HK 2016 | My Tribe | Estrangement

In my maiden trip to HK this year, I happened to experience a more local, and comfortable, side of HK. During earlier trips, HK had been an off-putting experience due to a combination of bad weather, cold people and claustrophobic cityscape. I stayed with a close friend of mine and, on my last day there, met a couple of other good friends with whom I share some good memories of my time in Singapore. There were either long discussions of common friends or passing references to people I barely knew.

These were the people of my tribe - people with similar backgrounds who went on to do further studies and were comfortably settled in their newfound career paths. I forknew a lingering feeling of estrangement as we gathered. Their social fabric was mostly colored with their workplace experiences and their actions leading to a certainty of future. I had little to contribute. I have been trying to dispel the clouds of uncertainty as I grapple with an unprecedented financial crunch. As I have mentioned earlier, the gutsiness to embrace uncertainty has more or less gone (ref: Priorities Backslide). 

Richness of a lifestyle lies not just in soaking in new experiences, but also in using them to create something that reduces disorder (ref: Thinking Dangerously). 

I have done well with the former part but have been struggling with the latter part. 

Creating is much more complex than learning. While learning is an individual experience, creation is typically an outcome of a concerted effort of many.

While in HK, it was for the first time that I spent some time thinking about the amount of planning that must have gone while building this city. It’s intricate network of roads settles harmoniously in little gaps between towering buildings. I’ve never seen a traffic jam here. There’s lots of energy in certain neighborhoods. But it also smacks of an unwelcoming alienation. I still don’t understand the people here, and probably never will. 

I miss certain aspects of my friendships I seem to have lost over the time. I almost never share my experiences of an itinerant lifestyle with anyone. An ever thickening and ever softening financial cushion seems to be the sole driving factor for most people. I had a friend with whom I could discuss the trappings of our lifestyles. He was much more focused, intense and likeable than me. He severed all ties with some of us about a year ago. 

What I want to do in addition to what I mentioned in Priorities Backslide:

• Spend some more time in East Asia.
• Build a social construct to enable implementation of a few of my ideas.
• Earn money

Comment(s)

Priorities Backslide

What happened to the guiding principles in my life? 我的基本原則怎麼了？

I have been struggling with lack of funds and lack of clarity in how to resolve this problem. It has hijacked my thought process. I spend my time on silly ideas that can be monetized. I spend time polishing my programming skills so as to become employable. I no longer stay up late thinking and taking down notes; I no longer pull up those unplanned trips, spend a long time in isolated natural spots or reach out to strangers doing interesting things. I don't remember the last time I pushed myself physically to the limit [1]. I haven't climbed a mountain in more than a year (most of it due to bad weather). I work out regularly but it's nowhere as intense as what I used to do a couple of years ago [2].

我最近遭遇資金缺乏的困境了，不清楚怎麼解決這個困擾我的心靈的問題。我百花時間想可賺錢的計畫。我花時間磨練我的編程技能。好久沒有熬夜沈思，做筆記；好久沒有隨時出發，住在個幽靜大自然或是跟另類生活方式的人聯絡；好久沒有挑戰體力極限 [1]。已經一年多我沒有爬過什麼山了「主要是因為天氣太糟糕」。我最近運動可是他並沒有以前的強度[2]。

I want to 

- spend more time close to nature, 

- trim and optimize my belongings, 

- indulge in more art, and 

- explore urban spaces further

我想要
－多花時間在大自然裡
－優選我的所有物
－多沈迷於藝術和
－多探索城市空間

I want to spend time thinking about transportation systems, ways to enrich a minimalist way of life, and learn newer forms of art the joy of which can be shared with people easily [3]. Sharing happiness is in itself a happiness.

我較喜歡考慮另類交通方式，充實簡約生活，學可分享的藝術方式 [3]。畢竟分享快樂也就是一種快樂。 

I want to use my programming skills to utilize collective intelligence for a more efficient and economical lifestyle. 

But that takes time, effort and money. Money is something I don't have. I am still fighting off the urge to pick a programming job here which seems to be the easiest and worst option. Freelance projects maybe?

我想要藉由編程利用集體智慧為高校的生活方式。不過這件事需要時間與我並沒有的錢。我還是不想做個編程工作；這是最容易而最爛的計畫。自由職業呢？

I spent the last month blowing a lot of money to regain my health. I spent most of this month planning how to make myself stay in Taiwan and have a sustainable lifestyle. Other than a stronger grip on Mandarin and better programming skills, I haven't gained a lot this year. My confidence is weakening. 

