When I was 3, I got a train set for Christmas or a birthday. Can’t remember which, my memory is fuzzy here, but it was definitely around the time I was obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine – even with his creepy ass face. I was fascinated: to be able to create a mini-world withContinue reading “Now, I’m 33.”
Author Archives: Sooho Lee
It’s so sweet
Our breathing slows. Deeps breaths after deep breaths. He flips over and reaches for a cigarette. He lights it in bed and offers me one. I hesitate but he places an ashtray in front of me. Don’t worry. We’ll crack the window open. The landlord already knows anyways, he says without worry. After I takeContinue reading “It’s so sweet”
Ephemeral Ecstasy
The moment we make eye contact, even for a split second, I taste eternity. When our lips touch, I’m frozen in time with raging fire. She makes sense. I make sense. The world finally makes some fucking sense with brilliant clarity. Everything is alive and burns like the dead stars we’re all made of. EverythingContinue reading “Ephemeral Ecstasy”
Summer Snapshots
A group of us during camp decided to canoe and kayak to the middle of the lake. It wasn’t my first time, but I fastened my life-vest extra tight. I was–am—pretty scared of any body of water teeming with marine life. I half-joked, “There might be a monster at the bottom of this lake.” I’dContinue reading “Summer Snapshots”
Do Go Gentle into that Heinous Night
I first heard this refrain in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar from Professor Brand’s (Michael Caine) determined, grave, surreptitious voice. Taking the professor’s word, Cooper and his team leave an increasingly inhospitable earth in search for a new home among the stars. As the Endurance escape earth’s orbit, the professor says,
To Jacob Carter,
It just takes one. One intentional act to blossom a beautiful relationship. A friendship filled with hilarious antics, warm embrace, and meaningful conversations. Jacob, you are that one—you always took that first step to grace people with your smile, wit, and creativity. We both worked at Sam’s (college campus coffee shop) but never together. You’veContinue reading “To Jacob Carter,”
Mirror Guy.
So, this one night while getting my American fix for craft beers and fries we noticed a group of 4 dudes right outside this poppin’ pocha (포차). Original pochas are usually stationed outside along the street with these impossible-to-ignore red tarp coverings, dingy plastic tables and stools, usually an ajumma (아줌마, an older lady) servingContinue reading “Mirror Guy.”
Why is the sky blue?
Mmm, well what else could it be? Let’s say the sky was white, then what about the fluffy clouds? They wouldn’t stand out as much. If the sky was green, the proud trees with their greenery might seem less alive. If it was red, orange, yellow, then we might not enjoy the sunset and sunrise.Continue reading “Why is the sky blue?”
In 2021, Things Fell Apart.
This story has been delayed many times for many different reasons. First, I didn’t want to make public such sensitive and vulnerable material.Second, I halted writing multiple times because of overwhelming anger or grief.Third, I became happier when I moved to Korea, so the bulk of the post felt distant. But now, I post thisContinue reading “In 2021, Things Fell Apart.”
Why Fish Don’t Exist // Lulu Miller.
I first heard of Lulu Miller on RadioLab years ago, back when podcasts were part of my daily regimen in Chicago. On my 30-45 minute drives to libraries and students’ houses for tutoring, I would pop the next RadioLab episode about some newfound mushroom, undiscovered murder stories, unimaginable futuristic technologies, the lightness and heaviness ofContinue reading “Why Fish Don’t Exist // Lulu Miller.”
That’s Life.
“Did you hear about Hank?” “What ‘bout him?” “He’s back at it again…” Hank was sober for what felt like only a few minutes. His friends and family begged him not to go back. They did the whole thing. Buzzing around him, telling him to stay away from the stuff. I can’t blame the guy,Continue reading “That’s Life.”
I’m awake.
I’m awake. Damn, that was a long nap. It’s dark out. We only planned for a quick 30-minute power nap before heading out again. Minky is up playing with herself. Maybe she woke me up? I told my girlfriend I didn’t want a cat or any pet. She insisted: it’s her place, her responsibility, herContinue reading “I’m awake.”
We have lift off…again
I’m back, baby. It’s been about two years since my last post (my harangue against life on my 28th birthday). The first wave of the pandemic shook my core, and I froze all writing and creative ventures. Everything felt so meaningless. And futile. Who the fuck cares about what I write? I certainly didn’t. So,Continue reading “We have lift off…again”
Happy 28th, Sooho.
Two years ago on April 21, 2018, a month before my 26th birthday, my mother passed away. A year ago, my sisters and I celebrated her first death anniversary by boarding a small yacht and spreading her ashes in open Pacific Ocean waters. It was a particularly marvelous, San Diego spring day. Also on thatContinue reading “Happy 28th, Sooho.”
