shower thoughts on Joseph Chen

on writing

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 13:50:27 -0500

how does one write in this day and age? what is the value of knowing how to thoughtfully construct words and phrases? is there value to be had in training this skillset? will the future of technology render those countless hours useless? because in this world of ever-decreasing attention span focused on visually-engaging short-form video content, it feels like writing gets left in the dust. i’m wrong though. writing is part of this new generation of content. in fact, writing i’d say is instrumental in it all. i want to be a good writer. i want to be proud of how i encapsulate and express my thoughts into written form. but writing is hard. writing, for me, requires intention, patience, and a certain type of peace. i can’t fully put my finger on what kind of peace i mean. but the type that temporarily blocks all my worries, insecurities, stress, anxieties, fears, and restlessness for just a moment. many are artificial, borne by the environment and society that surrounds me. worries about money. insecurities about self-worth. stress about time and experiences slipping away. anxieties about my relationships or lack there of. fears about my well-being and productivity at work. restlessness about the state of the world, the state of our society, and the state of our future. when we look at humanity from above, what do we see? why don’t we seem to have a shared purpose that unites us all? what are we doing with our lives? the little blips of time and space that we occupy. one blip we’re here. one blip we’re gone. one more blip we’re forgotten. into dust and the vacuum of space. what do we anchor ourselves to then? it seems so easy to get lost in it all. i get lost often. writing, i’m hoping, will be one of my small anchors. but, how does one write? how do we return the favor to those who choose to spend their own time, and thus lifespan, in reading one’s writing? it can’t just be rambling, can it? luckily, i’m just writing to myself. i hope future me won’t be too harsh of a critic. i’m young and a bit adrift. and most importantly, i think i miss my friends. also, working sucks. i really like my team. my manager is super nice and knowledgeable. the other analysts are very cool and smart. the projects are quite interesting. the office is quite neat and modern. the culture is great, warm, and supportive. but working… argh.

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 17:03:17 -0500

crazy how the real world post-education is seemingly built to overwhelm you with problems, burdens, and exhaustion that we can’t properly fight for the things we believe in and care about

i was reading Your Money or Your Life, and it mentioned about the ecological footprint. it’s been so many years since i’ve thought about it, and i did used to care and campaign for environmental change so so much more, whether it be lobbying with my fellow classmates, enacting green programs like composting on-campus, or just educating our peers what proper recycling and potential contamination was. anyways, a bit of a throwback, and i feel like it’s not an isolated problem.

i get that im more overwhelmed with worries about money and the lack of retirement options for my parents, but even my peers endowed with tens of millions or more in inheritance seem to pursue only materialism, whether it be more money, reputation, or accumulation in general. would i be no better in their shoes? is this the intended byproduct of the systems built “for” us? leaves a bad taste in my mouth

Thu, 01 May 2025 23:29:55 -0500

Saw this random tweet on Instagram, who knows if it’s true and it doesn’t really matter to me either. Basically, the question was: can somebody explain the logic of waiting until you have the red to cross the street?

A person said: When my mother first moved to Japan, she tried to jaywalk while pushing a stroller on an empty residential street. She was immediately stopped by an old, well-dressed Japanese man who solemnly told her in perfect English “the downfall of society begins with the individual”

There’s a lot of truth to that statement, yet I find some of the pushback quite relatable, like the frustration of a world increasingly dominated by cars. Collectivism and individualism is also a key conflict. As much as I like individualism to whatever extent my understanding is, it saddens me to see the lack of unity and collectivism in my country. But, back to the topic at hand, jaywalking is fine in many instances. There’s a lot of empty streets in Japan that locals still wait for the green light for. There’s also a lot of empty streets in which they don’t wait for the light. I think there’s a few factors that come into play with that decision for locals. As for me, I just follow what the locals do tbh. If they wait, I’ll wait. If they don’t I don’t. However, I agree that streets should be for the people. The way we move around the city should center around pedestrians first.

There’s a lot more depth to this issue that I’m not covering, of course. Why do lights exist? Why is jaywalking considered bad? etc. This isn’t a fully flushed-out thought, just a random one. (rediscovered for myself a really iconic illustration below)

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 00:00:29 -0500

finished All Quiet on the Western Front today for my NLP class. honestly really appreciated the excuse to read. it was nice not having to worry about not advancing my academic backlog of work and be able to enjoy a nice book. I have wondered oftentimes whether reading a book is similar to watching a tv show, especially if both are fiction. but having not truly read in a while, I can see the benefits of being exposed to more varied, thoughtful, intentional, and creative writing. what a shame that we’re transitioning into a world that no longer substantially rewards those who practice and master the art of writing. in high school, I longed to write as eloquently as the authors I was subjected to read. now, despite my understanding that effort spent is not wasted, it still feels like a waste to devote oneself to a skill so easily mimicked mindlessly. of course, it’s not 100% the same, but even 80% is a skill level largely attainable traditionally through trying practice and time. I can’t even begin to sympathize for artists and designers out there. of course, there are many that can take advantage of newer technologies to grow and succeed. perhaps this is simply another blip in the march of technological growth and its impact. but one can’t seem to pause and consider what might be lost in the process for our generations today.