learning – Kristi My Dao

The Lunar New Year Weekend of 2023

It is Lunar New Year, the new year celebration of many Asian households (at least, my family/local community has just wrapped up celebrating yesterday). I don’t know if I’m at an age where I’m just more aware of how much I don’t know or if I just never really know anything culturally, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot this week.

For example, one of my friends that I’ve made in the grad program is Filipino, and she was telling me about how there are also elements attached to the zodiac animal of the year. This year is apparently the year of the water rabbit. Then, the computer in my apartment complex is the thing that informed me that for the Vietnamese, this is actually the year of the cat. I originally thought it was just clickbait, but when I asked my parents, they said it was true.

So this just might be the year of learning for me. Today, we’re going to dive into my weekend, which has reminded me to be grateful for how lucky I am to live the life that I have.

Damian the Wigglebutt, My Muse

Yes, another blog post about my beloved dog, Damian the Wigglebutt. Because I love him, and now that I’ve moved out and don’t get to see him very often, I miss him. It hurts a lot more, because dogs don’t really understand the concept of how cell phones work. So not only does he not recognize that I’m on the screen of the phone when I video chat my sister, he refuses to even look at the camera. I would like to believe it’s because he is sad to hear my voice and not see me, but who knows?

It might surprise you to read that this post isn’t entirely about my dog. For our anniversary, my attentive boyfriend bought me a fancy camera. I say fancy because I’ve only had the more affordable digital cameras growing up, and he got me an advanced, professional DSLR camera. He overheard a conversation where I was talking to my sister about how she broke mine, and was sweet enough to get me one as a gift.

That being said, I am now trying to learn and understand how to properly use this new camera. I’m at the point where I will probably invest in a class if I can find the time. For today though, I wanted to talk about Damian because when it comes to photography, he is my muse. No one makes me want to whip out my camera more, and it is also painful because when I do, he will refuse to look at the camera 85% of the time. But I still love him, and that’s why he is being celebrated today, on National Dog Photography Day.

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Visiting the Oldest City in America

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I am off to St. Augustine for the day with family as you read this, so I thought I would reflect on my first trip to St. Augustine to celebrate the occasion. While the standard Florida kid went to St. Augustine in fourth grade, I passed on it because money was tight. But it worked out for the better, because I got to take my boyfriend on a surprise date around the city, so keep reading for the highlights of our little getaway.

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What Is the Greatest Gift?

I recently answered Vogue’s 73 Questions in 3 different parts, and I wanted to elaborate on one of my answers and how those blogs came to be. In honor of National Loving Day, I want to answer why I believe that love is the greatest gift.

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My Answers to Vogue’s 73 Questions: Part 1

Am I cool enough to be in Vogue? Probably not. Neither am I ambitious enough to answer these questions on camera in one shot because I’m not so great on camera. What I am going to do is answer these questions and give you some more insight into the person that I am, which is probably sunshine in a little nerd. Even though I’ve tried to break it up into consumable chunks, I can’t promise that my answers will be nice and concise, but they should give you some insight into who I am and what matters to me.

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Let’s Do a Life Update

Hey everyone, I hope that things are doing well and getting better wherever you’re reading this from. It is May again, and I thought I would try and keep up with annually blogging the days up until my birthday. I’m getting a late start to this blog because life has been crazy busy with work and life changes, so I will be sure to do 8 other posts in some kind of form. That sounds like a lot, but I’ll be sure to hold that end of the bargain at the end of this.

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5 Books I’m Reading During Black History Month

For me, being an ally and supporting the black lives matter movement is more than just talking about it and posting a black box to my Instagram feed. There’s work to be done, and I want to continue to grow as a person by continuing to educate myself and putting action to my words while showing my support. That’s why I made sure to take the time this month to support black authors and educating myself with the following books.

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What My Hobbies Say About Me

I’m truly blessed to have the privilege of starting a new job right after graduation. One of the questions that I was asked while in the interview was, “What are some hobbies you do in your free time?” While I’m pretty sure my answer to this question is not the reason I got that job, I wanted to focus on it since this month is National Hobby Month.

4 Green Flags Found In My Boyfriend

So yesterday was National Boyfriend Day, and I’m so grateful to have the wonderful boyfriend that I do. I’m willing to talk about him all day long, and I can do it with a smile on my face. Today’s blog post is inspired by this week’s The LadyGang: Quickie, where Keltie, Jac, and Becca all talk about the green flags in their relationships. It’s definitely more positive than red flags, so I thought I would do my own take on the matter.

23 Things I Want To Do Once Quarantine Is Over

Bring out the firecrackers, because it’s my birthday! While I spent most of the day at work, I’m very happy with how this birthday went. It was nice to come home to a dinner with my family, knowing that we’re all safe, healthy, and pretty happy. It’s also so easy to slip into the mindset of how this birthday is so different from all of my other birthdays. There are so many things to do in the world, and I was happiest having dinner with my family. I think that says something about how I’m coping with quarantine. Anyway, in honor of turning 23, today’s blog post is a list of 23 things I want to do once quarantine is over.

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