Aug 28 · 12:42 amPhoto
2026
curiosity journal
a commonplace notebook — photos, quotes, thoughts, reads, sounds, and finds
Filtering by August 2026 · Clear
Aug 27 · 1:11 pmQuote
You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.
— Dan Millman (quote, Motivational)
Aug 25 · 1:08 pmPhoto
Aug 21 · 9:05 amQuote
"It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own. If a god appeared to us—or a wise human being, even—and prohibited us from concealing our thoughts or imagining anything without immediately shouting it out, we wouldn't make it through a single day. That's how much we value other people's opinions-instead of our own."
— Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, Book 12 (quote, Motivational, stoicism)
Aug 21 · 8:59 amThought
Woo! Managed to get back to the gym today to resume full-body workouts. I was skeptical given my back was still a bit tweaked, but the determination to get back on track carried me through the week since Monday and I even closed every single ring so far this week. Starting Monday, I made it a point to do some basic resistance training and lots of stretching, then pushed through an hour each day of pure walking at the gym starting Tuesday. Up until last night, I was still struggling to roll over in bed. This morning I got in on time at the gym and went all out — held back on some weights for good measure, but for the ones I didn't think would strain my back, I took a chance and went straight to regular training weights. Despite the pain, I still managed to close those rings and then some, and I'm genuinely enjoying the process of leading an active lifestyle. Can't wait to be back on the Apollo this weekend! To top it all off, I stayed focused on making quality home-cooked meals all week, and even squeezed in a hot tub soak midweek — which may have been the secret recovery weapon. All in all, lesson learned: gotta protect the back at all costs. (at Anytime Fitness) (health, status update)
Aug 20 · 5:44 pmQuote
If you don’t sacrifice to get what you want, what you want will be the sacrifice inevitably
— Heard in passing (quote, Motivational)
Aug 17 · 8:21 pmThought
Was coming from a dinner in North York and I was walking around holding my back like I’m pregnant 🫃 gotta really be careful about tweaking my back next time oof 😥 (at Showing appointment) (humor, status update)
Aug 17 · 5:14 pmThought
6th attempt at the gym did some quality full body workouts again about an hrs worth, about 6km of total walking in, did something crazy and scooted from home to Streetsville a 22km adventure for the heck of it and did it within 68 mins too pretty good, saw tons of great bike lanes and paths took a gravel path for one quarter the trip through wooded area was totally amazing view - all this while stupidly carrying my full work load with me about 40lbs+ and while I got it done I ended up tweaking my back badly - don’t advise carrying weights while riding it’s not great at all for you - lesson learned (at Mississauga after work) (health, rip, status update)
Aug 17 · 6:10 amQuote
When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
— Melchizedek (The Old King from The Alchemist) (quote)
Aug 14 · 7:41 amThought
Attempt 5 - Was supposed to be a light day but ended up doing a full leg and upper today at the gym , feeling great, slightly winded but manageable. Super happy I’m sticking to it - let’s keep it going. Also experimenting with making Osakan Dark Phonk Music that carried me through my session - I’ll publish some later this week! (at Anytime fitness) (health)
Aug 14 · 5:55 amQuote
Someday is not a day of the week.
— Denise Brennan-Nelson (quote, Motivational)
Aug 12 · 10:27 amThought
4th gym attendance today - made it an upper day and I was happy I managed to find a rhythm that is repeatable - getting more confident with the routine - making some progress to getting my breathing under control and while I'm at it getting my form perfected. So far though not sure if this was recommended, but I try to keep all the weights consistent across all thematic workouts so this way I'm building a baseline across all the particular muscle training segments. Currently working 40lbs across the board, hoping to graduate more sooner. For now getting those reps in. Lets go looking forward to the next check in! (at Anytime Fitness) (health)
Aug 11 · 10:23 pmQuote
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
— Thomas Edison (quote)
Aug 10 · 12:04 pmMusic
Original recording3:23
仮面の下 -Unmasked-
Experimenting with an epic orchestral-trap · ~100 bpm · Japanese/English track inspired from SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] and Aimer's bL∞dy f8 -eUC- track. 仮面の下 -Unmasked- is a psychological duel disguised as a love song — the narrator has spent too long trusting a guide who wore kindness like a mask, feeding them lies in a gentle voice. As the deception becomes undeniable, fear turns inward: what if staying silent makes me just as hollow as you? The track builds from hushed, breathy verses through swelling pre-choruses into full-scale orchestral-trap choruses, hitting a stripped-bare bridge before erupting into a final chorus where the narrator rips off not just the manipulator's mask, but their own denial — emerging changed, resolved, unmasked. Built for widescreen, high-stakes moments — a mentor-betrayal or rival-confrontation beat tailor-made for the isekai universe. (kbd music)
