MARTIN L

Category: Word Bundles

  • My latest obsession is Connecticut

    Spring has arrived, and so has a new state to obsess over. This state, Connecticut was brought to you by my viewership of the hit CW show, Gilmore Girls. You may have guessed at this point that the show takes place in Connecticut.

    Facts I knew about Connecticut before my obsession

    • It’s one of two states in New England that I’ve never been to (please leave your guesses to which the other state could be)
    • The capital of Connecticut is Hartford
    • The governor is Ned Lamont
    • It is one of the few states with a statewide transit system (the other ones being Delaware, Rhode Island, Vermont [kinda], New Jersey)
    • Other cities I know include Stamford (thanks to the Office (U.S.), New Haven (Yale), New London)

    What intrigues me about Connecticut

    • It’s one of the few states that does not have upper-level administrative regions (counties). Counties were abolished in the 1960’s, and cities take on the responsibilities traditionally left up to the counties
    • It’s the eastern version of New Jersey: sandwiched between two major metropolitan areas with an identity that persists with no discernible traits.
    • New England: I love New England. It’s a magical part of the country that I would love to explore more. It has the history, the rural charm, and a lovely mix of mountains, ocean, and forests in between. It’s a magical place to experience, and Connecticut is smack dab in the middle of it.
    • Size: I like smaller states. They feel more intimate. This is not a joke about anything, I am serious.
    • AmTrak: It’s a state that many people pass by on their way to other destinations (Boston, New York). Connecticut should be a place people want to stop at.

    Overall, I hope people can join me Connecticut-maxing this spring. If you enjoy the concept of Connecticut do let me know!

  • Apathy is never hot!

    The least interesting people I know are apathetic.

    People need to start sharing more of their opinions! I don’t really understand why in the era of TikTok, where we’re given a microphone to voice our concerns to people that those voices become very low. I’m not saying you need to go as drastic as sharing all of your thoughts on TikTok, but very few people feel even curious enough to learn about things they don’t even know about.

    The way we (society) is choosing to outsource what we’re curious about to an algorithm is frankly very concerning and indicative of our convenience culture. I implore people to take a 20 minute (1 mile) walk around their neighborhood, with just a notepad and a pen. Write down anything that interests you as you walk around and do some research when you get home. Frankly, I want life to be more curious and my hope is that others are curious too.

    The BUffalo Pothole Bandit

    This was something I took a photo of because I was curious about it! I stumbled upon it during my stroll on Elmwood.

    The story of the Buffalo Pothole Bandit started during the pandemic. A man who was enraged with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade (1973) filled a bunch of potholes around Buffalo’s Elmwood Village neighborhood with “F**K SCOTUS” messages. There’s also another story where he just twists his ankle and gets enraged enough to fill it with cement and art.

    What really interests me about this character is his whimsy and his ability to use something as simple as basic wear and tear as an opportunity to make the city a more beautiful place. This is an example of someone who shares his passion with the world, and the world becomes a better place because of it. I’m not a artistic person but I would love to contribute something similar to my community!

  • Three reasons why you need to make Buffalo your next stop on a All-America trip

    This post has no affiliation with the following organizations: The Corporation for Travel Promotion d.b.a Brand USA, New York State Department of Economic Development (ILOVENY), Erie County Economic Development (Visit Buffalo!), City of Buffalo.

    The locals

    Buffalo is the “City of Good Neighbors”. It’s also the “Nickel City”, but I digress. The people in Buffalo are generally very good and welcoming, and there’s a surprisingly amount of diversity in the metro area. It’s a really great city if you want a place that fosters a sense of community.

    A city with a community

    One of the main draws of Buffalo is the fact that it’s still a city, with big city amenities. You still have your apartments, your walkable neighborhoods, your Apple Store. It even has its own subway. What it lacks however, is the big-city traffic you’ll find in most major cities. While it has that hustle and bustle, it doesn’t make you feel like you’re stuck in it.

    Proximity to Nature

    Buffalo is surprisingly a city very close to nature. You have Niagara Falls just 20 minutes away, but also a huge network of state parks in the region. South of Buffalo, you have access to rolling hills and mountains of the Appalachians. Lake Erie hugs the city, and there’s plenty of access points in the area, including the Outer Harbor, a lakefront retreat in the middle of Buffalo’s abandoned industrial past.

