Blog

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

What's new for 2024

A running joke amongst my friends is that I change one - and only one - big thing about my rental studio every year. 2022, I bought an LG OLED television (that’s right, no TV at all in my room before then). In 2023, I bought a couch (from IKEA, of course). As a matter of fact, I am sitting on said couch right now typing this, while the LG TV is on in front of me. Absolutely luxurious.

The thinking is: one changer per year keeps it fresh. We all crave novelty, don’t we? We get something new, we get used to that new thing, and then we want something else - in addition, never replacement. By slow-playing these (let’s call them) upgrades to my room, I hope to avoid change for the sake of change. And obviously it’s way easier on the wallet to buy these big ticket items year over year, instead of all at once.

For 2024, the new thing for my studio space is: black-out curtains. My friends are baffled at how long I’ve gone without curtains. As they saying goes: it worked, until it didn’t. Curtains were not needed previously because early my sleep schedule did not warrant it. It was dark when I go to sleep, and it’s dark when I wake up. Window blinds alone were just fine for the task.

Recently, I’ve shifted to a later sleep schedule. Now, the sun is actually out well before my designated wake time. The problem then is the sun would often wake me up before it is time. And that is not a good thing in terms of maximizing sleep. Black-out curtains are now needed. It’s nothing fancy: I bought these curtains from Amazon, and this simple and inexpensive curtain rod from Home Depot.

That’s it! I am done for the year.

Everything I need is on the ground

I am finally getting a new desk. But it’s not the kind you think. Standing desks are all the rage these days. I’m immensely glad my workplace has furnished for us adjustable desk. Which means I get to stand as much as I want while I am at work. Which also means I don’t necessary want to stand once I am home. There’s no need to pay (in this economy) for an expensive standing desk.

In a stroke of inspiration, I had the idea of wanting the exact opposite: a “floor desk”. One that is so low to the ground I need to sit on the floor to use. Picture a giant coffee table for computing use. It’s an ode to the traditional Japanese way of living, where everything is done close to the ground. The ryokan we stayed at while in Japan was like this: we sat on cushions, ate on a low coffee table, and slept right on the floor.

My favorite way of sitting is cross-legged anyways. I think using a floor desk just makes all the sense.

The problem is actually finding one. Unlike the legion of standing desk users, there doesn’t seem to be that many floor sitters out there. Therefore the selection of low-to-the-ground office desks is kind of non existent. I had to get creative. Per chance I noticed Uplift - a popular standing desk brand - sells coffee table legs. These 16-inch high steel legs can turn any piece of board into a low desk. Along with the legs I bought a bamboo desktop on Amazon. For about $300, it’s not a bad deal compared to the $600 or so I was looking at for a standing desk.

What’s more, I will be able to get rid of my office chair, freeing up precious space in this tiny studio of mine.

Go back to where I came from

If things continue to go well, I reckon I can go back to China later this year. My home country seems to have finally given up the COVID zero dream. Citizens are allowed to move about the country freely, travelers from abroad need only a negative test, no more quarantining. All of this just in time for the massive Lunar New Year festivities (it’s this weekend).

Of course, a complete reversal of the previously harsh restrictions means COVID is running rampant in China. So much so the country is not even bothering with releasing numbers. They are essentially going through the waves we already saw here in the States and the rest of the world. The sad part is, the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) that we received are banned in China. They’ve only got the far least effective (effectively ineffective) home-grown Sinovac vaccine. Needless amount of the citizenry will be severely sick (or die) because of this.

This is why I have no short-term plans to visit China (after three long years away) to see family. I think it’s better let COVID run its course and reach a sort of equilibrium. Besides, my mother tells me those of us on the old 10-year tourist visa are still not yet allowed into the country. With the requirement that Chinese tourists coming into the United States must test negative (a logical move, honestly), China will certainly reciprocate in kind, if not even more restrictive, to U.S. travelers.

My father is scheduled to retire in July. The hope is that he will be able to return to China to live for a few months starting in autumn. I will then join him towards the end of December, my usual timeframe to go back home, back before the pandemic started.

Imagine that - I’m now old enough to have both parents retire completely. The seasons of our lives can seemingly change so suddenly.

Always be backing up

My housemates have gone on vacation, so I am the only person currently occupying the home. Typically when I leave the house for work or whatever, I don’t take my keys. The entry door uses a keypad for locking - the key serves as a backup. I figured if there’s ever the slight chance the keypad stops working, I can always contact my housemates to come to the rescue.

Can’t do that anymore when they’re both on vacation! Therefore I’ve been taking the door keys with me, just in case. Technology is only as great as the backup plan for when it (inevitably?) fails. I simply cannot trust it completely to do its job every single time, without failure. The only time the good ole key and tumbler setup have stranded me is when I’ve misplaced the key. Batteries never run out on analog.

Obviously there’s a huge convenience factor to a keypad lock. And on most days I enjoy that convenience immensely. Just like the ATM at a bank branch: it’s great to be able to get stuff done without having to talk to a live person. However, I would never trust the ATM for a depositing a huge amount of cash. One misstep with the inner mechanicals - that I have zero control over - and that money is gone forever. This is especially true for ATMs that are not inside a bank building: who are you going to call while your cash is stuck in limbo?

