Brian Belen
@brianbelen.bsky.social
President of First Asia Venture Capital and Chief Brain at Brain Drain (my blog). | AB/MA University of Asia and the Pacific | MA/PhD Fordham University. Helicopter pilot.
New on Brain Drain: The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese brianbelen.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese
If you've never thought about it before, the dish macaroni and cheese is such an enigma. While it clearly involves pasta and therefore has...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:02 AM
New on Brain Drain: The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese brianbelen.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
Hello, Dubai, Goodbye.
January 22, 2026 at 12:44 AM
Hello, Dubai, Goodbye.
New on Brain Drain: The New Geography of Innovation brianbelen.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
The New Geography of Innovation
Silicon Valley undoubtedly deserves its reputation as the closest thing the world has ever seen to a startup factory for technology compani...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:08 AM
New on Brain Drain: The New Geography of Innovation brianbelen.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
I ended up breaking a fingernail trying to get the last bit of toothpaste out of a tube.
I now feel like the most fragile snowflake that ever did live.
I now feel like the most fragile snowflake that ever did live.
January 15, 2026 at 9:36 PM
I ended up breaking a fingernail trying to get the last bit of toothpaste out of a tube.
I now feel like the most fragile snowflake that ever did live.
I now feel like the most fragile snowflake that ever did live.
New on Brain Drain: Do More in Four brianbelen.blogspot.com/2026/01/do-m...
Do More in Four
The COVID-19 pandemic forced businesspeople around the world to re-think how they got things done, yet I would argue not always in helpful ...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
January 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM
New on Brain Drain: Do More in Four brianbelen.blogspot.com/2026/01/do-m...
You know what healing your inner child looks like? Probably something like this…
I can now assemble BOTH Superion AND Devastator. #transformers #aerialbots #constructicons #autobots #decepticons
I can now assemble BOTH Superion AND Devastator. #transformers #aerialbots #constructicons #autobots #decepticons
January 9, 2026 at 10:51 AM
You know what healing your inner child looks like? Probably something like this…
I can now assemble BOTH Superion AND Devastator. #transformers #aerialbots #constructicons #autobots #decepticons
I can now assemble BOTH Superion AND Devastator. #transformers #aerialbots #constructicons #autobots #decepticons
I showed up to get work done today and was met by the empty gaze of incompetence, indifference, and belatedly pretending to be on top of things.
Getting angry was the least I could do.
Getting angry was the least I could do.
January 7, 2026 at 10:33 AM
I showed up to get work done today and was met by the empty gaze of incompetence, indifference, and belatedly pretending to be on top of things.
Getting angry was the least I could do.
Getting angry was the least I could do.
New on Brain Drain: The Story Continues brianbelen.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
The Story Continues
The author John Green featured a few months ago on an episode of 99 Percent Invisible to talk about his book, Everything is Tuberculosis ....
brianbelen.blogspot.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:37 AM
New on Brain Drain: The Story Continues brianbelen.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
LVL. 46
HP +1
MP +1
ATK +1
DEF +2
HP +1
MP +1
ATK +1
DEF +2
January 2, 2026 at 10:33 PM
LVL. 46
HP +1
MP +1
ATK +1
DEF +2
HP +1
MP +1
ATK +1
DEF +2
My first run for the year: a rolling 5k.
(Could’ve been a 6k, but didn’t want to push my luck.)
(Could’ve been a 6k, but didn’t want to push my luck.)
January 2, 2026 at 12:05 AM
My first run for the year: a rolling 5k.
(Could’ve been a 6k, but didn’t want to push my luck.)
(Could’ve been a 6k, but didn’t want to push my luck.)
みんなさん、明けましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくお願いします。
December 31, 2025 at 3:03 PM
みんなさん、明けましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくお願いします。
さよなら、2025年！
よこそう、2026年！
よこそう、2026年！
December 31, 2025 at 2:46 PM
さよなら、2025年！
よこそう、2026年！
よこそう、2026年！
New on Brain Drain: Best of Brain Drain 2025 2025 brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/best...
Best of Brain Drain 2025
Here's five posts from last year that for one reason or another are noteworthy. To me, anyway. 1. Parenting, Distilled 2. One Week of F...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:49 AM
New on Brain Drain: Best of Brain Drain 2025 2025 brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/best...
New on Brain Drain: Books of 2025 brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/book...
Books of 2025
My target each year is to read twenty-six books, if only because it doesn't sound unreasonable to read a book every other week (it should ac...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:28 AM
New on Brain Drain: Books of 2025 brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/book...
New on Brain Drain: Play Nice brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/play...
Play Nice
When I was growing up, if you were a gamer at all you were either a console gamer or a PC gamer. It was very rare to be both. Console gam...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:13 AM
New on Brain Drain: Play Nice brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/play...
New on Brain Drain: Lumines Arise brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/lumi...
Lumines Arise
When Enhance, the publisher now behind the rhythm puzzle game Lumines , was handed the keys to Tetris, they proceeded to make arguably the m...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:20 AM
New on Brain Drain: Lumines Arise brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/lumi...
New on Brain Drain: Silksong brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/silk...
Silksong
Within five minutes of starting Hollow Knight: Silksong , I made a couple of mistakes and ended up getting killed for the first time. “Fee...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:45 AM
New on Brain Drain: Silksong brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/silk...
#MarvelCosmicInvasion is a heckuva love letter to the Avengers and X-Men arcade brawlers from back in the day, with some Marvel vs Capcom flair thrown in for good measure.
It’s also got Beta Ray Bill in it—and he does not disappoint!
It’s also got Beta Ray Bill in it—and he does not disappoint!
December 6, 2025 at 9:12 AM
#MarvelCosmicInvasion is a heckuva love letter to the Avengers and X-Men arcade brawlers from back in the day, with some Marvel vs Capcom flair thrown in for good measure.
It’s also got Beta Ray Bill in it—and he does not disappoint!
It’s also got Beta Ray Bill in it—and he does not disappoint!
Me: Imma heal my inner child and buy this, this, and that!
Also me: ZOMG where do I put all this junk?
Also me: ZOMG where do I put all this junk?
December 6, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Me: Imma heal my inner child and buy this, this, and that!
Also me: ZOMG where do I put all this junk?
Also me: ZOMG where do I put all this junk?
New on Brain Drain: Atomic Habits brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/atom...
Atomic Habits
By the time I reached the end of James Clear’s Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results , I could fully appreciate why the book has b...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:49 AM
New on Brain Drain: Atomic Habits brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/12/atom...
In hindsight, I should’ve picked a brighter tie to wear today.
December 2, 2025 at 12:28 PM
In hindsight, I should’ve picked a brighter tie to wear today.
New on Brain Drain: Multipliers brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/11/mult...
Multipliers
Having had the chance recently to finally(!) leaf through my copy of Liz Wiseman's Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter ,...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:31 AM
New on Brain Drain: Multipliers brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/11/mult...
New on Brain Drain: The Anxious Generation brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
The Anxious Generation
In The Anxious Generation , social psychologist Jonathan Haidt presents a compelling case about how changes in social mores in the face of t...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:46 AM
New on Brain Drain: The Anxious Generation brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
New on Brain Drain: Football Cliches brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/11/foot...
Football Cliches
Cliches abound in sport, perhaps for the simple reason that both spectators and players alike necessarily gravitate towards a common way of ...
brianbelen.blogspot.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:26 AM
New on Brain Drain: Football Cliches brianbelen.blogspot.com/2025/11/foot...