It was my birthday and after a rough month on the personal front, I seriously needed a break. What better to relieve sadness than a motorcycle trip to the beach?
The initial part of the ride is nothing special, same as Pattaya which I have already covered here and here. Industrial highway with lots of traffic and a different stink every kilometre.
I left at 4:30 in the morning and it was dark, cold and miserable.
Chonburi Expressway at 4:30 AMBang Chak Gas station on Chonburi Expressway
I made good time and saw the sun rise somewhere in Chonburi.
Sunrise on the way to Rayong
By the time I reached Rayong, the sun was out. The area around Saeng Chan beach is surrounded by beautiful canals.
Canal in Rayong near the sea
The beach was mostly deserted at 07:00, so I spent some time in peace.
At the beach
Saeng Chan beach, Rayong
The beach has a unique shape, forming moon-shaped pools every few meters.
Unique shape of Saeng Chan Beach
Spotted a nice lighthouse.
A lighthouse in Rayong
I needed to be back home by noon, so I left soon to grab a coffee at this cafe.
On the way back, I drove in a more leisurely manner. I spotted this interesting resort with different sections in different aeroplanes.
Recently, I had been looking to move my pirated media away from the Mega + Infuse combo (Mega had been throttling transfers, causing choppy videos). Additionally, I was paying monthly subscription fees for both. So I decided to move everything to a NAS. My main requirement was for the NAS to not be based on x86-64 architecture and especially not an Intel processor. After a tight battle with the TerraMaster F2-212 and ASUS Drivestor 2, I decided to go with the Synology DS223j.
Even though the TerraMaster and Asustor provided more value for money and in some cases more features (Hot swappable drives, 2.5Gbps ethernet expansion), Synology won me over with their superior software and cloud-based backend.
Overall, few weeks later, I don’t regret getting the Synology DS223j at all.
NAS doing its NAS-ing
Storage
The first action after ordering the NAS was to order the drive(s). I didn’t need much storage space, but I did need redundancy, so I went with 2x2TB drives.
WD Red Plus HDD WD20EFPXSeagate IronWolf 2TB HDD S2000VN003
Following best practice, I got 2 drives with similar performance numbers, but different models, as I didn’t want them to fail around the same time. This happens especially if you buy 2 drives of the same model from the same batch.
The DS223j does not support hot swap of drives, you need to open up the NAS chassis and install the drives using screws.
Synology DS223j with 2 hard drivesSynology Hybrid Raid with Fault Tolerance
Synology DSM 7
Synology DSM is a web based interface to access your NAS. It is extremely intuitive and powerful. The first time it needs to be accessed using the local IP; once signed in to the Synology account, you can access it via Synology’s cloud-based web app (QuickConnect).
Synology DSM 7.2.2
Although Quickconnect can allow inbound connections to your server natively using UPnP, I strongly recommend keeping that disabled on your router and using manual port forwarding rules, instead. It can also check if you configured your router correctly or not.
DSM 7 Control Panel Port Forwarding check
The Control Panel lets you configure almost any aspect of the NAS, I didn’t have to login using the Linux Terminal even once.
There was a short learning curve over a few days to understand what “storage space”, “volume”, “shared folders” meant and I was able to settle down on the configuration in a few days.It even lets you adjust the brightness of the LEDs on the front of the unit and auto-change them during different times of the day. (The Blue Power LED is especially irritating early mornings).
Next, its time to install apps.
Media Server-1 : Plex
Media sharing was the primary reason for getting the NAS. I created a separate encrypted Shared Folder to store my media on.
I spent sme time researching and comparing Plex, Jellyfin and Emby. I installed Plex because the Pros outweighed the cons
Plex Pros
Functional, powerful settings
Fast Library scanning
Cloud/Plex Account based connectivity <—Some self-hosting purists would consider this a con
Accurate metadata retrieval
Natively installable from Synology Package Manager
Plex Cons
Hardware transcoding does not support ARMv8 processors.
