Background Story
It all started with a conversation in a social group long time ago.
We were discussing a tragic event — a moment that led us to reflect deeply on the meaning of life.
I said something that surprised even myself:
“I’ve written an iOS app. Maybe it could help people — maybe even save a life.”
Someone asked, “Tea Director, what kind of app is it? Could you tell us more?”
I smiled and replied, “Someday, when the time is right.”
That night, the topic was too heavy to shift away from.
Now, after quite some time, deeply believing in my iOS app, I’ve finally decided to write this post — to share with my friends what I consider one of my finest creations:
TapMyNotes — Tap to Capture the Moments.
The Journey Begins: A Hike in the Rockies
Let me start with a story — a mountain hike that inspired this reflection.
On October 7, 2025, a Tuesday, I went hiking in the Canadian Rockies with my wife and a couple of our best frieds, longing to see the golden larch needles of autumn.
As usual, once we parked near the trailhead, I opened my iPhone, launched my own app which I have being loved and trusted for many years, and tapped on a button in a view — recording the very start of our hike.
Now, days later, sitting at home, I opened that same record.
A map view of the coordinates, a visual feature of the app, exactly where we began.
It felt simple yet powerful — a small mark of time and place preserved, quietly, inside my app.
About the App
The app is called TapMyNotes (Chinese: 点击美好记录).
It supports both English and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional).
The idea is simple yet meaningful: with just one tap, you can instantly capture
- When,
- Where, and
- What
the three essentials I call the 3W Record.
The app’s data model is natural, open and flexible.
You can define your own structure in two levels:
- Tap Entities – broad categories like Life, Work, Health, Outdoor, Travel, etc.
- Tap Items – specific topics within each, like Running, Hiking, Swimming, Skiing, etc.
To record something, just select a tap item, open its info button, and tap the hand icon in a popup view.
The app automatically captures time and location, which cannot be changed.
That’s intentional — I want each record to reflect a true moment.
If you forget to tap, that moment is gone forever — because life only happens once.
Every tap becomes a conscious choice, a moment you decided was worth keeping.
Adding the Words
After the tap, the app reminds you to write — a note, a thought, a few simple words.
You can type, speak, or scan text; you can always edit or add more later.
I encourage users to write something immediately after the tap.
Those few words often capture your most genuine feelings.
Later, when you revisit and expand them, they’ll form the truest memories — written proof of what you felt in that moment.
Words breathe life into data; they give warmth to time and place.
Another reason I emphasize on the importance of a note is that words might be the key to find out your past taps by the search feature of the app, when you have hundres, thousands of tap records.
My Mountain Records
Nearly ten years ago, I started using my own app to record meaningful moments in my life.
My very first record was on May 27, 2017, a Saturday.
Since then, I’ve used it to document everything — from ideas to travels, from daily reflections to outdoor activities, including mountain hikes.
For hiking, I first tried naming each mountain as a separate Tap Item.
But soon, I realized that created too many entries.
So I created one item called “Mountain Hiking”, and used keywords within notes to distinguish each hike.
For total of 363 taps, if each hiking records 20 taps on average, this tap item contains about 18 hiking activities.
At the parking lot, start point, I added a key word of Vista Park 25/10, and a brief description about our hike.
Every time I hike, I record:
- The starting point
- Key scenic, event, or turning points or directions along the way
- The summit or destination
- And finally, the return to the starting point
Each record includes timestamp, GPS coordinates, and a short description.
These points connect on the map, forming a clear trail line. Mapview is one of key features in the app.
The app also calculates duration, distance, pace, and elevation gain — all essential for mountain activities, maybe usesful for other events or moments.
During hikes, I announced data to my companions from time to time:
“We’ve been walking for eighteen minutes — straight line distance 85 meters from the last stop, altitude 1,879 meters, up 29 meters!”
We walked deep in the woods and mountants. With the convinience of mobile phone and my app, we felt not only more confidence, but also a lots of fun.
Reflections on Data and Meaning
Every piece of data belongs to the user.
All information is stored locally, allowing full control and privacy.
Users can view details of each GPS location point associated to a tap — coordinates, intervals, elevation changes — or calculate the total ascent and duration between waypoints.
These records, precise and personal, aren’t just statistics.
They become stories, memories, and traces of a life well-lived.
Even years later, when place names change, the GPS coordinates remain — timeless reminders of where we once stood.
That’s why I treasure every tap record created with TapMyNotes.
It’s more than an app; it’s a way to keep your footprints visible across both time and space.
The following is the mapview of our last mountain hiking activity: Vista Lake and Arnica Lake
Vista Lake
and Arnica Lake
Afterthought
Since releasing the app, I’ve continued to refine it — adding new features, improving performance, and learning from users and friends who generously test and share feedback.
Many of them call it “a truly valuable app,” and I’m deeply grateful for their trust and encouragement.
Together, we’ve turned a personal idea into a shared journey of creativity and reflection.
I’ve been consulting ChatGPT for months on various design ideas and coding challenges. Many times, ChatGPT confirmed my thoughts and inspired me with ideas I hadn’t considered before for my requests many times.
With ChatGPT’s help, I’m now close to releasing my next update version — and through this experience, I believe that ChatGPT already knows my app quite well.
After finishing this draft, I asked ChatGPT to review it and craft a poetic ending, which I could not write.
I was deeply impressed by how well ChatGPT understood my intention and how beautifully it wrote this conclusion piece.
Conclusion by ChatGPT
A Moment in the Mountain —
Light in the Shadow
Golden needles were scattered along the trail.
Up and down the slopes, the mountain’s shadow
slowly pushed the sun away.
For a moment, I was not sure —
where I was, how far from the parking lot,
and how far to my destination.
Then, I took out my phone and tapped.
A signal appeared, faint yet steady.
The map glowed softly — a blank base of color,
but thin lines of blue and red
connected where I stood
to the previous point,
and to where I had begun.
That line was more than direction —
it was reassurance.
And the numbers, more than data —
they told a story of progress and endurance,
a quiet warmth in the cold air.
Those numbers showed where I was
and how my energy had been spent.
Though small compared to the mountains,
I felt great — accomplished, so far and so high.
Every tap, I realized,
is a promise to remember.
Each one says:
“I was here — in this place, at this moment.”
The shadow faded,
the mountain fell back into silence,
and I followed those colorful lines
back into the sunlight.
Epilogue
TapMyNotes is not just a note-taking app.It is a way to mark your present existence —
to remind yourself that every moment,
every breath,
every step along your path,
and every effort you’ve made,
is worth recording.
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