I really think our move to SF is a very good one. After 3 years and a half, there have been many events happened in my life and work (duh), let make it short and sum them up:
- Still working with the same people at T*ge, the company I started with after I moved up here.
- The company got acquired by a huge printer company. My salary went up double the one I had while working for G*ia.
- We interviewed a lot of good developers and QAs. They are such smart and friendly people. It was such a great time working with them. I was the team lead. My salary went up again, 3 times more than I got paid at G*ia.
- After a year, L*k closed down the SF office. They kept me and the 'original' workers from T*ge, the rest were let go. That was such a dark period in my working life. But since they are such good people and developers, after a month, most of them got a job in the industry. The people who get to stay work from home full-time.
- WFH full-time is not necessarily a bad or good thing. For me, at least as of now, it is convenient to work on my side project at night.
- I'm working on my Private Pilot License. I have around 30 hours flying on a Cessna 172. Nothing is better than the feeling of flying, take off and mostly landing an airplane.
- We are still living in the same apartment. It is hard for us to move into the city of SF since the price is even much higher than 3 years ago. We need to find a place that has a garage or at least a parking spot and allows dog. Still working on it.

Am I happy? I guess less than when I was working in an office and with others in-person, even though my salary is double than what I started with at T*ge, plus the bonus for the Golden Handcuff after the acquisition.

It will get better. Either I will have another job sometimes next year, or my side project will take off. I'm hoping for the second one :)

I'm trying to meditate nightly.