November 2015

October 2015 -- 2015 -- December 2015

November 13, 2015


I was really sad to hear about the news about the Paris shootings this afternoon. When I was living there I actually went to go see Gogol Bordello at the Bataclan, almost exactly two years ago too (on 11/19). It was one of my favorite memories from living in Paris, because all the Parisians were so into it and happy and dancing. And to think that over a hundred were slaughtered senselessly tonight while watching a show there... people can be really awful to each other.

I also saw Room today. I'm not sure I've ever seen a movie in my life that elicited so many different emotions over the course of 2 hours. From despair, depression, horror, thriller, sadness, happiness, laughter, hope, and love, it really runs the entire gauntlet which is incredibly impressive for a single movie. I really highly recommend it if you like thought provoking dramas. There's a really good reason it won the audience award at the Toronto Film Festival and will very likely get an Oscar nod this year. The kid is absolutely spectacular too.

If you like your movies a little less intense, then I would recommend Brooklyn instead. I saw it last week during the Austin Film Festival, and it was my favorite film of the festival. A great date movie. Now I just need a date...

I bought a "smart" toothbrush the other day, which means I can sync my toothbrush with my phone. Living in the future is a weird place.



November 16, 2015


I think this sums up Git pretty well.

A new Xiaolongbao place opened up in Austin and I got to try it out tonight with some friends. It was really good! I'd had them before in Hong Kong and Shanghai, so it's nice Austin is becoming more international. Just make sure you eat them correctly!

I also had some minor dental work done and so as part of that I got some lidocaine (and not novocaine so that my face was numb. And now I understand that The Weeknd's song is really about his trip to the dentist.

I made cookies for our company Thanksgiving potluck tomorrow. They are delicious!

November 22, 2015


I saw Spotlight last night, and it was so incredibly good. It does a really good job walking through how supportive the Catholic church was, even at the highest levels, of childhood sexual abuse. Definitely worth watching and expect to see a lot of Oscar nominations

Some other movies out now that I would also highly recommend:
  • Brooklyn - Great date night movie
  • Room - Probably the best movie of the year, but very very weighty subject matter so not for everyone.
  • The Martian - The book is also fantastic for hard sci-fi


I also brought along my DSLR and played tourist yesterday, taking some photos along the hike and bike trail and a temporary art installation along Waller Creek. And I finally got around to trying out those famous Casino el Camino burgers, and yeah, they're huge and tasty. Would recommend.

Also 3am false fire alarms suck. But they are better than 3am real fire alarms. Reminds me of a saying I read a long long time ago where the only thing worse than a wrong number at 3 in the morning is a right one.

Had 6 fire trucks come though, so at least we know it works, and it was ridiculously loud so I know it'll definitely wake me up. I've had a healthy respect for getting out of the building ASAP after spending a late night once going over Wikipedia entries on fire disasters after the Kiss Nightclub fire.

On a much happier note I had my divorce celebration party on Friday. Went to the The Highball and sang karaoke. Good times!

November 24, 2015


Hmmm, so binaryfusion.com is actually for sale for once. But for at least $199 (on whois it says they want $4k). Yeah.... I'm going to pass on that one.

I went to the most amazing "art" installation today. It's a luminarium built by Architects of Air and it was incredible! It's like entering another world of colors, and while the wait took forever (almost 2 hours, on a Tuesday afternoon...) it was definitely worth it. They also tour all across the world so check them out if they come near you.

The New York Times virtual reality app is really cool! It works in conjunction with Google Cardboard and I was using it to view some of the Paris memories, where it's like you're really standing right there in the middle of it all. It's a pretty amazing way to get news beyond just photos and video.

October 2015 -- 2015 -- December 2015