Purpose of this document:Zara's main content (AI products / vibe coding / job seeking / content creation) has been organized into 4 dedicated topic wikis.This document collects the long-tail content:reading / travel / parenting / studying abroad / language learning.The density is lower than the main content, but there are several cross-cutting mindsets worth distilling
When to open this
| You are thinking | and turn to |
|---|---|
| "I want to find some English novels to read" | §1 Reading Taste |
| "Where to go on a Bay Area weekend / where to eat in Tokyo" | §2 Travel and Café/Restaurant Exploration |
| "What is the experience of pregnancy / giving birth like" | §3 Full Record of Pregnancy and Childbirth |
| "Can I succeed at learning a language / how to keep it up after starting work" | §4 Language Learning |
| "What did I learn as a Harvard undergraduate" | §5 Four Years at Harvard |
| "My willpower is weak, how do I stick to counter-instinctual things" | §6 Content is King: Turn Counter-Instinctual Things into Entertainment |
1. Reading Taste (mainly English novels)
1.1 Three characteristics of Zara's reading
1. 主要读英文(尤其是英文小说 + nonfiction)
2. 选书来自:
- 图书馆偶然发现(对面"想进入科技行业的文科生" 那本就是这样)
- 朋友推荐
- 作者上播客 / 演讲(zara 去了 Kevin Kwan 新书发售)
3. 进度跟随心情:同时看多本,每天看不一样的
1.2 List of books Zara recommends (cross-topic)
| Topic | Book | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal arts majors + tech | “The Fuzzy and the Techie”(Scott Hartley) | Why tech companies need liberal arts majors + role model |
| English writing | “Elements of Style”(Strunk & White) | Classic rulebook |
| English writing | “On Writing Well”(William Zinsser) | Nonfiction writing + guides for various genres |
| English writing | “The Plain English Guide” | Teaches you to "speak like a real person" |
| Late bloomer mindset | “Thanks for Waiting” | Being late is not a disadvantage, it is an advantage |
| Learning writerly prose | Complete works of Gay Talese (especially Frank Sinatra Has A Cold) | Founder of literary journalism, published a new book at age 91 |
| Entrepreneurship reflection | The *I Will Teach You To Be Rich* series / entrepreneurship-related books | |
| Venture capital circle satire | *Very Bad Company* (new novel, 2025-05) | Mystery + venture capital satire, prototypes of SBF / Theranos |
| Food & beverage → software | *Unreasonable Hospitality* (by the former head of Eleven Madison Park) | Food & beverage wisdom + parallels to internet/SaaS |
| Golden age console wars | *Console Wars* (Nintendo vs Sega in the 1990s) | Business wars + marketing strategy + reference for going global |
| ABC identity | “Counterfeit”(Kirsten Chen) | China-US cultural differences + female self |
| Female balance | Shonda Rhimes“Year of Yes” | Top TV writer + single mom + 3 adopted daughters |
| Crazy Rich Asian | Complete works of Kevin Kwan | "contemporary, normal Asians doing cool shit" |
| Feminism | *Nightbitch* / *Seven Day Switch* / *Margo's Got Money Troubles*, etc. | A sobering read before deciding to have a child |
1.3 Counter-consensus: Gay Talese's "ordinary people writing style"
"Most journalism only reports on big names, but Gay Talese likes to write about ordinary people, many of the people he writes about are at the bottom of society, unknown ordinary people, but under his pen everyone's life is incredibly brilliant!"
Writing lesson Zara learned: good writing does not rely on grand themes,it relies on writing small things brilliantly.
1.4 Method for learning English writing
"The best way to improve English writing is to find writers and works that are well written, read them repeatedly, and imitate them repeatedly."
Zara's own path:Harvard journalism class (taught by former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson) → read all of Gay Talese's works → formed her own concise, brisk writing style.
