2021 - shm notes & posts

Travel

An overnight layover in Dubai

22 May 202119 August 2022

In which I spend an overnight 15 hour layover in Dubai. Open for fun observations and cool views.

On my way to Ethiopia, I had an overnight 15 hour layover in Dubai. While long layovers aren't ideal, we make do with what we have when traveling! Naturally, I ventured out of the airport and into the city for a quick look at what this city has to offer. There are plenty of tours and recommendations for a layover, but the unfortunate timing of my 15 hour layover (7 pm - 10 am) meant that they were not options this time. One notable exception was 24/7 personal guided tours, which is something to consider for multiple travelers as it...

Reflections

What is “potential” but bulls**t rooted in external expectations

20 April 202129 October 2021

In which I lament a childhood full of “potential.” Open for a condensed therapy lesson and what is probably too much angst.

My therapist introduced me to this TED talk about the necessity of gamification in reframing challenges, and the example of the toddler who fails at walking but tries anyway reminded me of an interaction I had with my niece. She took her sweet time walking, and I remembered jokingly yelling at her, "You are a bipedal organism! You can do this!" while trying to kind of force her to walk. Given her age, she did not understand me, but if she had I can only imagine how demoralizing this kind of talk would be. Failure is a natural part of...

Hills

Christmas should be in February

3 March 202129 October 2021

In which I successfully argue the case for Christmas being in February. Open for great points to a useless position.

Now that the holidays have wrapped up and the majority of people have given up on their new year's resolution, it's time for the grind/depression/draught of holidays that lasts pretty much until one of the many bank holidays in May around the world. It's kind of a terrible time of year. There's little to look forward to, and pretty much all of winter is during this draught. With that being said, the new hill I've decided to die on is that Christmas should be in February, and there's a good amount of data to back it up. 1. February is...

Reflections

Racism: it’s not a game, but if it was….

19 January 20211 November 2021

In which I analogize racism to a sus game. Open to gamify racism and discuss how we’re all f***ed unless we get with the program.

Happy MLK day! Let’s talk about race through the lens of games. Oftentimes, I can categorize race talks in one of three games: The Game, Whack-a-Mole, and Among Us. The Game For the uninitiated, The Game is quite possibly one of the stupidest games ever. It never ends, and essentially you lose it every time you think about it. This is how many people addressed racial issues pre-2020: simply, if no one’s talking about it, then we must be winning! Of course, the problem with this logic is that people have always talked about it, only the number of listeners...

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