After a few dormant years, this blog has been dusted off and reopened for a fresh start. The timing couldn’t be more fitting. It coincides metaphorically with the beginning of spring, a season of waking up from hibernation, seedlings emerging, flowers blooming, and petals falling amid rainy gusts. Spring is also a time for organizing closets, swapping winter coats for lighter jackets, and deep-cleaning homes. Though, with temperatures still hovering in the 40s Fahrenheit, my puffer jacket won’t be packed away just yet.

I know it’s April in New York when I resume my evening runs in Central Park. I used to run in all weather, but now I don’t entertain outdoor runs unless it’s at least 60 degrees–I’ve decided to be kinder to myself. I went for my first post-work outdoor run of the year yesterday. My route starts near my home in Harlem and loops around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir–totaling about 4 miles. It was windy and overcast, so I was glad I’d worn a vest over my quarter-zip top (I can’t afford to get sick). Many other runners and strollers in the park were also savoring the longer daylight. I listened to First Love/ Late Spring by Mitski on my spring playlist–it gives off emo-millennial-girl vibes (IYKYK).

It’s Spring 2025. I originally started blogging here in 2020 when I was responding to COVID-19 in NYC. It was my way of documenting a historic moment as an epidemiologist and coping with the isolation through writing. My last post was in February 2022–clearly, my blogging is inconsistent. So why relaunch with a rebrand?

The blogging idea resurfaced after realizing how much time I’d spent numbing myself through endless scrolling on social media. Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn have become spaces where people casually overshare things they haven’t fully thought through. I considered deleting them altogether, but my sister came up with a brilliant alternative–returning to blogging and publishing newsletters where I could be intentional about what and how I share my thoughts. I owe the revival of this blog to my sister. Thanks, sis!

Formerly called NYC Epidemiologist Writes, this blog was initially intended to share professional insights as a public health professional in New York. However, I often caught up in perfectionism and self-criticism about my writing. I’ve learned over the years that the only way to become a better writer is to simply write. Blogging will keep me accountable. My plan is to publish monthly newsletters covering whatever I’ve been working on or thinking about a lot.

As I brainstormed the direction for the rebrand, I asked myself if I should focus on my career in epi and data, or book/movie critiques. I realized I don’t have just one passion–I have many. I thought of a Renaissance woman who embodies and excels in diverse fields–art, intellect, music, languages, etc. My college Shakespeare lit professor once called me a Renaissance woman, and I currently live in Harlem, a place for its own Renaissance. That’s how the Renaissance Woman was born.

I have a post draft about my love-hate relationship with tennis. I’ll also share my landscape painting series portraying the eerily beautiful Jeju Island of Korea where I visited two years ago. I keep myself busy, if you haven’t noticed!