It’s been a while, a very long while since I’ve thought about something like this. It wasn’t until the tail end of last year that it struck me that I should do something like this again.

Last time it was pressure by my then friend to make this list of things that made me happy. Now, I don’t’ know. I just think that it is time again, especially for my first post in the New Year.

So, without adieu, here is the list. No ranking, just listing.

1. Writing. Let’s just get this out of the way. Through this little void of mine, I have come to love the creation of the written word. I love the thought process of just coming up with stories and characters. I just love it when I get into the flow, with good focus, to just write and write and write. To write with a purpose. That makes me happy.
2. Netflix. What more can I say. Movies to your door and now that they added streaming and have more content readily available. Just love it.
3. Pickles. My dog. My soul mate. There’s not enough in this blog to write about how much he means to me. His happiness just makes my heart melt. He’s my life. He’s really my life right now.
4. Road trips. Especially those that Pickles can come with me. There’s just something romantic about the open road. Nothing before you but a destination and time. You look out and see the country that you’ve lived in for so long. You watch the changing landscapes, the different little cultures and the different little things that are new and unexpected. There’s a lot of beauty out there and a car is a great way for you to see it.
5. Food in general and my appreciation for it. I guess I can call myself a foodie, but I just love food. It doesn’t have to be the fine gourmet food, it just has to be good food. It can be some cheap ass street food, but if it is good, I’m down with it. Just good food. What can I say? I love to eat. Sure my palate has changed a little bit and that is a result of me having the means to eat better and more gourmet food, but I still love all types of food.
6. Cooking. It’s simple. It’s relaxing. It can always get me into a relaxed Zen state. There’s not much to it, plus in the end, for the most part, I know I’ll get a good meal out of it. I don’t know, there’s just something about cooking and just focusing on the food and nothing else that gets me relaxed. All the stress just melts away, leaves my shoulders, my mind, and I’m transported into a state of mind where things just flow and I know what to do and have total faith that things will be good. The best part is when I get surprised about how well it turns out.
7. Now, there’s cooking, but then there is cooking for family. It’s a little bit different. I don’t cook for people. It’s usually just me and I don’t cook for friends. I usually just cook for family and I don’t get that many opportunities too. It is really good to get feedback from people to see if they like my food. Sure, there are hits and misses as this past Christmas demonstrated, but it was nice to wow them with my food.
8. Family. They’ll always be there. Sure there are their moments of nagging, but they’re family. They mean well in their off the cuff way. That’s how family is.
9. The fact that I live so far away from family. We all can use a little space and live our own lives.
10. The kids. I’m really happy to see them grow up and be so adjusted and fitting in to life and have lives of their own and not be fucked up kids. They are actually good kids. Seeing that, makes me really happy.
11. My thirties or my life since the Return of Saturn. Sure, it’s not all rosy now with my MLC, but ever since my late twenties and now well into my thirties, my life is good. I’m comfortable in my own skin. I know myself, my faults, my strengths. I know a lot about me and for the most part, that I’m liked by many. Not that that matters, but the fact that I think I’m a good person and people seem to think that too, it just makes me feel good about myself.
12. Vacations. They just need to be taken. You got all of this time, that’s paid. Take them. It’s good to just go and relax, to see the world, to see and experience things that are outside of your normal life. It’s just great to just go.
13. My wanderlust nature. It just gets me to see many more things that most other people haven’t seen. Sure, I can’t compete with many others, but I have done and seen quite a bit, and each and every one of these trips, big and small, just fills my heart with joy.
14. Fried Chicken. I still love it. It’s totally not healthy for me and I haven’t eaten as much as I did in the past, but man, I still love it. It had to be on this new list.
15. Spotify. Great and cheap access to a lot of music at the tip of my finger trips. I don’t have to worry about getting hard drives or to curate my own music. It is just there. Sure, in the end of the day, if I cancel my subscription, I don’t own any of the music, but you know, I’m totally okay with that.
16. Feedly or RSS feeds. It just makes surfing easier.
17. The internet. A lot of information, answers, and entertainment at the tip of my fingertips.
18. Knowing my self-worth. I’m happy to know how valuable and how great of a person I am. Again, I know I have my faults, but overall, I’m a good guy. It lets me know that people/girls need to earn my attention also and not just be some floozy people.
19. Scott…and the Carters. He saved my life. He definitely changed my life and made it better. I’m glad I found a great and genuine friend in him, especially during the time when I needed the most, me losing my father around that time.
