Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large.

Life is so cool

It’s been a week since I’ve returned from China, and I have to say it’s been overwhelmingly positive to be back. You know how people go on vacation and then dread going back home to their normal lives? I was actual the opposite. Towards the end of my two-week stay in Guangzhou, I was beginning to miss my life here in the States. Keep in mind: I was on vacation, at the land of my birth, with family I haven’t seen since the start of the pandemic, and eating Cantonese food incomparable to anything available in America.

And yet I was looking forward to returning home!

The realization here is that my life is actually pretty good. My response to coworkers wishing me a happy return is not mere lip-service - It genuinely is good to be back living my regular, normal life. Not hating your job - and perhaps even enjoying it - is such an advantage, and a privilege.

This past week was filled with calm and contentment. It’s the first time I’ve felt such things at the end of a vacation. I can remember coming home from Japan back in 2019 and getting depressed. So wonderful was that trip that the stark contrast to my life at home was emotionally damaging (cue the meme).

I guess I’ve done well to cultivate a living that is worthwhile and satisfying. Traveling then is no longer an escape. Rather it’s a brief detour, one that will take me back to the main road soon enough. Because the main road is pretty cool to be on.

Let's get after it

I am definitely not a spring chicken anymore. Three nights ago - due to assisting a friend with Taylor Swift concert logistics - I got only about four hours of not-so-great sleep. Three days later, I am still feeling the effects, even though on subsequent nights I got the proper eight hours of slumber. Imagine had I pulled an all-nighter: I would be a wreck the entire week following.

It doesn’t help that I am returning to work today, after taking the prior week off. It was a rather eventful vacation. Barbenheimer happened: I saw both Barbie and Oppenheimer in theatres. Later on in the week I also saw the latest Mission Impossible movie (the seventh(?) film in the franchise). That is also a film I recommend seeing. Tom Cruise is still at the height of his powers; Dead Reckoning Part 1 is the perfect, prototypical action movie for the summer.

I’d plan to finally do a write-up of my trip to Angel Island a few months back, but my MacBook Pro took a complete dump midway through the week. $850 dollars lighter wallet later, as of this writing the MacBook Pro is restored and back to as it were before it died unceremoniously. This is a friendly reminder to make sure you keep solid, up-to-date backups of your computers. Other than the financial hit, it was otherwise not stressful at all that my laptop went down: I knew I have everything backed-up safely.

The aforementioned excursion to pickup my friend from the Taylor Swift concert at 2:00AM was part of a weekend dog-sit for that same friend. She had a party to attend to down in San Diego. I stayed at her place for two days to watch our dog. I particularly enjoyed the morning walks. Nothing will force you out of bed quite like being responsible for a pet. As an early-riser anyways, it was lovely and peaceful taking our dog out for a walk before anyone else have even woken up.

I for sure miss doing that this morning.

The best laid plans

I ran into a work colleague today. For exchange of pleasantries, we talked about vacation plans. I said I planned to take the last full week of July off, a bit of staycation to relax before the rush of Fall semester preparation begins. The colleague informed me he’s already taken his summer trip: to Hawaii, more specifically the island of Maui. After congratulating him on a good time, I remarked that my friend and I were suppose to go to Hawaii during spring break (March) of 2020. Other plans, as they say, got in the way. To say the least.

Three years later, I still don’t desire to visit Hawaii, even though I’ve never been. Besides, the whole reason for going - back in 2020 - is no longer there. This is a good thing, mind you.

Today is Amazon Prime Day, a Black Friday of sort for Amazon Prime subscribers. I didn’t plan to buy anything during the festivities (there’s never any discounts on the photography stuff I want) until my friend informed me that New Balance shoes had a site-wide 46% discount. So like a chum with money burning in his pocket, I plopped down some unplanned cash on a pair of New Balance running shoes, and a regular pair of the classic 515. Not bad for under $100 shipped (free two day shipping, obviously). I paid more for my current single pair of Allbirds.

But that should be it - no more spending during this year’s Prime Day. Please do not notify me of any deals you’ve found. Because I’m as memetic of a person, with little self-control, as the rest of you. For our generation (read: millennial), interest rates are at historic highs. The move to make right now is save as much as possible, and put money into a high-yield savings account. These days, my monthly interest earnings are nearly as much as the monthly payment on my first car. Somewhat humble brag.

Forever homebody

To be interesting, one must do interesting things. I try to go do interesting things, but it seems I usually end up staying home. A homebody to the end! My life is as interesting as the video games I play, and the books I read. Which is to say, those things are interesting to me! Just perhaps not to others when they ask me what am I up to lately. Videos games and books, while they have good stories, don’t make good stories.

I thought moving out my parents’ home will free me the dictates of their schedule. I am free to plan my days how I want and when I want. Go on a mini trip at a moment’s notice? Sure! I don’t have to inform anybody else. No need to tell my mother I won’t be home for dinner for the next few days. Sounds great in theory, but in practice I’m as much a homebody as ever. The only difference is I can eat dinner when I please.

