Thanksgiving road trips (mostly various US National Parks) have been my family’s annual ritual for years. But this year, we decided to do something different: visiting Italy. My daughter is a high-school junior, and next year will likely be packed with college prep and deadlines. It felt like one
This blog hasn’t been very technical lately (it’s been mostly travel notes and personal reflections), but a topic resurfaced recently, and I wanted to put it down before it fades—It's just hours before I leave for another Thanksgiving family trip. Before anything else: yes, naming
A few weeks ago, I renewed my Giants Flex membership. I originally thought it auto-renewed, but apparently it didn’t—until someone from the Giants called and nudged me. During the renewal process, I finally solved the mystery of the random 20% concession discount I received last season (yes, that
Filoli has always been one of my family’s go-to weekend stroll spots. The elegant historic house, the manicured gardens with seasonal flowers, and the quiet trails through ranch-style countryside always make me feel grounded and calm. But as good as it is, repetition eventually made me numb to it.
Our last Salle's book club pick was Time and Again by Jack Finney. We picked it because in the afterword of 11/22/63, Stephen King called it a great time-travel novel—even saying he wanted to dedicate his own book to Finney. With that kind of endorsement,
Now, officially, the baseball season is over. The result wasn’t what I NEVER wanted — the Dodgers won the World Series two years in a row. As a Giants fan, I was really frustrated watching yesterday’s Game 7. Frankly, I was mad. But as a baseball fan, I’m
Fleet Week has always been a yearly ritual for my family — though, honestly, not always a smooth one. In 2022, I learned the name of San Francisco’s true nemesis: Karl the Fog. 2023 was a little better, and last year, we finally had a perfect day. So naturally, I
Speaking of LAFC — I actually visited their home, BMO Stadium, last Friday. But this time, it wasn’t for a soccer match. It was for the K-pop boy band Seventeen's concert. My daughter had declared that her birthday wish this year was simple and non-negotiable: Seventeen concert tickets.
On a Saturday last month (precisely September 13, 2025), my family headed to Levi’s Stadium — not for a 49ers game or a concert, but for something completely different: an MLS match featuring the San Jose Earthquakes. Normally, the Earthquakes play at PayPal Park, which has a capacity of about
I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the K-PAI event, sharing an architectural overview of the online advertising ecosystem — from publishers and SSPs to exchanges, DSPs, and advertisers — and how AI and ML now play at the foundation of it all. Rather than restating the full presentation here, the
Today marks the saddest day of the year: the final game of the Giants’ season. Once again, October baseball slips away, and the journey ends here. Last year, I shared how much I enjoyed the $1,000 Flex Season Ticket membership — it was awesome. So this year, I doubled down
Let me just say it straight. "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" is the best game I’ve played since "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." When the game was first announced, it caught attention not just for its visuals, but because of Sandfall Interactive—its
life
As I mentioned in my previous post about Ultima IV, my first personal computer was an Apple II+ (replica). The Apple IIe and II GS were my dream machines growing up — the ones I never got to own. So, for years I’ve had this quiet wish to build a
travel
Last month, we took a summer family trip to Los Angeles. The highlight was a two-day visit to Universal Studios — but we packed a few other stops along the way too. Right before we headed to the stay, we visited UCLA since my daughter (now in 11th grade) has some
book
I just realized I I realized I forgot to update my last Salle’s Book Club read: “11/22/63.” Many Americans probably recognize the date right away — it’s the day President Kennedy was assassinated. The story follows Jake Epping, who discovers a portal back to the past. The
travel
Last year, we watched the July 4th fireworks from North Crestview Park in San Carlos. The view was impressive — you could see fireworks stretching across the Bay Area, from San Jose to Oakland, all in one sweep. But the fireworks themselves felt distant and small, which took away some of
concert
Speaking of Ado’s live, I had another recent experience — this time, with a band of once my favorite: Metallica, on their M72 World Tour. My wife’s company (SK Hynix America) has a suite at Levi’s Stadium, and they occasionally hold lotteries for event tickets. This time, luck
concert
While Huntrix and the Saja Boys might rule the world music charts, my personal favorite is Ado — a Japanese singer who’s built a reputation not just for her songs, but for her mystery. Known as a “faceless” artist, Ado keeps her identity hidden, performing behind a cage that only
life
I’ve got a backlog of posts piling up, but this one couldn’t wait. Last week, I visited Washington D.C. for the first time — not for tech, not for work, but for something far more special: my daughter. She won the Congressional Art Competition, which meant an invitation
toss
It’s been over a month since my last post, and I’ve had a busy start at my new role with Viva Republica. You might recognize the company better by its flagship service, Toss—South Korea’s leading fintech platform, serving over 20 million monthly active users. If you’
life
Eight years. To be precise, it was seven years and ten months that I spent at Moloco. Last Friday marked my final day there. It became the longest tenure of my career—longer even than the time I spent at the company I once founded. Throughout my 28-year career, I
gamedev
Last week, I attended GDC 2025 on my own dime—as an indie game dev wannabe—for the first time in 10 years. My last GDC was in 2015, where I happily met one of my best GDC sessions: Christy Marx’s “From Jem to CastleVille.” These days, I work
life
I have a deep appreciation for writing tools, and pens are at the top of that list. I love a well-made ballpoint pen—my favorite is the Jetstream Prime—but there’s always been one thing that bothers me: the rattle. Even with high-end precision pens like the Montblanc Meisterstück,
life
At the end of 2024, I decided to watch Shen Yun. As an Asian immigrant, the concept of the performance felt familiar—perhaps even a bit old-fashioned. However, their tagline, “China Before Communism,” always intrigued me. I remember seeing their commercials as far back as 2008, and I couldn’t
