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A Little Spooky, A Little Chaotic, A Lot to Celebrate | Jin’s October 2026
October was a little bit of everything: a little spooky, a little chaotic, and a whole lot to celebrate. Between fall weddings, birthday celebrations, spontaneous adventures, Halloween festivities, and stepping into a new chapter career-wise, there was hardly a dull moment. It was one of those months where the calendar was constantly full, the sleep was definitely lacking, but the memories made it all worth it. Somewhere between all the celebrations and chaos, there were also a few growing pains and reminders to embrace the unfamiliar. All in all, October kept me on my toes, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Lifestyle: Travel & Relationships
Travels & Fun
Toronto
This month, I went to Toronto for my cousin’s wedding, and it was so surreal realizing that two of my cousins got married this year! Although I couldn’t make it to the Korea wedding, I’m so glad I was able to celebrate this one with my family. It had been since 2018 that I last visited Canada, so it was really nice to be back, especially during the fall season. The colorful leaves, beautiful weather, and getting to spend time with family made the trip extra special. Everyone kept telling me how lucky I was with the weather, and I definitely wasn’t complaining. My aunt also made sure I was fed WAY too well all weekend long. Please check out Malado Restaraunt if you're ever in Toronto!
The wedding itself was beautiful, and I loved seeing the mix of Korean and Western wedding traditions. One of the sweetest moments was when my cousin teared up seeing my aunt, which immediately had the rest of us crying too. But my favorite memory was actually after the wedding, when we all came home and had a mini campfire together. Everyone started sharing childhood stories, and I loved hearing little glimpses of what my dad was like growing up. It’s always so special getting to hear these stories firsthand and seeing a different side of your parents through the people who grew up with them.
Of course, the trip came with a little chaos since I had just started my new job and didn’t take any days off. The first day was brutal, with a red-eye, maybe two hours of sleep, and a full day of work. Somehow, I still had enough energy to yap with my family late into Sunday night before heading into the downtown Toronto office the next morning. Since Spin Master’s HQ is in Toronto and most of my team is based there, I was really excited to finally meet everyone in person and see the office. All in all, it was a quick but meaningful trip filled with family, fall scenery, happy tears, childhood stories, and a whole lot of sleep deprivation. So glad I made it!
Headtrip
Crystal really wanted to go to Headtrip, so naturally, we decided to make a spontaneous day trip to Indio after scoring a one-day ticket from a friend. The only catch was that we already had a birthday party earlier that day, and both of us were running on very little sleep. But when there's a mission, there's a mission! Shoutout to Tesla self-driving for helping us survive the long drive because we were definitely exhausted. We finally made it, got into the festival, and were having the best time until everything came to an abrupt stop due to rain and thunderstorm warnings. It was especially devastating for Crystal since she was really looking forward to seeing Calvin Harris!
The night somehow got even longer as we made our way to a friend's campsite to wait things out, eventually returning to the car only to deal with some very intense and unhelpful people who made getting out way harder than it needed to be. We finally made it home sometime past 2–3 AM, completely exhausted but with another story to tell. Everyone kept asking if I regretted making the trip, but honestly, not at all! I was there for Crystal, the experience, and the vibes. Not every spontaneous adventure goes according to plan, but sometimes that's part of the fun.
Celebrations
As always, there was plenty to celebrate this month! We celebrated Mish’s birthday, and Calvin, her boyfriend and our friend, was in town visiting from NYC, so it was extra nice getting to see everyone together. We went out for drinks at a bar followed by tacos, which honestly is a combination I can never complain about. We also celebrated Rachel’s birthday with a fun Asian-inspired tea party, which was such a cute twist on the traditional tea party and surprisingly delicious! This was also the birthday celebration that happened right before our spontaneous Headtrip adventure, so safe to say it was a very eventful day. I also got to have dinner with Steph, and it was so lovely catching up as always. Even more exciting was getting to celebrate her engagement and hear all about this new chapter! Always grateful for these little moments and having so many milestones to celebrate with the people I love.
Housewarming
Finally, after three months in the making, Sophie and I hosted our housewarming cafe! All month long, it was so much fun experimenting with different recipes, testing drinks, and trying to perfect our little menu. A LOT of prep, time, and money went into this, haha, but it was all worth it. It was definitely tiring seeing everyone come in and out of our apartment all day, but that was exactly the café experience we wanted to create. My favorite part was seeing all our friends stop by and enjoy the little space we put together. And honestly, the best compliment was having multiple people ask if I was an actual barista or if I did this as a side hustle. Maybe I missed my calling, but for now, I'll stick to making coffee for friends!