2. Travel and café/restaurant exploration (Tokyo / Bay Area / Vegas)
2.1 The correct way to do a two-day San Francisco (SF) trip
Zara provides a local's-perspective SF travel guide:
| ❌ Don't go | ✅ Do go |
|---|---|
| Fisherman's Wharf | Presidio (walking + picnic) |
| Union Square | Lands End + Golden Gate Bridge |
| Chinatown | Walt Disney Family Museum |
| Ordinary Pier 39 | Legion of Honor (special exhibition of Japanese ukiyo-e) |
Key food recommendations:
| Type | Shop | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Croissant | Arsicault Bakery(397 Arguello Blvd) | Tastiest in the whole US, requires waiting in line, chocolate almond recommended |
| Ramen | Ushi Taro Ramen(Sunset) | |
| Pizza | Pizzetta 211(Richmond) | "Feels like being in Europe" |
| Ice cream | Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream(Little Saigon, San Jose) | The best ice cream in the Bay Area(despite the Italian name, it is actually Vietnamese) |
2.2 Tokyo café/restaurant exploration
Zara has studied Japanese for 10 years, so her Tokyo picks are differentiated:
| Shop | Specialty |
|---|---|
| Studio Cafe Maru (Shin-Okubo) | Viral rabbit pudding, jiggly and bouncy |
| ATELIER KOHTA (Toranomon) | Raspberry mont blanc (with rum ice cream + raspberry sorbet) |
| RURU KAMAKURA (Kamakura) | The tables are made of water(work by a famous designer) |
2.3 Three Vegas museums in one day (storytelling training)
Zara works as a museum docent, and visited 3 museums in one day in Vegas with a research perspective:
| Museum | Storytelling technique | What was learned |
|---|---|---|
| Arte Museum(Korean interactive) | Immersive light and shadow → French art history light-and-shadow exhibition in collaboration with Paris Musée d'Orsay | Makes beginners interested in art history |
| The Mob Museum(Mob history) | Uses a single theme to string together politics / economy / women's status / culture | Distillery tasting: drinking Prohibition-era smuggled spirits while listening to explanations |
| The Neon Museum(Neon signs) | Uses city landmarks as the vehicle to tell city history | The tour is very photogenic |
For details, see Zara Zhang Zala / PM & VC Career Trajectory + Computer History Museum Docent §6 Museum Docent Storytelling Training.
2.4 Travel = an extension of learning
For Zara, travel is not pure leisure,but fieldwork for storytelling / design / cultural studies:
- Tokyo café/restaurant exploration = experiencing Japanese design aesthetics
- Vegas museums = storytelling research
- SF weekends = recommending local perspective vs tourist perspective
3. Full record of pregnancy and childbirth
Zara wrote 7 posts fully recording her real pregnancy and postpartum experiences, with a high degree of counter-consensus views.
3.1 Stage-by-stage record of 10 months of pregnancy
| Stage | Zara's experience | Counter-consensus insight |
|---|---|---|
| First trimester, months 1–3 | "Hellish experience", so tired she slept 14 hours a day,but still maintained a normal workload | You can't tell people right away(high miscarriage risk within the first 3 months, only tell the closest people) |
| Second trimester, months 4–6 | Energy returned to normal, went out and traveled a lot | "The last period of free and easy time", found out the sex at 10 weeks |
| Third trimester, months 7–10 | Showing + various symptoms | "Pregnant women absolutely must not lie around at home,they must exercise"" |
3.2 Things I only knew after getting pregnant (7 counter-consensus points)
1. 产假是用来带娃的,不是用来怀孕的
- 美国预产期前 4 周才开始休假,很多人工作到生的前一天
2. 怀孕实际"大肚子"的时间只有 3-4 个月
- zara 大约 5-6 个月才看出来
3. 怀孕不能马上跟周围的人说
- 3 个月以内容易流产
4. 孕妇不需要多吃
- "Eating for two" 是巨大的 myth
- 食量不变 / 加强营养(铁 / 钙 / 维生素)
- 反倒要节制(吃多了挤压胃)
5. 孕妇可以正常运动,而且要多运动 ⭐️
- 千万不能每天躺着
- 每天有氧半小时 + 举哑铃半小时
- "怀孕之前做啥运动,怀孕之后就继续做"(美国 OB 建议)
6. 喂奶可能比生孩子还难
- 听了很多 horror story,zara 选择**不喂母乳**
7. 怀孕体验千人千面,其他人的经验对你不一定适用
- 像开盲盒,巨大不确定性
- 不用看别人症状就 panic
3.3 The counter-consensus choice not to breastfeed
Zara chose exclusive formula feeding, and dried up her milk supply right after giving birth. 3 major benefits + 3 major conditions:
| 3 major benefits | 3 major conditions |
|---|---|
| (see post 207 for details, not expanded here) | (see post 207 for details) |
Counter-consensus:Under the tradition that "breastfeeding is a mother's duty",if you have the conditions you can choose not to breastfeed, and the experience is very good.
