Blog

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

Best two months

The final two months of the year is my absolute favorite, mainly because as the weather turns colder (or stays cold, as is normal for San Francisco) and the sky turns dark earlier in the day, people tend to spend more time indoors. That means they aren’t outside in the neighborhood making a ruckus, which means I get to enjoy more peace and quiet time, which is just lovely. Indeed, I am that old man yelling at the clouds when the kids are playing out in the streets during the Summer months. Shut up!

You might notice the irony of someone living in a dense, urban city complaining about noise, and believe me, I am looking to change my living situation some time in the near future. What I really want is some place small out in the woods, where the only noise I can possibly hear is the wondrous sounds of nature. Whether that is ultimately doable or not vis a vis making a living wage remains to be seen, but it’s not like I can possibly afford to rent a place within the Bay Area anyways, much less talk of actually buying a house. It’s a very grim future when a six-figure salary is considered low-income in San Francisco.

But that’s a worry for another time.

Another reason why November and December are favored months has to do with my particular line of work. The standard schedule of a university calls for week-long holidays for Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year, and as university staff I get them off as well. It would seem petty to be giddy about having fewer days of work, but even the most ardent of people who love their jobs - I would include myself in that pool - welcome extra days off to do other things, or simply relax. Thanksgiving break is when I collate the best photos I’ve taken during the year and put the top 12 into calendars of next year to give to my friends.

Christmas break, as usual, I am flying back home to China.

Finally, December is the best month because it’s the month of my birthday, though I don’t possess the vapid narcissism of some to celebrate the occasion of my birth for the entire month. I’ll be turning 32 soon, which isn’t quite as scary or stress-inducing of an age milestone as 30. I do wonder if there will be one like it before turning 40. Maybe 35? Obviously, I’m not yet ready to find out.

Let’s finish the year strong, friends.

Buying contact lenses shouldn't be this hard

America: land of the free, home of ardent individualism, and yet why on earth are we unable to buy contact lenses without a valid prescription? Do the rule-makers at the FDA think that I would willingly put an incorrect lens into my eyeballs? I’m really not sure what the prescription requirement is suppose to accomplish (no such laws exist anywhere else in the developed world that I could find), other than make the process of procuring contacts more difficult than necessary.

This wouldn’t be a problem if my insurance carrier covered yearly contact lens exams - mine only pays for one biyearly. Since prescriptions are only valid for one year, it puts me in a sort of limbo situation during the second year. What I usually do is right before the prescription expires, I reorder a large enough amount to cover me until the next exam that my insurance will cover. In years past, I’ve even gone as far as buying a two-year supply, just to avoid going in to see the optometrist.

Because the fact is, my prescription has not change at all for the past half decade, and given the option I much prefer to keep ordering the same contacts in perpetuity until that point when I can physical see a deterioration. As the cliche goes, time is money, and heading to the eye doctor requires a few hours that I would rather allocate towards something more important (like writing on this blog, haha.) It’s unfortunate then the laws in America is so strict; I mean, how and why exactly does an eye prescription expire anyways?

Nevertheless, the problem of not being able to order lenses online without a non-expired prescription became acute for me a few weeks back. During the procedure of switching to a new pair of lenses, I realized my reserve supply of contacts was not going to last me until the next eye exam. Due to health and sanitation reasons, I was adamant in not stretching the biweekly replacement cycle, so that meant I had to find a way to order contact lenses pseudo illegally.

Thanks to wonders of international commerce, it turns out shops in countries that don’t have the draconian restriction can and are willing to ship lenses to the United States. For sure there’s a comparative premium over the prices at online shops here in the States, but that’s a delta I must pay this time because otherwise I will run out of contact lenses. I placed an order with a Vancouver based company called Fresh Lens, and the product arrived yesterday correctly and as advertised.

A small crisis averted, I would say.

To be able to handhold a 3-second exposure on a smartphone is simply amazing.

I'm not getting the AirPods Pro

Okay, seriously this time: I’m not buying the new AirPods Pro.

At least not for the $250 dollar price the new Apple earphones command (I gave myself an out, didn’t I?) As someone who love and have waxed lyrical about the original AirPods, I’m just not seeing the value proposition in upgrading to the Pro, even though noise cancellation was on my wishlist of features to see in future AirPods. Well, Apple finally delivered that yesterday, and yet the hefty price-tag is giving me tremendous pause.

I already have a lovely - and expensive - pair of noise-cancelling headphones: the venerable Bose QC35, therefore yet another set of earbuds in addition to the two I have is very difficult to justify when the price is that high.

It’s not like we can trade in our first-generation AirPods for the new Pro, and barring that, what I am I suppose to do with them when the AirPods Pro arrive? In the Pro, you can turn off the noise-cancellation function, so it renders the original AirPods largely redundant. Maybe Apple should instate a trade-in program like the company does for iPhones. If I can get somewhere around $60 for my old AirPods towards the new Pro, I’d jump on that instantly. I refuse to treat electronics as disposable devices, and while the latest and greatest will always be enticing, I don’t have the wallet or the conscience (the lack thereof) to upgrade so cavalierly.

