This happened probably a week before COVID closed everything down when I was working at a fast-casual restaurant in Denver, CO. For some background, fast casual in this case means you wait in line, order at a counter, get drinks and a number and find your own seat, but once you're sat a server will bring you food, refill your drinks, bus, etc. This particular location has an open kitchen so you can see everyone who is working both in FOH and BOH minus like the dishwasher.
It was probably within a few days of our restaurant opening that I was on the cash register on a Friday night and had the following interaction with a Boomer Man and his wife.
BM: Wow, there sure are a lot of people working here. Me: haha yep, we just opened. BM: how did you find this many people to work here? Me: Uhhhh I don't know. BM: how did you hear about this job? Me: I applied after seeing it advertised on Craigslist. BM: WOW, you all must have had a job fair or something. There's a lot of people working here. Me: well it is Friday night and we just opened so we are fully staffed right now. BM: I just can't believe you found so many people to work here. Considering unemployment is at an all time high. Wife: honey, stop. Me: .... BM: how did you guys find so many people to work here? No one wants to work at all these days. Wife: honey stop. Me (actually losing my mind at this point and the line is to the door): the cost of living in Denver is so high that most of us have two or three jobs in order to live here. BM (ignoring me completely): did you have a job fair? There's so many people working here. Me: like I said I don't know how my coworkers heard about the job but I found the ad on Craigslist. BM: unemployment is the highest it's ever been right now.
Finally they just grabbed their shit and sat down and I thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't serving on the floor that night so that I wouldn't have to talk to them anymore.
The wife was fine. But to this day I don't really understand what this man was getting at. It was pre-covid, within about a week of this place opening so the first round of quits/fires hadnt even taken place yet. Most of my coworkers had 2-3 jobs unless they had 3 roommates in a garbage house like I did. A lot of my coworkers had children and families to support. Not to mention this was a corporate company so they could afford to fully staff their restaurants at any given time along with paying us slightly above minimum wage + tips rather than the standard server wage.
There's really no winning, either your work is short staffed and you can't give them good enough service, or there are too many people working and it contradicts what fox news is telling them about unemployment at any given time.

Use this post to share any budgies that are lost, found, or need a new home!

Some rules:

1. Only share information you feel comfortable sharing. Example: rather than giving out your full address, maybe only say something like, "I'm in the Tampa Bay Area" instead. If someone is interested in knowing more, they can always DM you and you can choose whether or not you want to share any more information.
2. If you're meeting someone in real life, follow the "Craigslist rule" of meeting in a well-trafficked, public place.
3. No fees/charges! This is not meant to be an advertising platform to sell your budgies. Content that advertises budgies for sale will be removed.
4. This subreddit does not, in any way, offer warrantees or guarantees of budgie health. A budgie's health status is something that you and the other party should determine with an avian vet, and payment of that avian vet's services is something that you and the other party should decide beforehand.
5. We encourage you to share pictures! Just make sure they are accurate to the situation and don't break the rules in the sidebar.

Remember: this subreddit is just one of many possible places to make a budgie connection. Also consider FaceBook, Craigslist, Nextdoor, other online communities, as well as real-life bulletin boards in public places. See all the previous weekly posts (that have content) by clicking here.

"Man, electric cars are getting popular, what do we, oil executives, do about it!? How about we lobby some conservatives to tell stupid people that the surcharge is because they're not buying gas!"
I just had to pay for my vehicle registration for the year, which includes a surcharge for it being electric. This surcharge costs more than the registration fee. What's the reason for it? Because I'm not paying taxes on the gas I'm not buying. That's fucking bullshit. I'm not paying taxes on the gas I'm not buying when I take a bus or walk or bike either, why the fuck does no one else get a surcharge for that shit? I pay taxes on the roads already, same as a gas car owner.
Doing some light digging, the history of the surcharge was non-existent to $75 in 2019, then in 2023 it was bumped to $175. Are you fucking kidding me?
It's a bunch of fucking bullshit, trying to dissuade you from buying an electric car and give oil executives more money while making our planet inhabitable to us.
Edit: Also worth noting - if it was really, truly about the taxes on the roads needing to be replaced due to lower gas sales, why tf are hybrids getting the same surcharge? Why tf is it not mileage based? Why is it just a flat fee? If it was actually about helping to pay for roads, then fine, I don't mind paying to support my community. But combine that shit with the fact that conservatives are the ones proposing this, I have doubts that helping the community is really what they're after

Moving Sale - Update 5/28
Here’s the updated list of everything available for sale. All prices are now OBO.

• King Bedframe with Box Springs - $450 for bed frame and box springs
• Short Ikea Billy Bookcases - $20 each
• Tall thin IKEA Billy bookcase - $20
• TV Stand with Electric Fireplace Heater - $250
• iFit ProForm Carbon Treadmill $350
• Dining Room Chairs - $30 for set of 4
• Faux Christmas Tree (7’ pre-lit with variable settings) - $75
• Chest Freezer (5 cu.ft.)- $100
• Two black side tables - $25 for both
• Patio loveseat and table - $75 for set
• Burton Felix Step-On snowboarding Boots (W size 8 - only used on one run) - $125

Link for pics of most items https://denver.craigslist.org/fod/aurora-moving-sale-updated-26/7750869769.html
Need everything gone this week. If you see something you like, message me with an offer!

I am selling a Wired Freedom but did not know if it was okay to list items for sale on this subreddit. It looks like there are rules but mainly for dealers, and I have not seen a single listing where someone's selling a bike, so was not sure. The reason I would offer it here instead of Craigslist, Nextdoor, or Facebook is I would want to only sell it someone well-informed and hopefully experienced with ebikes and not some noob who wrecked and/or hurt themselves on a test ride.

episode 1/season 4 premiere: pretty girl fizzy
R&B bad girl pretty girl fizzy is arrested for armed robbery and exchanges relationship advice for a lawyer (kyosuke's father) and the help of homura, kyosuko and others.
episode 2: amazing times
penoru makes an announcement that he, kyosuko, kalios, alonio, kilotus, and mizli are going to leave Woodcrest "forever" due to paying his millions to garry tomoe's insurance company, homura and kyosuko will try to prevent this asap.
episode 3: breaking homura
In the garage, kalios and mami is studying and testing chemistry. penoru, homura, madoka, sayaka, kyosuke and kalios come in and scolds him for attempting to make a bomb, but kilotus says its a hair gel. Then, Robert and the boys go to a financial expert as the holy quintet and dummies have no money whatsoever since their house was returned.
At the car wash, as penoru works, kyoko sakura rudely comes to inform the dummies that they must stay at work until closing time, much to their disdain as they have a date that night. At the house, as penoru prepares for his date, he realizes his bankruptcy and when he reveals to his via phone, he cancels it. Before that, he uses kyosuko's hair gel.
The next morning, penoru wakes up with beautiful hair, in which he transfers some of the gel to mizli and bliza. When kilotus finds out, he reveals the truth that the hair gel is actually a bomb product as he explains that he invented it to murder mike tomoe in an attempt to get their freedom. Upon this, penoru attempts to beat Huey but Huey refuses the beating and resists. madoka, homura, sayaka, mami, penoru, kalios, alonio, kyosuko, mizli and bliza ignored kilotus's plea to get rid of it and decide to sell it, which kilotus reluctantly agrees to.
The holy quintet and dummies meet boss willow, an uptight black businesswoman who owns a hair salon and store. She agrees to sell the hair gel, and in return, she gives the holy quintet and the dummies a duffle bag of money. kilotus, homura and kyosuko, however, is opposed to the business, revealing to her that the hair gel is highly explosive, but Willow doesn't care, as she claims that all of the hair products have dangerous usage of chemical ingredients and advises a warning label on the gel.
The sales of the gel goes well, with willow and her flamboyant homosexual henchman selling the products and the holy quintet, homura, the dummies and kyosuko, except for kilotus, ship them. Unfortunately, the sales fall short when a news announcement that two women were arrested at the airport after their hair was flagged as explosive. Thus, the hair gels are reported as terrorist materials due to the explosive compound contained in the gel. Upon this, the holy quintet and dummies attempt to return the money, but willow declines it, stating that she cares about more profit, and that her business is completely legitamite. At the warehouse, the holy quintet and dummies deal with the situation and penoru decides to make the gel himself, as kilotus refuses. However, kilotus agrees to make it, only to have a condition to make it in a desert only 83 miles away from mitakihara town and mitakihara city. The holy quintet, homura, kyosuko and the dummies succeed in making it, and call Boss willow and her henchman. Despite the agreement, she and the henchman force homura, kyosuko, holy quintet and dummies to make the hair gel via gunpoint, as kalios is excluded due to the henchman tying him outside the RV. During the experiment, penoru uses the wrong ingredient, causing the gel to explode, forcing Robert and Huey to exit as they lock willow and her henchman inside. penoru frees kalios, mizli and blizana and the holy quintet, homura, kyosuko and the dummies escape in the RV because of a fire caused by a cigarette from the henchman.
The scene goes where the episode had begun. The dummies and holy quintet drive through the desert in the RV with gas masks. Suddenly, they stop, with sirens away. penoru retrieves a gun owned by the henchman and attempts to use it for the awaiting authorities. However, the sirens turn out to be firemen going for the fire (with kyoko sakura alongside). penoru angrily loses faith, meanwhile, Willow and The Henchman awaken on the RV and decide to hotwire and steal it. Unfortunately, the RV explodes due to the hair gel in it, killing both of them. Despite their death, the holy quintet, homura, the dummies and kyosuko immediately leave.
episode 4: an very early bird special
penoru is hired by pimps to escort lonely women at a nursing home with homura, kyosuko, mizli and bliza.
episode 5: funny ride or die
A young reluctant kyosuko's dad is held as an unwilling freedom rider by Reverend marie, on a trip through the racist South in mitakihara town. Despite his attempts to "turn the bus around" kyosuko's dad meets homura's dad and are led into dangerous territory.
episode 6: penoru dates a catrina
penoru is dating a woman named maria kardashian, who claims to be a member of homulilly's fanclub aka the catrinas of mitakihara.
episode 7: madnessland
homura, kyosuko, madoka, kalios, kilotus, sayaka, alonio, mizli, bliza (after a date with the student warrior, the dummies adopted bliza) and penoru find that garry tomoe's new puella magi and magical boy slavery theme park "madnessland" may be a bit too authentic, when they are trapped there and forced to be slaves. homura and kyosuko must find a way to uproot them from this situation.
episode 8: i dream of character ai
penoru buys a new samsung phone downloads character ai, but using his phone and character ai for too long, his phone becomes sentient due to the character ai app and obsessed with him.
episode 9: human kyubey: begun the clone war has
human kyubey returns via to cloning and becomes a celebrity after a video of his fight with homura goes viral, homura wants a final rematch (this episode marks the end of the human kyubey arc)
episode 10/series finale: the passion of reverend kyoko
kyoko has a dream of white heaven and is diagnosed with cancer. she spends the rest of her days preaching about the puella magis (which she never was diagnosed with cancer, only revealed in the end of the episode). Meanwhile homura and kyosuko plans a scheme to bust out a unjustly imprisoned inmate

