{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "Joseph Chen", "icon": "https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2025/49/1741149.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/", "feed_url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/07/02/lisbon-portugal-a-most-fortuitous.html", "title": "Lisbon, Portugal — A Most Fortuitous Diversion", "content_html": "

Above Europe, clouds retreat, rivers shrink, and the sky burns white as the continent braces beneath an impossible heat. Mother Nature whispers, “Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one”—and unleashes Vollzanbel once more upon the continent.

\n

Our original destination was Vienna—home of majestic baroque architecture, bustling traditional coffee houses, and a vibrant art scene. The one and only City of Music. But nature commanded otherwise, sealing the city beneath a hundred-degree veil of heat. For what reason, for what punishment, none of us could say. Alas, when we arrived in Zürich from Chicago on LX7, we turned tail to Lisbon whose city had escaped, miraculously, the initial onslaught. So, onwards we went, embarking on LX2086 and allowing Baltic Air to generously ferry us to the few remaining safe havens of Europe for the week.

\n

What met us there was what we needed. For one of our party members, the bard Ming, had endured a year of torturous indoctrination at N.W. Feinberg, where he mastered legendary techniques of stretching and massage and learned the arcane tongue: “Tell me if this hurts.” At last, he had earned a week’s reprieve for a brief yet desperately needed retreat—one which I, in an act of unparalleled mercy and charity, graciously organized. The other was our resident healer, Lady N—not to be mistaken for Lady M, the legendary New England producer of baked wares—who spent her days treating the realm’s smallest patients, armed only with a stethoscope and immunity to screaming. She had likewise earned temporary release from her post. Together, our weary fellowship descended upon Lisbon in search of rest, wine, and deliverance.

\n

And so, from our lodgings near Martim Moniz, our fellowship spent the days that followed wandering Lisbon in search of fine provisions, worthy drink, and whatever mercy its hills might grant us. Of the many establishments encountered along the way, these were deemed most worthy of entry into the chronicle:

\n\n

Thus concluded our brief adventure in Lisbon. We had crossed the continent not by design, but by decree of the heavens, driven westward by heat and delivered instead into a city of steep hills, tiled façades, generous wine, and meals worthy of remembrance. What began as a retreat from nature’s wrath became something better: a few precious days in which the bard rested, the healer laid down her instruments, and our weary fellowship ate, drank, wandered, and—for a little while—was restored.

\n

At last, we departed aboard TAP243, where, by fortune or divine favor, our party was granted passage in the cabin of the privileged few. Reclining upon cushioned thrones above the clouds, we returned home bearing painted relics, a shepherd’s cloak, several pins, and the solemn conviction that no hill in Lisbon had ever been designed with mercy in mind.

\n

p.s. i was listening to a Frieren-inspired playlist which may have influenced my writing a wee bit

\n

more photos here:
\nazulejos — lisbon, portugal
\nviews of tagus — lisbon, portugal

\n

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-02T12:50:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/07/02/lisbon-portugal-a-most-fortuitous.html", "tags": ["cities","travel"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/06/19/tt.html", "content_html": "

今は日本語を勉強します。
\nとても難しいです。
\n大学では日本語を勉強できませんでした。
\n勉強したかったんですが、時間がかかりすぎました。\nもっと勉強しないと。\nT.T

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-19T15:51:03-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/06/19/tt.html" }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/06/08/httpsredditrecscom.html", "title": "https://redditrecs.com/", "content_html": "

ooooo another cool website popping out: https://redditrecs.com/\nit scraps reddit threads, cleans them, and summarizes product recommendations; honestly, a really good usecase, and it’s currently free!\nmonetization is through affiliate marketing—makes sense!

\n

\"\"\"\"

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-08T12:53:12-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/06/08/httpsredditrecscom.html", "tags": ["tech"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/06/07/diving-into-the-world-of.html", "title": "diving into the world of IEMs", "content_html": "

gotten obsessed with a new “hobby” recently: IEMs!

\n

i was gifted a pair half a year ago from gabi, a really pretty set called TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero:BLUE2, but i lost in a month ago!!! the reason why i had even initially gotten into this “hobby” is because i wanted a good set of wired headphones for when i fly! those airplane earbuds are always awful, and i no longer have the capacity to bring my bulky sony xm5s despite having paid good money for them.

