Tag: remix

TunesDay: Collection 30

TunesDay: Collection 30

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This week is a relaxed sort of craze.  Being on your own schedule can be extremely liberating, but if you’re like me…you need some semblance of forced structure.

I’m trying this new thing to keep me focused. For me, being busy means running around everywhere for meetings, errands, and work sessions.  But, over the almost year that I’ve been on my own schedule, I haven’t gotten nearly as much done as I wish I have.

So, I guess that means I need an overhaul in how I’ve been sorting out my time. As my poppa says, I need to “buckle down” and get my stuff in order.

Essentially, what I’m saying is, if I call, text, email, Facebook message, LinkedIn inbox, or Twitter message you…ignore me. Or, make sure it’s on a weekend or not during typical 8-5PM work hours.  I beg of you…hold me accountable and don’t let me schedule meetings with you unless its for legitimate work! It’s beginning to be an actual problem.

I need to get my life together.  But, maybe this week’s tunes will help me destress. If you have any tips for how you schedule your time or if you experience similar difficulties in your freelance life, drop me a line.

Sending you all wishes of productivity and clarity!

TunesDay: Collection 29

TunesDay: Collection 29

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Oh, hey there!  TunesDay is back.

It’s been a minute.  But, I’m back and feeling…more focused.

It’s strange.  With the horrible things happening all over the world, and especially in the US, I’ve gained an incredible amount of clarity, with a smattering of hopelessness that subsided after a couple of days.

I have had great conversations with thoughtful and insightful people from all walks of life, and I am incredibly appreciative of how people are willing to give their time to just talk, with no pretense or no foreseen benefits for themselves.

Today, I am thankful–for you and for every person who challenges themselves and the people around them to truly think.  I am grateful that we are who we are because of our experiences and each person I have met (and/or reconnected with) over the past month in Costa Rica and back home in California, has had experiences that blow mine out of the water. And still, we come together and share and just…be.  And that is such a beautiful thing to me.

I’m not going to blame my emotionality on my menstrual cycle, but it definitely might have something to do with it.  Regardless, I love you and I like you and I am always, always wishing you peace and happiness.  May you find whatever it is that you need to keep on going in this world.

Background image from Julia Contacessi for Design Love Fest.
TunesDay: Collection 28

TunesDay: Collection 28

by christina ♥ 1 Comment

Sorry for skipping last week.  Disappointed in myself that I did, but I think I need a break from social media for a little while.

I can only say that I am tired, of waiting for change to happen, of being scared, of being outraged over the violence that consumes us.

I’m not as hopeful as I used to be, and I can only say that what I have written on my Facebook about the happenings of this past week is what I have to say for now.

I believe that I am lucky in a way to be leaving to Costa Rica to start the Birds of La Cangreja project because it will help to clear my head and figure out what role I can and should play in social justice movements and in fighting overall as an ally and as an activist.  But, my travels also comes at a bad time because it feels like to leave is to abandon the communities that need strength here at home.

Though I am torn, maybe because I have the privilege of being able to step away, I should so that I can return and be ready to really tackle the problems that seem so daunting and hopeless.

I have no answers and no real moral to the story or uplifting note to end this on.  I am just grateful in that I know there are so many dedicated and motivated, angry, beautiful, loving activists in the struggle–in the queer, Latinx, and Muslim communities who are holding it down.  I could only hope for an ounce of the strength they have, and do my part in calling our elected officials for gun restrictions, in calling out homophobia, Islamaphobia, anti-immigrant sentiments, and the other forms of oppressive hatred that plague this country.

With this, I hope to continue on with TunesDays upon my return.  I just need some space.

Wishing you all love, healing, and more strength.

Background image comes from The Debrief.
Happy TunesDay: Collection 27

Happy TunesDay: Collection 27

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

 

Sometimes you just need to sleep 12 hours, eat food you know isn’t the best for you, pet a cat, and spend time with people who you love and who love you.  Fight past your initial, cerebral worries that you aren’t doing what you should be doing, because maybe our needs and our cognitive “shoulds” don’t always match up.

Try as we might, not everything we do and not everyone we spend time with will be good for us or will help us “in the long run”.  But, I think that that’s okay.  We can’t always be moving forward–sometimes we have to take steps back in order to make our progression more meaningful.

And maybe the feeling of things ultimately working out and being okay can be attributed to my youth.  I feel like I have time on my side, though I know that life is unexpected and days move by much more quickly than I’d like.  At twenty-three, I think I’ve experienced quite a lot, and still nothing at all.  Despite so many forces working against me as a womxn and as a person of color, I am privileged in so many ways, and that’s probably another reason for my air of confidence in time.

Regardless of what it is, I’m sure that even in our crazed panic to get things done, we can accomplish a lot more if we take the time to consider what we really want or need each day.

I hope that this week’s playlist can help you do that.  Try to set aside ten or fifteen minutes for you to just think–not about the tasks you need to finish before 5PM rolls around, but about how your body and mind is feeling.  You also deserve the time and care you put into the things and people around you.  And if you want to start a new Netflix series instead of “being productive”, maybe you should do it, just this once.

Background daisy globe image comes from Pinterest.
Happy TunesDay: Collection 26

Happy TunesDay: Collection 26

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This week, I’m trying to remember to be mindful of time, trying to take advantage of every moment I have and ensuring that each day is meaningful.  It’s kind of alarming when you remember how fast time can fly by.  It feels like 2016 just started, but I blinked and it’s almost halfway over.

