Blog

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

Amazed at Buc-ee's

On the three hour drive between Austin and Dallas, my driving friend stop us at a place most wondrous. It is called Buc-ee's. The best way I can describe it is the biggest and best highway rest stop I’ve ever been to. There’s apparently many of them dotted all over the expansive Texas highways. To quote the great Stefon, it has absolutely everything.

Perhaps not all Buc-ee’s are similar in size, but the one we went to is enormous. The gas station portion alone I would say is three times the size of a typical Costco gas station. There’s plenty of space between each filling station too. Because it’s Texas, and large pickup trucks rule the road. So then imagine a whole Costco-size building itself is the rest stop - that’s the scale of Buc-ee’s I’m talking about here. The men’s bathroom alone have about 50 stalls, and it is spotlessly clean.

The rest of the store have anything and everything you could possibly want on a road trip - Christmas decorations included. Need an entirely new wardrobe? You can buy it at Buc-ee’s. There’s fresh BBQ and Tex-Mex at the hot foods section, and the world famous wall of jerky. If you’re a jerky enthusiasts, you’ve got to make a stop at a Buc-ee’s. Any meat suitable for jerky-ing, it is there. You can even buy it fresh, unpackaged.

The whole time we were stopped at the Buc-ee’s, I was just in awe of its amazingness. I’ve only previously been to these sort of fully-featured - and clean - highway rest stops in Asia. Never did I expect to find it here in the United States, much less in the State of Texas. Infrastructure has not really been our thing since they last built the great interstate system, you know? I’ll be long dead before the California bullet train project is completed.

Speaking of my State of California, why don’t we have something like Buc-ee’s alongside our highways? It would be perfect on the interminably long and straight highway 5. You can’t even argue there isn’t space like there is in Texas. I’m not asking for a Buc-ee’s in the middle of Los Angeles. Anyone who’s driven on highway 5 knows there’s nothing but farmland and cows for hundreds of miles. I think this is something California can learn and copy from Texas.

Austin is lovely

A few weeks back was my first time visiting Austin, Texas. I’ve always wanted to go there, as its reputed to be the San Francisco of Texas. Good thing I went the weekend after the Formula One race. I read somewhere the passenger flow at Austin-Bergstrom was the highest ever that weekend. Airfare and hotel would have been at least double of what we paid just seven days later.

Our AirBnb was right in the middle of action in downtown, Austin. A $40 dollar, 20 minutes taxi ride from the airport. We got in right after midnight on a Friday (Saturday?) and downtown was still teeming with people. A complete opposite of San Francisco’s downtown. Also different is the total lack of homeless people and drug users. A clean and vibrant downtown you can walk around without a latent sense of danger - imagine that! I hope San Francisco can get its act together one day.

Because walking around downtown Austin is a delight. Shortly after arrival we walked the one mile across the river to the closest Whataburger, a 24 hour location. For those of you unfamiliar, Whataburger is to Texas what In-N-Out burger is to California (this should be an SAT question). I have to say I still prefer Shake Shack above them all. The Whataburger burger reminds me of the Burger King Whopper; tastes fine, but nothing special. It’s hilarious the smallest beverage cup offered at Whataburger is 32 oz. Diabetes is calling.

I wouldn’t mind moving to Austin - as a lot of people seems to be doing or have done - if it weren’t so bloody hot during the summer. I’ve been to Texas during the those months and it never cools down, even at night. That said, it’s nice to have clean streets and very little quality-of-life crimes. We went to a CVS and everything was available out in the open - nothing was locked behind cabinets to deter theft! Here in San Francisco, even the Walgreens in the “good neighborhoods” have locked frequent theft items behind plexiglass.

I just want a well-governed, functioning city.

ITZY, MIDZY, Let's fly!

I don’t always go to Kpop concerts, but when I do, I travel to Dallas to do so. Why? Because it’s far easier to get tickets for cities that aren’t Los Angeles. Besides, we have a friend who lives in Dallas, so it made sense to kill the proverbial two birds with one stone. The increase in cost in terms of airfare and hotel is a worthy tradeoff to spend some time with a cherished friend. Money, we can always make back. Relationships, might not be here tomorrow.