\n

anyways, that set worked so well for what i wanted it to do! just sucks that i used it so often at work and elsewhere that it disappeared. i suspect i did not lose it but rather had it taken from my unmanned desk one fateful night. to think my workplace would be safe. since then, i have dug into the rabbit hole much more to replace them—ending up with 5 new IEMs (best in their budget class of $10, $15, $20, $30, and $50 for research purpose) alongside 3 sets of eartips (bc that’s just how the “hobby” goes).

\n

i “”ed hobby because it’s just me spending money on things. i guess that’s a hobby still, just like how shopping and travel can be considered hobbies, albeit arguably generic, possibly boring responses. may post again once the rest of my haul comes—this little haul with a cheap IEM is just to get me by for now haha

\n\"\"\n", "date_published": "2026-06-07T22:37:34-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/06/07/diving-into-the-world-of.html", "tags": ["hobbies"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/21/korean-ground-beef-rice-bowl.html", "title": "korean ground beef rice bowl", "content_html": "

source/inspo: The Recipe Critic

\n

yap\ni’ve made this since my college days, and it’s a very solid meal prep / quick yums meal. takes less than half an hour to prepare!

\n

ingredients (4 servings)

\n\n

steps

\n
    \n
  1. in a skillet, heat up the minced garlic until fragrant (30s or so, dont let them burn!!) then add your ground beef and break it all up into bits over medium heat until no longer pink.
    2. \n
  2. while you’re waiting for it to cook, make the sauce/glaze. in a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes, and pepper. set aside.
    3. \n
  3. when the beef is no longer pink, drain the grease and pour the sauce/glaze over the ground beef and let it simmer for another min or two.
    4. \n
  4. serve over hot rice + garnish with green onions and sesame seeds
    5. \n
\n

tips

\n\n\"\"\n", "date_published": "2026-04-21T11:47:41-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/21/korean-ground-beef-rice-bowl.html", "tags": ["recipes"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/20/dont-let-the-fear-of.html", "content_html": "

Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.

\n

Earl Nightingale, shared by Olivia

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-20T18:07:32-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/20/dont-let-the-fear-of.html", "tags": ["quotes","motivation"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/04/3df636.html", "content_html": "

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

\n

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

\n

\"A\"\"\"\"\"\"\"Two

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-04T15:57:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/04/3df636.html", "tags": ["life","travel"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/03/seoul-south-korea.html", "title": "신구멍가게24 — seoul, south korea", "content_html": "

i have quite the number of ramen reviews to catch up on, i think 3?! i really need to work on them… can’t just keep them in my head and scattering of notes, else i’ll forget them all.

\n

anyways, i somehow found myself on a quick solo-trip to seoul this past week. i was pretty hesitant about it, especially as my outflow last month exceeded my net cash inflow by a bit over 100%. quite horrendous. but, it was forecasted to rain in chicago this past week + i wanted to see w/ my friend sooyeon + i haven’t been excited about or interested in solo-trips in a worrying while. needed to see for myself why that was the case. so, i pushed myself to go, even though that desire to stay home was bordering victory up until i received a seat on my korean air flight to incheon. it was only then that i actually committed mentally to go.

\n

that’s the context behind why i was, and still am, in seoul. my dear friend sooyeon, when i asked her what ramen spot i should check out while i was here, directed me to convenience store ramen. truthfully, i also did not see any ramen places during my 4 days of city exploration thus far either. regardless, instant ramen seems to be such an integral part of the ramen culture in south korea, and it only made sense to experience it firsthand.

