This year has been long. I mean, a lot of stuff happened. I traveled a bunch. I got married – more on that later. I’m going to use Wikipedia’s 2017 article and my personal calendar to piece together a timeline.
- January – We, the American people, inaugurated Donald Trump in as President. I could write essays about why I think this election was a great mistake but I will spare you the politics for now.
- February – There were a bunch of work conferences. I learned a lot, made good professional connections, and got a chatbot idea for work that yielded good coding practice and executive visibility.
- March – Fan, my then-girlfriend, moved into my townhome with me. As a overly-logical human being, I view relationships with a fairly skeptical eye. I would suggest that moving in with your significant other is a great step before you get married. Try before you buy, if you will.
- April – Visited my friends in Michigan. I feel so fortunate that I have enough money to jetset around the world. I may have said this before, but traveling can be a pain in the ass – but it’s so necessary. Revel in that anxiety and discomfort because it means you’re growing.
- May – Ultimate frisbee season started. It wasn’t the best season in terms of results or improvement for me. I still absolutely love the sport and will continue it for a while but I will admit some of its charm has faded due to my chronic lower back injury. I’ve met so many great people and made lifelong friends that there is never a hint of regret in my time spent towards ultimate. In world news, the WannaCry ransomware attack created chaos across many countries and inconvenienced my work.
- June – Coached youth ultimate frisbee league. It is amazing to see the athletic talent and potential in children. It is refreshing to witness their pure enjoyment of play time and be immersed in the moment. It reminds me of why a father said that his children inspired him to enjoy life more fully. America withdraws from the Paris Climate Agreement because global warming does not exist; hooray for science deniers /s.
- July – Wildwood ultimate frisbee tournament in New Jersey! Great memories although the weather was not the best.
- August – Traveled with my good friend Austin to see the total solar eclipse. Hurricane Harvey smashes Houston, TX. It is humbling to remember how small we are in the vast universe. My friend Winnie gets married with a lovely wedding celebration :)
- September – Hurricane Irma makes a mess in the Caribbean. Hurricane Maria crushes Dominica and Puerto Rico. We bear witness to government failure in terms of disaster organization and response. My family goes on a trip to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Taipei (I skipped this last segment). HK is too crowded – I’m pretty done visiting the place. It had been about a decade since I’ve last been in Vietnam. It’s great to see your extended family and your ethnic brethren. Walking around a developing country, I am again reminded of how fortunate I am to live the life I do.
- October – There’s a mass shooting in Las Vegas. It is mind-boggling that this is becoming so normalized. As a gun owner, I’ve thought many times about whether I should give up my guns to demonstrate my ideals or keep them to protect my home and family. Right now, I lean towards keeping my guns because they provide both protection and a hobby for me. If the government were to outlaw civilian gun ownership, I wouldn’t hesitate to give up my guns because I simply don’t think civilians need guns. There are plenty of other countries making this philosophy work. Gun ownership laws in the US are simply too lax.
- November – I propose to my girlfriend Fan and we get married. I will be frank here and state that the decision was hastened a bit because we needed to decide before her work visa expiry. However, life isn’t always fair or linear and I have no regrets. I’ll write a blog post after I move to Seattle reflecting on marriage and long-distance relationships. Yes, I also made up my mind that I want to move out to Seattle to join Microsoft headquarters and do software engineering. I think 6.5 years in Exchange support is enough :) Seattle doesn’t have the best weather, but you know – they have great coffee and legal weed to make up for it. Fan and I visit family & friends for Thanksgiving.
- December – At this point, I’ve failed 2 SDE (software development engineer) interviews. There is something to be said about grit here. Had I grown up with an easy life, I would not develop the toughness that helps me daily. Had I not absorbed all the philosophical teachings via Microsoft’s company culture, my mentors, internet articles and videos – these failures may have crushed me. Instead, I used them to readjust my studying and reinforce my desire. Growth mindset is big at Microsoft. It is this belief that will provide you strength to overcome obstacles and achieve success in the long run. Struggle through, my friends. You can do it. I have an interview lined up in January for another SDE position. Fan and I visit family & friends for Christmas. While I am not religious, I still ride the holiday cheer and practice traditions like gift-giving. Gift-giving is a new activity for me. Being very utilitarian and minimalist in my views, I have to acknowledge that gift-giving is not the best thing economically but it is a great challenge to find what your loved ones need – maybe even if they didn’t realize it.
This blog post is long enough so I’ll end here. I expect 2 more posts in the coming months: one to reflect on marriage, one to reflect on switching roles.
P.S. This 2017 year, I will have taken 30 flight segments.