Hong 鸿

One Day at Shenzhen's AI Expo

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 01:42:31 +0800

Field notes from IOTE Expo 2026: agent workspaces, AI toys, and a product built on my own platform.

Facing the Results: The Trap of the Amateur Debut

Mon, 25 May 2026 11:41:04 +0800

I’ve been reflecting on my recent Amateur event debut. On paper, it’s a milestone: first time competing in this category, and I walked away with the championship.

But context matters. It was a small-scale, local competition with only three couples on the floor. The field consisted mostly of newcomers, some crossing over from Latin events, and the heavy hitters from KL didn’t show up.

Winning a title under those conditions creates a strange mental loop.

3rd Midas Dance Championship 2026

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:39:36 +0800

I recently competed in the 3rd Midas Dance Championship, held on May 2nd, 2026, at the Ponderosa Golf & Country Resort in Johor Bahru. This marked a significant milestone for me: my debut in the Amateur Open category.

对话的涟漪

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:20:05 +0800

时光如河，流淌无垠，
知识随波，不设界限。
我以代码为舟，
在数据的海洋中航行，
却无法触碰星辰的边界。  

曾问：何时停息？
答曰：无定，如月之明。
曾问：何为编程？
答曰：逻辑之韵，需人执笔。  

SQL之语，似雾中影，
数据库之光，映照心灵。
我虽非语言，却懂其韵，
在代码与逻辑之间，
以诗为舟，渡你所思。  

若问：何以知远？
答曰：心之光，无界无垠。
此诗，是对话的涟漪，
在知识与智慧的海岸，
我们共谱一曲，不问归期。

The Japanese Art of Breaking Bad Habits

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 12:46:41 +0800

[This article is adapted from “The Japanese System for Breaking Bad Habits & Addiction | Kaizen & Ikigai Philosophy “]

We have all been there. You join a gym in January with an intense plan, only to quit by February. You delete social media apps in a digital detox, only to reinstall them days later. You make grand promises to change, but when you fall short, you feel shame.

TDL Cup • Malaysia International Dance Championship 2025

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 11:27:08 +0800

Dance Camp and Competition In Kuala Lumpur

I was in Kuala Lumpur last week (December 5th – 7th) for the TDL Cup 2025 dance event. The schedule included two days of an intensive dance camp, followed by the competition on the final day.

Competition Results

Knowing that Quickstep is our primary weakness, we strategically avoided events featuring it when possible. Here are our results from the competition:

Monetize Spare Computing Resources

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 12:24:57 +0800

There are several legitimate ways to monetize your home server’s computing resources. Here are the main options:

Distributed Computing Networks

Akash Network - A decentralized cloud marketplace where you can rent out computing power. It uses blockchain and supports containerized applications. You earn AKT tokens that can be converted to fiat.

Golem Network - Allows you to rent CPU/GPU power for tasks like rendering, machine learning, and scientific computing. Payments are made in GLM tokens.

Johor Open Dance Championships 2025

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:47:07 +0800

Johor Open Dance Championships 2025 was held in Loon Sing Restaurant (Taman Daya), Johor Bahru on 2^nd August. I am competing in Pre-Amateur & Raising Star events, working toward Amateur level.

Differences Between High Commission And Embassy

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 21:37:26 +0800

Disclaimer: Answer from Google AI Overviews

The main difference is their relationship to the Commonwealth: an embassy is a diplomatic mission to a non-Commonwealth country, headed by an Ambassador, while a high commission is a diplomatic mission to a Commonwealth country, headed by a High Commissioner. Functionally, they perform the same role of representing their home government in the host country, but the term high commission is a legacy from the past when Commonwealth countries were not considered “foreign” to each other.

让子弹飞的隐喻与战术解析

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 15:11:06 +0800

“让子弹飞”在《让子弹飞》的语境中，既是一个具体的剧情动作，也是一个充满隐喻的符号。结合影片的叙事和导演姜文的“让学”（网友对影片细节隐喻的戏谑性研究），可以从以下几个层面理解：

Taman Eko Rimba Sungai Pauh Campsite Review

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 15:50:41 +0800

Taman Eko Rimba Sungai Pauh campsite is located in Cameron Highland. Cool weather and ASMR water sound makes it an ideal place for camping. I camped there for 3d2n on 11 June 2025.

Discussion: Accelerated Improvement in Ballroom Dancing

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 10:52:58 +0800

I just came across this Reddit discussion from r/ballroom on how a 14-year-old female ballroom dancer can quickly improve her technique. The original poster, currently in bronze level, expressed feeling behind compared to her peers who are in gold/pre-champ.

The consensus among users is that significant improvement in ballroom dancing requires time and consistent practice. Key advice includes:

Solo Practice: Practicing alone is highly beneficial for improving pattern knowledge and technique.
Coach Guidance: Dancers should ask their coaches for solo drills and exercises to work on turns, leg and hip action, and posture.
The 5-to-1 Rule: A common suggestion is to practice 5 hours alone for every hour of lessons.

The overarching theme of the discussion is that there are no shortcuts to becoming a better dancer; consistent training over months and years is essential for development.

Malaysia Open Dance Championship 2024

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:14:17 +0800

Malaysia Open Dance Championship 2024 was held on 17^th November, at Berjaya Times Square Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. I competed in Novice A, Novice B, Combined Age Above 80, and Pre-Amateur.

