Journal

Performers in painted faces and ornate headdresses at a temple festival

25 Mar 20262 min readLife

Temple festivals and the goddess of the sea

Taiwan's folk temples are loud, colourful and close to everyday life. An introduction to temple festivals, processions and Mazu, the sea goddess.

11 Feb 20262 min readNotes

Reading research papers without drowning

There are always more papers than time. The reading habits that help me decide what to read closely and what to skim.

10 Feb 20262 min readTravel

Planning around cherry blossom season in Japan

Cherry blossoms are beautiful and brief, and their timing changes every year. How to plan a trip around them without being disappointed.

23 Jan 20262 min readThoughts

Letting an idea rest

Not every problem gets better when you push harder. Some only get clearer once you step away and let them sit.

Rows of red lanterns strung across a space in Kaohsiung

14 Jan 20262 min readLife

One Lunar New Year, two ways: Tết and Taiwan

Vietnam and Taiwan celebrate the same Lunar New Year with many shared roots and plenty of small differences. A side-by-side look.

A neon-lit street reflected on wet pavement at night

4 Dec 20252 min readTravel

How to eat your way through a Taiwanese night market

Night markets are where Taiwan eats, shops and plays after dark. A few habits help you get more out of them, and leave less rubbish behind.

An old ship engine telegraph dial, black and white

3 Dec 20252 min readNotes

Servitization in plain words

Manufacturers selling services, and outcomes, instead of only products. What servitization means and why the digital version is getting so much attention.

19 Nov 20252 min readLife

Reading the seasons in two places

Northern Vietnam has four seasons you can name by smell. Southern Taiwan has heat, plum rains and typhoons. Notes on learning a new calendar of weather.

A traditional Chinese-style hall with orange roofs in Taipei

18 Nov 20252 min readThoughts

Learning a third language, slowly

Vietnamese is home, English is work, and Chinese is still a door I am learning to open. Some thoughts on being a beginner as an adult.

15 Oct 20252 min readTravel

Hội An old town: practical notes

Yellow walls, the Thu Bồn river and lanterns at night. Hội An is famous for good reasons, and a few simple choices make it much more enjoyable.

6 Oct 20252 min readNotes

What DEA actually measures

Data Envelopment Analysis comes up in almost everything I read and write. A plain-language note on what it does, and what it does not.

An alley in Taiwan with old buildings and greenery

30 Sept 20252 min readLife

On being a Vietnamese student in Taiwan

Some reflections on studying far from home: language, small routines, and why the distance between Vietnam and Taiwan is both short and long.

An old stone arch bridge half-covered by forest

12 Sept 20252 min readThoughts

Servitization, explained without jargon

My research topic in plain words: why companies that make things are increasingly selling services, and why it is harder than it sounds.