And why wouldn’t I stay home most of the time? It’s got everything I could possible need to entertain myself. Even my beautiful BMW M2 is parked right outside my window for me to look at from time to time. It’s as close to a car-in-the-living-room-as-an-art-piece as I will get. And because I live two blocks from a mall with absolutely everything else - food, shopping, a movie theatre - why would I think to leave and go on adventures?

But really, I should. What I need is an extended road trip somewhere to nowhere. I haven’t done one of those since way before the start of the pandemic. I’m taking the first week of August off from work, and I probably should take that opportunity to go somewhere. What I shouldn’t do is stay home, no matter how fun - to me - home can be.

Happy independence

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! America is indeed one of the great countries on this planet. The epicenter of innovation and entertainment. Opportunities abound, so long as you are willing to put in the long hard work. This country is also home to a uniquely deadly gun culture, and unreasonably high crime rates - depending on where you go. A trade-off worth making? I bet plenty of people think so.

I arrive at this year’s Independence Day having taken the previous week off from work. I didn’t go any where, because honestly who can afford the hefty inflated travel costs these days. Even a roadtrip is prohibitive with the still historically high gas prices. That said, I still managed a glorious time staying home and not really doing much of anything. I slept about nine hours each day, and just sort of milled about, relaxed into the present moment.

But now I’m ready to return to regular life. Back to reading books, studying Korean, piano practice, and writing on this blog. There’s also going to work, obviously. You know, the thing that makes all of this leisurely stuff possible. As ever I remain super thankful that I am able to walk to work. I would be far less cheery today if there’s going to be a long car commute awaiting tomorrow. After not walking anywhere at all for one whole week, I’m actually looking forward to moving the legs again.

The second half of 2022 is upon us. Let’s make it count!

Back from vacation

Greetings, comrades! I have returned from a two weeks vacation hiatus, and it feels wonderful. The travel was wonderful as well, details of which I will write about in the upcoming days, perhaps weeks.

Indeed it’s the first bit of traveling I’ve done since the beginning of the pandemic. As cliche as it goes, you truly don’t know how good things are until it’s taken away from you. I love traveling, but never was one to be sentimental about it. The euphoria I got as I stepped onto the train in Emeryville, en route to Los Angeles, was a welcomed surprise. The challenge and excitement of heading off to a new adventure has returned, and it’s been far too long since I’ve last had it.

Let’s not go a year and half before I travel again. Go get vaccinated if you haven’t already. And I pray the rest of the world will be able to catch up soon enough. I yearn for the shores of the Asian continent. Hopefully by Thanksgiving week I can either go to South Korea, or Taiwan.

For this trip, we elected to take the train as much as possible. Flying is fast and all, and I’m sure it’s plenty safe vis a vis the coronavirus, but the lack of space and being stuck inside a metal tube in the sky with hundreds of other souls just isn’t all that enticing. The leisure pace and space of an Amtrak train is the way to go for those of us in zero hurry to get to our destination. 14 hours to get from San Francisco to Los Angeles is quite a time-consuming affair, though that’s nothing an iPad full of books can’t solve. Or an iPhone full of music.

The views along the way are quite nice as well. It’s a shame the train network here in America isn’t as intensive and fast compared to Europe and Asia. I for one would choose it over flying if both methods are able to get me to the same destination. Principally because I’ve a fear of heights, and planes have always caused me anxiety.

Trains are cheaper than flying, too.

PTO request

I guess the pandemic is truly over:I finally requested vacation time at work! The last two weeks of June will be the first time since the beginning of this COVID-19 mess that I’ll be taking time off. It coincides quite nicely with California’s plan to fully reopen on the June 15th. The possibilities are endless, even though there are no concrete plans as of this writing.

Given I still can’t yet visit Asian countries without a fortnight’s worth of quarantine, I really didn’t plan to take vacation this summer. Staying at home for two weeks just doesn’t have that much appeal to me. However, our manager is encouraging people to take time off. A friend of mine wants to go either up to the Pacific Northwest, or down south towards Los Angeles. So I figured why the heck not. Let’s see what those two weeks will develop into.

Difficult to say whether I will go back to traveling multiple times a year once everything truly goes back to normal. I rent a place now, so my disposable income isn’t what it used to be. Then again, I also don’t have a Porsche 911 GT3 to pay for and upkeep, so I reckon it all balances out. What will be weird is the first time I get back on an airplane. I wonder when I do fly again, if masks mandates will till a thing onboard. I’ll be wearing one for sure.

What I should do is take the BMW M2 on a road-trip. But have you seen the gas prices lately? The car does get around 25 miles to the gallon on the highway, so it shouldn’t be too bad taking it far away. The M2 could really use the miles. These days the only time I drive it is when I do my weekly grocery shopping, and visiting my parents across town. I am paying too much money for it to simply sit.

I think I’ll drive it somewhere far during some of the two weeks I have off in late June.