The Sabbath // Abraham Joshua Heschel.
With relentless energy Abraham Joshua Heschel seizes the soul and announces the beauty and grandeur of Sabbath: Here comes the queen and bride of humankind! She “is a bride, and its celebration is like a wedding” (54). But Sabbath is also a queen: she commands attention and graces presence. The legal and spiritual weights ofContinue reading “The Sabbath // Abraham Joshua Heschel.”
Brave New World // Aldous Huxley.
Summer 2005, after finishing seventh grade I spent long hours at ELITE Pre-SAT bootcamp. I don’t remember a lick of any of their thousand-dollar tips or whether they helped. But I do remember this: hating Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I don’t think I even finished it. Why ELITE thought it was a goodContinue reading “Brave New World // Aldous Huxley.”
The Hero of Ages (Mistborn 3) // Brandon Sanderson.
What an ending of the first Mistborn trilogy. Bravo, Sanderson! Bravo! Cheers to you too, Michael Kramer and your captivating Audible. The Final Empire (book one) is a hero’s journey with the underdogs (Kelsier, Vin, and the crew) facing some overpowered tyrant (the Lord Ruler). The Well of Ascension (book two) is the unfettered teasingContinue reading “The Hero of Ages (Mistborn 3) // Brandon Sanderson.”
Sapiens // Yuval Noah Harari.
Sapiens, the book that took Yuval Noah Harari from an eccentric history professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem to a superstar scholar with worldwide fandom and movement called “Sapienship.” I’ve seen Sapiens on bestsellers and friend’s recommended reads, but I never picked it up. Actually, I rarely pick up new bestsellers or top reads ofContinue reading “Sapiens // Yuval Noah Harari.”
The Writer’s Diet // Helen Sword.
Lately I’ve been feeling my writing sluggish; it reads like thick moss. I’ve hit writer’s block and slumps before, and most of the time they smooth out with time and grit. But I decided to try my hands on something quicker—a diet of sorts. True to the title, The Writer’s Diet dishes out the minimum,Continue reading “The Writer’s Diet // Helen Sword.”
The Courage to Be // Paul Tillich.
Selected as one of the Books of the Century by New York Public Library, there’s something profound and particularly piercing about The Courage to Be that sized thousands. Paul Tillich touched a nerve by diagnosing modern humanity’s central problem as anxiety, particularly the anxiety of doubt and meaninglessness. Paul Tillich stands as one of theContinue reading “The Courage to Be // Paul Tillich.”
Fifth Moon, in Taipei, Seoul, and Budapest
Two weeks in Taipei, one in Seoul, and one in Budapest, never have I felt so displaced in one month’s time. Whereas December and January felt like they flew by, February felt sluggish—isn’t it the shortest month even during leap year? Maybe because it was a rich month with new experiences and reflections. One particularContinue reading “Fifth Moon, in Taipei, Seoul, and Budapest”
Contact // Carl Sagan.
“Interstellar is by far the best sci-fi movie,” said Sooho.With an amused look, “No, you need to watch Contact,” replied the professor. And so he did. He understood why the professor said “need” but not “no.” Contact’s literary life is a bit unusual. Initially, it was drafted as screenplay in 1979 and had contracted withContinue reading “Contact // Carl Sagan.”
Remember Unto Life (Deut 1-4)
Deuteronomic theology in a nutshell is remember, remember, remember! Memories are tricky things. It comes as no surprise that memories often change: they twist and produce ill-feelings; they blossom and touch tenderly; they recede into “I forgot” or “I don’t care” mental boxes; or they glue themselves at the forefront of our minds. Memories playContinue reading “Remember Unto Life (Deut 1-4)”
Death of a Salesman // Arthur Miller.
It must’ve been sometime early high school when I saw my sister finish the last moments of Death of a Salesman (1985) starring Dustin Hoffman. After all these years the ending still lingers in my memory like impressions on soft clay: he grabs his fedora, mumbles to himself, quietly blows a kiss goodbye to hisContinue reading “Death of a Salesman // Arthur Miller.”
As Kingfishers Catch Fire // Eugene H. Peterson.
During this extended season of constant movement, Eugene Peterson and his sermons have been faithful companions. When I need a word, when I don’t want a word, he finds a way to touch with surprising accuracy. Drawing from the whole counsel of Scripture, these select 49 sermons from 29 years of faithful preaching to ChristContinue reading “As Kingfishers Catch Fire // Eugene H. Peterson.”
lee, sooho 