Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon's Blog

Why you go to Burning Man?

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:12:50 -0700

Every year, around the last weekend of August, have you noticed the line at your favorite brunch spot is a bit shorter than usual? That’s right—Burning Man is happening right now, and some of San Francisco’s pickiest foodies are out in the desert. Today, I will share how Burning Man profoundly impacted my life and transformed my worldview. I first attended Burning Man in 2016, and have gone there three times since then.

On Running

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 22:40:00 +0000

I never liked running. I was always among the last in my class and didn’t want to see myself as not good at something I worked hard at. It was my dream to run a triathlon one day, but I was too scared of running to even try.

That changed when I went to cheer on my friends at the San Francisco marathon. The energy at the finish line and the support from everyone made me want to be a part of it. The following week, I joined a running crew.

What is Next

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 22:40:00 +0000

I completed my first triathlon on Sunday, and the following Tuesday, I gave my fourth speech at the Everybody Speaks Toastmasters Club. I wrote a speech based on this experience and the insights gained from feeling the joy of dedicating myself to one thing for an extended period. The key takeaway was the importance of remaining kind to myself without getting buried in the pressure to outperform others or even myself. The following the script of the speech I gave:

Why I write

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000

If asked what I would do if money wasn’t a concern, my answer would have varied at different points in my life. At times, I might have said traveling the world, becoming an off-piste mountain guide, or being the DJ who can tear up the dance floor. Each dream reflects a unique phase of my life, and each one has been a burning passion for me.

However, pouring so much energy into one thing can cause other areas of life to be overlooked. For me, it was understanding what makes me human. I learned to be brave, compassionate, and honest. I began to recognize my strengths, confront my insecurities, and most importantly, started to love myself. I’ve made progress in reshaping the narrative I tell myself about who I am.

Day 5: Puente La Reina to Estella 25.3km

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Peyman and I shared a room with two other guys. One of them, a guy from Germany, snored so loudly it sounded like thunder. For a moment, I thought a tank was passing by. I reached for my earplugs, but at the same time, Peyman got up and put his phone near the guy’s nose to record the sound. What a guy.

After a hearty breakfast and coffee, we set off. Anne had left earlier to spend time thinking about her dream, and we didn’t see her again on the Camino. She arrived in Santiago five days earlier than us.

Day 4: Pamplona to Puente La Reina 24km

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 07:00:00 +0000

We walked from the outskirts of the town to the center of Pamplona at dawn and passed through the old city through the medieval walls watching the sunrise. The whole town was asleep except for the pilgrims.

City wall of Pamplona,a city built in 74 BC by the Roman military. The Basques call it Iruña, meaning 'the city'

As we walked out of the city, I saw a massive wheat field splashed with red poppies.

Contacted!

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 23:41:19 -0700

Yay! You contacted successfully! I will respond within 24 hours.

In the meantime, go read some blog posts.

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me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 23:41:19 -0700

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Swimming across San Francisco Bay

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Backpacking in Europe for three months taught me the joy of living minimally, but it took a great toll on my back. I needed to restart my exercise routine. Facebook knew me well and recommended a fundraiser challenge to swim 20 miles in August. I swam 680 laps in 16 days. This is the story about how I started swimming and ended up here.

I have Multiple Hereditary Exostosis and many bony tumors throughout my body. I don’t even know exactly how many I have. Growing up, I occasionally felt my bones clicking with the joints. It was an ominous sign that someday, I would get surgery to remove the bones. I had other issues, too. One day, I realized my heart kept beating fast after returning from a school field trip. The doctor found one of the valves in my heart had a hole. Since the open heart surgery to stitch the valve, I have had no problem with my heart.

Morning Routine

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Before I had a morning routine, I did not have a consistent way of starting my day, partly because of my irregular sleep schedule, but also, with no plans, I would be just scrolling through my phone or getting right onto the thing that I worked on the night before. I wanted to bring more consistency to my day, and I came up with these four.

Make my bed

The first step is to get out of my bed and make my bed. Tim Ferriss described in his morning ritual that it gives you the day’s first win. And it feels nice to see the bed made, especially working from home all day.

Day 3: Larrasoana to Pamplona: 15 km

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 15:00:00 +0000

My whole body was sore during the sleep. The Aussies on the other side of the room snored hard, woke up, and made noise getting ready at 5am. I surely was irritated, and Peyman could see it.

The walk started along the river, and it was nice to hear the sound of the flowing river.

We had a breakfast at a lovely restaurant with roaming cats and chickens.

Day 2: Roncesvalles - Larrasoaña 27 km

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 15:00:00 +0000

With the noise of people fighting with their backpacks, I woke up and felt barely recovered from day 1. Nevertheless, the day started with a leisurely walk along the woods and the creeks, and we passed several cute small villages.

I often thought Spain as a very dry country, but we passed along many rivers and creeks during the entire walk

I was expecting the Camino wouldn’t be as busy this year with COVID still going on, but it was not. Instead, it felt as busy as it could be, and I learned that the pope extended the Holy Year to 2022, and a record number of pilgrims arrived in Santiago in April.

Day 1: St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles 24km

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 07:00:00 +0000

I could not easily fall asleep with excitement and partly because of the snores in the rooms. Pilgrim’s office warned me about the heatwave, so most of the people in the room had already left when I woke up at 6. I got a cup of coffee, and started walking. The trail was already full of people.

The high route over the Pyrenees is called Route Napoleon even though Napoleon did not set a foot on the path

I met my Camino buddies in the first two hours of the most challenging section of the entire French Way. Peyman from Malmo, Sweden, Holly from Brighton, UK, and Anne from Nurnberg, Germany.

Now

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Sat, 01 Jan 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Ongoing update of what I am up to Now (what is this for?). My profile is now on nownownow.com.

Jan 24th, 2026

I have been absent from updating this doc for two years. One of my 2026 priorities is to spend more time on my personal branding, so we will see.

Work

WeaveGrid: I recently passed my third anniversary at WeaveGrid. The last two years have been a rollercoaster, both personally and for my team. I have continued to partner with vehicle OEMs, and the number I have worked with has now reached seven. Because we are usually the first software company to formally integrate with their charge scheduling systems for real-time grid optimization—rather than relying on backdoor reverse engineering like many of our competitors—it has been a massive learning opportunity for both sides. For us, the challenge has been figuring out how to execute our Go-To-Market strategy as fast as possible while navigating real-world constraints and surprises from automakers.

Transitioning into a plant-based diet

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 05:45:54 +0000

Growing up, meat was always part of my diet. I only ate plants when I had cold soba or bibimbap during visits to Buddhist temples. However, my belief that I always needed meat changed when I attended a meditation retreat a few years ago and tried recipes from Zen monasteries. Contrary to my expectations, the monks’ food was nourishing and savory. Adding Goma-Shio (sesame and salt in Japanese) intensified the flavor. I was so impressed by the food at the Zen center that I bought their cookbook and occasionally cooked vegetarian meals from it.

Contact Patrick

me@patyoon.com (Patrick Yeo Ho Yoon) — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 21:43:43 -0700

Hey there! Looking to get in touch? I’d love to hear from you. You can find me on Github, Soundcloud, and LinkedIn.

You can find my email here or fill out the form below.

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