DAILY PHOTO: Log-Loving Creatures of Mysore Zoo

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Photograph of a bear taking rest on a log at Mysore Zoo.
Photograph of a leopard on a log at Mysore Zoo.
Photograph of a snake in the reptile house of Mysore Zoo.
Photograph of a Chimp with a stick at Mysore Zoo

PROMPT: Happiness

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Daily writing prompt
What’s a common misconception people have about happiness?
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That it’s a worthy object of pursuit, as if it is a stable state. I think both the Taoists and the Buddhists have instructive views on the matter. In Taoism, the Yang contains the seed of Yin and one flows inexorably into the other. In this view, the rock bottom worst life has to offer is a time to rejoice because the light will follow. Whereas, when one thinks life is the best it can get, a fall will come. As for Buddhism, our happiness may reflect an illusion that we’ve momentarily achieved our desires, when desires are inherently great white whales. Aim for contentment. Experience happiness when it comes.

DAILY PHOTO: Bull

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Photograph of a Brahma Bull taken near Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, India.

PROMPT: Instantly

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Daily writing prompt
If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be and why?
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What would be the fun in that? It’s the journey that makes skill development enjoyable and interesting. I’m not interested in downloadable skills. (I’ll leave them to the robots.)

Dripping Blossom [Haiku]

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Photograph of a pink and orange flower taken in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India.
droplets drip 
  from the bottom petal, 
   after the rain.

Misty Mountain [Haiku]

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Photograph of mushroom caps among lichens and leaves, taken in the mountains near Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India.
in misty mountains,
 tiny fungi bloom amid
  lichens and mosses.

DAILY PHOTO: Dutch Square, Melaka

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Photograph of Stadthuys and Christ Church Melaka (i.e. Dutch Square) in Malacca, Malaysia.
Photograph of Stadthuys and Christ Church Melaka (i.e. Dutch Square) in Malacca, Malaysia.
Closeup photograph of Christ Church Melaka on Dutch Square in Malacca, Malaysia.

PROMPT: Grown

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Daily writing prompt
What is one way you have grown this year?
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Horizontally.

Jungle Entropy [Senryū]

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Photograph taken on Bukit Cina in Malacca, Malaysia.
the jungle wants to 
 hide, then eat, whatever
  humans build in it.

BOOK: “Shuhari” by Nobuo Suzuki

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Shuhari: The Three-Step Japanese Path to Lifelong Growth and SuccessShuhari: The Three-Step Japanese Path to Lifelong Growth and Success by Nobuo Suzuki
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Release date: August 11, 2026

I was introduced to the concept of “shuhari” as a student of Japanese martial arts, and over time I discovered it to be one of the most useful concepts for personal growth and development. Shuhari is by no means exclusive to martial arts and is applied to arts in the broadest sense — really to endeavors of any type (as is true in this book which references not only martial arts, but literary arts, graphic arts, cinematic art, and even sciences.) The idea is this: one begins by repetitively practicing what one is taught in as close to an exemplary fashion as possible (shu,) then one starts adapting the principles one has cultivated to changing and unpredictable circumstances (ha,) and finally one abandons the forms and embraces the spontaneous (ri.) In short, we follow the rules (shu,) break the rules (ha,) and abandon the rules (ri.)

Recent years have seen a flood of books on cultural life philosophies, starting and continuing with those of the Japanese culture, but venturing out into Scandinavian (Sisu and Lagom,) Goan (Susegad,) and many others. One could easily fill a shelf each with the popular books on “ikigai” or “ganbatte.” It’s kind of a surprise to see that it’s taken this long to venture into the invaluable concept of “Shuhari.” It is an idea whose time has come to go global.

In a broad sense, this is a book on learning and creativity, and I’d highly recommend it for anyone looking to reevaluate their approach to learning and / or creating.

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