Jenny's Journal ꩜
I started personal writing when I was 16 years old and find it essential to my creativity and wellbeing. Putting my experiences into words is not only fun but helps hone my sensibility for narrative, which is key to my work. These are the entries I've typed up.
Why is my journal online?
I believe telling personal stories is crucial for revealing the diversity of perspectives in the human experience. I'm a young Chinese-American woman brought up as the first daughter of a blended family of Asian immigrants. I experienced many changes, challenges, and lessons as a result and am fundamentally shaped by that experience. Simultaneously, I have the privilege today to be independent, have a safe home, pursue career projects I'm passionate about, and travel. As someone who didn't grow up around narratives of people like me, with my specific background, I find it important to share my cultural straddlings, idiosyncrasies, and interests as an example of what's possible—both the good and the difficult.
My writing can be vulnerable. I explore my emotional states, learnings, and observations about my life. Because I harbor a unique mix of identities—literate and able-bodied, but also a second-generation and neurodivergent woman of color—the way I occupy and perceive spaces is unique. Writing is my medium for making sense of and representing this experience firsthand.
When others read my writing, I hope they can find what's kindred between us. I hope this contributes to a larger human project: helping us become more empathetic and patient with each other, which can be hard work in a modern, extractive world.
- Locked, for trusted readers only
- Personal favorite
Cocooning, Attempt 2
Age 29–presentMy 20s really knocked the wind out of me. At age 29, I had to build some of my routines up again from the basics—getting my life together, but for real this time. I'm thinking about those memes about how artists name their files 'final.psd', 'final2.psd', and 'final-final.psd'. Here we go again! actual-final.psd!
Weekend of Improv
A logging of sweet synchronicities during the weekend of 8/8, the Lion's Gate Portal.
Vivid Dreams
Describing an unforeseen side effects of some new medication: intricate and immersive dreams.
Heart Lantern
Realigning my nervous system through unconventional methods.
Dear Maggie / Precious Cargo
Letter to my friend Maggie while on a cross-country road trip.
Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast
An emotional meditation on my habits.
Saturn Return
Age 28–29When you're 28–30 years old, the planet of Saturn cycles back to where it was in the sky when you were born. This is called the Saturn Return astrologically, and it's known to be a time in one's life that challenges people to confront themselves, from goals and dreams to bad habits. After a year of cocooning and a break between jobs, I thought everything in my life was starting to stabilize. But of course, man plans, God laughs, and Saturn circles back. Over 18 months, I experienced some tribulations that toughened me up: my Masters thesis, breakups, major health events, and realizing who I am and who I'm not.
Working Hard For Gas
Emotional field notes while traveling in Montreal.
Crepuscular Cocoon
Love poem for my cozy home life.
Memo from the Hot Tub in Boulder
Dispatch from an academic adventure in Colorado.
Where I'm at Emotionally
Reflection on healing difficult emotional patterns.
Sneaking Out for Chiropractic Jazz
A poem about a restless night in New York.
Today Was a Nice Day
Capturing a small vignette during a turbulent time.
Brewdog and Bad Driving
A drunken litany of some stressful feelings.
Sabrina's Dog
A love poem for my dog Lila.
Summering in Cleveland 2025
Mid-Masters degree status update and brain dump.
Arrivals, Departures
Feelings about adjusting to new circumstances in Cleveland.
Cocooning, Attempt 1
Age 27Maybe it was a hex, maybe it was the natural conclusion of a cosmic cycle. In any case, several things started falling apart in my life halfway through 2024, prompting some changes. Writing helped me make sense of a weird time. These tell the story of me settling through some chaos and doing some self-reflection. As good stories do, this chapter starts with a bang.
Existential Dread Is Small Potatoes
A reflective letter to my friend Brianna.
Polarity
Reflections of warmth in the cold of Ohio winter.
Radio / Self-Talk
A poem about my healing so far.
A December Evening on Literary Road
Small vignette about a nice night alone.
Infinite Bloom
Capturing scrumptious alone time in the winter of 2024.
Escapades, Scenarios
Good and hearty moments of November 2024.
On Lila
Quick jotting about my love for my dog Lila.
Takes a Village
On PhD timing, a strange encounter at ALDI, and the ongoing battle to be consistent with myself.
Astrology Consultation
A celebrity astrologer read my birth chart.
Cardamom Lattes
Stream-of-conscious prose poem. Rhythmic little vignettes about an intentional break between jobs in the fall.
Three Wise Men
Interactions during an adventurous weekend in Cleveland. On Ben's and my friendship.
The Muse Within Myself
A fast tribute to part of myself I'm sometimes annoyed by and sometimes in love with.
Playing Chess With Kids
On getting better at things, from hobbies to patience with myself. On self-acceptance and the nonlinearity of growth.
The Great Weird
An 'I'm between jobs' reflection. On self-alignment and the nature of committing to things.
The Comedy
Some things collided in my life, including a relentless mouse problem.
Transitioning into Cleveland
Age 26–27Moving to Cleveland, Ohio—a city I'd never even visited before—was a significant milestone for me. These writings reminisce on the phase of life I had left and the new beginnings in front of me. I barely wrote during the first year I lived in Cleveland, so like catching your breath after a long sprint, some of these are recaps instead of being updates from the time of writing.