Technology makes life fantastically convenient, but I think the point here is you have to be smart and cover your ass. My work in I.T. exposes me to catastrophic failure often enough. You can turn on your computer one day to find it utterly unresponsive. I sure hope you’ve had a consistent backup plan in place for your data!

Not going home

The news out of Shanghai is good. According to this twitter thread, the mega city has been on lockdown for two weeks now, and the situation is getting dire. Not enough food are being delivered to residents, and people are getting frustrated. There’s many things the Chinese can tolerate, but hunger is not one of them due to deep-seated historical trauma. China’s COVID zero policy will for sure fail if the government can’t feed the populace.

From the outside looking in, COVID zero seems to be an impossible goal anyways. The procedures in place are ultra draconian. The Chinese need an official smartphone app to go anywhere. A green stamp on the app means you’re free to move. A red means you must quarantine or face prison time. Mandatory testing can happen at anytime and at any hour. Should you be unlucky to be in a mall where someone else tests positive, you will get locked inside that mall until you yourself tests negative.

This is the same country that only a few months ago hosted the winter games!

My relatives in Guangzhou are also preparing for lockdowns that can happen at anytime. Seeing the situation in Shanghai, they are stocking up on non-perishable foods as much as possible. Again, just a few months ago they were gathering at a restaurant to celebrate Lunar New Year! It’s crazy how things can simply turn on a dime, all because the Chinese government will not tolerate even one case of COVID.

So long as COVID zero remains in effect, I don’t see how I can return home to China to see my relatives anytime soon. No doubt I will be forced to download an app that tracks my every movement. There will probably be quarantine requirements and multiple tests as well. There’s also the risk of being locked down and stuck in the country. Not worth the hassle at all.

It’s been almost two and a half years since I last traveled to China. Looks like it will be a whole while longer still until I can again.

Tiny home improvements

I’ve been thinking about ways to spruce up my living space. Not in a superficial way, but something practical and utilitarian. Costco has a sale on a small dehumidifier, and now my bathroom is moisture-controlled. Even with a vent window, things can still get rather damp in there. For about $25 dollars, it’s a super cheap solution.

Another thing I really want to get is a standing desk. I’ve had this IKEA Fredrik desk (long since out of production) since my college days, and suffice it to say it has served me supremely well. However, on certain work-from-home days it would be more healthy to stand instead of sit for the entire eight hours. I could buy one of those desktop converters, but those look horrible and it encroaches on precious desk space.

So I did a search for what’s considered most popular and best standing desk these days. Fully seems to be the one. I specced one out to be the same size as the Fredrik and wow are standing desks expensive! $700 dollars amortized over many decades (assuming the electrics last that long) isn’t really that big of an expense, but coughing up all that up front is a mental barrier I can’t yet get over.

Good new is, I’m physically going into work more often. The office recently received new furnishing, one of which are standing desks! On days I’m actually at work, I practically stand the whole time (sometimes even whilst eating lunch). Hopefully that will negate the need for me to buy a Fully desk. Let’s see what happens, though; I have the website bookmarked still…

On my own

It’s been a little over two months since I’ve moved out on my own, and I have to say it’s going quite well. This “new” place finally feels lived in, and completely my own. For awhile it felt like I was off on some long vacation, and living in an AirBnb. That feeling was especially acute when I wake up in the morning. Having stared up at the same ceiling for nearly two decades, the transition to a new one takes some getting used to. These days it’s become rather familiar.

It’s nice to be able to set my own schedule, to eat whenever I want. Back with my parents, dinners is always at 6:00 PM, so I sort of had to schedule my day around that. On my own, I basically eat whenever I feel like eating. Of course, I’m also responsible for buying all the groceries: the milk no longer magically replenishes itself when it runs low. Thank god I’m not a glutton for variety in food. Being content with eating the same thing everyday means I can buy something in bulk from Costco and eat that for a whole week.

Of course, living within walking distance to a mall with a proper food court means should I fancy not cooking, I can always get some take-out easily. Being so close to everything is one of the main attractions of moving to this place. I don’t think I can go back to having a commute to work, now that I can simply walk to it everyday. To be able to take care of most of my life needs all from within walking distance (even my dentist is only a few blocks away) is the stuff of dreams. A lifestyle I thought only possible in super dense Asian cities.

A few years back when I was traveling in Korea, I remarked at how small and efficient our AirBnb is. No bigger than about 250 square-feet, it was fully featured nonetheless: full kitchen, full bath, and a place for a bed. I thought wouldn’t it be great to have something like this in San Francisco, for a reasonable amount of rent. Turns out, in renting my current space, I found it! A studio with just enough space for everything. The small footprint makes it incredibly easy to clean. Whoever invented the Swiffer: I salute you.

I can’t wait for a time when I can actually go outside of the house for fun. I’m rooting for you, coronavirus vaccine!