Hardware transcoding is a paid feature.
Interface is cluttered, Plex tries to shove its streaming services down your throat (Can get around this by using A 3rd party client like Infuse)
Plex Relay is massively bandwidth limited, even with a paid subscription. Without this, need to pay for a public IP and also setup port forwarding.
Plex can see what you have and what you’re watching.
Plex Client, via browser
Once installed, the web interface is enabled. You only need to use the local web interface once to sign in to your Plex account. Further access can be via Plex’s cloud-based web app.
Although Plex can allow inbound connections to your server natively using UPnP, I strongly recommend keeping that disabled on your router and using manual port forwarding rules, instead.
Plex Port Forwarding Setup
It can also check if you configured your router correctly or not.
Streaming performance is great even without transcoding. I never saw the CPU go above 30% when streaming, nor did I experience skipping and buffering.
Media Server-2. : Jellyfin
I also installed Jellyfin to test it against Plex.
Jellyfin Pros
Completely open source
Completely free
No requirement to have a JellyFin account (The connection is directly between the client and the NAS)
Jellyfin Cons
Indexing is slow and painful.
Movie/V Show matching is not as accurate as Plex
Requires more technical involvement to get it working
Since there’s no cloud component, you have to manually choose between a local connection and an internet-based connection (Some may consider this a Pro)
On Synology, the easiest way to get Jellyfin up and running is as below:
Install Jellyfin from Synocommuity using this guide
Enable https access for Jellyin
Set up Dynamic DNS and SSL certificate using this guide
Set up reverse proxy on DSM and point it to Jellyfin using this guide
On clients, you can install the Swiftfin client. However, there’s a catch:
For devices like TVs, you will obviously connect to Jellyfin server using your local IP
For mobile devices like iPhone/iPad, the switching is not automatic (Like Plex). When on the same network, you need to connect (over http) using the local IP, when outside, need to connect (over https) using the dynamic DNS name set up previously. I didn’t bother and set up the WAN connection permanently. This means even when I am at home, I am streaming over the internet.
The interface is cleaner than Plex, as in it is not trying to shove its own services down your throat.
Eventually I found Plex to be a better match for me and got rid of Jellyfin.
Private Cloud : Synology Drive
Having a second backup of all my photos (First backup is on iClown) was the other reason for buying the NAS.
The NAS comes pre-installed with Synology Cloud Sync, which can automatically sync with a public cloud. I would have preferred this way, but unfortunately, iCloud is not among the list of supported clouds (The fault is likely on Apple’s side for locking down their ecosystem). So I decided to use my iPad to backup photos from my iCloud to the NAS.
Now, there’re two apps which you can use to backup your photos From your iDevice to your NAS – Synology Drive and Synology Photos. Synology Drive works quite like the Google Drive and OneDrive apps; it can be used for file management and backup. Synology Photos, on the other hand focuses on photos and can also act like a media gallery. Both can backup photos equally well and do, to the same location on the NAS. Both apps are quite well built and designed.
I wanted to treat my photos as files and didn’t want the photo management features, so I went with Synology Drive.
The options to backup files and photos are quite extensive.
The app automatically backs up new photos in the background, but this process is quite throttled because of Apple’s restrictions. For the first upload, there’s a special focussed backup mode which can keep the app in the foreground, but lower the screen brightness. Using this, I was able to upload all 18000 photos and videos overnight.
Synology Drive Focussed Backup
Backing up files and documents is a more manual process. You need to frequently copy your files to a dedicated sync folder and the app syncs them from there on.
Synology Drive sync task settings
Apart from requiring manual sync every few days, your device also needs to store 2 copies of each file, which is not ideal. Luckily, it takes less than 10 minutes to upload <20GB of documents (~1800 files).
It’s also a waste of bandwidth, because it synced and overwrites everything, every time, not just changes.
Local Storage : SMB
For local storage and backup, I debated between SMB and AFP. Although AFP did provide faster transfer speeds, I went with SMB because of dwindling support for the former.