this is only the beginning of the end because homura and the magical boys the movie will mark the end of the puella magi madoka magica franchise

My fellow gamers, for too long has our community suffered the indignation of an intolerable culture that has denigrated, besmirched, exploited, and has outright demonized our culture of unique individuals with a genuine love of a hobby that they see as profitable and progressive. They have taken beloved IP’s (Intellectual Properties) and twisted them into their own personal ideological crusade of undermining and humiliating the core aspects of characters they deemed as “Toxic” or “White Supremacy”. Through the guise and protection of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity) & ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) they have used our influence in the entertainment industry to push their narratives and agendas that have stigmatized our culture with numerous anti-consumer practices that they call “being progressive”. But the truth of the matter is they were never really looking to be a part of our community, they simply wanted to use our community as a tool of activism and propaganda in the entertainment industry as it was extremely profitable, and they wanted inclusion in that division. Ever since GamerGate & Female Frequency, we have had to endure the incursion of forced ideologies, xenophobic behaviors and inferior overpriced products that have never been in our best interest and have been flat out disgraceful towards foreign media.
Before Gaming had become a major source of entertainment, we were often categorized as anti-social or societies rejects where because we found more enjoyment in playing fictional characters and not spending as much time out and about, we never fully assimilated in society (which is a good thing if you ask me). From 1998 to 2007, at the height of innovation, creativity and production, Gaming had reached a golden age in which it had revolutionized society. Hollywood Execs who had ruined the movie industry turned their attention to video games as a source of income since video games had outperformed movies in terms of profit. No one was concerned about gaming, much less diversity or inclusivity until it became profitable. This makes people like SBI look extremely disingenuous as they were not interested in gamers as a community with its own culture. They simply wanted to use it as another weapon in identity politics.
Microtransactions; the hidden enemy to gamer progress and inducer to mental laziness of our community. Microtransactions have been around for a long time; however, it has never been more potent and apparent than in recent years. It has aided in the dismantling and segregation of players on the ideology of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and has created another sub-culture of gamers who have no real drive to be better outside of how much money they put into the game. This has degraded our culture as well as we have become “fat” off transactional gaming but at the same time we have been “starved” of purposeful gaming where our achievements were our sustenance. I am not saying that microtransactions are bad, but when they are exploitative and predatorial like they have been and don’t give gamers room to grow, we become lethargic and unwilling to improve ourselves as gamers. Oversaturated microtransactional games are one of the many reasons why we have become complacent and unwilling to fight against the exploitative tactics used by big brand game companies such EA, Ubisoft, ActivisionBlizzard, NaughtyDog and so many other western business model companies. Western style games were not like this in the past, they had much more depth and actual effort put into them with the gamer in mind. This has not been the case for over a decade and our connection to western developers has been whittled down to just being transactional. That is one of the reasons why you see so many remasters and remakes in today’s gamer community. They have lost their willingness to improve as developers of games and simply accept corporate/share holder rules.
Game journalists also do not have any real integrity or purpose outside of being funded for their involvement in promoting IPG (Identity Political Games) in a positive light to the public whether it’s positively received or not. They are not interested in what we have to say, they all support the same agenda and that is why they are a dying breed. Within the next couple of years, they will be out of the job and more than likely they will not be able to stay in the industry giving how they have responded to past articles that have clearly been scripted on the premise of diversity and racism. Not only that, but most of them are also extremely hostile to the community as they stereotype and defame the individuals that are a part of the community they are supposed to serve. We have been mentally liberated from their lies and coercive tactics as we tend to laugh at their obvious attempt at virtue signaling while hiding their misdoings so that they can play the victim.
My gamer brothers & sisters, I would not suggest the following action that we must take now without good cause. I have weighed our options and the best option for us now is this…...CULTURAL SECESSION. Naturally this is a form of segregation where they would more than likely claim they are being segregated by the dominant culture of the gaming community but that is incorrect. For years now we have been the ones who are often marginalized and ostracized for the smaller portion of our community. And when we aren’t, we’re exploited for more funds so that these companies can stay in business only to subject us to low quality products that coincide with the “WOKE Agenda” that are often huge expenses to these big brands i.e. AAA/AAAA games that will eventually flop for its obvious forced diversity and bug infested product which will undoubtedly piss off the consumer to the point of wanting a refund. Losing copious amounts of capital and stock in the process, not to mention their reputation is permanently marred.
We must separate on every cultural level in terms of entertainment and ideology. We must reject everything from the west that promotes toxic western beliefs, practices, and exclusion from other cultures (i.e. Southeastern Countries such as Japan and Korea). Japan & Korea have been the targets of unjust discrimination from Western Developers, Western Journalists, Western Localizers (The Wokelizers) and Western Society Prejudice regarding their sense of aesthetics as Westerners hate the aesthetic sense of these countries. The reason why they resort to such base tactics isn’t just because it weaponizes the ideal female form but it’s also because they have deep-seated insecurities about their own looks so when they see attractive female characters, they use terms such as “unrealistic” or “hypersexualized” to establish the moral high ground. But the truth is, they want to feel superior to that which is ideal, so they insult and dehumanize this figure that portrays natural female beauty because they see it as an insult to their own social superiority in what they believe is a hierarchy of them being at the top of all other women. Because of this and so many contributing factors, their movies flop harder than the Fat Chocobo landing on a group of enemies and their games seismically fail just as much if not more. We must sever our connection to Western Developers, Publishers, and ALL Western-Centric Entertainment for they seek to mentally enslave us to their Xenophobic ideology.
Let’s define Western Culture and its traits. Western Culture/Society is composed of more than several different ideologies that work in unison with one another to facilitate dominance over multiple aspects of society. Business, Social, Political, Technological, and sometimes even Global Affairs are affected by these ideologies that portray a specific mindset of Western beliefs. What are those ideologies you ask?

• Perpetual Victimhood: By weaponizing the fact that they are marginalized and of a small portion of western society, they can push their agenda to absurd standards that ultimately ostracize the main demographic. And when companies don’t capitulate, they are labeled as anti-progressive/misogynist’s or cohorts of White Supremacy. They use this to cancel their targets and silence them through societal defamation to keep the public on their side. They also use this mindset to justify their own lack of self-agency as they tend to throw companies who do adhere to their demands but miserably fail to turn a profit under the bus so that they can maintain face in front of the public while denying their actual involvement. They will never accept “Sense of Agency” when it’s negative but will gladly accept it when a positive outcome shines on them as if they are entitled to it.

Official Wiki GamerGate Page)
​

• Societal Terrorism: This is another form of ideology weaponization that they use in order to make companies “toe-the-line” with their agenda. By weaponizing cancel culture, they exert dominance over these companies but in exchange they also reimburse those companies with DEI & ESG funds that raise their credit score as well as having social status with the marginalized demographic. However; cancel culture has not succeeded in years and developers and publishers probably only want the money and the DEI ESG rating. But they have to maintain the image of having social economic power so that they can continue to strong-arm other developers into compliance and promoting financial benefits of DEI & ESG. In other words, if you are not for sale, they discredit and stigmatize you in the industry.

