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Illustrated Essays

6 posts
Wait, I'm totally getting scammed
Lydia C
  • June 13, 2022

Illustrated EssaysMy Experience with a Craigslist Housing Scam

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  • 6 minute read
In early 2022, I had just moved back to the Bay Area and was searching for housing. Ideally,…
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turning 27 header
Lydia C
  • November 16, 2021

Personal GrowthI turned 27 – A reflection

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  • 11 minute read
[Method] – I drew ten illustrated pieces. The words on this page are late night thoughts stemming from…
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i thought life was supposed to look like this (rainbow linear maze)
Lydia C
  • April 1, 2021

Personal GrowthQuarter-life crisis before and after 26

  • 398 views
  • 13 minute read
*Originally posted on my previous personal blog (bylydiac) For those who know me, you may know that I…
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Illustrated character with broken mandarin speech bubbles
Lydia C
  • December 2, 2020

Society & CultureLiving in Language Limbo: Mandarin Self Consciousness

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  • 11 minute read
*Originally posted on my previous personal blog (bylydiac) It’s been 7 years since I’ve lived in Taipei. Since…
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illustration bylydiac
Lydia C
  • November 29, 2020

Personal GrowthMy 2020 personal blog About page

  • 260 views
  • 5 minute read
*Originally the About page for my previous personal blog (bylydiac) Hi there! Welcome to my digital corner on…
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Lydia C
  • August 26, 2020

JournalThe Lifecycle of My Belongings & Furniture: 2020 edition (Bay Area, California)

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  • 16 minute read
*Originally posted on my previous personal blog (bylydiac) Having recently moved and left the United States to stay…
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Lydia C

About
Recent Posts
  • “About Thoughtful Wanders” Mission & Purpose Brainstorm 2022
  • My Experience with a Craigslist Housing Scam
  • A day in San Francisco: Little Saigon, Civic Center, the Asian Art Museum & “Drive My Car” film
  • To Blog Or Not To Blog? What’s holding me back?
  • Diary comic: Getting boosted & the following day
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  • AR on Looking back on my first international solo trip to Mongolia: Thoughts on my 17-year-old self & “voluntourism”
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  • Creativity
  • Illustrated Essays
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thoughtfulwanders