The Lost Chapter
Recounting a chaotic period. On working hard, playing hard, burning out, feeling distant from oneself, and adopting a dog.
Update Letter
A letter to my friend about life in CLE.
Staking My Positions
On virtue ethics, where I place my moral weights, existential responsibilities, and courage.
Minds Are Muscles
A quick thought piece about AI.
Today Is April 9
A good day in Cleveland.
Slow Moving
On settling into new places, making observations, and the pleasure of curating an aspirational and compelling life.
The Traveling Years
Age 23–26Between 2021 and 2023, I traveled to 10 different countries and 27 cities as a digital nomad. I also grew a lot. However, during this time, an egalitarian, self-effacing part of me took over: 'oh well, everywhere is actually the same and I don't want to be a typical tourist and no one really cares about my travels!' I kept my blog private, didn't post on social media, and only occasionally wrote. These entries are just what I happened to salvage.
Nomad Life Recap
A collage of vignettes about wandering around Europe, Asia, and the USA. The belated bookend to my nomad era.
Fast Sentimental Love Note to the First Edinburgh Chapter
A quick jotting about feeling belonging in a unique city.
Every Love Is Different
A long reflection on new cities, love and gratitude, and the interior worlds of people. Edinburgh as metaphor.
Amsterdam Jotting
On quirky moments in the Netherlands, making an offer on a home in Cleveland, being positive, traveling, and hostels.
Brief Scotland Update
Checking in between St Andrews and Edinburgh. On DISI, starting the MSc, and falafel with Sarah Sherman.
Re: Personality Frameworks
A response I wrote to a DISI peer questioning why people like personality tests and typologies.
One of the Best Days of My Year
Honoring a beautifully meandering day in London.
June Check-In From Jet Lag Jenny
On nomadic traveling, cultivating intellectual confidence, observations from friends, and London.
Pit Stop
A letter I wrote to a friend while stopped back home in Renton, Washington for a few weeks.
Today Is Tamil New Year
A jotting about celebrating Tamil New Year with my blended family in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Re: Body Mods
A response I wrote to an Interact discussion about why people get body mods. This got good feedback!
The Concerns of Spiritual Beingness
Reflections during a winter in Doha.
Arriving in Doha
Transitioning to Doha after traveling Europe. Enjoying architecture, recollecting routines.
What Goes On?
An update from my time living at CEEALAR, the research collective in Blackpool, UK.
No More Baby Books
A thought piece about children's reading practices I wrote while sitting on a bench in Park Güell, Barcelona.
Peaceful Monastery Day
Recounting a charming afternoon in Villeneuve-lés-Avignon, a commune in the south of France.
Pandemic Times
Age 22–23Just like everyone else, my life paused during COVID-19. I had also just dissolved my one tie to a physical place: I left my job in Los Angeles. Young and newly free of any obligations, I spent time road-tripping, wandering about, working on Plot Twisters, and confronting my health and some rougher parts of my personality.
Lockdown in San Francisco
Notable moments while living in San Francisco's Mission District during the COVID quarantine.
Seattle to Boston
Recollections of an ambitious and thrifty cross-country fall road trip.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
The opposite of romanticizing travel. On dysregulation and awkward days while WWOOFing on a bamboo farm.
My Early 20s
Age 19–22I wrote about floundering around in Los Angeles mostly, but also other places like New Orleans and Mexico. These entries are kind of shameless. I wanted to be an artist, a designer, a journalist, a founder, a writer. Odd observations and ambitions missing consummation. Disorder, novelty, and general young adulthood panic. But also the beginnings of discovering my voice.
Vaccuuming
On traveling for work, being cluttered and illogical, emotional states, love, jealousy, and alternative paths.
Hoover House
A snapshot of my last days living in the artist collective in Los Angeles.
Presently
A list-style inventory on my life after university graduation, living in an artist collective and exploring my passions.
Last Week, I Bought A Ripe Pink Rose
A fast homage to pink—a favorite color of mine—and youth!
Rare Woman
A reflective essay dedicated to my mom for her birthday — about our similarities, differences, and her impact on me.
Diner Drawing
4 of 4 illustrated blog posts about bookpacking in Louisiana. Tattoos, revisiting things, and the lasting impact of literature.
Blue Carnival
3 of 4 illustrated blog posts about bookpacking in Louisiana. Distractions, second line parades, and fortunetellers.
Syncopated City
2 of 4 illustrated blog posts about bookpacking in Louisiana. New Orleans, jazz, Buddy Bolden, and drunk poets.
Estuary
1 of 4 illustrated blog posts about bookpacking in Louisiana. Grand Isle, Kate Chopin, and hopes for the future.
Common Ground
On how digital culture helped me bond with a family for whom I was working on a journalism project.
Twenty
A collection of advice and lessons learned at the great and wise old age of 20.
Postcards
Reflecting on my interview project of five Los Angelenos and how they informed my own relationship to LA.
Hello World!
On who I became after my first year of undergrad at USC. On intellectual and practical balance.
Girlhood Recollections
Before age 18On growing up as a Chinese-American eldest daughter to immigrant parents and all the goals, departures, and throughlines of that experience. Figuring out what feelings are, funny little moments, homages to important people, and significant memories.
