Author: Odelia Chan

A friend tried to give me a compliment a few weeks ago I took as an insult. He said: “I read your works and think you have a gift for writing, even when I don’t fully get what you’re saying.” I cleared my throat, and he hastened to dig the hole deeper for himself: “I…

I turn 22 this month. In honor of each year I’ve spent in this world, I’ve written one principle that I’ve either realized as truth (as can be perceived), or that I’ve dedicated myself to living by. Usually both. Here they are: Pay full, complete attention to the task, person, or situation at hand. If…

Often defined as an over-consumption or over indulgence of something, gluttony lurks in the best of us, often rearing its ugly head (and cavernous jaws) in inconspicuous places where it catches us off-guard. Almost always, we are left worse off than before the encounter. And the costs are often not that obvious, especially at first. I…

I would keep this one short. Your time and attention is one of your greatest assets that bring in the greatest returns, if used well, so I won’t demand too much from you. At least not today. Everything we choose to do comes with opportunity costs and consequences. That is fascinating enough–but the real magic…

Yesterday, one of my younger sisters described my current life as “really easy”—relaxed, flexible, and unstressed, resembling a retiree’s lifestyle rather than the usual up-and-coming 20-something’s. Her comment made my mom laugh, as a “retirement lifestyle” is something she and I have discussed before. (Short version of said discussion: She doesn’t want me to be…

The gap between who I saw myself as and who I actually was used to frustrate me, infuriate me, play games with my mind. More than once, realizing that my immediate reality didn’t match the identity I’d so carefully formed and convinced myself was real led me down some heady crises-like rabbit holes. It wasn’t…

Do you have music in you all the time–a tune, a melody that’s just there, springing from somewhere deep inside your being that isn’t exactly a thought nor is distillable into words–music that is you and that only you could hear? I didn’t, but I do now. And it’s one of the most thrilling realizations…

Lately there have been voices speaking into my life, commenting on how I’m living my life, whether I’m being social enough, whether I’m truly an “independent adult”, how I could be so unrealistic, why I’m still behind on life–whatever that means.   I haven’t traveled much. I don’t have a full-time job. I’m not dating,…

I told my older sister one afternoon that I know what sort of a person I’m becoming. I have come to understand that I am on track to something, that I am becoming someone I do not need to be scared or ashamed of, that I could actually be useful, inspiring, strong, and yet vulnerable,…