2026

curiosity journal

a commonplace notebook — photos, quotes, thoughts, reads, sounds, and finds

Filtering by August 2026 · Clear

Aug 7 · 11:51 amMusic

Original recording4:51

Undertow

"Undertow" — a dark, dreamy pop-rock/EDM track set in a steampunk-tinged undercity. Inspired by Bea Miller's Playground from Arcane - A breathy, sultry female voice offers comfort and safety while something quietly unsettling hums beneath every line — the listener senses it, but leans in anyway. Downtempo, atmospheric verses build into anthemic, chant-heavy choruses before dissolving into an ambient decay outro. (kbd music)

Lyrics — English

[Verse 1] Come a little closer, don't be scared The lights down here are softer than up there Everyone who's lost still finds a chair I'll hum you something sweet, and you won't care Doesn't it feel calm here, calmer than it should? Funny how the quiet's not as quiet as it looks Just breathe it in, I promise that it's good [Chorus] Let the undertow take you under slow Nothing's wrong here, baby, don't you know I'm the hand that's holding you so gentle, so gentle You can trust the current, let it go Sink a little deeper than you should It's fine, it's fine, it's fine, it's understood Just stay with me, stay with me a little longer, longer [Post-Chorus hook] Under, under, undertow Under, under, you won't know Under, under, undertow (Stay with me, stay with me) [Verse 2] You keep looking over both your shoulders Like the walls in here are watching, getting colder Nothing's changed, love, nothing's out of order Just the pipes, the wind, the water Isn't it strange how a smile can hold a lie So still you almost miss it passing by Don't ask me why — just close your eyes [Chorus] Let the undertow take you under slow Nothing's wrong here, baby, don't you know I'm the hand that's holding you so gentle, so gentle You can trust the current, let it go Sink a little deeper than you should It's fine, it's fine, it's fine, it's understood Just stay with me, stay with me a little longer, longer [Post-Chorus hook] Under, under, undertow Under, under, you won't know Under, under, undertow (Stay with me, stay with me) [Bridge] Shh... it's alright It's alright (You feel it too, don't you) It's alright... The lights are just... flickering That's all That's all it is [Final Chorus] Let the undertow take you under slow Nothing's wrong here, baby, don't you know I'm the hand that's holding you so gentle, so gentle You can trust the current, let it go Sink a little deeper than you should It's fine, it's fine, it's fine, it's understood Just stay with me, stay with me a little longer, longer [Outro] Under... under... Stay with me... (...undertow)

Aug 7 · 10:36 amMusic

Original recording3:07

REVOLT

Was doing further experimenting with cinematic punch and expressive Jrock music - taking inspiration from Vickablanka’s Blackrover sound track. Revolt is driving a 175bpm J-rock anime opening about reinventing yourself in complete anonymity — no audience, no recognition, just the decision to rise anyway. The title lands once per chorus as a declaration rather than a chant, and the final chorus shifts from present-tense struggle to past-tense arrival: by the time the world notices, there's no looking back. (kbd music)

Lyrics — Japanese

[Verse 1]  誰も知らない場所で — Dare mo shiranai basho de  息を殺して歩く — Iki wo koroshite aruku  名前のない今日が — Namae no nai kyou ga  また静かに過ぎてく — Mata shizuka ni sugiteku [Pre-Chorus]  何度倒れても — Nando taoretemo  誰も見てなくても — Daremo mitenakutemo  Get up, get up, one more time [Chorus]  世界がまだ気づかなくても — Sekai ga mada kizukanakutemo  静かな怒りで立ち上がる — Shizuka na ikari de tachiagaru  Don't wait, don't stay, I won't explain  I'm building me from the flame  This is my REVOLT  誰でもない今日から — Dare demo nai kyou kara [Verse 2]  壊れかけの自分を — Kowarekake no jibun wo  一から作り直す — Ichi kara tsukurinaosu  拍手もない舞台で — Hakushu mo nai butai de  それでも踊り続ける — Soredemo odori tsuzukeru [Pre-Chorus]  何度倒れても — Nando taoretemo  誰も見てなくても — Daremo mitenakutemo  Get up, get up, one more time [Chorus]  世界がまだ気づかなくても — Sekai ga mada kizukanakutemo  静かな怒りで立ち上がる — Shizuka na ikari de tachiagaru  Don't wait, don't stay, I won't explain  I'm building me from the flame  This is my REVOLT  誰でもない今日から — Dare demo nai kyou kara [Bridge]  見えなくてもいい — Mienakutemo ii  知られなくてもいい — Shirarenakutemo ii  I'm not asking, I'm not waiting  This is mine to take [Final Chorus]  世界が気づいた頃には — Sekai ga kizuita koro ni wa  もう後ろは振り返らない — Mou ushiro wa furikaeranai  Don't wait, don't stay, I won't explain  I already lit the flame  This is my REVOLT  誰でもなかった今日から — Dare demo nakatta kyou kara

