April 2012 Update
The penultimate day in April 2012 was bright and productive. With my morning coffee I had Carol’s homemade cupcake while enjoying lazy Sunday morning music. Then I had brunch in the East Village with a new friend. Then I did something unplanned: I got a new hair do. For dinner I ate a pot of mussels with a side of fries while the man in my life ate fried chicken. Then came back home and did some work while multi-tasking to check the latest Facebook notices, to arrange a last-minute get together with friends over email, to reply to work email, and to finally read this intensely personal interview with the great Alison Bechdel. Come to think of it, if I don’t tweet, facebook post, blog, or email about this one fine day – in other words, upload...
Why not have confidence?
I’m very grateful for the opportunity to help Tania Yuki organize a really wonderful event that was held last night at the swanky IAB Ad Lab, in what some of us in the startup field like to refer to as “Silicon Alley” in New York. Tania is someone I admire for her boundless energy, drive, and infectious optimism. And I always learn something useful, both personal and professional, from every interaction I have with her. The event last night had a phenomenal turnout of about 100 ambitious women and a few supportive men who came out to hear Laurel Touby of Mediabistro, Sharon Feder of Mashable, and Tania Lynn of Deloitte speak on the topic of leadership, confidence and negotiating for yourself. I loved hearing the career trajectories and insights...
We’re all gonna be all right.
Time for new resolutions. I resolve to listen to my instincts. Trust my gut. Believe in myself, in the power of my voice. I resolve to be more grateful more often, every day, for every small and big things. Life is too short, too confusing, and too mired in needless pain to not be humble, to not be thankful for the incredible good fortune of living and loving. I resolve to pray more often to the invisible, unseen higher power that is perhaps in me and perhaps not, perhaps an extension of my own voice, perhaps not. I don’t question the mystery. Praying transforms thought into action. I pray that I may live with passion, with compassion, and with gratitude. Is god listening? I don’t know. But I know praying works. I resolve to be more authentic. This...
Rambling Leap Day Post
I’m grateful that leap year has afforded me the opportunity to squeeze in a blog entry for February. With this one, I’d have eight continuous months of blogging on this site. It would be awesome to have blogged every week, even once a day as Fred Wilson does. If cleanliness is next to godliness, I think persistence is next to awesomeness. It’s a virtue I’d like to have. ** Initially I wanted to do a series of entries about North Korea-related documentary films. But alas a whole month has already passed since the last (or first) entry, so here’s the five second run-down. Skip Juche Idea; watch Red Chapel. Be prepared to be amused, bemused, and moved by the unexpected comedy of identity politics, theatre, and friendship. ** Four...
North Korea Week, part 1
I have exhausted Netflix On Demand’s library of North Korea-related movies. In a span of one week, I’ve watched four documentaries and one mockumentary, each featuring footage and interviews from within the hermit kingdom before Kim Jong Il’s death in December 2011. To complete a week of North Korea media blitz, 30 Rock premiered this week and carried news that Avery, wife of Alec Baldwin’s character Jack Donaghy, was kidnapped into North Korea and forcibly married to the Dear Leader’s portly and baby-faced successor Kim Jong Un. Never mind that the ultra-fascist regime would never condone interracial marriage in the highest level of government. (In fact, foreigners in North Korea are forcibly married to each other. See “Crossing the Line.”)...
On doing things that scare you, and asking for it.
The truth is, I’ve been wracked with anxiety since last week. My mind is scattershot and my shoulders rock-stiff. The dark side of caffeine dependency rears its ugly head: I’ve got the mental jitters. Plus, tomorrow I’m hosting a Roundtable Workshop, something I’ve never done before. The topic is workplace negotiation. I’m nervous. All things considered there is nothing to be nervous about. I have a great group of fabulous and competent women who are co-facilitating the workshop. They are the kinds of people I want to keep as friends, because they are smart, good people whose intellectual curiosity and genuine generosity enrich everyone they touch. I admire each and every one of them for their spunk, their articulacy, and for making...
Overindulgence and paying for it.
I’ve overindulged in exceptional coffee and cocktails yesterday, so naturally I’m still wide-awake the next day – this now being Sunday 2am – with a slight stomach cramp and and a slightly manic grin. Saturday morning, C and I walked down Lafayette Street to La Colombe Noho for our daily caffeine fix. We are clearly addicted to this particular coffee – Haiti Blue Coffee. This is not the first time we walked 25+ blocks on a chilly day because there wasn’t enough coffee beans left in the pantry to make a full pot of – let’s just call it what it is – this drug. The first time we made the trekk in October, we made it to La Colombe Noho the night before it actually opened to the public. It had already been...
Ji Eun Jamie
Born in South Korea, raised in America, and studied in Japan. Now I live in NYC and work in the vibrant startup community. I eat well, try to learn something new everyday, and blog sporadically.