DANNY'S ARCHIVES

The Unfiltered Records.

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A Week in Pictures (April 26, 2026)

A Week in Pictures (April 26, 2026)

This is a rather encouraging and motivating moment for us, because we are officially writing/blogging for the very first time using our recently migrated WordPress website.

As with every new beginning, we felt that it would also be apt for us to introduce something new as well—a new format of content that we like to use moving forward.

We have decided to call it, “A Week in Pictures”

Honestly, we think the title explains itself, so no explainers necessary, yes?

After making a decision to delete the LinkedIn app from both our tablet and mobile devices, we felt compelled to take things even further. We figured, if we're going to do something, must as well be fully convicted and go all in on it. Don't do things half-hearted. So, yes, we went on to purge both of our devices, and removed every single unused app as well as those apps that haven't been used all that much. Finally, as for the "bloatware" apps that comes pre-installed with each Xiaomi device, we can't remove them, so we decided to turn off their notifications and alerts.
Our apps have been reorganized into an inverted/flipped “F” layout.

After purging our PC, we felt that it would be a good time to also reorganize the apps on our home screen. Turning three “pages” into just two. We are still getting used to the whole “inverted layout”, but it is definitely feeling much easier. Less cognitive load actually. No more, “where is this app on the screen.”

After making a decision to delete the LinkedIn app from both our tablet and mobile devices, we felt compelled to take things even further. We figured, if we're going to do something, must as well be fully convicted and go all in on it. Don't do things half-hearted. So, yes, we went on to purge both of our devices, and removed every single unused app as well as those apps that haven't been used all that much. Finally, as for the "bloatware" apps that comes pre-installed with each Xiaomi device, we can't remove them, so we decided to turn off their notifications and alerts.
On our Redmi Pad Pro, we’ve decided to keep that left-to-right app layout. But we also decided to put our most frequently used apps closer to the bottom.
From a note-taking, and productivity tools angle, our most preferred tool (speaking as a master craftsman) is Evernote. But due to Evernote's current limitations/restriction on free users, we have decide to stop waiting for things to get better before we start living at our best. That means accepting things for what they are right now, and not what we hope they would be. That means taking Notion and purging it of all the old stuff that has been just sitting there, mixed in with the newer stuff. By purging our Notion pages, this allows us to have a clean slate. As you can tell, we have adopted a very "mission-oriented", "inner compass" guided approach to how we want to organize our notes/content. Think..."Thoughts Organizer" than "Todo lists".
We also took the time to purge our Notion pages and reorganized our notes/contents.

For our Notions pages, we decided that we needed a more “mission-oriented” way to organize our thoughts and ideas. Turns out, it worked beautifully because it made everything more LEAN too.

Over the last couple of months, we have experienced some of the most difficult and challenging moments in our life so far. As we fully embrace and go all in on our convictions, and this 180-Day mission, it meant "holding the line" when it comes to protecting our integrity, along with the integrity of the mission itself. That comes with a price. It meant that we would have to skip our lunches on the weekdays because we wouldn't have the means to pay for it. And no, we refuse to sacrifice our dignity in order to experience some instant relief. And yes, that meant that for the past 4 months or so, we have spent over two-thirds of the time dealing with intermittent fasting 5 days of the week.
Our very first lunch meal on a weekday, and yes, we decided to eat proper food this time.
The very last time that we had the means/ability to pay for our basic necessities was just after the recent CNY season. Thanks to the Ang Pau money that we had received during the holiday season, we were able to use it to get the things that we needed, as well as making the most important investment which made this website possible. Since those funds ran out, we haven't been able to afford even the most basic of necessities. So, it's really not that surprising that even basic stuff like a bundle of tissues packs and some disinfectant wet wipes was all it took to motivate us.
It was only after we had bought these basic necessities that we realized, it was the ability to replenish these necessities that motivated us the most.
Sure, if we think about it from a "master craftsman's" perspective, we do have our prefer premium tool when it comes to database management. That tool is called "DataGrip" by JetBrains. It's the one that we've been supporting for many years. But, like with every metaphorical workshop, every master will also own backup tools. After all, in life, tools can sometimes break and may need the occasional maintenance too. So, it's always wise for us to have our own version of premium "backup" tool as well. And that is where BeeKeeper Studio comes into play. It is one of those tools that had been designed very specifically to run better in a native Linux environment. For now, we are adding it to our wishlist. Out of all the things we need right now, this isn't really a top priority.
Beekeeper Studio is a database management tool that has been specifically design for better experiences in a native Linux environment.
Considering that we are still dealing with a hemorrhoid situation, we figured that it would be good for our system if we provided ourselves with some proper food. Along with that food, we also bought ourselves a banana. What should really matter though, is that as we were enjoying this meal, we couldn't help but realized how different it felt, now that we're no longer trying to post what we eat online. No performance. Just being present. Appreciating the moment itself.
For our Friday’s late-breakfast, we decided to order a bowl of Fuzhou Fishball w/ Mined Meat noodle.
In March 2026, our core lesson that month was about "Being Lean". And we don't mean the rather extreme views that others have taken with it. We took those words and decide to make it our own. It wasn't just about our spending and how we would manage our funds. This is also about our attention/energy, and now, how we choose to operate on a daily basis.
After picking up the lesson on “being lean” in March, it continues to have an effect on different parts of our life. Our remote setup is just one of the latest.

