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I think of this in relation to my hair trigger temper, which I want to control instead of the other way around, and in the context of forgiving through understanding and sympathizing.

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Bonus: Vander Decken is salty about his rejection and gives possibly the worst haiku ever written: www.tumblr.com/kaizokuou-ni...

Panel from chapter 631 of One Piece, which relates a haiku attributed to the villain Vander Decken superimposed over a close up of his face:
"You are not my type" // Hurts when I hear that from her // This feeling of love

... I think (extra syllables) — Vander Decken IX

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I'm reminded of this today because the latest chapter (47) of Ichi the Witch is out and giving the same emotional damage catchphrase as from One Piece; The first and last three chapters are free to read: www.viz.com/shonenjump/c...

Panels from chapter 618 of the manga One Piece. In this chapter, one of the main villains from this arc (Fish-Man Island), Vander Decken, is being rejected by Shirahoshi, a mermaid princess.

The actual dialogue reads:
Vander Decken: "Answer me, Shirahoshi! All you have to do to escape death is say yes! BA HO HO HO!! MARRY ME!!"
Crowd: "After trying to kill her for all these years, he's still trying to propose to her?!"
Shirahoshi: " ... You're just not my type!"
Crowd (shocked): "!!! That's the problem?!"

Panel from chapter 47 of the manga Ichi the Witch. This concerns the protagonist, Ichi, rejecting the proposal of Spica, a fellow witch. The actual dialogue is limited to Ichi and reads "I'm sorry. You're not my type." as he bows deeply to Spica. The reaction panel shows Spica's sister Kumugi struggling to hold a straight face as this means her plea to stay on Ichi's team has been accepted.

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If you're intimidated by the length I'd suggest trying it at least through the Arlong Park arc (episode 44 / chapter 95 / basically the first season of the live action show) and if it doesn't hit for you, the rest of it is more of the same, only more and bigger.

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tl;dr: I finished the 300-some off episodes in a month and then decided I was going to subscribe to Shonen Jump which has proven to be the most entertaining $3.99 I spend each month.

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A few months after the divorce I struggled with what to do during the echoingly quiet evenings and knowing that I'd have Netflix for a while, decided that watching One Piece would mean that at least I'd have a reliable default choice for a while.

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Rivertown // Antioch, Calif. Like I said, we are Rivertown and so are you, at least in spirit.

This is a mural showing the water and sky along with the words "antioch, ca. 94509", painted in an old concrete wall. Who maintains it? I've seen it get graffitied but restored within a day.

There was something comforting in this low garage/shop building along 10th. Perhaps it's because I almost got run over here last week and this was the first thing I saw after jumping clear.

Antioch Marina // Antioch, Calif. You and I must make a plan to listen to the chime of rope on masts as the sunset glow fades.

A couple was passing through this picture of the marina at sunset. The masts and low water are prominently silhouetted against the fading light.

Corteva Wetlands // Antioch, Calif. I went back to the wetlands to watch the sunset and muse on the working windmill harnessing our relentless Delta breeze.

On the wetlands property they have a working windmill which pumps water into a leaky tank; this sunset scene was taken with a gravel road leading up to that small area.

The same windmill, rendered in muted colors and silhouette.

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Waldie Plaza // Antioch, Calif. When I got back there were a trio of lowriders in a little cul-de-sac, parked as a backdrop for a stupendous, bumping music video .

A woman wearing a bikini and heels is dancing in front of a red classic low rider car in a cul de sac in downtown Antioch, while being filmed by a video camera and people passing by. The picture is focused on the security bars of this apartment window, blurring everyone's features. The music was loud, strong, and bass-heavy and I mostly just wanted to lie down after walking too many miles, but I also was glad to see folks enjoying the sun and heat by the river.

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Corteva Wetlands // Antioch-Pittsburg, Calif. I found the entrance to the Corteva (formerly Dow) Wetlands near the Marina and watched a ship sailing on a prairie.

MV Santa Centellar sails against the current, east along the San Joaquin River towards Stockton. Photo taken from a wetlands trail with a grassy prairie in the foreground.

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Downtown // Antioch, Calif. We are out here in RIVERTOWN doing RIVERTOWN things.