Asmongold Clips.
https://youtu.be/Iq86DnmX2xY
​

• “Its not us, its you who’s wrong” Mentality: This mentality is especially annoying as they tend to use it to hide their incompetence. They often look down upon gamers who are not in the industry to hide their obvious lack of knowledge on game development thinking that their job title grants them special status that they believe gives them the right to be condescending. But the truth they never wanted revealed has already strangled their careers of all credibility. They were never GAMERS, they were INVADERS. Community Colonists that seek to indoctrinate next generational gamers into their hive-mind and brand previous generations of gamers as villains.

@GeeksandGamers
https://youtu.be/1HbrTkqQFuM
​

• Double-standard Enforcement: By labeling something as “unrealistic” or “hypersexualized”, they can claim this is morally wrong if it promotes traditional dynamics between men and women. Heterosexual relationships are condemned while at the same time Same-sex relationships are praised. Additionally, heterosexual relationships with main white male characters turn antagonistic and spotlight stealing. This is deliberate as to promote the “Girl Boss” ideology to indoctrinate women into the Feminazi state of mind. While at the same time, should a male character also adopt the “I don’t need male/female” ideology its seen as Toxic Masculinity which isn’t even a real thing. The idea of a strong male character is taboo while enforcing strong female characters is the ideal.

@MugenLord
https://youtu.be/to5Uciy_yeg
@EndymionTv
https://youtu.be/7TPTR8-qmbk
​

• Dehumanization/Demonization: This is something that most military branches use in order to remove conscious inhibitions such as mass slaughter is wrong or categorization. By enforcing ideologies to denounce humanity in certain targets, it deactivates your conscience by saying this is not human therefore its ethically okay to treat this target without compassion and deny the fact it has sentience. We gamers fall under this category for journalists, developers, companies and society at large. This is a tactic we are familiar with to an extent as it implies that we are not normal when we do not do what everybody else is doing. “Geeks are the worse” or “Nerds need to fall into a pit of lava” are verbal dehumanization forms that most people in society say and we as Gamers tend to be relegated to those categories. This is their way of imposing the social hierarchy on us by establishing superiority. We know this as Gamers as we see it very often in the games that we play and some times experience it in real life.

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Gamergate#The_end_of_their_relevance
​

• Deflection/Projection: This is basic psychology 101. By redirecting the conversation away from their mistakes and back on to the opposing view to avert blame and justify their innocence they can avoid criticism. However; deflection is a CONSCIOUS decision, meaning they have no real argument to justify their incompetence. If you can consciously process the situation, you have self-agency which means you don’t have a legitimate excuse. Projection is something else entirely. Most times, Projection doesn’t work on conscious decisions rather it is automatically deployed when feeling threatened, anxious or both. Instead of accepting accountability for feelings or actions that are deemed socially unacceptable they accuse others of committing that unacceptable behavior thereby exonerating themselves and proving that those feelings and/or actions are not their own.

@TheTrentReport
https://youtu.be/bPIPSKruYRo
These traits are so nefarious and unconscionable that I have a hard time believing that anyone could harbor them. However, given the social, political, and economic climate that we are in, those in power who use their influence on controlling society most definitely possess these insidious traits. Everything that they do is all about control and since video games are the biggest market in the world, they want control over it and the communities built around it to accrue more wealth and to use that wealth to subjugate other cultures. Mainstream media is a tool as well as mainstream organizations and sites to help accomplish this goal.
The government recently announced its intentions towards what they believe is “GamerGate 2.0” and now even the ADL has made an official appearance, referring to gamers as “extremist’s”. We know EXACTLY what they are doing, and they aren’t even trying to hide it anymore because they don’t think we are aware of their motives. This is just a pretext for them to exert even more control and we know why, it’s because they want the influence we as a community have to must serve them. So here is what we do my fellow gamers-
“In light of recent events and years of mainstream stigma, we the members of the Global Gaming Community [GGC] must officially renounce ALL TIES to the corporate western video game market. We have been financially exploited through predatorial monetization schemes, pelted with numerous articles of disdain and intentional misrepresentation from game journalists, news outlets regarding us as dangerous individuals and, even subjected to inferior products not only riddled with bugs but also products meant to push political agendas. For the preservation of our community and its unique culture, apart from a few select game development studios we officially sever all connections to western owned video game companies & their mainstream affiliates. From this point onward, we will no longer support western corporate developers, journalists and publishers that do not coincide with the goals of our community.”
Naturally this is completely optional. If you are okay with the state of the gaming community as it is, feel free to ignore this. But if you wish for real change and a break away from oversaturated monetization in the games you play and the push for radical ideological reform, then you are in the right place. Lets sever these rotted miasmic ties once and for all so that our community can be preserved and made better for future gamers. If you agree with this, share it with whoever you think might be interested. The more gamers who get involved, the easier it will be for us to finally break free from mainstream game companies and their associates.

Should I buy Digimon story Cyber Sleuth or Cassette Beasts
Both are on sale om the switch for roughly the same price right now ($15 CAD) and as a long time pokemon fan, I was wondering which is the better creature collector?
I've had my eye on Cyber Sleuth since it came out but never had a good chance to buy. Cassette Beasts I've heard about and seen a lot of people talk about it and how good it is, but haven't seen the same for CS.
Essentially I'm looking for a casual, play before bed or waiting for the bus kind of game. A pick up and play that I can either play for 5 minutes or 5 hours at a time. Which of these do you think would better fit that mould?

I've got the itch for an old Ampeg combo and I see a decent amount for sale on craigslist- This amp would be on the move often, going up and down stairs and other obstacles. I've heard that the v40 is lighter than the V-22, but it has 4 speakers instead of 2. How could the amp with 4 speakers be less loud and heavy than the other combo? Has anyone had any experience gigging with one of these? I know it may be a little too loud to be practical but man those things are cool

We are in the process of re-doing our home interior (flooring, paint, etc.) I've been taking things like ceiling fans, door handles, misc hardware to Habitat for Humanity in Richland. But I have a ton of other things to get rid of (lamps, wall art, pillows, electric fireplace, etc.). If I want to get a little money back for these items, where should I sell them, Facebook, Craigslist, garage sale, other recommendations?

Both are on sale om the switch for roughly the same price right now ($15 CAD) and as a long time pokemon fan, I was wondering which is the better creature collector?
I've had my eye on Cyber Sleuth since it came out but never had a good chance to buy. Cassette Beasts I've heard about and seen a lot of people talk about it and how good it is, but haven't seen the same for CS.
Essentially I'm looking for a casual, play before bed or waiting for the bus kind of game. A pick up and play that I can either play for 5 minutes or 5 hours at a time. Which of these do you think would better fit that mould?

It's not you.. it's me.

—or perhaps it's a bit of both.
Back in 2011, I arrived full of hopes, drawn by the glowing promise of the American Dream.
As I sit here at a Colombian coffee shop, I reflect on a decade of dreams, challenges, and revelations that have brought me to this moment of goodbye.
Our story began way before 2011, though. Do you remember?
It was back in 1993 when I first laid my eyes on you. The day my father brought our family to Poughkeepsie, NY, as an expatriate for a few years.
I didn’t speak your language, yet I found myself in your classroom within the second week.
Each morning, I watched my classmates start the day by singing your praises, their hands on their hearts. Although I couldn’t yet understand the words, I felt a connection.
As my vocabulary grew, I got to know your childhood. I learned how your own history was written by people who sought the comfort of your shores for a new beginning.
Those three years immersed in your culture left something in me—a desire that would drive me for the next 15 years.
The idea of hope, patriotism, and capitalism by merit. That anything was possible by working hard.
These things were not found in France, and I came back to see you in 2011 to pursue my dream with you.
I worked hard. I chased the dream. I followed the footsteps of immigrants that came before me, wanting to be successful.
We even got married in 2021—I was now an American Citizen.
I wanted to be successful, and I was.. but deep down, i was not happy.
I had been consumed by the very reason that brought me here.
I lost myself in the process. I forgot why you were initially such a good fit for me.
So I’ve decided to take some time off now, and I don’t know if I’ll return. Don’t worry, as long as we are still married, you are still collecting my taxes, no matter where I am in the world.
I want you to understand the realization I had, so maybe it could help your future relationships.
I was following a childhood narrative I had created years ago, and I was with you for the wrong reasons.
So as I leave, I hope to rewrite my story. A story that aligns more closely with who I am and what makes me happy.
Your’s truly,
B.

1. Unpacking Childhood Influences:

There are two key moments I remember vividly, both of which have profoundly shaped my drive and aspirations.

