About (2026)

The more we know about ourselves, the more we think we do. But the reality is, the person I was five years ago? I am no longer that person. The river flows in the same riverbed but the waters are different.

I discovered that I have multiple ‘selves’ and among them, one of them is actively working to undermine my higher self. It’s one thing to know this, but quite another to empirically realize this.

The other selves may also have competing interests. Which brings me to the curious idea of whether a self can be planted by an external entity. Either by chance and unintentionally, as is the case with social conformity that we unquestioningly follow as if on auto-pilot, or purposefully as in the case of a manipulator who knows what they’re doing to you.

In any case, I have my mind’s eye opened to the possibilities that I am not who I think I am, and still further, that I can–could–be a very different person than who I am now. Isn’t that refreshing? The promise of a clean slate? The power of mental models that are waiting for me to adopt them (via Bandler/Grinder) when I finally get round to reading them?

I remember reading the first few chapters of one of their works with a light touch of skepticism. But as the years flew, I have begun to realize just how useful their works are. Sometimes, we are not ready, that’s why we can’t benefit from some things.

About (2025 version)

I am sometimes what I don’t want to be. But sometimes I become what I have always wanted to be. Who am I really?

There’s so much to learn about a lot of things. Life is short, knowledge is vast.

About (2024 version)

I often remember my very first gift. It was a book, given to me by my (maternal) grandpa. I was too young to read or even know what books were, but I felt fascinated nevertheless, and what’s interesting to me still, is that I remember this event so vividly.

I was so little that I didn’t know my name, how old I was, or even what I was. Like all children, I was instinctively behaving without knowing why (children develop reasoning skills after age six). All I knew was that it ‘felt good’ to have a colorful book in my hand. I would leaf through the book and savor each moment with the eagerness of a maximally curious child.

About (2023 version)

This is my my microworld. A place where I will continue to build upon, as soon as I get the chance.

The idea for microworlds is similar to playing a Minecraft world for the rest of your life. You just keep playing whenever you get the chance, and keep it saved, as time goes by. I am curious how this site will look in several years’ time.

About (2022 version)

Beyond childhood, youth, and the associated tribulations, I divide my life so far into three periods. The golden period, the dreamy period, and the period of reality.

In the golden period of my life, which lasted nearly 15 years, I taught computer science and mathematics at Tsinghua University, in Beijing, China (as a foreign expert).

In the dreamy period, I took a break from teaching and RE-entered the land of programming (which I had originally accidentally entered in 1995).

The teacher and the programmer are still a part of me, even though I have entered the stage of reality. In this stage, I am free. I work for myself.

I write so I can think better.