Long-form

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

Not spring, love, or cherry blossom - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. It’s always a fantastic time when the San Francisco Giants goes head-to-head against our bitter rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers, especially so when I get the chance to listen to the Dodgers’ broadcast legend Vin Scully calling the games. Don’t get me wrong, I’m massively fond of our very own Giants broadcasters, but as baseball fans all recognize, Vin Scully is simply on another stratosphere.

Every new season could be Scully’s last, so every opportunity to listen must be taken advantaged of. It’ll be a bittersweet day indeed when the great man hangs up the microphone.  

2. I love it when people call out Millennials on their frequent entitlement tendencies. As someone that works at a university campus, I witness first hand the disease everyday. Not exactly sure how the latest crop of college students were raised, but never before have I encountered a group of people so expectative of having everything handed to them or go alongside their wishes. Worse, college Millennials don’t seem to handle failure well, if at all.

I’d be a insanely rich person indeed if I received a dollar every time a student came into my office, asking if they could borrow a charger for their laptop. Why do people not bring chargers along with their laptops? It’s common sense, isn’t it? Battery technology hasn’t advanced to a state where you can risk not carrying a charger just yet.

And the students had the gall to complain the university doesn’t provide services for them. Sorry, darling, you’re responsible for your failure to bring a charger with you, not me.

3. Sad news: Chipotle will be raising prices on its steak and barbacoa meat in the near future. Well, sad news for other people, because personally I always select chicken when I frequent Chipotle, because I am a cheapskate, and chicken is likely better for me anyways.

Let me know when they raise the price on chicken, because then I’ll be incredibly annoyed like the rest of you, and subsequently will still begrudgingly eat at Chipotle. Because it’s so damn awesome.  

4. The news of that Pulitzer-winning journalist in Los Angeles having to quit his newspaper job because he couldn’t afford the rent on his salary is extremely depressing. The future of the fourth estate is murky indeed if talents are quitting the industry due to finances. People should be alarmed because local news media is immensely more important than national news networks because the stories they cover/uncover directly affects the citizenry. The survival of those entities is absolutely crucial.

On a more selfish tangent, I’m glad I chose not to major in journalism for my college study, though the reason wasn’t because I knew the financial future for journalist is less than ideal. I simply hated grammar and editing; it’s the writing component that I really enjoy.

5. Allow me to fully admit that I am a bandwagon Warriors fan, and now that they are in the playoffs, I’ve now started actually watching the basketball games. Hopefully the Warriors run through the playoffs will last all the way until the end of June, because the Bay Area certainly needs a championship for their sport franchises, am I right?

Unlike most bandwagon fans, I refuse to refer to the Warriors with the pronouns we, us, or our. Doing so would be despicable.

6. The second Star Wars Episode 7 teaser trailer is short, but spectacular all the same. Of course, we still have zero inkling of how the plot will unfold, nor have we even seen all the major characters yet. The producers did throw Star Wars fans a bone by ending the trailer with Han Solo and Chewbacca, and I’ve got to say that brief little sequence was absolutely awesome. “Chewie, we’re home.” My god that was perfect.

It’s going to be a banner year indeed for cinema, what with Furious 7 already broken all sorts of box-office records, the second Avengers movie comes out in less than two weeks, the 23rd Bond film, and of course, Star Wars to bookend it all in December. My wallet is ready.

7. Today is Earth Day, the one singular day out of the year where people whom otherwise couldn’t care less, pretend they actually give a crap about environmental conservation. That is no shade, because society has made it such that the priorities just aren’t there. The poor haven’t got the money or time to worry about whether or not they are recycling properly, because they spend all their energy simply surviving another day. Rich people don’t feel the need to care for the Earth and limit their personal carbon footprint, because I must have five cars and a mansion to park them in, damn it.

As someone who lives on the lower fringes of what is considered middle-class, there’s not much I can personally do. I sort and recycle, try to use as few amounts of water as possible, and keep a careful eye on my monthly energy consumption. Beyond those strategies, I can only entrust on the powerful few to fight the bigger battle in preventing humans from destroying the planet.  

8. A few weeks ago (some date in the lunar calendar) were the time most Chinese families visit and pay respect to their respective dead. That means a pilgrimage to the cemetery. Unfortunately for me, the entirety of my deceased relatives are buried in China, therefore I was unable to fulfill the annual duty. It did however led me to a discussion with friends on why did our previous generation spend so much money simply to have a plot of land to be buried in.