The madness of living a life in extremes used to be something elemental about my personality. It seems a distant memory now.

上個月我因生病而花了不少錢。這個月我還是很努力待在台灣在找個可持續的生活方式。除了比較好的中文與比較好的編成技能，我沒有得到什麼特別的成就。極端生活的瘋狂本來是我個性的不可分的元素，目前他是一個遙遠的記憶。

[1]: I did spend two nights sleepless, more or less walking incessantly, but it was more of an upshot of an unplanned trip gone haywire. I ended up getting sick and spent a lot of money on treatment.

[2]: However, I feel I have a better control on my body and my core has never been stronger. I have almost stopped running and have been experimenting with street workout. I have got good company. I have begun to appreciate the value of static posture - an underlying element in yoga, gymnastics and martial arts. 

[3]: I consider fitness, specifically novel ways of motion, an art. But that's something the joy of which can't be shared with people around. The joy of a singer, dancer, magician or a musician performing in an open space can be shared among spectators. 

Comment(s)

With an Amei Family 「跟一個阿美家」

During the Chinese New Year break, 2016 I got a chance a spend a day with a family living along the east coast south of Hualien.

If you have traveled along the east coast, you know what I am talking about. There are houses scattered along the coast facing the deep blue Pacific. Not being part of a congested Taiwanese township, they occupy a liberal amount of space. The family I visited lived in one such house in the middle of nowhere. It was a single-story fronted by a large porch and a garden.  There was another garden on its lateral side. On the other side stood the house of their only neighbor.

An infectious openness pervaded the house. A delicate sense of privacy could be detected in few matters. Being CNY, almost all the family members had gathered at one place. I was handed a bike to explore the vicinity. The bike didn't have a lock. It didn't matter.

I came back around three in the afternoon. Soon I joined a group of men sitting out in the porch. They  were friendly, and had little inhibition while expressing themselves or talking to me. They'd pass around a bottle of 小米酒 and munch on nuts while talking. They were loud, they were hilarious. 

Their stories had an elemental freshness; they didn't have many contextual or cultural overtones. Their interaction wasn't delimited by social niceties or shaped by formality. It took little effort to connect to them.

As it got dark, the sea in front us disappeared behind the glow of streetlights. One could still feel the vastness of it as it dissolved cacophony of tiny human settlements into its roaring bosom. The evening and the night involved consumption of copious amounts of alcohol and food. Loud guffaws of laughter occasionally tore into the stillness of the dark. Unconcerned by statutes of an urban society, in the lap of nature, surrounded by people I didn't know a day ago, I don't remember the last time I felt so liberating.

過年時我遇到一位住在東岸的人。他邀請我來他家一起吃飯。

台灣的東岸有幾個零散的面對海的房子。他們不屬於一個擁擠的鄉鎮，而是位於開闊空間。我拜訪的那個大片房子也是這種的。在個大的前廊前面有個菜園。他一邊有另外一個菜園，一邊有唯一鄰居的家。

房子裡瀰漫著開放性。他們平凡的生活裡難以感覺到隱私的元素。因過年而家人都來聚集。我朋友給我一個腳踏車探索鄰區。那台腳踏車不能鎖起來。沒有人在乎。

我三點回來再加入坐在前廊的人。他們又熱情又直言不諱。他們一邊吃小吃，一邊從寶特瓶輪流的和小米酒。他們相當搞笑。他們講的故事有簡易性的感覺，沒有任何以文化為複雜的元素。他們的話題不是以應酬為範圍限制的。雖然我完全不了解他們的背景或是文化，我輕易的跟他們連結。

日落後海洋路燈的光芒後黑暗中消失了。你以驚濤咆哮的聲音與其他聲音的缺席中還是會感覺到海洋的出席。哪一個晚上大家都酗酒宴飲。偶爾哄笑的聲音會撕破黑暗的沉寂。那一晚上我對當時本人生活的情況完全無動於衷。在大自然的懷抱裡，跟前一天完全不認識的人中，我陶醉在剛發現的解放了。

Comment(s)

Personality of Asian Cities 「亞洲城市的個性」

I wonder how other people's memories sound or look like. Most of my memories are devoid of any self identity. When I play them in my mind, it seems as if the events took place without me. A lot of them are associated with nature and a romanticized view of physical exertion - sleepless nights of endless strolls, mountains I hiked or places I cycled to. However profound, they seem very impersonal to me in a certain way. My presence doesn't seem to have disrupted the usual course of events, though I know that's not true at all. I wonder if other people see themselves as distinct entities in their memories.

