Knowledge

8:16 AM (of Thursday, November 14th 2024)

Today is Wednesday, November 14th 2024 and I had work due today, so that's basically what I worked on the whole time. The work wasn't really due, more like I had to have a testable version ready by the end of the day, so that's what I worked on. I was able to complete a decent amount today and was happy with the result.

In the morning, I also went out to Marshall's again to buy some more No Cow bars and some edamame. Based on my calorie tracking calculations, I started to gain weight when I changed my eating to the 2 pounds of vegetables, rice, and lentils. I did eat those foods at around 2500 calories per day, and yeah, I admit I did go over my limit of 1900 calories but still, that weight gain was unexpected. I weighed 177 pounds this morning. I was 173 on November 3rd, so I really hated this weight gain.

Based on my calorie tracker, even when I would eat 2700 calories of No Cow bars and edamame, I wouldn't gain any weight, and I'd actually lose weight. This was around the time of my back injury, around the end of October, so maybe it was due to the back injury that I lost any weight in the first place, due to requiring more to recover? Anyway, I'd eat these foods, and I wouldn't gain any weight. I wasn't sure if it was the edamame or the No Cow bars that had this sort of calorie negating effect, since I'd eat both and only both during that time period, but I wanted to replicate it, and keep it at under 2000 calories this time.

So yeah I went to Marshall's again and bought some. There are no more No Cow bars at the Marshall's closest to me. I think I bought them all. I drove to another Marshall's nearby to get some, and they didn't have any. It was a pretty small Marshall's, they had just one small area and shelf for food (one shelf, with like 5 levels), taking up half an aisle, instead of 3 aisles of food (6 shelves, each with like 5 levels, so much food) in the one closest to me, with lots of vegan options. So that was this morning.

It was cool driving there and back home, going to somewhere I had never been to before. It was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, somewhere far from where tourists would go, somewhere most people probably didn't speak English. People stared at me because they've probably never seen an Asian person before.

At night time, after all my work and everything was submitted, I went to another Marshall's a bit further away, and there I found a mother lode of No Cow bars. I bought $60 worth and brought them back home. They were $5 for 4, so I bought 12 boxes of 4 No Cow bars, 48 total. I think this is a great deal, because even online, they are $32 for 12.

Then at night time, I worked out at the gym again. It's the 3rd night in a row I went to the gym, doing heavy workouts for another 1.5 hours. I still feel no soreness from all the activities I've done. Thursday though, I take a break. I just go 4 times a week, and at home I try to do the home workouts instead. It's so weird, I remember going to the gym with a non-vegan friend back in 2017, we did the same exact workouts, and I remember him telling me the next day he was very sore, whereas I didn't feel any soreness at all, zero, as if I didn't do any workouts at all.

I didn't really exercise much when I was a meat eater though, other than Tae Kwon Do as a kid. I never did any cardio nor any weight lifting except a handful of times for both. Actually, I did take up Weight Lifting as one of my electives for senior year in high school, so technically I did do a lot of weight lifting because it was a 2 hour or so class that took place ever other day, and all we did there was weight lifting, but I don't remember it at all now. I never really lost any weight nor changed my body composition at all, despite working out a lot back then. I was also in Marines training for a while in high school, doing running and the other exercises, and I also joined the ROTC in college, so I did PT every morning, I was still unhealthy, never lost weight, never changed body composition, was always the last person in running.

I do remember taking the ASVAB too, or maybe it was a practice test, and as a senior in high school taking calculus, I found everything there to be easy. I think I got a perfect score on it, but I don't remember. All I remember is that I was at one of the marine offices, and they gave me some test on a computer, it had math problems that were like middle school level, and it was super basic and easy, and yeah pretty sure I got a perfect score on it or something, that's what stands out to me anyway. I don't think I would score well now, because I wouldn't even remember how to solve a middle school problem. Maybe if I had time to think about it.

Anyway, all the weight lifting and physical activity I did back then, I basically did just to pass the class. I wasn't trying to become stronger or anything. I didn't really care nor have any ambition for it. Now I do weight lifting to change my physical appearance, because I want to look better, and I do notice changes. I'm also actually keeping track of my lifts and body workouts, I know how many pull ups I can do for example, and yeah, this is way different from back in high school and college.

Anyway, what else? Oh yeah, having read tons of books, articles, user posts, I feel like a lot of the content I read is mattering less and less to me. By mattering less, I mean I'm not retaining as much nor incorporating what I read into my life as much, simply because of the volume of having read so much. I remember books I read in 2010, and as a kid, and I have memories of those books and how they impacted my life, and I still apply their ideas to myself today. Now it's hard for me to read something and find it profound. No idea or anything is really standing out to me, whereas back when I read even a single paragraph, I would treat that paragraph as the holy grail and wisdom from the cosmos.

Especially with AI, information can be generated in an instant. A new artwork or song or video can be made in an instant. I've made a few songs with AI already, and are live on all the music stores, I wrote journal entries about those days back in August. I haven't done that since because I've been busy, but yeah that area is even further along today. A book can be summarized in an instant, a new book can be made in an instant. A lot of knowledge just doesn't feel the same way anymore.

Anyway, that was my day today.