DSM provides granular control for multiple users, allowing you to choose which user can access which part of the file system. Eg, I created a separate account for my daughter and assigned a file storage quota on a dedicated shared folder for her MacBook to make nightly automatic backups using Time Machine.
IoT Management : Homebridge
Homebridge allows your NAS to emulate itself as an Apple HomeKit bridge, which further allows you to see non-HomeKit accessories in your Home app. The app is completely open source, and so are the plugins. Ideally you need 1 plugin for each non-HomeKit device you have. I used the below plugins
Your IoT devices need to have a consistent IP address on the local network, I suggest setting up DHCP binding on your router. Some of the plugins have quite an involved process of adding devices, but thankfully it is a one time thing. Once done, the data from your accessories will appear in the Homebridge UI.
Homebridge showing data from IOT
Once you add your Homebridge as a HomeKit bridge in your Apple Home, the data is further relayed to the Home app on all your devices.
Xiaomi Air Purifier data on Apple HomeKit via HomebridgeApple Home Room statistics
The experience is not as seamless as native HomeKit devices and this is not what I bought the NAS for, but it was a pleasant bonus, nonetheless.
Antivirus : Antivirus Essential
Antivirus Essential is Synology’s antivirus solution. I am not sure how effective it is, but it is a pain to run the first time. The first “full scan” took 4 days with the NAS too busy to do almost anything else during that time. Even the first time update of virus definitions takes hours.
Antivirus Essentials on Synology DSM
Thankfully, if you enable “smart scan”, subsequent scans are much faster (Around an hour).
Probably the performance is much better on more powerful units.
Download Manager : Download Station
Download Station is Synology’s web based download manager. For a first party app, it is quite powerful. It can download files from a wide variety of URLs & P2P file types.
Synology Download Station URL dialogueSynology Download Station file dialogue
You can even download using RSS feeds. It is not as powerful as some dedicated clients, but it is good enough that I don’t use a 3rd party utility.
During my adolescent years, the third molars in my lower jaw came out crooked. Because of food getting stuck in the space between the second molar and the third, I used to suffer regular bouts of Pericoronitis which was annoying. After years of annoyance and advice from dentists to take them out, I finally decided to do so, late last year.
I had actually considered doing it a few times before, but always chickened out. This time, I decided to go ahead with it. I did this at my regular Dental clinic, Smile Seasons.
Impacted Third Molar of the Lower Jaw
The Process
The first step is to X-Ray the mouth. After that, they were able to tell me that the upper molar can come out via regular extraction, but the lower one would require surgical extraction. I decided to get the left side done first.
After copious amounts of anaesthetic, they wiggled out the upper molar in five minutes. It was a bit scary but painless; I thought my jaw would snap from the pressure. The feeling of the tooth cracking away from the jaw was horrible.
The lower third molar didn’t go so easy. They had to break it apart and it came out in pieces. The root was quite sensitive and they had to keep giving me anaesthesia. It took a long time for it to come all out, while my lips were being stretched like a rubber band. I was relieved when she said it’s done and started applying the stitches. I was already stressed about repeating this for the right side in a few months.
The Aftermath
Recovery Phase 1- First 24 hours
I left the dental clinic with a bunch of painkillers and antibiotics and the left half of my mouth drooling. I was foolish enough to think I won’t need the painkillers, and I was in for a rude shock soon. Once the anaesthesia wore off, there were so many pains, I had to count
Stabbing pain in the empty sockets – 8/10
Burning pain in the gums of adjacent teeth – 8/10
On and off cramps in the jaw muscles (Couldn’t open the mouth properly) – 6/10
Pain in the neck – 6/10
Dull pain and swelling in the lips – 5/10
Dull pain in the front teeth – 4/10
Ibuprofen : 3 Paracetamol : 1 Diet : None
Thankfully, after taking the painkillers, most of the pain turned dull. Remembering the doctor’s instructions, I was careful not to spit the continuous bleeding out, but rather swallow it (And also because I am not fromUttar Pradesh). Tried having an ice cream, but couldn’t finish it.