My own maternal grandparents are each paying more than ten thousand dollars for their eventual resting place, which I must admit if a bit morbid of an act. For me, I just can’t fathom paying such sums for a thing I won’t even be alive for. I’d imagine my offspring would rather me bequeathing them the money instead. When I’m gone from this world, I shall give instructions to turn my remains to ash, and then ceremoniously scatter into the ocean; the ocean from whence all life originates from.

9. Jon Stewart has announced that August 6th will be his final appearance as host of The Daily Show. His farewell show will no doubt be one for the ages, more so than even Stephen Colbert’s epic final Report. I quite literally grew up watching The Daily Show, and the sixth day of August will one of great sadness and celebration all at once.

10.  I’ve been having tremendous amounts of ‘grass is greener’ syndrome with my car lately. Fairly sure I’m not sick of the STI, but more than ever I find myself looking at other cars to buy. It certainly doesn’t make financial sense to trade the car in having only owned it for a little over two years, because the not insignificant amount of taxes I paid in purchasing it will largely be forsaken (not to mentioned I’d have to pay taxes again on the new car.)

But life is about variety, isn’t it? There are times you’ve just got to go for it. There’s a stark difference between financial irresponsibility and financial incapability, and besides, the future isn’t guaranteed anyways. We shall see, but chances are good I might not be in the same car in a few months time.  

See some good vibe - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. Marvel Agents of SHIELD just keeps getting better and better. Ever since last year’s Captain America movie turned the show over to an entirely new tangent, plot development have come at a much more rapid rate, and the show is all the better for it. I hope Agents of SHIELD had got enough longevity to stay on television at the very least until it’s destined intersection with the Inhumans movie. The show’s tie-ins with the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe are a personal favorite of mine.

2. Looks like 2016 presidential campaigns are launching left and right (see what I did there?), all of which doesn’t remotely interest me. There’s still a massive amount of months to go before election night, and I think it’s way too premature to be discussing it already. Can’t we keep our focus on the current administration? Those ongoing discussions with Iran are a fairly huge deal, aren’t they?

Besides, I bet most of you can’t even name the person that represents your district in the state legislature. Those are the bureaucrats that have and will have an immediate impact on your daily lives, and not the president of these United States.

3. It’s always a lovely compliment when someone tells me that I’ve got the appearance of an 18 year-old instead that of a 27 year-old that I really am. It would appear those Asian genes of mine are doing a fine job at keeping the ravages of aging away from my face.

4. I don’t understand: what is the point of building and having hundreds of Apple stores but not a single person would be able to simply walk in and purchase an Apple Watch on launch day? It’s baffling to me that the vast Apple conglomerate, with enough cash reserves and economies of scale to bludgeon all, can’t conjure enough amounts of Apple Watch for people to buy in store.

Inventory shortage also plagued the newly released Macbook, with plenty of Apple stores not even having a model to display. What the heck is going on? Apple has been producing notebook computers for decades - it’s their core expertise! Something is not right in Apple’s retail supply chain.

5. Speaking of the new “retina” Macbook, my advice is to hold off on purchasing one until the next generation comes out. Much like the first ever Macbook Air product back in 2008, this completely redesigned retina Macbook is highly compromised in terms of function and power (you’ve got to be kidding me with that one USB port). The second generation will undoubtedly be vastly improved and a much more usable notebook - exactly like the revised Macbook Air that came out in 2010.

The new Macbook then is only good for early adopters and trust fund hipsters, because brand image to impress others is everything.

6. Steph Curry should (and likely will) win the NBA most valuable player award. The stuff he does night in and night out is simply spectacular, enough to have you question whether the moves and numbers he puts up can even be replicated in video game simulation. I get the chorus of James Harden supporters putting up protest  - and honestly I wouldn’t be at all mad if Harden wins the MVP - but come on: we all know Curry will win the award.  

Never thought I’d see the day a player from the Warriors will win the NBA MVP award.

7. It’s tax day, and if you’re getting or have received a sizable amount of money back from the IRS, then you’re absolutely doing it wrong. That is, unless you really do enjoy lending the government your money at zero percent interest.