The Kpop act we went to see at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas (close enough to Dallas) is ITZY. I’ve been a fan of this quintet since their debut back in 2019. One long pandemic later and they are finally having a world tour. Perfect time to go see them live. I’m glad ITZY is not so popular to perform in huge venues like arenas and stadiums. The Toyota Music Factory seats 4,000 indoors, and it’s just the right size that even in our “cheap” seats, it’s intimate enough to see the singers’ faces.

I never understood why people go to stadium shows. Unless you pay absolutely through the nose for seats up front, you really cannot see shit when you’re up in the bleachers. From that position you’re more watching the LCD screens instead of the acts themselves. At that point, why not simply watch the concert DVDs? Even though I enjoy Taylor Swift’s music, I cannot ever attend her stadium concerts. I’m not rich nor fanatical enough to pay for the expensive seats.

Anyways, back to ITZY. They are fantastic to see live. The five of them really showed off their vocal abilities. To be able to dance choreography and sing live at the same time, song after song, is really difficult and impressive. The allure Kpop for me is always the synergy of song and dance into one complete performance. Not all groups in Kpop achieve commercial success, but I can say all of them work their butts off.

I was only disappointed that ITZY did not perform my favorite song of theirs: Swipe.

First time SEMA

It just so happened that during my weekend in Vegas, the annual SEMA show was being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It’s a trade show for makers of automobile aftermarket parts. Wheels, suspension, interior, car care, you name it. What’s most awesome about the SEMA show are the numerous project vehicles that get built especially for the occasion. It’s the North American version of the Tokyo Auto Salon, heaven for car enthusiasts who like to tinker with their pride and joy.

Sadly, being a trade show, SEMA is not open to the public. Even though it’s the car enthusiast public who are spending money on their cars, the show is catered towards B2B sales. That means the lay person cannot go to Las Vegas to see the awesome cars, unless you know a person already attending (badge sharing is a thing, apparently).

To my surprise, this year’s SEMA show has a Friday component that is open to the public. For a hefty sum of $70 dollars for a ticket, regular ole Joe blow like me can walk the same convention halls as the people in the trade. Serendipitous that I was in Vegas the same weekend, this provided the perfect opportunity to tick the SEMA box off my car enthusiasts bucket list. The Las Vegas Convention Center is easily accessible by the tram from the strip, which is what I took to get there.

It seems a lot of enthusiasts had the same idea: the line to pickup badges was nearly two hours long. I arrived at around 9:30 AM. By the time I had my badge in hand, it was time for lunch already. And the line was still the same size. I felt sorry for those folks as they probably won’t get into the halls until after 2:00 PM. And the show that day closes at 4:00 PM.

Overall I would say the SEMA show is definitely worth a go, at least once. The amount of interesting cars there, in varying degree of price (there was a Pagani Huarya at one booth) and modification, is simply amazing to see. On that alone you cannot have a bad time at SEMA. Being there have certainly rekindled my car enthusiasm. The whole time I was missing my BMW M2, and could not wait to get home to drive it again. More so than modifications - and I grew up on Super Street and Fast and Furious - it’s really about driving the cars and putting on miles.

There’s even a really live F1 car there.

Perspective, my friend

The people taking the bus at 6:00 AM in the morning on a weekday are legends. Shoutout to the early risers. The ones with a long public transit commute ahead of them. The ones with an ungodly start time to their work day. Or perhaps the ones returning from an arduous graveyard shift. And then there’s me: taking an early BART train to the airport because I had an 8:00 AM flight to Las Vegas for vacation. It is an humbling sight.

Beneath the glitz and money of the Vegas strip is an entire cottage industry that feeds off of it. The cleaning staff who keeps the hotels and Las Vegas boulevard spotless at all times. The solicitors on the strip hoping to make some money off the multitudes of tourists. The workers of all the restaurants and shops, catering to the whims of customers. There are no bathroom breaks when the line at the hotel Starbucks is stretched out into the casino floor the entire morning.

