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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
life
January is always a great time for a reset—not just for tidying up physical spaces but also for reflecting on life itself. So, I took the opportunity to make some changes. Cleaning Up LinkedIn Connections Lately, LinkedIn has started to feel more uncomfortable than useful. A few years ago,
life
It’s NYE(New Year’s Eve) in my time zone, and as I reflect, this year feels like it has been utterly surreal. I’m sure I’ve had my share of personal successes and failures, but honestly, I can barely recall them. It’s not that I’m
travel
As 2024 winds down, we decided to follow a similar approach to our Thanksgiving trip: prioritizing peaceful rest over hectic schedules. So, we planned only a 4-night trip, which included two nights in Paso Robles and two in Solvang. Paso Robles has always been one of our favorite stopovers on
travel
My family’s Thanksgiving tradition has often involved long-distance road trips. In past years, we’ve explored the Grand Canyon (2021) and the Great Canyon Loop (2022) and even visited relatives in Illinois (2023). This year, however, I decided it was time for a change. Instead of a grand adventure,
life
Last month, I became a legally 50-year-old engineer. It’s incredible how fast time flies—especially the past 4-5 years, which have felt like the blink of an eye; perhaps the pandemic is partly to blame for that. I didn’t manage to achieve one of my resolutions: writing an
bayarea
For the past two years, Karl (the notorious San Francisco fog) had been the nemesis of our family during Fleet Week. I have so many fond memories of Fleet Week, and in 2022, I even bought premium box seats for the air show for the first time—but Karl dashed
politics
The presidential election is now just two weeks away, and I can’t believe I’m feeling the same fatigue I experienced four years ago. I made a few donations to the DNC in the past, and now their emails flood my inbox like a constant stream of DDoS or