  • Retrospective: East Chinatown Food & History Walk

    On August 17th, 2025, I hosted my very first Food & History Walk! These walks are a initiative created for a variety of reasons listed below:

    Intention

    To introduce local perspectives, stories, and challenges to visitors of new places.

    Invitations

    1. Three stories of East Chinatown residents and informers that introduce the past, present, and future of East Chinatown
    2. Using food to build on these stories; highlighting imported flavors to each story
    3. Creating opportunities to connect with each story, imploring on the impact on the community.
    4. Opening a window to explore additional stories in new places.

    Desire

    For visitors to see the neighborhood beyond its Chinese identity, and rather a place where people from all over gather and draw inspiration from its past & present into the future.

    Experiences

    What happened?

    On this tour, we were able to visit a plethora of different sites, restaurants, and look at some of the community revitalization initiatives that have taken place since the 2010’s.

    Restaurants

    • Que Ling
    • Issho Coffee
    • Onyx Chocolates

    Sites

    • Dr. Sun Yat-sen Statue, East Chinatown
    • Charlie’s Meats Original Site
    • Hubbard Park
    • Toronto Chinatown Archway (Chung Hwa Men)
    • Murals of the Wonders of the World
    • Chinatown Architecture

    Stories

    • The Pioneers of Chinatown: The move to Gerrard & Broadview
    • Waves of Influence: Exploring the cultural changes in the Chinese Diaspora
    • Immersion of Diaspora: How this generation of East Chinatown residents have melded this space into their own
    • Grasping of an Identity: Suburban Chinatown to Now (story was not told)

    Feedback

    • Tour was great, particularly enjoyed the framing of each story from past, present & future
    • Liked all of the historical backgrounders that aren’t evident in today’s East Chinatown

    Reflection

    • Reduce talking portions to engage with the audience with questions and pondering periods
    • Be cognizant of the time and set time limits at each stop
    • Food stops need to be scattered throughout the tour and not primarily focused at the later portions of the tour
    • Dedicate more time to flesh out the characters of each story and ensure they are incorporated at each stop & location
    • Reduce rambling, and ensure you are incorporating each food stop into specific stories along the tour
    • Prepare photos of each reference to the past, or things you point out
    • Be confident during the talk, no self-depreciation.

  • Why a hot dude like me has a blog (and not a Substack)

    Carmen Corbasson Community Center in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

    TL;DR; I have a blog because I have too many thoughts and suck and writing them down into a cohesive piece.

    Many (two) people have asked me why I even chose to create a blog on this website. Working on this website has been a goal for me since 2021, when I purchased this domain for e-mail addresses. I didn’t necessarily intend for it to be much, but as I approach my third month of writing in this blog, I think it’s a good time to reflect on why this blog exists.

    Initially, I restarted this idea during a pretty low point of my personal life (still in my flop era tbh). I wanted to work on creating an outlet for me to explore ideas that I wasn’t able to express with my friends and colleagues (ie. talk about trains), and I thought a blog was the perfect outlet for that.

    I also wanted to create a place where I could work on my writing, crafting my tone as I work on my Statement of Purpose for grad school. I do enjoy writing, but I did drop out of 12th grade English summer school, so I could probably use the extra practice to impress the admissions committee.

    Originally, I planned on focusing on more insightful articles on mundane topics (such as my first post on a BART fare rule I found interesting), but I’ve slowly shifted my focus on incorporating more introspective in my blog. I’ve never really been an open book on a lot of topics in my life, and I’d like for this blog to incorporate more personal topics of my life. I’ve really been working on myself this year, so I want to grow with my writing as well!

    Honestly, I’m not sure what effect these blogs are having on my life though. I’ve really written some heavier posts (pride month core), and some really random posts (why I love Oakville?), and I don’t really feel that my writing, or my mental health has been getting better to be honest. But progress is not linear, and I’m going to have to accept that because I don’t have a choice.

    I think another criticism I have with myself is that my posts tend to be very long. Should probably work on that for the upcoming posts as I think it gets hard to follow the topic ideas. I’m still glad I’ve stuck with the blog for TWO whole months though, and I should be releasing one more blog post for June.

    Overall, look forward for more mundane article topics! I’d like to take the time to explore the mundane topics of my life (like what’s my favorite road font). These articles take a bit of time to research, so I just really need to dedicate some time towards it this summer. I have until next year to decide if I want to keep up with this or move it somewhere else, so I’ll probably let y’all know when it comes to that.