Fork and Bar

29 Apr, 2024

Part One: Reflections on Frost and O. Henry

Learning singular homology in a bar. Photo credit: Jessie.

There’s a peculiar sort of kinship between the gentle unease of O. Henry’s “Roads of Destiny” and the reflective ponderings within Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” Both weave a complex fabric of destiny and choice. O. Henry’s characters, with their twisted fates, remind me of the capricious nature of life’s journey. Frost’s poem, a gift from my friend Sam Chen, captures the essence of that journey—each decision point a divergence into a new possibility, a contemplative look at the paths we choose and those we leave behind.

Both stories implore us to look beyond the immediate and into the long-term ramifications of our choices. In my life, these narratives find echoes in the transition from architecture to mathematics. These decisions form the canvas upon which my life’s picture is painted, full of might-have-beens and what-ifs, yet complete in its own rich pattern.

Part Two: The Tapestry of Choices

Name of friend's bar '酒窝'

As I sipped on the Dalmore whisky, a thoughtful gift from a friend, my gaze rested on the calligraphy that now adorned the wall of his bar. It’s curious how flavors and scents can evoke such vivid memories. The last time whisky graced my lips was in a bar in Shenzhen, my mind wrapped around the complexities of singular homology, the conversation as rich and layered as the drink in my hand.

In those moments, with each sip, I bridged my past with the present—once an architecture student, now a devotee of mathematics, yet always an artist at heart. The brushstrokes for the sign, much like my decisions, were deliberate, purposeful. They didn’t just represent my friend’s establishment; they captured a fragment of my journey. Life’s curious like that, offering forks in the road yet somehow weaving threads that connect each disparate path.

Whether discussing topology over whisky or exchanging brushes for equations, it’s clear that my life is a tapestry of experiences, each chapter flavored with its own unique blend of art, science, and memory. The question isn’t what if I had pursued architecture; it’s about how each experience—architectural drafts, mathematical proofs, or creating art—contributes to the richness of life, with or without knowing the outcomes of the roads not taken.