sam-studies

[sam-studies]

The older you get the more you will realize that your friends are people who have made mistakes and bad decisions and even just fucked up and hurt people.

And obviously your boundaries with your friends are completely up to you but you do need to recognize that if you cut off everyone who has done something wrong, you’re going to end up with no friends (and you yourself will have also fucked up in your life, and not lived up to those impossible standards either).

I’ve found it’s much more constructive to learn how to say “hey dude, that was massively fucked up of you,” because most people are really willing to say “yeah, it was, I need to work on it/not do it again/apologize and make things right” ESPECIALLY if they are hearing it from you as their friend.

[sam-studies]

you ever remember something cringe and just want to rm -rf /* your mind? because same

[sam-studies]

superman had such eldest child energy, you can't convince me otherwise

[sam-studies]

there's this cute "which bay area transit are you?" quiz that just dropped hehe (⁠~⁠￣⁠³⁠￣⁠)⁠~

https://sftransit.fun/

here's me (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

[sam-studies]

New Social Media App!!

If Instagram and Twitter had a baby but it was for activists that want their voices to be heard.

"Built by Palestinian-Australian developer Issam Hijazi and supported by the Tech for Palestine incubator, UpScrolled is everything Instagram refused to become. It is fully functional, thoroughly tested, and ready to scale."

Read More

I'm super curious of y'alls thoughts on this & if y'all decide to check it out let's follow each other (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

[sam-studies]

Moving advice!!! First of all congratulations on your big step towards independence! Second of all, a lot of advice you might get is quite personal, but I'll try to make things as broad as possible. If you know your own mind well enough, it becomes a lot easier to gauge if something will work for you. That being said! Here are my top tips. Apologies for potentially wierd formatting, I'm on mobile ;;

#1 - communal living. Depending on your situation, you may be sharing a kitchen or a bathroom with any number of people. To avoid irritating clutter, or the chance of accidental (or purposeful) theft, keep visible bathroom and kitchen stuff to a minimum, and watch sentimentally valuable things like a hawk. Keep those things in your room if you can. You might trust your housemates implicitly, but things get broken by accident all the time, and you can't guarantee the conduct of guests, wardens, landlords, tradies etc.

#2 - if you're in a dorm, get a doormat and a shoe rack for your room. Doesn't have to be big or flashy, but it creates a sense of zoning and helps to avoid the dreaded Shoe Pile making everything cluttered/dirty/shoe-smelling. It'll be a nice experience for your guests too.

#3 - storage storage storage!!! Underbed boxes, shelves, hanging baskets and nets, rolling carts, shelf baskets, drawer boxes, you name it. This is a great way to prioritise exactly what you want, and provides easy ways to transport things between accommodations if / when you decide to move.

#4 - prioritise being a clean housemate. Even if you don't get along perfectly with your roommates or dormmates, being a neat + tidy person can only help things. Don't leave the drainer full of stuff, clean out old food in the fridge, hoover/sweep/dust if you can, take the bins out etc. Obviously this depends a lot on your mobility and circumstances, but whatever you can do towards this goal, the better. For the bathroom specifically, the quicker you get on top of cleaning all the nooks and crannies like around the taps, corners of the shower etc, the higher chance you have that nothing will get gross and oxidise-y, and save a lot of effort during inspections.

#5 - sometimes useful knicknacks will be your best friend. Get flipflops to use in the bathroom + shower; get two or three bottle openers because they will get stolen; get scented powder for your bathroom bin; buy an air freshener/candle/reed or oil diffuser; get rubber gloves and a handled sponge; get a squeegee for the shower door; get antibacterial wipes for surfaces as well as a cloth + sponge.

#6 - if this is possible for you, make sure that you ventilate your space well. Mould is one of the number one things that a landlord will crack your head about because it is so difficult to get rid of. Black mould especially can be v dangerous. So if you have wet or damp things in your room like laundry or towels, keep airflow as high as possible.

OK this is incredibly long but I think this is everything I wish I'd known. I have been living in shared housing for about 8 or 9 years now and have had some very shocking housemates, and honestly especially in the early days I have *been* a very shocking housemate. So these things are learned through big trials and big errors lmao;; when I moved, my mum immediately went to a different fucking continent, so I don't have the option to change things round easily, or store large stuff with her. If that's your situation too, I'm very sorry - but if it isn't, use that to your advantage. You don't have to pack everything but the kitchen sink. You will amass things like bedding, crockery, decorative knicknacks etc as you move through life - make sure you have room for them!

Once again all the best with your move. I hope its exciting and you get everything you want from it! All the best :>

thank you so much for taking the time to write this all out!! this is all such helpful info I truly appreciate it! its going to be interesting living with potentially 3 other people that I have never met before in my entire life so I will be taking a lot of these points into consideration.

[sam-studies]

personal post, sorry in advance

late last night I noticed my cat, my baby boy flynn, was struggling to pee, so I immediately rushed him to the emergency vet. they said he had a blockage and needed a urinary catheter procedure to unblock his urethra. they also told me he might have a grade 4 heart murmur!?!

being there at 2am filling out paperwork and signing forms really shook me to my core. the last time I was in a (human) hospital was when my dad passed away. it happened very suddenly and unexpectedly.

I felt like I had been thrown back into that moment despite this being such a common procedure to take place for male cats.

it's been way more emotionally overwhelming than I expected.

i'm so scared, worried, and anxious even though I probably shouldn't be.