As we have come to learn, the whole lesson about “being lean” has very little to do with trying to have as little as possible (and still be functional). That is such an extreme take on what it means to be lean. For us, we are opting for a more reasonable, but also optimal understanding—what do we need to be able to operate at our best? Best, but also less.

We had some budget left from the funds that we had received from John. After allocating it nicely across the different priorities (mission-oriented), we felt that we deserved to treat ourselves to a little something at Koufu while we spend our late-afternoon journaling.
We decided to order ourselves a Kopi-O (extra sweet), a butterfly fritter and a piece of fried carrot cake.
One of those very basic experience design stuff that we had always talked about is the art of observing. In a world today that is either too hyped up about AI, or fearing what it might mean, we are choosing to "ignore" it entirely. Not because we think that AI isn't important. It is. And it will continue to shape and impact our industries for the years to come. But at the very same time, we also believe very deeply that there are certain things AI could never replace. And one of those things is our ability to observe as human beings. Our observational skills are going to be one of those skills alongside problem solving and critical thinking that will make us more valuable in the era of AI.
Whenever we find ourselves back at the outdoor area @ PBC, we like to use the time to finish our private journaling while also enjoying some people-watching.
Our Saturday morning workouts are strangely one of the things that we look forward to the most every week. Unlike the super early 5:30 am workout sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, this one always felt different. Maybe it is because of the air, and maybe it's also because of the sun that is just starting to come up. Or perhaps it is both.
We absolutely enjoy and appreciate that timing of 8:30 to 9 am when the sun is slowly coming up behind the HDB blocks.
Ever since the death of the "shell" back in August 2025, we have been taking a very hard look at the things in our life. We have since purged over 90% of what was belonging to the "shell's" era, so to speak. And then when it comes to everything else that is left, we kept it because we see that there is still some purpose and use for it. And if we are keeping it, then it also stands to reason, we have to find a way to take better care of it. The "shell" has a way of pushing things to their limits. It used to be called "making the most of it", but honestly, in hindsight now, we know it is just bad stewardship.
Every 3 months or so, ever since the death of our former “shell”, we have been taking much better care of what we have.
When it comes to playing city-building style games, there hasn't been one quite as challenging as "Surviving Mars". But it is perhaps also because of the nature of the game—exploring a far off planet, one that can be so punishing at times, but also rewarding if you know what you are doing. It took us some time before we actually understood what we are doing. And then we found the perfect landing site, and the area where we could establish a potential colony. We are going to call our Colony "Olympus".
Here’s an annotated version of the settlement that we have built so far.

Having spent some serious time so far with this game, it has reminded of a couple of really important lessons, especially ones that do apply to real-life. Perhaps even more so with our current journey and mission as an industry pioneer, trying to build (still trying to get used to not using the word “rebuild” because it usually resembles trying to return to something from before) something better from nothing (when we first started).

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