By evening, I was tired of the ever-present taste of blood in my mouth and could not wait to go to sleep. I didn’t brush my teeth.
Sleep was not very peaceful. Kept waking up and had bad dreams.
Woke up next morning with my mouth feeling like a morgue, full of congealed blood. I also realised that my lymph nodes were swollen (Looked like a ping pong ball protruding from my neck) and I couldn’t swallow without pain. Also, the trauma activated a painful cold sore on my lip.
Recovery Phase 2- Days 2 to 7
Item
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Neck/Throat Pain
5/10
2/10
1/10
1/10
—
—
Tooth pain
5/10
4/10
3/10
2/10
2/10
1/10
Lip Pain
5/10
3/10
1/10
1/10
—
—
Jaw Movement
10%
10%
15%
20%
25%
40%
Ibuprofen
2
2
2
1
1
—
Paracetamol
1
—
—
—
—
1
Diet
Liquid
Semi Solid
Semi Solid
Solid
Solid
Solid
Overall, there was quit a lot of improvement in the first couple of days, after which it kind of plateaued out.
On Day 2, in the afternoon, I developed a low grade fever which went away with Paracetamol. Swallowing was painful but the tooth was more or less OK. I started brushing my teeth on the other side.
On Day 3, woke up feeling a bit better. Lymph nodes were less painful, although still had swelling. Had more or less a normal day, except for the diet.
On Day 4, Tried eating normally, but the jaw just won’t open. The food kept falling off the spoon. Went out for lunch, but got discouraged and ate in for dinner.
On Days 5-6, I started exercising my jaw, pushing it gently to open more. By evening of Day 6, I was quite demotivated by the lack of improvement
Day 7, was the first day in a week when I woke up feeling anything close to normal. My spirits immediately lifted.
Recovery Phase 3- Week 2 onwards
On Day 8, I started running again and went to the dentist to get the stitches taken out. I was relieved to hear that I don’t have a dry socket. After the stitches went, I felt a release of pressure from my gums and over the next few hours, the remaining pain went away.
Over the next few days, the jaw became more and more loose, and I went back to regular food.
By the end of week 2, everything was 95% back to normal.
By the end of week 3, everything was 99% back to normal and I considered my recovery more or less complete.
Repeat, Right side
Last month, I repeated the procedure on the teeth on the right side. Luckily, it went much better than the left
There was very little neck/throat/jaw pain
The pain in the teeth/gums was much less
Unfortunately, I had to get the twitches taken out in India and the dentist was brutal; tugged on the stitches and gums till I had tears in my eyes.
Tip : During recovery, stay away from things that can make you sneeze. Restarts bleeding and increases the pain a lot.
For anyone considering this procedure, don’t watch the video below, or you may end up changing your mind (Like I did last year).
I thought I would do a yearly version of this article. Below are the TV shows I started watching in 2024, TV shows I stopped watching in 2024 and TV shows I tried to watch but couldn’t. Also, TV shows I continued to watch this year.
Overall, I feel I discovered many great TV shows this year. 2 shows (Severance & Shrinking) that I tried, but couldn’t get into last year, turned out to be some of the best ever.
Overall, I feel Apple TV+ is coming out with a lot of great content suitable to my tastes.
Recently, my trusty Hoka Clifton 9 running shoes crossed 600kms & I replaced them with a Saucony Triumph 22.
Saucony Triumph 22
The various Hokas performed quite well over the years and I had no intention to go with another brand. However, the below factors compelled me to
There were no Clifton 10s, still
The existing Clifton 9 (more than a year old model) was still full price
The available Clifton 9 liveries were very drab and dull
I was keen on trying more responsive shoes, so I went with the Saucony Triumph 22, which were on sale. I ordered them from Rev Runner and they arrived within 2 days.