\n

i went to this 24/7 unmanned instant ramen spot near sogang university. there were plentiful amounts of snacks, drinks, and other goodies all around the whole store; every purchase was reliant on trust, although i’m sure shoplifting has more serious enforcement and consequences in south korea. in the corner was the ramen booth—its walls infilled with columns and columns of different instant ramen brands and flavors. for my first ramen, i chose a pretty safe bet: 농심 사리곰탕면 (Nongshim Sarigomtangmyun). based on gomtang, a traditional korean beef bone soup, it tasted pretty decent. not as rich and flavorful as the real thing, but it was nice, clean, and soothing with notes of garlic, green onion, and pepper. definitely not a go-to option for visitors as it wasn’t even part of the instant ramen leaderboard (last photo) sighs. for my second ramen, i opted for a popular one on the board: 오뚜기 진라면 순한맛 (Ottogi Jin Ramen Mild). honestly, i could’ve and should’ve gone for the spicy version. the mild was quite mild, although packed much more flavor and richness. there was a little bzzbzz on the lips, but very mild spiciness overall, esp. for koreans i bet. noodles seem thicker, which i do like quite a bit!

\n

overall, what a cool experience! it is still instant ramen though guys…

\n\n

refer: ramen review sheet

\n

\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-03T05:32:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/03/seoul-south-korea.html", "tags": ["ramen"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/02/found-these-in-hongdaes-ktg.html", "content_html": "

found these in hongdae’s KT&G 상상마당!

\n

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

\n

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-02T16:32:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/02/found-these-in-hongdaes-ktg.html", "tags": ["life"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/02/hm-theres-a-pantsless-passed.html", "content_html": "

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.

\n

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.

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-02T16:14:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/02/hm-theres-a-pantsless-passed.html", "tags": ["life"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/01/heytea-has-a-seoulexclusive-drink.html", "content_html": "

heytea has a seoul-exclusive drink, at least when i was there in hongdae
\nit’s a hand-peeled jeju tangerine drink: tangerine pulp sits at the base, topped with a slush of 100% tangerine juice and fragrance-free jasmine green tea, and naturally tinted with beetroot juice.
\noverall, was pretty good. more of a slushie than the typical heytea drink.

\n

sooyeon had the classic mango pomelo sago, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. was her first time in heytea, and she could not stop admiring how good it was and how appreciatively unsweetened the drink was. i did ask her if she liked it enough to come back again, and she said maybe next year given that the walk was a bit far for her… ps: the walk is only 30 min from campus

\n\"\"\n", "date_published": "2026-04-01T16:24:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/04/01/heytea-has-a-seoulexclusive-drink.html", "tags": ["travel","food"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/03/20/monster-ramen-chicago-illinois.html", "title": "monster ramen — chicago, illinois", "content_html": "

anna had suggested we try this all together next, so here we are! the wait was zilch because anna had walked in ahead of time to grab us a spot (thank you anna)

\n

this spot is pretty well-known in chicago. it’s a small, but cozy venue. they specialize in beef-based broth, which is a switch-up from the typical tonkotsu broth. gabi had the shio house which is gyukotsu, beef jam (seemingly ground beef), shio tare, yuzu, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. anna and i had the shio tokusei, which consisted of the same, but with beef chashu, red onions, menma (which i donated to gabi), and ajitama (also donated to gabi, sorry im a picky guy).

\n

i honestly quite enjoyed it. the broth is quite good and complex with a good balance of oil. the yuzu helps add some acidity and slight citrussy, while the sharpness and slight sweetness of the red onions did a banger job imo. i do wish i wrote this earlier, as i do forget that was the enjoyable part for sure. the noodles were not bad. they were hakata-style, which i enjoyed, but was a bit bland. the weakness here was the beef chashu… it was quite dry, and the beef jam did a much better job at adding umami, although it did essentially still taste like marinated ground beef haha. the aftertaste of the meal was a slight saltiness, nothing some water and drinks wouldn’t fix.

\n

perhaps the beef chashu was a one-time issue, but will not know until i try it again. however, i would likely come back again for the uniqueness of the broth itself (unless future spots deem it unnecessary). the other ramens in their menu seem to have their own charm as well, but the gyukotsu broth itself already breaks the occasional monotony of ramen broth i’ve had thus far.

