life on Joseph Chen

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 15:57:00 -0500

pc방s are fire
thank goodness i don’t live in korea
i’d be an alcoholic gamer
to potential employers: i’m ~~half~~ 100% kidding, pls hire me

anyways, i saved watching the first T1 game of the 2026 LCK Spring season for this T1 Basecamp PC방 just for them to be 0-2 by KT. if this keeps up though, T1 might actually make it to Worlds again haha

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:32:00 -0500

found these in hongdae’s KT&G 상상마당!

amabro’s colorful glassware are so pretty. they add such a splash of color to our drinkware repertoire while being great drinking vessels too. form AND function. picked up an espresso cup to gift to José, our wonderful upstairs neighbor who not only checks in on our cats when we’re gone, but also treated gabi and i to dinner and drinks to celebrate gabi’s birthday. such a kind-hearted, sweet person

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:14:00 -0500

hm, there’s a pants-less passed out korean guy in front of my favorite basketball arcade game. it’s a full-color screen running the whole length of the backwall rather than the generic analog number display + has four levels of challenges, two of which i’ve beaten in prior nights. what to do… sooyeon is in disbelief and is traumatized (understandably so) although i would’ve imagined this to be a common occurrence in sinchon near midnight. i, however, just wanted to shoot my mini-hoops and beat the hard difficulty this time around.

update: someone brought in authorities to help the man up and retrieve his pants. sooyeon was not a baller, and it seemed nor was i as victory slyly eluded my grasp once again.

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:45:36 -0500

finally, some thrifting wins!!!!

gabi was calling me in the afternoons through my meetings to ask me to go thrifting with her after work. while i did have something at 7pm, that did still mean i had two hours to go with her (which was on a blue line stop thank goodness 🧎🏻‍♂️). usually i don’t care for thrift stores myself, but it’s always fun to hunt for things for or with gabi. today, as with many of our other thrift trips this past month, was a hunt for a nice fur or wool coat. AND WE FINALLY FOUND BOTH!! (at a very good price hehe)

the first item was a De Novo Crossbar Raglan Coat in gray! it’s a small batch coat retailing over $800 from this one-woman boutique in memphis?? so very dope and in such great quality. fits gabi so well too. 9.5/10

second item was this rabbit fur coat from Elan Furs, a notable furrier from the 1980s Midwest that still operates today. it’s got a bit of cleaning to be done, but quite small jobs. overall, 7.7/10. cool little find! although decently commonplace in the midwest haha

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:56:59 -0500

decided to grab a seat and a bite at Al’s Beef to watch the NFL game, thinking I could maybe catch Chamine’s cheerleading performance at halftime. but little did this oblivious football viewer know was that there are more than one bird mascot in the NFL and that he was watching the Eagles not the Seahawks 😭 the logos are KINDA close no? i think it’s a one-time, honest mistake, even for someone that had a chance to go into the Seahawks’ training facilities 🙃

I only realized this AFTER asking Chamine if she was dancing today bc i decided i should check if it’s actually a live game… to top it off, halftime was just old men yapping too 🤧

the food was good though, was starving.

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:11:29 -0500

finally took the time to setup my automatic after-tax 401(k) contributions + in-plan roth conversion; whew. spent some time re-researching for the 5th time whether to DCA or lump-sum my roth ira, but going to DCA because i’m just a wee scared investor and the opportunity cost will just be the price of mental sanity. other than that, added 5% to my growth tilt for 401(k), fixed up my FIRE spreadsheet to break apart roth and traditional IRA and 401(k), and calculated % of paycheck that I can afford to go to retirement LOL. benefits of having a sizable cash position i guess?? although cash mostly seems only king in a bear market.

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 19:52:16 -0500

gabi and i just finished setting up our christmas tree that arrived early! accompanied by felt ornaments + knitted skirt! 🎄🎄🎄

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 02:00:30 -0500

just made blog #3 haha -> one for the thoughts and musings that feel a little too intimate

i’ll share with you if you care to ask! it’d be nice to think someone reads the words i put out, although i really shared with a small small handful that likely check maybe once a year! which, for the record, i don’t mind as it’s just a lil place for me to write n keep memories

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 19:02:29 -0500

also, i’m in tokyo rn. just landed about 18 hours ago—haven’t slept since and planning to sleep in about 6 hours? just wanted some time to get a change of scenery by myself. tokyo is cold, yet warmer than chicago at the moment haha. it’s the wind chill that gets ya in chicago. i mean there’s a few things in my life i do want to change right now, but need a slight breather to think through them and really get conviction/commitment.