First Impressions
My first impressions, after using them for 10 days, are below, but first, some before-after comparison by numbers.
Hoka last run vs Saucony first run stats
Hoka last run vs Saucony first splits
As you can see, apart from my pace being slightly slower with the Saucony, there’s not much difference between the 2 runs.
For the first few days, the Saucony did feel softer, but as they got broken-in, they firmed up and became more responsive. I also noticed a bit more supination for the first few runs, but it resolved itself once I got used to them.
Hoka Clifton 9 (inside) with Saucony Triumph 22 (outside)
Overall, I think both shoes are quite similar in terms of weight, comfort, responsiveness.
Ever since I have been on Escitalopram, my dreams have been quite vivid. Most of them resemble action-packed Hollywood movies, but some of them are really unpleasant. I have noticed a recurring pattern of vivid bad dreams, documented below:
Another part may be because I value privacy a lot and have always dreaded not hving my own personal space. But I always lucked out by having great/understanding roommates who let me have my own room.
This is another common theme for me. It goes something like
I have to get somewhere soon
My legs have turned into jelly and cannot support my weight anymore and I cannot walk
I can’t figure out where this one comes from. The interwebs suggests this means I am dissatisfied about where I am in life and not being able to reach where I really want to be. Which is strange, because (I think) I am quite satisfied with how my life has been going.
In worst versions, my berth is near the toilet and I can smell piss and shit all day and night
I know where this one comes from. Travelling on Indian trains overnight have been some of the worst moments of my life. I can never sleep. A few times, I even travelled on shared seats. Can you imagine how disgusting that can be?
Indian railways is also one of the most corrupt organisations in India and at one time, it meant that to get a confirmed seat, you had to pay a bribe.
Thankfully, I have not made such a trip in over 15 years.
I know most people have awesome memories of their childhoods, mine are mostly of me being sick (Having cold, mostly). Am not even exaggerating, I used to be sick all the time. But my most common sick dream is
As December came back around, it was time for another (my second) Amazing Thailand Marathon 2024. Last year’s was my first marathon, so I wanted to do it again this year.
Getting There
Getting there was the worst part. I made the mistake of taking a Grab and due to extensive road closures, got dropped off 5km away from the start line. With the clock ticking, I started running towards the venue. On the way, I came across a shuttle bus which was ferrying people who had abandoned the 42k/21k and hopped on it. However, soon, its way was blocked by runners and I spent 20 mins in it while it was sitting stationary while 2 women fainted.
Eventually, I got back off and ran the rest of the way to the starting line & reached just on time.
The race
This race was special, because Eliud Kipchoge was running with us (yes, in the 10k).
They put me in Block D at the back (1h45m finish) and it was agonising trying to outrun the slow pokes and move ahead. The first 2 splits were spent trying to find openings to overtake them. After that it was much easier to run freely.
The weather was cool enough to be comfortable. The route was pretty scenic, passing next to some of the most well-known and beautiful landmarks of old Bangkok.
Scenic route of Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok 2024
I was surprised to catch-up to Kipchoge (and the queen), around the 5th split and it was exhilarating passing them. It was nice to see that instead of showing-off and leaving everyone in the dust, he took it slow and let many people pass him. He certainly inspired me and hopefully thousands of others to push harder.
Unlike other 10ks, I did quite well, relatively, in the second half (buoyed by the presence of Kipchoge) and for the first time in my life, finished a 10k below 60 mins.
Recently I found out how to get rid of Ads on both WhatsApp and Line. The concept is same for both, pretend to be from a country where the service is not popular.
Get Rid of Ads on WhatsApp
Ads on WhatsApp while subtle, are still irritating for me. The ads are mostly in form of “channels” that some losers pay WhatsApp to promote. Since WhatsApp is very popular in India, using an Indian number to register WhatsApp causes several distasteful channels to be recommended.
