Recently, China’s primary, stable, all-in-one, state-railway-bureau-directly-operated official railway ticketing platform, 12306, announced an expansion into the airline ticket market. This move is not expected to reduce airfare costs directly, yet it signifies a notable shift in the competitive landscape for Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like CTrip, potentially impacting their market share and profitability. Understanding the mechanics of airline ticket sales is crucial here. Airlines set their flight schedules, seat pricing, and then distribute this information through a Global Distribution System (GDS)....

There are conflicts happening every now and then. The best way is just to focus on something else. Because if one just gets distracted by all those negative things, he might as well doesn’t have anything more meaningful on his mind to do. It would be pathetic. The attitude expressed by Ariana Grande’s billboard interview (almost 9 years ago) pretty much reflected this pov: Grande’s determined to avoid any kind of controversy....

Today is YuanXiao Festival, the first full moon of the year of the Dragon. “I saw the moonlight today. What reason should I make up so as to bring it to you?” It reminded me of Moonlight by Ariana Grande from her third album Dangerous Woman. It’s just an elegant, gorgeous love ballad. According to Ariana Grande’s Wiki: Victoria Monét (Grande’s producer-slash-bestie) said “[‘Moonlight’,] that’s what Ricky [Alvarez, Grande’s boyfriend then] called her one night....

The latest episode of Freakonomics podcast titled Is Google Getting Worse? (Update) covered a topic (sponsored search) that I thought I was familiar with, but after listening, found myself to be pondering with new thoughts. To begin with, the guest list of this episode is already unimaginably fantastic: SOURCES Marissa Mayer, co-founder of Sunshine; former C.E.O. of Yahoo! and vice president at Google. Ryan McDevitt; professor of economics at Duke University....

I got my driver’s license today! Yet it still feels strange to pass a test I once failed. I still don’t really like driving; would rather sit in the passenger seat to be in control of the music, snacks, and conversations. The driving academy where I used to practice is next to a garbage dump, so the air smells real bad. My coach had a strong accent and cursed a lot, like all those driving instructors....

“I know that all the shits’ fabricated” – breathin Ariana Grande’s “breathin,” the ninth track from her 2018 album Sweetener, stands as a quintessential pop anthem. Despite its conventional ABABCB song structure and the use of familiar chord progressions and motifs, the track has resonated deeply with a broad audience, many of whom regard it as a highlight of the album. While the song’s pop sensibilities might seem overly straightforward to some, its lyrical depth and the uplifting nature of its theme offer a surprising layer of relatability....

Music exists at the sublime confluence of mathematics and artistry, embodying a synergy that elevates both disciplines. The essence of music theory, particularly in the analysis of chords, mirrors an advanced form of modular arithmetic, showcasing a mathematical elegance. Musical scores serve as encoded scripts of melodies, awaiting decryption and performance. Particularly, Johann Sebastian Bach epitomizes this blend of mathematical intricacy and artistic beauty, standing as a paragon of the fusion between the two realms....

I prefer writing in all lowercases–especially devoid of conventional capitalizations of the first letters. First learnt this in Ariana Grande’s Sweetener album tracks’ all-lowercase namings and initially trying just for fun, I found this way of styled writing extremely comfortable so that it eventually forms into a habit. This seemingly personal preference however, coincides with a latest trend of writing style, especially among Gen Z. Ariana Grande’s iconic, abusive use of all-lowercase writings in her social media posts, do do her fans....

categorized and re-organized list of tags. hurray to my OCD…

what to look forward