The Dodge Viper Commercial

It’s the early 2000s, and I’m lounging on the couch with my dad and brother, just chilling and watching TV.
Suddenly, this Dodge Viper commercial comes on.
I was hooked. I was mesmerized. I wanted that car.
Caught up in the moment, I shouted, “I’ll buy that car one day!”
..You should have seen their faces. They burst out laughing like I’d told the best joke of the year.
For them, the idea of me owning such a beast of a car was hilarious. They mocked me for even thinking that I would ever have a chance to own it one day.
First, it hurt. Then, it made me mad and lit a fire inside me.

First time getting fired.

Flash forward to 2010. I’m working at this fancy hotel in downtown Lyon, France. I know it’s not my dream job, but hey, I’m doing my best—minding my details, knowing I’ll patiently climb that ladder.
Then, out of nowhere, my manager Vladimir calls me into his office. He sits me down and hits me with this math pop quiz.
“what’s 2+2/2”, he asked?
I shoot back “2,” quick as a flash. Wrong answer 😑.
“You see, that’s why we can’t have you working here, Ben. The answer is 3. You’re fired.”
And just like that, I was let go on the spot. I was too stunned to say anything.
Turns out, the guy admitted to another employee days later that he was just offloading his bad breakup mood on me—I was the newest hire, an easy target.
The feeling of injustice I felt at that moment was something I never experienced before.
That day, I said to myself: “I will get my revenge. It will take as long as it takes, but I will buy this hotel just so I can fire him back.”
These two incidents dictated my future professional path without even knowing it. As I discovered many years later, they were not set backs; they were setups.
I would end up owning real estate. Although it was not this particular hotel, it was apartment buildings. And those fancy cars? Got them too, though not the Viper—sadly, they stopped making them in 2017.

We are driven by escape.

One of my favorite hobbies is to study history’s greatest entrepreneurs. By doing this consistently, you discover patterns:
They were usually running away from something. This is what drives us deep down.
Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, and even J.K. Rowling started their paths driven by the need to change their circumstances or to overcome hardships.
Initially, it's all about escape, about proving something, about getting out from under.
And, in many ways, my own journey mirrored this pattern.

2. My American Dream: A Decade in Fast Forward

In 2011, I arrived in LA, filled with ambition. I hustled through various gigs—from selling bus tour tickets to bartending—before venturing into real estate in Florida.
There, I discovered and pursued my passion for investing, eventually leading my own successful firm.
However, rapid growth brought its challenges—unhappy clients, overwhelming demands, and eventually, a personal and professional burnout.
Looking back on those crazy ten years, I see now that I was so focused on proving everyone wrong and winning at everything that I lost sight of what I really loved doing.
It was more about showing them I could do it, rather than following my own dreams.
This led to a moment of reassessment—was I truly pursuing what mattered to me?

3. The 14-Year-Old Boy at the Steering Wheel.

I needed a shift. I needed to travel, change my environment, and break my patterns of thinking. I needed perspective.
And so I did. Panama, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Huku Hiva, Colombia.
Fun fact, it was in Panama (the first trip) where the seed for my first newsletter was planted.
Anyway, back to the story. My realization:
All this time, I was chasing money. Money was my only motivation.
Why? Because I wanted to run away from not having any. I still wanted to prove to my brother and father on that I could make it enough to buy that damn car.
It was not me at the steering wheel of my company—it was my 14-year-old self.
It was not me acquiring these apartment buildings, it was the boy that for unfairly fired in 2010.
And you know what happens when you chase things for the wrong reasons?
You end up with results that you don't value.
The money I got? I spent it—on cars, houses, experiences, lifestyle.
Can you guess what happened as soon as I got them? I was unsatisfied. I immediately needed a bigger house, a better car, more extravagant and exciting experiences.
I finally sat down for a heart-to-heart with my 14-year-old self, realizing how those early fears and motivations had seeped into my adult life.
I needed to understand what I was running away from, and figure out what I wanted to truly run towards.

4. One gets you started, the other pushes you in the right direction.

Running from something is like sprinting from a tiger — you're filled with a rush of energy. Those childhood memories push you hard and fast.
But that kind of running doesn’t hold up forever. Eventually, you realize something's off. The initial spark fades, and you start asking, ‘What am I really chasing?’
That’s when you need to pivot and start running towards something — something that matters, something that sticks.
Finding your true passion, the thing you’re meant to do, that’s the journey worth pursuing.
For me, it all boils down to thinking, writing, sharing, and inspiring—helping others find their way off the rocky roads I once traveled.
If you’re curious about the questions that guided me through my own maze, I’ve compiled them into a cheat sheet for you.
“Easy for you to say, you are young”
Well. No. First, I am 37. And just to show you it’s never too late to change your path, and find your life’s work, just look at these examples:
Ray Kroc joined McDonald's when he was 52 and built it into the most successful fast-food corporation in the world. What did he do before that? He was a milkshake mixer salesman.
Colonel Harland Sanders started franchising his KFC concept at the age of 62, using his first Social Security check to fund the business.
The point is, it’s not too late.

6. This Feels Like a Stepback.. But Is It?

After a decade or two, if you find that you've been driven by the wrong motivations.. Realigning with your true passions often means taking a step back.
This could affect your finances, your social circle, or even your career path.
But as the late Steve Jobs said,“"It's impossible to connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."
The past 10 years have taught me invaluable skills that are essential for this new journey:

• SEO
• Sales
• Marketing
• Copywriting
• Video Editing
• Website Building
• How to hire and fire
• Managing employees
• Crafting interesting newsletters

When you think about it, it’s not really a step backwards. I see it more as a step sideways.
A realignment to a different path that might just take you where you want to be much quicker.

Final Thoughts

Am I really breaking up with America? Not really.
I am breaking up with the ideas that brought me there.
I am distancing myself from an identity that was shaped more by my past and less by my true aspirations.
If you've ever felt like you're on a path set by someone else—whether by society, your past self, or the expectations of others—I encourage you to pause and reflect.
Know that it's never too late to change direction. Your past experiences haven't trapped you; they've prepared you.
Every skill you've developed and every lesson you've learned can help pave a new, more authentic path forward.

It's not you.. it's me.

—or perhaps it's a bit of both.
Back in 2011, I arrived full of hopes, drawn by the glowing promise of the American Dream.
As I sit here at a Colombian coffee shop, I reflect on a decade of dreams, challenges, and revelations that have brought me to this moment of goodbye.
Our story began way before 2011, though. Do you remember?
It was back in 1993 when I first laid my eyes on you. The day my father brought our family to Poughkeepsie, NY, as an expatriate for a few years.
I didn’t speak your language, yet I found myself in your classroom within the second week.
Each morning, I watched my classmates start the day by singing your praises, their hands on their hearts. Although I couldn’t yet understand the words, I felt a connection.
As my vocabulary grew, I got to know your childhood. I learned how your own history was written by people who sought the comfort of your shores for a new beginning.
Those three years immersed in your culture left something in me—a desire that would drive me for the next 15 years.
The idea of hope, patriotism, and capitalism by merit. That anything was possible by working hard.
These things were not found in France, and I came back to see you in 2011 to pursue my dream with you.
I worked hard. I chased the dream. I followed the footsteps of immigrants that came before me, wanting to be successful.
We even got married in 2021—I was now an American Citizen.
I wanted to be successful, and I was.. but deep down, i was not happy.
I had been consumed by the very reason that brought me here.
I lost myself in the process. I forgot why you were initially such a good fit for me.
So I’ve decided to take some time off now, and I don’t know if I’ll return. Don’t worry, as long as we are still married, you are still collecting my taxes, no matter where I am in the world.
I want you to understand the realization I had, so maybe it could help your future relationships.
I was following a childhood narrative I had created years ago, and I was with you for the wrong reasons.
So as I leave, I hope to rewrite my story. A story that aligns more closely with who I am and what makes me happy.
Your’s truly,
B.

1. Unpacking Childhood Influences:

There are two key moments I remember vividly, both of which have profoundly shaped my drive and aspirations.

The Dodge Viper Commercial

It’s the early 2000s, and I’m lounging on the couch with my dad and brother, just chilling and watching TV.
Suddenly, this Dodge Viper commercial comes on.
I was hooked. I was mesmerized. I wanted that car.
Caught up in the moment, I shouted, “I’ll buy that car one day!”
..You should have seen their faces. They burst out laughing like I’d told the best joke of the year.
For them, the idea of me owning such a beast of a car was hilarious. They mocked me for even thinking that I would ever have a chance to own it one day.
First, it hurt. Then, it made me mad and lit a fire inside me.

First time getting fired.

