Introducing my Lightly Steeped thoughts
My constant inability to journal, why I'm starting this newsletter, and what this will be about: books, running, food, and occasional reveries.
If you can’t sleep when you’re excited and anticipating new chapters, then you’ve found a kindred spirit. As with many endeavors, I’m starting at 1am after several futile attempts to sleep, despite being a bona fide morning person. It’s one of many quirks that I’ve grown to live with in my 20-odd years. Others include seasonal hobbies (reading, crocheting amigurumi, volleyball, running, calligraphy, baking), outside clothes vs. inside clothes, and taking a full day to drink a cup of coffee (dentists, forgive me).
Despite my ability to become engrossed (re: hyperfixated) on various things, I have yet to journal (or meditate) daily. I’ve tried the Day One app (maybe a 3-month streak?), bullet journaling (got too focused on aesthetics), and of course, physical diaries. Damn, have I collected a LOT of diaries and journals over the years, mostly blank—save for the first few pages.
Why Lightly Steeped
Lightly Steeped is my most committed attempt to-date at writing down what’s going on. At 27, I already feel like a year is both very long, and very short all at once. I’ve hit a point in my life where I think I can fully appreciate the highs and the lows of health, relationships, and personal and career growth, and I don’t want to forget all of the big and small joys that I’m fortunate enough to experience—along with the pain and the learnings.
In addition, I’m grateful to friends I’ve kept since my first year of college who have embarked on regular writing projects, like Nick Chow’s Musings, Mailé Nguyen’s Only Naengmyeon, and Leila’s Life. Their emails have made me think, and made me more grateful for the internet’s ability to facilitate long-distance friendships.
Now, as to my own newsletter: there are a few reasons behind the title, Lightly Steeped.
I like tea. I’m Chinese-American, and I love a warm cup of tea, all year-round.
Tea feels calm to me. I don’t want to be stressed about metrics. I just want to write, so this is a reminder to keep some lightness in this project.
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a dear friend, Amber, and I toyed with the idea of starting a podcast. We even recorded an episode or two. The idea came from the fact we were sending each other 10-, 20-, sometimes even 30-minute voice notes recapping our day-to-day, and discussing ideas we had on how we learn new things, baking, travel, being second-generation immigrants, body image, body building, generational gaps with parents, and much more. But we felt none of our ideas or thoughts were fully formed. Lightly Steeped is an ode to that notion—that many ideas, even in their infancy, are worth discussing and treating with seriousness.
Upcoming Seasonal Teas
I’m not sure how closely I’ll follow the theme, but I like the idea of seasonality, of flavors suiting particular conditions more than others. A sneak peek as to what I want to write about—though I make no promises on sticking to these titles, angles, or the order.
13 lessons from running my first half marathon
Why I love the Story Graph, but am keeping Goodreads too
5 years since Fulbright Korea
Will I finally make bread that doesn’t suck
Books I’ll keep recommending
2023 in books
Learning how to trapeze
Embroidery: perhaps another hyperfixation
Favorite comfort meals and recipes
A week at Disney World
Thank you for reading! More to come!
If you made it this far—thank you! I hope you stick around! The plan right now is to publish new content every other Sunday. I would love for this to be weekly, but I’ve learned it’s best to start hobbies low and slow.