Creative Lineage
A friend who used to attend the Olive Tree Writing Club back when we met on Wednesdays told me last year that he wanted to start a design club. Inspired by OTWC, he launched a weekly gathering with the same format, tailored for designers.
Now, his community is gaining momentum, and it’s been cool to watch from a distance.
Maybe this is a bit of a flex—but it’s true. Over the years, I’ve personally inspired dozens of people to write, to host, and to elevate their fashion game. This is my creative lineage.
Of course, many inspired me first. I’m part of their creative lineage, too.
When You Smile, The World Smiles Back
Today, I watched A Wonderful World, a Broadway musical, with my parents (which was excellent, by the way).
One of my favorite moments was when Louis Armstrong meets Lincoln Perry, one of the first Black entertainers to make it big. Perry gives Armstrong a piece of advice: as an entertainer, you need to have your thing.
To illustrate his point, Perry shows off his dance skills, then turns to Armstrong and asks, What’s your thing?
Armstrong, with his signature bright grin, simply replies, It’s my smile.
He then launches into one of his famous tunes, singing, When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you.
There’s a saying about Louis Armstrong: He was born poor, died rich, and never hurt anyone along the way. His warm smile and ability to spread happiness wherever he went are proof of that.
Hosting My Parents for the First Time
This week, my parents are visiting New York for the first time.
They’re staying at my apartment, where they met my roommates—and even cooked for them, making traditional Filipino food like chicken adobo and sinigang, some of my favorite dishes from home.
It feels like a milestone in adulthood—being able to host them, share my life here, and treat them in return for everything they’ve done for me.
It’s truly an honor and a blessing.
Writing Feels Easy Now
For most of this year, I haven’t struggled with writer’s block.
Last year was different. There were plenty of nights when writing a daily blog post felt like a chore—especially when I was tired.
But this time around, something clicked.
The big unlock for me is I stopped trying to be interesting or unique. Instead, I treat writing as a way to think through a problem or express whatever I’m feeling that day.
I open my journal, start writing, and the words just flow.
Slow Success, Fast Success
Back in 2018, I led one of the largest student-run tech conferences in Canada. Through this experience, I met the most ambitious students at Waterloo, connected with founders across the city, and, because of the role’s visibility, became well-known on campus.
Through this conference, I met Baris who offered me an internship in the bar area on a whim. I became the first person in my class to land a coveted “Cali” internship. Through that job, I met students from MIT, UC Berkeley, and Stanford. I connected with CEOs of the hottest startups and even met multiple billionaires.
During this year, I experienced fast success and my ego skyrocketed. I knew it would hold me back, and it did. I thought I was better than everyone, so I didn’t connect with my classmates. I didn’t ask for help. It was isolating, and I struggled after that.
When it comes to my creative journey, I started writing five years ago. Unlike my early career, I never had a single breakthrough moment. None of my pieces have gone viral. But over time, the success has been building. The frustration, rejection, and failure have shaped my character and humbled me. I’ve learned not to cling to outcomes but to enjoy the process—that’s why I’ve stayed in the game so long.
Now, as writing and my creative projects are a main focus. External success is just a matter of time, but I already feel like I’ve won. I’m at peace. I’m not attached to anything. I’m just trying to be my best self and have fun.
Experimenting with my Hair
I often say that getting into fashion is like being your own character designer. I feel like I’m now on the hair selection section.
In my original fashion blog post, I wrote about how my style journey began when a high school friend—whom I hadn’t seen in six years—told me I looked exactly the same.
Ironically, he recently commented on one of my stories: “Bro, you haven’t aged a day.”
While my style has evolved significantly over the past few years, I’ve barely experimented with my hair. In fact, I’ve had practically the same hairstyle for over a decade.
I did shave my head during the pandemic—just to see what it looked like. But it wasn’t for me. So, I grew my hair back to the same style as before.
Hair has the power to completely transform a look, and I’m finally ready to experiment. I want to update my hairstyle and try something new.
I’m excited—but also a little scared. Hair takes time, and this will be a long journey. But I’m committed to it.
