Justin Jay Wang

19 notes tagged Reflection. View all

My family and I visited the Charles M. Schulz Museum up in wine country the other weekend. What began as an unassuming detour — to the “Snoopy Museum,” as we called it — left me unexpectedly moved and deeply inspired.

A person who is able to contribute something to the world is a fortunate person, and each of us should be able at least to ‘brighten the corner’ where we are.

— Charles M. Schulz

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969). © 1969 Cinema Center Films / National General Pictures.

For nearly fifty years, the enormous cultural phenomenon of Peanuts essentially came from one person’s hand and mind. From his little corner of Northern California, Schulz reached the whole world.

His was a creative life built through practice, repetition, and constraint. He said, “Sitting down in the same place each day turns on the creativity.” Find a constraint deep enough, and you can spend a lifetime discovering what’s inside it.

Filed under: Reflection Design

There’s an issue of The New York Times’ The Morning newsletter that I saved from earlier in the year. The intro, by Melissa Kirsch, talks about doing the harder thing first so that you’ll have an easier time later.

Illustration: María Jesús Contreras for The New York Times
Future Perfect
The New York TimesBy Melissa Kirsch

One innocuous example is backing into a parking spot, so that getting out will be easier. Of course, there’s also going to sleep early so you won’t wake up tired the next day. She references a Jerry Seinfeld bit: “I stay up late at night ’cause I’m ‘Night Guy.’ What about getting up after five hours of sleep? Oh, that’s Morning Guy’s problem.”

Not a new concept by any means. But the way it was framed this time has stuck with me.

“When will the future me arrive?” one user asked Reddit’s r/SelfImprovement community, unsure if present sacrifice was worth some theoretical future gain. “Realize you are future you to past you,” another replied. “Have you thanked yourself for everything you’ve done?”

This idea of extending the same kindness with which I might treat others onto myself — my future self — flipped a switch for me.

Now I keep trying to do more things that, when I do it, I think: I’ll thank myself later.

Filed under: Reflection

When I visited my childhood home last year, I brought back a binder filled with guitar tab printouts of songs I played throughout my teen years:

  • Iron & Wine – “The Trapeze Swinger”
  • The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”
  • David Bowie – “Starman”
  • Jon Brion – “Knock Yourself Out”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “Dirty Dream Number Two”
  • The Smiths – “Girlfriend in a Coma”
  • Pink Floyd – “Mother”
  • The Beatles – “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”
  • The Smiths – “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”
  • Blur – “Song 2”
  • Minor Threat – “In My Eyes”
  • Elliott Smith – “Some Song”
  • Pink Floyd – “Wish You Were Here”
  • Smashing Pumpkins – “Today”
  • Weezer – “Say It Ain’t So”
  • Coldplay – “Green Eyes”
  • The Velvet Underground – “Sunday Morning”
  • Don McLean – “Vincent”
  • Smashing Pumpkins – “Disarm”
  • The Velvet Underground – “After Hours”
  • Jack Johnson – “Flake”
  • Coldplay – “Yellow”
  • Radiohead – “Creep”
  • Weezer – “Photograph”
  • Led Zeppelin – “Over the Hills and Far Away”
  • Pink Floyd – “Comfortably Numb”
  • Elliott Smith – “The Biggest Lie”
  • Radiohead – “Karma Police”
  • Pixies – “Velouria”
  • Weezer – “Say It Ain’t So”
  • Elliott Smith – “No Name #3”
  • Nirvana – “Tourette’s”
  • The Beatles – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
  • Tom Petty – “Free Fallin’”
  • The Smiths – “Ask”
  • Elliott Smith – “Rose Parade”
  • The Velvet Underground – “Pale Blue Eyes”
  • Modern English – “I Melt With You”
  • Van Morrison – “Brown Eyed Girl”
  • The Shins – “New Slang”
  • Sufjan Stevens – “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts”
  • Sufjan Stevens – “Casimir Pulaski Day”
  • Sufjan Stevens – “Romulus”
  • Sufjan Stevens – “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.”
  • Sufjan Stevens – “Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us”
  • The Beatles – “Michelle”
  • The Postal Service – “Nothing Better”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “I’m a Cuckoo”
  • Sufjan Stevens – “The Mistress Witch from McClure”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “Me and the Major”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “I Don’t Love Anyone”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “My Wandering Days Are Over”
  • Neutral Milk Hotel – “The King of Carrot Flowers”
  • Neutral Milk Hotel – “The King of Carrot Flowers, Pts. Two & Three”
  • The Smiths – “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side”
  • The Smiths – “Boys Don’t Cry”
  • Bright Eyes – “First Day of My Life”
  • Bright Eyes – “Something Vague”
  • Bob Dylan – “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”
  • The Beatles – “Julia”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “Piazza, New York Catcher”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “Fox in the Snow”
  • The Shins – “Kissing the Lipless”
  • Sufjan Stevens – “The Avalanche”
  • Iron & Wine – “Such Great Heights”
  • Neutral Milk Hotel – “Communist Daughter”
  • Weezer – “Butterfly”
  • The Beatles – “Norwegian Wood”
  • Bright Eyes – “Movement of a Hand”
  • Elliott Smith – “Say Yes”
  • Beck – “Girl”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “The State I Am In”
  • Iron & Wine – “Such Great Heights”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “Expectations”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “I Love My Car”
  • Belle & Sebastian – “The Rollercoaster Ride”
  • Apples in Stereo – “Signal in the Sky”