BUT ALSO ERRANDS!

glasses
matcha
shampoo/conditioner
mascara
passport cover
EAT GOOD FOOD
do small things i’ve been meaning to do, like write a bit more c:

honestly did not plan or think through any of this particular visit to japan. i got last-minute accommodations. paid for a whole night and didn’t even sleep. essentially paid $32 for a hot shower and a spot to work from throughout the night, which was more than worth it still. i guess i wanted to revisit solo travel. it was a risk though with me feeling a bit lonely and sad these days. my contacts hurt like 0iajsicjnsakojncakosmjnmkscao. the working hours are AWFUL here LOL. it’s like 11pm to 7am, what the heck! anyways, i gots to go tutor rn. new student—olivia!

20% to FIRE!

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:50:59 -0500

I did have to force myself to look under all the cushions to get there. It definitely sounds nicer than it is, especially with the heck of a bull market in the past 6 months. I know the market is very regularly near all-time highs, and it’s hard to understand what the new normal really is. Is it normal to experience hyperinflation? Is it normal to have your government shut down for weeks? Is it normal to look at the news and just see only hate, violence, pedophilia, drama, death, and prejudice? Is it normal that many of my friends who just graduated college struggle so hard to find even one job in their field of interest? Is it normal that AI dependence, both administratively and emotionally, is seeming to grow at an exponential rate? Is it normal that I feel disappointed in our world? I guess it’s better than being in a global war? At least we’re decaying internally.

It just feels like this FIRE journey is one of pure optimism. Such is the need for the dollar to stop devaluing. Such is the need for everything to stop becoming so abhorrently more expensive everyday. Such is the need for companies to prioritize social benefits over shareholder value and profit. Such is the need for politicians care about their constituents.

Every single day. Goodbye Social Security. Goodbye SNAP disbursements. Goodbye Medicaid. Goodbye political cooperation. Goodbye social unity.

What kind of safety net is needed to feel safe?

Probably the kind that you don’t need to work for? The kind you already have? Sighs, the envy for the more privileged is up-surfacing again. I should probably go figure out what that means. Security as a birthright versus security as a lifelong project are two different lives completely I feel. And that feeling scares me as I question whether this pursuit of security has instead left something in the wayside. Something that only at the point of a self-decided point of security I then realize I had lost in the process. The pursuit of happiness? The pursuit of personal interest? The pursuit of the arts? I have no clue. I try to balance it all. I try to be intentional about being intentional, so that these regrets don’t happen.

But, to be free already at birth. Isn’t that a beauty?

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 14:43:00 -0500

today i got my portable foldable keyboard so i can type more posts! had to turn off auto-capitalization so the keyboard can function as a real keyboard. hoping i get into writing more and updating myself on my life. i can’t hope to solve my problems through buying new gadgets, but still i hope this helps :)

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 08:48:44 -0500

i just saw a lady on the sidewalk being blocked by a tiny bird that wouldn’t budge. she nudged it and the birdie didn’t want to move. so she gently picked it up and continued walking with the birdie perched on her open palm. made my sad morning a bit better :)

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 08:24:11 -0500

yesterday sweetgreen comped my meal and i genuinely really needed that 😭 thank you kind manager

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:01:12 -0500

honestly, chicago summer is a vibe

shoutout Oam’s place @ 73 East Lake, what a spot

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 17:02:22 -0500

just parted ways with mimi, and it honestly feels quite devastating

a few happy points:

I sold it to danh, a berkeley student that I met and chatted with before who was in the same club as gabi
he’s an avid miata fan, and he drove mimi without hesitation and with a lot of enjoyment, consideration, and appreciation
he’s converting her into a manual with a mechanic friend, which honestly is a good thing; miatas are meant to be driven manual (I’ve never driven manuals, so I can’t FULLY back that up haha), and it means a lot of genuine time, effort, and care for mimi
he drove it down to los angeles (where his mechanic friend is) midnight the same day I handed the keys off to him + took mimi to the clouds to see the world a bit more and said that mimi was simply amazing

i honestly feel like I shouldn’t be sad. i was able to give mimi a new partner who seems to appreciate her already as much as i do. but it’s an end of an era. she was a key cornerstone to my college life and my experience in Berkeley. i drove her to visit friends, to go on dates, to see the bay from the hills, to go escape the college town and visit new spots in norcal, to play music, to talk about life, to relax, to grab groceries… to just make college life just click into place. as much as i’m sentimental, i really thought i was more prepared for this.