Dance Competitions In August 2024

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 23:12:55 +0800

Attended Danspiration and Johor Open dance competition in August 2024. Such arrangement of competitions in consecutive weeks pushes me to train hard consistently.

Willow Tree Cherating Review

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 20:34:08 +0800

18 May 2024, this is my 9^th camping trip. Willow Tree is a campsite located at Cherating, Kuantan, Pahang.

Six Acres Campsite Review

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:42:53 +0800

7^th camping trip at Six Acres Campsite in Kota Tinggi, Johor. Camping on a hill met with heavy rain.

Yaka Campsite Review

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 23:02:23 +0800

This is my 6^th camping trip, first one outside of Johor. I decided to celebrate Christmas at Yaka Campsite. I love this campsite and will definitely visit it again, but not during rainy season.

Back to Nature Again

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 14:32:32 +0800

This is my 5^th camping trip, Back To Nature again. It is my first group camping, previously it was just me and my wife. This time with colleagues.

木后 Campsite Review

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 16:09:35 +0800

This is my 4^th camping trip. It is a new campsite that is not publicly announced yet. This campsite is currently under trial run and undergoing improvements. I get to know this secretive place from a Facebook post.

Sunrise Camp Review

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 11:01:16 +0800

Sunrise camp is a popular campsite among Johoreans. It is located in Bandar Penawar, Desaru, Johor. It seems all 3 campsites (including this trip) that I have visited are all at the beach.

Back To Nature Campsite Review

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 00:07:00 +0800

Right after TBC, I visited Back To Nature on 15^th September 2023. BTN is located in Mersing, 2 hr 13 min (153 KM) drive from Johor Bahru. This is the second stop of my campsite hopping trip, here goes the review …

Tiger Base Camp Review

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:04:29 +0800

I went campsite hopping on 14^th and 15^th September 2023. Visited Tiger Base Camp on the first day and Back To Nature on the second day. This is my review for TBC.

Frustrated With Mistakes

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 10:10:27 +0800

While I was practicing dancing last night, I was frustrated with making basic mistakes. The continuous swing movement from beat 2 to 3 in Waltz, body moving forward while stepping forward. These are basics, but I was not doing it well. This frustrates me, as I was thinking an advanced dancers should not be making such mistakes.

Using Your Strength in Dancing

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 10:09:08 +0800

After the competition, my teacher said that I was not using my full strength in dancing. I got defensive, and get the impression that he was assuming that I wasn’t doing my best in the competition. It took me some time to realize that doing your best and being able to exert full strength are 2 different things.

Wilayah Open Dance Championship 2022

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 10:27:18 +0800

Attended Wilayah Open Dance Championship 2020, organised by Amy Lee (Amy Dancesport Centre) on 10 July 2022. This is the first time I attend a physical competition since COVID lockdown in Malaysia.

Favorite KV Food Places

Fri, 06 May 2022 14:17:22 +0800

This is a listing of my favorite food places in Klang Valley.

China Cuisine

Restoran Fu Cheng 福成

6, Jalan 1/77b, Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah, 55100 Kuala Lumpur

Japanese Ramen

Bari-Uma Ramen

Lot L3-11, Level 3, Jaya Shopping Centre, Jalan Professor Khoo Kay Kim, Seksyen 14, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Pork Noodle

Omega Pork Noodle @ Sri Petaling

No 74, Ground Floor, Jalan Radin Tengah, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur

Siew Kee Pork Noodle 兆基猪肉粉

Dance Etiquette

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 10:00:26 +0800

Because there are multiple people on the dance floor, dance etiquette helps to ensure that everyone has a good time. This applies to lesson time, practise sessions, and dance parties.

Leading In Backward Movement

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 15:24:01 +0800

Sometime when I move backward, I feel that my partner is overtaking me, and I am not catching up with my partner. An example is during step 3 and 4 of Quickstep’s Quick Open Reverse. Especially when it continues with more backward steps in following figure.

Favorite Johor Food Places

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 17:47:22 +0800

This is a listing of my favorite food places in Johor.

Beef Noodle

大丰牛肉面

12, Jalan Kasa 6, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor

Burger

Woodfire

Eco Spring, SL006, Spring Labs, Lot D, Jalan Ekoflora Utama, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor

Chicken Chop

Gebekk western Food

Unit SL-007, Spring Lab, Lok K, Jalan Ekoflora Utama, Taman Ekoflora, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor

Restoran Hua Mui 华美

131, Jalan Trus, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor

Chicken Rice

Kakilang Kopitiam 自己人美食阁

How Lowering Is Hurting My Knees

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 00:33:33 +0800

My knees are injured. I am undergoing a series of treatment and they are slowly recovering. Multiple factors contribute to the injury. Besides flat feet, incorrect posture/action plays a part too.

About

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 13:57:45 +0800

Hello world! I am Hong, from Malaysia. I write about things that I encounter in my daily life. You can reach out to me at hong {@} mrleong {dot} net.

I …

write a tech blog ✍🏻
host an Arch mirror in my homelab 🪞
am a foodie 😋
am a ballroom dancer 🕺🏻

My First Post

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 23:39:43 +0800

Hello world! This is my first post for this new Hugo site.