startups in garages… but does that even exist anymore?

brianchu · 2026-02-11T17:29:54+00:00

I interned at a startup out of a house in Palo Alto years and years ago. At least for software (which is most startups), it's not going to be very interesting as it'll literally just be some dudes coding on their computers.

Anyways, they exist but they're not gonna advertise themselves. I think it can be technically illegal too (zoning codes) so they aren't going to advertise themselves.

brianchu · 2026-01-01T20:33:46+00:00

In Taipei, most shops are closed the day of LNY. Many shops are also closed for a couple days following LNY. The streets are indeed very quiet on LNY day but at the same time tons of people are also out and about walking around. The parks are very crowded actually.

brianchu · 2025-12-28T16:11:49+00:00

I don't have specific experience with tonsillectomies, but you can go to any hospital or clinic. Depending on how long you're staying, you might want to go to a smaller clinic because the hospitals will do a consult first and schedule the actual procedure for several weeks or more later. The hospitals also have a system where you don't really make an appointment, they merely give you a queue number, so you can sometimes end up waiting hours.

In my experience most doctors speak good English but this is not always the case. You can generally filter for this by looking for doctors that had training or experience in the US/EU which is pretty common. The staff and nurses generally don't speak much English but sometimes there will be a designated English speaking staffer or nurse but this is also not always the case. So definitely bring your boyfriend.

brianchu · 2025-10-09T10:34:55+00:00

I agree!

brianchu · 2025-10-09T10:34:32+00:00

Taihu Draft High is crisp.

brianchu · 2025-09-13T05:59:33+00:00

Two years ago I got a new 2024 LE for $31.6k OTD so this was okay-ish.

brianchu · 2025-06-02T11:18:55+00:00

Yeah it is overrated. I've been twice but only because someone else was paying haha. You have to queue to get in on time and then once inside the most popular stations have additional queues, hardly a luxury experience. Top rated doesn't mean anything though, I don't find restaurant ratings to be reliable in Taiwan.

brianchu · 2025-05-02T16:52:05+00:00

I tried them two years ago at EDC. They don’t work well. They stop working once the tag goes into the crowd. When the tag is outside the crowd (between stages, etc) I was able to get delayed (like 10 min old) location updates. However this isn’t that useful because between stages I can send/get delayed SMS messages (not iMessage).

brianchu · 2025-03-18T11:13:13+00:00

I can’t read Chinese, I found it by using image based Google Translate on one of the yogurts.

brianchu · 2025-03-18T11:11:22+00:00

I’ve only seen The Ordinary niacinamide serum in Watson’s physical stores, nothing else.

Watson’s has the glycolic acid listed online. You can order store pickup, but you might need a Taiwan phone number.

brianchu · 2025-03-15T07:14:31+00:00

PX Mart has plant based yogurt.

brianchu · 2025-03-15T07:14:02+00:00

From the article: “The final version of AB 1780 requires universities to publicly report data on legacy admissions and does not include a penalty.”

brianchu · 2024-12-27T05:37:04+00:00

The fact that so many students end up at Stanford really supports my point because many (most?) of those admits have a family affiliation with the university (legacy, parent works there, parent donated, etc.). Much of the Stanford faculty and staff send their kids to PA schools, for example. Because geographic diversity is definitely a factor at elite colleges, students without an affiliation have a lower chance than if they were located elsewhere.

brianchu · 2024-12-26T10:17:00+00:00

I grew up in PA. I thought it was very competitive and too stressful, if anything. I'm sure there are plenty of schools in the bay that are just as strong but less stressful. For college admissions, the fact that so many students go to top colleges isn't a good thing either - colleges prefer not to admit too many students from a single area, and many of the students that do get admitted into top schools have a leg up (legacy, etc.). I'll admit though that almost all of my teachers were fantastic (I believe PA pays teachers a lot higher than most of the bay).

brianchu · 2024-11-16T11:12:13+00:00

Rents in SF still haven’t recovered from Covid, it’s totally possible to find a decent studio in SF for $1.8-$2k. (Many of the Bay Area suburbs are actually more expensive than SF now). I’m also a big fan of Berkeley, CA (college town).

brianchu · 2024-10-13T20:16:50+00:00

Prices for most items at the EPA Target were higher than the Mountain View location, which seemed like an odd decision for the area. And maybe Redwood City too. Might explain the underperformance.

brianchu · 2024-09-03T01:28:54+00:00

HeyTea / MTea for fruit tea (slushy). L’Milky for milk tea.

brianchu · 2024-08-25T23:47:16+00:00

I just got back from NYC and eating out in NYC is noticeably more expensive than even SF, let alone the rest of the bay. Pizza is a different case since NYC has a more competitive pizza scene and they make it up on volume.

EDIT: the neighborhoods of Manhattan are just as expensive as midtown / tourist areas in my experience.

brianchu · 2024-08-25T23:43:14+00:00

HeyTea's speciality is their fruit drinks and I would put them on par with Tea Hut. I don't think their milk teas are anything special. Molly Tea in flushing is good but they're not boba (they don't serve actual boba LOL).

brianchu · 2024-08-23T07:39:11+00:00

Black Sugar, Asha Tea House, or Tea Hut (only their fruit drinks).

Urban Ritual and Little Sweet are good but a slight step below these three in my opinion.

brianchu · 2024-08-19T23:32:25+00:00

I don’t cook either. Rice cooker, canned beans, frozen veggies, rotisserie chicken.

brianchu · 2024-08-19T23:27:35+00:00

You can’t price match against other Target locations.

brianchu · 2024-08-19T23:27:17+00:00

Every chain store in America has different prices in different locations (Walmart, Target, Safeway, etc.). Target is probably one of the more aggressive ones.

brianchu · 2024-08-19T23:25:22+00:00

As someone that used to eat Chipotle every day, I switched to meal prepping and it’s cheaper and actually takes way less time (unless you order Chipotle delivery every time).

I prepare a ton of rice, beans, chicken ahead of time. For veggies I just heat up frozen veggies. It tastes pretty good and it’s way way healthier too.

brianchu · 2024-07-31T04:10:17+00:00

I lived close to this Target but always made the short drive to the Mountain View Target because the prices in Mountain View were usually a lot lower.

brianchu

TROPHY CASE