week notes: udon carbonara and a tiny ipod successor
We’ve all made it through another week! That’s no small feat.
This past week, I got to visit the newly opened Filmhouse to watch Rental Family which I enjoyed very much, eat a delicious Thai dinner while I was there, and also catch up with a friend over Udon Shin’s famous carbonara udon. We went to queue (only) about half an hour before opening time, which seems to be the sweet spot for their weekends. The queue grew alarmingly long and fast after we got there. I loved the carbonara. For me it was worth the wait, but I feel that it is very palate-dependent, and if you’re not big on strong salty flavours (the butter + parmesan were sooo tasty) you might not want to queue for it.
A few other things:
- I’ve been contemplating getting a dedicated DAP (digital audio player) for a while and finally took the plunge with the Hiby R1. I picked it for its affordability, m3u playlist support and very light weight. This thing is tiny and sounds great. It’s like having my iPod back again. I’m so excited to take it on my travels.
- When I bought my mini PC for the Linux switch, gaming wasn’t one of my priorities. I do almost all my gaming on console. Nevertheless, I was curious about how far gaming on Linux had come, and I made it my weekend project to explore. I was pleasantly amazed to find it’s now light years ahead from where it used to be. Thanks to Valve’s work on the Proton compatibility layer, so many more games now run on Linux smoothly than the last time I used Linux, over 15 years ago. Even a AAA game like Dragon Age: Inquisition ran perfectly once I figured out the EA app. I’m really impressed and I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Linux is now perfectly usable as a mainstream gaming OS.
- I updated my links page to add shoutouts to a couple more sites that form the backbone of my internet diet.
And here are some things I read this week that I enjoyed a lot:
- The Xi Jinping School of Journalism by Soyonbo Borjgin. Needs (free) email sign up, but very, very well worth it for this incredible read about state repression in Southern Mongolia’s news media.
- The Missing Kayaker by Jamie Thompson. This story did not go where I thought it was going to go. At every turn it shocked and surprised me.
- A journey to Vietnam to uncover the origins of pho by David Farley. This is a fascinating exploration and love letter to a national dish.