I’m not interesting, I’m just ”into resting” 😴

Dear Friend,

Hey, how’s it going? I want to first say a heartfelt thank you to those who reached out to me after my June’s newsletter. I always love hearing from you as it’s the best part of writing these things, and it means a lot to hear not just how you’re doing, but also for giving me great advice and to remind me that my world is not that small nor disconnected. Thank you.

If I may get a bit heady for a minute, I’d love to share with you a realization from my recent meditation practice. During a session where I was focusing on my breath, it dawned on me that “inhaling is just as important as exhaling, and with that resting and self-care need to have as much importance as working and growing.” Just like how we can’t keep inhaling, exhaling, or holding our breath, the only way we stay alive is to keep all parts of the breath in balance. No one part is more — or less important than the other.

Anyways, all that is to say that following last month’s many stress points, I really did try to focus on rest and play this month. Here are some of the things I did this month:

• 🏃🏻‍♂️ Ran 35.05 miles (average 3.18 miles per run) this month, up from 23.22 in June.
• 🏋🏻‍♂️ Spent 28.5 hours (~10k calories burned) in all workout exercises, up from 17.5 hours (~6700 calories burned) in June.
• 🧘🏻‍♂️ Meditated 20 days (average 21 minutes per session), down from 26 days in June.
• 📷 Here are some of the photos I took in July (link should be viewable in any browser).

🧋 Social Gatherings:

• July 4th barbecue with the homies
• Brunch with the Walmart gang
• Ian and I recently shared our six-years anniversary, and we spent this past weekend at Angel Island — as a revisit of our third date! I really enjoy Angel Island, as it’s not too far but still takes a love ferry ride to get there… It’s feel like a mini vacay without venturing too far away!

Here is a quick list of entertainment that brought me joy this month:

• 📺 TV: Hacks (HBO Max). Two worlds collided when Ava, the struggling, Gen-Z comedy writer found herself writing for Deborah, a legendary, seasoned (but somewhat has-been) comedian who’s been doing the same standup routine in Vegas for years. What I love most about this show is that it doesn’t diminish the two characters’ very different generational upbringings. Instead the show celebrates the differences, while also showcase how resilient women has and always will be.
• 🎧 Music: Renaissance, by Beyoncé (Apple Music). I’m not part of the Beyhive by any means, but this album is great! I think a big part of it is the nostalgic house music, something that reminds me of the gay culture I grew up with. But it’s also so fun, familiar, and… cozy? I sound like an old man, but I really like how I don’t have to try to understand it to like it — instead it’s as if Renaissance has always been in the guilty-pleasure part of my music collection.
• 🎤 Podcast: Project Unabom (Apple Podcast). Speaking of growing up, Unabomber was someone that was so elusive, and was therefore so fascinating to me growing up in the 90s. I always knew he was anti-technology, but Project Unabom helped paint the picture so much more vividly on his maddening ideologies. (Like how he’s almost incel-like before there was even a name to it?) And while we knew his brother turned him in, it was amazing to learn how the key people who solved this case behind the scenes were all women!
• ▶️ YouTube Sundries:
  • California’s high-speed rail is a warning for the US, by Vox: The very epitome of “this is why we can’t have nice tings”
  • Off/On – Dance Studio version, by COLLAR: Hong Kong’s up-and-coming girl band’s new song is a legit bop and has a great dance version
  • This Book Made me a Happier Person, by Ali Abdaal: I’ve been a big fan of “The Courage to be Disliked” for years. This video has a great summary on it to explain why.

🤔 A Moment of Zen: Imagine the absolute perfect day — what time would you wake up? Will you be an early riser, or will you sleep in? What will you do or not do, and will you do these things with anyone else, or spend the day by yourself? How’s the weather that day? Is it bright and sunny, or is it raining or snowing outside?

And that’s about it for the month of July! I hope it’s interesting for you as it was nice for me to recap for the month. Please also share this newsletter if you think other people can benefit from it! They can also subscribe to the newsletters directly below.

Love wins