Gary Li — Off-duty, still leveling.
The save screen between the work quests. Where I trade roadmaps for rulebooks, dashboards for rallies, and conference rooms for the steam off a fresh pour. Same brain, different inventory.
My BTC Portfolio
When I say I'm invested in BTC, I don't mean Bitcoin. I mean my personal trio: Board games, Tennis, Coffee. They keep me curious, balanced, and constantly leveling up outside of work.
The Strategist's Stack
Asymmetric war games, co-op engine builders, anything with hidden information. Where I practice trade-offs, sunk-cost discipline, and reading the table.
The Grind Portfolio
Almost every day after work. Tracking swing counts and rally length the way I track ecomm metrics: marginal gains, logged.
The Daily Compound
One cup per morning. Dialing in grind, dose, and yield with a kitchen scale and zero shame. Patience exercise disguised as a beverage.
Off-the-clock Regions
Each holding has its own zone, loadout, and skill tree. Dive deeper.
Lost Ruins of Arnak : Twisted Paths
Board Games
Systems & Strategy
Collected 20+ strategy titles that reward long-term thinking and adaptability. In college, I designed and prototyped my own digital board game with a full rulebook, tokens, and cards.
EQUIPPED LOADOUT
- MAINLost Ruins of Arnak: deck-building, resource management
- SUBCatan: Strategy, trading
- LIGHTSplendor Duel: for sneaking in newcomers
COURT · AFTER WORK
Tennis
Iterative Improvement
Every match is a dataset. I track my tennis sessions the same way I track e-commerce metrics — analyzing patterns, looking for marginal gains, because improvement is a game of consistency.
EQUIPPED LOADOUT
- WPNYonex EZONE 98 (2025)
- FOCUSBackhand
- RIVALMy own forehand consistency
BREW · DAILY 6:45 AM
Coffee
Precision & Ritual
From dialing in the perfect brew to practicing latte art, coffee is my daily blend of standardization and experimentation. Each cup is a tiny experiment in patience and precision.
EQUIPPED LOADOUT
- DEVICEBreville Barista Express
- BEANOlympia Morning Sun
- SKILLWorking on the Matcha creamtop
Recent Saves
Little wins, little losses, the moments worth a screenshot. Pinned from the journal.
WINArnak clicked today.
Finally sequenced the deck right: held back on research, flooded temples late. Resource management over raw points. It worked.
PRFirst clean kick serve.
Three months of trying. The ball bounced where I aimed for the first time. Felt like shipping a feature.
WILDBroke the SOP today.
Shot pulled straight over cold milk. No steam, no ritual. Just contrast. Weird. Worked. Reminder that the standard process isn't always the ceiling.
NEWNew bean dialed in.
18g in, 36g out, 28s. Deep, syrupy, chocolate. None of the fruit I expected from the bag. Better.
Skills That Carry Over
The hobbies aren't separate from the work; they're where the work gets sharpened. Here's what carries over.
Every game teaches me that the obvious move is rarely the best one. Sit with the board for a turn longer than feels comfortable.
Nobody fixes their backhand in one session. You log it, you iterate, you trust the rep count. Same with shipping product.
A good cup is a tight SOP: grind, dose, yield, time. Documentation isn't paperwork, it's the recipe that makes tomorrow's pour repeatable.
Make yourself at home.
A few favorites from my collection. Pick something up — I probably have a story about it.
Start with Arnak. My favorite.
Board games01 / 03
The game shelf
4 games + 4 additions
+ 3 additions
All-time favoriteLost Ruins of ArnakTake a closer look
My all-time favorite. Deck building is one of my favorite board-game elements, and it is a big part of why I love Arnak.
Also on my shelf
Expedition Leaders
The Missing Expedition
Adventure Chest
+ 1 DIY expansion
Current go-toMagical AthleteTake a closer look
My recent go-to, especially with people who have never played board games before. Easy to learn and easy to introduce.
DIY Expansion - Hot Streaker Tokens
Unofficial, fan-created expansion using characters from the board game Hot Streak. Found on AliExpress.
Next on my wishlistMagical Athlete: Second Wind
2 owned items · wishlist excluded
The classicCatanTake a closer look
An all-time classic. Trading and negotiation are what I enjoy here, though a bad start can make the game feel slow and uneven.
1 owned item
Where it startedMonopoly Costco EditionTake a closer look
Monopoly helped introduce me to board games. This edition earns its spot for its design and the way it resonates with my retail background.
1 owned itemThe racket wall
Our first rackets.
Then a stop in Shinjuku.
My first racketWilson Clash 100 V2The story
My first racket, and a great one to learn with. It felt forgiving when I was starting out, which made tennis a lot more enjoyable.
Her first racketHEAD Boom MP 2024 AlternateThe story
I got this one for my girlfriend. She loved the color, and I figured having a racket she liked looking at might help convince her to keep playing with me.
Currently playing
My current go-toYonex EZONE 98 2025The story
We picked up new rackets while visiting Shinjuku, Japan. This is the one I reach for now. It feels balanced and comfortable to play with.
Still figuring it outYonex VCORE 98 8th GenThe story
Also picked up in Shinjuku. This one feels a bit more demanding, and I’m still getting used to handling it.
The coffee counter
Two favorites.
And something a little different.
Morning Sun
Chocolatey and nutty, with a little vanilla. An easy one to start the morning with.
Monarch
Rich, chocolatey, and a little fruity. Works really well with milk.
Snow Mountain Ice Wine
Probably the most unusual coffee I’ve tried. Aged in whiskey barrels, with whiskey, vanilla, and honey notes. That mix of coffee and cocktail flavors is what made it memorable.
Also brewed 13 more coffees
- Methodical
Belly Warmer
- Olympia
Sweetheart
- Equator
Eye Of The Tiger
- Methodical
Brazil - Signature Series
- Equator
Mocha Java Fair Trade Organic
- ONYX
Southern Weather
- Olympia
Big Truck
- Madcap
Eureka
- Equator
Regenerative Organic Blend
- Olympia
Northwesterly Blend
- Madcap
Bolt
- Boon Boona
Bereka
- DOMA
Carmela's
If we ever play a board game, share a court, or have a coffee: that's where you'll really meet me.