A lil life update - I quit my job back in mid-Sept A lil life update - I quit my job back in mid-September and moved out of the U.S. to pursue my creative projects (Thoughtful Wanders) and travel. Both are things I have dreamed of and planned for a long time. I have a Substack newsletter where I'll be posting all my writing, and I just released the first update yesterday. It goes into detail explaining what Thoughtful Wanders is, and what I am trying to do. This is all the beginning of a (probably) long and uncertain journey. It's exciting, and also very scary! I would appreciate your support by checking the newsletter out and subscribing to follow along. Link in bio! thoughtfulwanders.substack.com
When I travel to new places around the world, I am When I travel to new places around the world, I am usually quite excited to visit the local Chinatown, because I know I can get a taste of home there. Even when it’s not exactly home or exactly familiar. There are Chinatowns all over the world in cities and towns of all shapes and sizes. So far, I’ve only had a chance to visit some of the ones in big cities in the US and a few in Europe, but would love to learn more about Chinatowns in other parts of the world and the stories behind them. Chinatowns featured in this video: 📍San Francisco, CA 📍Oakland, CA 📍Manhattan, NYC 📍Brooklyn, NYC 📍Antwerp, Belgium Do you feel the same way about Chinatown or other ethnic enclaves? Where else feels like home to you even though it was never actually your home? Is it a priority to visit on your travels too? #chinatown #nycchinatown #sfchinatown #chinatownfood #asianamerican #chinesediaspora #diaspora #taiwanese #chinesefood #chineseamerican #immigrant #immigranthistory #home #tasteofhome
NOOO reels can only upload 90 seconds and the orig NOOO reels can only upload 90 seconds and the original of this was 96 seconds so i sped up the whole thing so yea i sound like a 🤖🤖 anyways I’ll be moving out of San Francisco in a few weeks and with a good friend visiting, I had to go back to House of Prime Rib one more time! I find the food to be consistently good quality and def think it is worth the $$ here. It is technically “fancier” dining but they are always kind, friendly, and inclusive which I also like about the restaurant. Did not make a reservation this time since OpenTable did not show any times though you may have luck if you search on the day you want to go but do expect either super early or late times. Today we walked in at 430 to put our names down and got a table around 2 hours after. Lots to walk around in the neighborhood so waiting isn’t too bad. The fact that their performance and food quality is so standardized and good is impressive. Makes me feel like the whole experience is kinda “Disney-ified” but at the same time it is genuinely fun to experience the meal and to eat the food :) I think having had it twice within a span of 6 months is plenty. Won’t be back for a long time but will def be back!
i mean, i’m a fan of @karlthefog i mean, i’m a fan of @karlthefog
During a farm tour I couldn’t help but get distr During a farm tour I couldn’t help but get distracted by the pretty colorful flowers. It took me many months to get around editing these photos. It was really fun to edit in a way that teased out all the different colors of these flowers and to make the sky blue the way it was in real life.
The sky was on 🔥 today The sky was on 🔥 today
spring in san francisco 🌸🌸🌸 🌉 spring in san francisco 🌸🌸🌸 🌉
Feb 2022 - visiting the Asian Art Museum in San Fr Feb 2022 - visiting the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The light immersion exhibit was called “teamLab: continuity” and was a temporary exhibition. Also got to see Chanel Miller’s mural of “I was, I am, I will be”. Overall, def highly recommend the Asian Art Museum to visit in SF for it’s permanent exhibitions showcasing historical art from all over Asia. The museum also hosts regular exhibitions and events regarding Asian and Asian American topics 🤓🌏
sharing some thoughts re: the effort it takes to m sharing some thoughts re: the effort it takes to make food and feed ourselves during the work week. i have been staying at an airbnb for the past month in NYC and there is the bare minimum provided so it has been a challenge to cook, let alone cook during the work day. in this video, i make stir fried udon noodles with bok choy and egg which i just kept feeding myself until i ran out of the ingredients. ideally i would have more seasoning at home but soy sauce and scavenged hoisin sauce is enough for now. just trying to make it through the work day 🥬😴💻 What is your go-to workday quick to make low effort lunch?
The iPhone 13 Pro is supposed to have a really goo The iPhone 13 Pro is supposed to have a really good camera but I quickly learned that because there are 3 lenses, the default settings made photos actually fuzzier and lower quality sometimes. Also by default, the nightshift mode would toggle on and I didn’t like how the photos looked. So I finally did some googling and changed some of the default settings to make my phone camera work for ME. I hope this means taking more photos I like and taking advantage of the (expensive) phone camera. Also writing this is holding myself accountable to make the effort to learn the tech behind photo-taking instead of being willfully ignorant about it because I find learning it all so overwhelming. Ok anyways here are 3 pics from recent days I liked - edited a bit. The second pic is of a storm and it was SO COOL IRL but dang I couldn’t capture it via phone properly 😭
First time in this part of Brooklyn. It was fun to First time in this part of Brooklyn. It was fun to look at the buildings in all directions and recognize where everything was without needing to look at a map. I’ve never been to NYC in the spring/summer before. So many people were out and people were laying on any and all green patches of grass 😎☀️Makes me think of San Francisco where people do that all year round while here it can only be done in some months of the year. I love the energy of that collective appreciation that shows itself in a place where good weather is not taken for granted 🌤
Amidst heavy happenings and dark times, nature hea Amidst heavy happenings and dark times, nature heals ✨ This was shot from El Capitan Meadows in Fall of 2021. I was experimenting with my camera and tried to get close up clips. Without a tripod, it meant most of the footage is shakey… so here is the teeniest short clip that is relatively stable. I had the best time taking photos and videos in this field 🌾
can’t believe spring is actually here! ☺️🌸🌿 spring weather may feel heavy, humid, and dense but when the rain passes, the air becomes light and breezy and you can just tell that all the plants and animals are excited for the showers ⛈
a really random photo dump from a weekend walking a really random photo dump from a weekend walking around Astoria & Flushing on a rainy saturday & sunny sunday ☀️🌧
Blue skies & blue waters in Kenting, Taiwan. Take Blue skies & blue waters in Kenting, Taiwan. Take a moment to enjoy the ocean’s sound. This was filmed back in October of 2020. We took a 3 day weekend family trip and drove from Taipei to Kenting (southern coastal town of Taiwan). The weather was mild and the ocean was as beautiful as ever 🌊
Some clips from walking around a San Francisco ✨ Some clips from walking around a San Francisco ✨rich✨neighborhood. The view is pretty, the weather is nice, fancy restaurants abound and ooo look it’s the Golden Gate bridge 🌁 SF is so beautiful and unaffordable 🥲 Weeeee