3.4 Counter-consensus on postpartum recovery
"The best time for postpartum recovery is before giving birth!" (say it three times)
| Misconception | Truth |
|---|---|
| Working out intensely after birth will slim you back down | At 1 month postpartum you are half-disabled + half-depressed,OB recommends no exercise at all for 6 weeks postpartum |
| Controlling diet before birth is enough | Prenatal exercise is the key |
| Just resting during the confinement month is enough | High-intensity exercise during pregnancy(Zara did 1 hour every day, almost without interruption, up to the day before giving birth) |
Zara's personal proof: postpartum 2 weeks weight automatically returned to pre-pregnancy level (no exercise at all during the confinement month).
3.5 North America baby registry checklist for having a baby
Zara recommends Amazon Baby Registry the process:
- Build your own baby registry, send the link to friends
- After a friend buys an item, that item is no longer shown to others → avoids duplicates
- Items you don't necessarily have to buy yourself: clothes (friends will gift them)
Items brought from China:
- Pampers Black Gold Diapers(the Chinese version is softer than the US version)
- Domestic Chinese Uniqlo baby clothes(more variety + better than the US selection)
Items needed for not breastfeeding: baby bottles / nipples / changing table / disposable changing pads / diaper rash cream / cotton soft wipes / wet wipes
3.6 4 fitness bloggers suitable for following along with during pregnancy
| Blogger | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Shake Twins | K-pop dance workouts, good music with strong beat,like clubbing |
| fitbymik | Low-impact no-running-no-jumping cardio, strong rhythm following the music |
| MadFit | No running/jumping + no repeats / cardio + strength / dance / apartment friendly |
| Pamela Reif | Most videos are high intensity, but there are low-impact versions |
Zara's pregnancy = the most regular exercise period of her life.
4. Language learning (Japanese N1 + English after starting work)
4.1 Passing Japanese N1 (studied for 10 years, crammed for 2 months during maternity leave)
Learning path:
| Stage | Duration | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Starting interest in learning Japanese | 10 years ago (college era) | No utilitarian goal / pure interest |
| Slow learning in the middle (never took N5–N2 exams) | 8 years | "Interest-driven, no test-taking" |
| Cramming for N1 during maternity leave | 2 months | Self-studied, listening went from 50% → 80–90%, passed by the skin of my teeth |
Learning method:
- Memorize vocabulary every day
- Watch Bilibili teaching videos
- Practice listening with past exam papers
Mindset:Learning a language is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
"What makes me happier is that through Japanese I learned about different cultures and perspectives, made friends from different backgrounds, and the world got a little bit bigger."
4.2 Language is a window to culture
Zara wrote "These words that only exist in Japanese hit the nail right on the head":
| Japanese word | Chinese meaning | Cultural mapping |
|---|---|---|
| Tsundoku | Buying lots of books but leaving them unread | Japan's recognition of the gap between "desire to read" and "actual reading" |
| Shotaijimiru (しょたいじみる, to take on the settled, worn air of a long-established household) | Losing the vibrant spirit of youth due to toiling over housework | A nuanced description of the social role of housewives |
| Kintsugi | The technique of mending cracked porcelain | Beauty in imperfection / Wabi-Sabi philosophy |
Core:A language's unique words = they capture phenomena that other languages do not identify. Learning a language = learning a set of tools for observing the world.
4.3 Practical benefits brought by language learning (Zara's personal proof)
Returns from Zara's 10 years of learning Japanese (none of which were planned):
| Return | Example |
|---|---|
| Restaurant exploration | Discovering treasure restaurants that only locals can find |
| Friends | Japanese friends, kept in long-term contact |
| Business exposure | Visiting Japanese clients with colleagues / understanding Japanese business culture |
| Reading resources | Reading books on Japanese design / stories of Japanese companies — Tsuyoshi Morioka(former CMO of Osaka USJ, who turned declining performance into a hockey stick growth), there is almost no material about him in the English-speaking world |
| AI event networking | Met a Japanese guy at a Bay Area AI event, Zara took the initiative to greet him in Japanese → still in contact today |
"Stones from other hills may polish jade."(If I didn't know Japanese, I would have missed out on N books by this marketing master Tsuyoshi Morioka)
4.4 English after starting work (not exams, but expression)
For details, see Zara Zhang Zala / North America Career Development SOP (Liberal Arts Major → VC → ByteDance → Indie AI Developer) §8. Core quote:
"Business writing does not pursue flowery language, but conciseness, clarity, ease of understanding, logic, and persuasiveness."