We did some spring cleaning this weekend, so I moved the physical printouts to a digital archive. I spent a rare couple of hours to myself in the afternoon with a guitar and played through them again for old times’ sake.

Filed under: Lists Reflection

Reflecting on everything that’s happened in the past couple years, a few thoughts and lessons come to mind:

  1. Don’t be afraid to scrap something or walk away, even if you’ve already invested a lot (the sunk cost fallacy).
  2. Keep things close to the core.
  3. Hiring is the highest-leverage investment of your time.
  4. If something smells a little off, it probably is.
  5. The truth can be inconvenient and easy to dismiss.
  6. Life is full of sliding doors moments.
  7. Go towards good vibes.
Filed under: Reflection

This new year’s resolution: be more grateful, patient, and kind.

Past resolutions:

  1. focus (2016)
  2. take action (2015)
  3. stay inspired (2014)
  4. go with the flow (2012)
  5. connect with people more (2011)
  6. don’t be lazy (2000)
Filed under: Reflection

Things I believe:

  • Straightforward is best
  • Constraints help creativity
  • Critical thinking is invaluable
  • People respect honesty
  • Process matters
  • Consistency is underrated
  • Humor shouldn’t be forgotten
  • New is not often an improvement
  • Sometimes “nothing” is better than “something”
Filed under: Lists Reflection

The following is a letter to myself, written five years ago on this date in 2013.

Justin,

I hope you’re doing well. I just wanted to provide a good checkpoint for you, so double check that you’re on your way to achieving what you want to during your time.

I’m predicting that you:

  • Are working a job that you’re passionate about
  • Became an even better designer
  • Love where you live
  • Love who you’re with
  • Kept in shape
  • Traveled the world a bit
Filed under: Reflection

Zach Braff paraphrases his character from Garden State:

I’m 26 years old, and I’ve spent my whole life waiting for something else to start. Now I realize that this is all there is, and I’m going to try to live my life like that.
Filed under: Reflection Media

I have to keep reminding myself that happiness lies in the everyday, because it’s easy to think “I’ll be happy when this” or “I’ll be happy when that.”

And for the first time in a long time, I’m happy with who I am and where I am. In any situation where you’re unhappy, you can either accept it or change it. Anything in between serves no purpose.

Everywhere I’ve lived up to this point has had some degree of transience. But New York finally feels close to home. It’s diverse, cultured, and walkable. I’ve heard it gets pretty cold in the winter, though, so we’ll see if I still like it in a few months.

