South Korea is an interesting country. It is very similar to Japan and Taiwan in terms of cleanliness and social norms. The food was very affordable, relatively healthy, delicious, with decent portions, a large variety, and available virtually everywhere at any time of the day or night. Living accommodations can be had for also a very reasonable sum. I could expect a clean room with all the basic amenities, though there were clear differences in quality amongst the different establishments....
Written on June 23, 2022
It's been almost 10 years since the last and first time I went to South Korea, back in 2012. It had been nearly 3 years since the last time I traveled internationally, which was to Paraguay in 2019, shortly before the pandemic began. The urge was strong, and I was constantly checking for places I could travel to. The end of March was when the stars aligned and I booked my trip. Last time I went to Korea, I went with my friend, Joe, to visit my friend, Ed. Ed took the two of us around. This time,...
Written on May 30, 2022
Having been stuck at home for years, I had been periodically checking on countries where I could travel to. With the Covid restrictions easing up gradually, I was quick to jump on some relatively cheap airline tickets at the end of March, booking a flight to South Korea from the end of April until the end of May. The trip, for the most part, was enjoyable, but the Covid restrictions created some extra hurdles. I aim to give a comprehensive list of all the considerations that prospective travelers...
Written on May 30, 2022
That's my goal for this year. I'll update in December.
Written on January 9, 2022
To say that I've been busy for the past half year would be an understatement. While true, I've also had surprisingly little to talk about. Work, hobbies, and life were all the same as before. In some areas, things improved, but these were evolutionary, as opposed to revolutionary. Above all else, there were few notable events in these past few months. However, now is as good of a time as ever to mention the few notable events that did happen during this timeframe.My cousin got married over the...
Written on December 9, 2021
It's been a few months since the last update. During this time, I've been incredibly busy. Since mid-March, I've picked up woodworking and this has taken up all of my free time and then some. It's been really fun, and I've built about a dozen pieces so far. They've mostly been kotatsu tables, though I've also made a box, an end table and a few go boards with legs.It all started during the freak snow storm in February. I was huddled in my bed when I remembered that I've always been interested in owning...
Written on June 5, 2021
An update is long overdue. It's been almost four months since the last update. A lot has gone on.
My Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's came and went without much fanfare.
January 8 marked the 2-year anniversary of my long term relationship. This was a train with the wrong destination. I intended to get off a long time ago, but for various reasons simply could not. However, I now surveyed the situation: my girlfriend had a place to live, a stable job, and a car in good working order;...
Written on February 19, 2021
After all, you only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out. -- Warren Buffet, Chairman's Letter in the Berkshire Hathaway's 2001 Annual ReportWhen I first entered the job market 10 years ago, back in 2010, it felt like the beginning of spring. Hope was appearing in what was the depths of the financial recession. It was tough finding a job; it took me 5 months. I still remember, at the time, all the companies wanted experienced people. While I was confident of my skills, it was...
Written on November 7, 2020
A distant wind wraps itself around me And it doesn't let me reach you I try to arrange the words in my mind But you're gazing elsewhere through the window To someplace far away I have a premonition that never changes It lingers on All the days since then have been filled with clouds The changing of the seasons May have erased the promise that we made Even when I reach out with both my hands Our hearts remain apart The changing of the seasons Have already taken the one I love from me When I look back...
Written on September 11, 2020
Pretty significant milestone here: it's been ten years since I started working. Ten years ago, I felt sort of worthless, bumming at home, working on my website. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Then, I started working, and going to grad school at the same time. It's hard to imagine that ten years later, I would be here. It's been relatively smooth sailing, with only 2 months of joblessness, from when I went from being a summer intern to not having a job. But, it was a nice little break,...
Written on June 1, 2020
Boredom does make one creative. These past few months, I've been cooking and painting. Then, I started looking into making YouTube videos. Since then, I've been making videos during my spare time.Almost 15 years ago, back when I was in college, I took it upon myself to fix our family laptop, which my brother had broken years prior. It was a Toshiba Portege 3110CT, which at the time my dad was considering buying, I was against, but had grown fond of since then. It was incredibly thin and light, and...
Written on May 27, 2020
The first rule to remember is that, for everyone who has made it big in the stock market, there's probably dozens or hundreds of others who lost a lot of money in the stock market. There is potential to make a lot of money in the stock market, but there is much more likelihood to lose money. There are things to always remember, in order to not make regretful decisions.Unlike the Youtube ads or videos, I do not presume nor profess to have everything figured out. As is the experience of many young...
Written on March 27, 2020
This past month has seen some unprecedented events. The coronavirus (i.e. COVID-19, SARS-COVID-2, CCP virus) has spread throughout the world. The US has all but shut down, initially with restaurants switching to to-go ordering only, then all non-essential businesses being closed, and most recently, not being allowed to go outside except for groceries or supplies. Those who can work from home are working from home. Those who can't have either been laid off or furloughed. This is a storm that nobody...
Written on March 25, 2020
Time sure flew by. It was 10 years ago plus 10 days (February 6, 2010) when I first brought my website online. The internet was a different place, back then. Wordpress was all the rage. Facebook and Twitter were cool. As for web development, jQuery was the king of the hill, having defeated Dojo and other JS libraries. (Twitter) Bootstrap was still new. HTML5 and CSS3 hadn't arrived yet. Neither had Typescript or Coffeescript. Responsive design wasn't yet in the spotlight. IE still dominated...
Written on February 16, 2020
It's been in the back of my mind for a few years now: it seems software development has prioritized developers' experience over user experience. I read an article recently that echoed this sentiment. It is mis-titled as "Putting devs before users: how frameworks destroyed web performance", because it notes that frameworks are being blamed for prevalent poor website performance, when it is only the scapegoat, and the real cause lies in the attitudes and mindsets of the developers and those whom...
Written on January 16, 2020
An instant noodles lover but want something a bit healthier? Coming soon to a Korean supermarket near you: Shin Light.From the same makers who brought you the standard Shin Ramen, the ramen that, for me, had been the workhorse, the backbone of my ramen stockpile, the default option, the go to, the first ramen where one package was enough, comes a new entry.This one was gifted to me by a friend, who just so happened to have been interviewing with Nong Shin for a marketing position. As he left their...
Written on January 11, 2020
First time in a serious relationship and it's lasted one whole year.
Written on January 9, 2020
So what happened in 2019? Many things. It was an eventful year. I got dumped. The girl I had been meeting up with decided that she didn't love me enough to become my official girlfriend. She was a great girl with a proper character, and I wished the best for her. As I was never a possessive person, I agreed to split, and we did so on friendly terms, agreeing to stay friends. I got my first real girlfriend. That was a real learning experience. Expenditures shot up, though I learned by the end of...
Written on January 2, 2020
Paraguay, famous for being one of the poorest countries in South America, was not one of those places I was dying to visit. However, there are things that are so bad they become interesting. Including the fact that there was a full-time training center there, and it was on the bucket list of places I would like to go to, if given the opportunity, though I wasn't actively trying to go there.
Earlier this year, my friend contacted me asking me to accompany her,...
Written on December 20, 2019
Recently, it seems that people of my generation are starting to experience the infamous midlife crisis. From friends to YouTubers, it seems that this affliction affects people indiscriminately, regardless of level of success or stage in life. People a few years older than me down to people my age seem to be collectively unhappy with their lives and/or the direction they are headed. This hasn't hit me yet, and it remains to be seen whether I'm just not there yet, or whether I have a mindset that...
Updated on November 11, 2019