A paragraph about what this post is for: this is meant to be a sequel to ‘the tavern and the temple’. well I guess it’s a bit of a “cathedral and the bazaar” reference and remix… and I like the image… but I don’t currently have the animating spirit. maybe I need to write a few more notes-turned-posts first

I was scrolling through instagram when a bunch of these architecture illustrations popped up on my timeline (via ig:architecture.addicted) and really caught my attention.

It got me thinking about several things. One is how my Simcity gameplay has evolved over the years. When I was younger I used to terraform my city landscapes into big flat squares, sometimes with “massive scar” type excavations. I recently started a fresh playthrough of Simcity 2000 in a browser window, and much about my approach has changed. I’ve found myself naturally being much more casual about simply building in whatever space I’ve inherited, making small little adjustments rather than big sweeping changes, and the result is both more visually interesting and also more sustainable, profitable even. It’s not the absolute most profitable system someone can use, but it’s the most profitable system I’ve managed to use. There’s a recurring lesson there.

While playing chess, I’ve been looking up videos on youtube about how to get better at chess, and the things that grandmasters say have some parallels with the things that fitness professionals say: you don’t need to fuss about fancy complicated stuff. In chess, as a beginner, you need to stop making blunders that cost you your games. In fitness, as a beginner, you need to do pretty much anything that keeps you interested and motivated to keep moving. One of the worst things a beginner can do, in almost every case, is to fuss over what the experts are doing. Because for the expert to do what they do, typically first requires that they have a very strong foundation that they can experiment from.

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sidenote, maybe separate post: i’m living my dream, i said that when i started at rc… 11 years ago holy shit? but i had another dream and i have the opportunity to live it and it’s strange that i’m afraid. is it that i’m afraid bc i have a kid? i’m tired? i dont really buy the tiredness thing entirely. i can imagine a version of me that’s a tired parent that’s still… blah blah insert positive qualities here. no i keep hesitating because i’m afraid to mess things up? when i was younger i used to complain about singaporeans being insufficiently risktaking. i should put my money where my mouth is. i dont have a lot of money. its important to me to be honest. but i have accumulated fears. but we’re all gonna die one day. i keep inflating potential negatives. they feel more real now that people can and do actually say shit at me. at some point i was worried that someone’s misinterpretation of me would make me look bad in a way that was truly damaging. but i’m like… c’mon, actual criminals like p diddy get away with their bullshit for so many years. and i know people will stand up for me if it came to it. i’ve spent years earning people’s trust, building relationships, helping people out, doing favors, etc. yeah i still make mistakes. occasionally an off-color joke or something. i’m not going to claim to be a Special Good Person in that i’m more moral or virtuous or whatever. i try to be decent. i try to be a good husband, dad, friend, citizen. i should go to sleep but this is a good vibe that felt effortless. surely i can do several paragraphs like this a day. i just have to face my fear and take some real risks. i think i’ll tell the story of our house.