Anyway, I’m trying to finish a bunch of home errands and organizing my physical realities before I get into my goals & aspirations.  I got a haircut yesterday and it’s interesting how something so arbitrary as your hair can weigh you down, not just physically, but mentally as well.  I feel like I am more free– to move about, pursue my real joys, and not stay stuck in my mind.  But again, I need to pace myself and take things a step at a time, something that’s very difficult for me.  Sometimes I feel like a baby kangaroo, wanting to hop about the world, but I know I’m not ready yet!

And now…to the tunes!

My tunesday picks for this week are alternative, mellow R&B/R&B-influenced vibes..  They relax me and help me reframe my brain when its moving too fast for me to keep up with.

What music helps you keep calm and gain clarity?

Background image comes from Cassie Byrnes.
Happy TunesDay: Collection 25

Happy TunesDay: Collection 25

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

As usual, I forgot it was Tuesday.  I need to get some kind of system that alerts me of what day it is.  Like…a calendar…on my phone…which is something I already have.  So just ignore that entire train of thought.

Ugh.

This week, it feels like I’m a college student cramming for finals.  I present my research on Friday for UCI’s Ethics Center.  Even though it’s pretty low-key, I am nervous because I don’t even remember the last time I spoke in public about my own work.  It’s a weird thing to be searching for academic definitions to use in my presentation when I know what the definitions are, but because I don’t have a Ph.D yet, my own definitions aren’t valid enough.

But alas, it’s part of the process and I’m just trying to go through the motions so I can prove that this work is worth it.

This week’s playlist is a mix of soothing, poppy beats to help me get through this grind.  I don’t know what genre you’d categorize it as, but I dig it.  There’s also a little bursting surprise of k-pop goodness in there.  Dedicating it to my good friend, Seonyoung who got married this past weekend to Jung in a beautiful ceremony.  Love to you both!

Tell me your thoughts!

xoxo,

Christina “I’m not Korean, but my Uncle told me I was so I thought I was adopted” Ong

Background image from Pinterest.

 

 

Happy TunesDay: Collection 23

Happy TunesDay: Collection 23

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Even though it’s only May, it already feels like summer here.  And with summer, comes newly graduated university kids, fresh-faced and ready to take on the real world.  I’m already weeping for them.  But only because no one tells them how difficult it’s going to be adjusting to a whole new kind of life.

They have some time left.  And hopefully they’ll be able to adjust in healthier ways than I did. I still think I’m adjusting, constantly.  But maybe I’m just being more introspective recently.  And with introspection, comes a whole lot of “what the hell am I even doing with my life and in this world?”.  It’s part of the territory, I guess.  I probably should have taken some philosophy courses in school, but that also might have made things worse.

I feel like the only consistent thing in my everyday life is TunesDays.  I keep searching for new and interesting music to incorporate into new playlists, but I’m reaching the end of my wits!  If you have any recommendations or genre preferences, let me know! I’m on the hunt for more fun tunes for your listening ears.

 

Background image comes from Pinterest this week.  If this is your artwork, let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!
Happy TunesDay: Collection 22

Happy TunesDay: Collection 22

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I skipped last week. I did, I’m sorry.

My excuse is good though!

I spent the past week in Boston reconnecting with some high school friends (thanks for letting my broke-ass stay in your apartment for free) and meeting some really incredible new pals at Hive.  It just reaffirmed in me the belief that good, reciprocal relationships with people are the most important things in life.  You can come from all walks of life, but when you find a real connection with someone, it’s a spark that ignites everything within.  I definitely felt a lot of warm & cuddly feelings this weekend, though I could have done without all the hugging.  And while relationships fade in and out, as they should naturally, you learn a great deal about yourself when you’re around other people.

I don’t know if I’ll maintain a lot of the connections I’ve made because life forces us to make cutbacks we don’t want to make, but the past week convinced me that I am capable of a lot more than I thought I was.  In specific social contexts, I’m usually terrified of “networking”, but it was surprisingly a lot easier than I anticipated once you strip people down from their professional titles, socioeconomic status, or whatever defining features you usually come up against when meeting new people.  I learned that first impressions, or second or third, are actually quite compelling.  To think that others who only knew me for brief moments in the totality of my life could find something worthwhile in me was uplifting in ways I didn’t expect.  So, in all, I’m grateful for the experience and will try my damnedest to keep this newfound, or maybe rejuvenated, sense of self & appreciation at the forefront of how I live my life.

Anyway, to get to the music, this week I mega-amped it up with some tunes that I’ve heard in grocery stores and at the mall, so you know it’s going to be pretty great. It’s an amalgamation of r&b, electronic, pop, and happiness all smushed into one great playlist, if I may say so myself.

This week, try to listen and let life take control.  It shouldn’t take a week-long trip to Boston to make you realize your worth and the value of actually connecting with real-life humans.  Listen, live, and listen more.  You’d be surprised at what you’ll hear.

With love and peace,
Christina

 

Background waves image found on Ultralinx.
Happy TunesDay: Collection 19

Happy TunesDay: Collection 19

by christina ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Once again, the close of a month!  I don’t know why I’m always surprised when these final days roll around–it happens literally every several weeks.

A short post this week, as I’m trying to catch up to the day.  Waking up late is great in theory, but in retrospect, I’m thinking of how much I time I wasted.  Let’s just blame the cute kitten who slept in my bed in the morning.  Yeah, we’ll blame her.

Have I mentioned that we’re fostering a kitten? SHE’S ADORABLE.  People say cats are weird, and they weren’t exaggerating.  Boxes, plastic bags, mirrors…everything is a toy for her.  OH, TO BE YOUNG AND EASILY ENTERTAINED.

This week’s tunes are an amalgamation of hipster-esque indie rock.  Sending productivity and youthful exuberance your way.

Cute cactus background made by Isabel Davis and found on Design Sponge.