Preface
This piece is a record and reflection of my life from September 5, 2022 to September 12, 2022.
The past week was quite enriching, both during the workdays and the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Work gradually became busier but also more interesting; daily life saw some changes, no longer so dull and mundane; I’ve grown accustomed to pulling out my Kindle for a few pages even during short car rides of just a few dozen minutes, quickly becoming immersed; going out has become more frequent, even if it’s just aimlessly walking the streets.
Perhaps everything is getting better.
Mood
Though I’m not usually talkative, I’m quite an emotional person overall. I can be saddened by sudden intrusive thoughts, lost in contemplation for a long time because of a movie’s ending, and inexplicably delighted by small details in life.
I’m not an optimistic person about life. Even now, I feel that misfortunes in life far outweigh the lucky moments, and when suffering, I often feel I deserve to bear these burdens. Over the past year or two, I’ve experienced many painful events - some were natural disasters or human tragedies, leaving regret and unwillingness; others were self-inflicted, causing self-reproach and remorse. Fortunately, I have a few close friends who, though not always by my side, often illuminate my darkest moments like winter sunshine with those comfortable times we shared in the past.
But sometimes one needs to step out of their corner and walk in the sunshine.
This morning I woke up a bit late. When I came out for work, the sky was already quite bright, though the temperature was still pleasant with a bit of wind. As I was listening to music (Mayday’s “Tenderness”), I suddenly felt very, very good. It’s been a long, long time since I felt so relaxed, this kind of joy from the bottom of my heart.
I’m very grateful to have such moments, even if it’s just a fleeting emotion, it makes me feel that I’ve reconciled with certain parts of myself, along with the surrounding time and space.
Travel
I wouldn’t consider myself a travel enthusiast. In the past, I mostly spent my free time at home. The thought of planning various travel matters would dampen my enthusiasm by half, let alone having to endure the crowds and noise of popular tourist spots.
After buying a camera, I started to have some thoughts of going out. I often carried my camera with me when I went out during internships and work, unknowingly walking through many cities and capturing many memories. Later, after watching “Little Deer Lawrence"’s travel photography videos, I listed one item after another on my travel list, but never managed to fulfill them.
I had plans to travel to Qingdao in August, but couldn’t make it due to work and some trivial matters (probably more because of laziness), and then the epidemic started spreading to various places again, so it kept being postponed. So when I suddenly learned that I had to go on a business trip to Qingdao on the second day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the joy even overshadowed the pressure of the sudden work task.
I booked a ticket for early the next morning, catching up on sleep while watching the scenery along the way. Upon arrival, I was lucky to meet a local taxi driver. After chatting for a bit, I made a spontaneous decision to change my itinerary, asking him to take me on a tour around the seaside. We drove, stopping here and there, getting out to enjoy the sea breeze when we encountered nice scenery, and taking a few photos along the way.
This one-hour journey seemed like a condensed version of a Qingdao tour. I didn’t look at any travel guides, didn’t rush between several scenic spots. Some scenery was missed, but there wasn’t much regret; while some emotions were felt, they became a beautiful part of the memory, worth a smile even after a long time.
Because I only brought a light 55mm F1.8 lens, and due to time constraints, I could only take distant shots, so the results of the hurried few shots were not very satisfying. But at least some memory points were left, and I managed to string together a theme “People by the Sea”.
A man
Shoes
A girl
Family
Serendipities
Actually, it was the same when I went to Thailand with my close friends before. Rather than the prosperity and bustle of Bangkok, we stayed longer in Chiang Mai, sometimes just walking on the streets looking for inconspicuous food, or exploring another side of the city following Pokémon Go activities.
I increasingly feel that for me, the focus of travel is no longer those “top ten”, “must-visit” and “breathtaking” sceneries, but the emotions felt during the journey, and the time spent with companions. In this state of mind, all the unexpected encounters become even more beautiful.
I watched Little Deer’s latest video - “How Desperate is a Trip Without a Plan…”. Maybe, the next stop will be Yunnan.
Others
This section will record some of my inputs and outputs, as well as other things I find interesting.
Work
This week at work, I did some development involving chain interaction, which was quite interesting. Later, I also want to study more about on-chain data processing. I’ve also started to write some production-level smart contracts. There are quite a lot of work tasks, and I need to launch two new modules that I’m responsible for before National Day, so I need to work hard.
Blog
Surprisingly, an article I wrote “PostgreSQL Basics and Practice” received a lot of attention and feedback. I will continue to write about work practice series in the future. Currently, I have completed:
Other than that, I also caught a Go hot topic and translated an article for GoCN’s first release:
There are still many themes I want to write about, I can’t be lazy anymore in the future.
Input
Books
- Hackers and Painters, which I’m reading on my commute. I originally thought it would be some practical content like soft skills, and I was reading it as a way to pass time on the journey, but surprisingly, many ideas are quite interesting, and the writing style is very comfortable. I’ve always felt that coding, painting, or writing are different forms of creation, all of which can make people feel the joy of creation, but few books can express this part so naturally.
- I’ll Give You a Bullet, currently reading
- The Details of the Rule of Law, currently reading
Movies
- Blue Gate Crossing, my deepest impression of Taiwanese films before should be “A Sun”. Many dialogues, monologues, and long shots, many scenes are like trying to capture fragments of memory. I watched “Blue Gate Crossing” during the holiday. The texture of early youth films is really exquisite, interpreting “aesthetic”, a description that was later overused. Chen Bolin’s “In Time With You” influenced many parts of my youth, and even some ideas and qualities have deeply entered my personality itself. My impression of him is mostly steady and warm, the kind of person I want to become. In this film, I saw a similar but different him. One thing I like is that he always seriously and firmly repeats his words, whether it’s self-introduction or angry questioning, as if confirming something with himself, but also with some timidity unique to youth. The last monologue is also very touching, I finally found the source of this sentence I liked before - “Although I can’t see myself with my eyes closed, I can see you.”
- I Am Not Madame Bovary, another ensemble film, which happens to be my favorite narrative style recently. I don’t know whether to blame it on the era or human nature, chaotic and ridiculous political correctness intertwines to influence the various directions of things. Politics, love, women, it encompasses too many themes, but doesn’t make people feel the sense of detachment from the story. The comedy and humor parts never intended to cover up its tragic core from the beginning, so that by the end, although there’s some sadness, there’s more helplessness.
Anime
- Summer Time Rendering, following
- My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex, following
Photography
Currently, I’m using Sony A7M3, mainly attracted by its video performance. I also bought a DJI stabilizer to shoot some videos, but then I can’t take care of photography. I’m thinking about having another device for street photography when traveling later, and I’m a bit tempted by Fuji Xpro3, especially its optical viewfinder and film simulation, which are so ceremonial.
But I should go out more and take more photos before updating my equipment.
Related Posts