English translation

Verse 1:  In a place no one knows I walk while holding my breath  A nameless today  quietly passes by again Pre-Chorus:  No matter how many times I fall  even if no one's watching  Get up, get up, one more time Chorus:  Even if the world still hasn't noticed  I rise with a quiet fury  Don't wait, don't stay, I won't explain  I'm building me from the flame  This is my REVOLT  Starting today, as no one in particular Verse 2:  This half-broken self of mine  I'm rebuilding from zero  On a stage with no applause  I keep dancing anyway Pre-Chorus: No matter how many times I fall  even if no one's watching  Get up, get up, one more time Chorus: Even if the world still hasn't noticed  I rise with a quiet fury  Don't wait, don't stay, I won't explain  I'm building me from the flame  This is my REVOLT  Starting today, as no one in particular Bridge:  It's fine if I can't be seen  It's fine if I'm not known  I'm not asking, I'm not waiting  This is mine to take Final Chorus:  By the time the world notices  I won't be looking back anymore  Don't wait, don't stay, I won't explain  I already lit the flame  This is my REVOLT  From a today when I was no one

Aug 7 · 9:46 amQuote

Do what you have to do, to do what you want to do.
— Denzel Washington (quote)

Aug 7 · 9:44 amThought

Second time at the gym this morning focused more on feeling comfortable, learning and understanding the equipment, form and breathing then sets and reps - I think learning how to be consistent properly is more important then pushing at my current experience level what I’d be pushing consistently and not proper - good news is I feel heckin better and not winded and no puking this time around so I’d take all the wins I can get, looking forward to another session tomorrow (at Anytime fitness) (health)

Aug 6 · 9:58 pmPhoto

Lots of thoughts can’t describe the words to say… (humor)

Aug 5 · 7:13 pmPhoto

Just on my way back from Apache Burger and thought this was a fun pic 📸 (humor)

Aug 5 · 9:14 amThought

First day at the gym doing weight training had me puking at the end lol - never done strength training always been a cardio guy - definitely need to work on form and get my breathing in correctly, also note to myself - beware the shoulder press next time 🫠 (at Anytime Fitness) (health)

Aug 5 · 6:11 amQuote

You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
— Martin Luther King Jr. (quote)

Aug 4 · 10:31 pmPhoto

Just about to swing into bed and my favourite news anchor as a kid just passed away. I would always get excited when he’d draw the umbrella and stand under it when there was rain the the forecast 😩 (rip)

Aug 4 · 10:07 pmMusic

Original recording4:12

Volverás (You'll Return)

Currently watching Narcos on Netflix - we just wrapped up Escobar's untimely death at the end of season 2 - wanted something from his wife's perspective as the inspiration for this song. A moody Colombian noir-bolero built around a single, devastating word of hope repeated until it starts to sound like denial. Sung from the perspective of a woman waiting through the night for a man swallowed by "the life" — the danger, the absence, the promises made before things turned dark. Sparse tremolo guitar and hushed, breathy vocals carry the ache, building from an intimate whisper to a resigned confession in the bridge, before dissolving into silence with the title unresolved. Set in a 70s-90s Colombian world of tropical heat and quiet dread, it's a cinematic slow-burn about loving someone you already suspect won't come home. (kbd music)

Lyrics — Spanish

[Verso 1] La casa guarda tu perfume, la silla vacía junto al balcón, cuento los pasos que no llegan, y enciendo velas sin razón. Dejaste el café sin terminar, un cigarro apagado en el cenicero, yo sigo aquí, mirando el mar, esperando el sonido de tu carro. [Coro] Volverás, me dijiste una vez, volverás cuando el sol se esconda, volverás, aunque el mundo se rompa, volverás... aunque ya no responda. [Verso 2] Sé que el camino que tú elegiste no perdona ni promete final, cada noche rezo en silencio, cada noche finjo que estás bien. Guardé tu retrato en el altar, con una foto de aquel verano, cuando el peligro aún no llegaba, cuando reíamos de la mano. [Coro] Volverás, me dijiste una vez, volverás cuando el sol se esconda, volverás, aunque el mundo se rompa, volverás... aunque ya no responda. [Puente] Y si el reloj ya no te alcanza, y si el camino se quedó sin ti, yo seguiré diciendo tu nombre, aunque el silencio me diga que no. [Coro Final] Volverás, aunque no lo diga en voz alta, volverás, en cada vela que enciendo, volverás...

