A Dream of Flying
Man, I really wish I had something interesting to tell you guys about this past year. No, I mean of course this was the year when the levee finally broke wide open in ways I honestly could have never imagined. When I walked into 2019, I had some things I knew I wanted to happen, an impending trip to Europe (which you can read all about in the last blog post) and a burgeoning writing career.
But what actually happened was this weird, wild adventure that spanned five continents, eight countries, and fifteen states. This was the year that I got to set foot in the Sahara, walk the Great Wall of China and ruins of Ancient Rome, reconnect with both my paternal and maternal origins, reintegrate music and travel back into my life after such a glaring long time away, and actually become pretty prolific with my writing/translating career; this is the year when that all happened. This is why that matters...and why it can never happen again.
Let's get the travel stuff out of the way first, I feel like that's the stuff I'm always so excited to talk about. I really do hope posting about all those trips on social media had an invitational quality to it; that was all very much me turning to my friends with a wink as if to say "Look, none of this is as out of reach as it seems. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's far from impossible."
I've already covered the Europe stuff but I remember feeling almost guilty that I was going back to Ireland for the second time in a decade but hadn't been to South Korea in many, many years. The truth is, I had come up with a lot of internal self-justifications for that (That it would be overly elegiac, that I would face racial tension due to my half-breed heritage, the sheer distance) but, at the end of the day, they were just excuses. So I quietly started planning a return to Seoul before 2018 ended and finalized booking the trip itself about a month after I got back from London.
But in the middle, I was starting to burn out by the end of the semester which isn't abnormal but seemed particularly potent this time around. So I promised myself I would treat myself to something fun and exciting as soon as final exams ended in May and that became an impromptu trip to Morocco; that one was actually booked less than a month before it started and was pretty spontaneous throughout. Want to ride on horseback to an ancient city in the heart of the desert? Done. Take a dip in an oasis? Check. I was there during Ramadan and every morning I would wake up to the call to prayer from the minarets around the city and end every evening drinking mint tea above the city's bazaar, watching the hustle and bustle from a well-placed balcony. It was a beautiful, beautiful experience and I was immediately struck by how vibrant and colorful Marrakesh was; it was so unique to all the places I've been before and since and I would love to go back someday.
And that sense of high adventure that started in Morocco would carry right over to the next two international trips this year. Seoul would gain a visit to a remote monastery deep within the mountains about two hours south of the city while Beijing would gain a whirlwind trip through Chinese jungle mountains leading to an epic hike along the Great Wall. Cusco would get a lot of stuff woven in but more on that later. Those were all, I think, inspired by my time in Morocco; a challenge to dream bigger and actually follow through on those dreams.
Korea itself was very much like a waking dream. I know I'm Korean, I talk about it all the time like people forget; I'm so guilty of that. I think it comes from me trying to make up for lost time and reclaim my racial identity or something, but I'm aware I do it all the time. But to suddenly be in that place...if international travel had been the part of me I missed the most, being in Korea was the part of me that I forgot existed; that sense that I belonged and it had been waiting there the whole time. Another reason I think I stress being Korean is that nobody really knows what I am otherwise -- at least I got all those existential questions processed early.
I remember descending through the cloud line coming into Incheon, the mountains breaking through them like a dream. Getting off the plane, I was surrounded by all these families and, oh look, there's a robot (?) and all the sights and sounds and smells that I had grown up with tangentially were suddenly all there at once all around me. There was this upswing in joy from an internal place I never really knew existed and whenever I saw Chinese families reconnecting with their culture visiting the Great Wall or Peruvians visiting Machu Picchu and other Incan ruins, I understood where that deep, generational happiness came from because I had experienced it earlier this year myself.
So visiting Korea was always supposed to be a celebration and reconnection to that side of myself. I brag a lot almost as a rule but, you know, so many people that brag have no idea what they're talking about, myself included. This was when I finally understood what being Korean meant. And as long as I'm able and feel that I haven't overstayed my welcome with them, I would love to go back to Seoul at least once a year because the thought of letting that fall by the wayside would just be so heartbreaking if it happened.
Peru came about, really, because I felt I had one more international trip in me before the year's end and that made it a natural epilogue. To consciously build on that association, I decided to go to South America because the last place I went to before this multi-year gap was Argentina. With that in mind, I intentionally wove in callbacks and nods to both that trip and every single international trip I went on this year; good poetry tends to end how it starts and while all this isn't a poem (let alone a good one), it was a fun thing to kind of aspire towards. A fun example is the outfit I'm wearing horseback riding in Peru is the same outfit I wore riding into the desert in Morocco, just with a sporty hat.
