Introduction#
This article is a record and reflection on life from 2025-03-18 to 2025-03-24.
At the beginning of March, I learned of Khalil Fong's passing. Over the past few weeks, I accompanied my senior to two memorial concerts, which left me with some feelings that I wanted to document.
About Khalil Fong#
I wouldn't consider myself a music lover, nor do I often have special feelings for singers. The only thing I might say is that in recent years, Mayday has provided me with much companionship during various turning points in my life, and they are the only concert I have attended live.
I've listened to quite a few of Khalil Fong's songs, but in my heart, he has always been a distant senior in the Chinese music scene. I didn't grow up listening to his music, so it's hard to call myself a loyal fan.
My deeper connection with him began when I started dating my senior, who has loved Khalil Fong since high school. A few years ago, she even attended his concert in Hong Kong, so I started listening to more of his music. I also used the song "Special Person" as background music in some articles about love. Later, when we decided to challenge ourselves and signed up for a pop music training course at an external institution, I chose "Special Person" as my first song (even though the teacher said his vocal runs are difficult and not suitable for beginners), and I managed to learn it with some struggles.
Just a few days ago, I learned the sad news from Weibo's trending topics. I had just attended an offline event in Shanghai, and my senior cried on the spot. I was also shocked and took a while to recover. For me, it felt like someone I wasn't really familiar with but never thought would leave suddenly disappeared, turning into a star.
After returning home, I remembered an episode I had saved but never watched, "Possibly Khalil Fong's Only Exclusive Interview for His New Album! 丨 The Real and Fake Khalil Fong Finally in the Same Frame 丨 HOPICO." This over forty-minute interview suddenly gave me a very concrete and vivid understanding of him, along with the emotions and energy he wanted to convey through his songs and albums. Listening to "Return" again, combined with his slightly hoarse voice during the album recording, felt like a prepared farewell, and I couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
What struck me deeply was when he mentioned in the interview that he recorded using an old, somewhat damp piano from a relative's house in Shanghai, which produced a slightly scratchy tone. It seemed that this tone more accurately conveyed what he wanted to express. I often feel that whether in music or writing, beyond the lyrics, melody, or prose itself, it is more about the transmission of energy. Perhaps in a certain moment, it can warm or even save a distant stranger who is in a low point. This is a co-creation between the creator and the audience, jointly constructing the soul of the work.
And Khalil Fong's songs seem to have a soul.
Khalil Fong Memorial Concert#
It has been a while since the news of Khalil Fong's passing, but fan clubs in Hangzhou and some individuals are organizing memorial concerts. My senior signed up as a volunteer to host and help maintain order at the event, and I participated as well, taking some photos.
The event took place in a sunken plaza at the Hangzhou Tower. It was very cold that day, yet many people sat quietly on the steps listening or singing along. At one point, I turned around and was somewhat shocked and moved; it felt like I could really sense the energy that Fong wanted to convey through his songs, which materialized into individual points, connecting these unfamiliar individuals.
In the end, we quietly listened to "Return," bidding farewell together.
Adulting and Life Checklist#
As we have been living in Hangzhou longer, and since we both work remotely, we often think about ways to connect ourselves with this city. Recently, due to participating in these offline activities, my senior has met some interesting new friends, including idealists wanting to revitalize R&B, a sophomore studying pop music in Korea, and enthusiasts working in jobs unrelated to music but enjoying time together on weekends.
After the event, they invited my senior to go to a mall to eat fried chicken. For us, who have started focusing on health, this doesn't seem like a typical option we would consider when going out, but we wanted to experience the atmosphere.
The scene was very interesting; everyone had different ages, professions, and life experiences, yet we sat together. Each person bought some favorite food to share on the table at the fried chicken shop, and we cheered for getting ice cream for 1 yuan at Mixue Bingcheng, feeling like we were back in our student days.
Last year, I frequently pondered adulting, feeling that I didn't have enough qualifications or abilities to be an adult. Yet, just a few months later, I seem to have matured enough to do things I once found hard to imagine, like even getting married.
From my current perspective, I seem to have a deeper understanding. It's actually quite difficult to define what growth is, and even harder to define ourselves. We don't have to become the mature and steady adults we imagined as children, nor do we need to feel sad about drifting further away from our youthful selves.
I like the blogger "Little Deer Lawrence" who has a main series in his videos each year. Last year's was called "Lost Holiday," taking a break in the gaps of life to travel and enjoy; this year's series is called "Life Checklist," doing things that only existed in our minds, experiencing and feeling, such as the first episode where he sought out the long-lost flavors of the New Year in Anhui.
This year, I also want to live from the perspective of a "Life Checklist," looking for the scenery in life that I have not noticed before, doing things I once thought were out of reach.
Perhaps life should be like this.
Interesting Things and Items#
MCP#
RSSHub + MCP Server + Chatwise = 🪄✨
Inputs#
Although most interesting inputs will automatically sync in the "Yu's Life" Telegram channel, I still selected a portion to list here, making it feel more like a newsletter. Additionally, I built a microblog using Telegram Channel messages as content sources — "daily.pseudoyu.com," which makes browsing more convenient.
Favorites#
Articles#
- AI Blindspots, some recommended practices for AI coding