🐯 Welcome to the Jungle: The Official Den of Johnny (Tiger) Tai

On the morning of June 9, 2026, I said goodbye to my cat, Tiger. Even as I write those words, they don't feel real. Tiger wasn't just a pet. He wasn't just a cat. For twenty-two years, he was a constant companion, a source of comfort, a furry shadow that followed me through some of the best and worst chapters of my life. He was there through relationships, career changes, artistic projects, victories, failures, heartbreaks, and new beginnings. Twenty-two years is long enough that a pet stops feeling like an animal living in your house and starts feeling like a permanent part of the world itself. You begin to believe they will always be there. Then one day, they aren't. Image: 2026-05-29, Aslan and Tiger in front of bathroom mirror. [ ] The beginning of June brought the first signs that something wasn't right. Tiger started acting strangely. He became obsessed with water, drinking constantly and spending time playing with it. He began leaving an awful-smelling residu...

I recently performed 《酒干倘卖无》, a song that has followed me for most of my life — whether I wanted it to or not. The video is embedded below, but before you press play, I want to talk about why this song still hurts, still matters, and still sits heavy in my chest every single time I sing it. Because this isn’t just a song. It’s a warning. It’s a guilt trip. It’s a love letter written too late. The Story Behind the Song 《酒干倘卖无》 comes from the 1983 Taiwanese film 《搭错车》 (Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?), and its story is devastating in its quiet cruelty. The film tells the story of a mute, impoverished man who survives by collecting and selling empty bottles for recycling. One day, he finds an abandoned baby girl and raises her as his own. He cannot speak, but he understands the world deeply. He cannot express love with words, so he gives everything he has — his body, his labor, his dignity, his life. As they walk the streets together collecting bottles, a familiar call echoes throu...