Do you see how small we are? . . Carvoeiro Boardwalk, Algarve, Portugal, 26 May 2019.

I was sorting through my old emails the other day when I found this email, dated almost 10 years ago, from my Writing 340 professor at USC. And let me tell you, getting an A back then wasn’t something that happened very often😆. . . I have also included the assignment that earned me my once-in-a-bluemoon A. The topic was to write an informal review on our favorite restaurant. Gotta say, some things really don’t change, i.e. my love affair with food ❤️🤤.

Here is one of the most efficient ways to cope with the ongoing lockdown in a 26 sqm studio apartment with another person @rich.paris 🤣: . . Bake cookies with seductive dark chocolate melting on top and eat them with careless abandon 🍪. . Muffin top, you say? It’s okay, don’t be so hard on yourself. There is a freakin’ pandemic going on for crying out loud!

My brother @clvnk recently asked me to write about airport(s). I’ve had so much time to reflect during this lockdown. So many things I took for granted deserve more gratitude ❤️

Happy Birthday, @rich.paris! 🥳🥂. . Truth be told, I can’t think of anything poetic to say. I might have used up all my energy writing my wedding vows 7 months ago. And it was different, back then we barely saw each other. These days, we’re together, all day every day, 24/7... 😝. . Oh, here’s a little something. Let’s just say that before I met you, I thought I knew what love was. It was like thinking I knew all about cheese having only eaten Kraft cheddar cheese my whole life. But once I tasted artisanal cheese of many types, I realized I knew nothing about it and am excited to discover more. I mean there’s Brie, Camembert, Tomme, Roquefort.. Anyways, what was I saying? Is this too cheesy (pun intended)? 🧀😆. . I hope your hopes and dreams are either already fulfilled or will be soon. I wish you so much happiness, great health, success, and nothing but the absolute best. . Remember, even if nowadays we go to bed smelling like eucalyptus and/or lemongrass oil, and we wake up the next day complaining about backache, you are not old! 😜 #33. . Je t’aime, mon amour! ❤️

Meet my niece @lee__ellen, with her super sleek haircut by her dad (who is my cousin) @drjohn0903. Ellen has an amazing voice, and if I had her voice I’d be singing to myself non-stop 😂 I miss you, 美女！😘

Meet @oliviayangga, my cousin, in watercolor version 🎨. Disclaimer: any imperfections you may find in this painting are on me, not on the subject depicted ☺️🤣

On Confidence. . . Did another writing workshop with @rupikaur_ ❤️#writewithrupi

To my cousin in New York who finds himself unexpectedly on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic, whose world has suddenly been turned upside down by the harsh reality the world wakes up to these days, know that we are thinking of you every day. Sending you encouragement from thousands of miles away, @peteryangga ❤️

Joined @rupikaur_ ‘s writing workshop and wrote a sonnet. To be honest, I didn’t even know what a sonnet was. I had such a great time getting in touch with my thoughts. I cried (totally didn’t expect that!), I smiled, I laughed during the workshop. Thank you for hosting such a heartfelt event in these scary and uncertain times! ❤️#writewithrupi