Flash forward to 2010. I’m working at this fancy hotel in downtown Lyon, France. I know it’s not my dream job, but hey, I’m doing my best—minding my details, knowing I’ll patiently climb that ladder.
Then, out of nowhere, my manager Vladimir calls me into his office. He sits me down and hits me with this math pop quiz.
“what’s 2+2/2”, he asked?
I shoot back “2,” quick as a flash. Wrong answer 😑.
“You see, that’s why we can’t have you working here, Ben. The answer is 3. You’re fired.”
And just like that, I was let go on the spot. I was too stunned to say anything.
Turns out, the guy admitted to another employee days later that he was just offloading his bad breakup mood on me—I was the newest hire, an easy target.
The feeling of injustice I felt at that moment was something I never experienced before.
That day, I said to myself: “I will get my revenge. It will take as long as it takes, but I will buy this hotel just so I can fire him back.”
These two incidents dictated my future professional path without even knowing it. As I discovered many years later, they were not set backs; they were setups.
I would end up owning real estate. Although it was not this particular hotel, it was apartment buildings. And those fancy cars? Got them too, though not the Viper—sadly, they stopped making them in 2017.

We are driven by escape.

One of my favorite hobbies is to study history’s greatest entrepreneurs. By doing this consistently, you discover patterns:
They were usually running away from something. This is what drives us deep down.
Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, and even J.K. Rowling started their paths driven by the need to change their circumstances or to overcome hardships.
Initially, it's all about escape, about proving something, about getting out from under.
And, in many ways, my own journey mirrored this pattern.

2. My American Dream: A Decade in Fast Forward

In 2011, I arrived in LA, filled with ambition. I hustled through various gigs—from selling bus tour tickets to bartending—before venturing into real estate in Florida.
There, I discovered and pursued my passion for investing, eventually leading my own successful firm.
However, rapid growth brought its challenges—unhappy clients, overwhelming demands, and eventually, a personal and professional burnout.
Looking back on those crazy ten years, I see now that I was so focused on proving everyone wrong and winning at everything that I lost sight of what I really loved doing.
It was more about showing them I could do it, rather than following my own dreams.
This led to a moment of reassessment—was I truly pursuing what mattered to me?

3. The 14-Year-Old Boy at the Steering Wheel.

I needed a shift. I needed to travel, change my environment, and break my patterns of thinking. I needed perspective.
And so I did. Panama, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nuku Hiva, Colombia.
Fun fact, it was in Panama (the first trip) where the seed for my first newsletter, The Illusion of Being Stuck, was planted.
Anyway, back to the story. My realization:
All this time, I was chasing money. Money was my only motivation.
Why? Because I wanted to run away from not having any. I still wanted to prove to my brother and father on that I could make it enough to buy that damn car.
It was not me at the steering wheel of my company—it was my 14-year-old self.
It was not me acquiring these apartment buildings, it was the boy that for unfairly fired in 2010.
And you know what happens when you chase things for the wrong reasons?
You end up with results that you don't value.
The money I got? I spent it—on cars, houses, experiences, lifestyle.
Can you guess what happened as soon as I got them? I was unsatisfied. I immediately needed a bigger house, a better car, more extravagant and exciting experiences.
I finally sat down for a heart-to-heart with my 14-year-old self, realizing how those early fears and motivations had seeped into my adult life.
I needed to understand what I was running away from, and figure out what I wanted to truly run towards.

4. One gets you started, the other pushes you in the right direction.

Running from something is like sprinting from a tiger — you're filled with a rush of energy. Those childhood memories push you hard and fast.
But that kind of running doesn’t hold up forever. Eventually, you realize something's off. The initial spark fades, and you start asking, ‘What am I really chasing?’
That’s when you need to pivot and start running towards something — something that matters, something that sticks.
Finding your true passion, the thing you’re meant to do, that’s the journey worth pursuing.
For me, it all boils down to thinking, writing, sharing, and inspiring—helping others find their way off the rocky roads I once traveled.
If you’re curious about the questions that guided me through my own maze, I’ve compiled them into a cheat sheet for you.
“Easy for you to say, you are young”
Well. No. First, I am 37. And just to show you it’s never too late to change your path, and find your life’s work, just look at these examples:
Ray Kroc joined McDonald's when he was 52 and built it into the most successful fast-food corporation in the world. What did he do before that? He was a milkshake mixer salesman.
Colonel Harland Sanders started franchising his KFC concept at the age of 62, using his first Social Security check to fund the business.
The point is, it’s not too late.

6. This Feels Like a Stepback.. But Is It?

After a decade or two, if you find that you've been driven by the wrong motivations.. Realigning with your true passions often means taking a step back.
This could affect your finances, your social circle, or even your career path.
But as the late Steve Jobs said,“"It's impossible to connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."
The past 10 years have taught me invaluable skills that are essential for this new journey:

• SEO
• Sales
• Marketing
• Copywriting
• Video Editing
• Website Building
• How to hire and fire
• Managing employees
• Crafting interesting newsletters

When you think about it, it’s not really a step backwards. I see it more as a step sideways.
A realignment to a different path that might just take you where you want to be much quicker.

Final Thoughts

Am I really breaking up with America? Not really.
I am breaking up with the ideas that brought me there.
I am distancing myself from an identity that was shaped more by my past and less by my true aspirations.
If you've ever felt like you're on a path set by someone else—whether by society, your past self, or the expectations of others—I encourage you to pause and reflect.
Know that it's never too late to change direction. Your past experiences haven't trapped you; they've prepared you.
Every skill you've developed and every lesson you've learned can help pave a new, more authentic path forward.

I was reviewing my google timeline dahil sa advisory na this coming November, available na lang sya sa app on my smartphone so nag flashback itong unforgettable travel experience namin (family of 4).
So this trip happened in 2015 - I know, matagal na pero di ko talaga makalimutan :)
My son planned the trip months ahead as a birthday gift to me so he bought plane tickets for all of us, booked a hotel, prepared the itinerary and then advised my wife and my daughter to apply for a Taiwan visa. My US visa then was still valid so all I needed was to apply for the visa online which was granted the same day.
Our departure coincided with the APEC summit so na consider din namin ito while planning on getting to the airport for our 9pm flight. Since my daughter was a PT intern then sa isang facility sa Tagaytay, we all agreed na susunduin namin sya just before lunch (with the permission of her supervisor) and straight to NAIA T3. We left Tagaytay at around 11:30am.
Before heading to the airport, tumawag muna ako sa MMDA hotline to confirm if open pa ang Skyway and sabi sa akin open pa naman daw. Nag decide kami na mag drive thru na lang for lunch to save more time. Naka monitor din kami online and sa radio ng mga advisories, so kalmado pa kami pero nung malapit na kami sa Alabang, biglang may advisory na totally closed na ang Skyway :(
We decided to take the East Service road thru Bicutan exit at around 2:30pm and reached C5 around 4pm. Nakipagtalo pa ako sa traffic enforcer then kasi dapat direcho kami hanggang Lawton/Sales interchange to no avail kahit pinakita pa namin ang plane tickets namin :(
Nagtyaga kami dito until nakarating kami near Lawton/Sales interchange before 8pm. Tanaw na namin ang pagtawid ng Sales so malapit na! Usap usapan na namin ng son ko, kung di kami aabot sa flight, so be it. Siguro talaga kako di para sa amin yun. Lungkot na si wife and my daughter kasi 1st time nila int'l flight. Nalungkot din si son kasi non-refundable ang tickets and hotel booking.
Give up na talaga ako sa sobrang stress at pagod although si son ang nagdrive all the while. Buti na lang, his college friend na Taiwanese was also booked sa same flight namin and he kept telling him na kaya pa dahil malapit na and dinelay na ng CebPac ang flight. All these delays yata were caused by the arrival of Air Force 1 dahil di nila binibigay ETA for security reasons.
At around 8:30pm, nag go na ang mga patawid ng Sales so natuwa na kami lalo na nung natanaw na namin ang airport! Since iiwan namin ang sasakyan namin sa T3 covered parking, binaba kami ni son sa arrival area. So takbo kaming 3 ni wife and daughter bitbit lahat ng luggage, akyat ng elevator papunta sa check-in counter.
Wala ng pila for the Taiwan flight and nag ask lang kami sa staff ng CebPac and we were immediately accommodated so akala ko tapos na. Dumating na din si son and they were all issued boarding passes except me :(
It turned out na may mali sa visa ko kasi instead of 0 (zero) ang nailagay ko is O sa US Visa details ko. Good thing was may dalang laptop si son and CebPac advised na mag reapply since within minutes siguradong ma grant naman. Nag try ako mag type pero talagang nanginginig na ang kamay ko so si son na lang pinag type ko and true enough, na grant naman agad and si CebPac na ang nagprint for me :)
So lumipad ang plane around 10 or 10:30pm, di ko na napansin kung kami yung last na nagboard, pero nung nag taxi na, nakahinga na kami ng maluwag kahit gutom na gutom na kami kasi di na kami nakapag dinner :(
Akala ko tapos na ang sorpresa, pag land namin ng Taiwan syempre tuwang tuwa na kaming lahat. Sumakay ng bus and then taxi papunta sa Ximending where my son booked a hotel. Problem is, mali ang booking nya hahaha! Nalito ata so kinabukasan pa ang booking namin and fully booked na so nakiusap na lang kami na iwan ang luggage sa hotel and pumayag naman.
Kumain muna kami sa Mo's burger ata yun and nakahanap kami ng hotel na may vacancy just for that night.
Overall, okay naman yung trip namin since alam na ni son kung saan kami dadalhin during our stay. Enjoyed it very much.
Sorry for the long post.
​

My daughter has been working on her bhs for several months now. She is so darn close to getting it. She's currently in the gym several times per week and her form looks great. Last spot the instructor used a hand and said she almost there.
There is a cheese mat/wedge for sale on Craigslist not too far off. It's a decent price. But, not sure it's worth getting. She doesn't get much practice at home bc I don't want to spot her (I'd prefer the coach). But she conditions at home daily to help. Any suggestions or is this just a wait and it will happen? Trying to help her as she has a month before she is considered for another level. If not, still no loss in my opinion.

