February '23

I'm going-going, back-back to Bali-Bali

pjmanning

Sometimes all we need is a little change of scenery.

After one of the longest stints at home in NJ in nearly a decade, I packed up my bags and moved back to Keramas, Bali, Indonesia. This wasn't my first choice honestly - as Bali is once again busy AF and most of my COVID friends have left - but it was the best decision for my girlfriend and I...and the dog ;)

Here's what's been going on...

  • Booked it out of chilly NJ and back to Keramas

  • Job switched to Angular - which still sucks 😝

  • Surfing is the elixir to anything shit in my life πŸ„β€β™‚οΈ

lunch

CURRENTLY IN KERAMAS

I always tell my friends and family - I come to Bali for the surf, but stay for the food.

...and the f*ckin dog in the corner ;)

Lily is a bitch. 100%. She is a chicken-murdering, bin-rummaging, child-hating bitch...but after saving her and her sister (who sadly didn't make it) when they were dumped on the beach as puppies - it became clear that it was my responsibility to take care of her. And of course now I love her πŸ€—

When you live in dog-roaming countries, it becomes obvious when a dog imprints on you and you become master. They can be free-roaming - but will always come back to you - or literally run miles to find you when you drive away on your moto πŸ˜†

In other news, I've finally got back in the water. Like I said last month - after a decade of warm water surf and a semi-bum knee - I just had 0 willpower to get suited up in a straightjacket to surf shitty NJ waves. But wow should I have. Within 2 days back in the water my entire mood changed. Even though I felt like a shrimp struggling to stay afloat in overhead waves with Gumby arms - I got the same feeling that I get when I work on personal projects...It's like the essence of my soul and creativity coming out saying - yes this is what you're suppose to do.

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WORK

I took a week of PTO from work - first real PTO in a year.

It was a much needed break after having to work over Christmas - unpaid. I would of gotten an unofficial 'floating holiday', however I was moved between teams, so that work over Christmas was completely forgotten #corporatelyfe

It's now a month into using Angular - and while it's been a bit in the news making more updates in the past couple months than the last 4 years...ehh the DX still sucks πŸ€•. It's trying to become more like Vue/Svelte/React...and they're definitely making strides, but it still feels behind to me and unless you're comfortable with it - no reason to choose it.

It's been a weird feeling hitting my 1-year anniversary at work. I feel 100% that I've gotten dumber at my current job - not a great feeling. I usually only take bigger projects when I feel I can grow exponentially in a certain area - but this one was more for the money. And it makes me wonder - how many people do the same thing. There must be so much waste around the world...wasted talent...wasted company resources...and waste simply due to corporate politics.

PROJECTS

Side projects still on pause.

Been helping the girlfriend with her exciting, new job at Lemon Squeezy - so any extra time I have has been going to that.

SURF

Waves of the month...

Where to go in March...

Western Australia

Margaret river surf

CONTENT

Remote Work

Tech

Creativity

When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it -- but all that had gone before.

-Jacob Riis