Minoru Matsura’s one of my style inspirations right now
One of my current style inspirations is Minoru Matsura, the founder of Clinch Boots. His aesthetic influenced my uniform template, and I’ve never experimented with long hair before—but I love how it looks on him.
This week, I’ll be researching potential hairstyles. And as always, I’ll be keeping you updated.
Why I’m Good With Names
In the communities I’m part of, I’ve developed a reputation for remembering names.
Someone can attend OTWC just once, and I’ll likely remember their name. My friends are often impressed by this ability.
This past week, I realized where it comes from.
Growing up, I was a quiet kid. I often felt invisible—I knew what it was like to be forgotten. But when someone remembered my name, it made me feel seen. And I wanted others to have that same feeling.
I know how important it is to remember someone’s name. As a community leader, it’s my way of saying, I know you. I see you.
What Are You Avoiding?
Today, I had an interesting call with my friend K about my goals—specifically, growing my newsletter and presence on Twitter.
One key takeaway: If my goal is growth, I should consider all possible avenues, setting aside my biases.
The reality is that photos and videos dominate today. Most people are on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, while fewer engage with Twitter or long-form reading.
I’ve avoided these visual platforms, partly out of fear. Writing feels natural to me, but posting photos or videos? That’s outside my comfort zone.
Yet, menswear is a visual art. It thrives on platforms built for imagery. Maybe it’s time to lean into that.
Psy-Op Yourself
I’ve been reading Derek Sivers’ newest book, Useful, Not True, and the main premise of the book is this: Adopt the beliefs that are most useful to you right now.
Beliefs are malleable. They aren’t objective facts—they’re narratives we create. And because they’re fabricated, we have the power to shape them in ways that support us and our goals.
I see these beliefs everywhere through the self talk of those around me. My roommate constantly says that he’s lazy. My friend says he’s not good with girls. My other friend says they aren’t creative enough. These aren’t objective facts. These are beliefs that have manifested themselves into reality.
One belief I’m choosing to adopt—also inspired by Sivers—is this: The best way to do what you love and make good money is to have a well-paying job while seriously pursuing your art for love, not money. I want to be both a brilliant artist and an indispensable employee.
Some say the only way forward is to go all in on your passion and make it your vocation. Others argue that a job should simply support your lifestyle.
But F that—I want to write my own narrative. I want to be exceptional at both.
Maybe this belief won’t serve me forever. Maybe when I start a family, I’ll have to let it go. But for now, this is the belief I choose to embrace.
At the end of the day, you control your beliefs. So why hold on to one that limits you? Why not adopt a belief that empowers you instead? If you repeat a new, more constructive belief often enough, it becomes your reality. You can create something meaningful—something that actually fuels your growth.
Being My Full Self at Work
In Monday meetings, it’s routine to get asked how your weekend was.
I spend most of my weekends—and most of my free time—doing something fashion- or writing-related.
I used to brush off the question, saying I just relaxed, avoiding specifics. Even if I hosted a major writing event or published a big piece, I’d even hide what I was really up to.
Back then, I felt like I needed to keep that part of my life separate from work.
But this year, I’ve decided to show up as my full self. I openly share what I do on weekends. I talk about my passions with my coworkers.
And I noticed that not only are they interested but they respect me more for it. I feel lighter, as if I have nothing to hide.
This shift isn’t just about my interests—it’s how I dress, how I speak, how I carry myself. I’m done putting on a mask. Now, I can just be me.
Retuning the Guitar
Inspired by Derek Sivers’, Useful Not, True
When you first buy a guitar, the first thing you need to do is make sure it’s in tune. As you play more, you’ll realize tuning isn’t a one-time task—it’s something you have to do regularly to ensure all the strings sound right.
You don’t tune a guitar once and expect it to stay in tune forever.
The same is true for us. We need to “retune” ourselves—return to our vision and direction. It’s important to constantly remind ourselves of what matters most and what we’re working toward.
