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)
2026
curiosity journal
a commonplace notebook — photos, quotes, thoughts, reads, sounds, and finds
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)
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
Aug 5 · 7:13 pmPhoto
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
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)