I also don’t want to play the game of selling old stuff on eBay (in my experience, the fees really kill the profit margin.) Besides, the only reason I wish the AirPods had noise-cancellation is because I want to use them on the typically loud bus. Now that I know how expensive the AirPods Pro are, there is no freaking way I am wearing them during my commute. Hate to say this, but some people are going to get robbed for their pair - especially in San Francisco.

So that’s about all the rationalizations I need to not buy the new AirPods Pro. I’ve no doubts I’m going to revisit this if and when my set of original AirPods die, though I have to say those things are quite robust indeed.

I’m not going to change my mind after a week. I swear!

It’s important to get enough fiber in your diet.

Shame on California

This is simply embarrassing.

For the third straight Autumn in a row, California is experiencing severe wildfire events up here in NorCal and simultaneously down south in Los Angeles county. Thankfully, the destruction is not nearly as catastrophic as last year’s fires in Paradise and Malibu, but three consecutive years of this is not a good look for the State’s proactiveness towards mitigating such disasters.

Indeed, for what would be the 7th largest economy on this planet on its own, with the highest State income tax in the country, and the crowning jewel that is Silicon Valley, it is a spectacular shame on California that all of this is happening yet again this year. If ever there’s a State with the resources to combat and prevent wildfires, it would be California (on paper, at least). Unfortunately, in reality there remains the same incompetence, and it seems the people in charge are unwilling to lift a finger to solve the underlying issues that are causing these wildfires.

Oh, and new for this year: rolling blackouts! PG&E - the beleaguered utility company - in its infinite wisdom have deemed shutting down power to the grid in at-risk areas during the fire season ought to stop these massive fires from happening. Well, the outages have and are occurring, and yet much Sonoma county is currently burning, so the strategy’s efficacy is suspect. What’s even more laughable is that PG&E said these power shutdowns are the new normal to stop wildfires; an absurd position for an electric company to be unable to deliver electricity.

The obvious solution is to spend the massive amount of money necessary to upgrade the aging electric infrastructure. If falling power-lines are the culprit of these fires, then let’s start putting the grid beneath terra firma. For sure that’ll be a slow process, so in the meantime we should clear away the dry brushes and plants surrounding power poles and towers that are at high potential of igniting. We can’t change the weather, but we can make certain the power grid is able to withstand the many dry and windy season undoubtedly to come after this particular one.

These rolling blackouts cannot be the answer, because there’s vulnerable people who are dependent on electricity for their survival.

I’m not against having a private, for-profit company like PG&E (though the company is publicly-held) as the sole utility provider, but because electricity is one of the important public goods, there has to be tremendously strict oversight by the State government. Constant improvements to the grid must be made, and if PG&E isn’t up for that, then it’s time for California PUC to takeover operations. Electricity is critical to societal functions, and we can’t leave it to the negligence of a company that seems to care more for shareholder’s profit than ensuring a secure power infrastructure that won’t burn down homes every time Fall season comes around.

Selling this lovely set of Grado sr80e headphones because I’ve scarcely used it. AirPods have completely taken over my music listening procedure.

Do what you love, even if it's for free

I‘m receiving a lot of questions from writers asking where to submit scripts or how to sell them. Others ask how to sign an agent, attach directors or producers, etc.

You won’t like the answer, but here it is:

You’re asking the wrong questions. (Thread)
— Christopher McQuarrie (@chrismcquarrie) October 23, 2019

Last evening, I encountered this golden nugget of a twitter thread by Christopher McQuarrie (yes, that Christopher McQuarrie.) In the thread, he answers the question of how to become a successful writer in Hollywood by saying that there aren’t any shortcuts: you have to do the work. Keep making stuff and show it to the world; have a portfolio of done and complete things that fully represents you. McQuarrie calls the act of pitching scripts to producers and various gatekeepers as “playing the lottery”, and it’s not advisable to have that as your sole focus. Clever metaphor, because I’m sure we all understand the futile odds of playing the lottery.

The director’s sound advice reminded of Charlie Munger (yes, that Charlie Munger) answering the question of how to become as accomplished as him by playfully scorning the questioner that he simply wanted Munger’s success, but far quicker - essentially asking for shortcuts. McQuarrie alluded to the same idea in one of his tweets, stating people are tacitly asking “What is the shortest route to [McQuarrie’s] career?" Indeed; to quote the great Jocko Willink: There is no shortcut. There is no hack. There's only one way. So get after it.

We should be happy to do the work anyways, because it’s what we love to do, right? Even if the end product leads nowhere and it pays nothing, the satisfaction of having created something is what really matters. That’s exactly what passion is about. The people asking for McQuarrie’s advice are looking at it from the monetary perspective, which the director cautions is the wrong lens to look from. The tools are out there - more than ever - for us to do the work and produce stuff, and if you’re truly serious about your particular craft, just go ahead and do it, without permission, and without thinking of some advancement endgame.