\n\n

refer: ramen review sheet

\n

\n", "date_published": "2026-03-20T20:31:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/03/20/monster-ramen-chicago-illinois.html", "tags": ["ramen"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/03/05/ichiran-fukuoka-hq-fukuoka-japan.html", "title": "ichiran fukuoka hq — fukuoka, japan", "content_html": "

i love ichiran. it’s consistent and balanced. it’s nothing special, but that’s also what i enjoy about it LOL

\n

i do wish they had an option to serve pork chashu, not just pork shoulder/butt, but i get why. it’s easier + helps balance the overall ramen from being too fatty. i thoroughly enjoy the hakata-style noodles, which are long and thin. additionally, for those who haven’t tried, ichiran has a order form that you can customize the one ramen bowl they serve. i usually get the noodle medium or firm, the broth medium to rich, dashi medium, full clove of garlic, green onion, and mild spicy (although higher is nice too).

\n

a lot of ramen enthusiasts think ichiran is overrated, and it honestly can be. but, it’s the one that is often open 24/7 and gets me a tasty bowl of ramen i KNOW i’ll enjoy. i don’t need to evaluate the menu, don’t need to talk to anyone, and don’t need to think about anything. would i wait an hour in line for it? no. would i pay more than $15 for a bowl? no. but, typically, i don’t need to! the bowl is like less than $10. the wait is little-to-none when i go, otherwise i wouldn’t go. and, i also always get a bowl of rice to add into the broth at the end to finish it off. it’s so delish, and i’m salivating thinking about it rn (i’m starving at the time of writing this)

\n

esp. since i can customize many aspects to my liking, the rating may be higher than average.

\n\n

refer: ramen review sheet

\n

\"\"\"\"

\n", "date_published": "2026-03-05T04:40:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/03/05/ichiran-fukuoka-hq-fukuoka-japan.html" }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/02/09/the-summer-house-by-masashi.html", "title": "The Summer House by Masashi Matsuie (Translated by Margaret Mitsutani) [2025]", "content_html": "

i thought it was a beautiful read
\nit was a slow book, a slice of life novel
\nyoung love and all its dramatized secrecy, emotions, honesty, confusion, purity, and fallouts
\nolder mature relationships and all its endearment, complexities, and realities
\nan incredibly warm portrayal of community and companionship
\nthe soft envelopment of dedicated, enriching work (wish this was me lol)
\nthe unbridled joy of creation
\nthe eerily silent yet quick passage of time where days and arcs seem long yet years and decades fly
\nand scattered throughout, a humble view into the world of architecture

\n", "date_published": "2026-02-09T20:02:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/02/09/the-summer-house-by-masashi.html", "tags": ["reads"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/31/higuma-paris-france.html", "title": "higuma — paris, france", "content_html": "

after helping gabi shop for gloves, i saw that Higuma was nearby and wanted to try it out for the sake of it. it was heavily-reviewed and sat at a comfortable 4.2 stars. more importantly, the ramen was around 10 euros or so.

\n

we waited about 3 minutes, but when we left, the queue was around the block. the shop, though, was a canteen-style ramen shop, so it was not only big, but also seemed to churn food and people quickly. so, that queue around the block probably would’ve taken 20 minutes to clear. the ramen was alright. i ordered the butter corn ramen, which was a pork-based shio broth. the noodle was a typical thin noodle that i liked, but nothing special and gabi thought it had a store-bought taste to it, which i can’t tell. i felt the broth to be quite light and shallow honestly, which i was expecting due to the heavy shio ramen criticism in the reviews. shio, unlike other types of seasoning, can’t elevate/hide mediocre broth as much. it wasn’t hearty. the toppings were okay, kinda just tossed in without much regard for balance as you’d expect honestly from this canteen-styled restaurant format. the pork chashu was very tender, but gabi wished it was more flavorful and marinated. i thought it was decent by itself. the corn was just corn, nothing inspirational like good sweet corn. however, the amount of butter seemed a bit much? after the midpoint of the meal, the broth just became much too fatty without much richness or depth in flavor. overall, was an average ramen in a pinch. which it scores under an average score of 6, that’s not considering the cost. at 11 euros for my bowl, or 10 euros for a regular shoyu/shio/miso ramen, it hits an average value. the post-meal aftertaste was gray. instead of a cozy, comforting fullness, i felt a bit lethargic and very so slightly nauseous. it’s the butter i swear.

