What do Netflix’s Korean drama We Are All Trying Here, the Sony X1000M6, BLACKPINK’s “GO,” and a soon‑to‑be‑trashed Marshall Major 3 have in common?
A restored Marshall.
The Marshall that refused to die!
From Timer to Toolkit: A Quick Recap
Transforming my Python desktop app from a cute little timer into daily helpers — like a Garmin activity decoder and an image resizer for web publishing — was both fun and satisfying, as you saw in my previous post. No more manual steps when prepping for my half‑marathon run in December or uploading blog photos. Every minute saved frees me to do something else. Imagine not spending a few minutes each night making overnight oats! Welcome, my robot — where art thou?
So what else do I want to add to this Bongo‑Cat‑inspired app? A safe backup utility, an emoji search, and, as a bonus, a clipboard cleaner — little things I’ve wanted to build but haven’t. Until now.
Nearly two months ago I found myself hacking together a little Windows timer app with an AI assistant. It was inspired by Bongo Cat – a cute character whose outfit changes while a clock ticks away – and it carried lots of small, subtle touches that delighted me. But that weekend of coding took everything I had. I was adamant that this would be something the machine and I built together, not just an AI‑generated programme. By the end I was exhausted and the idea of improving the app sent a chill down my spine.
A few weeks on, the pain has faded and the fond memories remain. For my second round of tinkering I decided to add something genuinely useful: a tool to turn Garmin’s raw FIT files into workout telemetry I could actually read. Once I have a readable summary I can feed it back into ChatGPT and ask for tailored training advice.
Thousands and thousands of words have been exchanged between ChatGPT and me about one topic: the next Garmin flagship watch. I won’t drag you through the whole labyrinth we built together, but after hours of back‑and‑forth I found myself fantasising about a Fenix 9.
This fascination began when my first‑generation Garmin Venu appeared to die while we were in Jeju. Its touchscreen stopped working and it wouldn’t reboot. I was almost delighted: perhaps this was my chance to upgrade. I have become more active in recent times and could use a better watch.
Introduction: From AI Chats to Personal Projects
My conversations with AI are rarely transactional; they drift from one topic to another. Often a chat will spark a new project with its own theme and category. At work I manage a portfolio of tech projects, while at home I’m building a wholesome collection of everything that interests me and is good for me. This, my friend, is me building a meaningful second ecosystem outside work.
I had a rather strange customer service experience today with Standard Chartered. Strange probably isn’t the word — frustrating perhaps. The missing insurance policy itself isn’t even what bothered me most; it was the feeling of being abandoned by the platform that sold me the product.
A Simple Purchase That Went Wrong
On 27 April 2026, I logged into my Standard Chartered banking app. There was a promotion to purchase travel insurance from Allianz. With upcoming travel plans, I bought two policies through the app – one for a trip in May and another for a trip in October. The bank deducted the money for both transactions immediately. Shortly afterwards, I received the May trip’s policy certificate and everything looked normal. The October certificate, however, never arrived.
I had just checked into an Airbnb by the shore—Panpo, Jeju, a shoreline dotted with offshore windmills.
The night air carried a faint saltiness. The kind that lingers quietly, not sharp, just present. Through the slightly opened window, I could hear the ocean—steady, rhythmic, almost indifferent. Waves arriving, retreating, repeating themselves without urgency.
I lay there for a while, listening.
At some point, without quite noticing when, I drifted.
Categories
The Meals I Didn’t Return
I’ve been thinking about food lately. Not the kind you photograph, recommend, or complain about on Instagram.
Just… ordinary meals—the kind you buy, sit down and quietly finish even when something isn’t quite right.
Over the years, I’ve had a handful of these moments. None of them were dramatic, but for some reason they stayed with me. I think I’m only starting to understand why.
If you stream Chinese or Korean songs on Apple Music, you’ll probably know my pain.
Around the time I moved from Android to an iPhone in 2021, I also switched from Spotify to Apple Music. It was cheaper then, offered lossless audio and slotted neatly into the Apple ecosystem. Yet I still miss how well Spotify curated a New Music Mix and served it up every Friday. I love discovering new artists and genres while keeping up to date on the latest releases from my favourite artists – a list that grows week by week.
At least for me, Apple Music’s New Music Mix is a pain to use. That’s my opinion, of course, but it’s deeply frustrating. Imagine waiting a week, opening your 25‑song mix and finding that more than 20% of the tracks turns out to be karaoke versions with no lead vocal. Why on earth would I want to hear a “new” song without a voice and without lyrics?
Duh.
Are Team Apple Music aware of this? Or is the engine that powers Apple Music really that arcane and limited? I have some evidence for this later when I tried to match songs using the app, external sites and ChatGPT Plus.
I pride myself on being an AI enthusiast. These days, anything related to AI easily becomes my favourite topic. While I try not to wear people out with my newfound passion, I can’t always help myself.
I’ve also noticed that people react very differently to AI. At one extreme, some deliberately avoid it altogether — afraid they might “lose the ability to think” or somehow become… less intelligent.
Huh?