Lifelog #1

What happened since my last post?

• Solo traveled Thailand
• Traveled Vietnam with friends
• New job @ Tesla

Traveling

One Bagging

What is one-bagging? Basically, it’s just traveling with a single bag. In the community, there are a lot of different bags going around. Personally, I like something smaller, for the following reasons:

• Simple & minimalistic
• Can use the bag as a carry-on/personal item
• Fun challenge

I mainly used my 21L Able Carry Daily Plus bag, which has also been my bag of choice for EDC for the past 3 years.

However, 21L proved to be much too small. While I was able to survive, and if needed, I can do it--it just wasn’t as comfortable as I thought. I’d like to bring more clothing and be able to fit thicker items if possible.

So, my new bag to try in the future is the Aer Travel Pack 3 Small--a 28L bag. I hope the extra space and boxier shape mean I can carry the clothes I want/need (a hoodie, thermal layer, bigger pants, rain jacket, etc).

Why not just buy a 30L+ bag? I still want the flexibility of being able to travel with it as a personal item on some budget airlines.

Thailand

Chiang Mai (Nov 3 - Nov 7)

I was able to snag a ticket here for relatively cheap, considering the festivities (Yi Peng and Loy Krathong). Besides participating in those festivals, another notable event was going to see and play with the elephants at the Kerchore Elephant Sanctuary.

Otherwise, the overnight buses from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and vice versa were very comfortable.

Bangkok (Nov 8 - Nov 11)

Bangkok was awesome--I got to explore the main city and the markets first-hand. However, I got food poisoning the last two days, so my trip was cut short. Other than exploring the city, my main takeaways are:

• Always have activated charcoal & Imodium (for bad tummies :( )
• Book a more comfortable hostel in case bad things happen

Vietnam

Ha Giang (Nov 11 - 16)

After Bangkok, I traveled straight to Hanoi to meet up with a group of friends as we did the Ha Giang Loop Tour. The tour itself was incredible:

• Insane views
• Got to swim under waterfalls
• Met different cultures and villages

During the tour, though, every day came with incidents (mainly for me).

• Day 1: Got stung by 2 bees (my very first and second bee stings ever)
• Day 2: Fell into the water while rafting (mainly my fault for not being aware of my surroundings)
• Day 3: My driver let me ride the motorcycle (I crashed and fell). I got away pretty scot-free (just a couple of bad scrapes and bruises), and I’m still adamant about getting my M1 license back in Canada
• Day 4: Slid down some rocks while exploring the forest

While they were painful, I think it enhanced my experience because now I have funny stories to tell. I ended up having more fun and was able to bond with new people over my misery. It also speaks volumes about how amazing the tour was, overshadowing any and all pains. I highly recommend going, especially with fun people.

Hanoi (Nov 16 - 18)

After the tour, we went back to Hanoi. A couple of friends went back to Hong Kong, and a couple stayed to explore the city. One memorable thing: there are a lot of fake items, often the same Arcteryx, North Face, and Patagonia sweaters and jackets. Other than exploring the stores, eating Pho & Banh Mi, and getting massages, the days were pretty uneventful and injury-free.

We also went on the Ha Long Bay tour, but the day was pretty cloudy and the tour itself was also uneventful. Honestly, nothing could compare to the views in Ha Giang.

Key Takeaways

People often say the best way to keep an open mind is to travel. To test this theory, I decided to solo travel and group travel. I can confidently say, in my experience, the statement is very true.

Traveling around parts of Southeast Asia not only enriched me with different cultures and lifestyles, it also gave me a much-needed break from school and tech. While I love the developer lifestyle, I think a breath of fresh air every now and then is essential to prevent burnout and fuel inspiration.

Despite my many illnesses and injuries during my travels, I kept thinking about how grateful I was to be alive—to be able to take in all those experiences, whether good or bad.

Every day is a good day to be alive, everyone.

- Bill Wang

New Job??!!

I am very excited to announce that I will be joining Tesla this coming winter (Jan 2026), as a Software Engineer in the Fleetnet team (uWaterloo Cali or bust, and I did not bust). I was doing interviews before and during my vacation. I’m very grateful to both my recruiter and coordinator for making the process very smooth despite my changing circumstances.

I’m also excited to be placed in the Palo Alto office, where I’ll be close to friends and get to play some California Ultimate Frisbee.

Postlude

So, what happened after the vacation? After almost three weeks away, all my assignments and school debt had piled up. I was busy grinding, studying, and continuing to interview for summer positions. It was all very hectic.

I also had the opportunity to sub for Pegasus in the BUCL Tournament. I still have a lot to work on, Frisbee-wise.