So Peru got the nod by the sheer virtue that I hadn't ever been there before and I was quickly reminded how much I fucking love speaking in Spanish and that I'm actually pretty good at it as if getting paid to translate fucking books hadn't made that abundantly clear to me. But also, there was this thrill about being back in Latin America itself, a wider association with these cultures that I had studied abroad in on two separate occasions years ago; a blend of the old world and vibrant new one. In addition to the food and the adventures deep within the Amazon and Andes, I would explore the complicated history of the culture including a trip into the crypts and catacombs beneath Lima -- this was a very Indiana Jones-esque year, looking back.
And it honestly felt like every time I went on one of these wacky international trips, a different piece of the puzzle would fall into place in my personal and professional life; the stakes have steadily been raising all year and it's been exhilarating. A lot of that comes that writing job. With the podcast effectively dead, I channeled all that energy and contacts into writing about comics, movies, television, and video games professionally. And this was the year where that all coalesced; things I wasn't even aware I was working towards taking on this weird, wonderful (and lucrative?!) second career.
I remember the first time I saw myself on the DC Comics website talking about Superman and I didn't really know how to process that; I still don't if I'm being completely honest with myself. At this point, you can probably find me talking about stuff like Swamp Thing, Justice League, Lois Lane, and more. If I timed this right, there's a talk with me and a high-ranking exec comparing notes on Superman, the Justice Society, and the Flash; that one was my most personal yet. The idea that these characters that have meant so much to me over the years would become things that I was approached to speak and write about professionally was never something I expected and I will hopefully never take for granted. I know they seem like softball topics but they do mean a lot to people and a lot to me and there's a weird sense of responsibility now; people are counting on me to know what I'm talking about and I'm not too used to people listening to what I have to say so I have to rise to that challenge. And that's incredibly exciting.
This is probably a good time to mention quickly that I do maintain at least an illusion of fiscal responsibility in between all of this. I do have savings and multiple retirement funds that are fully vested. I got a new car back in August both as a birthday present to myself and because I had driven my last car for the past twelve years. And I don't have a payment due until next summer; I'm really good about that, it's why my student loans have been paid off in full for over a year now. And I'm not going into specifics about this at all but I've pursued more charitable, philanthropic efforts too. There's a social responsibility that comes with having stronger finances; that shouldn't be a controversial concept but somehow it is and I want to make sure I do my own part.
As for my personal life? My sister got married this year! So much of my life has been built around making sure she'd get that happy ending so it was a huge, effervescently liberating thing to see that happen. I've been spending the past couple years building really happy memories with my dad, taking him to ballgames, introducing him to the actors that helped shape his life and, by extension, my own. I went to the World Series (!) and more rock shows than you can shake a stick at! That's all lifeblood; the stuff that keeps my home of all these years still feeling interesting and vital. I think that's been the benefit of living in Arlington, honestly, I'm just separated enough from the rat race to avoid the toxicity of it all but close enough to home to be there when it matters most.
But you want to know about the dating aspect of it all? You know, I get that asked a lot too and with one or two of you more vehemently than others. Uh, what can I say that I'm comfortable with, especially knowing family online are probably going to see this. Hmmmm. Well, I'm not a monk, I think that's safe to say. I've definitely gone on quite a few dates this year. Hell, I've gone on a couple this month. In terms of longevity, there isn't really anything serious to report since this past summer. I know why I keep those personal relationship cards close to my chest, I've always been pretty open and honest about why I do that but I'm not airing that out publicly here. Maybe that's the next major thing that opens up next year. Maybe it doesn't. Either way, I've never been one to force that.
