Saturn return

When we’re all born, Saturn’s somewhere. And the Saturn cycle takes around about 29 years. That’s when we’ve gotta wake up and smell the coffee. Because if we’ve just been sort of relying on our cleverness, or relying, you know, just kind of floating along… Saturn comes along and hits you over the head, and says, “Wake up”. It’s time for you to get real about life And sort out who you really are....

March 17, 2024

intro (end of the world)

My favourite so far, for Ariana Grande’s new album eternal sunshine is its intro (end of the world). Every intro of Ariana Grande’s album is insanely beautiful. She tends to use softer instruments (especially strings) to company her voice, which leave space for her vocal showcase. For example, the intro of My Everything is almost as dreamy as falling into the galaxy’s star dusts. Not to mention the iconic 30-seconds solo acapella raindrops (an angel cried) of Sweetener....

March 16, 2024

the national performance evaluation on public hospitals

My mother is a doctor and leads the obstetrics department at a major hospital. Managing such a busy department, with over a hundred staff members, is a challenging task. In recent years, administrative responsibilities in healthcare management have become increasingly complex, that I can observe a significant surge in her phone call frequency. In 2019, new official guidelines for public hospital performance evaluation were introduced, leading to an annual grading campaign....

March 15, 2024

the pitfall of CMI index

Introducing the zero-sum competition system of the business world into healthcare, education, and many other industries that are far more complex than mere data, is nothing short of pathological. For the following days, I will dive into a reported pitfall of the current medical evaluation system. In China, the performance of public hospitals are largely evaluated on their CMI index–over a uniform standards across different departments. This seemingly convenient approach results in distorted incentives, chaos management and complaints....

March 14, 2024

course checker

The wild world of course registration heats up during the last round of selection, where occasionally seats are released due to dropouts and the remaining dash for the vacancy. But what if I told you there’s a clever way to outsmart the system? No more frantic refreshing, here’s nifty little program I concocted that plays the waiting game for you. It keeps an eagle eye on course availability and sends you an email the moment a spot opens up....

March 13, 2024

an (intentional?) refund loophole in TaoBao

In the curious world of TaoBao, China’s e-commerce giant, I stumbled upon what can only be described as a “feature” cleverly masquerading as a bug. Once in a while, TaoBao hosts what’s known as the “cross-seller price-break discount.” In theory, this sounds like a standard promotional sale—spend a certain amount across various sellers, and voila, you snag a discount. For instance, rack up items totaling 300 yuan from participating sellers, and you’re treated to a 40 yuan discount....

March 12, 2024

eternal sunshine

“How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” Here’s the questions and answers through the album eternal sunshine (2024): If the sun refuse to shine, baby would I still be your lover? Would you want me there? – intro (end of the world) Ariana Grande is embracing full surrealism by, almost intentionally, obscuring logical and emotional cohenrence within tracks. The song true story is almost nothing real this is a true story about all the lies, you fantasized ‘bout you and i...

March 11, 2024

eternal sunshine

“how can i tell if i’m in the right relationship?” Posted on the very beginning of her album’s intro (end of the world), Ariana Grande took an album to answer this question properly, as a response to her past 2 years of discretely married then publicly divorced situationship-ly marriage. Albert Camus once remarked, that dedicating two years to ponder over a problem is entirely worthy. True art transcends mere wallowing in addictive emotions, be they sorrowful or euphoric....

March 10, 2024

Ariana Grande in review: a 10-Day musical odyssey

Ariana Grande is a paragon of aesthetic and disposition that I strive to emulate. Her music has been a constant companion, resonating with me on levels I didn’t fully comprehend in my youth. Initially, I was captivated by the surface beauty of her melodies and the power of her voice, but as I matured, I began to appreciate the depth of her lyrical prowess, the intricate vocal layers and the intentionality behind her artistry....

March 9, 2024

just like magic

Ariana Grande possesses a magnetic energy that attracts literally everything–from musical excellence to (possibly undesired) publicity. Among her songs, “just like magic” stands out as a testament to awe-inspiring confidence: Just like magic, I’m attractive I get everything I want cause I attract them. There’s a fine line between positive self-assurance and complacency. With her four-octave range and Mariah Carey-like whistle note capacity, Ariana Grande has never lacked a “hear-me-roar” attitude, reminiscent of ’90s divas....

March 8, 2024