"To live an interesting life... A life that writes its own stories."

I believe that the point of life is to make it interesting. I caution myself against a heroic (egoistic) narrative about my life - instead, it should be about making a unique and irreplaceable contribution, about doing something that makes me who I am. This is how I am (trying to) balance "worldly work" and "self-sovereignty": that in trying to make irreplaceable contributions, I am carving out my own paths; that walking my own paths, in refusing to serve a pre-defined heroic narrative, I am contributing to our world the best way I can. If I made no contributions, this way, at least, I lived an interesting life, and that in itself is worthwhile.

Music

I play the Guqin - a Chinese classical instrument tracing back to the Book of Odes (11th - 6th c. BC). One can still play Guqins made in Tang Dynasty (6th - 8th c. AD). Historically, Guqin is more of a cultural and social symbol than a musical instrument, and its music ties more to poetry than to musicology. 

I used to teach Guqin in NZ and now mostly work on expanding the scope of Guqin music. I have done Guqin impressions of Game of Thrones, Succession, Hotel California, Sound of Silence, Rachmaninov Piano Concertos, Shostakovich Cello Concerto, Mahler 5, Danzon No. 2, and Clair de Lune. I post experiments on my instagram stories, feel free to go check it out.

Also check out the programme of my recital at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge (2022)

I love going to see London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre. Let me know if you would like to join!

Sports

I was never very good at sports in my upbringing, but I always enjoyed its social aspect: At Cambridge, I was president of the college table tennis society, and captained a rowing boat. 

I started amateur road cycling in summer 2022, right after graduation. I mostly did 40-50km rides and completed my first 100km+ ride in early summer 2023. 

Now I try to build a habit of short morning runs and weekly cycling. Nothing big, just a small rituals to anchor me in a physical rhythm and presence. 

Food and Drinks

At Yonder, part of the job was to test out all the nice restaurants around London, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Now at Artificial Societies, I very much enjoy following my co-founder Patrick on his quest for finding discounts in pricy London restaurants. I also (try to) run a seasonal wine party for my friends. 

Back in Cambridge we had these strange "formal dinners": students and fellows would suit up in academic gowns to sit in Hogwarts-style candle lit dining halls, and have ceremonies such as Latin graces and gong knocking to compensate the likely under-flavoured meals. 

It was a great excuse for us undergrads to have excessive wine. Sadly I didn't complete the "formal challenge" - going to formals at all 31 colleges - but I did do 12 of them so it wasn't too bad.

Travelling

I have moved several times around the planet for education, but I never took any gap years to purely travel and see the world like many of my peers. 

In 2023, settled in London with a job, I did monthly weekend city trips to see Europe. I loved the sunsets, the restaurants, and the art galleries. If I should come visit your city, please let me know and we'll grab a coffee or a pint.