What Just Happened?

Everyone I know, to a person, says they need more sleep. Yet the modern age is not conducive to getting a full eight hours. After a brief discussion about the modern weight loss "miracle cure" Ozempic, David and Eugene get into the nitty gritty of sleep habits, and some of the psychology and hard choices that keep us from going to bed. As always, thanks for listening!  Twitter @davidgchang whatjus...

You can't pick up your smartphone these days without seeing the latest crazy headlines about artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, and how they will take over the world. David and Eugene wanted to take a different approach on the topic and ask what happens if/when people start forming friendships with AI. David plays devil's advocate and argues that having AI friends might be normal in the future, and...

The average person lives about 4000 weeks. To author Oliver Burkeman, that sounded absurdly brief. So in response to this "radical finitude," Burkeman wrote the kind of self-help book that David has been wishing for years. One that doesn't necessarily provide ten tips and tricks for a more productive morning, but asks some of the deeper, more difficult questions about what we spend our 4000 weeks...

The word "hobby" has connotations of something trivial or inconsequential. (The word's roots refer to "an activity that doesn't go anywhere.") But I'm coming to realize just how important and life sustaining hobbies can be in our lives. In this episode, David and Eugene reflect on their lives over the past year, the function of hobbies in their purpose, and Eugene explains why his catchphrase of 2...

As it turns out, when you put four middle age men in front of a microphone, they have a lot to say. It's a good thing none of our wives prefer the "strong silent type" haha! This is the second half of our conversation with Sam Chung and Rob Koh. As always, thanks for listening! Music: VDGL: Sheherazade  LiQYWD - Miss You  Twitter @davidgchang whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com

We hope everyone's 2023 is off to a good start! This week we bring back long time friends of the podcast and Ironman triathletes Sam Chung and Rob Koh. But this time around the tables have turned, as Rob and Sam put David and Eugene on the hot seat, and have some questions for us to answer. As always, thanks for listening! Music: Atch - Right Here LiQWYD - Keep Trying Twitter @davidgchang whatjust...

In the second half of our discussion on the Karate Kid sequel, David and Eugene discuss Daniel-san, Miyagi, Sato, Kumiko, the romances, plot twists, final battle, what happens to these characters after the movie (which we know thanks to Cobra Kai), and the impact this movie had on our lives. After three episodes over two years, it's safe to say we've squeezed all the juice we could out of this fil...

Last year around this time, David and Eugene reviewed one of David's all time favorite movies, "An Ode to My Father." Because we had so much fun with that episode, we decided to take another ride on the nostalgia train, this time revisiting the 1986 martial arts sequel, The Karate Kid Part II. In addition to discussing the movie itself, we talk about what it felt like watching this movie growing u...

David and Eugene talk about how our drinking habits have changed, and for David why he's nearly stopped drinking alcohol all together. The topic of alcohol is admittedly too big to address on this podcast, let alone in a single episode. Instead, we focus on how our habits have changed specifically since the start of the pandemic. We also discuss that other addictive chemical compound — caffeine —...

The second of our two part series on the SF Marathon. David and Eugene discuss the highs and lows of the race, our biggest takeaways, Eugene's surprise mystery SECOND race, and what we hope to get from running in the future. As always, thanks for listening! Music: New Lands - Alex Productions Running Up That Hill - Mozartine  Follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/34364-davi...

What possesses anyone to run one mile, let alone 26.2? David and Eugene talk about our attempt to complete the San Francisco Marathon this past summer. We discuss why we run, our running histories, the training, and the many MANY logistics leading up to the race. As always, thank you for listening!   Music: Trip - Sakura Girl Let's Get It Started - One Step Ahead  Follow me on Goodreads: https://w...

David and Eugene are joined by friend of the show and former naval officer Rob Koh to discuss Top Gun: Maverick. We talk about whether the movie lives up to the hype, how Tom Cruise is able to unify the left and the right, and why this is such a special franchise especially for Rob and Eugene. As always, thanks for listening! :) (This is the 2nd of three consecutive movie episodes. The next episod...

