Life on Three Portkeys

Muse in the Mundane

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:54:58 -0700

Even Kung Fu Masters have to do Tax
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“Where is Sifu today?”

The Taekwondo black belt instructor asked Mason, our Taichi teacher. He was referring to Sifu Fong, the grand master who oversees both the Taichi and martial arts programs at UC Berkeley.

“He had to take care of taxes for the non-profit.” Mason replied. And then he looked at us with a smile. “Yep, even kung fu masters have to do tax.”

Sky, Plain, Dark Night

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This post is my entry for the BlogBlog 同樂會 March 2026 theme: 理想的日常 (Perfect days), hosted by Alex Hsu. If you have your own blog, come join us!

Two days ago was my birthday, which means I’ve already spent 40 years on planet Earth! Which also implies that I probably only have half the duration left to wander and live and experience on this pale blue dot.

How Many More Times Can I See Sunrise?

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What’s the last time you saw a sunrise?

Sunsets are relatively easy to catch even if most people don’t pay much attention to. But most people have way fewer encounters of sunrise. I can count four sunrise moments I remember and each memory is vivid with details and colors.

#1 Sunrise at Mount Hengshan (南岳衡山)
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When I was a kid, my mom took me to visit the famous mountain 南岳衡山. We stayed near Banshan Pavilion (the area halfway up the peak), and got up around 3am to hike to the top for sunrise. I don’t know if that’s my first sunrise experience, but it’s the earliest one I can remember. I remember we had to wear rented long winter jackets though it’s in summer time. We hiked in the half-dark and reached the top around 5am. I remember the Sun looked like an extremely red egg yolk, slowly poking above the mountains, and then suddenly jumped out from the horizon.

The White-Bearded Warlocks and Taichi

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

White-Bearded Warlock #1
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When I was five, my mom was working in another city, so I grew up with my grandparents. I remember watching TV with Grandpa the first night I arrived. It was 封神榜 (The Investiture of the Gods), a classic Chinese mythology drama.

There was a character called 姜子牙 (Jiang Ziya) — who is an old guy with long white beard. He would go fishing with a straight hook and no bait. There’s a Chinese proverb about him:

AI Music — Beautiful Yet Forgettable

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

One of the bloggers I recently discovered is Alex Hsu, who shared how he’s been making music with Suno. The generated music from Suno V5 was so good he could listen on repeat for hours. He called it like having a private chef: you tell it what flavour you’re in the mood for, and it makes it on the spot.

That intrigued me. The last time I played with AI-generated music was already two years ago, and I remembered not liking it at all.

New Things I Tried in 2026

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a living document — a running list of new things I tried in 2026. Some big, some small, all new to me. I’ll keep updating this throughout the year.

Archery
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February 21, 2026

First time trying archery! One of the most interesting and surprising things I learned: it’s not your dominant hand that matters most — it’s your dominant eye.

Oriental Me, Occidental Me

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I learned this phrase from the TV series The Sympathizer — Oriental me, Occidental me. It stuck with me and I started to pay attention to the Oriental me and Occidental me from time to time.

The Oriental Me
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The Oriental me always knows, deep down, that wealth and status are like floating clouds. Chasing worldly and material success would never bring lasting happiness and deep inner peace.

Is It Only Me? — Five Personal Quirks

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This post is my entry for the BlogBlog 同樂會 February 2026 theme: 只有我這樣嗎？ (Is it only me?)

Here are five things about me that I’m the only one doing it among the people I know but I secretly suspect I might earn a quiet nod of recognition among the internet friends.

1. My Morning Coffee Comes with a Mini Spa
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Every morning, I make coffee with a French press. Boil water with goose neck kettle, pour it in, then there’s a moment right after the hot water hits the freshly ground coffee — a misty cloud of steam rises from the French press. And I love to put my face close to it and close my eyes — almost like an eye spa.