[sam-studies]

help! what are your must-haves for moving into a dorm or apartment for the first time??

I’m finally moving out of my family’s house and into a dorm, and I want to make the transition as smooth and stress-free as possible.

what are the things you wish you brought, did, or knew before your first move? drop all your essentials, hacks, and advice please!!

[sam-studies]

just got my diplomas in the (e)mail and was genuinely surprised to see I graduated with honors?? 😭 growing up, I always struggled with school. my parents never pushed me too hard—they were very “C’s get degrees” and honestly, I get that. I never felt the need to aim higher, and I didn’t think I was the kind of person who could anyway. but this time around… I tried. and I cared. and it turns out? when I actually engage with what I’m learning, it sticks! it shows up in my grades. and seeing that reflected back as honors?? that’s a feeling I’ll hold onto for a long time. I took just over 4 years to complete my associate requirements, which is TOO LONG but I have 3 degrees to show for it now I guess... hehe all in honors ofc: AA-T in Communications, AA in Liberal Arts, & AS in Liberal Arts (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ and soooon (this august) I’ll be on the path to get my bachelors in communications!! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡ everyones path is unique and honestly that's what makes it beautiful, I don't regret a thing ᡣ𐭩

[sam-studies]

July 7, 2025 ✷

worked out of a new cafe today, I ordered a cortado for the first time! was very tastyy

I got through all my emails from a different address I have. I like to separate my "work"/bills/tech related emails to one email and then an email for like stuff I buy or friend stuff. it feels very satisfying seeing an empty inbox but now I feel a bit empty inside. (jk)

other important matters I got to: cancelled an old credit card I was convinced to open when I went to buy new tires logged into my genshin account after two years to make sure they don't close my account renewed my library card renewed my website domain name deep discussions about friendship dynamics with my friend that we tend to spiral over

not bad for a Monday (⁠*⁠´⁠ω⁠｀⁠*⁠)

[sam-studies]

where is everyone buying their domain names from? I bought mine on namecheap yeaarss ago and I'm wondering if I should migrate it or keep it there...

[sam-studies]

July 2, 2025 ✿

a very productive day working outside of the house. I participated in a user study for $100 (gurl is making bank) & I got one of my emails to 0!! I was able to go through delete a bunch of mail, unsubscribe a ton and find some pretty cool things. I recently revamped my LinkedIn even though I'm going back to uni and have no reason to be job searching right now, but I like to obsess over the aesthetics of my socials so what else am I gonna do. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ I'm trying to be more active on socials again, I think I truly enjoyed creating content even if it's not very impressive huehue I just want to be more comfortable expressing myself outwardly to everyone!

I hope y'all had/have a great day (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

[sam-studies]

27

When I turned 27 eight months ago, I felt a shift.

They say turning 27 begins your year of transformation. That between 27 and 30, we start making conscious decisions, act with (mostly) mature intention, and begin discovering our true purpose.

- A time to confront past decisions and long-held beliefs.

- To face responsibility, discipline, and long-term purpose.

- To let go of what no longer serves us—relationships, careers, identities.

In those first two months of 27, I felt lost. Hopeless. Frustrated.

I made the decision to go back to school. It reenergized me—but also made me anxious.

Then, two weeks into the semester, my father passed away. He was the one who first introduced me to tech—the one who taught me the command line shortcuts I still use today. His absence made everything harder.

Not long after, old mistakes resurfaced, forcing difficult conversations with someone I cared deeply about.

Despite all the mental anguish, I kept going.

I graduated college with my AA in Communications.

I worked on a cool project in San Francisco.

And then—my grandfather passed away. We knew it was coming, but it reopened a wound that had barely begun to heal.

Throughout this process, grief and growth have walked beside me every step of the way.

This fall, I’m returning to school to pursue my Bachelor’s in Communications.

I don’t expect the journey to get easier. But I’m ready for whatever this transformative season brings next.

If you’re in this season too, I see you. I know how hard it is. It isn’t easy and it's debatable if it's even worth it honestly but we keep going because we have the option to do so.

[sam-studies]

✨ sf day adventures ✨

took my cousins to visit Salesforce Park for the first time 🌲

actually was so clear and beautiful until it turned very windy foggy and cold obv

[sam-studies]

coding truly is a scam because wym I started at 8pm and now it's 3am ???

[sam-studies]

I took a huge break from tech and the internet. Recently, I rejoined the tech world for a contract gig and decided to peek at Twitter X again... and omg. I feel like I just walked into the weirdest reality show.

Everyone’s hustling 24/7 for their startup, and it feels like anyone can think of a half-baked idea, get VC funding, go viral on X, and then somehow make even more money. AND not because their product actually works, but because of the hype around it.

And honestly? I feel disillusioned.

I’m tired of:

The glorification of hustle

The extraction of labor to benefit shareholders

Building things that don’t actually make the world better

For a while I began to think I hate tech. But it’s not that. I hate what late-stage capitalism has done to it.

Is it asking for to much to find work that includes:

Rest and boundaries

Work with real, tangible meaning

Collaboration without competition

Wholesomeness and authenticity over manipulation

????

Am I missing something here? Why do we do this? I think I will leave X again but I will try out bluesky and see how the vibes are over there...

[sam-studies]

we're watching this in my intercultural communication class and it is so goooood! it captures the struggle really well.

Bend It Like Beckham (2002) dir. Gurinder Chadha