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Archive for January, 2026

Piano: 遇見 (Encounter)

Posted in Music, piano, Song Lyric, tagged , , on January 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Song by Stefanie Sun

Lyrics:

聽見冬天的離開我在某年某月醒過來

我想我等我期待未來卻不能因此安排

陰天傍晚車窗外未來有一個人在等待

向左向右向前看愛要拐幾個彎才來

我遇見誰會有怎樣的對白

我等的人他在多遠的未來

我聽見風來自地鐵和人海

我排著隊拿著愛的號碼牌

我往前飛飛過一片時間海

我們也曾在愛情裏受傷害

我看著路夢的入口有點窄

我遇見你是最美麗的意外

總有一天我的謎底會解開

English translation:

I hear the winter leaving.

I wake up in some year, some month.

I think, I wait, I look forward to,

But that’s not how the future is arranged. 

Cloudy sky, an evening, outside the car window.

There is a person waiting in the future.

To the left, to the right, to the front I look.

How many corners must love turns before it arrives?

Who will I meet, what are we going to say?

The person I’m waiting for, how far away is he in the future?

I hear the wind blowing from the subway and the crowd.

I’m standing in line, holding a number plate for love.

Cloudy sky, an evening, outside the car window.

There is a person waiting in the future.

To the left, to the right, to the front I look.

How many corners must love turns before it arrives?

Who will I meet, what are we going to say?

The person I’m waiting for, how far away is he in the future?

I hear the wind blowing from the subway and the crowd.

I’m standing in line, holding a number plate for love.

I keep flying and flew across a sea of time.

We both had been injured in love.

I’m watching the road, the entrance to the dream is a bit narrow.

Meeting you is the most beautiful accident. 

One day, my riddle will unravel.

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Book Notes: The Running Ground by Nicholas Thompson

Posted in Books, Daily Life, Health and wellness, tagged , , , , , , on January 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A nicely written book about his relationship with his father, kids, and running, from the CEO of The Atlantic. Here’s an essay adapted from his book. I share many of his sentiments toward running, and I’m grateful that I can still run whenever I feel like it and see the world while running.

Excerpts:

Every action we take helps to build our habits. Quit once and it’ll be easier to quite the second time too.

When I arrive in a new city, I like to circle it with a run. I’ve seen more of the world while running than I have while walking.

I learned that pain has physical causes but that it’s mostly a mental process: we slow in races less because we reach our physical limits than because our minds get scared.

Only the disciplined ones in life are free. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods and your passions. –Eliud Kipchoge, two-time Olympic marathon gold medalist for Kenya

The sensation of growing stronger is one of the most beautiful things about this sport. As my training intensified, everything about my body–and my awareness of it–sharpened.

She hadn’t touched money or bought anything for two months. Her life had been distilled to its essence: run, eat, sleep, repeat.

Running has become part of my day where I disconnect from screens and let my mind drift usefully and turn over problems. It encourages simple habits–heathly sleep, healthy eating, moderate drinking–that help as much at 8 a.m. meetings as they do 6 a.m. runs.

It taught me to have total trust in the compound interest gained by steady day-by-day work. I got fast by running hard, consistently, and wasting very little time worrying about how ambitious my goals were.

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Sketches: Blue Box XI

Posted in anime, Art, Hobbies, tagged , , on January 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

“Somewhere in this world, there are people who’ve put in that unimaginably huge amount of effort. And the fact that I’m still this small makes my heart race at the possibilities that exist in the space between us.” — Taiki

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What I watched on recent flights

Posted in anime, Movies, Recent activity, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

This is not a recommendation list and more a viewing record. As I get older, I sometimes have less desire to watch highbrow or critically-acclaimed movies, especially when flying (Why do our standards seem to drop at 30,000 feet?).

Kakukaku Shikajika (Blank Canvas: My So-called Artist’s Journey). We waste a lot of time in our youth, and this immaturity often brings regrets. Yet it’s also one of the few periods when we can afford to waste time and do stupid things, and all those experiences stay with us.

Kobe: The Making of a Legend. It revealed things I didn’t know, especially footage from when he was younger, and his relationships with his parents. He’d been confident and talented since he was a kid, but his passion and work ethic were what set him apart. No one is perfect, and it’s interesting what people remember about someone at the end of their life. Dear Basketball remains a great animated film.

The 35-Year Promise. A story about relationships and overcoming deep-seated fear and shame.
We all have strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes—but these don’t define our destiny. We can learn, improve, and grow to appreciate new things at any age. Here’s a review.

Doraemon: Nobita’s Art World Tales. I watched many Doraemon episodes as a child and have fond memories of them, but haven’t followed the series since. I gave this a try because of the art theme and Aimyon’s song “Sketch.” It’s a simple story that doesn’t try to do too much, and mainly for existing Doraemon fans or those seeking childhood nostalgia. The film reminds us to draw what we love and appreciate the colors around us.

Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie. A ridiculous movie on Kong Ming from Romance of the Three Kingdoms traveling through time to help an aspiring pop singer fulfill her dream. This is probably one of those movies I’d only watch on a flight. For those interested in learning about the original Romance of the Three Kingdom, I’d recommend John Zhu’s podcasts series.

Elio. Largely predictable animated film. The character growth feels a bit abrupt, but I suppose that’s constrained by limited runtime and the need to reach a happy ending.

K-Pop Demon Hunters. It’s nicely done and enjoyable even for someone who has a slight bias against K-pop. The songs are catchy and the lyrics fit the movie well. One of its messages is we should have faith in those we love. If we do not open up to those we value, it’s hard to build trust and resolve problems.

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Sketches: Shiromi Sakana Illustrations III

Posted in Art, Hobbies, tagged , on January 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »

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Henry Oliver on Why People Still Love Jane Austen

Posted in Books, Henry Oliver, Jane Austen on January 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

I read Pride and Prejudice and Emma in my teens and had fond memories of them. I should revisit her works at some point.

Link to Henry Oliver’s article.

Excerpts:

She invented the modern novel in order to answer fundamental questions about how to be good, happy, and flourishing in a commercial society. Her novels are about questions that are still central to our lives. How to live a good life in a commercial society? What is a moral education in the modern world? Who should we marry?

Drawing on her knowledge of the Enlightenment philosophers, especially Adam Smith and his book The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Austen’s novels are all about what it means to see things from someone else’s point of view. That is the moral lesson Lizzie Bennet learns about Mr. Darcey, it is what Marianne learns about Elinor, and it is what Emma Woodhouse learns about all her meddling.

Jane Austen is so popular because she used her talents to write about things that really matter to readers’ lives. She didn’t pander to their expectations—either about the genre or the moral of the story—but nor did she dismiss their interests as petty or unimportant. She wrote characters who are loved, characters who we are still startled to realize we know all too well from our lives. She wrote about moments of awkwardness, embarrassment, and shame that still happen ever day. Drawing room mishaps, over-loud mothers, embarrassing sisters, vulgar relatives, and shameless friends.

She used her genius to write about the moral importance of everyday life in a world that is always reinventing itself. That is why we love her still and will continue to do so.

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