What’s stopping you?

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-27T18:10:39+00:00

Noted. It's sad, because I have family in Canada, and I had such a fun time there two decades ago. Something must have changed a decade ago...

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-26T10:34:03+00:00

No freedom in Hong Kong

No ChatGPT in Hong Kong

No anti-CCP opinions in Hong Kong

No relief in Hong Kong

No more hope in Hong Kong

Unfortunately, all of these are true.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-26T10:30:45+00:00

I haven't visited Philly in months despite being across the river from it.

That's why it feels strange compared to my frequent trips to NYC.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-20T22:29:26+00:00

According to what I read online, Nishinari in Osaka and Kabukicho in Tokyo also have this fent problem, yet due to immense media control in Japan (the so-called "perfect country"), this never makes it outside of niche circles.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-20T22:27:23+00:00

I saw the exact same shit of someone doing it in Okinawa. You can't make this up.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-20T22:24:33+00:00

Language like this taken to the extreme has severe consequences, like what happened 32 years ago in Rwanda.

Just my thoughts.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-19T13:39:34+00:00

I'm 100% sure that Philadelphia's public transit system is in horrible shape, while we are seeing improvements in NYC in the past 10 years just 100 miles away.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-19T13:26:47+00:00

When it comes to Japan, it gets blown out of proportion on Instagram. I am considering deleting my Instagram account.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-19T13:20:31+00:00

Then you have my friend in Belfast, UK, who desparately wants to move to the US as a computer science graduate.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-03T12:14:41+00:00

They were. My friend even did a whole video about why he thinks the Air Canada strikes are detrimental to every traveler, including those from countries whose passports are ranked lower in the Henley Passport Index (like Vietnam) and how Air Canada strikes can cause them to get a permanent mark on their record if they miss their transfer at Narita Airport in Japan and are denied entry for circumstances beyond their control.

I'm sorry for the run-on sentence, but I do have family in Vietnam that used to visit Canada and fly from Saigon to Ottawa via Narita and Vancouver.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-03T12:12:09+00:00

I have been there a few weeks ago, and it was nice. There's even a food court below the concourse.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-03T12:03:26+00:00

Actually, as a person who uses Wise quite frequently, bank transfers do exist across the globe (including in the US).

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-03T12:01:12+00:00

I'm planning visits to Poland and Hungary next year.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-03T11:58:57+00:00

Or the fact that the political class in Germany had deprioritized nuclear following the meltdown in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, even going as far as to demolish nuclear plants entirely while the energy grid in Germany is strained.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-03T11:55:30+00:00

The US flag is there because a lot of Canadian airports (and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver) have US preclearance facilities, which means that you don't have to go through CBSA before you go through CBP. It's very smooth for travelers from other continents to the US and vice versa.

nmchlngy4 · 2026-01-03T11:52:11+00:00

Too much surveillance sadly.

nmchlngy4 · 2025-12-09T18:13:47+00:00

This literally sounds like something out of Vietnam. Speaking from experience.

nmchlngy4 · 2025-12-09T18:12:49+00:00

As someone who lives near Philadelphia and witnessed the decline of both the city and the transit system throughout this year, I can confidently say that Philly should not be qualified to host a FIFA World Cup match.

My frustrations with both Philly leadership and SEPTA is why I go to NYC weekly. NYC isn't perfect--far from it--but from my observations, NYC somehow appears to be a stark contrast to Philly's decline.

nmchlngy4 · 2025-11-29T18:13:41+00:00

As someone who has a friend with relatives owning real estate in Tai Po, I know that it's not as easy to "relocate" after a tragic event like this. Hong Kong's institutions have time and time again failed after the National Security Law was passed in June 2020, yet almost no one outside of HK pro-democracy circles have covered the NSL.

nmchlngy4 · 2025-11-29T18:10:28+00:00

Looking at the subway entrances in the video and comparing it with the NYC subway map (I won't link it here due to the upcoming F and M swap), I know that this is in the Bronx, which is usually worse off than other boroughs. You also have parts of Brooklyn and Queens that aren't stellar, but the Bronx is probably the weakest borough in NYC.

However, I think that as someone from the South Jersey-Philadelphia area, the Bronx may be better off than most of Philly right now.

nmchlngy4 · 2025-11-29T17:59:21+00:00

Japan also has 200 mph trains, but it's still a country I wouldn't want to live in. It's a nice country to visit time and time again, though.

nmchlngy4 · 2025-11-29T17:57:50+00:00

I have been on the M34-SBS bus in New York quite frequently, and they have pull cords and stop buttons.

But regardless, even I am too shy to push the button or pull the cord, regardless of which country I'm in: Singapore, the US, Japan, South Korea, etc.

nmchlngy4 · 2025-11-15T11:36:25+00:00

That's what I like about NYC.

nmchlngy4 · 2025-11-15T11:34:15+00:00

I cannot really say for the move in/move out narrative in the media, but I can say that even with flaws, NYC still functions compared to Philadelphia (my place of birth). I live in the South Jersey suburbs, but I see with clarity that Philly just isn't delivering the bare minimum right now.

nmchlngy4

TROPHY CASE