Lyrics — Japanese
[Intro] (instrumental) [Verse 1] 仮面の裏側で 微笑む影 Kamen no urigawa de hohoemu kage 優しい声のまま 嘘を並べた Yasashii koe no mama uso wo narabeta 信じていた手のひら 冷たくなる Shinjiteita tenohira tsumetaku naru 気づかぬふりをして 目を逸らした Kizukanu furi wo shite me wo sorashita [Pre-Chorus 1] 心の奥底で 何かが軋む Kokoro no okusoko de nanika ga kishimu このままじゃ私も 同じになる Kono mama ja watashi mo onaji ni naru [Chorus 1] 隠していた真実が 溢れ出す Kakushiteita shinjitsu ga afuredasu I see you now — unmasked 壊れていく世界の真ん中で Kowareteiku sekai no mannaka de I won't become what you are 偽りの声が 消えていく Itsuwari no koe ga kieteiku 光が刺す、その瞬間に Hikari ga sasu, sono shunkan ni [Verse 2] 何度も差し出した 震える手 Nando mo sashidashita furueru te その度笑いながら 切り裂かれた Sono tabi warainagara kirisakareta もう戻れないと わかっていた Mou modorenai to wakatteita それでも縋ってた 弱さのまま Soredemo sugatteta yowasa no mama [Pre-Chorus 2] 心の奥底で 何かが軋む Kokoro no okusoko de nanika ga kishimu このままじゃ私も 同じになる Kono mama ja watashi mo onaji ni naru [Chorus 2] 隠していた真実が 溢れ出す Kakushiteita shinjitsu ga afuredasu I see you now — unmasked 壊れていく世界の真ん中で Kowareteiku sekai no mannaka de I won't become what you are 偽りの声が 消えていく Itsuwari no koe ga kieteiku 光が刺す、その瞬間に Hikari ga sasu, sono shunkan ni [Bridge] 仮面を外して 私を見て Kamen wo hazushite watashi wo mite これが最後の 私の声 Kore ga saigo no watashi no koe もう迷わない Mou mayowanai [Final Chorus] 仮面の下で 生まれ変わる Kamen no shita de umarekawaru This is who I am — unmasked 壊れていく世界の真ん中で Kowareteiku sekai no mannaka de I won't become what you are 真実だけが 光になる Shinjitsu dake ga hikari ni naru 今、目を覚ます Ima, me wo samasu [Outro / Reprise] (vocal ad-lib, wordless, fading)
English translation
[Intro] (instrumental) [Verse 1] A smiling shadow behind the mask Lined up lies in that same gentle voice The hand I trusted turns cold I pretended not to notice, looked away [Pre-Chorus 1] Something creaks deep inside my heart If this goes on, I'll become the same as you [Chorus 1] The truth I hid comes spilling out I see you now — unmasked In the middle of a world falling apart I won't become what you are The false voice fades away The moment the light breaks through [Verse 2] I held out my trembling hand, again and again And each time, you laughed as you tore it apart I knew I could never go back Still I clung to you, still weak [Pre-Chorus 2] Something creaks deep inside my heart If this goes on, I'll become the same as you [Chorus 2] The truth I hid comes spilling out I see you now — unmasked In the middle of a world falling apart I won't become what you are The false voice fades away The moment the light breaks through [Bridge] Take off the mask and look at me This is the last time I'll use this voice I won't hesitate anymore [Final Chorus] Beneath the mask, I am reborn This is who I am — unmasked In the middle of a world falling apart I won't become what you are Only the truth becomes the light Now, I open my eyes [Outro / Reprise] (vocal ad-lib, wordless, fading)
Aug 10 · 9:16 amThought
3rd attempt at the gym - made it a leg day today so I can get some thumb time in with coding while working out, began catologing equipment at the gym, built out an interactive dash app with all the equipment and will be integrating into work out tracker with an AI assisted regimen with tracking telemetry built in - feel great, will be back again Wednesday to work on upper body. (at Anytime Fitness) (health, ai)
Aug 9 · 4:40 pmPhoto
Aug 9 · 2:14 pmThought
Stopping for lunch before showings - had a good walk yesterday and a great ride this morning to Burlington - looking forward to the next ride (at 6ixty wings Milton) (status update)
Aug 9 · 1:16 pmQuote
A crooked tree continues to live an unconventional life while a straight tree gets reduced into lumber.
— Zhuangzi - Concepts of 無用之用 (wúyòng zhī yòng) - usefulness of uselessness (quote)
Aug 8 · 8:40 amRead
Ajinomoto is secretly running the AI chip industry
No joke - perfectly verifiable information...The seasoning brand behind your instant ramen packets. Turns out they make a material called ABF (Ajinomoto Build-up Film) — a super thin insulating film used inside the packaging of basically every high-end AI chip on the planet (Nvidia, Intel, AMD, all of them). Here's the kicker: the raw material for ABF is literally waste leftover from making MSG. They found a way to turn seasoning byproduct into one of the most important materials in the entire AI boom. The numbers are kind of insane: 🔹 Over 65% of AI chips and server processors rely on ABF substrates 🔹 Ajinomoto controls 95%+ of the global high-end market — basically no real competition 🔹 Chipmakers are now paying 30–50% more and waiting until 2028 just to lock in supply 🔹 Ajinomoto's stock hit record highs this year, all thanks to their "boring side business" So next time someone says "follow the money" in AI... maybe also follow the soup stock. (interesting, ai)