我很好奇人們的個別記憶怎麼樣。我多半的記憶似乎沒有自我認同。我的很多難忘的回憶是關於大自然跟浪漫化體力消耗的事 ：不斷散步的不眠之夜，山上的景色，環島的風景。連深厚的記憶也沒有私人的元素。好像我的出席沒有干擾原本的過程，雖然這並不是對的。不知道別人回憶時看得見看不見自己。

Hong Kong 「香港」

I have always had this tendency to dissolve my identity into a place, person, activity or an event. Failure to do so has led to an increase in cognitive dissonance followed by unpleasant memories. It happened to me in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a place I felt very dissociated with, and I remember my time in Hong Kong being full of dissatisfaction and restlessness. I was never able to emotionally attach myself to anything or anyone there. I could never understand how their individuality interfaced with the society. It was loud, it was claustrophobic; yet nobody seemed to have any willingness to talk to each other.

我有跟周圍的氣氛和元素融入的傾向。如果不這樣做，就會造成認知失調而不愉快的回憶。我要舉例香港：我對香港找不到什麼共鳴，無法那裏安頓下來。我探索很多地方可是不能與什麼人或是地方感情連結。我不了解他們的個人個性怎麼跟社會結構搭界。香港的區域又吵又擠，可是好像沒有人願意跟別人聊。

Surprisingly, my memories associated with the place get sweeter with time. Memories of its garish signboards spangled with neon lights jutting out of buildings, a sudden bloom of colorful umbrellas on a crowded street as rain came lashing down and its seedy karaoke bars in dingy lanes have an intoxicating nostalgia. I must admit my narrative of Hong Kong has been largely shaped by Wong Kar-Wai's movies than personal experiences. It's wonderful how media affects personal experiences.

竟然我在香港的記憶愈來愈演變溫暖。那邊多彩色的近郊，伸出來的扎眼品牌版，突然下雨而吐豔的雨傘，昏暗小巷裡勾當性的店真令人陶醉。我承認我對香港的觀念感受到王家衛的作品的龐大的影響，連體驗的回憶也被「污染」了。藝術不是很有影響潛力嗎？

Solitary Exploration vs Social Participation

Social Participation 「社交」

There are certain cities which evoked in me a strong urge to socialize and talk to people more than any other place. Two examples that come to mind instantly are Hong Kong and Seoul. The impressions of these cities on my mind are completely different. While Hong Kong was an attack on my senses, my entry into Seoul was mellow and low-key. However, both these cities were structured in a way that in order to integrate yourself into their character, you had to be part of a group. The more I explored on my own, the lonelier I felt. There seemed to be a large disconnect between the veneer of an inanimate city and the dynamism of its living members. In other words, it was really hard to establish a connection between my surroundings and the people. It was hard to infer what the people thought or behaved like just using the clues of elements of a cityscape.

旅行時，某些城市促使我跟人們相處。香港跟首爾是最好的例子。這兩個城市給人的觀感是相當不同的。香港的塵囂對我太有壓，首爾則是較順利與低調。反正兩個都因為更瞭解他們的過程而需要你跟當地人相處。我單身越探索越覺得孤單。這些城市的外表跟人們的動感的差異很大。就是說建立市容跟人民生活過程的關係是不容易的事。按照市容的線索不容易演繹人民的生活過程。

Solitary Exploration 「獨立探索」

My experience in Hualien lies in sharp contrast with that of Seoul. I got into the rhythm of the city so comfortably that I didn't feel much need for social participation. It had a certain openness to it. There was a surrealism in Hualien that could not to be found elsewhere. A sleepy, laid back town surrounded by gorgeous scenery, it had retained its antiquity and charm. There was a sense of deep comfort walking through its sparsely populated streets. The mild sound of footfalls coupled with smooth, uninterrupted strokes of wind had an ineffably salving effect. I felt a telepathic connection with the local populace. It felt so easy to get a cursory glimpse into the lives of people living there. I had a similar experience in cities of Taitung and Tainan. During my time in these cities, it felt as if I had a tacit understanding with the general populace here.

我在花蓮的經驗是完全不同的。我一個人很順利就跟那個地方找到共鳴了。它有很鬆綁與超現實的感覺。位於山麓的那個很悠閒的小鎮維繫了自己的傳統性質和魅力。行人腳步的輕輕聲音和一陣一陣的風令人安舒。我很容易跟旁人連結，好像跟鄰近有默契。我在台中和台南也有類似的記憶。

The Charm of Unwelcoming Cities 「不易連結的城市的韻味」

Certain cities have a poetic charm despite being tough places to live in. 

