in a crowded room and

feeling alone

so alone.

alone

echoes across the vast expanse

carried in the dim glow

of the lonely street lamp.

alone

a set of tracks

without a companion

walking side by side

hand in hand.

alone

a deafening sound

of nothingness

too loud yet too quiet.

alone

alone

i’m so alone.

Though I’ve experienced great growth in breaking out of my comfort zone, and trying to immerse myself into Vietnamese culture, it hasn’t been an easy journey. Bumps in the road, like this rejection only made me question once again my own place in the whole narrative, and why I continue to feel these feelings of cultural otherness. At the end of the day, those of mixed race identity often form and cultivate their own identity spaces. I feel that myself, and so many others have done this all of our lives. Sometimes, however, this can become exhausting, and we may feel inclined to seek acceptance from existing spaces. At the end of the day, I’ve learned that these rejections don’t define us, they’re part of a pendulum of growing pains.

Coming to face the fact that I will neither be White or Asian, that I’m both, and that I navigate this world as two distinct entities is something I still find hard to pin down. I distinctly remember taking standardized tests in elementary school, and only being able to fill in one box. Do I fill in the White or Asian one? How can I choose one when I’m both? That question always baffled me. And, it still does.

Growing Pains was originally published in Watercress on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Networking is a double edged sword. On one hand, it can feel fake and forced. However, is has the potential to be genuine and transformative.

If I could give two guiding tips on networking, they would be:

1. Network with people that you are drawn to, to people you can see yourself still knowing in ten years.

2. Network with people whose energy aligns with yours.

If you network with those people who you genuinely get along with, the result is much better for the person you are networking with, as well as yourself.

It takes a lot of energy to network, and build solid, professional relationships.

It’s also a lot of work to be a mentor to someone, and guide them through an industry.

Don’t network for the sake of networking, people will be able to see through that act right away.

To sum it all up, networking is meaningless if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Yes, network for the sake of professional connection, but first and foremost network for genuine, human connection.

to the joy and the pain

cheers to our friendship

which shall endure

cheers to it all

to our memories together

the times we will cherish forever

for you my dear friend

have been there through it all.

We often talk of our dream job. One which has the magical capability of combining all of our dreams and passions. A position which, once we’ve snagged it, we have an “a-ha” moment. A feeling that our lives are finally complete. A guaranteed forever of happiness- when work ceases to be work, and evolves into something much bigger.

However, it is this mentality of snagging a “dream job” which is, in fact, holding us back. Can it be that fragments of our dream job can actually be found in not one, but many jobs? Perhaps we have the power within us to make any job a “dream job”. This concept of landing the, “dream job” is quite unique to our current day and age.

For centuries, most did whatever they had to do to get by. In more instances than not, this often meant taking on work which was far from pleasurable. After all, this concept of a “dream job” is also rooted in privilege. Many do not have the luxury of choosing a profession which speaks to their passions. Instead, they must settle for what will immediately help them make ends meet.

For those who are lucky enough to have the option of scoring a “dream job”, think on this: how can you make it easier for others who dream of having your job, but don’t have the means to secure it, attain their dream job as well? Maybe this means offering up your mentorship via LinkedIn, or signing up to volunteer at a coding camp for girls. Find some way to pay your passion for your job forward.

If we all continue to offer up our expertise, and share it with the world, then perhaps one day, all can have the opportunity to get their dream job.

across her face as she

sits and she writes

with quiet hands that

drift across the paper.

her nimble fingers

pressed firmly upon the pencil

as if her very life depends on it.

lace curtains yellow with age

fluttering gently beside her.

she closes her eyes

ah sweet contentment.

oh but i am brave

i think for myself

don’t you dare tell me to behave.

i’m a nasty woman

oh but i have a voice

i will scream and yell

for my rights and my choice.

i’m a nasty woman

oh can’t you see

i quite plainly belong

where my soul is free.

i’m a nasty woman

don’t shut me down

or i will unleash my storm

and you will drown.

i’m a nasty woman

with a brilliant mind

you can find me fighting

until equality we find.

i am from cherry blossom

from ao dai and communion gown

from the comfortable contentment of the suburban home

and the refugee boat at sea.

i am from lotus flower

a bud that took longer to bloom than the others

i am from the emperor’s advisor

and the viking warrior

from pho and bun bo hue

and beef burgundy.

in my own words was originally published in Watercress on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

for when we fight we’ll fight again

but for now the night is calm and still

for a brief moment you are not

the dreaded enemy i must kill.

brother the evening is frosty and cold

but still we sing in harmony

for the young and the old.

as the ancient question goes

it is the perfume of a parisian rose?

or the quiet contentment

of a writer in repose?

perhaps it is the powdery snow

which melts into the stream’s icy flow?

or fireflies bright in their effervescent glow?