8. We’ve got a little over two more weeks to go until the second Avengers movie hits the theatre. I’m not sure I will be able to last that long without internally combusting from anxiety and anticipation. Yes, it’s very much a first world problem. That said, I value my slumber hours too much to ever attend a midnight showing. The cheapskate in me will probably do an early Saturday morning matinee.

9. Every day I get increasingly resigned and disappointed at the glaring reality that I won’t ever be able to afford a home in San Francisco. How tragic is it that a kid that grew up here, and is now gainfully employed within the city, can’t afford to live in it. I don’t think that is what cities were designed to be. Certainly, cities should never be a haven for investors that don’t even live there (looking at you, rich Chinese nationals that buy up a tremendous amount of San Francisco’s housing inventory.)

10. I think Couchella is an infinitely better than Coachella. Thanks, YouTube!

Though I’m not sure I’d be willing to pay a monthly subscription for the rumored ad-free YouTube. Thanks to a certain widely known browser plugin, my Youtube experience is already advertisement-free.  

When you're in sublime - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. It’s going to take all my self-control powers (and there isn’t much to begin with) to not trade in the STI for the forthcoming Mazda MX-5 Miata Club. A lightweight roadster with just enough power (atmospheric, of course), mechanical limited-slip-differential, Brembo brakes, and forged BBS wheels: the recipe for pure driving fun. The amount of want for that car is immensely palpable. Someone please stop me from pouring all the positive equity in the STI down the drain.

2. I’m supremely happy that Duke men’s basketball has won the national championship. I know rooting for Duke is akin to rooting for the Yankees or the Dodgers, but they’ve been my favorite team ever since I started watching college basketball more than a decade ago. Every year I pick them to win the tournament in my brackets, even though I know the likelihood of that happening is next to zero. Duke does have a knack of winning it all once in every decade, so as a fan I can absolutely live with that. Granted, I sure hope this championship won’t be the last in the 2010s.

3. Baseball is back, and the Giants are already in trouble (haha!) Before the first pitch is even thrown the team lost two starters in the rotation, with no timetable for their return. Hunter Pence is still recovering from his spring training injury, so he’ll be watching from the dugout for the first few weeks. It’s going to be tough sledding for the team at the start of the season, with big question marks in the rotation for anybody not named Madison Bumgarner.

I couldn’t care less, really, whether or not the Giants are competitive this year. After winning three championships in the previous five years, I’m more than fulfilled and satisfied as a long-time fan of the team. This year I’m simply going to enjoy the baseball for what it is: a good time no matter what. I will draw zero negativity from the Giants, even if they lose every night in the most stupid of fashions.

4. The ending tribute to Paul Walker at the end of Furious 7 was so incredibly, brilliantly well done. If I were a person capable of crying in movies, I would have (lady sat next to me had full-on waterworks.) For sure that final sequence will be replayed on my computer many, many times once the film is out on home media.

RIP once again to Paul Walker. A good guy, a car guy; he was one of us, and gone far too soon.

5. Food product manufacturers: please stop trying to infuse Sriracha into every bloody piece of food you can find. If I wanted a Sriracha-flavored doughnut, I’d put actual Sriracha sauce on a doughnut (that actually sounds quite disgusting) Leave the flavor as what it originally is: hot sauce.  

6. The blatant murder of Walter Scott by a cop in South Carolina is absolutely sickening. Scott’s family and the American public cannot accept anything less than a first-degree murder conviction - it’d be an epic failure of justice otherwise.

It’s horrifying to think the aftermath of the shooting would’ve transpired completely differently (and the murdering cop likely off the hook) had someone not caught the heinous act on video.

7. You know that phenomenon where you think you don’t need something until you’ve got it, and that once you’ve got it, you don’t know how you ever did live without out it? Well, like a smartphone or Bluetooth in a car, my recently purchased Macbook Air has been a joy to use. Browsing the web while lounging on the couch is such an experience, especially for the massively lazy person like me. Needing a lightweight laptop when you’ve already got a desktop computer is for sure a first-world problem.

8. I’ve found a new favorite font! In place of the previous champion Helvetica, I’ve moved my typeface preference to Helvetica Neue Light (big difference, I know.) It’s the same gorgeous Helvetica, just much more minimalist and elegant.

In fact, this humble blog have just converted from vanilla Helvetica to the evolved version. Looks awesome, doesn’t it?