at first, everyone told me that it wasn’t a smart choice to get her. she had high mileage; she was older than me even; she was a small, low car, easily overlooked and hidden in blind spots; and she wasn’t practical. of course, i listened to all their inputs with consideration, but at the end, i make my own decisions, and i thought she was the one. my parents was insisting that i get the newest model if anything; i said it’s honestly her or nothing. i really didn’t care to have the means to drive. after all, i had an electric bike, electric longboard, access to a daily, free ebike-sharing program (Veo), good and discounted public transit, and two healthy legs—all in a relatively small and accessible town. my mom at the end gave in and gave me her green light. did i really need it? no, but there’s some things that as a child, you should respect. one of which is your parents' somewhat reasonable concerns about your safety. not long after Mimi became under my care, everyone started appreciating and loving her. i mean, honestly, i didn’t know what the fuss was all about in the first place. just look at her!

she showed me the joy of driving—not as a means to other enjoyment, but rather the enjoyment itself. she taught me preparedness, keeping me stocked with a portable jumper and tire inflator haha. she helped me enjoy the outdoors more, taking me to hills afar, hikes over yonder, and the stars above. she also mentored gabi how to drive, was there for her to help her pass her DMV licensure, enabled her to have a hot girl summer (whatever that means), and was always in gabi’s corner without hesitation through the ups and downs.

i’m thankful, so thankful, that i was fiscally able to take care of mimi as well. maintenance is important, yet a pretty penny at times. i do wish i learned how to take care of it all myself, but i fear i lacked the time, tools, and mental headspace during school. however, i fortunately did not lack the understanding that if i did not have the time and ability, i needed to find someone who did and compensate them for mimi’s health. i didn’t need to junk her. i didn’t need to resort to some random, potentially careless, person to take care of her next. i didn’t let her become someone’s track car throwaway.

instead, i hope, and i believe, that she will be well taken care of. she was, and still is, truly loved, and she will, to the best of my ability and hopes, continue to be loved and appreciated.

thank you mimi. for every moment. i hope you get to continue seeing the world and travel freely and fully. i shall miss you dearly, and i hope to see you again soon. i’ll learn to drive stick just for you :D

as a bit of context for the texts below, danh says Mimi, gabi and i say mimi

first FIRE update

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 03:27:00 -0500

16.99% to FIRE

tbf my FIRE amount will constantly change, likely to be a further and further goalpost, especially as inflation hits harder and harder, lifestyle creep & expectations, unknowns, likely economic recession/underperformance, tax consideration, etc.

but hey, 17%!

Sat, 24 May 2025 22:06:51 -0500

selling mimi! hopefully i find her a super good owner :) listed 6000 OBO

well... i just graduated

Wed, 21 May 2025 19:50:59 -0500

I feel like there’s a lot to unpack, yet I’m still in the same constantly-on mode as I was this whole semester. It’s hard for me to really think, like there’s some kind of invisible weight on the top of my head. I think I’ll wait until later this summer to slowly let out some thoughts.

Just wanted to at least put an update out, especially since I’m not doing really anything at this particular minute.

This past week, though, has been hectic. Had to:

Take over repairs and maintenance for the condo I grew up in as parents have long been pretty mid + unbothered landlords and neglecting some much needed work: talked quotes, soothed frustrated residents, negotiated w/ contractors, coordinated HOA for water shut-offs, trying to figure out whether I’m getting a fair price or not, ensuring contract was somewhat bullet-resistant, taking initiative w/ gestures of goodwill, and just constant CALLS, CALLS, CALLS. However, the work should finish up tomorrow or the day after, which will hopefully offer some much-needed reprieve. Not sure if I’ll write up something about this, but tl;dr is old type-m cheap copper pipes, pinhole leaks -> water damage, doing full repipe w/ PEX-A + adaptors, issues w/ sharing lines, + drywall restoration.
Help w/ my mom’s car repairs. Was making a pretty bad noise + driving poorly. I advised her to go to a trusted local/independent mechanic rather than a dealership, and I even sent a few over to her that I vetted. She ended up at the dealership, but luckily, it was a pretty reasonably-priced inspection, and I was able to convince her to take the repairs at a trusted mechanic, which saved over $1000 overall. There could’ve been a few upsells like air filters, but honestly well-priced ones, so why not. They might’ve genuinely needed a change + it’s not like my parents would change those themselves. Win-win in my books. They get a bit more business + we get good prices on the larger repairs like changing the brake rotors and pads that she wore down.
Follow up on my two student’s college things, which I need to do later today as well, as they’re not staying on top of registration and other tasks despite promises to do so. I love working with them, but goodness it’s frustrating because I can’t be there for them all the time.
Catching up with United work: set up laptop for better access to Foundry + heads down/deep work. Lots and lots to do and figure out, sighs.
Parents came over for general commencement + broke the PS5 and showerhead within the 20 hours they stayed at the house, so had to get those repaired. Shopped around for PS5 hdmi repair quotes (ranged from $150-180) and found this goated shop that gave me a student discount to total $88 after taxes. Shoutout Quickfix Wireless on Telegraph. Evan (LL and roommate) handled the showerhead, ty.
Packing + moving + parents + graduation + social + dinners/chats w/ ppl’s parents + all of that. Not really stressful like the rest, but rather the fun and freeing side of the week.
IPIRA + RDI, need to get a move on those.
Final grades are rolling out. One professor mixed me up with another “Chen” and gave me a B instead of an A-. Actually had me so pmo for the last 24 hours, but he resolved it, thank goodness. Thought I needed to file a grade appeal or something for the first time in my college career because that was the most unwarranted B I ever gotten. In comparison, I’m happy to settle with an A-. After all, this professor is notorious with random grading that favors student athletes, finance bros/gals, and his inner circle of students. I, for one, am not part of that, but I did my fair share of the participation and work, so an A- is honestly quite reasonable. As for CS61C, I think I ended with a B+, which was better than my original hope for a B-, yet falls just short of an A-. Given I learned almost 75% of the course content in the two weeks leading up to the final. It’s a fair B+. Had I put in some effort into the class besides the bare minimum throughout the semester, I think I would have gotten an A-, although one could argue I wouldn’t have studied as hard as I did had I not been and justifiably felt so unprepared for the final. Seeing if I can clutch up an A-, but I think I’m, again, just short of the cut-off. Can’t have it all haha. Should be happy with what I have and how I did on the exam tbh. Went from -0.55 z-score to a positive one, which then clobbered the bad midterm performance.
Still tutoring, too :P

Anyways, a little psychological analysis if you don’t mind. Apparently, I’m (as well as many others for sure) in this state of cognitive fatigue and decision overload, a state where my prefrontal cortex (responsible for planning, focusing, and regulating emotions) is worn down from a long period of sustained mental effort. Like muscle fatigue, but for executive function. So, brain is genuinely exhausted. Additionally, chronic stress hormones are still being produced as our bodies have been running on cortisol and adrenaline for months, so that fight or flight is still basically on. Makes it hard to feel peace, rest, or process emotions. There’s also this psychological transition lag that psychologists call “liminal space” (an in-between zone after one identity ends (student) and before the next fully forms (adult/corporate cog/etc?). And apparently the brain dislikes this uncertainty and loss of structure, so it creates a weird emotional “buzz” where things can feel frozen or numb. Last concept would be the rest paradox, where rest after being in the hustle mode long enough can feel quite uncomfortable and even stressful as my brain associates idleness with being “unproductive” so it keeps scanning for tasks, making it hard to decompress. However, it’s right though as I do have a lot of tasks still, even after graduating, which I find ridiculous T.T let me travel and relax already.

All of it should pass with time as the nervous system rebalances and I actually finish some of the tasks on my plate :)

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” ― John Lubbock, The Use Of Life

Sat, 03 May 2025 16:20:40 -0500

Still struggling w/ passing California smog with my Miata. The P0012 code is quite sticky, and I’ve spent over $300 to date trying to resolve it. I just applied for the BAR CAP (Consumer Assistance Program) to get some money towards further repairs like looking at the timing belt + gears. Hopefully, they’ll get back to me with an approval within 2 weeks. Overall, though, really exhausted + disappointed I wasn’t able to find a way to pass smog today. Even drove highways to try to set all the monitors, but ended up just setting the CEL before the monitors were ready.

On the bright side, got Boichik bagels, fruits, and veggies today!

Sat, 03 May 2025 00:56:37 -0500

started playing Starcraft II again, fun fun fun

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:28:45 -0500

sorry to myself that I have been blogging much/tweeting much. super hectic end of sem. have so much to get done; slogging away it seems. took grad pics today! got mimi to mechanic to get her checked out for her check engine light. fingers crossed that works out. but rn, quite quite sick. head is awful. body is warm. throat feeling scratchy? just overall fatigued and unmotivated. terrible timing. had a volleyball skill assessment today to as like a PE class final, and after coming back home, I was basically out of commission for five hours. ggs. here’s a sneak pic of grad photos!