The illuminated Rivertown sign straddles Second, just west of E in downtown Antioch. The sunset colors here are gorgeous and I've pumped them a bit but only to enjoy the same emotions I've been feeling.

Mike Liu @9mac2.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Coyote Point Park // San Mateo, Calif. Immaculate vibes, cool grey water and sky.

A fisherman stands on the southern edge of the marina at Coyote Point Marina, looking towards the mid-rise offices in Foster City and the low hill of Seal Point in the distance. The ground is covered with sage and other scrub plants; the white patches are crushed shells.

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Chinatown // San Francisco Could you touch both walls?

The alleys are the living breathing heart of Chinatown and the best replica of that experience you might have missed on accident.

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Old Street // Tamsui In the rush, as we hurry worry scurry

The old street shopping districts in Taiwan are delightful assaults on the senses: a panoply of sights accompanied by cheap snacks and chilly air con having you oscillating between steamed and chilled, a chance to practice deciding between different choices nearly identical but why not both, you finally shrug.

Chinatown // San Francisco There is comfort in the familiar and nostalgic, though.

Cable Car 57 rushes up California Street next to the Sing Fat pagoda roofs, now overwhelmed by neighboring skyscrapers from the Financial District.

Sanzhi // New Taipei City // Taiwan The unexpected rhythms of life in Taiwan: numbing humidity and heat that you eventually endure, sparkling opportunities to learn.

A temple rises from the roadside jungle. It's not terribly jungly (or massively temple-y) here, but it does make a nice splash of color against all that green.

This building is new since I visited last year, rearing up into haughty repose, shrouded in scaffolding and blue poly tarps.

Waves echo in frozen ceramic tiles, washing up forever on the deserted shoreline.

A paifang (gate) welcoming you to Sanzhi, traditional signs supplemented by digital scrolling information as we always see in Taiwan: the combination of stubborn retention out of thrift or tradition, augmented with the convenient and modern. In the distance, corrugated (rusty) siding is a popular choice for the buildings, built in uncertain conditions but resilient nonetheless.

Sanzhi // New Taipei City // Taiwan I spend so much time looking for foreign buildings I forget how much we have in common.

This is an abandoned building – full-on, trash piled up throughout the bottom floor, some windows intact – just off the main highway. Somewhere, this made economic sense.

This is a gas station, perhaps? Or maybe a service station? The long carport gives some indication, while the building looks like perhaps you could put a small store and maybe a residence on top. There were so many angles.

Stairs to the landmark pedestrian bridge in Sanzhi. I'm pretty sure that no one actually uses the bridge; you end up climbing an astonishing number of steps to cross at a dizzying height. Instead, most do as I do and wait for a break in the traffic, then dash over.

This is the pedestrian bridge; it's lovely and colorful and serves as a great reminder to call for a stop in the bus.

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Chinatown // San Francisco In contrast, it's brisk in Chinatown this morning, crisp blue skies and sunshine promising a cool night ahead to watch the sky writ bright.

Your classic view north on Grant; red paper lanterns strung across the street, a dragon Street lamp on the right, and in the distance, the pagoda roofs of the Sing Fat and Sing Chow buildings, sun high enough to cast deep shadows in the canyon gap with bikes and cars rushing by

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Sanzhi // New Taipei City // Taiwan Part of being in Taiwan is trying to get a walk in before it was too hot but even at 6 am, it is certainly a feast for the senses and pores, open with no cooling breeze of relief.

Pickles Hotdog beach side stand, shuttered. As the name implies you may exhange money (undoubtedly a modest amount, as is the usual for Taiwan) for a hot dog and probably pickles. This combination is punctuated by a sign depicting a pair of potato-looking smiling foods giving each other a hug.

The blue metal letters spell out "Zhilan" on the water's edge, looking north across the strait towards mainland China.

This is a mural on the wall of a coffee shop in Sanzhi village, showing anthropomorphized female and male owls in oddly provocative poses. I may be in love.

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Chinatown // San Francisco This delightful pair arrested me in Spofford Alley, waiting patiently to be wheeled back into their shop.

A Siamese cat with blue eyes and a gray tabby are sitting in a wooden cart alongside some houseplants next to a flower shop opening for business in Chinatown.