I guess such places create a strong dissonance in the minds of people, the dissolution of which requires either a strong emotional attachment by getting involved with the society or creating a world of fantasy out of it. 

Cities like Hong Kong and Kolkata are probably good examples - these cities have served as a backdrop in many artworks. Both these cities are not immediately likable. It requires time and effort to develop a liking. However, their residents seem to nurture a strong bond with their hometown.

即使某些城市是不容易適應的，不過它們很有詩意。我認為因為這種地方引起不相容的感覺，爾後藉以消除心理衝突我們不是遷就那個地方就是藉由藝術發洩我們的不調諧的感覺。例如說香港與加爾各答；不少作品是以該城市為背景做的。這種城市是難以立刻愛上的，一個人需要花多一點時間了解這種地方。不過這裏的市民向他們的老家有很密切的關係。

Cities with an Undertow 「有暗潮的城市」

Certain cities have a very active stratum of society which stays hidden behind a largely indifferent facade; Chinese cities like Hangzhou and Chengdu for instance. To an untrained eye, it's hard to discover anything out of the ordinary; it's even harder to dive into the underground and explore the chaotic dealings that run these cities. These are the cities which are really easy for me to forget since I wasn’t able to look beyond their veneer. I vaguely recall what I did in Hangzhou. Even a mention of the city fails to bring any fond memories to mind. However these cities are rife with history and culture, and are shining examples of urbanization interwoven with homespun nostalgia. 

Unlike Beijing and Shanghai, where the cultural entities are prominently laid out for any traveler to gratify themselves without much effort or context, such cities require a visitor to already have a narrative so as to appreciate the richness of life behind their nondescript infrastructure. 

I will perceive things in a totally different light and depth when I revisit these cities.

一些城市在一個淡漠的形式下藏很好動的社會階層。舉例來說大陸的城市杭州和成都。你對這種地方不熟的話可能看不出來什麼非凡的事。探究這裏的混亂過程再摸這個地方的脈是更難的。因為我沒有看透我去過的這種地方，就很容易忘記這裏的記憶。例如我在杭州的記憶是很微漠的。其實這些城市的文化和歷史很蓬勃的。他們是傳統與現代化並存的典範。北京與上海讓旅客毫無費力地感概本地文化。可是為了瞭解成都，杭州這種城市旅客要預先有關於該城市的敘事。他們才可以看透淡漠的市容裡的豐富文化。如果我再造訪該城市，我的眼光會跟上次相當不同的。

One Night Stands With Cities

A couple of years ago I had a very brief sleepover at Nanchang. It was a biting winter night. I must have spent barely an hour or two exploring the vicinity of my hotel. But I have very strong impressions of that evening - of winter, smoke, wind, and sounds of engines chugging, girls giggling and people chattering. A recollection of that time brings a ton of memories to mind - faces, voices, screenshots and some ineffable feelings. I wandered about like an apparition without intervening the natural flow of the city. I believe I have such fond memories not in spite of but because of the fact that I spent a very short time in that city. I left the city before my mind could attune to the course of events occurring around me. There just wasn't enough time for novelty to die out. I have a similar association with the city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia. I just spent about six to seven hours in the city but it has deeper imprints than Jakarta where I spent two whole days.

前幾年我在南昌過一夜。因冬天而很冷。雖然我逛周圍的街區不到兩個小時，我在這段時間的觀念感是真深刻的。那時候的回憶又豐富又清楚：路燈隱沒在霧氣，身影於濃霧出現，女人笑聲的呼應等等。它們給我帶來莫名的安樂。我認為我之所以那麼喜歡那裡是因為我那裡花的時間是很段的。我在日惹也有類似的經驗。在雅加達花的兩天的記憶比不上在日惹花的七八個小時的記憶。

Taiwanese Townships 「台灣城鎮」

A unique feature of Taiwanese townships is that the cultural lifestyle here is inextricably mixed with the character of a city. Its draggy, congested neighborhoods are peppered with clues to personal lives of its inhabitants. 

People don't mind leaving a lot of their belongings out in the open. Every morning a swarm of chirpy little breakfast stalls emerges in every nook and cranny, which disappear gradually by afternoon. I spent a good deal of time exploring the city of Taipei last year. There was a sweet charm in getting lost in the narrow tortuous alleys of this city. It had pockets of old neighborhoods interlaced with narrow lanes and flanked by dull facades of 公寓. Taipei's cityscape has striking resemblance to Seoul but their cultural rubrics are entirely different.