[$1400/month (excluding utilities) SINGLE bedroom open in 2bd/1bath top floor apartment - Albany, CA]
Hey there! I’m moving out this month and I’m looking to fill my spot and take over my one-year lease beginning June 1st or within the beginning of June. Accessible through a locked lobby with an elevator, it’s a two bedroom/one bathroom apartment with a small balcony located in Albany on San Pablo Ave and Portland Avenue — ideal for graduate students or young professionals.
-5 min. walk to Solano Avenue (home of the Solano Avenue Stroll) -20 min. bus ride via the 18 straight to Downtown Berkeley -6 min. bus ride/18 min. walk to El Cerrito Plaza BART -22 min. bus ride to UC Berkeley Crescent Lawn -3 min. walk to $3 tacos from Tacos El Autlense
Monthly rent for the room (unfurnished but incl. single bed frame + mattress, a side table, and small portable closet) is $1400 excluding utilities. Water + garbage included and Indoor laundry unit (washedryer) included. 2 parking spots behind a gated parking lot also included.
We are located on the topmost (3rd) floor of the apartment complex, so noise is not an issue outside of some children occasionally playing in the complex during the day and the occasional speedy car. Landlord is also very quick to respond and act to any repair needs.
This place is a 8 min. walk to El Cerrito Plaza which has Trader Joes, Daiso, Peet’s Coffee, CVS, Barnes & Noble and more. It is also a 3-5 min. walk to several bus stops including the 18 and 72/72R.
A little about my housemate: -She is a tidy person and maintains her space well -Communicates well -Enjoys trying new places to eat and going on walks -Currently a student at Berkeley City College
Happy to offer tours or answer any questions. Feel free to DM, I'll respond promptly.
Craigslist listing with PHOTOS here: https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/d/albany-immediately-available-convenient/7751295745.html

Taking a break from the M-mount system:
[Photos + timestamps](https://imgur.com/a/RE8HMxW)
​

1. Leica M10-R black chrome body - $4995. Lived up to my digital rangefinder expectations, but right now I don't have time to dedicate to shooting, so this is a $5k paperweight on my shelf. Comes with all the boxes and chargers. The original owner scuffed up the camera near the shutter release and the thumb dial, which clearly makes this ineligible for any Fred Miranda buyers. And yes that's my post on Craigslist.
2. 35mm Summicron v1 ASPH silver lens - $2000. In great condition with no detectable focus shift on my 40mp camera. This has a box too, but the serial of the box doesn't actually match the serial of the lens. Don't know why the previous owner included it, but here it is. Comes with front and rear caps and the leather pouch.
3. User condition Cosina-Voigtlander Bessa R2 body - $280. I've put so many rolls of film through this. Sadly the adhesive for the rear grip died and that fell off. The screws for the frame around the viewfinder also loosed one by one too. But good news -- meter still works great and shutter seems to be accurate. I'm open to shipping this, but prefer a local sale purely because of its condition so no one has buyer's remorse.

Limited to local SF Bay Area sales (based in SF), but might be open to shipping if you're willing to jump through some hoops to build trust and if you're west of the Rockies (faster shipping). No trades at this time, sorry.