Sanzhi // New Taipei City // Taiwan I could spend a whole day talking to you about the stay cats of Taiwan who seemingly adopted me during this last trip.

A small brown tabby car lying on a tile floor covered by a checkered fabric mat. The car is looking towards the bottom of frame, sprawled out in a comfortable heap.

Two cats lying on a table and chair; the table cat is an orange tabby eyeing me nervously, while the chair cat is a brown tabby with its back to me.

Two cats lying on a tile porch; the same brown tabby is on the top level next to a stainless steel handrail, while a tortoise-shell is grooming its tail a couple of steps below.

A great that looks at me alertly, frames by the brick walls of a grassy alley stretching into the distance, marked by an orange traffic cone.

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Contra Costa County Fair // Antioch, Calif. I end up at the Zipper, watching those watching those, flying out to infinity (and beyond).

Crowds at Zipper, a tumbling pod ride with two arms. I remember being on one as a kid hoping to ride with someone I wouldn't mind being squished up against, and succeeding.

Zipper continues to spin against the sunset; the mix of blurred and sharp people in the foreground is attributed to how still they stood during the exposure.

They say that diagonal lines convey a sense of dynamism so I took yet another photograph of Zipper, this time at a low angle as the rides main arm extends from lower left towards the center top.

Contra Costa County Fair // Antioch, Calif. More carnival staples: a sky swing (starting on the ground, with seats suspended by chains) and a scrambler (multi-armed carousel, with each rider pod itself able to spin at the end of the arm)

I keep wanting to call this the YoYo, because that's the ride at the San Mateo County Fair, but this one is The Phoenix, which has a red and gold motif.

The arms of the scrambler are blurred chaotically due to motion. It is colored black with a cruciform lattice base to support the rotating and tilting motors.

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Contra Costa County Fair // Antioch, Calif. This fair features two centrifugal rides: one open, one closed. It's been years since I've seen an open one (here named Vertigo) so I had to stop and watch.

Ride operator standing on the boarding stairs for Vertigo, an open ride that lines riders along the perimeter of a cylindrical platform, then spins to press them against the walls. By this time the ride is going fast enough to blur the lights into solid lines.

Later, the ride begins to tilt its axis, looking for all the world like some kind of roulette wheel for a basketball-sized marker. It also looks a bit like a radar dish pointed at the sky.

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Contra Costa County Fair // Antioch, Calif. Whether falling or spinning, there is something to delight every rider here.

Drop Tower at the fair; riders are seated and secured on a little elevator and brought to the top, then experience a brief moment of free fall until they are halted and released. Crowds in the foreground are blurred into illegibility.

Purple elephant on a flying carousel ride; a panning motion was used to stop the elephant while offering a sense of speed by blurring the background. The ride is a riot of color and speed.

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Contra Costa County Fair // Antioch, Calif. I love the lights coming up on the rides at night, shapes blurred by motion, painting trails against the twilight.

Ferris Wheel at Contra Costa County Fair at sunset; a long exposure has been used to blur the wheel's motion on the left, echoed by a flapping banner on the right advertising ice cream. Other booths, people, and rides are rendered as stark silhouettes, having exposed for the sky.

The same Ferris Wheel, a little later and a bit darker. Again, a long exposure is used to blur motion into a series of spokes with a jagged rim of light.

Contra Costa County Fair // Antioch, Calif. I knew the fair was in town so I walked over last night.

Riders on the Magic Dragon rollercoaster at the Contra Costa County Fair in Antioch, California. The lead car has an Asian dragon-shaped head and the track follows two loops; the ride is approximately five minutes long, going around the complete circuit twice, and the riders look mostly delighted.

Marquee for the Magic Dragon, lit up in red and white lights which spell out the name of the ride. There is a crowd thrown into shadow, waiting to ride, but the throngs were not thick and wait times were short. The overall shape is reminiscent of a paifang archway, with pagodas as pillars and a typical peaked roof bridge in between.

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Rivertown // Antioch, Calif. I am grateful to have found a place, though, and pleased with my new job; change is hard and good and necessary.

The entrance gate to the historic Rivertown district in Antioch, California, straddling 2nd at the corner with E. This downtown area was laid out as a railroad town and the entire area north of the freeway is economically challenged compared to the area south.

