What I’m Practicing & Pondering Right Now
A periodic check-in across the mediums keeping my head and hands occupied outside of software engineering.
Strength & Martial Movement (Powerlifting & Wushu)
Splitting training blocks between the barbell platform and the wushu carpet:
- Powerlifting: Dialing in a patient, low-fatigue deadlift block around ~2.5× bodyweight—working on pulling the slack out of the bar quietly before initiating the floor drive, plus submaximal paused squats to keep my hips honest.
- Competitive Wushu (劍術 · Straight Sword): Drilling USAWKF jianshu combinations, focusing on clean wrist snap (wanHua) and transitioning out of low stances without losing upper-body stillness. 1. The hardest part of training both in the same week isn’t muscular recovery—it’s convincing your ankles to stay springy and elastic for wushu jumps forty-eight hours after heavy squats.
Sound (Violin & Ambient Field Recording)
Practicing slow intonation studies and unaccompanied Bach lines at night when the apartment complex quiets down. On weekend mornings, packing a compact stereo recorder into the Santa Cruz Mountains and Peninsula open space preserves (Purisima Creek, Russian Ridge, Windy Hill) to capture dawn fog drip and wind through redwood needles before the first hikers arrive.
Hospitality & Kitchen Table
Setting up big, unpretentious hotpot and Korean BBQ tables for friends and family after long weeks—laying out the sliced meats, mushrooms, greens, and dipping sauce bowls (沙茶醬, sesame oil, garlic, and scallions), keeping the broth rolling, and finishing the night with the mandatory plate of peeled apples and crunchy Korean pears.
Reading & Thinking About
Re-reading David Foster Wallace’s essays on physical focus and attention (String Theory), Craig Mod’s walking newsletters on bookmaking and quiet studio craft, and notes on how non-verbal mediums help people unblock themselves when talking hits a wall.