What is a liminal state?

A state of transition; a ritual passage from one stage to the next; an in-between phase marked by ambiguity and uncertainty. Basically, it’s middle-aged life.

Welcome to Everything is Liminal

I used to write a blog called Sweet Fine Day from 2008–2019(ish) that documented our life as small business owners while raising kids in NYC. Before that, I was a partner in a blog network that covered products for kids and tech gadgets for women. And even before those blogs, I published a webzine on Asian American pop culture. I’ve rambled on the internet since 1999. That is a lot of rambling.

After taking some years off from writing, I’ve decided that I needed to write again to process everything from the past few years. Midlife is wild. If you’re in it, maybe you’re feeling it too. So this newsletter is a collection of personal essays about the joys of midlife (said with a side of sarcasm), raising teens (who have already started to leave the nest), caring for elderly parents (only one living now), processing death and grief (it’s a long journey, folks), navigating another new shift in my design career (I have failed miserably at every turn in my quest for better work/life balance), my ongoing journey of getting back in touch with my Korean heritage, as well as some new and old recipes from our archive. I never was very good at staying in one niche, so why start now?

Update: Just three months after launch, this newsletter became a featured publication. Thank you so much for all your support!

Why should I subscribe?

And I guess this is where I’m supposed to ask you to subscribe (images of YouTubers pointing down to the subscribe button are flashing through my head right now). If any of these topics are of interest to you, please consider subscribing. I’m aiming to publish once a week on Wednesdays and new posts will land in your inbox. This is an experiment in progress as I get back into writing. I may also, on occasion, publish some of my favorite blog posts from Sweet Fine Day. I’m not yet sure what this space will become, but thank you for coming along this journey with me!

Wait, there’s a paid subscription?

If you were familiar with my old blog, you may remember that as a blogger I was really terrible about monetizing (meaning, I didn’t). Sometimes I really kick myself for not leaning into the opportunities I had to make money off the old blog. Maybe my life back then would have been a tiny bit easier had I not been so stubborn about maintaining my integrity as an ad-free, non-sponsored blog. But writing takes a lot of time, so I’ve turned on paid subscriptions (I’m making real progress in the name of capitalism, I’m really trying!). If you are enjoying my newsletter, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber. It will really help keep me writing. For now, however, all weekly posts will remain free.

A little about me

I’m a 1.5 generation Asian American raised in New York City, a mother of 2 teenagers, and a UX and product designer who has spent the last 20 years working with consumer brands, agencies, NGOs, and early-stage tech startups building products and brands. I co-founded a bakery with my pastry chef husband from 2008–2020. I’m currently on a self-proclaimed (semi) sabbatical while I figure out my next move in life.