Throughout my time in Vegas last week I was filled with gratitude at how fortunate I am to not be one of the folks described above. I’m so lucky to have a job where I get paid for what’s in my brain than actual, physical labor. A steady 9-5, Monday through Friday job that I don’t have to think about outside of those work hours. A job that allows me to take paid vacation pretty much any time throughout the year, so long as I give proper notice.

What this recent vacation have reinforced in me is to be incredibly grateful at what I already have. There’s always plenty more to chase, sure, but so many have far less. Thank you for the much needed perspective, Las Vegas.

Loathing in Las Vegas

The last time I was in Las Vegas was back in 2014. As an adult who seldom drinks and detest going to parties, the little town in Paradise, Nevada never held the same appeal to me as it does to others. A weekend off to Vegas? But why? It’s nothing but a whole mess of people, spending your hard-earned money frivolously, and supremely dry weather (bring lotion).

Well, I just came back from a long weekend in Las Vegas. My friend was attending a conference and had a free hotel bed for me to stay. I figured, why not? It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Vegas; let’s see what it’s like from the perspective of an introvert who is now in his mid thirties.

My priors views about the place are still present. The throngs of people on a Saturday evening on the strip is absolutely amazing and also terrifying, coming out of the pandemic. All I could think about while I was amongst the sea of people is the horrific tragedy in Itaewon, Seoul. If there is a crowd rush right now I will for sure die. The best time to walk the strip is actually a weekday afternoon, during golden hour. Far less people, and the sunsetting colors make the views kind of spectacular.

The frivolous spending of money is what actually grosses me out of the most about Vegas. American consumerism and consumption-ism is on full display. You can’t walk a super long Vegas block without encountering something to lose your money to. Everything there is designed to separate you from your cash, all dressed up in a nice coat of high-class veneer to convince you of your specialness. Las Vegas allows the layman to indulge in a taste of the stereotypical rich lifestyle. Provided you’re willing to fork over some money.

Because the lunch there is definitely not free. The food prices in Vegas are incredibly high, even at the hotel food court level, never mind the branded restaurants behind famous chefs that you’d need reservations for (and a tip to the maître d'). For three days I bought nothing material from any store, only spending on food. I easily dropped $300 on sustenance alone, and that’s without going anywhere fancy. Vegas inflation is real, add on top of that the regular inflation we’re experiencing everywhere.

Las Vegas is indeed a playground for the rich. Normal folks like you and I can only pay what little we have to get a taste. And perhaps get lucky at the tables and games so we can join the ranks of the rich, however minuscule the chance may be. That’s what keeps people coming back, the endless hedonic treadmill.

I should be prepared

Two days ago there was an earthquake in nearby Santa Clara county. A 5.1 magnitude event. I honestly did not feel it here at work in San Francisco, though oddly my coworkers felt the shaking. So did my friends group, and everybody that is local on my twitter feed. First thing to do after an earthquake - the non catastrophic kind, obviously - is to get on twitter and tweet about it. That’s the rule.

I guess the reason I did not feel the shake is because the duration was quite brief. The objects around me didn’t move at all. I was a bit worried about my bookshelves at home. Stuff falling out of it would land directly on my $2,000 electric piano. The iPad that I put there would surely get obliterated. I really should secure the bookshelves properly to the wall with the supplied brackets. Complacency - we haven’t had a truly big one since 1989 quake - and laziness gets to us all.

It’s those factors that are also causing me to procrastinate on an earthquake-readiness kit. A bug-out bag, if you will. A backpack filled with emergency food, water, clothing, copies of important documents, and straight cash (homie), ready to take at a moment’s notice. Honestly, someone need to hold me accountable on this so I actually get this done sooner rather than never. To be even more prepared, I should get an M1 motorcycle license, then buy a used bike. Therefore I won’t be stuck in traffic in a line of cars during a major disaster.

I should also get a gun permit, learn how to shoot one, then buy a gun to put in the bug-out bag. People are going to come for my stuff during the chaotic aftermath of an earthquake or tsunami. Besides, this is America - lots of folks have guns. I can’t be bringing a knife to a gun fight. That reminds me: a solid blade and a multitool is also needed in the disaster bag.

Plenty to do after I come back from next week’s vacation! Everything but the part about the gun. Maybe the motorcycle, too.