Hobbies

Ukuleles

I love ukuleles! It's very easy to pick up and fun to play.

Here are some musicians that I try to imitate - 1, 2, 3.

Although the ukulele is a simple instrument with only 4 strings, the fingerpicking in 1, 2 and the body tapping in 3 show how flexible it is.

I own three ukuleles. My starter ukulele was a Makala Dolphin Soprano. I also have a Flight Concert which is what I play the most. My most recent addition is a Kala Tenor with a low G-string that has a nice thumpy bass sound when body tapping.

Coffee

If you are a frequent coffee drinker, an entry espresso machine + manual grinder is a fun investment. This will cost in the range of $600-1000 but can pay for itself in a year if used every day. I enjoy the process of experimentation and finding good beans, grind size, milk brand, etc. and eventually you may prefer your own brews over coffee shops since everything can be tuned to your tastes.

For example, I like lattes with milk in the cooler range (56-58 degrees Celsius) which gives it a sweeter taste. When paired with a bean with chocolate notes, it becomes similar to hot chocolate. I'm not very consistent but here is one of my better latte art pours.