After work, I had to stop by the drugstore to pick up a few necessities — toothpaste, conditioner, zit meds (and, OK, the latest issue of Glamour). Trapped between the aisles of hygienic madness, I realized something. I haven’t had the need to shop for this crap in nearly two years. Oh, how I miss the days of beauty drawer bliss! I grinded my teeth a bit as I swiped my gold debit card. Yes, there comes a price to looking and smelling this fresh.

People often ask me if I miss my old job and, aside from the people and perks (ie. the aforementioned loot), my answer is a simple ‘not really.’ I knew from day one that it wasn’t for me in the long term, no matter how many people told me how lucky I ought to feel or how much I tried shaking myself into really feeling it. It’s not that the job wasn’t fabulous (sipping on chocolate martinis and lobster bisque at fashion events for a living? Very fab.) It’s just that I felt like a deer caught in catwalk lights most of the time (Proenza Schouler who?). Eventually, I calmed down, slowly started immersing myself into my beat, and ended up doing some decent (might I even say good) work. The overall experience made me a more adaptable (and better accessorized) human being.

But I needed to move on. These days, I can’t help but feel a sense of freedom. Is writing about the Korean American lifestyle my true calling? Shrug. All I know is that I feel more comfortable, more me. No matter what people say, I believe I’m heading in the right direction. And if that comes at the expense of $7.99 for a bottle of shine-enhancing conditioner, then I’ll gladly swipe the card.