February 2026
It feels like spring
I feel like my writing tends to be, I don’t know, weighty? I write about some insight, but not necessarily in a way I’d share it with you over FaceTime. While I enjoy the craft of writing that way (personal essay?), sometimes I don’t feel like it, but I still want to write. Share some moments and insights without it becoming a ‘writing piece.’ Writing vignettes for 2025 was refreshing, and I think it’d be nice to write some while 2026 unfolds, rather than waiting until the end.
Great Decisions Course
In February, I started Art of Accomplishment’s Great Decisions Course. In essence, the process of making great decisions is supported by 1) emotional fluidity and 2) principles. The more revelatory piece was articulating what my principles actually are. Thinking about it now, I guess I tried to with getting my ‘Let it rip’ tattoo in 2023, but that’s a catch-all and not really specific.
These last handful of years, I’ve been living by my principles, but not consciously articulating them. There’s something about speaking them out loud that makes them more embodied. Before, I used to rely on a felt sense or some vague process. Now, when I’m faced with a decision, I can ask myself a series of questions that bring me in touch with my principles, which move me towards the life I want.
One principle I’ve been feeling into this year is “giving a shit,” which I’m writing a piece about. I’m not saying I give no shits, but I have coasted in certain areas of my life, like the gym. And honestly, coasting felt nice after a really long period of giving perhaps too many shits.
I’m really excited to give a shit about my next job, which 2023 Dennis would be horrified by. Before, I basically did my bare minimum, which, sadly or impressively, was more than enough. I allocated all shits I had available to give to creative work, and whatever remained to my friends. I never felt stretched at work in the way I felt when I powerlifted. Even banking wasn’t ‘hard’ work; it was just existentially hard.
This 2.5+ year stretch of not working has, in some weird roundabout way, left me feeling like I have more shits in me to give. I want to be fully expressed. Fully myself.
I’m not constipated.
Just talk to people
I got to chat with Kiera and Josh, who are both cool and doing unique things. Josh is creating a world around dating, and Kiera is creating worlds on screen. Both are 26/27, like me. It’s cool being able to talk to other ‘young’ people carving out unique paths. When I was first questioning my default path, I didn’t encounter anyone like them or myself, and felt quite isolated. Makes me wonder how things would’ve unfolded if I had, but c’est la vie. I continue to believe that conversations on the mismatch between expectations of adulthood and reality, following aliveness, and so on, need to happen, especially amongst younger people. I’m feeling called to get back on YouTube after a year off to do just that. But we’ll see. That’s an area I want to give some of my newfound shits to.
Some of my SF friends are amazed that I not only hit up random people, but also how often and how many. I’m not even trying to ‘network’ or anything. I just really enjoy connecting with cool and kind people. I’ve also been fortunate enough that I’ve experienced an abundance of serendipity by being someone who reaches out. An email to Cissy quite literally spurred my entire life here and what’s to come. I had no idea that email would lead to this; she just seemed really cool (and she is). And so I continue to reach out.
Feeling spry again
Emma’s been joking that I’m spry.
On February 1st, I got back from leading ops and logistics for Jhourney, an awesome team of people doing awesome work. It’s pretty surreal: I first heard of Jhourney in 2024 through Stephen, one of the founders, when we took a course together.
Since then, my energy has been palpably up. I’m even naturally waking up an hour or an hour and a half earlier than I had been for much of 2025. It makes no sense. My story is that the projects I’m working on genuinely bring me alive, and my body wants to get up earlier. Or because my body has energy, I’m able to work on projects that excite me. I’m sure they’re related in some way, and there’s no real point in asking if the chicken or the egg came first. I’m just really enjoying myself these days.
I also began exploring hobbies for the first time in years. I started learning guitar and Korean, but to be honest, I haven’t done either meaningfully in weeks. Just a strum of the guitar here and saying 강아지 (gang-aji) to Nagi (my roommate’s dog) there. 강아지 means puppy/dog.
Instead, I’ve been vibe-coding. A lot. I’m not kidding when I say I put on Fred Again and vibe-code for hours starting at 7 AM. It’s insane. I’ve never felt this excited to work on something, maybe ever. It feels like I’m playing a video game, like Minecraft, but with code.
I’m working on an app, Homie Calendar, which I’ll write more about another time. If you want to check it out and beta test it, here’s the link. If you could share and use it with your friends so I can get feedback to make it even more awesome… that’d be awesome.
Jobs
The week I got back from Jhourney, three interview processes began. Serendipity, supposedly. For context, in the 11 months leading up to that point, I had four interview processes total.
Right now, I’m drawn to working in operations at startups. I never imagined I’d say that, especially as someone who moved here from the East Coast with zero interest in tech. Life is funny and mysterious that way.
I’m deeply at peace knowing that the relational work I do in coaching and facilitation will unfold on its own. It requires a lifetime. Now it’s time to, like training a skill in Runescape, get ‘good’ at startups, because why not? Who knows where it’ll lead. For now, I’m really enjoying building with AI, and that’s basically what operations jobs are these days. So I’m just following the aliveness and enjoyment.
I can’t wait to be projected onto as another ‘tech bro’ in SF.
Not speaking your truth sucks
My conditioning leads me to not always speak my truth. You?
I have this thing where I’ll ask someone for something and don’t want to ask again and again. Said simply, I don’t want to feel like an ‘adult,’ which I often do. I’ve always been the ‘responsible one,’ and Part of me doesn’t want that. The more it happens, the more it feels unseen and unsupported. But before I can feel into that, there are layers of silent frustration and expectation. And what’s an expectation other than an unvoiced want?
It’s pretty wild how vulnerability shows up differently for each of us. For me, it’s hard to say “I’m frustrated. Can you please clean up the kitchen?” For you, it might be hard to say “I’m romantically interested.”
Random Tidbits
Emma and I waited for an hour and forty minutes to get Butter & Crumble. It’s good, but to me, not worth the wait. We met the owner’s dad, identifiable by his embroidered ‘Dad’ pink apron, who was really sweet. B. patisserie’s Lunar New Year specials were solid too.
I got featured on my second-ever podcast with my friend Samek. It was a lot of fun and, honestly, humbling to talk about my journey with ‘work’ after leaving my last job over 2.5+ years ago. A lot has changed, namely that I even want to go back to a job at all. That’s pretty sweet.
Some of Emma’s friends made horse-shaped dumplings. Can’t say I’ve ever had one before, but yeah, you can just do that.
Emma and I went to Big Sur for our first trip together as a couple. She took the initiative to plan it, which I’m really grateful for. She rocks.
California is unfair in its beauty.
Overall, February was pretty rad. I kept saying that if 2025 was about rooting down, then 2026 would be about blooming.
Spring has arrived.
“Sitting silently, doing nothing. Spring comes, and the grass grows, by itself.”
(Matsuo Bashō).