What we observe is not nature, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.
I.
During my neighbourhood walks, I’d encounter a black bird with white-streaked wings. I think it’s a common bird, but I like how it looks. It gets my attention everytime. The more I saw it, the more strange and vacuous the feeling became. I realised I wanted to know it by name.
How do I find out about the name of birds? I’m not sure my friends or neighbours would know (maybe I’m being presumptuous). So, as usual, I just Googled it. Typed in some keywords, scrolled through some images until I found a matching one.
The name of the bird is Malayan Black Magpie.
Just the other day, I was walking in the neighbourhood again. Three Black Magpies perched on a fence. I pointed it out to Lyn, telling her their names. We stood watching those Black Magpies for a while.
I want to identify more birds in my neighbourhood. But Google’s prowess quickly stops short at sounds. I’m thinking: It’s time to move away from the internet and start finding someone who truly knows about birds and ask them. Maybe sign up at the local Nature’s Club? Get a pair of binoculars? Maybe. For now, I’ll pick out those sounds and delight in each delicious tweet and croon and singsong. All colourful movements resounding through the body.
II.
I walk around my neighbourhood often. And everytime I do, it is never boring. Always wonderful. Always kind.
I look forward to the evenings when the bird songs are the most cacophonous, the most vibrant. A reminder that it is beautiful to be alive in the world today, at this very moment.
III.
Lyn and I had our first overseas holiday in Chiang Mai. Our trip was defined more by our walks than the places we visited. In the 15 minute stretch from Asama Coffee to Alpine Outpost, we spotted many Common Mynas and the occasional unnamed large bird circling a residential lake. Hello, Common Myna! Hello!
On our first day, we walked more than 20,000 steps. Ended the day with deep fried you tiao and hot soya bean by the road side. And, of course, a foot massage.
Every city has a colour scheme. For Surabaya, it’s red and green. For old towns in Malaysia it’s green and pink. For Chiang Mai, I get the sense that it’s green and orange, reminiscent of the aged brick and moss that adorn the historic city gates.
IV.
I’m currently in between jobs. Serving my 2.5-month notice in my previous company was quite a treat. I had a lot of time to myself and read a whole lot. Completed David Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs (perhaps in preparation for my next job), read this extremely in-depth WIRED piece about wires. Read more blockchain stuff on Kernel (in preparation for my next job).
I don’t write about my jobs often because I don’t always find them very exciting or meaningful. But I’ll say this about my recent job: I’m truly grateful for the guidance of my mentors there. They were kind and intelligent, and they believed in me. It was this simple, generous gesture that gave me the space and confidence to really find some solid footing in this thing called “a career”.
I leave with a lot of respect and gratitude, hoping that one day I can do the same for the people I will come to meet.
V.
The job search process was a harrowing one. It always is. It’s never fun. Deciding between jobs is equally nerve wrecking. After a few days of anxious over-thinking and drawing tarot cards, it was this one thing that guided my decision: Follow your curiosity.
### Beautiful Finds on the Internet ###
Sufjan Steven’s imploration to hold your loved ones close
This album is dedicated to the light of my life, my beloved partner and best friend Evans Richardson, who passed away in April. He was an absolute gem of a person, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, integrity, and joy. He was one of those rare and beautiful ones you find only once in a lifetime—precious, impeccable, and absolutely exceptional in every way.
I know relationships can be very difficult sometimes, but it’s always worth it to put in the hard work and care for the ones you love, especially the beautiful ones, who are few and far between. If you happen to find that kind of love, hold it close, hold it tight, savor it, tend to it, and give it everything you’ve got, especially in times of trouble. Be kind, be strong, be patient, be forgiving, be vigorous, be wise, and be yourself. Live every day as if it is your last, with fullness and grace, with reverence and love, with gratitude and joy. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Rainer Maria Rilke on loving and living through the questions
Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you know because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions for now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.
good atlas 
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