Final week

It took deep into October, but we’re finally getting some proper autumn weather here in San Francisco. After the seemingly endless heatwaves and mountainous wildfires, the cool crispness of Fall and the slight chills have arrived to welcome us to what is in my opinion the best parts of the year (even this, the year of COVID). Temperatures during the daytime are so mild that I can keep the windows shades open without the sun heating up the room, receiving those all-important vitamin Ds naturally.

This week marks the final few days I will be living at home - I am due to move out on Sunday the 1st of November. It’s exciting time indeed, though I’m sure I’ll be fighting momentary bouts of anxiety throughout the week. Living by myself alone will be a tremendously huge change, and there’s surely plenty of variables and things I’m can’t even imagine right now that goes along with it. I won’t get the complete picture of how it’s going to be until the actual move happens, but that’s okay: it’s part of the learning process.

Independent living is something we all have to do sooner or later. In my case, it took until my 30s to do because I never did the “go away fro college’ thing like most of my peers. I have the cultural privilege of not getting kicked out of the house soon as I became a legal adult, and for that I am forever grateful. However, the time has come to venture out alone and to take care of myself wholly and completely. The milk in the fridge and the toilet paper in the bathroom aren’t going to magically refill itself anymore.

This is also the final week I’ll have a commute to work: I am moving to place that’s extremely close to campus. It’s going to rather nice to take the 10 minute daily walk to work, under this fine autumnal air. This period of working-from-home have reinforced my want of living within walking distance to the workplace; a long commute on public transport is something I don’t ever want to go back to.

I hope you all will have a great week.

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This thing loves crips autumnal air as well.

The 70th October 1st

Such manic and inconsistent weather we’ve been experiencing lately in San Francisco. It was only last week that we got a few consecutive days of high 90’s weather, during which we all melted because none of our indoor buildings has got air-conditioning. Fast forward slightly to this week, and we are solidly in the mid 50s with a strong winter chill factor. As I type this, I am in two layers of clothing with a healthy thick blanket draped over. Yes, it feels that cold, and no, Asian households don’t turn on the heating system under any circumstances.

Our heavy jackets aren’t just for the outdoors.

Today marks the turn of the calendar over to October, and indeed we are heading into my favorite time of the year. As the recluse and introvert that I am, it’s only natural that I am drawn to the wintery months where the weather turns sour and we are forced to stay in our abodes (I can’t wait for the rain.) The cooler and denser air also provides more power to a car’s engine, so there’s an extra punch to come when I step on the throttle of the GT3. As the song goes, “it’s the most, wonderful time, of the year.”

This year’s October 1st marks the 70th founding anniversary of the communist party of the People’s Republic of China. My home country has come a very long way from being the utterly weak and bullied (don’t think we’ve forgotten, Japan) to now a preeminent super power on par with the United States. There’s lots to say and criticize about the many atrocities and violations of the communist regime, but the rapid growth of China in these last 70 years, under the leadership of the CCP, is a net positive for the overall body of Chinese people both in China and internationally. Our own standing here in the States owes a lot to a strong China, having come from an ugly history of discrimination and exclusion.

I can remember reflecting on the hardships of our ancestors as I rode the Amtrak train through the Sierra Nevada a few years back. Not since the august periods of the Qing Dynasty have our people looked so strong and mighty now. Warts and all - and there are many - the National Day of the People’s Republic of China is an occasion worth celebrating.

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She took the midnight train going anywhere.

It's too hot for late October

It's the final full-week of October, we are knee-deep into fall season, yet the mercury today read upwards of 96 degrees. What the French is going on?

One month into official autumn and I've yet to break out any sort of middle garments or heavy outerwear. This is San Francisco we're talking about; we pay out the nose in housing cost for foggy and cool weather and by god aren't we a cranky bunch when we don't get it. 

I sure hope this week's tiny heat-wave is the last of it and we can all enjoy proper San Francisco weather for the next eight months. 

Thankfully this weather did not occur two weeks back while the north-bay wildfires were raging on. It would've been a national emergency indeed if the unrelenting sun were mixed in with the smoke and ashes. Unimaginable. 

Due to the amount of destruction, we all either know or transitively know someone who has lost a home to the Napa fires. I was sad to find out an ex-coworker lost her newly rented home to the fire. I urge everyone to donate to our neighbors in need.