台灣城鎮的特色是民眾文化跟市容形式的密不可分的綜合。藉由充斥區域的房子很容易窺探居民的生活。我常常看到人把他們的東西放居外。每天早上早餐店紛紛出現，不到中午他們就消失了。我去年花了很多時間探索台北的各地。這裏的狹窄曲折的小巷的韻味讓我陶醉。我覺得台北跟首爾的市容是類似的可是他們的基礎文化是不同的。

As always, my ultimate recourse has been the time I spent in open spaces - stadiums, mountains, beaches, long stretches of roads or public parks. It wasn't until I visited East Asia that the cities began to beckon me. East Asian cities have extremely strong character.

我一向偏好鄉下與大自然。我來東亞才開始欣賞城市的性質。東亞城市的吸引力很強；它們一直召喚我。

To cover:

Taichung

Tainan and Kaosiung

Comment(s)

Thinking Dangerously

Get an IT job. Get an MBA. Get a non-IT job. Start up. Do masters. Start up again. Do research.

There are times when all of it stops making sense to me. Everything sounds meaningless. Like acquiring a skill not to create but to survive.

In times like this, the impulse to do something meaningful eclipses the innate will to survive. Glued to a desk, I don't want to whip out another app which looks cool but adds little utility. Roving like a vagabond, I don't want to continuously absorb trivial factoids. There exists no problem that rattles my brain to an extent than I can selflessly devote half a decade delving into the its intricacies.

I don't understand why most jobs even exist. 

Everything that you do reduces disorder in some way. It creates certain predictable circumstances around which the juggernaut of randomness revolves. A piece of program, a postman delivering mails, a recently dug canal - all such activities lead towards a predictable and more ordered scenario. They facilitate flow of information and of matter.

I fail to recognize any such reduction in randomness in a recent upsurge of jobs centered around finance and technology. The phenomenon of trading in finance fascinates me. How much effort, time and money has been put at stake to indulge in an abstract world that hinges on extrapolations, predictions and generalization of human behavior? 

It's ironic to see so much redundancy in the area of tech based start-ups. A massive amount of code is rewritten, duplicated, forked and copied on a daily basis to create products that differ merely in their ownership. This duplication when coupled with competition contributes to a course of events that shape the society we live in. It disrupts the original behavior of consumers and increases randomness. And then we write more code to dive into the granularity of this randomness, or to rise above it to witness a pattern that clouds all random fluctuations we see on a daily basis. 

The society that we humans have created is a severely closed group. You can't use its facilities without being a part of it. 

Think of a person who lives a minimalist life close to nature but wants to take a train or a flight to get somewhere far in little time. To do that, they need money. To have money, they need to do something that forces them to be a part of a society. It seems logical at first. But after a while, it seems a very inefficient design. 

Restriction gives rise to notions of luxury and tourism. A luxury is a luxury only because it's hard to get it. 

Comment(s)

[Minimalism] We need not own everything we use

I need an umbrella only when I step out. I stop needing an umbrella as soon as step in a place with a roof. As long as I am indoors, I don't need an umbrella. I own the umbrella, but it remains unused for the most part.

I shouldn't be owning an umbrella. As soon as I step out, I should be able to pick an umbrella from a pool of available umbrellas. As soon as I reach my destination, I should be able to add it to an existing pool. I don't have to bear the burden of it when I don't need it.

Most of the things we use when outdoors have little use while we stay indoors - cars, carry bags and umbrellas for instance. But the fact that we possess such items bothers us even when they aren't being used. We shouldn't own any of these things. Like a service, they should be available on demand. 

That's a step towards a more systematic urban landscape - we should own less and use publicly shared items more. Factors like catering immediately to a demand and reducing downtime can be taken care of by efficient technology.

A functioning model hinges on two factors: trust and information. Trust is an outcome of culture. The way we receive and process information has to be revolutionized. How do I know where the nearest pool of umbrellas is? This information should be available swiftly and accurately.

Comment(s)

運輸與住宿 [Transportation & Accommodation]

經過流浪與簡約生活的內化，我最近多考慮高效的運輸跟住宿方式。要符合環保，速度，成本與歡樂的最佳所在是什麼？我去過的所有的國家中，台灣是最適合簡約生活方式的。
Almost having internalized an itinerant lifestyle and a minimalist way of life, I have been thinking more and more about efficient ways of transportation and accommodation. What lies at the optimum of eco-friendliness, speed, cost and fun? Of all the countries I have been to, Taiwan is best suited for a minimalist way of life.

