February.
monthly newsletter series
An Epiphany (we love those)
The rather clandestine operations we execute on a daily basis are the very essence of our life. We consider it “the little things“, I’ve learnt that life is a non-intimate experience as a whole, as humans, we tend to spend most of our time around others. Very rarely, do we experience intimate moments with ourselves—and any excess of this experience causes us to label ourselves “alone“—Whatever happened to feeling our OWN emotions? The gossamer bane of our existence that shapes the way we perceive life—spending time with yourself is just as significant as spending time with others. The human tendency to involve ourselves in other people’s lives could serve as the root cause for comparison and unhappiness. Maybe the little things are not so little, the fact that we are conscious and sensitive can be used to an extent to understand the depths of ourself that no one else can delve into for you— find your own happiness, that is the way of life.
Monthly Updates:
This month was nothing short of fun—by that I mean, lots of learnings and key takeaways. February seems to be the month of our “significant other“, but for me, it was a month of having conversations with myself and taking myself on walks :) Being a teenager is kind of funny & volatile; especially because one moment we are breaking down in the middle of our rooms, and the next, a ray of sunlight strikes the center of our eye, magically allowing us forget about all the “burden” we’ve been carrying.. What else can I say, maybe its not that serious after all…we are in the best era of our life, so why not cherish it.
Here’s what we accomplished this month:
Winning 1st place at Ontario DECA Provincials! This was truly the moment I knew February was gonna be the month of my life. Last year in 2024, I ended not even able to attend provincials due to the lack of one point from the cutoff score. Today me and my team stood tall and felt a sense of unity walking across that stage with the biggest smiles on our faces. Xavier DECA Represent—Shoutout to Mr. Leung and our goated DECA members :)) Let’s go get that glass at ICDC team KAN.
Rekindling the passion I have for dance. I enjoy dance. The way it makes me feel like the main character of a movie—I get that it sounds cheesy but call it the equivalent to “being in love“. All the dancers/aspiring dancers will relate to the fact that dance is the outlet to expressing yourself and emotions that we probably wouldn’t in the real world. As humans, I’m sure we like to keep ourselves entertained, and its done through exaggeration—we love to exaggerate. In the real world its considered snobby, in dance its considered soulful, whole and artsy.
Learning how to fail—failure is considered “failure“ if we choose to remain stagnant and indifferent to it. Welcome it, embrace it, give it a little recognition and love. I’ve always been really good at English, or my words perhaps. Turns out that it’s my lowest grade this semester, it isn’t too bad, but considering how much I love it, it could be better. I often find that handling success is much harder than handling failure. Here’s a rundown:
We fail, we set lower expectations for ourselves, we end up exceeding those expectations, we’re happy.
We succeed, we set higher expectations for ourselves, we disappoint ourselves when we don’t meet them and set even higher expectations for ourselves—It’s a constant loop of “disappointment“.
Handling the duality of both outcomes is hard but truly something I got better at this month :)
Key takeaways—My dad’s inner monologue:
Be a pressure cooker—no, not literally. When life turns up the heat, keep vibing. When the bottom’s on fire, keep letting out those steam signals. In life, we either roll with the pressure or dodge it. But hey, wouldn’t you rather enjoy fluffy rice than gnaw on raw grains? You get the drift.
You’re the architect of your own joy. Searching for it outside? That’s just a temporary fix. Build it, own it, and vibe with yourself. Give yourself a fist bump in the mirror, throw a grin, and say, “I’m a whole vibe.” You’re built different, with a unique purpose in this life.
You’re not cold-hearted for cutting ties with people who drain your spark. Everyone has their glow, but some try to dim your shine. Set boundaries like a pro, and if that doesn’t fly, redirect your energy to a brighter place. You’re a gem, deserving of pure, radiant love.