I built a website
So, I built a website. It was impulsive, unplanned, but something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. It took studying for my licensure exam to give me the distraction needed to finally start this project. What started off as writing a blog to help clear my mind, began the research to find what the best hosting site would be to hold such intrusive thoughts. I started off with Wordpress, but ultimately decided to go with Squarespace since it is already hosting another website of mine.
Once I decided on the site, I began playing around with some templates, and this is where the whole direction got completely derailed. In this moment, I decided to build a “portfolio website”. A place to store all my creative projects from my studio photos of people eating hot sauces, to podcasts of people talking about losing their virginity. The mind began to run rampant, and with a week of a free trial, I took on the challenge to get it started.
With a light work week, I decided to spend every waking hour to create this site from scratch. That’s right, I decided on no template and truly experience the power and tools of Squarespace. I began on a Sunday, and spent about five straight hours putting the foundation together. My ADHD hyperfocus mode was in full effect. My stimulation from the novelty and interest, with a looming deadline and urgency to finish before the trial was over, helped fuel me each day. The following day, I created another page and spent five hours during the day, followed by six hours after work, when I had ended at 8pm. Each night I was sleeping at 2am-6am. The hyperfocus was working overtime, there was one day I had pulled an all-nighter, the first since undergrad. I learned pulling an all-nighter in your 30s is much different than your early 20s. In those moments, a reflective pause to see how much has changed came washing over.
Going through each page, looking through each photo and video, deciding which one to put in, keep or take out. A reflection on the past 12-months of my life has been a great moment to pause and breathe. In what arguably has been the most stressed and challenged I’ve felt since moving to Oregon, I was able to look back at all the great and low moments.
Starting off the year with a celebration of Lunar New Year with my family in San Francisco, seeing my beloved cousins all together for the first time in more than a decade to celebrate the first wedding of the Fung children. Then watching the LA Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championships, to reconnecting to old friends.
Leading into a March bachelor party down in LA for my best friend, whom I was his best man at his wedding, then focusing on losing weight for the suit and having that on my mind nonstop for the next month in April.
With May came the wedding, meeting and losing new friends, and finding romantic relationships take a turn.
A huge celebration in June for the home team, the Golden State Warriors and an impulsive 11-hour drive down to the Bay to watch the first championship parade in San Francisco. Not before exploring over 6 different waterfalls in 24 hours and an overnight trip in Bend.
A two month self-discovery in the Bay with many trips to Sacramento & Oakland, two places I never thought to frequent so often. Relearning how to love the city that raised me, and viewing it as an opportunity to grow as an adult versus having been stuck in the mindset of the “Bay Area bubble”.
A return to the PNW in September to meet new friends, expand on the PNW AAPI scene, and re-explore old conversations.
Lastly October, where a celebration of year 32 in Bend, OR, a week full of chicken wings, and learning the process on owning a new car to call my own.
It’s funny to see where my brain can take me, but I am grateful to be able to pause and reflect, and have a whole website to return to my memories and work whenever I’d like. Ironically, the blog I wrote that started the rabbithole is titled: “ADHD + ME”, and boy am I glad that my brain is able to create this site, and switch to studying for my national exam all at the same time.
Enjoy the site as much as I did making it!
