How has the way we parent changed, for better or worse, since David and Eugene were kids? How do we approach major life choices without anxiety or regret? We discuss these questions and more in the second half of our conversation with our dad, Dr. Jonathan Chang.
We’re taking our yearly break for the rest of the summer and will return in the fall. We hope you have a wonderful summer. We appreciate your hanging out with us and as always, thank you for listening!
Twitter @davidgchang
whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com
"The choices we make today create the future that we are dreaming of." - Kapil tetarwal
CW: This episode contains conversations about parents who don't accept their child's sexual orientation.
It's helpful to have someone in your life you can ask hard questions. I'm lucky enough to consider both my dad and my brother Eugene among such people. In this episode, our special guest Dr. Jonathan Chang returns to the podcast to share his wisdom and a perspective that comes with age. Why do some public figures seem to go from relatively normal to abruptly crazy? What makes parents turn their backs on a child who they love but who comes out as gay? Critically, I should note that none of these questions are directed at dad personally in any way, nor do I expect he'll have all the answers. But it's precisely because I consider dad a safe person that we can raise sensitive and challenging but what I believe are important questions in an open manner. As always, thanks for listening!
Twitter @davidgchang
whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com
"Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in." ― Alan Alda
I (David) have always had a hard time answering this question. In part because I'm from a family of immigrants but also because we lived in so many places over my childhood. This is the second half of David and Eugene's episode about home. We discuss our "Alien Space Club," the difficult move to Wilmington, Delaware, and what home means for us. As always, thanks for listening!
Twitter @davidgchang
whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com
"Home is where one starts from. As we grow older the world becomes stranger, the pattern more complicated ... a lifetime burning in every moment." - TS Eliot
Home is where the story begins. Home is not a place but a feeling. David and Eugene have lived in several homes over time, in different parts of the U.S. In this episode, we discuss the places we lived, from our earliest memories to significant events (like the time Eugene broke his femur), and how these spaces shaped and influenced our childhood. As always, thanks for listening!
Twitter @davidgchang
whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com
“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” – Maya Angelou
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
whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com
“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” — Irish Proverb
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 that may not be a "bad" thing. It's fair to say Eugene has ... a different opinion. As always, thanks for listening!
Music:
GroovyD - Take Off
Declan DP - Wonderland
Twitter @davidgchang
whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com
"AI can be our friend." - Bill Gates
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 doing, and what we think makes our time worthwhile. In this episode, David and Eugene discuss some of the key ideas from the book, “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals,” while Eugene talks about why the book may not necessarily be for him. As always, thanks for listening!
Music:
Markvard - Hold On
Nomyn - Farewell
Twitter @davidgchang
whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com
"Time is a river which sweeps me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger which destroys me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire which consumes me, but I am the fire." - Jorge Luis Borges
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 2023 is “the ordered year.” As always, thanks for listening!
Music:
Wanheda - Dawn
tubebackr - Mosaic
Twitter @davidgchang
whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com
"Today is life — the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with GUSTO!” - Dale Carnegie
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
whatjustpodcast @ gmail . com