3 book recommendations (already listed in §1.2): *Elements of Style* / *On Writing Well* / *The Plain English Guide*.
4.5 Counter-consensus: "No time to learn a language after starting work"
Zara's counter-consensus:Learning a language does not require 4 hours a day,Fragmented time + interest-driven motivation is enough.
| Misaligned approach | Right path |
|---|---|
| Signing up for classes / forcing yourself to study 4 hours a day | Fragmented time / watching Bilibili videos / interest-driven |
| "I'll learn when I'm free" | Start right now(Zara has been learning for 10 years; she wanted to give up several times but persisted) |
| Learning a language is for exams | Learning a language is to open up a new world(restaurants / friends / culture) |
5. Four Years at Harvard (a late bloomer who enrolled at age 21)
5.1 Reasons for enrolling at age 21
For details, see Zara Zhang Zala / North America Career Development SOP (Liberal Arts Student → VC → ByteDance → AI Indie Developer) §9.1. Three factors combined (starting primary school at age 7 in Northeast China + repeating a year under Singapore's SM1 program + September school start in the US).
5.2 Admission factors (summarized by Zara herself after reading admissions officer comments)
For details, see Zara Zhang Zala / North America Career Development SOP (Liberal Arts Student → VC → ByteDance → AI Indie Developer) §9 + North America Job Search §6.1.Two-sentence reason:
- Excellent English, especially English writing, better than most native speakers
- Chose a harder path and outperformed others(In the 100-person Singapore Humanities Program liberal arts experimental class,she was the only non-native English speaker to earn Straight As)
5.3 Key takeaways from four years at Harvard
| Experience | Takeaway |
|---|---|
| The Harvard Crimson, the university newspaper working as a reporter | "Far more useful than what I learned in classes"(For details see §5.4) |
| Intern reporter at the alumni magazine | Media writing training |
| Co-president of the Harvard China Forum(the 2017 cohort) | Team management (undergraduates are hard to manage) |
| Internship at The Information | The real pathway to getting hired in VC (for details see Zara Zhang Zala / PM & VC Career Trajectory + Computer History Museum Docent §1) |
| Journalism class | Taught by Jill Abramson; read the complete works of Gay Talese |
5.4 Reporter at The Harvard Crimson (laid the foundation)
Zara wrote "What working as a reporter at The Harvard Crimson taught me" (78 likes; niche, but influenced her the most):
1. 找陌生人说话不再怯场,每个人都只是人
→ 后来 zara 写 cold email 不犹豫,直接发(详 [[zarazhangrui-north-america-career]] §3)
2. 见到任何人都能提出一些好问题
→ 后来做 PM / VC 都需要
3. 打下英文新闻写作基础,形成简洁明快的文风
→ 工作之后英文写作的根
4. 学习英文媒体的 copyediting,从此对语法 / 大小写 / 标点 / 空格异常敏感
→ 工作之后能给同事改文档
5. 看到自己的文字被发表的成就感,决定一辈子坚持写作
→ 26 万粉小红书 + 公司内 150 篇 blog 的起源
6. 积累了不少 clips(作品集),对后来找实习和工作很有帮助
→ 详 [[zarazhangrui-north-america-career]] §1
5.5 Counter-consensus: Extracurriculars > Classes
At Harvard, Zara gained far less from classes << from The Crimson + The Information + the China Forum. Lesson for younger people:The most important thing in college is not classes, but using the school's platform to do things that produce public work.
6. Content is King (turning counter-instinctual things into entertainment)
"I think most people have a misunderstanding about 'persistence', thinking that persistence only requires superhuman willpower. But everyone's willpower is limited; fitness and learning are both relatively 'counter-instinctual' things, and relying on willpower alone is definitely not enough."