Filed under: Reflection

Virtues:

  • Honesty: towards self and others
  • Frugality: want less and lead a simple life
  • Industry: no wasted time
  • Humility: every man is your superior in some way
  • Moderation: do things that are mostly sustainable
  • Tranquility: maintain composure
  • Preparedness: put yourself in the best position to succeed
Filed under: Lists Reflection

How do you lead a simple life? By identifying what’s most important to you, and focusing on these priorities. What I value the most:

  1. relationships, with family and close friends
  2. creating things, be it design, art, music, food
  3. taking care of myself—eating well, staying active
Filed under: Reflection

Author Richard Koch of The 80/20 Principle spoke about “Happiness Islands” in an interview:

I encourage people to think about the small chunks of time—this week, this year, the years during their whole lives—that have given them far more happiness than most of the rest of their time. I call these periods “happiness islands”. Try it for yourself. Ask what the happiness islands have in common—why were you unusually happy then. You can do the same for your “achievement islands”—and for the opposites too, the times when you were least effective (“achievement desert islands”) or happy (“happiness desert islands”).

I’ve been thinking about my Happiness Islands lately. What do they all have in common? Friends and family—people who understand me. And a lot of times, food. Playing sports, or getting exercise, too.

Filed under: Reflection Media

I have to accept the fact that nothing can be the same as it was. People and circumstances are always changing. The past helps shape who we are, but doesn’t necessarily define us. I’ll always be grateful for the people I’ve had in my life.

One chapter of my life (an important one) has now come to a close. Another chapter is beginning, and that’s exciting.

Filed under: Reflection

Things I like about my job:

  1. Relatively quick commute.
  2. I get my own cubicle.
  3. Low key, relatively low stress.
  4. I don’t have to worry about work outside of the office.
  5. I can work on personal projects on weekends and evenings.
  6. Basketball after work on Wednesdays with some of the guys at the office complex.
  7. Fitness center.
  8. Ping pong table.
Filed under: Reflection

I’m spending a lot of time driving. Definitely more than I’d like. On the way to work, on the way back, or stopping in Berkeley. I noticed in general it tended to make me angry, so I started singing.

Now I use time in the car as singing practice, where I can sing as much falsetto as I want. It’s the one place I can do so freely. I’m no longer in a hurry to get anywhere, and that makes me less grumpy and more happy.

Filed under: Reflection

I finished reading Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography, using iBooks, on my iPhone. Some thoughts and takeaways:

  1. Importance of intuition, often times over rational thought.
  2. Product, not profit. I remember being surprised at how profit-driven some of the business students were in my collaborative MBA/engineer class last year. Focus on making a great product, instead.
  3. Less is more. Giving the user fewer features and fewer options means a more focused, elegant product and experience. I agree often times users don’t know what they want.
  4. In some cases, Jobs took the approach of prioritizing design, and finding a way to engineer it later. Even better, make great engineering the essence of the design itself, so that a product’s aesthetic elegance is exactly its elegance in engineering or manufacture. It’s hard to decouple design and engineering, so arguably the best of both worlds would be an engineer who understands the importance of design.
  5. The people you work with and quality of work. It’s not hard to differentiate great work from not-so-great work; I’ve been fortunate to have worked with a handful of people who produce great work in my time at school.
  6. Take inspiration from nature. Make products that are harmonious, that take the path of least resistance.
  7. Look at how the tools and products that humans create fit into the big picture. Then make a dent in the universe.
Filed under: Reflection Design Media Technology

I think I’ve grown up the most in this year of my life than any other. The family situation has been difficult, though I think it’ll ultimately make me stronger. I’ve accomplished a number of things:

  1. Found an area of interest (design) in which I can pursue a career
  2. Joined Berkeley Innovation
  3. Made friends in my ME classes
  4. Learned taekwondo
  5. Improved my jump shot
  6. Recorded some songs
  7. Got a MacBook
  8. Put together portfolio
  9. Became interested into photography once again and started uploading to Flickr
  10. Got new cell phone (finally)
  11. Got accepted into the Five Year Master’s program at Berkeley
Filed under: Reflection
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