\n\n

refer: ramen review sheet

\n

\"\"\"\"

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-31T14:58:58-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/31/higuma-paris-france.html", "tags": ["food","ramen"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/31/takesan-donabe-ramen-paris-france.html", "title": "takesan donabe ramen — paris, france", "content_html": "

since committing my mind to this ramen blog series, i’ve been waiting for my next ramen plunge excitedly. somehow, that ended up to be in paris. a bit far, but home of a rich culinary culture and history.

\n

there were a few spots on my list:

\n\n

however, the queue for Kodawari Ramen (both locations) was very long. good thing is that we could just queue online and walk around the area; however, the queue timing was pretty inaccurate, often for the better. it’d say 3 hours wait, but have a seat for you in half of that. but that would mean we weren’t in the area yet… next time for those two! they’ve been mentioned as a contender for the best ramen in europe, sooooo i’ll definitely try them in the near future.

\n

back to Takesan Donabe Ramen. it was pretty solid. the wait was minimal, and the ambience was good. they specialized in miso ramen, but i wanted something light and opted for the tonkotsu shoyu ramen, aka iekei ramen. the noodles were quite thick, like chinese noodles. i didn’t mind them, and they had a nice bite! i just prefer thinner noodles for my ramen, but nothing wrong with these. for toppings, i had bamboo shoots, roasted seaweed, and spinach. no bamboo shoots for me this time again (maybe in future i’ll grow into them bc seems important LOL), but seaweed and spinach was yummy. i love spinach, and it paired nicely. the chashu was sliced thinly and leaned on the fatter profile, but was tender and good. the broth was nice and light, although didn’t have enough depth imo. refreshingly light still. overall, ate it all up and had me wanting more.

\n\n

refer: ramen review sheet

\n

\"\"\"\"

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-31T14:23:40-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/31/takesan-donabe-ramen-paris-france.html", "tags": ["food","ramen"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/22/finally-some-thrifting-wins-gabi.html", "content_html": "

finally, some thrifting wins!!!!

\n

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)

\n

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

\n

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

\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-23T00:45:36-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/22/finally-some-thrifting-wins-gabi.html", "tags": ["life"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/19/akahoshi-ramen-chicago-illinois.html", "title": "akahoshi ramen — chicago, illinois", "content_html": "

this shop is widely known as one of the top, if not the top, ramen spots in chicago. did not realize that, tbh, until gabi and i went on a saturday afternoon. they open 5-9 everyday, and we were there by 5:15. by then, despite over half of the tables typically reserved for walk-ins, there was a large queue which took us 2 hours to overcome. i was starving, but i honestly wanted to get ramen and we were already there.

\n

but, soon enough, we were sitting down in a long bench and quickly got our food. i ordered the standard Akahoshi Miso ramen. to be honest, im no ramen connoisseur by any means. i just really like ramen without much understanding about its complexities. i don’t know exactly what kinds of ramen i like and what kinds i don’t, but this new #category is what im here to discover for myself.

\n

so, back to the miso ramen. honestly, it was the best ramen i’ve had in months. the noodles were bouncy and had a good, squiggly texture. the chashu was absolutely amazing: tender, balanced, charred, wonderful. definitely one of my most memorable chashu place along with Ramenwell in SF I had years ago. the other toppings were great: bean sprouts kept a nice crunch and the green onion provided the needed freshness and balance. the broth, though, was a bit light—surprising for this mixed miso broth as i thought it’d be more heavy, fermented, strong. other than that, great!

\n

overall, would definitely revisit and try a different tare ramen. i don’t think im a huge miso ramen guy but they did it well enough that i enjoyed it without any issue. the owner/chef seems like a great, helpful, and warm part of the ramen community (esp. on reddit as u/Ramen_Lord) and knows his craft well + has a soothing humbleness from what i can read.