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 10:14:35 -0500

12% to FIRE @ 40 🔥

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 23:47:28 -0500

been in chicago the past few days, enjoying it a lot. had a day with amazing weather. met up with lucy and her friends to celebrate her “unemployment” day. they were fun to chat with throughout the night. wicker park was pretty dope, although I do see a lot of locals complaining about its gentrification and sterile-ness at times. thinking of where i should live in chicago… though, the city itself has taken me again. it’s cleaner & more affordable than NYC. it’s cleaner & more affordable & livelier than SF. those are just my two cents and my own lived experiences and opinions. biking by the lakefront, though, just up gold coast, was just wonderful.

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 04:42:28 -0500

things i gotta get done over the break (a rough draft)

some top-level goals:

enjoy miami w/ evan and gabi + chat w/ evan & help figure out gameplan after umiami visit
check out chicago neighborhoods & chicago food/museum scene oam the goat for housing me and gabi

some immediate goals (like tmr 💀):

pray that i make the plane from nighttime SFO-MIA tmr (4:1), if not, probably midnight IAD (9:5) then early morning MIA (decently open iirc) 🙏🙏🙏 (MADE IT 🙌🙌🙌)
reply rohit about work-related things ✅
call up the “neighbor” for insurance deets ⚠️
start & finish 61c lab ✅ (forgot for a sec so used 2 slip days)
ipira meeting ❌ + rdi siteimprov work ✅
cry over retainer realignment pain (have them off right now and savoring each second before the inevitable pain agony misery despair melancholy depression) ✅
nlp meeting for ap3 ✅
can’t think of anything else, oh… weather check + pack!!!!! 🛄✈️ 📦✅

just general goals (only a week, no need for that much depth):

TBD, it’s 2:30am rn

mimi aint passing smog check, pain

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 16:39:57 -0500

ok why does everything cost money?

so went to get my smog checked, $30 regardless if pass or fail failed, obviously by the title, and it’s because error code P0012 - “A” Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Retarded Bank 1. just great because I diagnosed this issue months and months ago and found that it’s not only a common problem on the Miata NB, but also very hard to find the root cause…

ok so after an hour dooming and researching outside because I can’t sell my car without passing smog. I found the California CAP (consumer assistance program) which can help cover costs of repair up to X amount if I qualify. well I’m on CalFresh so I do, but it’s a joint ownership so I’m worried my mom will disqualify mimi for it. sighs.

anyways I went to a cafe to collect my thoughts bc the smog check place said it’d be $150 for diagnosis.

I called Fred’s Warehouse and didn’t really know what to say tbh. kinda out of my field of expertise. are they able to diagnose over the phone? is there even a point telling him my error code? like what?? anyways he was a bit stern but nice and straightforward, said that I should check my oil as a first measure since it can affect the camshaft position. that I knew but I guess I got overwhelmed by the tens and tens of other issues that could cause this error code on mimi. also he said $175 for diagnosis, pain.

so I was like okay, let’s oil change mimi myself bc I should learn anyways and I like doing DIY. but tell me why miata owners say the oil/filter the most inconveniently located place for NB?! also I don’t want to hurt myself, hurt the car, and have a mess to deal with like waste oil. so yeah, it was not worth my time right now as I’m a college student without much time nor tools. sooooo, looked at places to get my oil changed and I was like might as well get my leaking tire fixed.

so tires. I called DC Tires bc a AAA mechanic brought gabi and mimi there once to get a new tire and apparently a really good experience + good price. they were indeed nice and said they got nothing that old in stock, that being 24 years old model. fair. they recommended me to buy a tire online and they can switch it for me. as for oil change, they didn’t do it but referred me to an oil change shop, which would top off my other fluids, too. not sure what other fluids there are tbh. i know there are other fluids, but how good is that deal persay.

anyways, my smog test place also did oil changes and they were nice. $60 was their quote, but they told me to first check if I need a top-off or an oil change, and that I shouldn’t do an oil change if unnecessary. hence why I like that place in general, solid advice. so, I guess that’s the next step. something about a dipstick and oil level. sighs.

the nice reprieve is that all these places (DC, Fred’s, and 15min) seemed pretty helpful and considerate and gave me tips to move towards resolving the issues I brought up w/o necessarily trying to upsell me their services. for that, I am quite appreciative, esp. given the poor reputation the mechanic/car industry as a whole has in their treatment and exploitation of the uninformed and poor.

registration apparently expiring in two days, what to do. got an exam that day, too, which I’m behind on, so that takes priority. being broke is tough. but just fyi, at least in cali, I already paid the registration fee so I won’t get charged late fees, but when my tag expires in the two days, I can technically get pulled over and get fix-it tickets, which should be resolved once I, yk, fix the problem in question. impt thing is: avoid public parking. apparently u can just get parking tickets for incomplete registration, which is the case here. sighs.

“it is expensive to be poor” - james baldwin