I always enjoy reading trip reports so I thought I would go ahead and share a report on my Golden Week trip with my parents.
Warning, long post!
This trip was from May 2nd to 15th. Some background, I (late 20's) am a foreign resident living in Hokkaido. I have also lived in Tokyo before so I am pretty comfortable with navigating the city and transit system, and speak intermediate Japanese. I have briefly visited Kyoto and Osaka but this was my first time in Hiroshima. This was my parents' (both 60) first time in Japan, and as it was probably one of few trips they will make to Japan, we decided to try and hit a lot of major sites for the first half before spending time in Hokkaido.
Obviously Golden Week isn't the most ideal time to travel in Japan, but as a resident, this was the best time I could travel without having to take too much time off work. My parents like travelling, but this was their first time in Asia and anywhere where English isn't widely spoken. They enjoyed their time here, but I am pretty sure if I weren't living here, it wouldn't have been a destination they would have travelled to on their own. I planned most of the trip myself. Parents weren’t too interested in pop-culture (anime, music, etc) so I was able to save time by cutting out a lot of the more touristy anime spots. They were pretty down for anything else, and Dad knew he wanted to see a baseball game and visit Hiroshima, so we made sure to make those two happen.
May 2nd-Arrival in Tokyo
(Hotel Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo Tamachi-Two double bed rooms)
Parents flew from Vancouver to Narita and landed shortly before 3:00pm. I flew JetStar from Hokkaido and was set to land shortly after 3:00. I figured I would have time to get my bag and get from terminal 3 to 1 to meet them before they got through customs and baggage. However, my flight was a bit delayed and landed closer to 3:30. Not a big deal, but surprisingly my parents got through customs and baggage and were waiting for me before I even got my bag. We took the train directly to Mita Station in Minato, which was only a 10 minute walk to our hotel. It was around 6:00 by the time we checked in and got settled, and the parents didn't sleep on the plane, so we decided on dinner at the hotel restaurant before grabbing some conbini snacks and heading to bed by 9:00.
May 3rd (Constitution Memorial Day)-Tokyo
Taking advantage of their jetlag, we were up and ready to go at 7:00 am, but first dropped off our suitcases to be shipped to our Kyoto hotel. We had each brought a mid-size suitcase and backpack, so we shipped our suitcases and kept two days worth of stuff in our backpacks. It was a bit of a pain to have to rearrange all the bags so soon after arriving, but I wanted to send the bags earlier, as I was worried about delays due to Golden Week. It was very easy to do at the hotel, and so worth it to not have to haul bags all over.
We grabbed a conbini breakfast before heading to Asakusa and Sensoji. There were a fair amount of people there at around 8:00, but not crowded yet. Almost all of the shops were still closed but my parents really enjoyed seeing their first temple. After grabbing a goshuin paper (I forgot my goshuincho at home, I was so cheesed) we took a walk to the Sumida river and had coffee with a beautiful view of the Skytree. After that, we made our way back through Sensoji, towards Kappabashi Street. It was after 10:00 so all of the shops in front of the temple were open and crowds were in full swing. My parents didn’t mind the crowds too much but they were really happy we arrived early and had the chance to see things with less people. Mom was on the lookout for kitchen knives, hence the stop in Kappabashi. There were only a few shops open due to the holiday, but it was fine.
We headed back to the Minato area for one of our few food reservations, the Harry Potter cafe. (Booked through the official site a few weeks in advance.) I really wanted to drag my parents to a silly themed cafe, but I knew anything like the Kirby or Pokemon cafe would be totally lost on them, so I compromised with the Harry Potter cafe. I’ve been to enough themed cafes to know that you pay a lot for the experience and atmosphere and the quality of the food is secondary. That said, the food here was my least favourite of all the themed cafes I have been to in Japan. The decorations and restaurant were cool, but unless you’re a diehard fan, I would skip this one.
After lunch, we headed to Tokyo Tower. We didn’t go up, but we took a look at the shops, saw the Children’s Day carp streamers, and stopped at the beer garden. We were leaving to go have a break at the hotel when we saw a sign for the Japantique Show and decided to stop in. (Free admission) It was cool but everything was way out of our budgets, by like, thousands of dollars. After that, we bussed back to our hotel for a rest. We stopped for dinner at a Yakiniku Like near the station, which is a great option for budget yakiniku in my opinion, before heading to Ginza to window shop and look at more things we couldn’t afford. I also had to point out the Kabukiza theatre to mom and dad, as I am a big Kabuki fan. We didn’t have time for a show this trip but I definitely recommend seeing even just a single act if it’s something you might be interested in. Headed back to the hotel and was in bed by 9:00.
May 4th (Greenery Day)-Tokyo
Another early morning, we took the train and arrived at Harajuku station around 8:00 a.m. We had breakfast at Sarutahiko Coffee, above the station. After that we wandered towards Meiji Jingu. It was already warming up (high of 29 this day) so it was nice being under all the trees. As we passed the entrance to the garden, they were just about ready to open, so we decided to wait and go in. It was still too early for most of the flowers to bloom, but it was still a really nice spot. After the garden we made our way to the main shrine, followed by the Meiji Jingu Museum. They were having an exhibit on dresses of the Meiji era, particularly focused on Empress Shoken, so I thought it would be an interesting stop. There wasn’t much information in English, and the exhibit was pretty small, but seeing the dresses was cool.
I dragged mom and dad through Takeshita Street. It was very crowded, but my parents still got a kick out of seeing the stores and fashion, although they rolled their eyes everytime I offered to buy us matching platform shoes for some reason. After a stop in Uniqlo, we headed to Shinjuku for lunch. We stopped at a random izakaya near the station that I unfortunately forgot the name of. We snapped some pictures of Godzilla and the 3D cat billboard before heading to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Happy surprise that it was free admission for Greenery Day. There were a lot of people there, but it is a large park, so it wasn’t too crowded. Like the Meiji garden, most of the flowers weren’t in bloom yet, but it was still really pretty and nice to just be able to rest under the trees in the shade for a while.
After the garden, we head back towards Shibuya. We wandered around the scramble and main streets for a bit. I had a ticket to enter a pop up store at 5:15, so mom and dad had to wait outside while I got my goods. I got out with enough time for us to get to the Shibuya Sky building in time for our 6:20 entry. I would have liked to have gotten 6:00 tickets to see more of the sunset, but I was just happy to have gotten any tickets during dusk. It was still an incredible view, and it was a clear day so we could see Fuji in the distance. Mom and Dad were a bit overwhelmed by crowds at this point, so we headed back to the hotel and had dinner at a soba chain near the station, opposed to trying to find something in Shibuya. Mom and Dad were in bed before 9:00.
This was definitely the most crowded day we experienced during the trip. My parents said that while they don’t feel the need to ever go back to Shibuya or Shinjuku, they were happy that they had had the experience of seeing them, and don’t regret going, even with the crowds. I had originally planned Shibuya, then Shinjuku in the evening so we weren’t doubling back, but the garden closes late afternoon and it worked out with the evening Shibuya Sky tickets.
May 5th (Children’s Day)- Tokyo/Kyoto
(Hotel Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto Kiyomizu Gojo-Connecting Twin Rooms)
Checked out of the hotel early and made our way to Tokyo Station. We had breakfast at a cafe in the basement, before dropping our backpacks in a locker and taking a walk around the Imperial Palace grounds. After we got our bags back, we grabbed some ekibens for lunch and caught the 10:30 shinkansen to Kyoto.
Because of the holiday and wanting us to be sitting on the Fuji side, these were the only shinkansen tickets I booked in advance. I booked through the JR west site, just under a month before. I had no problem using my Canadian mastercard to pay, and at that time there were still lots of seats available. It all worked out too as we had amazing weather and got a beautiful view of Fuji.
After arriving in Kyoto, we picked up my parents JR Kansai-Hiroshima passes. I am not eligible for one as a foreign resident, but they were definitely worth it for my parents, and if I planned better, we could have gotten more value out of them.
After dropping our stuff off at our hotel, we went to Kingaku-ji. The crowds weren’t as bad as I was expecting for mid afternoon during Golden Week and we thought the pavilion was very beautiful. After a vending machine ice cream we hopped on the bus to Arashiyama. The bamboo grove also was not nearly as crowded as I expected and we even had to empty spots to take pictures. Main street Arashiyama on the other hand, was very crowded, with a lot of tourists (foreign and local) having to walk on the road. We walked down to the Kimono Forest which was very cool and then headed out after that.
We planned on finding a restaurant in Kyoto Station for dinner, but as we were on the train back, we were delayed due to Kyoto Station being temporarily shut down to investigate a suspicious item. It turned out to just be a forgotten backpack but I think most trains were delayed about two hours. The delay sucked, but I guess it’s to be safe than sorry. (That’s probably easier to say as someone already in Kyoto vs one of the people who would have been stuck on an inbound shinkansen.)
After catching a replacement bus that was enroute to go near our hotel, we decided to bail on dinner at the station and find something closer to us. We ended up in a small and smokey but still tasty yakitori place before calling it a night.
May 6th (Substitute Holiday)- Kyoto
Waking up early again, we caught the train to Fushimi Inari. There was a small family restaurant on the main street leading up to the shrine that had just opened. (I think this was just after 8:00 am) We stopped there for breakfast before going up to the shrine. We got pretty far before Dad’s knees started bothering him. Fortunately on the hike down we passed a shrine dedicated to back and knee health, so Mom and I bought an omamori for him.
After that we headed to Kiyomizudera. I think this temple was my parents' favourite of all the shrines and temples we went to, minus the hills. We didn’t find the streets too crowded at this point but the hills and stairs did not help my parents' feet and knees. They did really enjoy walking through the temple when we got there, and we could have spent a lot more time here, but we had a lunch plans.
I booked us a 12:30 lunch reservation at Yakinikugyusho Shin. Normally I don’t bother too much with reservations when I travel but I was worried about the Golden Week crowds and I wanted to make sure we had at least one nice meal somewhere in Kyoto. I booked this through TableCheck. We all had different beef rice bowls and they were all delicious. The restaurant had a really cool traditional atmosphere too.
After that we wandered the area for a bit before heading to the Samurai Museum. I personally thought it was a bit overpriced for what it is, but our guide was funny and had a lot of information. We did enjoy the throwing stars experience at the end as well. We weren’t too keen on the optional samurai dress up experience so we opted out of that. We headed back to the hotel for a rest before heading out for dinner at a nearby burger place called Burger Eleven, which we were pretty happy with. Headed back to the hotel to pack and have an early night.
May 7th- Kyoto/Hiroshima
(Hotel The Knot Hiroshima-Triple Room)
We checked out of the hotel early in the morning after having our suitcases shipped to our Osaka hotel. Once again, really easy and worthwhile. After that we head to Nishiki Market for breakfast of tempura and seafood. We arrived as things were starting to open and not too crowded. After pursuing all the shops we bussed to Kyoto Station to head off to Hiroshima.
I had no idea how to use my parents' JR passes at the ticket machines, and since we would need both shinkansen tickets and limited express Haruka tickets to Shin-Osaka, I just decided to go straight to the ticket office and have them do it. They had English speaking staff, so it was really easy. We were able to get reserved seats together on the next train out.
We arrived in Hiroshima at our hotel around 2:00 pm. We went to drop off our backpacks, but the hotel actually let us check in early which was great. Then we toured around Hiroshima Castle and then Shukkeien Gardens. I feel like I could have spent hours in the garden, but Mom was dealing with some pretty intense blisters, so we walked around for a bit and fed the carps before heading back to the hotel. We had a drink at the hotel’s rooftop bar before dinner. The original plan was to walk to Okonomimura for dinner, but Mom’s feet weren’t up for it. We found a nearby restaurant called Hazaya, which was a great alternative. After dinner we grabbed some snacks and called it a night.
May 8th- Hiroshima/Osaka
(Hotel WBF Namba Motomachi-Two Double Rooms)
Up early again to visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum. Ticket sales the day of started at 8:30 and we were first in line. It seems you can enter earlier with an e-ticket, which we could have bought on the spot, but we decided to wait the 10ish minutes till the counter opened. I won’t say much about the Museum other than it was very heavy, but incredibly well done. I highly recommend it. We beat a lot of the crowd, including most of the school tours that were arriving as we were leaving. After a small breakfast at the museum cafe we walked through the park and to the dome, then grabbed our bags from the hotel and headed to Osaka. Once again, did not want to fiddle around with the JR passes and ticket machines, so we went to the ticket office. We could have been on the next train out, but waited for the one after so we had time to grab lunch at the station.
We arrived in Osaka, checked in to the hotel, and headed to the Tempozan Wheel. The view was great, but the wind was quite strong, which scared my parents who are terrified of heights. This was in the afternoon but I imagine the night view would be amazing. After a little stroll around the area, we headed to Dotonburi for dinner. Mom and Dad weren’t too keen on takoyaki, which I was surprised by. They both decided they favoured Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. I’m more for Osaka-style but I won’t say no to either. Did a little bit of souvenir shopping before heading back to the hotel for the night.
May 9th-Osaka/Hokkaido
We set off early for Osaka Castle. Enjoyed walking around the grounds and the surrounding park. I took some of this subreddit’s advice and didn’t go inside the castle. We had gone inside the Hiroshima Castle, which is also pretty museum-like, so we weren’t upset to miss this one.
After enjoying the morning, we made our way back to the hotel to get our suitcases, then caught the bus from Namba OCAT station to KIX airport. We had time for lunch before checking in to our flight to Chitose. I don’t know about the international terminal, but the food options on the domestic side at KIX are pretty minimal. Had an easy flight to Chitose where I was reunited with my car and drove us to my house for the night.
May 10th- Sapporo
(Hotel Quintessa Hotel Susukino 63-One Queen Room and One Double)
From here out the trip was a much slower and relaxing pace. Had a lazy morning before making our way to Sapporo by car. Checked into our hotel and did a little shopping near Sapporo station. Attended a Fighters game that evening, which was a great time! ES Con Field is a beautiful brand new stadium and has a lot of great food options. I don’t follow baseball much but we still all really enjoyed the atmosphere. The Fighters won which I am sure helped a lot. I know they’re not one of the super popular teams in Japan, but if you’re a baseball fan with a free evening or afternoon in Hokkaido, I think the stadium alone is worth seeing a game here for.
May 11th- Jozankei
(Ryokan Hana Momiji-Comfort Japanese-style Room)
Checked out of our hotel just before 10 a.m.. We walked down to Shiawase-no-Pancake for a fluffy pancake breakfast, before driving an hour to Jozankei. We had a reservation at the Hana Momiji ryokan. My parents both have tattoos, but wanted to try an onsen. I looked at a few ryokan options in Jozankei before picking this one. Any room with a private onsen was out of our budget, but Hana Momiji has several private baths that guests can book, so this was the best option for us. We first arrived and parked at the ryokan before wandering around the town.
We came across a small temple that just so happened to have a small cave you could walk through that was full of Kannon statues. A bit strange but very cool. There were still carp streamers up so we enjoyed seeing them over the river. We had lunch at a small ramen shop, did a little more souvenir shopping, then headed back to the ryokan to check in. Mom and Dad enjoyed the private bath before dinner, and I used the public bath on the top floor after dinner. It was a little crowded for the shower stations but for a while I had the outdoor bath all to myself which was grand. The ryokan’s kaiseki dinner was amazing but we weren’t too hungry from lunch, and the food just kept coming. The sukiyaki was my favourite. After I visited the onsen we relaxed in our room for the rest of the night.
May 12th- Otaru (Mother’s Day)
We woke up and had the buffet breakfast at the ryokan. The buffet had a lot of options but was a bit underwhelming compared to the kaiseki dinner. We checked out at 10 a.m. and continued to Otaru. Since it was Mother’s Day, my siblings and I agreed I was to organise something nice for Mom. I decided to take us to a glass blowing workshop. This might seem random for Japan, but for some reason, Otaru is well known for glass blowing and music boxes. We had an 11 a.m. reservation at Studio J-45. The shop is more on the outskirts of the city, but it was a beautiful little store, and the staff were so friendly and helpful. There were only three staff members and one of them spoke English well enough to explain everything to my parents. My mom made a flower vase, my dad made a wind-chime, and I made a cup. It was a really fun and easy process and all of our pieces came out beautifully. I think the best way to access this place is by car, but if that's an option for you and you’re looking for a unique experience, I highly recommend this studio! One thing to keep in mind is that the pieces need to cook in the oven after, so you’ll either need to be able to pick them up another day, or have somewhere in Japan they can be shipped to (for a fee I believe). I could have shipped to my house but I wanted to make sure Mom and Dad had them before they left.
After that we headed into downtown Otaru to meet some of my friends. There was a cruise ship docked this day so it was a bit more crowded than usual. We stopped in at the music box museum and then we all went for lunch together and had some delicious gyukatsu. We strolled down the rest of main street to the canal. At this point it was late afternoon and starting to rain. Most things in Otaru close pretty early anyway so we said goodbye to my friends and drove back to my town for the night.
May 13th- Home
Didn’t do much today. I worked a half day to save some PTO. Dad wanted BBQ for lunch so we went to a yakiniku place in the next town over, and then met one of my friends at Hamasushi for dinner (our usual go-to spot).
May 14th- Sapporo
(Via Inn Prime Sapporo Odori-Triple Room)
Last full day in Japan for my parents. Worked another half day in the morning. Took a detour to Otaru on the way to Sapporo to collect our glassware. Arrived in Sapporo and checked into the hotel, then had tough time trying to find overnight parking. For our last dinner I booked a reservation in Kessel Hall at the Sapporo Beer Garden. (Booked online through their website.) Didn’t do all you can eat Ghenhis Khan (mutton), because as we were heading out my dad mentioned he doesn’t like lamb. 🤦So he had a seafood platter, mom had a sausage dish, and I ordered some lamb a la carte. Sure enough, he tried a piece of mine and made me order another plate of it. We enjoyed the beer and dessert as well, then went back to our hotel. The hotel had a public bath which I enjoyed that evening before heading to bed.
May 15th-Home
Woke up early to drive Mom and Dad to Shin-Chitose for their 10 a.m. flight to Narita. This would have given them plenty of time to get to their 4 p.m. flight to Vancouver, but just to be safe, AirCanada kindly delayed the flight till 8 p.m. so they could spend half a day in Narita.
Some closing thoughts:
Golden Week Crowds- I was really expecting the worst when it came to the crowds, especially in Kyoto, but I honestly didn’t find them to be that bad. Maybe I just got lucky but other than the day in Shinjuku and Shibuya, I never felt I was being “herded” anywhere. At Kinkakuji, we would maybe have to wait a minute to get a spot at the fence for pictures but it was never shoulder to shoulder like I was expecting. Kiyomizudera was really only crowded on the walk down, especially when cars were passing. We didn’t go to any viral restaurants, but we never had to wait more than 10ish minutes to be seated anywhere. It was probably more a case of right time, right place, but if you end up stuck with a Japan trip planned during Golden Week, I think as long as you’re patient and well planned, you can still have a really nice trip.
-Parents used Sakura mobile esims. It took us a couple tries to get the access point info input correctly but once we did, they had no problems.
-Didn’t want to deal with tracking down IC cards in Tokyo (we all have androids) so I brought two Kitaca cards from Hokkaido that they were able to use everywhere we went.
-Like I mentioned, I could have gotten more value out of the JR Kansai-Hiroshima pass had I planned better. Ex: I know you can use them on the express train from Osaka to KIX. Since our hotel was in Namba we weren’t anywhere convenient to catch it, and I was worried we would haul our luggage to Osaka station, only to not be able to find enough lockers to put our stuff in. It was just easier to leave our bags at the hotel, come back, then take the nearby limousine bus. If I did this again using these passes, I would have booked our hotel closer to Osaka station. That said, using the passes just to go from Kyoto to Hiroshima to Osaka already saved my parents about 5k yen each.
-Other than the ryokan, which I booked through their site, all our hotels were booked through Agoda.
-I mentioned Mom had blisters. She had gotten really good shoes, but it was her socks that caused all the problems with the toe seams rubbing the wrong way. Make sure if you’re investing in good shoes, you have some good socks to go with them.
-Overall I think it was a really good trip. It was tiring but fun to tour my parents around Japan. It looks like a lot very quickly, but we got through everything I had put on our itinerary, and didn’t feel rushed anywhere, other than our Kyoto lunch reservation. My parents enjoyed the peacefulness of Hiroshima the most, and we would have liked to see Miyajima if we had time, so should they come back, that is where they would probably visit again.
If you made it through this whole thing, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed or found this helpful!

