preserving joy and seeking delight
005 | Hue's Cues: Your weekly dose of inspiration and insights for your brain, mind, body, and soul.
It feels wonderful to be writing to you again—though at this point, as I return to the news, I’m like: when did the news become a melodrama action movie? The events of the world is writing itself like a mad AI on the loose: ‘make it dramatic, but also absurd, terrifying, and please add in more plot twists too. pfffff…
It’s hard to ignore the world feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy, of a horror scenario once dreamt up by Hollywood writers. So, to preserve the peace and maintain my sanity, the words I am allowing to linger most in my mind are: let go of the things you cannot control. Because in such a world, I am more interested in being more intentional and narrowing my attention on preserving joy and seeking delight.
What about you? What’s your mood for 2026? Tell me, I’d really like to know.
My annual Instagram detox is always nourishing for my brain. It’s a ritual I’ve committed to for nearly a decade (which some of you know about). In varying lengths, this year was a short respite, just over two weeks, but oh so appreciated. It’s hard to maintain the discipline to take a break from Instagram, while trying to build online, but it’s a routine I cherish. The wonders it does: giving my brain space to welcome boredom (and eventful daydreams too). To exist in a moment without constant dopamine distractions and to feel and observe instead of simply reacting to things again, akin to a resonance for simpler times.
Without Instagram or the other social media culprits, naturally, my mind gets serious about rest and recovery. The newfound hours gained filled themselves with simple pleasures—like discovering Patti Smith’s Just Kids while hunting for board games in the beautiful chaos of a bookstore on Christmas day. A book I am happily halfway through by the way, with the memories of a tense yet enjoyable session of Ticket to Ride on Boxing Day still lingering. (Highly recommended if you’re into boardgames).
My body is only just returning from a different kind of stimulation over the holidays: I didn’t do a single workout for the duration of our time away. The only other moments I can recall of a complete halt—the time I physically burnt out and those daunting bedridden days spent worrying about my fate after my shoulder’s brief decision to become independent of its socket. Eager to rehab my left shoulder back to it’s functional splendor, I was real quick to get moving again; as it felt like life and death to the work I was doing. I’m no longer maniacal about taking time off. As to allow myself the peace to simply exist, ebb and flow through the days, for optimal relaxation feels like a true luxury—fitness is a modern invention after all. But, I did spend the days roaming cities and wilderness on foot instead.
To train my soul to magnify delight, I made something entirely experimental to close out 2025. The result: an unexpected creative awakening. The process became a high point of an already extraordinary year—pure creative liberation distilled into 88 digital pages of contained surprises. A process that made me feel and appreciate my humanness. Imagination is what will differentiate us from AI—and I created this book with one intent in mind: the hope it’ll spark joy and delight in you! So, if you’re curious the Book of Delight is available for purchase here.
I know—I annoy myself too by trying to sell you something here, but in a world increasingly filled with AI slop, I think you’d agree with me that human-made things are still worth supporting. :)
But, if you or a friend you know cannot afford it, reach out to me directly, no questions asked, and I’ll be happy to gift it to you.
New obsession I discovered this week! ENJOY.
The modern ‘creator’ embodies our era’s central paradox. The term spans everything from sponsored-content machines to genuine artists carving our digital economies—a library of creatives and chaos, intermingling interchangeably online, while unintentionally creating the rapidly shifting mirror of our times.
Consider the irony: in an age of pandemics, wars, and AI-driven redundancies, the creator economy offers something traditional employment apparently no longer does—stability and ownership of fates (which comes with real responsibilities too). For those without technical specialization, like an engineer, plumber, or surgeon, these days building an audience online might prove a more viable option than a corporate ladder. (But this is also only assuming you’ll make it.)
This isn’t only about income or longevity. It’s about a generation rejecting corporate rigidity and fixation on timetables for something more fundamental: agency over our equally dwindling days and autonomy over our time. Living in alignment with subjective values is the trending theme of this generation.
So what if ‘creators’ are the mavericks of our era: taking leaps of faith to boldly build unproven visions. Though published nine months ago, this video captures the deeply human side of creators—the expanse, the variety, of thoughts and realities—through artful production. A chic display of modern entertainment—and why traditional broadcast is shockingly struggling!
GUT LOVE BONE BROTH
frozen or normal chicken feet and cow joints and/or oxtail bones, salt and pepper to taste, chopped celery, half cut one whole white onion, add everything into a pressure cooker, cover with adequate water until bones are submerged, then cook on high-pressure with pressure release for 4-8 hours. Strain once cooked, then store in the fridge. It’ll turn into gelatin in the cold, which you can scoop up into a mug, pour hot water into, with a drizzle of good quality olive oil to top it off.
“Reading is that fruitful miracle of a communication in the midst of solitude.” — Marcel Proust