“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” -
- John Steinbeck

I can't believe that January is already over. This month was eventful for me: I transitioned from a restorative winter break at home to an increasingly busy second semester of college. Looking back, the days felt slow, but the weeks flew by.

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Why is the Korean Church So Important to the Korean-American Community? (I Made a Podcast!)

"When you come to a strange place, you need someone to help you. You need someone to talk to you and share your meals and your life and your job. So we need as a person, we need community, we need somebody other than yourself. That’s natural. We need each other."  - Barbara Park

During my first semester of college, I took a freshman seminar called American Soundscapes. In this class, we explored a variety of music in the United States and the diaspora and communities behind them. From traditional Irish music in Boston to North Indian classical dance in San Francisco and Arab music in Detroit, our case studies ventured to unexpected and vibrant nodes of culture.

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Do the Ends Justify the Means? Descendant of the Crane Book Review

Thank you to Albert Whitman & Company for providing me with an advanced reader copy for review. Receiving this galley does not impact my opinion of the book.

"If you want to understand a person, peer at his heart through the window of his prejudices and assumptions."

Descendant of the Crane follows the journey of Hesina of Yan as she searches for her father's true killer. Now the queen, Hesina holds the power to order a formal investigation and trial to identify the murderer. Yet the young leader's pursuit of justice is not so simple. Hesina hides her own act of treason from the public: seeking the assistance of soothes, clairvoyants rejected by society. To complicate matters, Hesina's representative in court, Akira, is a criminal himself, and the court desires a quick answer rather than a fair trial. Even worse, other kingdoms, sensing the new court's vulnerability, near closer to war. With the help of her royal siblings, Sanjing, Caiyan, Lillian, and Rou, and her representative, Akira, Hesina must quell public dissent and mediate court politics to find the king's murderer and save her kingdom.

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My 2020 Resolutions

New year, new me? Not exactly. 

For me, 2019 was a year of renewal. I felt like a new me: stronger, happier, and once more inspired. As I reflected on the year past and look towards the future, I wanted to create goals that would challenge me but also expand upon the progress I made in 2019. In 2020, I don't need to be a "new me". I can enhance, enrich, and expand to build upon the last year and be the best me I can be.

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Fire in the Dark: Thoughts on Ronan Farrow's Catch and Kill

“In the end, the courage of women can't be stamped out. And stories - the big ones, the true ones - can be caught but never killed.”

In Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, journalist Ronan Farrow details his two-year reporting efforts to expose Harvey Weinstein for predatorial behavior and sexual assault. With the help of his producer, McHugh, Farrow interviewed several women, including Emily Nestor, Rowena Chiu, and Karen McDougal, who shared their stories in the hopes of preventing further abuses of power. But the author's investigation faced roadblocks to going public. At NBC News, the president and others in positions of power stymied Farrow's reporting to protect the company name and their connections. When Farrow turns to The New Yorker to publish his story, NBC News and Weinstein threatened legal action against him. Weinstein also employed an Israeli intelligence agency, the Black Cube, to stalk the author and his interview contacts.

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Happy New Year! An Update + Looking to 2020

Happy New Year! 

I have always felt that the new year possesses restorative power. Whether marked by the drop of a sparkling ball in New York City or a gigantic cardboard wrench as custom in my small town, something about the clock striking midnight reinvigorates my ambition. Every December, I look forward to reflecting on my past year and creating goals I can tackle with renewed vigor (if only for the first few months).

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