Captivations is a monthly feature with links, stories, and news that captivated me.
IT’S FEBRUARY!
The start of the year came quickly but then it was like someone pressed slo-mo and I wasn’t sure if we’d make it. But here we are!
The most common question I’ve been getting lately is “how is wedding planning?” Wedding planning is going very well, with most of the big things booked though plenty of “small” tasks, like invitations, are still on the list. When I’m not wedding planning, I’m running, training for my next half-marathon in a few weeks. After two months of training, I’m actually liking running so much that I’m thinking about signing up for another race in May. I know, I’m rolling my eyes too.
How was the start of your year? Do you have any goals? What’s the best thing that happened to you in January?
How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation
Today millennials are 22-38 years old. This article has been making the rounds as millennials are feeling very seen and heard. Here are two quotes that summarize it:
“When we talk about millennial student debt, we’re not just talking about the payments that keep millennials from participating in American “institutions” like home ownership or purchasing diamonds. It’s also about the psychological toll of realizing that something you’d been told, and came to believe yourself, would be “worth it” — worth the loans, worth the labor, worth all that self-optimization — isn’t.”
“We’re deeply in debt, working more hours and more jobs for less pay and less security, struggling to achieve the same standards of living as our parents, operating in psychological and physical precariousness, all while being told that if we just work harder, meritocracy will prevail, and we’ll begin thriving. The carrot dangling in front of us is the dream that the to-do list will end, or at least become far more manageable.”
Food Traditions
Tteokguk is a Korean soup with rice cakes that
How to Live Fully: Help
I found this TED Talk in a TED Radio Hour show. A man analyzed 2,000 obituaries and found that the common theme and most mentioned word was ‘help.’ So, as you’re thinking about how to find purpose, think about how you can help others.
Do Asian Americans Say ‘I Love You?’
This New York Times article explains so much about my life growing up. My family does not say the words ‘I love you,’ but I’ve come to accept that instead, love is expressed in different ways. It’s in the other phrases that are repeated often, in the frequent phone calls, and the thoughtful, unexpected gestures. Pushing their children to be the best, even if it was unappreciated and stressful at the time, were the ways my Tiger parents showed they cared. As the children of immigrants grow our own families, I hope we take the generosity shown by our parents and combine it with the openness and strength we’ve seen encouraged. What a force the future will be.
Death, Sex & Money
Disclaimer, I haven’t listened to this podcast myself but it seems like a good one. Death, Sex & Money talks about all the relationship things we don’t want to talk about like sex and divorce. If you’ve listened, let me know how it is and which episode you like. Are there any podcasts you recommend?
25 Influential Movie Scenes
I recognize a handful of these but it also looks like I have some movies to watch. What do you think about this list?
Saying Goodbye
This post about a blog shutting down makes me think. The internet has changed, social media has helped change it, and the blog world has been affected along with it.
Declining Birth Rate
For everyone asking if and when I’ll have kids, I’ll have this article printed out pocket-size for him/her and say that I’m trying to work through these reasons why I shouldn’t have kids.
Great White Shark Goes Viral
You might have seen this viral video of an ocean researcher and team swimming next to the biggest great white shark in the world on record. It’s incredible and terrifying. It shows that sharks, even the ones that are known as the most deadly, are not monsters. What the video doesn’t show, and what marine biologists are reminding people, is that wild animals are not to be touched. Would you go touch a lion in the wild? Nope, me neither. It’s irresponsible and dangerous, not only to humans but to the animals that can become accustomed to this familiarity.
Loss
I enjoyed this talk/article by Katie Hawkins-Gaar, a writer who lived through the unexpected loss of her 32-year-old husband. There’s a reason why elementary children go through regular fire drills, why we repeat mantras, and why we form healthy habits. “This is why we practice,” I heard a yoga instructor say during a class, “so that when things get tough, we’ll know what to do.” When we’re stressed or distressed, we forget things like having patience, being kind, and finding the good in the situation. The article reminds me of the way regular practice can save us.
Motherhood
This was an interesting article about why moms ignore advice from seasoned moms. The gist of it is about how moms think that their experience will be different, so the horrible anecdotes of others don’t apply. I’m pretty sure that we all don’t understand it until we’re in the midst of it. One of those “you’ll understand when you’re older” or “you’ll understand when you have kids” things. This is the same way about any rite of passage, like starting college, getting married, or buying a house. We’re all a little stubborn.
Librarians are Funny
Here are 20 times librarians (and funny people if it’s at a bookstore) shared their cheesy jokes with us.
Remaking Home
I’ve supported Preemptive Love Coalition since it started and am amazed at the ways the organization grew in the past year. With great need comes great opportunity to step up and that’s what this non-profit did to help war-torn families in Iraq and Syria. This is a great video and summary of their impact.
What’s got you captivated lately?
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