After a brief spring hiatus, David and Eugene are back to take a deep dive into Marvel's latest, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (with spoilers!). We talk about the movie's themes of grief, power, and abuse of power, the controversial decision to go "horror," why we think Elizabeth Olsen stole the show, and whether it's ever okay to invite your ex to your wedding. As always, thank you...

What does money mean to you? What was your relationship with money like growing up? I was honestly surprised that we've never yet tackled the topic of money head on. In this episode, David and Eugene talk about our complicated feelings, goals, hopes and dreams, all related to money. We'll be taking a brief "spring break" after today's episode, but will be back again soon. As always, thank you for...

If you ever feel like raising a parent's anxiety and stress levels -- actually there are many ways to raise a parent's stress level! -- but one way is by asking them about their child's future career and job prospects. Personally, until becoming a parent, I never knew it was possible to feel so guilty about my own kids' privileges while simultaneously anxious over how far behind their high net wor...

Many of these podcast episodes have been brooding in my head for years. This is definitely one of them. In this episode, I explain why the fictitious and often problematic character of Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies has become a role model for me as an adult. As always, thank you for listening! My reading journey: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/34364-david?order=d&shelf=read&sort=dat...

Happy Lunar New Year, Year of the Tiger, and Black History Month! In this somewhat belated episode, David and Eugene reflect on the year that was and the year ahead. We explain why David's theme for the year is "fewer for longer," while Eugene's is to be more intentional. David also talks about why he often feels like an unambitious person. Wherever you are, we hope your year is off to a good star...

It's hard to say what your single "favorite" movie is. While it has its flaws, David makes the case for why the 2014 Korean film "Ode to My Father" may be his all time favorite. It's fair to say Eugene ... has some thoughts! :) As always, thank you for listening! We are taking a "winter break" following this episode and will be back early next year. Merry Christmas everyone! Wherever you are, happ...

Life can be humbling. It's important to try to be grateful. In the last year of his life, Tony Hsieh's life went quickly downhill. In the second half of this series, I talk about what I believe triggered his demise, what happened in those final hours, and some of the lessons I took away from Tony's quirky, eccentric, rich, tragic life. As always, thank you for listening! My reading journey: https:...

With the recent releases of Black Widow, WandaVision, Shang-Chi, Loki, and now Eternals, among others, we are deep in Phase Four territory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. David and Eugene share their feelings on how phase four is going and whether Marvel is living up to its promises of greater representation. We also discuss Eternals, a "reach for the stars" type movie, while David mentions how...

Zappos CEO and eccentric billionaire Tony Hsieh died at the age of 46 almost a year ago on November 27, 2020. His was just one death among countless others in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. And yet, the more I learned about the manner in which he died -- by fire in a small wooden shed in Connecticut -- the more I became fascinated by the manner in which he lived. As always, thank you for lis...

With Halloween quickly approaching, David and Eugene talk about our favorite holidays of the year. What do we remember about trick or treating growing up? What do the holidays mean to us now? And how do we tackle telling our kids that (spoiler alert!) Santa Claus may not be real? As always, thank you for listening! Music: Kevin MacLeod - Darkest Child Sirprice - Bloody Pumpkin My reading journey:...

Can men and women "just be friends"? What do you do if someone wants to be your friend but you don't? How do you join a community without "drinking the Kool-Aid"? We don't always get a lot of guidance when it comes to hard questions about friendships. While certainly no gurus, Eugene and David offer their opinions on how to tackle challenges and build healthy friendships. As always, thank you for...

We're back with another season of the podcast! The statistics don't lie. It's hard for adult men especially to make friends. In this episode, David and Eugene discuss what it takes to make deep, meaningful friendships, how to overcome toxic masculinity that often gets in the way, and how our own dad modeled a path for us. As always, thanks for listening! Loneliness is Breaking America: https://www...

Why did David start this podcast? Has Eugene gotten more woke since joining? We end this season with a Q&A, reflecting on what motivates us to keep talking (it doesn't take much!), how David got deservedly scolded for lack of attentiveness, ways both of us want to grow, and much more. This is our last episode before our summer hiatus. Thank you all for listening, have a safe and wonderful summer,...