20. Steak. I just love it, especially now that I found that Whole Food’s steaks are so good and so beefy in flavor. It’s a monthly staple.
21. Yamakase. It’s a restaurant and I am so fucking glad I found it. I been there twice and I have not been disappointed by either experience. It was just good simple food that was well prepared with great and fresh ingredients. It makes me happy.
22. Work. As much as I gripe about work, I actually do enjoy work. I do have a good social circle there and from time to time, there are great challenges and I have a great group of peers to bounce ideas off of and to help. I never had that before and it was just nice. When I first got hired, I told Blair (my old boss) that I’d give him 5 years. It’ll be the start of my 7th coming in February. It has been the longest that I have been at a job. It also gave me the opportunity to visit and explore many cities that I have not been to.
23. Chicago. My beloved. I just love that city. If I can actually deal with the winters there, I think I would actually move there. The people is great, the vibe is really chill, and it’s just a very very beautiful history with a lot of history and great architecture. It’s the best of both worlds when it compares between LA and NYC. It’s a great in-between.
24. Me being Chinese. I think it just made me a little more adventurous and exposed me to many things that I wouldn’t be exposed to if I wasn’t born Asian.
25. Books. Stories. Words. They are great escapes, transporting us to places that we can never dream of….
26. …the same goes for Film/Movies. One of the biggest reasons why I’m where I am today. It gave me the extra push to move down here and again, it is such great art and entertainment.
27. TV. I’m lazy. Plus there are some excellent shows out there. Great TV.
28. Music. It just helps me unwind and focus, clearing out the ambient noises that is around me.
29. My sense of humor. I’m always ready for a good laugh. Life is way too serious to be so serious all the time.
30. My independence. I cannot stress how important it is and how happy it makes me to know that I have such freedom in my life. It’s almost my everything.
31. Streaming. Easiest way to watch shows without having to follow a schedule.
32. Volcano Tea House. It is just a quick routine and a getaway from the house. I can just come here and write and write, especially since I have problems writing at home. It gets me out of the house.
33. Hiking. To be out in nature, away from the city, getting fresh air, and having Pickles next to me. It’s just great. It’s just nice to get away from everything sometimes and just be out in nature. To be one with nature. I’m starting to go hiking without music or headphones. It’s a slow process, but I’m starting to appreciate the silence and just embrace it.
34. #partyofone. I know a lot of people just don’t understand it, but it is nice. It is just so damn nice to just spend some time away from people and just recharge. I’m an extreme introvert. I need a lot of alone time. I just do. It’s who I am. I’m constantly around people, at work, so, the last thing I want to do is to give up some precious alone time to go party, unless it is someone I’m cool with.
35. Napa. Just awesome place to relax with good wine and good food. I want to make it more of a regular trip for me, whether it is with my bro, family, or someone else, even by myself.
36. Boy and his dog XXXX. Sure it is just a simple road trip back to Seattle, my home away from home, with Pickles, but I look forward to it every year that I do it. It’s just a mixture of everything that I love. I get some family time, I get my road trips, I get my hiking, and I get food. Each one is very memorable and I’m glad to have done them. Every single one of them. It is a definite, definite must for me. Every year if I can.
37. My walks with Pickles. It’s simple. Just a simple walk around the neighborhood so he can get his exercise and I’m getting my exercise also. There are times when he can test my patience, going slow and sniffing everything, so I have to drag him, but it’s nice.
38. Audible/Audio books. I never read or gotten through so many books in my life. It’s a great way to “read” per se. I love books, and I have a lot of time when I’m walking or doing chores or even hiking. It’s a great way to multitask and get some stories. I do have to say, sometimes, if I can’t understand the narrator, because he/she has an accent, it is a turn off, but it’s good. Nonfiction definitely doesn’t work as well as fiction.
39. Growth/Learning. I love growth, especially personal growth. Everyone should always grow as a person. Everyone. There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t. Definitely, there is always something to learn and to grow.
40. Photography. It is something that I had gotten into again in the past few years. I love it, but I’m at a point where I’m so unfocused, that I have no inspiration. Hopefully I can get some inspiration soon. I need a muse.
41. Aaron Sorkin. He’s a fucking god.

I think I will stop here as I am struggling to think of more things. It’s tough when you really think about it, the things that makes you happy. We are people who are so focused on the negative, the things that stand out and annoy us, but we don’t really think about the everyday things that makes us happy.

So, until next time I make a list, or think of some other things to add, please enjoy.