index.md (7146B)
1 title: about me 2 tags: prose 3 ---- 4 5 <script> 6 function toggleYT(id, timestamp) { 7 const div = document.getElementById(id); 8 if (!div.hasChildNodes()) { 9 const url = "https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/" + id + timestamp; 10 const iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); 11 iframe.setAttribute("src", url); 12 iframe.setAttribute("allow", "encrypted-media"); 13 iframe.setAttribute("allowfullscreen", true); 14 div.appendChild(iframe); 15 div.style.paddingBottom = "56.25%"; 16 } else { 17 div.removeChild(div.lastChild); 18 div.style.paddingBottom = "0"; 19 } 20 } 21 </script> 22 23 <noscript> 24 <style> 25 .nowrap { 26 display: none; 27 } 28 </style> 29 </noscript> 30 31 # Just a few of my favorite things 32 33 {{ template "proseheader" .ModTime }} 34 35 It was around 2010 when I read a view on identity claiming people are the collection of 36 everything they love. Presented to me in the framework of answering *I love 37 \<blank\>*[^where], it prompted me to take note of what drives me to a fervor and observe 38 the kind of person I was and was becoming. I would recall this idea during a round of 39 interviews in 2018 where I realized, with all the time I spent at my desk, I was 40 forgetting the things I once enjoyed. 41 42 This page is my way of recording what things, old or new, enthralled me and why. This list 43 is non-exhaustive and may never be completed. 44 45 {{ template "toc" }} 46 47 ## Fighting Games 48 49 - [Rare footage of Daigo actually angry (Moment 50 #37)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzS96auqau0) 51 - [Pro tip #7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa-3_9cIhs8) 52 - [Master Cup 9 Finals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVyrnQPxFQY&t=43859) 53 * Not bite-sized. Finals of a one day event with 200 5-person teams. 54 55 Tired of losing to my cousin, I learned to play fighting games properly[^proper] in 2008. 56 I stumbled upon Moment #37 and I was hooked. A recurring motto at the time was "stay 57 hungry", meant figuratively and [sometimes 58 literally](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response). Cheap and stupid were 59 compliments --- what's stopping you from doing what the other player is? When you run 60 into a problem, it is up to you to *break it down and figure it out*. 61 62 ## Magic 63 64 - [Shin Lim's Dream Act](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAN-PwRfJcA) 65 - [Brent Braun's Card At Any Number](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Cg1TStD6s) 66 67 Summer 2017 I was introduced to Fool Us and Shin Lim was the first result on Youtube. 68 I just had to know how it was possible and started practicing that September. As I watched 69 other great performers and learned more, I realized good magic is like good software, it's 70 [what we can provide](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il2MQkovXWU) [for other 71 people](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjURsDCIJws). 72 73 Something that surprised me about the magic community is how conscientious its members are 74 at proper attribution. I noticed this watching recorded lectures, but even laypeople can 75 see this occur in Fool Us when Penn rattles off the prior art. It really speaks to how 76 scholarly the field is. 77 78 ## Starcraft 79 80 - [Flash vs Mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6R7maYAAKk) 81 * Mastery is doing only what is enough. 82 - [God of the 83 Battlefield](http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/final-edits/226236-god-of-the-battlefield-part-1) 84 - [HiyA: A True Hollywood Fishiking 85 Story](http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/brood-war/290265-hiya-a-true-hollywood-fishiking-story) 86 87 Brood War (Korean players just say Starcraft 1) was the original eSport and in my eyes the 88 greatest. A younger me lost plenty of sleep catching the matches on live TV. Turning up to 89 the [MSL 2010 viewing party in Joe's 90 Pizza](http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/tl-community/126051-party-socal-msl-finals-joes-pizza) 91 will remain a treasured memory. 92 93 ## 氷菓 Hyouka {#hyouka} 94 95 - [Notes on Hyouka as an Exploration of Detective Fiction: A Database Post](http://archive.is/RQxCZ) 96 * Archive link due to security issues on the [original URL](http://altairandvega.net/2012/07/05/notes-on-hyouka-as-an-exploration-of-detective-fiction-a-database-post/). 97 - [A hastily erected-shrine to historiography in 98 Hyouka](https://superfanicombsx.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/a-hastily-erected-shrine-to-historiography-in-hyouka/) 99 - [Hyouka: A Dying Land](https://thereforeitis.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/hyouka-a-dying-land/) 100 101 The screenplay I wish I wrote. Encompasses my favorite qualities in a body of work: not 102 cloying, but grounded and introspective. A story of youth disguised as detective fiction, 103 at one point the cast, members of the classical literature club, attempt to complete an 104 unfinished mystery film. The series generated great content and discussion on not *just* 105 interpreting narrative, but also how to watch animation[^hyouka] and how to read (esp. mystery). 106 107 I collected some examples of the discourse above. As the years went by, others have added 108 on and I hope to eventually gather them on a separate page with my own contributions. 109 I have noticed, [so 110 often](https://throughthepainting.wordpress.com/2016/09/15/a-chinese-hyouka-advertisement/) 111 [when 112 others](http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/06/18-1/kyoto-animations-masterpiece-has-arrived-on-crunchyroll) 113 [speak of](http://lostinanime.com/2012/09/hyouka-22-end-and-series-review/) [this 114 show](https://www.bateszi.me/2012/09/30/a-distant-light-hyouka/), in the same breath they 115 praise its achievements there's the sense of acknowledgement Hyouka was 116 unusually remarkable. I would like to do my part as well. 117 118 <p class="distinct-from-above"> 119 This was very indulgent. I hope you found something interesting. 120 </p> 121 122 Personal trivia: by cosmic coincidence I share a name with the author of [The Art of 123 Computer Programming][taocp]. That we both graduated in mathematics and work with 124 computers is pretty cool, no? 125 126 [^hyouka]: [A few](https://www.sakugabooru.com/post/show/6880) 127 [example](https://www.sakugabooru.com/post/show/22596) 128 [scenes](https://www.sakugabooru.com/post/show/22576). There's no sound, see what you can 129 make out. I'll have to clip some myself when I get around to rewatching. 130 131 [^proper]: Really, it's just wrapping your head on the main abstractions (e.g. 132 [hitboxes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0cFs5mHQC4&t=57s), [frame 133 data](https://forums.shoryuken.com/t/basic-frame-data-guide-for-newbies/102006)) and 134 adopting a mindful, learning attitude based on nonstop *marginal* improvement (i.e., 135 discipline). 136 137 Indeed, the concept of *the margin* is what hooked me into my economics courses, from 138 there mathematics and, eventually, CS. I suppose it can be said my interests in math are 139 less for physical reasons and more for *arbitrary* ones. 140 141 [^where]: I undoubtedly read it online, maybe it was a blog post or a (possibly 142 translated) interview, but I ultimately could not find it. One day I may dig into old 143 drives and see if I saved it locally in Evernote. Things get lost in the digital world 144 too. 145 146 [taocp]: https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/taocp.html