「騎共享」是一種很有潛力跟實務的方式。不過「騎共享」的商業化好幾次失敗了。「騎共享」跟我們生活的因素例如文化，合群能力，易損性與安全有密切的關係。我在台灣旅行時沒有常搭便車。我卻以長途走路跟騎腳踏車為移動。我覺得走路是個很平淡和滿花時間的方式。我以跑步能到50公里以內的地點可是攜帶行李是不好跑的。我去年騎腳踏車環島。那趟對我有很大宗的影響。目前的交通缺少移動的時候跟別的車聯絡的能力。「以後要探索這個議題」

The most potential and practical way is ride sharing; something that has been tried many times on a commercial level but failed. Ride sharing is something deeply connected with other facets of society such as culture, sociability, vulnerability and safety. While moving around in Taiwan, I didn't rely much on hitchhiking. I have covered long distances walking and cycling. Walking turned out to be massively inefficient, dull and time-consuming. Running is better option for distances less than fifty kilometers but its hard to run even with a small luggage. Last year I cycled around the island covering most of its periphery. I consider that as one of the rare life altering experiences in my life. A principle component missing these days in transportation systems is the ability to communicate with vehicles around you while in motion. [More on this later]

我未料到拒絕「騎共享」的世界會歡迎共享住家的觀念。共享住家的現象席捲全球了。我很好奇為什麼我們不願意車短期共享可是輕易地讓陌生人來我們家長期住。事後很容易可以演繹原因可是其中沒有什麼使人信服的。

I find it so surprising that while ride sharing hasn't become a widespread phenomenon due to aforementioned factors, apartment sharing has had a resounding success worldwide. The phenomenon has permeated various levels of our lives. What makes people so willing to share their home for longer periods but so reluctant to share their ride with a stranger for a much shorter period of time? A lot of reasons can be drawn in hindsight. But none of them seems compelling enough to me to be accepted as a categorical reason.

在亞洲，尤其是在台灣，我旅行時廣泛使用CouchSurfing。我去年環島時不少次在室外過夜。因為我沒有帳篷，只有一個睡袋我沒有很輕鬆地睡覺。我發現我一決定在個室外地方要過夜，我就會開始審視所有的環境。無家可歸的人怎麼那麼容易睡得著呢？

I extensively used couch-surfing during my travels in Asia, particularly in Taiwan. During my cycling trip around the island, I also spent many a night sleeping outdoors. I never used a tent; just a sleeping bag which made me slightly more vulnerable to my surroundings. 

I realized how differently our senses respond to stimuli when we decide to sleep outdoors. If I decide to sleep somewhere outside, my brain will start noticing minute details of the place. 

Even when I spent nights in less isolated areas, I wasn't able to relax and stop noticing each and every thing going on around me. It's amusing how homeless people get used to it.

我覺得目前的住宿方式太僵硬和固定。住宿不再使用的時候應該縮小或是改變「連消失也可以」「以後要探索這個議題」。要是放假的時候我們能使用學校佔領的地方或是上班的時候我們能有空家的地方的話，不時會很方便嗎？

Accommodation doesn't have to be as rigid and stationary as it stands today. It should shrink, transform or even disappear when not in use [More on this later]. 

Think of what we could with all the space that lies unoccupied such as schools during vacations and empty homes when people are working or traveling.

Comment(s)

Things that make me tick or funk

Positive Stimulants

Category A

1. Nature | Openness of community

Nature is undoubtedly the biggest stimulus that keeps my dopamine levels high. I find it hard to imagine myself cooped up in one of those dense concrete edifices which utterly fail to provide free space. At this point the notion of 'creature comforts' becomes a meaningless entity.

An open community provides adequate channels and a low threshold of skills to communicate with anyone and do anything. Even as a passive recipient it effects me a lot.

2. Physical Activity

This has been my succor for years. This is probably the most voluntary and controllable tap of happiness. A long run, empty lungs and ATP deprived pulsating muscles bring in oodles of focus, attention and calm. A sedentary lifestyle comes with dollops of blue funk.

3. Freedom of Movement

A structured society becomes meaningless as soon as it restrains motion. This is why I dislike most Tier I cities in India. The lifestyle in such places dictates you to have utter unconcern for nature or space. I find the use of four-wheelers nonsensical in most situations, especially as a means of daily commute within a city. Bicycles, ride sharing and public transport are the way to go.

Category B

1. Colors | Light

Bright colors coupled with sounds used to be a strong stimulant during my initial years of isolation. My mind doesn't react as strongly to them now but I still love the contrast of colors, blinking neon lights and the imaginary sounds they make.

