It was more than just my career at stake.
Bring up the idea of working with a spouse to your average Joe/Jane and the typical response you’ll get back will be along the lines of “Ugh, no thanks,” “Ugh, that would never work for us,” or “Ugh, we’d kill each other.”
Common theme: Ugh.
And that was our response too when life circumstances had us working together, in a small open concept office (read: cubicles), two desks away from each other.
We both work for the same company and we’re both engineers but we’d never been in the same office and we actually spent the majority of our careers…
THOUGHTS
Exercise and you’ll lose weight.
Exercise and you’ll increase your energy levels.
Exercise and you’ll improve in all aspects of your life.
As a self-proclaimed couch potato, I get the idea of it … but I really didn’t get it.
With all these acclaimed great life-altering benefits, I had to try it for myself! I even signed up for a monthly gym membership, falling prey to the myth that if I was paying for it, I’d be more inclined to use it. …
So you’re bursting with curiosity but in this day and age, you’re afraid to ask because it could be insulting and you don’t want to be branded as accidentally racist. Or perhaps you don’t know who to ask but you’re pretty sure it’s not the Asian stranger on the street and you don’t have an Asian friend in your circle of friends to ask.
Let me be that friend for you.
FAQ #1 — Where are you from?
Me? I’m born and raised in Canada. My parents also live in Canada. Actually, I also have grandparents living here in Canada…
I was knee-deep in spring cleaning, clearing out boxes of junk from my basement when I uncovered a box of childhood keepsakes.
Rummaging through the box, I rediscovered layers upon layers of my past. Peeling each layer back was like peering through a looking glass, going back a couple of decades.
It was a breath of fresh air to see the innocence of someone who hasn’t yet learned that the world can be full of judgment. I saw the handiwork of someone who felt like she had all the confidence and all the encouragement of the world behind her.
And…
Good morning my puppy, how are you?
I hope you slept well like you always do!
Nobody loves my morning breath, as much you
You tend to like smelly things, oh you sure do!
Let me take you out quickly, as you so urgently do
Have to take your regular number two!
Breakfast of champions, nothing less will do
Yes, that’s really all the kibble I have for you!
Then comes playtime, which is all day for you
Imagine if I could join for a play day or two!
Whatever in the world would you do If there was no…
HOW I DID IT
I just wanted my dog to earn her keep
I literally didn’t know how to use Instagram when I first started. I was just half-joking about how my dog ought to earn her keep when I started an account for her.
Even now, I rarely use stories because I don’t understand the point of content that disappears. I don’t know how to do any editing beyond the basics that Instagram provides. I don’t use reels and I don’t know how to caption videos.
Yes, I truly am a millennial. Just a really technologically challenged one…
And yet, I still somehow managed to grow my dog’s Instagram account to 17.2K…
WRITING
As someone new to the world of writing, I of course want to leverage the experiences and successes of those before. Why learn from my own mistakes when I can learn from others’ mistakes?
After reading approximately 43 articles on how to improve your writing (thank you Medium for your algorithms), I have definitely noticed some reoccurring themes. But I’ve also seen a fair bit of conflicting advice.
I’ve compiled them here below, both as a one-stop-shop for other writers, but also for a light-hearted chuckle.
The re-occurring writing advice:
- Write a clear and exciting headline
- Be original, insightful, and…
Hello world! Nice to meet you. My name is Allison.
Who am I? I am many things.
I’m an engineer who has always had a passion for reading and writing. Somewhere along the journey of “growing up”, I put down writing for fear of judgment.
Caught up in the ultimate rat race that life can be, I forgot how much reading and writing meant to me. …
A light-hearted take on cultural assumptions
The stereotyping of Asian Americans as the “model minority” is a serious topic. And while there are many very good sources discussing the impacts of it, this story won’t be one of them.
I’m all for advocating for equality. I’m all for putting an end to racial discrimination. I’m all for putting those prejudices behind us.
It’s just that it’s a real downer. It’s a depressing topic riddled with heartbreaking stories and unfair situations.
I can’t stand up to the full momentum from centuries of society’s stereotypes. …
STRUGGLES
After being hit with article after article of Medium success stories from “How a New Writer Made $6,000+ With One of Her First Medium Stories” to “I’m a Mega Medium Success, and You Can Be One Too”, I thought to myself, “Hey, I can do that. That doesn’t look so hard. I can write!”
So how did my first attempt at writing on Medium go?
First off, I realized that writing is one thing; publishing your writing is another. Putting your writing out there in the digital world is so much harder than I thought. …
Allison
Engineer by day and writer by night. Here’s to putting myself out there.
