our apartment finally feels like home also. Things feel more settled and I can finally focus on other things other than work and house keeping. This has probably been the most impactful thing for me in the past few months.

I mean still to this day, I don't know if New York's the right place, but I've finally started to feel like this is the right place for me at the moment.

What else have I done since my last update???

I've done a few more woodworking projects. I made dining benches, a room divider, some frames, and semi-finished ashley's vanity set. I think I do finish through with projects, but hopefully in the next few weeks I finish the swing on most of them. I've been hanging out with old friends from high school and college. NYC is just where everyone ends up. I used to view NYC more as a one-layered social city, but I now see the multi-faceted nature of living here.

Oh i'm really now trying to learn Mandarin now as well. Please keep it up present Cody. Don't disappoint future me.

I guess I want to end off saying that I haven't been as anxious about where my life is heading as I used to be. Whether this feeling is compounded bc I'm in a particularly good mood right now is TBD. But for real, I've been more at peace with myself. I think I've come to peace with the balancing act of work, romantic relationship, friendships, hobbies, and future aspirations. We're just animals after all. Keep observing the world around you and play to your strengths, and things will work out!

Thanks for reading!

It's a new year ⭐ Welcome readers!

It's been a quite fresh start for me this year. Somehow I feel a lot more aligned with myself and my life. A few things happened since my last update. After finishing up the new year at Nominal, I went back to Japan and Taiwan for a month. Now I'm back in NYC. Well rested and more alive. It's a combination of the vacation and my own self confidence, but I'm feeling good about my life here and beyond.

What's upcoming is work as usual (which I'm enjoying a lot more as of late), but also ideating some new wood working projects. I finally got the greenlight from Ashley to work on a dining table and a side table I've been wanting to build for a while. Now that we've officially decided to renew the lease and (also) finalized on the layout for the apartment, I'm much more excited and motivated to work on these. Hopefully I'll have an update somewhat soon.

2025 went by so quickly, so it's the goal to be much more intentional and do some microadventures when I can to feel more alive.

Cheers to you reading this. Have a good one!

Soooooo, oops, it's been 2 months since i've updated this portion. Ngl work has been crazy busy. Start up life is no joke!!!

Overall, things have been okay! (actively trying to go from okay to good to great) I've learned a ton from the job, what I'm good at - what I'm not good at. However, I do spend most of my subway rides back home thinking about what I don't like about my current life here. lol (not in a bad way). I have great times during the weekend both alone, with friends, and with Ashley. I don't take for granted the fact that I do live here. It's a unique experience to be living somewhere with so much diversity and big dream mindset.

Quite frankly, it's been a challenge juggling the job, a relationship, and a new city. It's probably the biggest challenge I'll be facing this year. I'm woefully optimisitic that I'll figure things out.

I often think about the mortality of everything, which gives me a weird sense of comfort that I can just continue at my own pace.

Btw this all sounds really negative, but I'm actually doing okay -_-/ life is good, i'll keep writing more updates!

I haven't been very good at updating this portion of the blog, but here I am now.

It's Sat midnight, finished up a long day of visiting Astoria for my wood working class and house cleaning.

2 months into New York, I'm doing great! Exploring, working, and living. Work has been pretty fulfilling overall and it's a great experience to work alongside some crazy talented and smart people. It's also fun to be able to work on a product you think is cool and I enjoy working on it and putting in the time and effort to grow it.

Ashley and I have been getting more acclimated (more me than her though). Working everyday and having that routine helps a lot. I started going to a wood working studio which I've always wanted to do, and that's been fun. I'm planning to make a coffee table and trying to be ambitious and intentional with my design.

I'm super grateful to be here.

WOWWW!! I'm in New York City. Lol it's a trip to be here. I'm still soaking in all the hustle and bustle, but i think i'm going to enjoy it here. i'm here with great company, and will be busy spending my time with exploring and work. I never thought I'd be here, but i conciously chose new york, because why not. Overall, as I juggle my job, relationships, and new city life, I'm excited to try to be better at some skill and have fun while I'm here. I'm not your typical 25 year old <,< trying to drink and go to bars LOL. Yes i'm so different and special!!!

Back in California! I came back to San Francisco a week ago. I spent some time visiting my old housemates and colleagues. Back to life! I'm taking my time as I work on freelancing gigs to hopefully find something permamant in the near future. Excited for what's to come and would love to keep appreciating each day as it comes!

I'm currently updating this portion of the blog from Tokyo, Japan!!! I'm back in my home country where my parents grew up, showing Ashley around the city. Japan is currently experiencing Typhoon 10. It's an extremely strong typhoon, but we're staying safe and dry. It's been a fun trip so far and I'm glad we're spending time in a place I'm comfortable with.

I've done a lot of reflecting on my life recently. Some moments have been filled with doubts about myself and how I want to move forward in life. I want to settle down and commit to a long-term stay where I can grow a community and work hard to find some fulfillment in my work and craft. It's a bad addiction to keep thinking about the future and how I want to live, so I'm currently taking it day by day to enjoy my time here. That includes shopping, movies, and improving this blog and other things to be ready for what's to come. So grateful for everything that's transpired over the past few months and I'm excited for what's to come.

Anyways, watched the Greatest Showman and it was such a great movie with so many layers. Looking to take some time and watch a good movie, documentary, or listen to some good music all month.

I'm in Taiwan!!! I'm so excited to be here and see what this place has to offer. I've spent the past two weeks with Ashley and her relatives. We spent the first half with her father's family in Songshan District. We spent the following week going on a 12 person roadtrip (cousins, aunts, uncles included) down to Kenting National Park. Fun family time and was a fun time to meet all the folks. Taiwan is hot and humid, but has some amazing food and great culture. Career wise, I've been interviewing. I made it pretty far into interviews at one place but rejected for not having the right amount of experience. It's tough to be a junior in this market. Tough luck, but I'm confident in my skills so I'll keep on grinding! 2 more weeks in Taiwan and then I'm off to Japan!

Studying for some interviews. Writing content for this blog. Worked on a hackathon recently! Going to Taiwan and Japan next month so stoked and working on building out projects before then!