What will 2020 bring? Well, I haven't called many shots for it yet. Really, the only thing I have relatively planned and booked is a trip to Coachella. I always wanted to go to that music festival and now I'm in a place in my life where I can...so I am. And, golly, I've sure been doing a lot of work lately out of Los Angeles, New York City, and Fort Worth (?) lately so hopefully that'll all pick up as the new year progresses. The international travel isn't going away but this time around I won't be as deadset as making all the destinations new ones, I've proven to myself that I'm back. So, with that in mind, there will be some familiar locations back in the mix and maybe two big, bombastic destinations that each have me learning new languages and going really operatic with the whole thing. If I try to outdo or replicate what I did this year, I'm just going to be disappointed because that's unsustainable. And there's a certain kind of beauty in all of that being ephemeral; everything from 2019 was just a moment in time, some preserved in memory, some in photo or video but truly the year where everything that I didn't know was coming together finally did, the ley lines revealing themselves as everything started to align for a truly great year and the hope that the momentum doesn't diminish moving forward. And that hopeful promise is one I also hope you share as we go into this together.
But what actually happened was this weird, wild adventure that spanned five continents, eight countries, and fifteen states. This was the year that I got to set foot in the Sahara, walk the Great Wall of China and ruins of Ancient Rome, reconnect with both my paternal and maternal origins, reintegrate music and travel back into my life after such a glaring long time away, and actually become pretty prolific with my writing/translating career; this is the year when that all happened. This is why that matters...and why it can never happen again.
Let's get the travel stuff out of the way first, I feel like that's the stuff I'm always so excited to talk about. I really do hope posting about all those trips on social media had an invitational quality to it; that was all very much me turning to my friends with a wink as if to say "Look, none of this is as out of reach as it seems. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's far from impossible."
And that sense of high adventure that started in Morocco would carry right over to the next two international trips this year. Seoul would gain a visit to a remote monastery deep within the mountains about two hours south of the city while Beijing would gain a whirlwind trip through Chinese jungle mountains leading to an epic hike along the Great Wall. Cusco would get a lot of stuff woven in but more on that later. Those were all, I think, inspired by my time in Morocco; a challenge to dream bigger and actually follow through on those dreams.
Korea itself was very much like a waking dream. I know I'm Korean, I talk about it all the time like people forget; I'm so guilty of that. I think it comes from me trying to make up for lost time and reclaim my racial identity or something, but I'm aware I do it all the time. But to suddenly be in that place...if international travel had been the part of me I missed the most, being in Korea was the part of me that I forgot existed; that sense that I belonged and it had been waiting there the whole time. Another reason I think I stress being Korean is that nobody really knows what I am otherwise -- at least I got all those existential questions processed early.
I remember descending through the cloud line coming into Incheon, the mountains breaking through them like a dream. Getting off the plane, I was surrounded by all these families and, oh look, there's a robot (?) and all the sights and sounds and smells that I had grown up with tangentially were suddenly all there at once all around me. There was this upswing in joy from an internal place I never really knew existed and whenever I saw Chinese families reconnecting with their culture visiting the Great Wall or Peruvians visiting Machu Picchu and other Incan ruins, I understood where that deep, generational happiness came from because I had experienced it earlier this year myself.
 |
| My robot friend. |
So visiting Korea was always supposed to be a celebration and reconnection to that side of myself. I brag a lot almost as a rule but, you know, so many people that brag have no idea what they're talking about, myself included. This was when I finally understood what being Korean meant. And as long as I'm able and feel that I haven't overstayed my welcome with them, I would love to go back to Seoul at least once a year because the thought of letting that fall by the wayside would just be so heartbreaking if it happened.
 |
| "Mom, I'm here." Which I somehow managed to say despite clearly not having slept for the past 28 hours. |
Peru came about, really, because I felt I had one more international trip in me before the year's end and that made it a natural epilogue. To consciously build on that association, I decided to go to South America because the last place I went to before this multi-year gap was Argentina. With that in mind, I intentionally wove in callbacks and nods to both that trip and every single international trip I went on this year; good poetry tends to end how it starts and while all this isn't a poem (let alone a good one), it was a fun thing to kind of aspire towards. A fun example is the outfit I'm wearing horseback riding in Peru is the same outfit I wore riding into the desert in Morocco, just with a sporty hat.
So Peru got the nod by the sheer virtue that I hadn't ever been there before and I was quickly reminded how much I fucking love speaking in Spanish and that I'm actually pretty good at it as if getting paid to translate fucking books hadn't made that abundantly clear to me. But also, there was this thrill about being back in Latin America itself, a wider association with these cultures that I had studied abroad in on two separate occasions years ago; a blend of the old world and vibrant new one. In addition to the food and the adventures deep within the Amazon and Andes, I would explore the complicated history of the culture including a trip into the crypts and catacombs beneath Lima -- this was a very Indiana Jones-esque year, looking back.
