So I’ve decided to hang up the 5 Things Posts. Partly because it’s hard to come up with 5 things each week and because it takes me a crazy long time to write them. I think it’s the writer inside of me … always trying to come up with something witty or thought provoking or profound or humorous. 

But it’s also because I think the 5TT posts were meant for that season. The times of transition and landing in LA for the first time. There was so much going on then - meeting new people, getting my bearings on a new city, stumbling upon this thing called commercial photography. And the best way for me to process it then was to write it it out like that. 

I’m very thankful for those posts. It’s a great way to go back and see what was going on in my life and in the world. But as of right now, there’s not much going on with me. So no more 5TT posts. Instead, I’ve decided to fill the void with Random Thoughts With Jo. 

The content will always be random and the format will vary. It might be bullet form or 750 Words style. It might be completely relevant to what’s going on in the world or it might be something somewhat trivial but whatever. I might talk about TV or I might talk about sports. I might talk about what God’s been teaching me lately or what I’ve been having a hard time with. There’s so many ways that it can go. 

It’ll be random. But the goal is to write it on Fridays. A good time to reflect on the week.

Anyways, let’s get to it.

* * *

I’m going to start off with the obvious choice for my RANDOM THOUGHTS post here and talk about that amazing comedy special from Hasan Minhaj. It debuted this week and I watched it twice the first day it came out. If you know me at all, then you know how much I love to laugh and how I’m into the comedy scene. And so I’ve seen this guy around on the Daily Show but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect out of his special. 

OMG you guys - it’s SO GOOD. Like really funny and well produced (the graphics and lights and camera work was amazing) but his message was like super profound. Like legit hit the heart, resonate inside your soul kind of profound. But still framed within this amazingly hilarious storytelling. 

His take on race and the immigrant story and ignorance and equality and being the better man and seeking forgiveness. Goodness gracious, it was like I was getting some sort of exhortation without even knowing it. But like laughing my face off at the same time. 

It’s great. You should check it out.

I’ve also started watching Master of None (I’m two episodes deep) and I think it’s interesting how they hit on the immigrant story there also. And how things can be forgotten or lost in translation in between immigrant parents and first generations here. I mean, I see that everyday in my own family. 

I can go on and on about this kind of stuff. I’ve just been diving deep in documentaries and podcasts and books lately and so my brain has been going 100 mph, trying to understand and incorporate what I learn from it all. I’ve just been sort of blown away by everything that I’m learning and discovering. 

I think the important thing throughout is storytelling. Just sitting around and talking to people and getting to know them and their experiences. We need more of that in the world. I need more of that in my life. 

Anyways, I think that’s it for now. I’ll catch y’all later.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

AND TO ALL THOSE WHO SERVE OUR COUNTRY - THANK YOU!!