It’s a great feeling when…while you’re walki It’s a great feeling when…while you’re walking uphill out of breath carrying heavy bags on both arms and look up to find endless bubbles seemingly appearing out of nowhere. I didn’t have to look long to see someone had made it generate automatically when their air conditioner (i think?) was on. I’m sure many who passed by also appreciated this ☺️
anyone else? #friedegg #dinner #eggs #blackpeppe anyone else? #friedegg #dinner #eggs #blackpepper #cooking
Sharing my journey with doodling lil me, someone w Sharing my journey with doodling lil me, someone who I’ve come to name Lydie. I have drawn mini me (her) for many years on and off and every time I try to turn away to focus on something else, she comes creeping back asking to be drawn and shared with the world! I am no longer denying that instinct of mine and am officially birthing Lydie into the world ☺️ She is me…and maybe also not me. Maybe sillier, maybe more angsty, maybe more conflict friendly 😉 Follow @lydiesworld to stay tuned for more of her silly antics. And follow @thoughtfulwanders for the human who still struggles with being open and speaking her mind 😅 This reel shows my journey from the last 5 years. I loved drawing Lydie but the drawings lacked depth. I hope to change that going forward, or at least, Lydie will make sure it changes! ☀️
Excerpt from blog post today that I am proud of 💫“To critique and feel shame for my own desire to write and make art, I realize, is exhibited from low self-esteem and a trauma response to not having a childhood where I was encouraged to play and have a creative outlet centered around myself. Through years of processing and working on my healing, it is not uncommon for Asian immigrant girls to be raised this way, especially the oldest child. There are cultural and gender dynamics to this but essentially from a young age immigrant children are told to keep quiet and their head down, to not fuss or make trouble. For girls, they are told to read and prioritize everyone else’s emotions (especially mens) except their own because that’s what a “girl” or “woman” should do. So in a way since I was not really taught to prioritize myself or cultivate my own sense of identity but instead to please everyone else around me, of course doing something that gives me joy and prioritizes myself feels…shameful! I have often struggled with “what gives me a right to do this? to do something that I enjoy so much? To center on my own life and experience?” To ask for permission, and waiting for someone to tell me that it’s okay I go for it. I’m still learning to resist the shame. To know that I have a right to self-expression and prioritizing myself. It gives me a sense of purpose to know that each time I write and make art, I am resisting the forces that are trying to keep me in submission and silent. I refuse silence, I have a voice and I want to share it with the world.” (full post up thoughtfulwanders.com)
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@thoughtfulwanders
A lil life update - I quit my job back in mid-September and moved out of the U.S. to pursue my creative projects (Thoughtful Wanders) and travel. Both are things I have dreamed of and planned for a long time. I have a Substack newsletter where I'll be posting all my writing, and I just released the first update yesterday. It goes into detail explaining what Thoughtful Wanders is, and what I am trying to do. This is all the beginning of a (probably) long and uncertain journey. It's exciting, and also very scary! I would appreciate your support by checking the newsletter out and subscribing to follow along.
A lil life update - I quit my job back in mid-September and moved out of…
When I travel to new places around the world, I am usually quite excited to visit the local Chinatown, because I know I can get a taste of home there. Even when it’s not exactly home or exactly familiar. There are Chinatowns all over the world in cities and towns of all shapes and sizes. So far, I’ve only had a chance to visit some of the ones in big cities in the US and a few in Europe, but would love to learn more about Chinatowns in other parts of the world and the stories behind them.
When I travel to new places around the world, I am usually quite excited…
NOOO reels can only upload 90 seconds and the original of this was 96 seconds so i sped up the whole thing so yea i sound like a 🤖🤖
NOOO reels can only upload 90 seconds and the original of this was 96…
i mean, i’m a fan of @karlthefog
i mean, i’m a fan of @karlthefog
During a farm tour I couldn’t help but get distracted by the pretty colorful flowers. It took me many months to get around editing these photos. It was really fun to edit in a way that teased out all the different colors of these flowers and to make the sky blue the way it was in real life.
During a farm tour I couldn’t help but get distracted by the pretty…
The sky was on 🔥 today
The sky was on 🔥 today
spring in san francisco 🌸🌸🌸 🌉
spring in san francisco 🌸🌸🌸 🌉
Feb 2022 - visiting the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The light immersion exhibit was called “teamLab: continuity” and was a temporary exhibition. Also got to see Chanel Miller’s mural of “I was, I am, I will be”. Overall, def highly recommend the Asian Art Museum to visit in SF for it’s permanent exhibitions showcasing historical art from all over Asia. The museum also hosts regular exhibitions and events regarding Asian and Asian American topics 🤓🌏
Feb 2022 - visiting the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The light…
sharing some thoughts re: the effort it takes to make food and feed ourselves during the work week. i have been staying at an airbnb for the past month in NYC and there is the bare minimum provided so it has been a challenge to cook, let alone cook during the work day. in this video, i make stir fried udon noodles with bok choy and egg which i just kept feeding myself until i ran out of the ingredients. ideally i would have more seasoning at home but soy sauce and scavenged hoisin sauce is enough for now. just trying to make it through the work day 🥬😴💻
sharing some thoughts re: the effort it takes to make food and feed…
The iPhone 13 Pro is supposed to have a really good camera but I quickly learned that because there are 3 lenses, the default settings made photos actually fuzzier and lower quality sometimes. Also by default, the nightshift mode would toggle on and I didn’t like how the photos looked. So I finally did some googling and changed some of the default settings to make my phone camera work for ME. I hope this means taking more photos I like and taking advantage of the (expensive) phone camera.
The iPhone 13 Pro is supposed to have a really good camera but I quickly…
First time in this part of Brooklyn. It was fun to look at the buildings in all directions and recognize where everything was without needing to look at a map. I’ve never been to NYC in the spring/summer before. So many people were out and people were laying on any and all green patches of grass 😎☀️Makes me think of San Francisco where people do that all year round while here it can only be done in some months of the year. I love the energy of that collective appreciation that shows itself in a place where good weather is not taken for granted 🌤
First time in this part of Brooklyn. It was fun to look at the buildings…
Amidst heavy happenings and dark times, nature heals ✨
Amidst heavy happenings and dark times, nature heals ✨
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