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Ask HN: What's your greatest enjoyment in life?

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Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest enjoyment in life?

#151
For me quite mundane: 1) Enjoy a cup a good green tea in rest time and with a good view: the flavorful aroma, the light sweet aftertaste is a bliss! 2) Code something I enjoy: sometimes is it a problem came up from somewhere, sometimes is it a challenge, other times something beautiful to watch and enjoy. 3) Watch the children playing and laughing.

When I have good access to nature, I'd like a walk or a stroll, too but where I'm from, it's quite faraway and unfortunately not in a pristine shape.

Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest enjoyment in life?

#152
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d love to hear more. This sounds good to me. How did you end up in Japan?

> How did you end up in Japan? Quite simple. US became a nightmare towards the end. As an immigrant grad student without much means, I couldn't support myself long. After my advisor cut off funding, I tried finding a job. I didn't have money to pay the bills soon after & US job process was getting long & convoluted with internal referrals, pointless rounds of interviews, HR meetings. I needed money to feed myself - I…

There's nothing wrong or PTSD-like about living below your means

Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest enjoyment in life?

#156
Being in the zone, whatever form it might take.

To me, the zone is any situation that makes the baseline pain of being alive go away (there's too much to unpack here, so I won't).

Things that can bring me in the zone:

* Riding my Honda CB750F, especially without a destination, just moving through the world in this raw, old-fashioned way liberates my mind and puts me at such ease.

* Coding something I like.. Again it's not entirely the destination that matters, it's the journey, the work itself that changes my focus from the mundane to the creative.

* Listening to great music while doing almost anything, including not doing anything.

* Watching a movie or tv show with my wife or a friend.

* Creating something, art or invention or utilitarian object, changing my environment to suit me.

* Unstructured time to myself with no immediate tasks that has to be done, so that I can entirely let go of any thought and just drift, having no plans whatsoever.. This is probably my favourite thing in the world, but also most difficult for me to achieve..

Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest enjoyment in life?

#157

To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.

I was reading the other comments, rather seriously, reflecting, and got completely ambushed by your comment - actually LOLed hard - thank you :)

Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest enjoyment in life?

#159
There are several. Not according to order.

1. Chopin prelude plays on a bluetooth speaker. The room is dark. My mechanical keyboard emanates light. I solve problems with code. Code that is efficient, ingenious, redable, and scalable.

2. Learning new things in general. Or when it fits already accumulated knowledge. Like a new node in an already existing tree. This is somewhat abstract, sorry.

3. Spending time with SO. Any kind of time. Even mundane tasks like grocery shopping. I love her, and everything about her!

4. Cuddling with the dog. He reciprocates with licks and funny sounds and tail-wagging. Especially if it happens in our mango grove when there is strong breeze and there is no sun.

5. Swimming alone in a pond or lake when there is strong breeze and no sun (overcast). Especially butterfly and swimming face-up with no movement at all, with my ears submerged.

6. Being surrounded by mom and dad and eating special preparation cooked by her with dad reminiscing from his childhood.

7. Sitting in dark on rooftop while there is strong breeze. And reading calm, serene books like The Little Schemer.

8. Learning new Math. Gaining new perspectives, solving new problems.

9. Reading poetry that might not be mainstream but really touches me and are literary masterpieces. Like Vaishnava Padavalis and poems by Michael MS Dutt, and Jibanananda.

10. Being with like minded friends and dipping my feet in a river stream.

11. Understanding a hard, involved topic, and then explaining it plainly to people and when they get it. Especially if there is a strong stigma around the subject/topic being hard.

12. Thinking with writing and gaining new perspectives that I would not have gained without writing. pg talks about thinking with writing often. Also, randomly gaining epiphanies while doing something else.

13. Reciting poetry, especially when somewhat drunk.

14. Climbing highs with elongated period of hard work. Especially highs that I want to climb.

15. Consuming very high quality media of any kind. Like The Wire, Don Quixote, John Coltrane's Jazz, Chopin's Nocturnes, etc.

16. Reading big fat novels that are decades old, in paperback format, idly lying in bed in natural daylight and spending 5-6 hours doing it. Especially if the weather is somewhat hot.

17. After having exercised in the day, and having done deep focused work for some hours, the sleep I go into at night.

18. When I can help people that matters and there is a minor cost to myself. Or I have to work hard to help.

19. When beautiful, mature women pay attention to me/stare at me.

Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest enjoyment in life?

#160

When you go outside for a minute to get the mail and your dog is SO excited to see you return as though you’ve been gone for ages. Impossible not to be happy in that moment.

That happens when you have small kids and you arrive home after work.

But the kids do grow up.

With dogs, that is eternal.

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