Love
This month was Boyfriend Day, and I was excited to spend a whole day with just my boyfriend. I decided to surprise him with what I called a “Death Meal Day,” inspired by an icebreaker question we had done previously where we shared what our ultimate appetizer, main course, dessert, and drinks would be if we could only eat them one last time. He had mentioned wings, In-N-Out, ramen, ice cream, and beer, so naturally, I thought, why not eat ALL of it in one day? We spent the day hopping between food stops and fully embracing our inner foodies. It was such a fun way to celebrate, and honestly, any excuse to eat our way through the day is a good one.
Halloween Festivities
We also got to celebrate Halloween together with a trip to the pumpkin patch, which was actually on my yearly bingo list! It was a full-circle moment because we tried going last year but showed up way too late and found out the pumpkin patch had already closed. 😂 Thankfully, we finally made it happen this year! We also attended a Halloween party together, where we dressed up as Niki from Obsession and Bear. Coincidentally, our host and friend dressed up as the Cat Sandwich, so the whole group costume came together perfectly. It was such a fun night, and I even randomly bumped into a former coworker who happened to be dressed as a character from my new workplace. Small world! We also won beer pong, so naturally, that was the cherry on top of a very successful Halloween night.
Lastly, we finally got to squeeze in a double date with Mish and Calvin! I think Mish had really been wanting to make this happen since we rarely get the chance, especially with Calvin hardly ever being in California and somehow always being booked and busy when he is. Our schedules weren't exactly aligning, but I'm glad we managed to make a weekday work! We kept it simple with dinner and a Yogurtland run afterward, but honestly, it was so much fun getting to spend time together. Sometimes the simplest plans make for the best nights.
Work
We also squeezed in an SGV work day at my former coworker's house, which is funny because we're all working for different brands now, and I'm even at a completely different company. It's nice knowing that even though we've all moved on to different chapters in our careers, we still make time to catch up and work alongside each other. Abida had a half day, so it eventually turned into a work-from-home day for me and Dianne, with both of us feeling a little stressed from work. But we still managed to squeeze in a yummy banh mi lunch and some boba, which made the day that much better. Always nice to have familiar faces to share the workday with!
I also officially hit my first month at my new job! There’s definitely a lot to unpack with this new chapter, but I’ll save the details for the next section. 👀
Lows & Lessons:
This month officially marked my first month at my new job, and I won't lie, the first three weeks were TOUGH. Jumping into a completely new industry was a much bigger adjustment than I had anticipated. The terminology was completely different, the processes were unfamiliar, and I genuinely felt like a fish out of water. There were moments when I questioned whether making this move was the right decision, but I also realized that maybe this discomfort is exactly what's challenging me and pushing me in the right direction. Growth isn't always going to feel comfortable, right?
Now that I'm writing this, I can honestly say I'm feeling much more adjusted and a lot better about everything. I think it also helped that my first paycheck finally hit. Hahaha, suddenly life feels a little more worth living. Jokes aside, I'm learning to give myself grace and reminding myself that I don't need to have everything figured out within the first month. I'm giving myself about six months to feel fully comfortable and, until then, taking things one day at a time. I've also received some really encouraging feedback and a few great projects from my Senior Brand Manager and Director, which has helped ease some of that imposter syndrome. Still learning, still adjusting, but slowly finding my footing!
Songs on Repeat:
World Away - Orchestral EditBaby - The ChainsmokersADDICTED - JISOOMy Pick of the Month: Nangmyeon
This month's unofficial obsession was definitely nangmyeon! For some reason, I could not get enough of it and kept finding myself craving it over and over again. Maybe it's because the weather is still so hot outside, but a cold, refreshing bowl of nangmyeon just kept hitting the spot. It also gave me the perfect excuse to try a few different spots and see how they compared. Safe to say, nangmyeon had its moment this month, and I'm not complaining one bit.
And just like that, another October comes to a close! Between all the celebrations, spontaneous plans, family moments, and a few unexpected plot twists, this month was a good reminder of how much life can happen in just 31 days. I'm ending the month feeling grateful for the people who made it special, the memories we got to make, and even the uncomfortable moments that are helping me grow. Here's to embracing the chaos, enjoying the little things, and seeing what the next chapter has in store. Until next time! 🍂🎃
Talk to you next month,
-- Jin
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