English translation

[Verse 1] The house keeps your scent, the empty chair by the balcony, I count the footsteps that never arrive, and light candles for no reason. You left your coffee unfinished, a cigarette gone out in the ashtray, I'm still here, watching the sea, waiting for the sound of your car. [Chorus] You'll return, you told me once, you'll return when the sun hides, you'll return, even if the world breaks, you'll return... even if it no longer answers. [Verse 2] I know the road you chose neither forgives nor promises an end, every night I pray in silence, every night I pretend you're okay. I kept your portrait on the altar, with a photo from that summer, when danger hadn't arrived yet, when we laughed hand in hand. [Chorus] You'll return, you told me once, you'll return when the sun hides, you'll return, even if the world breaks, you'll return... even if it no longer answers. [Bridge] And if the clock no longer reaches you, and if the road was left without you, I'll keep saying your name, even if the silence tells me no. [Final Chorus] You'll return, even if I don't say it out loud, you'll return, in every candle I light, you'll return...

Aug 4 · 4:20 pmRead

Fastest way into flow state? Kill the friction, not your willpower.

Most people try to force focus. The real trick is removing the decisions that stall you before you even start, here's my simple repeatable formula: → Define the goal clearly before you sit down — that's the one item you're checking off, so there's no ambiguity about what "done" looks like → Decide your exact first move too (not "work on X," but "open file Y and fix Z") → Same ritual every time — same playlist, same setup — trains your brain to lock in fast. For me that's songs without lyrics, upbeat or something to nod your head to while working along to. Bonus points if you don't end up listening to music: invest in a good setup of headphones in or over-ear with built in noise cancelling. Quiet work really helps. → Phone away, notifications off, before you start — context switching is the real time sink, not the interruption itself. Your brain doesn't just lose the 30 seconds, it loses the thread it was building → Commit to just 10 focused minutes, not the whole session — momentum does the rest - you'll know you are in flow when time flies and you didn't even notice Flow isn't a mood you wait for. It's a setup you build and flow into. Master this and you'll easily be able to enter flow at will whenever something needs getting done. (productivity)

Aug 4 · 12:35 pmQuote

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.
— Walt Disney (quote)

Aug 4 · 10:44 amRead

Self defense laws in Canada be like:

Marcus lets himself in, and stops dead at the little glass case mounted by the door. Inside it, a machete. "...Bro. What is that." "Break glass in case of emergency." "Like an axe? For fires?" "No, for people." Marcus stares at it a beat too long. "So if somebody breaks in, this is literally the first thing they touch. You made a little weapons rack for your own intruder." "I mean... yeah, when you say it like that." He shakes his head, turns to go dump his bag on the couch — and Kyle raises both hands, fingers cocked, and lines him up. "Pew." Marcus turns back around slowly. "Did you just finger-gun me." "Self-defense," Kyle says, totally straight-faced. "You turned your back on me after establishing intent to use a deadly weapon. That's textbook." "I was walking to the couch." "Reasonable force is about the threat, Marcus, not your intentions." He blows on his finger like it's still smoking. Marcus just looks at him. "You think about this stuff a normal amount, right?" "...Sometimes." (humor)

Aug 2 · 2:13 pmThought

For all the times I found out something was a thing for the longest time - there was always something about “independently arriving at it myself” that I find really gratifying (at Milton) (contentment)

Aug 2 · 12:46 pmThought

When I see people come back to their badly parked cars, I wonder if they know they parked like an idiot? (at Fortinos Parking Lot) (what if)

Aug 2 · 12:45 pmVideo

Luxury Tokyo Architecture & Design
I particularly like the way interior has been crafted, the ceiling slats, floor to ceiling windows and the outdoor atrium area across the 3 floors. (architecture)

Aug 1 · 6:23 pmVideo

Well Thought Out Mini-home For 4 People
Really well through out design, one of the best kitchen designs I have seen in a van. (interesting, minihome)

Aug 1 · 3:08 pmVideo

Health Risk of Electrolyte Supplements
In moderation is fine but occasional daily use could stack potency (health, interesting)

Aug 1 · 11:29 amVideo

Innovative Way To Move In Korea
Would be nice to see this here in Canada (interesting)

Aug 1 · 7:56 amQuote

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
— Stephen Covey (quote)