Happy October!

Week Two (2) has ended, and it feels great to have a set class schedule. I'm still incorporating exercise and content creation into my broader schedule, but I feel like I'm on my way. I'm a person who values structure and predictability highly. This doesn't mean I don't like spontaneity; instead, routine provides a sense of comfort and helps keep me going. I've found that being a person of color in a predominately white institution like Stanford means that I'm one of the first faces admin turns to when faced with DEI-related matters. While I find DEI work in higher education crucial, I wonder where to draw the line, especially if that work takes time away from academics. This is not a complaint — I'm just wondering what it means for higher education institutions to continue growing in DEI while valuing their students doing the work. Does it matter that I pay thousands of dollars to be here and end up not having time for my academics itself? I'm still learning to say "no," but part of me feels that this work is essential, and I'm selfish for not. I bring this up because sometimes DEI-related work happens spontaneously and it's hard to plan for it.

What are your thoughts? This is a bit different from doing DEI work within a company since I'm a student paying to be here rather than getting paid. Have you experienced this?

Rose, Bud, Thorn 🌹🌷🌵

🌹 I had several spontaneous conversations throughout the week! I'm grateful for being in an in-person setting to allow these meetups to happen!

🌷 I finally started researching with a professor, and I'm excited to work with him!

🌵 I haven't finished editing my video from last week, and I'm starting to feel nervous about the extent of my capabilities. I'm not ready to give up yet, though.

Book Talk📚

This week, I finished Things We Lost to the Water, and I think it sneaks into my top 10 books so far this year. So here are my thoughts from Goodreads:

An incredible story. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book from the plot and characters to the storytelling. As an immigrant, I felt plenty of what Tuan and Bihn felt growing up and was able to relate with Huoug through my mother. Bihn's development is beautiful -- even if I disagree with a few choices he made. Huoug's resilience for her boys is admirable especially when she made some tough decisions. Overall, a really awesome story and I highly recommend it.

I'm now reading Palaces for the People, recommended by my dear friend, Irene!

Intentional Content Consumption📰

Article + Conversation: Low-Cost Housing in Singapore

• On Monday, I had a fantastic conversation with two Singaporean students at the end of their Ph.D. journeys about homeownership and diversity in Singapore. I followed the discussion up with the attached article about housing in Singapore. Housing and housing affordability is a significant issue here in the US. The problem extends beyond just building logistics because of culture — primarily the meaning behind owning a home and space. There's a free down that comes with a sorta free market, but also, there might be solutions if the government played a more prominent role in building housing.

This Week's Video 📹

I'm still editing my wildfire video from last week! Since I don't have as much time as I did during the summertime, I need to think about what is important to me when posting a video — quantity? Quality? At the same time, I want to be proud of what I put out. I won't give up, so stay tuned!