As life goes on, it’s easy to lose sight of our mission and goals. That’s why I dedicate time every Sunday evening to my weekly planning session. I use this time to reflect on the past week and plan for the one ahead. This practice helps me stay aligned with my purpose and vision in both my personal and professional life.
In a way, it’s like retuning the guitar—making sure everything I’ve done and everything I’m about to do connects to the bigger picture.
Martin Luther King on Overcoming Fear
I recently watched a short speech by Martin Luther King Jr. on overcoming fear. Here’s an excerpt from the speech:
I must confess that there are moments when I feel a sense of inadequacy. It is never easy for one to accept the role of leadership without going through constant moments of self-examination. And I must confess there are moments when I begin to wonder if I’m inadequate—whether I’m able to face the challenges and responsibilities that come with my position. I don’t think anyone in a situation like this can go through it without confronting moments of real fear.
But in this struggle—because it is fundamentally right, because it is a thrust forward not just for Negro people but for all of mankind—I have come to see these things differently. When I came to understand this, I felt a sense of cosmic companionship, so much so that the loneliness and fear have faded away, replaced by a deep commitment to a moral ideal.
Even Martin Luther King Jr. experienced imposter syndrome while leading the Civil Rights Movement.
Yet, his sense of purpose was so powerful that fear could not stand in his way.
Run More Experiments
One of the main differences between Growth teams and core product teams is that Growth teams don’t just ship product changes—we ship experiments. An experiment might involve a product update, a tweak to the website copy, or even testing a new banner.
The Growth framework can be summarized as: Analyze → Ideate → Prioritize → Test.
What excites me about learning in this space is that the Growth framework isn’t just limited to businesses—it can be applied to almost anything.
For example, I’m currently focused on growing Riveting. The same framework applies:
- Analyze opportunities for growth.
- Ideate potential experiments.
- Prioritize those experiments.
- Test them to see what works and what doesn’t.
This reflects an idea I shared yesterday: a concept learned in one domain can often be applied to another in new and exciting ways.
Be a Brilliant Artist and an Indispensable Employee
I came across a tweet recently that resonated with me:
This perfectly captures my goal for the year.
I want to continue deepening my knowledge of menswear while becoming an expert at Growth and excelling in my new role.
The two pursuits complement each other too. My job provides stability and financial support, while my art serves as a creative outlet and source of adventure. Even better, the lessons and frameworks I learn in each area can be applied across domains, allowing me to develop unique approaches that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of.
I’m Grateful
I’m grateful for my friends and family, who provide unwavering support and love.
I’m grateful for my job, where I have the opportunity to both learn and earn.
I’m grateful for the privilege of living in New York City, a place full of energy and endless opportunities.
I’m grateful for the experience of getting to know her, even if it didn’t work out. Every connection offers a valuable lesson.
I’m grateful for moments when I’ve been wronged, as they’ve allowed me to test and strengthen my character.
I’m grateful for tough feedback because it shows that others care about my growth and success.
Life often comes down to perspective. The glass is half full. The glass is half empty. It’s all about how we choose to see it.
Training yourself to see the glass as half full and practicing gratitude is a skill—one that pays dividends in every aspect of life.
Socially Secure
When I first moved to New York, one of my top priorities was finding my communities and building meaningful friendships.
Whether you’re moving to a new city, starting a new job, or beginning at a new school, the people you meet in the first three months often shape the relationships and connections you’ll have for the rest of your time there.
I understood this when I arrived in NYC and wanted to be intentional about the friends I made and the communities I joined. While many of my classmates from Waterloo also moved here, I wasn’t particularly close to most of them, and we didn’t share the same interests or values.
Now, more than 2.5 years later, I feel socially secure. I’ve built close friendships, become an active and long-standing members of a creative community, and even run my own writing club.
Not only do I have a strong group of close friends, but I also continue to meet like-minded people who align with my values.
I know how challenging it can be to feel socially secure in NYC, many people I meet are socially insecure, and I’m grateful to my past self for putting in the work to get to this point.
