the universe doesn't care

june days of productivity — 2/30

[ 02.06.26 // tuesday ]

my first thought as i started writing this sentence was “wow, i could’ve been more productive, actually”. stopping myself here to remind that my day was eventful enough and i did even more than i had planned :)

today’s little steps:

went grocery shopping;

fertilized the houseplants;

made a new shelf for the houseplants;

wrote several postcards for the June RR;

learnt 6 new korean words;

planned the final project on the topic 수유;

wrote the first block for the said final project;

read 18 pages of anna karenina (i’m not in the mood for reading to be honest…)

Free Harvard courses. Free Courses from Stanford. Free Courses from MIT. Free courses from Yale. Free courses from Princeton.

Free courses on Coursera.

Free Courses on EDx Free Courses on Alison

For paid, there's The Great Courses+/Wonderium. 20$ a month for unlimited courses.

And I also wanted to mention that humanitarian organisations have free courses too, like the Red Cross on international humanitarian law.

but i do want to take a moment to remind everyone that people with the intention to do evil or make their hate known almost always go after those who are perceived as vulnerable. it’s no surprise to me that things like this happen almost exclusively when i am alone and an easier target. hijabis especially, being so visible. to my hijabi girlies, remember to stay aware of your surroundings and practice safe travel habits. to my friends on here, it pays to be vigilant as well and to help watch the backs of those around you if you’re able

Distract

Delegate

Document

Delay

Direct

In the chaos and uncertainty around us, there is still so much love and hope.

A few weeks ago, a local international student nervously approached me and asked if I could photograph his wedding reception. We barely know each other — so much so that the only real thing he knew about me was that a) I was a graphic designer and b) he had seen me hold a camera. And the only thing I knew about him was that he came from overseas to study engineering in the U.S.

He explained that his friend (and expected photographer) couldn't make the trip. I sympathized and told him I had a similar situation with my wedding, but then he said something that made my stomach churn.

Almost all his family and friends overseas can't make it. So can't the bride's, as she's studying abroad as well. With the warmest smile, he says while he wishes his family could be there to celebrate, he's so lucky to have great friends who are helping them put on a small reception.

I told him I had it covered and I wouldn't accept payment. Photos like this will be invaluable over time, and I wanted to pay it forward as the volunteer photographer at my own wedding did.

The wedding was this weekend. I cried during it.

His fellow engineering students became wedding planners. A church opened its doors free of charge. Families of local students caught wind of the event and handled the food, learning cultural dishes from the bride and groom's home countries. A mom group banded together to make table centerpieces. A recently married couple donated their leftover decorations. There were almost one hundred guests. Most of us didn't know each other.

It was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen. Not just because the bride and groom were so deeply in love with one another, but because strangers saw an opportunity to be kind. In a community where hate of anything 'foreign' seems to fester, a bunch of people saw two lovebirds separated from their families, stepped in, and said, "how can we celebrate love today?"

🗓️ | 8 june 2026

I feel like I'm in over my head at my internship but I need to remember its actually a summer school (but I'm getting paid) and that its okay not to know things. I'm also like the only physics PhD with 2 applied mathematics PhDs, 1 engineering PhD, and 3 computer science PhDs and my experience with simulation development is so much less than everyone else... and I know I'm there to be a physicist but then I feel incompetent at that 😭 my mentors are actually really nice and I know I'll figure it out but it doesn't make the anxiety go away. it mostly sucks because I get migraines from stress/anxiety and that makes everything harder 🙃 nevertheless we move forward, wishing everyone a good rest of the week!

June 9, 2026 • Tuesday

GETTING BACK ON TRACK — No burnout challenge [Day 30/30]

Aaaaand we're done!!!!! Im so happy I did this challenge this year too, it really helped me power through my exams! Especially because I got sick at the beginning, so the burnout not happening was really vital lmao. I feel great as I'm nearing the end of my exams (i have 1 on Friday, then two weeks off, then 3 more exams), can't wait to finish ✨

I journalled and went for a walk today. It felt refreshing to indulge in a hobby after many days of being different flavours of sick lol

also look at that npc he's so adorable i love him

🎧 Thinking About You — GRAHAM

📖 The Good Virus — Tom Ireland

Part of socializing and having friends is being a good listener even when you don't actually give a shit about the subject.

Your are hurting other people's feelings when you bluntly respond with "Anyway..." and then change the topic.

It can not always be about your preferred topic.

Yes, because the Washington state government activated like a sleeper-cell and ruthlessly, systematically hunted them down and annihilated them.

“Y2K came to nothing amirite?”

Yes because an army of software engineers working around the clock, losing sleep, and busting ass till the last minute prevented it from happening.

“Remember the hole in the ozone layer?”

You mean the one that was fixed through rigorous world wide government action?

One of the root problems of our society is a refusal or inability by media to articulate that all those “it’s gonna be an apocalypse” disasters were not disasters because we collectively did something about them.

The good news is this is actually quite correctable. I maintain my firm belief that we as humans are capable of solving almost all of our problems, when we decide to do so.

And I still think that’s going to happen. I don’t know when or how, but I do know that abandoning hope won’t help bring it about.