It’s officially Christmas season and 2025 is coming to an end. Can you believe it?

I am going to be honest here. 2025 was terrible. I was harassed at work, one of my close colleagues got laid off, later found out that I’m getting laid off, canceled travel plans because of it, one of my teachers from elementary school passed away from cancer, one of my close friends is battling cancer, and the most shocking news: one of my sister’s close friends passed away.

To sum it up: what the actual f*ck. A series of unfortunate events (like Lemony Snicket’s saga).

Emotionally, mentally, and financially, it’s been a rough year. I hope that something better is along the way.

Anyway, November was a busy month for me because of my birthday, college best friends visiting the city, more job interviews, orchestra/quintet rehearsals, and Thanksgiving.

I turned 30 this year. Woohoo! I don’t feel “different” since entering the new era, but I’m more confident because of the mistakes I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned from my 20s. I was so naïve back then. Also, I’m proud of the hard work that I’ve put into my mental health. In my early twenties, I was over-consumed by depression and anxiety — making me defensive, pessimistic, and unstable. I wouldn’t say I don’t exhibit any of those now (I’m still human after all), but I’ve learned to process my emotions and navigate the process better. Thank goodness for therapy and antidepressants!

To celebrate my birthday, my best friends from college came to NYC. We call ourselves the “Pho-ever Roomies.” We were hall mates in freshman year. We hungout by eating pho together, and later became roommates throughout college. We hosted some of the craziest parties and made some unforgettable (and cringey) memories together. After college, each of us went on to separate paths, but we remained close via FaceTime/text messages and visited each other in Pittsburgh, LA, San Francisco, Atlanta, and D.C. I am very blessed to have them as my friends — more like soul sisters — who have been there for me even at my lowest moments. So for my 30th, they came to the city and celebrated the milestone with me.

I hosted a small gathering/party to celebrate. It was a theme party. Can you guess what the theme was? “The Phantom of the Opera is here, inside your mind…” If you’re curious, I wrote a separate post about it.

After an adventurous weekend of celebrating, it was hustle time. At work, one of our biggest projects is ending so there are different moving parts to get done, which my teammate and I have been working on. And on top of that, I’ve been going to interviews back-to-back, which has been mentally draining. Oh, let’s not forget – rehearsals!

Soon I realized that Thanksgiving was around the corner (sweet baby Jesus!). But right before the holiday, Jen and I heard an unexpected news. Her friend passed away.

This reminded me of my friend whom I lost three years ago. She struggled with depression before leaving Earth. I was on the subway when I heard the news. I almost missed my stop because I was so shocked and upset.

Jen’s friend passed away in Brazil — although she was through and through a New Yorker. During her travel, she developed a rare autoimmune disease and lost the battle at the end. She came to my orchestra concert and picnics. Good people leave too soon.

Because of this dreadful news, my family and I decided to be “low-key” for Thanksgiving. Ha! I haven’t lost my sense of humor.

I cooked stuffing, roast chicken, green beans, and NY strip steak. Jen was in charge of the mashed potato (per usual). This year’s bouquet was different. Instead of flowers I got cabbages. Sounds odd but they made a huge statement to the table.

As for the roast chicken… oh my goodness. I bathed the bird in herb butter and it did not disappoint. I also laid the vegetables on the bottom of the chicken and the drippings flavored them. Yum.

I’m back at work after rotting on my bed post-Thanksgiving. Regrets? Hell no. I needed that rest.

I haven’t been able to read for the past two months. I think it’s the anxiety. So I’ve been catching up on shows and movies. I binge watched The Summer I Turned Pretty. And yes, I’m Team Conrad.

As for films, I saw Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc, Frankenstein, and Zootopia 2. If you’re ever curious, you can follow me on Letterboxd. If you don’t have one then sucks for you. Bye.

Hope y’all had a peaceful Thanksgiving. Thankful for my health, family, friends, and my Fritos-CEO dog, Ina.

Cheers,