2. Local Communities

I learnt to appreciate their presence in Singapore and began exploring them after I left Singapore. I stopped appreciating the same once I arrived in India. I guess the driving factor for me was the element of novelty and quaintness of the community members. Local communities contain strong clues to how the course of geographic, political and historical phenomena shaped and linked individuals at a societal level. It's an interesting real-world puzzle to solve and provides ample food for thought.

3. Constant Activity

Again, I mostly benefit from it as a passive recipient. I hate crowds but love constant buzz. Stillness of dog day afternoons drives me nuts most of the time. A flurry of people and the entailing white noise provides a buffer that absorbs most of the unpleasant feelings.

Category C

1. Consumption

Not to be confused with dietary consumption or bingeing. I refer to consumption of information via various forms of media - digital media, books, movies, lectures, gossip, grapevines or eavesdropping. The best form of consumption is first hand or organic consumption - conversations with key people, travel, interviews. I love the concept of public libraries and even more so cafes where people can sit, eat and read or work in a cozy environment. I see them as an attempt to make learning more organic. When not at work, I have rarely written a piece of code sitting indoors. Most of it has been done in little, aptly-lit cafes that open till late night. I don't really like reading per se. I absorb a lot more information via pictures or sketches or a similar form of visual content. That's why I love the concept of coffee table books and Taiwanese illustrator Jimmy's books. 

2. Direction of Thoughts

An environment should give a certain direction to your thought-process. A scatterbrained approach to planning a lifestyle is highly detrimental to my future prospects and motivations. I am currently going through a phase which can be described as lacking any direction at best. There are tons of ideas but no direction. It only helps in making me insecure and inactive.

3. Good Conversations

This is highly dependent on presence of local communities and openness of neighborhood. It's one of those things that I rely on when I am don't have enough access to any of the aforementioned sources. 

4. Arts

Another topic that entails from presence of local communities.

Non-positive stimulants

Tradition: I am far from rebellious but for some reason I have never been able to attach myself to or relate closely to any sort of tradition. It gets my attention as an object of history or a part of cults but all my attempts to embrace it in any form have ended in futility.

Vertical Growth: I guess this is what drives the whole world nuts. This is the fountainhead of perhaps a working individual's very last rat race that spans one's youth and middle age, various organizations, and is probably not going to end anytime soon. Okay, I get the idea behind the structural flow which maintains order and keeps people motivated. I guess what the world has completely forgotten is the concept of horizontal growth. Keeping in view the wide array of things I have dabbled in in the last two years, I can say fairly confidently that I can keep learning new things and work in totally different domains and totally enjoy it. To me, this is a way richer lifestyle than proceeding vertically. As far as the feasibility of it is concerned, it's as workable as training your dog to hate your neighbor.

Crowds: Effing awful they are.

Concrete Jungles: Effing grey, dull and static they are.

Digital Profligacy: Enough has been written about the scourge of digital profligacy on various digital platforms. As an antagonist of subtlety, I hate irony being kept unattended.

Comment(s)

Mumbai｜孟買

[Edit: I wrote this piece after about a month of living in Mumbai. I wrote this while leaving the city after six months: 

Mumbai - the most intense city I have seen. A place where the scope of expression is largely delimited not by abstract notions of tradition or culture but by a severe crunch of space. It's also a good case study of to what extent can people adapt, and navigate their way through a limited amount of resources. Constantly seething with life, it's an attack on your senses. It takes a lot out of you, sucks you into its maelstrom of chaos; and then it grows on you.

]

This city has everything that I dislike. It has a few things that I like.

Mumbai is an interesting city. Ironically, it is deemed interesting due to presence of things that shouldn't exist. It has sprawled ruthlessly. The overgrowth of this city has consumed its surroundings like a swarm of locusts. Ironically, movement is severely constrained inside this megasprawl. Gridlocks adorn its pitted roads.

This city makes me yearn for open space. Slums occupy most of the space horizontally whereas tall concrete erections occupy it vertically. It gives me sporadic fits of claustrophobia, much like Hong Kong did.

I live in a gated community and my apartment is located on twelfth story. It overlooks a highway and a flyover which covers a part of it. The sight of headlights moving swiftly on the highway after midnight gives me a feeling of calm. It gives me a perception of unhindered movement.

The best asset of this city is its people. Nowhere in India have I seen such nice people. A sense of camaraderie can be felt when talking to them. People here seem to have cultivated some very non-Indian traits like being helpful without infringing on one's privacy and not staring at anyone.

