The cliche "Year-In-Review" you received 500 times this week

Hi new and old friends, if you still remember me -

Last you heard from me was early summer, 2021, when things were a little simpler. 

Quite a few crazy 💩 happened this year, as I'm sure all of you can relate to. The main reasons I went radio silent the entire summer and fall is because my grandmother passed away and I was not able to see her one last time due to strict travel restrictions China had imposed since the beginning of the pandemic. As I was dealing with grief, my own health deteriorated. Months of doctor's visits, tests and more tests was physically, mentally and financially draining. 

At the same time, I entered into a mode of daily grind in order to focus on content production for my school Path Unbound's new learning program launch. 

In between, there are tidbits of sunshine. 

I sold the first prototype of my furniture design two weeks after posting the ad. My furniture brand Maison Bezier is on the cusp of launch, after a grueling summer of port congestion. The brand will now split into two operations - one in China and one in the US due to ocean sea freight challenges and the breakdown of supply chain that will not get better any time soon. The brand's website is now up and running in password protected mode until we officially launch - feel free to check it out yourself (password: maisonbezier). I'm curious to hear your thoughts!

Looking ahead to 2022 (don't pronounce it if you've heard the jokes) - I have 4-5 month long trip to China coming up in 2 weeks. Despite China not relaxing one bit in (and even tightening) restrictions, I am now in a better position to travel. I hope to see my grandfather who is still living, my parents who are thankfully still around and my friends who I have not seen in years. The immigrant guilt is there forever, but I can face it head on and do my best to be there for those I love so dearly. 

When I am back to the US in the summer of 2022, I plan to open up the first hybrid space for my furniture brand - in an LA neighborhood TBD. This space will be my retail storefront/showroom by day and event space/production/shoot space at night. LA folks, stay tuned for more announcements!

When you take the trash out tonight (as in the guy in the gif above), don't forget to stop for a moment and send any negative energy back into the darkness - 2022 may have an unfortunate pronunciation, but we don't have to live in the dark. Keep fighting!

PS - if we haven't talked for a while and you'd like to catch up, hit reply :)

If you are looking for design-elated articles, I'm afraid my recent writings have been more on the entrepreneurship and personal essay side. My work is evolving and so will my writing. Stay with me if you are still interested - I write just about everything now. No filter, just plain honesty. 

In the new year, you can expect to see a lot more articles from me. In the first few weeks of January, you can read about my experience and thoughts in supply chain challenges from the lens from "Made in China", home decor philosophy from the lens of the Marie Kondo trend, the pre-launch entrepreneur's grind, identity crisis as early-adulthood immigrants and perhaps a bit of modern dating "fables". 

In the mean time, I present the last 4 of my articles for your thoughts.