One of the most "untouched" and probably downed programs in UST are from CCBA AHAHAHAHA probably it's not a forte program of UST.
Just a short background, CCBA is divided into 2 units (Commerce & BusAd). Entrep program is under Commerce while the 4 special business degrees (MM, FM, HRM, BusEcon) are under BusAd.
Entrep program is not an exemption from this stereotype -- that the common misconceptions are that we're just chill and party people, not as tight as premed pressure, easy subjects???, and it's easy in the business circle???
Probably even from BSBA would agree from these stirs against our institution. Although they might have no idea how hard it is to survive in Entrep program. To begin with, I actually don't have any plans in enrolling at Entrep, neither I have a choice from any BSBA courses (I don't know in what area of the business I'm good at). I learned that all BSBA majors and other business degrees are offered in UST through Entrep program.
Marketing, Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, Law, Accounting, HR, Economics, and other minor disciplines embraced in our program (engineering, food tech, psych, agri, IT, etc.), you name it. All of these are flexibly imbued to our curriculum HAHAHAHA
I am finally on my third year and one of the most exhausting year in Entrep because of the production of a business plan proposal which is a "ticket" to fourth year. I must admit how much I hated Entrep because of its very very wide area of learning. Although before ending in third year, I finally understood what is the essence of my program and how well it would contribute to the society.
I feared this program in CCBA because we have a high debarment rate among other business programs and there are students enrolled here had low grades after recovering back from pandemic. As early as 2nd year, there are already numerous students being debarred.
The life of an entrep student in UST is very hard. Entrep freshies may be able to see these things lightly, but later on you'd see the reality of the program. Imagine how expensive it is to build a LEGIT and REGISTERED business, and every semester there are urges of changing ventures (inclusion of the expenses made for a specific business idea). There would be countless times that you'd be very worried of how much sales will your business generate every month just to get the good and acceptable grades (just to survive acads).
To the knowledge of everyone, in 4th year, grades will also be based on income and in the reality of business, there is no guarantee that you'll be able to prove what you have planned. It's a game of 50-50 probability, you hit or miss. Lucky you if you exceed.
But yeah, since I'm already near to that point, I must take this sigh of relief that I was able to get through the toughest challenge of being in a junior year. I have finally defended our business plan, but the question now will be, can we prove that our business is profitable and viable for a year at least?