I have seen a very small section of this city. I will be rightfully told that I need to see a lot before I judge this city. I am told this city grows on you. I don't think so. I believe the extremity of this city brings forth one's skills to adapt in order to survive. You change your preferences in order to like this city.

This city is doing weird things to me. It is making my lifestyle more abstract. It constantly makes me realize all the things I am missing out on.

I can't go for a long run out in the open or hike somewhere in the hills on a regular basis. I would've bought a bike for commuting had I planned to stay here for long term.

Mumbai would've been an interesting experience if I had come here as a backpacker, indulged in its chaos and absorbed the numerous oddities if offers. Mumbai reminds me of a more crowded and bipolar version of Bangkok. It's like a darker version of Alice In Wonderland.

這個城市我不喜歡的什麼東西都有。他也有我喜歡的有些東西。

孟買失衡有趣的城市。具有諷刺意味的是讓他很有趣的事情是不應該的。他非常堅決的擴展了。這個城市的瘋狂生長好像蝗蟲群把周圍環境消耗掉了。哭笑不得的是這裏活動是相當限制的。賽車裝飾這裏的坑坑窪窪的路。

這個城市讓我嚮往開放空間。貧民窟會佔領大部分的水準空間，然後很高的混凝土建築會佔領大部分的垂直空間。這個地方零星地湧起幽閉恐懼，好像香港。

我住在個封閉社區裡，我的房子是在12樓。我的房子俯瞰一條大道和立交橋。半夜後看一看在路上走得很快的前燈讓我覺得很平靜。他們有順利動作的認識。

這裏的最棒的優點是這裡的當地人。在印度的其他的地方我沒有看過那麼好人。跟他們聊天的時候你會感覺到情誼。這裡的人養成了有些在印度難找的習慣，例如幫忙的時候不侵犯人的隱私還有不盯著別人。

我就是看過這個城市的很小的一部分。我知道我需要去比較多地方才可以形成意見。聽說這個地方真真是人喜歡他。我不同意。我覺得在這裡的嚴重情況一下，人會適應到可以活著。你需要改變你的看法喜歡這裡。

這個城市害我覺得很奇怪。他讓我的生活比較抽象。他一直讓我意識每個抓不住的東西。

我不能出門跑還是常常去爬山。我不打算在這住下來，要不然我就買了一個腳踏車。

要是我去旅行的前提下來這裡，再體驗這裏的亂象和珍聞，我可能會喜歡這個城市。孟買使我想起曼谷的更擁擠和雙極版本。孟買是好像「愛麗絲漫遊奇境記」的黑暗的版本。

Comment(s)

Minimalism in Life & Visual Media 「極簡主義生活」

During my last month in Taiwan, I set out on my bicycle to ride a loop of this island country. I felt the freedom to move at my own pace and stop at my own will, the lightness of being in motion and the dopamine kicks of physical exertion. It was a very liberating feeling living an unrestrained yet minimalist way of life.
「在台灣的最後一月，我去騎腳踏車環島。一路上，我可以隨心所欲停止或再啟我的腳步，因為運動而散發出的多巴胺使我愉快。無拘無束的極簡生活讓我覺得好解放，好自由。」

Apart from the generosity of people who found me a place to stay at night, I relied heavily upon the ubiquitous convenience stores particularly on the west coast of Taiwan. I was living out of a small backpack and a sleeping bag. I spent more than a year out of two backpacks, a few of the items in which still remained unused.
「除了熱情當地人的幫忙以外，我依賴隨處可見的便利店，尤其是在台灣的西岸。我只有個小背包跟睡袋。事實上我住在台灣的一年這段時間裏，我連我的兩個背包裡面的東西也沒有用到。」

Taiwan is a sort of place that makes it easy to lead a minimalist way of life. A large number of public amenities that are available free of cost helps people let go of a lot of unnecessary belongings. On the other hand, in India one would need relatively large number of belongings. I find it a daunting task to go out without a bike.「秉持極簡主義的人很舒適在台灣生活。這裡便利店還有其他的免費的服務讓人不需要很多東西。反過來看，在印度我們需要比較多東西。」

Minimalism forestalls redundancy. Even in visual media a lot of information can be absorbed with little use of visual components. Design has been making use of what we see and what we do on a regular basis to make interfaces appealing. However an artificial system needs to be smart to understand minimal gestures.
「極簡主義避免冗余。在視覺媒體上，大量資訊也得以儲存於非常小零件上。設計也使得我們日常使用上的介面看起來比較友善。人造的系統必須要足以聰明到判別人的微笑的動作。」

The more you know, the less you need.「你的智慧越大需求越小。」

Comment(s)