I was active on Twitter in 2020, and it felt magical. I met incredible people, discovered new ideas, joined communities, and found unexpected opportunities.
Since then, I’ve cycled in and out of using the platform.
This year, one of my goals is to be more active on Twitter and post every day—and so far, I’ve succeeded.
I was first apprehensive about returning to Twitter after Elon Musk’s acquisition. At first, my feed was overrun with far-right content I wasn’t interested in, which made me worry that Twitter had taken a turn for the worse.
But after curating my experience—blocking Elon Musk, muting Trump-related keywords, and creating curated Lists—I’m happy to report that Twitter is still dope.
Within just two weeks of consistent use, I’ve rediscovered its magic. Twitter is still one of the best places to discover emerging trends and find out where things are happening first. What’s even better is that you can join the conversation instantly.
Another game-changer for me has been treating Twitter like a public notes app. Instead of jotting ideas down in my phone’s notes, I’ll sometimes tweet them with little concern for how it performs.
All of this has made Twitter a genuinely fun experience for me again.
On Joining Verci
Verci’s onboarding doc for the new space
NYC is such a creative city. Whether it be fashion, music, writing, cuisine, or photography, NYC excels at it.
This is what attracted me to the city in the first place.
When I first moved here, I was thinking of how I can plug myself into NYC’s vibrant creative scene.
I saw Verci as that opportunity.
I joined as part of Season 0 in November of ’22. And over the past 2+ years: I’ve met writers, community organizers, film makers, musicians, photographers, entrepreneurs, creative technolgists, fashion designers, chefs, and more.
———
For years, I knew I didn’t want to follow the traditional path. I wanted to live life on my own terms, free from conventional expectations. I often felt like an outsider—a Martian among my peers—because they didn’t understand what I was goin for.
But at Verci, I don’t need to explain myself. The people I meet just know.
We’re all on that unconventional journey, chasing our dreams and pushing boundaries.
Verci has been the cornerstone of my NYC experience.
It’s where I started the Olive Tree Writing Club, met some of my closest friends, and expanded my ceiling of what’s possible.
A Quick Piece of Advice for Aspiring Writers
Don’t try to sound smart.
Don’t try to be original.
Don’t try to sound cute.
Don’t try.
Don’t think.
Just write.
That’s when the creativity will flow.
Three Words to Describe My Style Revisited
Today, I decided to revisit the “three-word exercise”—a simple exercise where you summarize your style in three words. Last year, my three words were subtle, elevated, and contrasting. After reflecting on what I learned about my style and myself, I updated my 3 words to better reflect my current style:
Classic
Through experimenting with Ivy style last year, I learned that I love dressing up. I’m drawn to classic, formal pieces like button-up shirts, pleated trousers, leather footwear, knitwear, and blazers. Dressing casually just doesn’t feel like me.
This preference aligns with my personality—I’m a bit of an old soul. I enjoy reading old books, listening to classic music, and older TV shows and movies. I like being in control, feeling put-together, and investing in pieces that are built to last.
Comfortable
Another lesson I learned from experimenting with Ivy style last year is that while I love the aesthetic, it often felt uncomfortable or impractical for my lifestyle. For example, I enjoy wearing ties, but they added extra time to my mornings, felt restrictive, and I’d look ridiculous wearing a tie on a Zoom meeting in my bedroom for my remote Job.
Now, I want to be dressed up but comfortable. I do this through more oversized formal pieces which introduces tension — combining the formality of dressed up pieces with the comfort and casualness of a relaxed silhouette. This is why I love oversized button ups and wide fit pleated pants. Both pieces are formal in nature but the oversized nature makes them more casual.
Simple
One of my qualms with the fashion industry is its consumerist culture. I have no desire of actively participating in every trend (though I’m not anti-trend) and amassing a large wardrobe.
Especially since I’m curating a wardrobe of high quality pieces, that fit me perfectly, and that age well, each piece will speak for itself. No need to overcomplicate my outfits. This may not result in trendy, eye-catching, Wisdom level fits, but it’s my personal style and I’m confident in it.
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