It’s shoulder season and I had no plants to travel. Who am I? I was a little sad, so you don’t have to be sad for me (hahaha).

So, what have I been doing? I’ve been working real hard and trying to get by. OMG, this summer (in terms of work) had been my slowest summer ever (except for maybe when I first started. Other than trying to get and keep new students (yep, I’m still teaching English online while looking for a “real” job), I’ve been trying to save money (which has been nearly impossible). So, because teaching has been super slow, I’ve been working on finding other ways to make some money (freelance projects here and there).

While I’m trying to save money, there have been things that money has been needed for that were completely unexpected…like my friend moving back to India. She’s been here for almost 12 years…or just about that long, got laid off and decided to move back home. Also, the job market is pretty crappy since I’ve been back (and has only gotten worse from what I can tell). So, since she was leaving (in a very short amount of time after getting laid off we had to do some of her bucket list items (most of it revolved around food – and it was all super delicious). I enjoyed the time we spent doing all the things. It was a good send off (for the most part). We miss her and hope she’s enjoying life back home.

Liz and I went to a fun all-Millenial Bingo party. It was fantastic and didn’t run too late (HAHAHA). There were fish bowls, rave lights and music (there was a DJ), there was BINGO, a comedian, a “variety” show and contests….dancing.

An expected expense/weekend was my cousin’s wedding. It lasted the whole weekend and involved 2 different outfits, one regular dress (wedding appropriate) and a traditional Lao dress (sinh). My mom and I both ordered a custom outfit all the way from Laos (my aunt did the ordering). The wedding was fun, but I got entirely too drunk. However, Monday, I didn’t die…so thanks, Brode. The best for a night of drinking, jet lag or hot weather.

I’ve gotten back into writing and am currently working on 3 different projects. I’m really excited about 2 of them (stay tuned…maybe I’ll post a sneak peek of them). I’m also determined to get back on track with editing my YouTube videos (it’s still living in November 2022, at least its the end of November 2022).

Other than all that, I’ve been lying low and planning my next escape and trip to somewhere. Some places I have to get myself to: Dallas, Philly, Barcelona, Vienna, Seoul, and, no surprise, Bangkok & Chiang Mai. The top of my bucket list is Switzerland, but I would also like to go to Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Philippines and South America.

Update (from the day I originally wrote this post):
I took a small trip (about one week) to New York City. So at the end of September/beginning of November, Rin visited me from Philly. She’s an architect and had never been to Chicago (a must for architects). Also, I haven’t seen her in at least a year. So it was nice to host her in Chicago. (She’s in Philly visiting Bin and the fam to meet baby Noah). Anyway, she spent 4 days in Chicago with me. I went to NYC because Jin would be visiting from South Korea and had never been to NYC and I could meet the both of them in NYC. It was a great week spent in NYC. I didn’t actually do much except for the days I met up with them. It was a lovely impromptu trip (bought my tix about a week before).

Also, at the end of October, I’m volunteering with Liz at the Chicago International Film Festival. I had my first shift on Sunday (the day after arriving from NYC – where my flight was delayed about 1 hour – I blame it on the current government shutdown). It was fun. I’d definitely consider doing it again next year…but also means a super busy week for me this week.