Long-form

Long-form blog posts and editorials. Topics cover both personal and the world at large. 

Good to be bad - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. The Giant Race was an absolute blast; I'd never thought that running together with 20,000 other people could be so awesome. Of course, having the stunning San Francisco skyline as a backdrop just intensifies the beautiful atmosphere.

I finished the 10K distance in a little over an hour, which was actually faster than i thought I would run. According to the stats, I'm within the upper third percentile amongst all runners, which I must say is quite satisfying. There's no way I can match the physical specimens that posts incredible times; all that matters to me is being healthy and fit. 

I'm already massively looking forward to next year's event. And to think: I used to hate running. 

2. I probably couldn't have had more of a twenty-something living in San Francisco sort of weekend. Went out with the boys after work on Friday for some grub and drinks, ended up half drunk, and did not return home until well into the morning. Naturally then, Saturday was spent recovering from the previous night's activities. I wasn't hungover per se - there was no headache, but I definitely wasn't feeling well.

Somehow, I still managed to get of the house on Saturday to eat lunch with my friend. Afterwards, I simply stayed in and watched television until it was time for bed. Didn't get much sleep because I had to wake up in an ungodly hour to get ready for the 10K's 7am start time. 

After the race I had an american-style breakfast at a restaurant, and then spent the rest of the day watching NFL and Giants baseball at my friend's abode. Mix in a certain California burrito for dinner, and the sum of it all was an interesting and joyous weekend indeed. 

3. The new Mercedes-AMG GT completely copies the rear three-quarter profile of the Porsche 911. It's a stunning looking car - don't get me wrong - but it's one of those design elements you can't un-see once you've notice it. 

4. The video of Ray Rice pummeling his then girlfriend is absolutely horrific. I'm glad he's banished from the league now. While it's never too late to do the right thing, the stern response on Monday from the league and the Baltimore Ravens should have come many month ago. Those entities deserve zero praise for their failure to fully realize the severity of Rice's offense. 

You should never put your hands on a woman. Full stop. 

5. The comedy world is suffering massively this year. The tragic death of Robin Williams still freshly hurting in our hearts, and then last week came the unfortunate passing of Joan Rivers. The pioneer for female comedy, the best I admire about her is the willingness to say whatever the heck that's on her mind, and subsequently not giving one ounce of fuck what other people thinks. 

While I don't think one should be as antagonistic as Joan Rivers can be at times, speaking your mind and not caring what people think is definitely a great way to live through life. May she rest in peace. 

6. The 2016 Mazda Miata will be tough to resist when it hits dealership floors. When you think about the essence of what makes a truly great sports car - front-engine, rear-wheel drive, as small and lightweight as possible - the forthcoming fourth generation MX-5 appears to be it. Best of all, just about any car enthusiasts can afford one.

Your place is definitely not safe, my beloved WRX STI.

7. iPhone users have clamored for a larger screen, and soon we will finally be able to eat that cake with the iPhone 6. I'll take one in space gray, coupled with the navy blue leather case. My wallet, though, has an entirely different opinion. I'm nowhere near the time to upgrade my phone so if I were to get the 6, it's going to cost me dearly (read: full price). 

Someone please stop me! 

8. I just may be the cleanest and tidiest person out of my group of friends. Good thing I haven't got that cleaning compulsion when I'm amongst other people's clutter. Though I'm sure some of my friends wish the contrary. 

9. You know you're old when you tell someone you immigrated to America back in 1996 when you're eight years old, and she replies that was the same year she was born. I think being employed at a college campus will eventually work against me because I keep getting older, but the students stay around the same age range. It will only get more depressing as the years roll past. 

10. Big series this weekend for the Giants, facing the Dodgers at home with a chance to pull even in the NL West pennant race. I'm both excited and dreading the epic showdown because the outcome can either be really good or completely terrible (Giants got swept last time the Dodgers were in town). Won't stop me from watching, of course. The work week needs to be over with quickly. 

It's not about you - 10 things I think

It wasn't a good weekend sports-wise, but overall it was plenty decent. Got a chance to see Woody Allen's latest motion picture vehicle (Magic in the Moonlight), which was quite pleasant. Lucky, too, because the movie was released in limited theatres and the one we went to just happened to be one out of only 17 in all of the United States. It definitely pays to live in a relatively artsy metropolitan area. 

I've got five weeks until the SF Giants Run event, in which I'll be attempting the 10k. Exciting stuff being that it will be the first time I will be paying to run. Sure it's all for an excellent cause but the reason I took up running as the exercise of choice this year is because it essentially costs me zero dollars (sans any sunk cost for shoes and various sports clothing). All runners in the Giants Run do receive a nifty commemorative bobble-head, which is just about the only reason I'm participating.

Over the past two months or so I've lost almost 20 pounds, coming down from a high of 178 to now a more slender 159. I wasn't overweight, per se; I merely wanted to slim back down because the body-weight lifting and protein-heavy diet these past years has made me bulkier than I far wanted to be. Every time I put on a black t-shirt I'd feel like Johnny Tran looking for Dom Torreto in "The Fast and the Furious".

So I stopped doing body-weight exercises completely, and in conjunction cut my daily protein intake by two-thirds. The only exercise I do now is the five mile run on the weekends. Because I've stopped working-out everyday, I also am eating much less than before. It's quite simple, really: the law of thermodynamics dictates you will lose weight if your daily intake of food energy is lower than your body's daily energy exertion. 

10 THINGS I THINK

1. I'm happy Chipotle just posted a record quarter. I absolutely love the food there, and would be happy to eat it daily for the rest of my life. Just stop raising the prices, please? Okay?

2. The laughably light suspension the NFL levied on Ray Rice for basically knocking a woman unconscious is completely unacceptable. I hope there's enough social pressure on the NFL to change its mind and increase the severity of the punishment.

3. Street festivals should be banned in San Francisco. There's simply not enough real estate to accommodate the throngs of people that flocks to them. Traffic is bad enough as-is! Last week's ramen festival in Japan-town was an utter disaster.

4. Presidential visits should also be banned in San Francisco. Must you add to the already tragic levels of congestion just to raise a few dollars for your party? Thanks, Obama. 

5. I'd love to upgrade to an iPhone 6 when it releases this fall simply because of the larger screen size, but ultimately I cannot justify ditching my still decently capable 5S and pay almost 300 dollars for the privilege to upgrade. 

6. The new Levis Stadium looks spectacular, as one would expect. I'm keen to try the "Peking duck bao" it's offering in its food menus. It'll probably taste nothing like the authentic stuff I've had at Chinese restaurants. 

7. I'm a huge fan of baseball, but the Baseball Hall of Fame means nothing to me. Not only is the selection process highly draconian, some of the best players to ever play game will never get inducted (example: Rose, Pete)

8. Some days I really tire of getting only a scant 18 miles to the gallon in my STI. A car with only four cylinders shouldn't be that inefficient, but it is. Bloody fun to drive, though. Good trade-off. Sometimes.

9. It feels like everybody and their mothers are opening up boba-tea establishments in the Bay Area. Those tea cafes are like coffee shops for Asians. I personally don't get the appeal, though I wouldn't mind having a cup once in a great while.

10. Great words to live by: "You just have to realize it's not about you." Sometimes, not giving a f*ck is the best way forward.