Archive for May, 2023
Sketches
Posted in Art, Recent activity, tagged Drawing, Fusui on May 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Small Accomplishments, Mental Block, and Possibility
Posted in Health and wellness, Reflection, tagged accomplishment, improvement, mental block, possibility on May 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »
During my high school years, our condo’s gym had a pull-up bar. I remember not being able to do even a single pull-up, while my best friend effortlessly completed up to ten.
Around the same time, I became inflexible. Tasks like touching my toes while bending forward or performing a squat without falling backward seemed unattainable.
But by setting a conscious plan, things have changed in the past few years. I can now do pull-ups, a basic squat, and touch my feet. Although my flexibility and range of motion are still limited, I can see a path toward gradually becoming stronger and more flexible.
These modest accomplishments have bought me as much satisfaction as some seemingly more significant achievements. They shifted my mindset about what’s possible. What once seemed impossible during my prime years (and I thought forever) has become achievable.
I know many people who can dive headfirst into a pool or the sea, but I’ve never been able to do so. While this is not an essential skill, I think if I can conquer my fear and gain control over my body to achieve it, I’d feel a similar sense of accomplishment.
Small accomplishments are steps towards bigger dreams.
Book notes: Excellent Advice for Living
Posted in Books, tagged Excellent Advice for Living, Kevin Kelly on May 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The book contains 450 advice/wisdom Kevin Kelly wishes he’d known earlier. Below are some I hope to remember/follow:
Listening well is a superpower. While listening to someone you love keep asking them “Is there more?” until there is no more.
Hatred is a curse that does not affect the hated. It only poisons the hater. Release a grudge as if it were a poison.
Friends are better than money. Almost anything money can do friends can do better. In so many ways, a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat.
Calm is contagious. Be calm to help others.
Children totally accept — and crave — family rules…In fact, “I have a rule for X” is the only excuse you need for your own personal policies.
Every person you meet knows an amazing lot about something you know virtually nothing about. It won’t be obvious and your job is to discover what it is.
Whenever you can’t decide which path to take pick the one that produces change.
You don’t need more time because you already have all the time that you will ever get; you need more foucus.
This is the best time ever to make something. Non of the greatest, coolest creations 20 years from now have been invented yet. You are not late.
You can eat any dessert you want if you take only three bites.
Be frugal in all things except in your passions. Select a few interests that you gleefully splurge on. In fact, be all-around thrifty so that you can splurge on your passions.
Experience are fun and having influence is rewarding but only mattering makes us happy. Do stuff that matters.
Greatness is incompatible with optimizing in the short term. To achieve greatness requires a long view. Raise your time horizon to raise your goal.
For every good thing you love ask yourself what your proper dose is.
Spending as little as 15 minutes on improving how you do your thing, is the most powerful way to amplify and advance your thing.
Productivity is often a distraction. Don’t aim for better ways to get through your tasks as quickly as possible. Instead aim for better tasks that you never want to stop doing.
Profile: Getting to know Ryu
Posted in Daily Life, Reflection, tagged Interview, profile on May 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »
An interview from my previous job several years ago.
- Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Hong Kong, moved to Bangkok when I was around 10 years old, went to Oita, Japan for my undergraduate study and then the UK for postgraduate degrees in Economics at University of Cambridge and London School of Economics. - What is your work like?
I worked in a small, collegial and dynamic company, with smart and driven people to make sense of important macro issues happening in the world. - What do you like best about your role?
I like the autonomy and broad scope of the role. One never runs out of things to learn. To do well in the job requires not just good understanding of economics, but also history, politics, and technology. It’s also exciting to follow fast growing economies like China and witness changes in real time. - What is your team like?
It is a small and friendly team, with plenty of informal chats on a regular basis. Popular topics include parenting, politics, and the insane property market! - What do you do in your spare time?
Besides spending time with my family, I run 4 to 5 times a week and practice Wing Chun, a Chinese martial art made famous by Ip Man and Bruce Lee (According to Wikipedia, it’s the world’s most popular form of Southern Kung Fu). - So you’re a lean, mean, fighting machine?
I’ve practiced for 4 years and learned the wooden dummy. I don’t have a saffron robe…yet! - How did you find time to do all this?
Discipline. I wake up at 6am, go for a run or do a workout in the gym, get back to have breakfast with my family before going to work.
I listen to podcasts while commuting and read books at night after my kids go to bed – that’s my routine. - What are you reading at the moment?
The Master Algorithm: How the quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World – by Pedro Domingos.
The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance – by Josh Watkins - What is your favourite place in the world?
My favourite place in Japan used to be Kyoto. Back then it was more quiet. Now I feel like there are too many tourists so would pick Naoshima and Okinawa as my favourite. I like the food, architect, nature and just walking around. - Who would be your ideal dinner guests?
David Hume, Bruce Lee, Lee Kuan Yew and Richard Feynman. - What is your favourite food?
Japanese Kaiseki Ryori, or just an ekiben (e.g. bento you eat for a Shinkansen train ride). Rather than one dish, I like the balance of various small dishes. - Do you have any secret talent that we don’t know?
I bought a skateboard for my son but secretly I’ve been enjoying learning it myself.
So far, I have mastered the art of going and stopping! - What is on your bucket list?
Too many. Learn sports like snowboarding, surfing, and diving. Learn architecture and build a house. Compose a song, draw manga, make an anime, and perform music with friends. - What is your advice for a young person?
Work hard, learn, and stay humble. - Have you had any strange jobs in the past?
During my University era, I worked in a farm making fermented pickles (Tsukemono in Japanese). I’d gather cabbage from the farm, put them into a pickle press (with lots of salt), and place the processed products in packages for sale.
Ryu's Blog 