Author | Lightnews

Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 1h

That's a nice little score!

Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 1h

I read Pompeii. I thought the research was interesting, but the story and characters were rather lackluster. I've considered trying The Ghost, but don't know if it'd just be more of the same. Even the movie for Conclave started out intriguing enough, but fizzled at the end (I haven't read the book).

Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 2h

However, looking at your shelf, I think Red Gold and Kingdom of Shadows should be flipped around.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 2h

He's good, isn't he? If I had children, I'd gladly give the firstborn to find another writer like him, John le Carré, Graham Greene, or Martin Cruz Smith. 😁

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks! She's getting better, and her range of motion has improved a lot. However, she still has to eat my cooking. 😁

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 7d

She's doing much better, thanks. Her range of motion is greater now, so she can do a lot more things for herself. However, she still has to eat my cooking. 😁

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 29d

Two recent pictures of my wife. (Details in the alt text.)

I'll be busy for the next little while, so I'll be less active online. It's not that I'm ignoring anyone.

$Two x-rays of the same shoulder. The top one shows a compound fracture where the collarbone is completely broken through into two parts, with the outer piece noticeably lower. The second one shows a metal plate and 9 screws joining the broken collarbone together. Everything is at the same level. For those wondering, she lost her balance while kneeling and moving around on the bed. She spent two nights in the hospital and was discharged on the third day. She has to wear a sling everywhere for two weeks except when lying on the bed. She can't lift her hand above her head tor 8 weeks, and no vigorous activity for 3 months.$

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Oct 3

I checked out the other merch in that link. I'm curious about that fountain pen, but I was somehow under the impression your father had a Parker Duofold. Do you happen to know what fountain pens and inks he used?

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Oct 2

I shaved off my mustache earlier this morning. It took my wife two hours to notice, even though we had a couple of face-to-face conversations. 😐

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Oct 2

So that village of Guangfu in Hualien that had the massive flood a few days ago has seen an influx of volunteers to help with the cleanup. That's one very noteworthy aspect of Taiwanese society that always impresses foreigners here.

#Taiwan #Hualien #Guangfu

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Gym bros, monks, retirees: thousands descend on Taiwan town to clean up after devastating flood | Taiwan | The Guardian

Trains packed with volunteers arrive at tourist town of Guangfu, days after typhoon sent millions of tonnes of mud and water crashing through its streets

www.theguardian.com

Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 30

For what it's worth, I didn't think his books faltered post-Cold War. While I did enjoy his former plots, I also really enjoyed his later narrative style.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 30

Plotwise, he was at his peak from the mid '70s to the end of the Cold War.

Stylistically, he was at his peak from the very late '80s on into the '00s.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 30

I finished #reading Red Gold by Alan Furst, one of his excellent novels about spies in #WW2.

Wonderful atmosphere. Spare, near-poetic prose. And the lingering question of what we would do in a similar situation. A novel that transcends the genre the way le Carré did.

#Books #AlanFurst #JohnLeCarre

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 29

What are a couple of teachers going to do on a Teacher's Day long weekend?

#Coffee

A slice of burnt-sugar Basque cheesecake and a brown-sugar steamed milk on a wooden tray in a coffee shop.

A layered cookie with caramel filling and a iced coffee on a tray in a coffee shop.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 29

The gov't has introduced three new national holidays this year, and two of them are in Sep/Oct. But we already had two holidays during that time. That means 4 out of 5 weekends in a row this year will be long weekends.

#Taiwan

Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 29

Interesting read. Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the internet, proposes a new privacy-centric way of storing data, as well as thoughts on AI regulation.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

#Tech #AI #Internet #SocialMedia

Why I gave the world wide web away for free | Technology | The Guardian

My vision was based on sharing, not exploitation – and here’s why it’s still worth fighting for

www.theguardian.com

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 28

And what better place for a teacher to visit on Teacher's Day than the Confucius temple.

#Taiwan

A Chinese-style gate leading to the Confucius temple.

The Confucius temple in Taichung, Taiwan.

A closer picture of the Confucius temple

A side arcade of the temple with columns on the outside.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 28

Today is Teacher's Day in Taiwan, chosen because it's also Confucius' birthday.

#Taiwan

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 28

I just saw a video of my 102-year-old grandmother dancing with my sister.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 27

Congratulations!

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 24

Yeah, and Hualien is still recovering from last year's earthquake.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 24

Here are some videos and pictures of the flooding in Hualien.

focustaiwan.tw/society/2025...

#TyphoonRagasa #Taiwan #Hualien

Death toll in Hualien rises to 14 following barrier lake overflow - Focus Taiwan

At least 14 people have been confirmed dead after floodwaters from the Matai'an Creek Barrier Lake surged into Guangfu Township, Hualien County, officials said early Wednesday.

focustaiwan.tw

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 24

A barrier lake had formed a couple of months ago in the mountains in Hualien. Typhoon Ragasa caused it to burst, and the damage seems quite extensive.

taiwannews.com.tw/news/6206596

#Taiwan #TyphoonRagasa

Hualien barrier lake overflow leaves 14 dead, 124 missing | Taiwan News | Sep. 24, 2025 10:53

Search ongoing after overflow devastates Guangfu Township | Sep. 24, 2025 10:53

taiwannews.com.tw

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 24

It smells amazing, too! I give it a sniff every time I park next to it.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · Sep 23

If you see this, quote with a flower

A pink Singapore graveyard flower in full blossom. (For those reading this, I park my scooter next to a house that has this out front. It has a delicate, beautiful fragrance. I want to say a little like honeysuckle and jasmine, but those may be the only flower fragrances I know.)

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