So it’s been almost 3 months since I returned to SF. I’m no longer homeless, but still looking for that perfect job (ok, at this point I’m loosening up my definition of perfect). As someone who gets super anxious when it comes to wasting time, I thought it would be good to review the past quarter and see what I’ve done with all this time on my hand.
Studying.
I have long embraced my identity as a nerd. When I was younger, I always said that if I ever won the lottery, my dream would be to attend random classes at prestigious universities around the world. Well, Internet solved the problem for me with the explosion of MOOC. I decided to make a concentrated effort to improve my data skills by completing the Johns Hopkins Data Science Specialization on Coursera. I started off a bit ambitious, signing up for 4 courses that started at once, then quickly discovered that I probably needed to work on my programming foundation a bit more before I dive head in (also spending all day watching lectures and writing code was really taking the fun out of my funemployment). I’m now on a 2 course per month schedule and it’s working out pretty well.
Since I dropped my Coursera course load from 4 to 2, I had a bit of extra time, so I also started this mini database course series by Stanford. It’s a bit easier than the Coursera classes, but it’s great in terms of refreshing my systematic understanding of databases and SQL skills. Since it’s self-paced, it lacks the structure of the Coursera set up, and has a small and inactive community, which makes it more difficult to ask questions. I do like having the transcript next to the video though, making it easy for me to skip parts of the lecture that I already know well.
Reading.
I left my Kindle at a hostel in Bruges, Belgium. I decided to leave it for the nice guy who found it under my pillow instead of having it sent to me, and was glad to hear how happy the surprise gift made him. My upgrade to the Kindle Paperwhite has significantly prolonged my reading time due to its backlight, and I’ve been devouring one book after another. Here’s a brief review:
The Rosie Effect and The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsian. These two were on Bill Gates’ best books list for 2014 and I finished both in a few hours time. I love the simple and humorous writing, combined with fun characters and twisty plot. Great for light reading!
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. This has been on my Calibre shelf for quite a long time, and I finally managed to finish it. It’s a heavy book, and I don’t mean just the sheer number of words. The lives of the characters in the book go through ups and downs that most people would never face, and sometimes the plot seems a bit too unrealistic. But the way they feel, the lessons they learn, and the people they eventually become, are completely believable. I put down the book with a slight sense of resignation that life is as she described, tumultuous yet never out of hope.
Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston. I found this among the stack of paper books I left in storage, and read it while waiting for my new Kindle to arrive. What I loved about the stories is that they came from the “old days” when we didn’t take the Internet for granted. We forget that someone came up with the first spreadsheet and actually defined how we name cells today. We forget that there was a time when you can only receive emails from specific physical locations. As we lament over the impossibility of coming up with something original, it’s great to be reminded by these inspirational stories of people who shaped the world we know today.
Chronicles of A Death Foretold and Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I drown in the beautiful letters of Gabo, in the fantastical worlds he creates, even when the worlds are quite real. There’s always a profound sense of the inevitability of certain destinies that lingers over his stories, and it’s so easy to fall into a character, experience their jubilation and agony, and feel a tremendous relief, and a tinge of sadness, when you finish the last chapter and are released from the spell. Gabo is best tasted in small doses.
Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton. I picked this up at an airport somewhere after I lost my Kindle, and found it to be interesting and insightful. As an agnostic who places spirituality at the center of my well-being, I’ve always found strong merits in being religious, even if I opted out of it myself. I don’t agree with all the points the author makes, but it definitely offers a different point of view on religiosity and its institutions.
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. I started a book club and this was my pick for the first book, since I loved Brene Brown’s TED talk so much. I have to say the book is less impactful than the short and to-the-point TED talk, but still a worthwhile read for people who, like me, feel the need to always keep up the invincible and happy facade.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I’m not done with this one yet, but it’s amazing so far. A memoir of her 1,100 PCT hike, the author writes about her physical and emotional pain and subsequent recovery in brutally honest and eloquent words. Her past and present are intricately woven together in seamless fashion, and even if you felt the need to judge, you will come to admire her strength and authenticity, as she overcomes one obstacle after another.
Making.
I have rediscovered Pinterest. And my box of old craft materials. It was not fun to mass produce handmade Christmas cards, but now that the holiday season is over, I hope to get more creative with birthday cards this year!
I also bought a pressure cooker. I liked the idea of having it function as both a rice cooker and something I can make soup in, but it’s so much more! So far most of my culinary experiments with it has been successful (by my standards). Perhaps I will finally be able to bring something other than chips and drinks to potlucks 🙂
I’m making a number of trip videos, starting with Iceland. Unfortunately I’m running out of space on my internal hard drive and iMovie does not work well with an external. One expensive side effect of the fast moving pace of technology advancement is the ever increasing need to upgrade your hardware 🙁
I made a new book! I’m quite proud of this one actually. It’s called The Tale of Two Cities, and combines my two 365 photo journal projects from San Francisco and Shanghai. I went back to using InDesign after a long hiatus, and was surprised how little I remembered in terms of using design software. It ended up being a lot simpler than I originally envisioned, but I can’t wait to get the paper copy in my hands!
Also, I’ve started to organize my 30,000+ photos from the last 3 years and am thinking of a few new book ideas. When we finally get a coffee table for the living room, I hope to have a stack of books by yours truly to entertain guests 🙂
I’m rebuilding the Death Star. The poor thing fell apart during its two years in storage, and I’m not quite sure if all the pieces are still present. I anticipate it shall be fully operational again before summer 😛
I made a home for myself in a tiny room in SOMA. Since I had gotten rid of my furniture, I ended up buying all new furniture and built them from scratch. I’m particularly proud of successfully installing this on my wall by myself. I hope it doesn’t crash down one night. :/
Exercising.
One of the biggest reasons for me to move back to San Francisco was for my health. During my last few months in China, I developed a cough that culminated in a daily morning vomiting ritual. When I finally made it to the hospital, I waited for an hour to see the doctor, and was diagnosed within 5 minutes as being allergic to pollution. My coughing continued for three months after leaving China, although the symptoms did get better by day. Even now, I constantly feel like there’s a lump in my throat, and my lungs are probably permanently damaged from my brief stay in China.
Breathing problems aside, my expat lifestyle consisted of excessive drinking of real and fake alcohol, overconsumption of (mostly delicious) food in general, lack of sleep, and small amounts of exercise followed by binge drinking of beer. I enjoyed every bit of it and have absolutely no regret, but I also acknowledge the negative effect it probably had on my aging body.
So my fitness goals this year include:
– Run a sprint triathlon
– Run an obstacle course
– Get my body fat percentage down to 20% 18%
Since I have the Embarcadero a couple blocks away and a gym in my building, I’ve done a decent job of keeping up with my exercise routine so far with the beautiful weather we’ve had. I’ve also started eating healthier since the new year. Since December I went from 121 lbs to 114 lbs (unfortunately that makes me underweight and now I need to eat more 🙁 ), and my body fat is at 21.5%.
Reconnecting.
What makes SF home for me is the people. In the brief time I’ve been back, I’ve had the chance to reconnect with so many people who’ve made time for me, listened to my stories, helped me with finding a home and job opportunities. It’s also been incredibly easy to meet new friends who’ve welcomed me into their circles and filled up my schedule with fun events and great conversations. I can’t say enough times how happy I am to be back among awesome friends!
Conclusion.
So beyond job searching, movie watching, and blogging, I guess I haven’t completely wasted my time 😛
Leave a Reply