The people we choose as family ~ On a warm midsummer evening in London, the breeze from the Thames attempts to whirl itself into the Wooden O, Shakespeare’s Globe. The vibrancy of each patron counters the cooling effect with its own kinetic energy, the crowd heated by anticipation for the opening act. As the twilight glows around the theater, my own curtain rises, its fabric beginning to extend its reach, unbeknownst to the connections that would take root among us. These s

When what you want only defines a single chapter ~ Exploration into unknown parts of the world is very much like our own discovery of love. These journeys are filled with coincidence, luck, and serendipitous moments that overtake an entire chapter, while subtle parentheses of readiness and intention is sprinkled throughout. Whether it happens once or many times in my life, love seems to follow this recipe—an intricate concoction of emotions. The fundamental ingredients are

Love under a magnifying glass ~ My heart has sung along the melodies of countless love ballads—defining and refining, layering and sculpting, glazing and glowing—as if our melodies of love can be molded like clay. Yet at times the ceramic of love remains unfinished, awaiting another transformative flame. Digging deeper into my emotional depths, I find beneath the fragile surfaces of our tempered selves lies a concealed blindness and unrealized mystery, dormant within the da

Star-gazing at our past lives, searching for all the connecting pieces ~ “We’re smaller than dust. God doesn’t always see us. But it’s okay, as long as we see each other.” — Translated, The Narrow Road (2022) While driving through the eastern side of Jeju Island (Korea) during a holiday, I discovered a stream of cedarwood trees that adorned both sides of the serpentine road. Faced with a serendipitous moment, I circled the route a few times until I found a narrow inlet