\n\n

here’s my newly-started ramen review sheet

\n

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-20T00:21:12-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/19/akahoshi-ramen-chicago-illinois.html", "tags": ["food","ramen"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/12/today-gabi-and-i-cut.html", "content_html": "

today, gabi and i cut each other’s hair in the bathroom w/ our new hair shears (went decent? i was traumatized cutting hair with no background and having never seen how cosmetologists cut long hair) + took skiffy bby to the vet to get his annual checkup and his blood drawn for a baseline! he was the bestest baby and all the vet staff super loved him :D

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\n", "date_published": "2026-01-13T00:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/12/today-gabi-and-i-cut.html" }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/11/decided-to-grab-a-seat.html", "content_html": "

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 🙃

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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 🤧

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the food was good though, was starving.

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\"A\"\"

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-12T00:56:59-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/11/decided-to-grab-a-seat.html", "tags": ["life"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/11/intro-to-personal-finance-investing.html", "title": "intro to personal finance, investing", "content_html": "

hi there! :) excited? i love personal finance, but i am by no means an expert. but regardless, i shall do my best with what i know to provide an easy and warm intro to future-proofing your life financially and ensuring you don’t miss TOO much of the opportunities that only time and an early start gives.

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risk and return

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let’s talk investing! there’s a lot of different ways to save and invest, and they vary in two aspects: risk and return. risk can be simply defined as probability of losing on your investment, and return is typically just how much you gain or earn as a percentage of your investment. if one desires a higher investment return, they must, in 99% of cases, accept more risk. for example, if you keep your money in the bank, it’s typically the most risk-free. you don’t really gain much, especially if the money is not in a high-yield savings account (HYSA). but at the same time, you don’t stand a lose it, unless the bank goes ‘rupt’. even then, FDIC (the us government) typically steps in to protect insured deposits up to $250k, so it’s pretty risk-free. on the other hand, if you had invested it all on a stock, let’s say Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH), a booming solar energy tech company that looked unstoppable in 2022, you would be looking at almost a 90% loss at the time of writing. or if you invested in NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), you’d be up 10x on your investments. higher risk = higher reward

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investing

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but investing isn’t about picking the right stocks. it doesn’t have to be all luck and hope. you don’t HAVE to invest, of course, but something i read 6 years ago still stays top of mind: “investing is no longer a path to wealth, but rather a necessity for the middle class.” money devalues over time, and one of the greatest vehicles of money-making is the stock market. you don’t have to pick the right stocks, just invest in all of them! through total market funds, essentially a basket of the hundreds and thousands of the biggest companies, you’re just betting our general economy will be healthy. for example, looking simply at VT, which is Vanguard Total World Stock ETF, it has returned almost 12% on average in the last decade. $10,000 invested in 2016 would be worth ~$30,000 today. rather than betting your hard-earned dollars on a single or a few companies, which you can totally do at your own risk, you can just bet on the US market or even just the world market at large with VT. this is called index fund investing—it’s very accessible and takes less than 15 minutes to set up. see more here (in-progress).

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how/where to start?

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do i go on robinhood and just buy something, like VT? well yes, that works. but there’s rungs on this investing ladder, specifically there are different accounts in which you can invest within; some provide very important benefits with taxes and returns that you must take advantage of first. here’s the order i’d suggest (but read this for a more comprehensive guide):

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  1. 401(k) match\n\n
    2. \n
  2. Roth IRA\n\n
    3. \n
  3. 401(k)\n\n
    4. \n
  4. HSA\n\n
    5. \n
  5. taxable brokerage\n\n
    6. \n
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okay, all that being said, one important note: just putting money into these accounts doesn’t mean you’re necessarily investing! you have to actually choose funds or stocks to invest in, and that goes back to the idea of index fund investing. a very common and easy index fund investing setup would be the Bogleheads' Three-Fund Portfolio, which uses three funds (hence the name): 1) a domestic total market fund, 2) an international total market fund, and 3) a bond total market fund. assuming you’re under 40, i’d skip the bond fund and just do a two-fund portfolio. as for the two funds, i would suggest 70% VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF) and 30% VXUS (Vanguard Total International Stock ETF). the former is a fund comprises of ~3,500+ U.S. companies with a low expense ratio of 0.03% and the latter comprises of over 8000+ companies with an expense ratio of 0.05%. of course, there are many other portfolios you can go with, but this is just a typical one with a balanced risk-return profile. you can definitely go safer by adding a bond fund or cash position, and you can go riskier by buying more concentrated funds like QQQ (tracks the NASDAQ 100, aka the 100 largest companies on the NASDAQ exchange) or even individual stocks!