And it honestly felt like every time I went on one of these wacky international trips, a different piece of the puzzle would fall into place in my personal and professional life; the stakes have steadily been raising all year and it's been exhilarating. A lot of that comes that writing job. With the podcast effectively dead, I channeled all that energy and contacts into writing about comics, movies, television, and video games professionally. And this was the year where that all coalesced; things I wasn't even aware I was working towards taking on this weird, wonderful (and lucrative?!) second career.
 |
| First Comic-Con working for my current outlet. This is minutes before leaving to go a steakhouse in San Diego where you have to grill your own steak...which I discovered by accident. |
I remember the first time I saw myself on the DC Comics website talking about Superman and I didn't really know how to process that; I still don't if I'm being completely honest with myself. At this point, you can probably find me talking about stuff like Swamp Thing, Justice League, Lois Lane, and more. If I timed this right, there's a talk with me and a high-ranking exec comparing notes on Superman, the Justice Society, and the Flash; that one was my most personal yet. The idea that these characters that have meant so much to me over the years would become things that I was approached to speak and write about professionally was never something I expected and I will hopefully never take for granted. I know they seem like softball topics but they do mean a lot to people and a lot to me and there's a weird sense of responsibility now; people are counting on me to know what I'm talking about and I'm not too used to people listening to what I have to say so I have to rise to that challenge. And that's incredibly exciting.
This is probably a good time to mention quickly that I do maintain at least an illusion of fiscal responsibility in between all of this. I do have savings and multiple retirement funds that are fully vested. I got a new car back in August both as a birthday present to myself and because I had driven my last car for the past twelve years. And I don't have a payment due until next summer; I'm really good about that, it's why my student loans have been paid off in full for over a year now. And I'm not going into specifics about this at all but I've pursued more charitable, philanthropic efforts too. There's a social responsibility that comes with having stronger finances; that shouldn't be a controversial concept but somehow it is and I want to make sure I do my own part.
As for my personal life? My sister got married this year! So much of my life has been built around making sure she'd get that happy ending so it was a huge, effervescently liberating thing to see that happen. I've been spending the past couple years building really happy memories with my dad, taking him to ballgames, introducing him to the actors that helped shape his life and, by extension, my own. I went to the World Series (!) and more rock shows than you can shake a stick at! That's all lifeblood; the stuff that keeps my home of all these years still feeling interesting and vital. I think that's been the benefit of living in Arlington, honestly, I'm just separated enough from the rat race to avoid the toxicity of it all but close enough to home to be there when it matters most.
But you want to know about the dating aspect of it all? You know, I get that asked a lot too and with one or two of you more vehemently than others. Uh, what can I say that I'm comfortable with, especially knowing family online are probably going to see this. Hmmmm. Well, I'm not a monk, I think that's safe to say. I've definitely gone on quite a few dates this year. Hell, I've gone on a couple this month. In terms of longevity, there isn't really anything serious to report since this past summer. I know why I keep those personal relationship cards close to my chest, I've always been pretty open and honest about why I do that but I'm not airing that out publicly here. Maybe that's the next major thing that opens up next year. Maybe it doesn't. Either way, I've never been one to force that.
 |
| Sunset in the Amazon. |
What will 2020 bring? Well, I haven't called many shots for it yet. Really, the only thing I have relatively planned and booked is a trip to Coachella. I always wanted to go to that music festival and now I'm in a place in my life where I can...so I am. And, golly, I've sure been doing a lot of work lately out of Los Angeles, New York City, and Fort Worth (?) lately so hopefully that'll all pick up as the new year progresses. The international travel isn't going away but this time around I won't be as deadset as making all the destinations new ones, I've proven to myself that I'm back. So, with that in mind, there will be some familiar locations back in the mix and maybe two big, bombastic destinations that each have me learning new languages and going really operatic with the whole thing. If I try to outdo or replicate what I did this year, I'm just going to be disappointed because that's unsustainable. And there's a certain kind of beauty in all of that being ephemeral; everything from 2019 was just a moment in time, some preserved in memory, some in photo or video but truly the year where everything that I didn't know was coming together finally did, the ley lines revealing themselves as everything started to align for a truly great year and the hope that the momentum doesn't diminish moving forward. And that hopeful promise is one I also hope you share as we go into this together.