9. Apple finally rolled out the much-anticipated (by me) Photos app alongside the new Yosemite 10.10.3 update. Finally, I can save my entire photo collection permanently (hopefully, anyways) into the cloud. I’ve been meaning to collate and organize my photos for the longest time (compared to my immaculately maintained music collection, the state of disarray is downright tragic), and now with the transition to the Photos app in OS X, I finally got the impetus to do it. Best of all, I can access to all of it from anywhere on the planet right on my iPhone.

10. All the congratulations in the world to my good friend Charlene for passing her board exam, and is now a certified family nurse practitioner. All my friends are smarter/better than I am, and that’s absolutely awesome. 

What up - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. April Fool’s Day has become a major annoyance due to the advent of social media and the Internet. Before all of that stuff it was simply small pranks and harmless jokes with a few of your friends. Nowadays, everybody - including major Brands - have to get in on it. Therefore, browsing social media timelines on the day of is akin to an inane game of minesweepers, with the pranks and fake news being the mines.

I use my twitter feed to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in the world, but every year on April 1st I’ve no idea what’s real or what’s fake. The solution that I came up with is quite simple: I don’t check social media - or even visit my regular blogs and websites - for an entire day.

That said, I’m still pissed about In-N-Out Burger pranking us last year about adding bacon to their burgers. If that were real if would’ve been just the best thing ever.

2. I’m happy about Trevor Noah’s appointment as Jon Stewart’s successor on The Daily Show. Even though he’s only done three segments thus far on the show, I’ve come to really enjoy his brand of comedy. Perhaps I would’ve preferred the heir to Stewart’s throne be Jessica Williams, but I’m very excited to see what Noah will do at the main chair.

3. Whose idiotic idea was it to have Wrestlemania start at 4PM PST when the thing was held in a west-coast venue? The entire event was practically held under daylight, which absolutely ruined the ambiance in my opinion. Undertaker’s legendary entrance just doesn’t have the same panache and circumstance when the lights go off and you can still see everything.

4. It was lovely to see a rosso Ferrari car on the top step of the podium at the end of a Formula One grand prix. What a race in Malaysia! There were so much overtaking, great driving, and amateur-hour all in one afternoon. It’s been an immensely long time since we’ve heard the German national anthem followed by the Italian anthem at the podium ceremony. Michael Schumacher would’ve been proud if he were awake to witness it.

5. Fuck you, the governance in Indiana, for passing the anti-gay bill. Not only will I never visit Indiana, I’ll make sure to go around it if I were to ever drive across these United States. I’m glad my city and my university have come out not only to harshly denounce the bill, but also barred its employees from doing business with the Hoosier state. Good riddance.

6. So I’ve recently bought yet another Apple product (11.6 inch Macbook Air). I might need an intervention soon, friends of mine.

7. The gods lamented the departure of Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear by making a member of One Direction quit. Fair trade, wouldn’t you say?

8. Currently, I don’t own a single piece of machinery capable of playing a music CD (aside from the unit in my car, but like I’m really going to purposely go to my car every time I want listen to a CD), yet I still make a point to purchase a few each year. I feel it’s important to support the artists you like, especially the ones who are independent and not signed to major labels - they really need the profit from CD sales. Extra points to artists that put in thought to how a CD is packaged and the quality of the accompanying booklet.

What artists should do though, much like how movie studios are doing with their DVD releases, is include a voucher for a digital copy. That would make life so much easier for me my friend who otherwise has to pirate it off the Internet.

9. So after four years of unprecedented drought conditions, California has finally enacted mandatory water conservation mandates. None of the restrictions really affects me personally, because I don’t own a golf course, nor does my place have any real grass to speak of (I wouldn’t want a lawn anyways - less labor for me.)

My problem with the restrictions is that it’s not really going to solve anything, is it? Residential water use is only four-percent of all water use in California - the majority of water goes towards the state’s robust farming industry. Now, I’m not saying we should decrease our farming output; rather, we should examine how to grow crops at the same level as it is now, but use less water in doing so. Efficiencies found in the farming sector will assist tremendously in curbing our state’s thirst in midst of a devastating drought.

10. Though honestly, I’m fairly sure we can all live without almonds and pistachios. Growing those crops in California (or anywhere else) takes an enormous amount of water. I love pistachios just as much as the next person (I’m intensely allergic to almonds so no lost there), but not at the risk of wringing our state dry.