i really dislike the phrase "you don't owe anyone anything," because if we all lived by this motto, then this would be one sad and lonely world. but this isn't a post about selflessness and giving back to the world. on the contrary, it's about owing yourself the world.

maybe this is a more modern take on virginia woolf’s ‘a room of one’s own,’ but with a lot less of an emphasis on women and writing, and more so a general statement about the importance of space. i’ve been drawn to space since a toddler, completely fascinated with architecture and places of inhabitation (the cultural difference of personal space vs constructed space really hit home at age 9 when i immigrated), and this continued to grow through my studies in college and graduate school.

but much more specifically, i am interested in more of a phenomenological aspects of space; how it sets a mood, subconsciously affects your mind and wellbeing, the way light fills a room, the functionality of a space versus comfort, scale and proportion with respect to the human figure, and above all, the experiential (dare I say, the cinematic) way we record everything with our senses as we move about through a space. i’ve written essays and focused a lot of time energy on this matter. but it’s time to stop philosophizing and start living these ideas out.

after a long and grueling 2012 i decided to take 2013 in a different direction – to step back from career, home and otherwise nonstop life goals and just focus on me. friday mornings are my "room of my own" or maybe it's best to call it my. it’s a set time I’ve carved for myself, to recharge, to take back, and really focus.

friday mornings are my calm, they are without thought, without worry, without a 'to do' list. they are for breathing, looking (and i mean really looking), noticing light, color, texture, sights, smells, sounds, and just basking in the rays of sunshine that filter through the leafy canopies of my back patio. we are so eager to give our time away to others, because that's human nature (we are social animals after all)... you owe it to yourself to give some time to you too.