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that’s all for today! more to be written

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-12T00:44:47-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/11/intro-to-personal-finance-investing.html", "tags": ["personal finance"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/10/galbitang-beef-short-rib-soup.html", "title": "galbitang 갈비탕 (beef short rib soup) [instant pot]", "content_html": "

source/inspo: Korean Bapsang

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yap\nover the holidays, gabi and i decided to buy a multicooker (an Instant Pot, colloquially) for funsies, mostly because i thought it’d make meals and prepping easier! in particular, we wanted to make broths and soups; thus, this became the first recipe we followed, and it was great!

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ingredients (4 servings)\nwe halved it for ourselves!

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steps

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  1. first trim off any thick layer of surface fat on the ribs
    2. \n
  2. then, in a pot, rinse them in cold water a few times to remove surface blood + bone dust
    3. \n
  3. drain then fill the pot w/ enough water to cover the ribs, about 4 cups
    4. \n
  4. close the lid tightly, turn on manual + high pressure for 2 minutes, ensure pressure switch turned to “sealing/sealed”
    5. \n
  5. once done, discard the liquid (or save to use in the soup or future meals). strain to remove brown bits if you’re using it though! then, thoroughly rinse ribs and the pot clean.
    6. \n
  6. return ribs to pot, add the onion, garlic, ginger, and soup soy sauce. add about 10 cups of water (ensure it’s below max fill line). then close lid tightly and pressure cook ribs for 35-40 minutes depending on thickness. NPR 10 minutes.
    7. \n
  7. once done, remove ribs, remove aromatic veggies w/ strainer, skim off fat
    8. \n
  8. then, put ribs back in along w/ cut radishes. change instant pot setting to “saute” and boil until radish turns translucent (about 10 min after boiling)
    9. \n
  9. add optional noodles a couple minutes before turning instant pot off. we cooked the noodles separately
    10. \n
  10. salt and pepper to taste! skim off or use fat separator to remove remaining fat if served hot. or just chill soup and discard the solidified fat. garnish w/ chopped scallions to serve!
    11. \n
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tips

\n\n\"\"\n", "date_published": "2026-01-10T11:40:26-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/10/galbitang-beef-short-rib-soup.html", "tags": ["recipes"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/09/finally-took-the-time-to.html", "content_html": "

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.

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-09T14:11:29-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2026/01/09/finally-took-the-time-to.html", "tags": ["life","personal finance"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2025/12/30/lot-polish-business-class-review.html", "title": "LOT Polish 787-8 Business Class Review", "content_html": "

This past Sunday, Gabi and I had the opportunity to ride business class on LOT Polish from Chicago to Krakow. They fly this route once weekly with the rest of the week to Warsaw.

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I don’t believe there’s any other airline that flies direct from Chicago to Poland just yet, and I think the reason why LOT flies it is because Chicago boasts an impressive Polish and people with Polish ancestry population. It’s to the point where a 2023 study by the city found Polish to be the 4th most widely spoken language in Chicago behind English, Spanish, and Mandarin. What’s interesting is that the 1972 musical Grease had the majority of characters with Polish surnames based on real-life experiences in a Chicago high school, but subsequent productions and films have toned down the Chicago Polish influences.

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Anyways, back to the flight, we’re flying non-revenue standby, so we didn’t have confirmed tickets yet. We needed to clear with the ticketing counter for standby boarding passes, then we’d have to go to the gate to clear for actual seats. The loads had looked good, and we had little issue with it all. Security check at ORD Terminal 5 was awful as it was around 9pm and the PreCheck/Clear lines were all closed. It went from 4 security lines to 1 combined one, and it took us 45 minutes to get through. Our standby passes had “Fast Track” but it was just for show haha. Good thing we had enough time. Once boarding almost finished, the gate agent issued us our confirmed boarding passes: 1A and 1B! Not only business class, but also sitting next to each other without having to explicitly ask! To be fair, the cabin was only 2/3rds full.