6.1 Zara's secret to persistence
"I spent a huge amount of time and energy making these two things 'fun', turning them into hobbies that help me relax."
Core mindset:Content is King. Find the right "content" to turn counter-instinctual tasks into entertainment.
6.2 Example of 8 years of consistent fitness
In 8 years of working, Zara has consistently stuck to two things:Fitness + learning Japanese.
Criteria for choosing fitness creators:
1. 音乐好听
2. 节奏感强,动作卡点
3. 有氧为主,难度适中(既不累,又锻炼到)
Following these criteria, she found Shake Twins(K-pop dance workouts) → "Dancing feels like clubbing, I don't feel tired at all".
6.3 The same mindset applies to learning
Learning Japanese:Find Bilibili teaching videos and watch interesting ones → not like school-style rote problem drilling.
→ For details see §4.1 pathway.
6.4 Applying this across other scenarios
| Anti-human-nature task | Zara's "entertainment-ifying" approach |
|---|---|
| Fitness | Dance to K-pop with the Shake Twins |
| Learning Japanese | Bilibili videos + interest |
| Writing on Xiaohongshu | Treat it as after-work relaxation,not work |
| Learning AI | Learn in public, output while learning |
| Learning computer history | Directly work as a docent,output forces input |
Universal pattern:Find a "content carrier" that turns the task into entertainment, instead of powering through on willpower alone.
7. Counter-consensus summary
Zara's counter-consensus views across the long tail of life:
| Counter-consensus | Section |
|---|---|
| The most important thing in college is not classes, but extracurriculars / public work | §5.5 |
| Learning a language does not require 4 hours a day,fragmented time + interest is enough | §4.5 |
| Learning a language is to open up a new world, not for exams | §4.1 |
| You must exercise during pregnancy(many people mistakenly think you should rest) | §3.1 + §3.2 |
| The best time for postpartum recovery is before giving birth(through exercise) | §3.4 |
| Breastfeeding is not mandatory | §3.3 |
| English proficiency after starting work can surpass that of native speakers (many natives don't study business writing either) | Zara Zhang Zala / North America Career Development SOP (Liberal Arts Student → VC → ByteDance → AI Indie Developer) §8 |
| Content is King turns counter-instinctual tasks into entertainment (works for both fitness / learning) | §6 |
| Museum storytelling does not require top-tier artworks; the key is that ordinary people can relate | §2.3 |
| Gay Talese writes about ordinary people more brilliantly than he writes about famous people | §1.3 |
| Harvard admission relied on "choosing the harder path + English writing", not GPA / extracurriculars | §5.2 |
| Enrolling at age 21 is an advantage(more life experience / more mature mindset / late bloomers have strong staying power) | §5.1 + Zara Zhang Zala / North America Career Development SOP (Liberal Arts Student → VC → ByteDance → AI Indie Developer) §9 |
8. Related wiki pages
- Zara Zhang Zala / Vibe Coding Mindset System — Vibe coding mindset (§2 build first learn later follows the same logic as Content is King)
- Zara Zhang Zala / Content Creation SOP (validated by 260k Xiaohongshu followers + 50k Twitter followers) — Content creation SOP (§5 Learn in public is the content-ified version of §6 in this document)
- Zara Zhang Zala / North America Career Development SOP (Liberal Arts Student → VC → ByteDance → AI Indie Developer) — North America job search (§5 = extension of the four years at Harvard in this document / §8 English after starting work)
- Zara Zhang Zala / PM & VC Career Trajectory + Computer History Museum Docent — PM/VC experience (§4 output forces input = the systematized version of the computer history museum docent content in this document)
History
- 2026-05-22 — Created based on a comprehensive rewrite of 45 posts from 05/06/07/08.Core positioning: long-tail content collection + distillation of cross-topic mindsets (specific applications of Content is King / output forces input / Learn in public in life scenarios).12 counter-consensus points
Sources and related materials
- Zara Zhang Zala / Vibe Coding Mindset System
- Zara Zhang Zala / Content Creation SOP (validated by 260k Xiaohongshu followers + 50k Twitter followers)
- Zara Zhang Zala / North America Career Development SOP (Liberal Arts Student → VC → ByteDance → AI Indie Developer)
- Zara Zhang Zala / PM & VC Career Trajectory + Computer History Museum Docent