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Public Fishing Pier // Antioch, Calif. Antioch is a study in change, an industrial town in eastern Contra Costa County that has seen a huge demographic shift since 1970; there is an eternal, restless breeze along the riverfront, ever beckoning.

The Public Fishing Pier is actually one of three riverfront piers in Antioch; this is the one closest to downtown, and is built partially over the submerged ruins of Antioch's Chinatown. There are a few anglers here testing their luck, and wrapped in hooded sweatshirts against the persistent winds blowing west to east.

Behind the pier, at sunset, with low palm trees along the shoreline: there is an active single track railroad line that carries Amtrak (San Joaquins) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe through downtown Antioch along the river's edge. In this view, there is a ledge protruding out towards the water on the left, which is a public platform available to view the river.

Sunrise, over the parking lot looking east towards the Antioch Bridge. There is a white car parked here and the driver is enjoying the sunrise along with me. Low clouds truncate the glorious sky, frames by trees and the asphalt expanse below.

Hillsdale & Central Park // San Mateo, Calif. With the sobering realization that I'll need to move (away? to?), I've started saving up memories from San Mateo to bring along to a new life.

Interior of the Hillsdale Shopping Center food court: wood panels line the ceiling, and a nicely padded bench is lined with tables. A man is walking by, back to the camera, going past a booth that was Winner Chicken and is now being remodeled into something else. There are white lattice sculptures reminiscent of the trumpet bell shape of calla lilies, and plants (not sure if fake or real) growing out of the planters behind the benches, alongside the sculptures.

Wooden footbridge in the Japanese Garden of Central Park in San Mateo. This one sees less traffic than the other, and has simple posts topped with carved finials. In the distance, a tree with red leaves provides a pop of color contrasting with the green and tan scene.

Close up of that red tree in the prior pictures: it is a Japanese maple, with the characteristic serrated five-lobed leaves in red and green. For this tree, as the leaves ripen, they turn from green to red, so there is a continuous spectrum of shading.

Kitchen // Hayward Park // San Mateo, Calif. Happily I have not had to exercise my coffee making "skills" (/s) to stay awake on the long drive to the new job in Antioch.

Four moka pots and some cubic kitchen timers on a shelf in my kitchen: the moka pots are mostly of the same design, but in different sizes, and the kitchen timers have numbers printed on the sides along with a position switch: flip them with the number up and it will count down to the appropriate amount.

ECR // San Mateo, Calif. I have been absent recently as New Work Monday has given way to Weary Commute Wednesdays and then Find a New Place Fridays.

Night view towards the south along El Camino Real, near the intersection with 12th/Hobart in San Mateo, California. In the very early morning, around 4:30, I am waiting for the bus to start a new job that Monday on a route which will take me three hours to complete, connecting with BART in Millbrae and Walnut Creek. I am standing in traffic, and my shadow is cast into relief, with no traffic apparent, as customary for this hour.

Mike Liu @9mac2.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

In grad school I used to fly red-eyes Sunday nights from Sacramento to Boston via Las Vegas; there was nothing like the sober quiet of returning from a weekend in Vegas.

Mike Liu @9mac2.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

I often think of the poem* from e.e. cummings in this mud-luscious, puddle-wonderful season. * [in Just–], taught in grade school to encourage young poets

North Shoreview // San Mateo, Calif. Eventually this happened, with thanks to my family for planning it for me.

A cupcake from Susie Cakes with the large numerals 50 to celebrate my birthday. It has been a nice weekend all around.

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Seal Point // San Mateo, Calif. There is something magical about the gentle sussurus of wings and throaty coos; I wish you were here to hear it with me.

Seal Point parking lot // San Mateo, Calif. A flock of pigeons moved in a few months afterward and I'm happy to report they're still around, expectant.

Pigeons walking and checking the ground in a parking lot with painted lines and grassy cracks. Feathers are slightly ruffled in the persistent breeze; they appear to be busy residents of the area.

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Bay Trail (near Ryder Park) // San Mateo, Calif. When we were all working from home this is how my day would start: "commute" by walking a loop down to the Bay shore and seeing what was new.

San Francisco Bay shoreline at low tide; a single bird is standing on the mud looking for breakfast, well after sunrise but the break in the clouds behind throws sharp relief over the image.