WhatsApp channel promotions
The solution was simple (at least for me), change your WhatsApp account to use a number from a country where WhatsApp is not popular. Voila, ads gone.
WhatsApp with an Indian number vs Thai number
Caveat: If the other country doesn’t have Meta AI, you won’t be able to use it in WhatsApp anymore.
Bonus: No more spam from Indian vendors and services.
Now, I understand it may not be possible for everyone to have a number from another country and also, the WhatsApp ads are not so intrusive.
Get rid of bloat and Ads on Line
Line is so much worse when it comes to Ads, bloat and intrusiveness. Just look at how bloated the app is, trying hard to be like WeChat and Facebook.
Line chat list with adsVoomLine TodayLine contact list with ads
There are Ads on almost every page, even on top of the chat list. On top of that, it comes bundled with unnecessary (for me) social networking features. So I tried the opposite trick with Line.
I deleted my Line account which was using a Thai number and registered again with my country selected as India. Voila! A much cleaner app!
Line Chat list without adsLine contact list without ads
The best part is, you don’t need a phone number of the other country at all. You can simply sign in using your Apple or Google ID and be done.
Caveat: You cannot search for other Line users using their phone number, only using their Line ID.
I had been using the Apple iPhone 14 Pro for more than 2 years. But I started yearning to upgrade it as soon as iPhone 16 Pro was announced. I did try to convince myself to wait for another year, but last month, I gave up and bought the iPhone 16 Pro.
The iPhone 16 Pro is a delight to hold without a case
My views on the iPhone 16 Pro
The battery life is much better than the 14 Pro. The phone, now, easily lasts a full day without a top-up. Although I do top-up during the day most days.
Charging is much faster (Including wireless) and the phone emits less heat while charging.
The cameras are a modest improvement. I don’t see a big difference in picture quality most of the times, but for low-light photos, I do see an improvement. Portrait photos are also faster now, with motion frozen. The 5x zoom is useful, but I, personally haven’t found a use-case for it till now. Disappointed that portrait mode photos are still 12MP.
The phone feels much cooler while using. It didn’t overheat once during initial setup, which was more or less guaranteed on the 14 Pro.
It is such a relief to remove the last lightning port personal device from my life and get rid of all remaining lightning cables.
The display is slightly bigger (Although with similar specs) and the bezels slightly smaller, but I don’t notice any of that because I switched from using my phone with a case/screen guard, to using without it, which made a bigger difference.
I can finally fulfil my desire to use my phone without a case. Overall, the phone is extremely pleasurable to hold naked.
The Titanium sides are not glossy like the 14 Pro, almost matte. Looks beautiful and elegant. Doesn’t slip when holding.
The edges are not as sharp as on the 14 Pro.
There’s a pronounced slope when the phone is resting on its back, because of the huge camera island. And since the island is on one side, not in the centre, it is impossible to use the phone when it is lying on a flat surface, as it flops around.
iPhone 16 Pro slope because of camera bump
iPhone 16 Pro Titanium White
Lessons learnt when selling the old Phone
Going to great lengths to keep the phone in pristine condition without a single scratch is not worth it. At the end of the day, it hardly earns any extra money while selling it.
Things like cases, screen guards are all dead weight.
Paying to replace the battery is useless because no one pays extra for battery health.
I’ll go back in time now and make a list of all the mobile handsets I have owned till date. You may notice that the list is quite long, with it being especially dense in the first few years.
The iPhone X still holds the record of the longest used mobile handset by me (almost 3 years).
Good phone, died on the flight to Palo Alto. I spent an entire weekend in San Francisco and many days in Gurgaon trying to get it repaired, but failed.
As you can see, my mobile handsets have gone through different eras:
2003-2005 : Feature Phone era. I generally bought any handset I liked. 2005-2011 : Symbian Era. I mostly had Symbian phones with some other platforms sprinkled in between. 2012-2015 : Lumia Era. I purely had Windows Phones. 2017-Present : Apple Era.
