Twenty Four
I’ve been learning how to be an adult after moving to Austin and starting work at General Motors. Here’s what I am doing with my life.
Budgeting – Mint.com
This online tool connects all of my financial information into a single dashboard. I can set up goals and budgets to see how I am doing in realtime. This is useful since I am an active person who doesn’t want to spend time filling out Excel documents to track expenses.
My financial institution of choice is Ally Bank.
They have the highest interest rates in the US, but your credit score must be at least 720 to open an account.
Health – Zocdoc.com
The health insurance provided by my employer is not accepted by a lot of institutions in Austin. Zocdoc is a great tool for finding compatible doctors, booking appointments online, and even filling out paperwork in advance.
One of my biggest fears is I will catch a health issue too late. Regularly scheduled appointments will hopefully pay off someday.
Fitness – P90X3
I want to be fit, not just look fit. Most people seem to only want the latter. Cardio, balance, and flexibility are also important!
Young adults have busy lives so fitness can seem like a chore. P90X3 is the third iteration of P90X and each workout is only 30 minutes. Studies have shown roughly 80% of the gains in a workout are acquired in the first half-hour so the program is very time-efficient.
Most importantly, P90X3 is fun. I look forward to starting my workout each evening (I’m not a morning person).
Learning
I was fortunate to grow up in environments that fed my curiosity. I possess a larger skillset than most my age.
However, there are still things I want to learn in the years to come:
- Cooking. Basic dishes aren’t difficult, but I want to build a repertoire of unique meals. I’m currently using Blue Apron to work on this.
- How to sing. My voice is the instrument I will always carry with me.
- Salsa dance. It looks fun and totally sensual!
- 3D modeling, low poly. There’s something about this style that strikes me as unique and timeless.
My goal is to have proficiency in all four before I turn 30. If I can do that, then my youth has not been wasted and I will be content to travel the world for the rest of my life, opportunities permitting.
Style
I’m a latecomer when it comes to personal style. I’m not sure why – I just never cared for it until I became financially independent.
This is an area I am slowly developing.
- I order clothes from Amazon (2-day shipping with Prime) and take them to a tailor (Croata Design). No more going to the store to try clothes when I can read reviews, purchase, and get them fitted.
- The best jeans I have ever worn are made by 7 For All Mankind. The inside feels like cashmere.
- I’m a fan of durable shirts that are also business casual, such as Mountain Khakis.
- Colors that look good on me are: Black, Navy, Solid Blue, Teal, Charcoal, Strong White, and Scarlet Red. I’ve noticed faded colors tend to make Asian-American males appear wimpy.
The most interesting Asian hairstyle (in my opinion):
Most Asians have a single hair color (black). A mix would definitely make me stand out.
I’m not sure if my head shape and hair type can accommodate this. I will ask a stylist next month when my hair is longer.