You have to ]detach from the results, and simply make the art for art’s sake. Produce or participate, then iterate and improve, and most importantly, put you and your work out there into the ether. The Internet has democratize and flatten many of the hierarchies and barriers that are no longer there, so there’s no excuse. It’s the reason this website of mine exist, and I shall continue to put out stuff, because it’s what I’m passionate about.

Thank you for coming to McQuarrie’s TED Talk.

You really get what you pay for

Recently, my mom took an awkward fall off her bed, causing a hair-line fracture on her left clavicle. Before knowing this diagnosis, she went to her family doctor to check on the massive bruising and pain that resulted. The clinic took a CT scan, and recommended she go to an emergency room to have the x-ray images checked out, and if needed, receive treatment. The clinic itself is not equipped for such procedures, and heading to the emergency room would be far quicker than waiting for a referral to see a specialist.

Being disabled, mom has Medicare coverage, so she can quite literally go to any emergency room at any hospital. We chose a local private hospital because we figured there’d be less people there waiting than SF General, the city’s public hospital. My presumption was correct as there weren’t a line at all (this is 7 PM on a Friday, for what it’s worth); we quickly checked-in and my mother received care almost immediately. The facilities are modern and nice, and the staff is super attentive - no less than four personnel tended to my mother for what amounted to only a confirmation of small fracture and a demonstration on how to use a sling to secure the arm.

The quality of care between private and public hospitals is immense.

I’ve seen this myself. I’m lucky that my work provides great health insurance through Kaiser, and as someone who grew up poor and relied on clinics and hospitals catered towards low-income, the superiority of the care at Kaiser was eye-opening. I remember vividly getting blood-work done at a Kaiser campus, and was surprised the results came back the same day within a few hours. I was still accustomed to waiting a few weeks for reports and test results that was the norm of my childhood healthcare experience.

For the richest country this planet has ever seen, this gulf of care between the haves and have-nots (healthcare-wise) shouldn’t exist - it’s morally wrong. Until the day America provides universal care for its citizens, it’s a continued stain and shame on this country. The benefits of a healthy populace with no fear of medical debt burden are incalculably positive, and we can certainly afford it (looking at you, military budget.)

For me personally, the question of healthcare certainly gives me some pause in regards to switching jobs or moving to another State. Having proper insurance takes such a load off in terms of stress that it’s downright scary the thought of being without it for any period of time. Imagine a United States with Medicare for everyone: people would be more apt to move freely within the country for jobs and opportunities, and I think it’ll be great for innovation.

We can get there. We have to. One of the saddest things in America are the GoFundMe campaigns for a person’s gross healthcare bills. A failure of society that we mustn’t continue to accept.

I don’t always drink regular Coke, but when I do, it’s got to be the bottled version with real cane sugar. Stay thirsty my friends.

Bag secured for Star Wars Episode 9

How was I not informed that tickets for Star Wars Episode 9 was going to go on sale last night? Did anybody know? The only thing I saw announced was the release of the final trailer during Monday Night Football.

Honestly though, I had forgotten that Episode 9 was even coming out this year. We’re deep into October already so there’s only about two months until the film plays in theatre, and the excitement - for me at least - just isn’t there. Either I’m still massively hungover from the madness of Avengers Endgame (a masterpiece), or Rian Johnson really did kill the enthusiasm with his Episode 8 effort.

Of course, JJ Abrams will redeem it for all of us, won’t he? While his record of properly finishing things he started isn’t great (looking at you, Lost), from what I’ve seen so far in the teaser trailers, he’s at least sprinkled enough enticement to get me into the theatre on opening day. One word: Palpatine. It turns out what we truly want is an endless nostalgia trip: for the few criticisms of The Force Awakens being a rehash of A New Hope, the severe lack of continuity in The Last Jedi was a step too far in the other direction, to put it nicely

Anyways, yesterday evening I started to notice on twitter that people were successfully buying tickets for Episode 9. Alarmed that I’ve missed the memo and the good seats for opening day are completely gone, I decided to check on the Cinemark app anyways, to see if there’s any luck for me. I had flashbacks of trying to get tickets for Avengers Endgame, and that it was only due to the fortune of my friend that our group was able to secure an opening day show. To my surprise - at least for Cinemark theatres - the craze for the final episodic Star Wars film (for now) is not nearly of the same timbre as Endgame.

Because, I was able to secure a 7 PM Friday showing with ease; smack-dab center seating, too. There was no virtual line, and the app didn’t crash - I was done with purchasing in a matter of minutes. Perhaps the commotion I saw online for tickets is for Thursday shows? I can see how for those tickets it would be massively more competitive. Good thing I’m not in a position to go to the movies on Thursdays: one, I have work, and two, I’m too old to be watching a movie at midnight - even if it is Star Wars. Hashtag sleep.

I’m looking forward to The Rise of Skywalker. It’s going to be the last time we see the famous scrolling words in space for a while, so let’s savor the moment to fullest.