The cover shows the state of my desktop while studying CS50 this week. Please forgive the messiness, I will tidy it up next week. 😁
Work & Life & Study#
There is nothing special to mention about work this week, the only small issue is that I will have a remote meeting with a foreigner next week. The bad part is that my English is average. What's even worse is that the person I will be communicating with is from India. I have no prejudice, but I can hardly understand what they are saying (mainly because I am not proficient enough). I have communicated with Indian people in meetings before, but fortunately, Teams can now display subtitles in real-time (with a slight delay), and there is also a project manager who can help, so I can only hope that I can explain the solution clearly to the foreigner.
There haven't been any major changes in my life, mainly just an increase in exercise. Following the tutorial on Bilibili, I started practicing boxing. I originally planned to exercise for at least 5 days, but there was a slight deviation. Here is the record of my exercise: 
. Overall, boxing is definitely more efficient in burning fat than doing exercises. So, for now, it is still my best choice.
On Saturday, I participated in a company event and received a 300 yuan shopping card. I think I should reward myself a little. I thought about my wish list and it seems that there is nothing special that I want to buy in the near future, the only thing I want to buy is a kitten. I thought about it for a long time and felt that it might not be appropriate. There are several reasons why it is not suitable:
- I don't have a settled place, so there are problems with transporting the kitten during holidays. I usually go home by bus, and whether the bus allows pets depends on the "mood of the security officer." So, this is quite embarrassing.
- In 2024, I will most likely change jobs. Whether I enter the software industry or continue in the mechanical industry, I probably won't stay in Hefei anymore, so there will be problems with transporting the kitten at that time.
- Personal business trips: I currently have a certain probability of going on business trips. Because I am single, taking care of the kitten during business trips is a problem.
- .......
After thinking about it for a long time, I had a dream on Saturday night: I dreamt that I bought a kitten, bought cat food, bought cat litter, and comforted it not to be afraid when it arrived home... It seems that I really want a kitten. I used to raise cats when I was in the countryside, and it has been more than ten years since I last raised a cat.
On Sunday afternoon, I chatted with Boss Tang and felt that he has been quite troubled recently. Boss Tang and I have always had a casual style of conversation, so we talked about various things. Boss Tang recently resigned, so we talked about his next job. The consensus we reached is that the next job should be treated as a career, not just a job. I have always had this goal, so I am quite cautious in choosing a company and a position. It seems that there are no particularly good positions at the end of the year, so I didn't look for related jobs anymore, and I plan to look after the new year. Finally, we also talked about Yuan Shikai proclaiming himself emperor and other topics (manual dog head 🐶).
As for studying, I am still "conquering CS50" this week. I originally planned to complete all the courses this week, but unfortunately, there is still one lecture left, Lecture 9. I should be able to finish the lecture next week, as well as the assignments for Lecture 0-8 (only 6-8 left). Lecture 9 is a big project, and I looked at it in advance. It requires using my imagination to create something. I haven't figured out what I want to do yet, so I am still thinking about it and plan to spend some time and effort on this final project. It is worth mentioning that CS50 has a communication group, and if you ask questions in the group, the teaching assistants (I am not sure) will answer you quickly. In the middle of the week, when I was doing a check, I couldn't pass it, and there was no problem with debugging. I posted the problem in the group, and the teaching assistant later found out that the internal test of the system did not support the call to that function. After she made the modification, it worked. I looked at the records, and basically, if there is a problem, the teaching assistants will answer quickly. This is great, at least in my opinion. Below is a screenshot of the answer at that time.
Tools#
- Notion Annual Plan: I found a great template made by Jenn Kingston from abroad, and I recommend it to everyone: 2024 Annual Plan Template, as shown in the picture below. As a self-proclaimed "expert in international laziness research," when it comes to planning, I usually just find a template and make some changes to save time and effort. If you like to do it yourself, you can give it a try. If you do it well, I will copy yours:）😁
Life#
- Medicated Foot Soak: I started using a medicated foot soak this week. I still have some Chinese Motherwort, so I soaked my feet in it. I like to use specially boiled water to soak the medicinal herbs, and then place my feet above the basin to let the steam directly steam my feet (although it doesn't have much effect). When the water temperature is suitable, I put my feet in and soak them. Chinese Motherwort is said to have the function of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. Soaking feet with Chinese Motherwort helps improve blood circulation in the lower limbs and accelerate metabolism. But I checked and found that it is mostly used by women. In the spirit of not wasting, I will finish using the remaining Chinese Motherwort before considering other options.
- Exercise: I have been following the video to practice the routine of Wing Chun this week, and I feel that my body has improved a lot, or maybe it's just an illusion that appeared in my mind... I persisted for a total of 4 days and burned more than 800 calories. Combining the calculation method of "3,500 calories per pound of fat," well, it's about two taels of fat.
Entertainment#
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"Growing Beans for Beans": I watched three or four episodes. The members of the show kept saying that sesame leaves are fragrant and delicious. As someone who grew up in the countryside, it seems that I have never eaten sesame leaves before, nor have I heard that sesame leaves can be eaten. I once thought it was a translation issue. I checked the encyclopedia and found out that they can indeed be eaten (which surprised me 🤔). I can try them in the future. 😋 Here is a partial introduction to sesame in the Chinese Plant Monograph:
Sesame is originally from India and was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty. It was called "Hu Ma" (which is still used in Japan today), but now it is commonly called "Zhi Ma" or sesame. This plant is widely cultivated in China and has a long history.
Sesame seeds contain 55% oil. In addition to being used for food, they can also be pressed for oil, which is used for food and as a hair care product for women. It is also used in medicine as a base for ointments, lubricants, and detoxifiers. The seeds come in black and white varieties, with the black ones called black sesame and the white ones called white sesame. Black sesame is a mild and nourishing agent that contains fatty oils, which has a nourishing effect and is also effective in treating hypertension. -
"The Maze Rice": Only one episode was released, and I only watched one episode. Currently in a wait-and-see state.
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"Octopath Traveler 2": The four companions have already gathered, but we keep getting killed by monsters, which is annoying.
Reading#
- "A Global History" (current progress: 17%): I didn't read much this week, mainly read blog posts. I am currently reading about ancient Greek civilization, and it also discusses why Buddhism and Christianity were able to spread. I will paste the explanation from the book below for everyone to read:
In the following centuries, Christianity spread throughout Europe, while Buddhism won over most of Asia. The reasons for the success of these two major religions lie in certain new features they shared: First, they both emphasized the salvation of the soul and promised eternal happiness in the afterlife; second, they both insisted on egalitarianism—opening their doors to anyone who wanted to join, regardless of gender, wealth, or social status; finally, they both emphasized lofty moral principles and stressed that adhering to these principles was necessary for the salvation of the soul. This requirement, combined with effective church organizations, enabled these two religions to have a strong influence on the daily lives of their believers.
Others#
- Planning to work on quarterly and monthly plans next week.
- Need to organize future work plans.
- Thinking about making a light painting, still considering whether to do it.