Excerpt from the F&F Newsletter
· 5 min
Here we are - the last day of twenty-twenty-five. I am once again writing on a flight. With some good karma (I like to think), Air Canada assigned me an exit-row window seat for my flight back to Vancouver. For free. No longer sharing the back with the lavatory - can you believe it!
To be fully honest, I half-wrote an issue a few weeks ago but I was in such a mood that it wouldn’t have been a fun read for you all. Not that this newsletter is usually cracking anyone up, but I’d hate to be a downer during the holidays. TL;DR for the mood: You know when a problem is ambiguous, challenging, and the timelines are self-directed? I’ll tell you, that is the exact recipe for procrastination.
As for 2025 in review… well, I haven’t done much tactical reflection yet. Vaguely:
- I spent far too many days completely indoors.
- I let go of some bad habits.
- I taught myself 4-5 quantifiable new skills and realized that maybe 5% of my 5 years in college was spent actually learning.
In the future, your AI digital twin will do automatic goal setting. It will collate your web history, journal entries, and calendar to provide an overall view of your year. I suspect by this time next year it will be reality.
Lastly, I’m sure some of y’all are curious what SF is like compared to NYC. It’s been a complete 180 shift in lifestyle. SF feels like Vancouver. NYC, on the other hand, pushed my FOMO to the limits. However, I think it was the right choice and I see myself establishing a second “home base” here.
Latest Happenings
- Short Film Festival: As someone who rarely watches TV / movies, I was so pleasantly surprised by this random amateur film festival. It was centered around the Asian immigrant experience and evoked a deep sense of connection with my generation. S/o to Janette for taking me along and making me build tables out of cheap plastic stools.
- Tinkering: My roommate is the biggest tinkerer I know. He built a stove alert system because I kept forgetting to turn it off. He integrated a 40-year-old buzzer system into Telegram so we wouldn’t have to carry keys. He showed me the power of cheap RFID tags. He’s very precious.
- SF Views: Got a chance to visit Baker’s Beach around sunset. It was jaw-dropping. I don’t think there was a single view in all of NYC that can hold a candle to raw, majestic nature. But hey - that might just be me.
- Tony’s Birthday: Not that guys can’t host great parties, but Tony’s birthday-planning skills blew my expectations away. I’m talking snacks imported from Japan, dinner from Tony’s Pizza (~$7 a slice, massive lines), and a fridge stocked with the good stuff. If you don’t know him… you’re missing out :)
Content for Consumption
- Segregation in Bay Area High Schools: Met someone from Lynbrook and then stumbled across this article right after. Super interesting read on sociology.
- Alana Goyal’s Personal Site: Stumbled across this person’s personal site and it was fun. She has great reading / shopping recs.
- Notes on Managing ADHD: Hands down the best resource I’ve ever read on ADHD. I was so compelled that I actually reached out and chatted with Fernando. For anyone who suspects they have some symptoms - it’s worth the time to digest this.
Hou’s Hacks
- Pebble: I just pre-ordered this wearable AI and would urge folks to check it out. It allows you to remind yourself of little things without having to pull out your phone, keeping you in the present moment.
- Aura.Build: If anyone has ever thought about building a personal website, Gemini 3 now makes it easier than ever. This is a great inspo site to show you what is now possible using AI - no coding required.
- Github Repo: Tons of software discounts!