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So, LOT Polish still has the common but outdated 2-2-2 business class layout. That means 33% of business class passengers do not have direct access to the aisle and would likely need to climb over or wake up a sleeping passenger to use the restroom or exit their seats. However, what’s nice about it is that it felt a lot more open and spacious. The seats seemed noticeable wider with more legroom, which Gabi enjoyed a lot. The lack of wifi was honestly a fresh change of pace; I’ve missed the forced disengagement from the digital world air travel used to have. However, this layout and older product definitely can invite more awkwardness if sitting with strangers due to the limited divider and shared middle tray. Some other cons was that the seats lacked accessible storage space with only the foot cabinet space (unreachable if secured with a seatbelt) and overhead bins as storage. The entertainment devices were also quite outdated, and we ended up not using them at all. There was also this annoying, bright green light that I could not understand having.

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The food was pretty solid, though! That was a relief as we didn’t have dinner. For the appetizer, I chose the green asparagus cream soup, and I really enjoyed it! Baked rib eye with mashed potatoes and veggies was my main of choice. The meat was on the drier end, but only slightly, and it was overall well-seasoned and tasty. The drinks kept flowing non-stop—great Polish hospitality. Had mostly blackcurrant and orange juice haha, but I’m sure their wine selection was great. Tons of dessert options. Breakfast was also good. The cafe latte, though, tasted evidently like powdered espresso. I’m not sure how Turkish Airlines had such good espresso for their catering.

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After dinner, we set the beds ourselves. I’m sure they would’ve helped if requested, but it honestly was pretty simple. The mattress cover was more for cleanliness than comfort—quite thin. Blanket—also quite thin—was enough comfort, although on the shorter side (not for me given average height). Pillow was solid. Gabi slept really well. I woke up a few times, mostly due to light coming from the gallery. I really should’ve used the nice eye mask I keep with me 24/7 or not have dropped the one they gave me. My fault. Overall, solid and roomy sleep experience.

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At the end of the day, it was a relaxing and pleasant time. We had a great flight attendant taking care of us. She definitely helped elevate the experience, especially by stating that she was really happy to have had us as passengers (made my day). We all bonded over the cute Kodak Charmera we were taking photos with. Everyone was nice and helpful overall, too! It’s no Turkish Airlines in terms of hard and soft business class product, but it definitely was a memorable experience all the same.

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\n", "date_published": "2025-12-30T11:26:25-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2025/12/30/lot-polish-business-class-review.html", "tags": ["travel","flying"] }, { "id": "http://josephchen.micro.blog/2025/12/18/this-was-an-interesting-read.html", "title": "Cities and Ambition — Paul Graham (2008)", "content_html": "

Cities and Ambition\n~3,600 words\n~12 min read

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alice sent me this, and it was an interesting read despite almost a decade passing since it was authored. i do see new york, sf, and berkeley reflect what he considered the messages of his time: focus on wealth, focus on power/prestige, and focus on living well. i would say that boston perhaps has not lived up to his expectations, but i also know nothing of boston really. what i suspect, though, is that intellectual production has shifted globally as the world adapted to a more digitally-connected world. many with ideas, creativity, and hunger for knowledge have been seemingly bypassing academia altogether and going straight into industry. chicago, where i am currently based, is interesting. it seems a bit more balanced and friendly. less comparison with one another and more focused on simply enjoying life? the conversations i’ve had here are much less clustered around wealth, prestige, and ambition, which has been a calm change of pace.

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however, i’ve definitely not settled into the city yet to be comfortable saying too much about it. it’s been a bit hard to, especially as i knew very little people coming in. i also haven’t been intentional at all with it—mores o escaping abroad or spending time with my girlfriend in lieu of building a strong foundation in chicago. part of me also feels like my stay here is temporary, which makes me hesitant of planting and nurturing seeds in the city. but, i understand it is still all worth doing as relationships are the crux of life’s enjoyment. i just gotta set my mind to it and execute haha.

\n\n", "date_published": "2025-12-18T23:46:04-05:00", "url": "https://josephchen.micro.blog/2025/12/18/this-was-an-interesting-read.html", "tags": ["cities","reads"] } ] }