Preface#
This article is a record and reflection on life from 2023-04-03 to 2023-04-18.
Perhaps it’s because I just changed my lifestyle; I had arranged many itineraries as early as March, wandering around since early April, enjoying a half-month of leisure. This route feels like a journey of return, starting from my birthplace Hangzhou, visiting teachers and old friends in Wuhan, where I first long left home, and then attending exhibitions and events in Hong Kong, where I spent wonderful years.
In fact, it can hardly be considered a break from busyness, as I didn’t take any leave. I spent several workdays in a hotel near the school or in some corner of the exhibition center, and most of my travels were rushed. It feels like I didn’t do much, yet only now can I slightly catch my breath and organize my thoughts and experiences from these days.
The half-month journey was interesting and worthwhile. I visited a teacher I hadn’t seen in a long time and attended a long-lost "English Writing" class; I strolled around campus with senior Bo Yi, marveling at how quickly time flies; I hurriedly stayed one night in Shanghai, had a meal with Xiao Yu, and celebrated a simple birthday for my senior; I traveled around Shenzhen, meeting many colleagues who only existed in work groups, a large-scale online meeting; I attended the Web3 Festival in Hong Kong, where I didn’t meet many interesting developers but saw some fun projects and met some new and old friends; I revisited some memories at HKU, still beautiful and precious; I met Zhan in Sheung Wan and had a long-awaited reunion; I enjoyed a super high-energy Mayday concert; and many other interesting things.
I have returned to my original lifestyle, and the frequency of weekly reports and other inputs and outputs will soon return to normal (hopefully!)
Wuhan Chronicles#
I actually visited Wuhan once in February, but due to certain reasons, I didn’t meet Teacher Liang, so I returned just a month later. On the last trip, I was somewhat anxious due to interviews, but this time everything was settled, and I felt more relaxed, even my pace slowed down.
I always feel that the School of Foreign Languages is a magical presence in my life or memory. There was a time when, due to limitations in career direction, I was particularly reluctant to mention it, as if regretting why I didn’t study a more "useful" major; there was also a time when, when others asked about my experience of switching from liberal arts to coding, they would express some surprise. Honestly, during that phase, I somewhat enjoyed that label; and now, having met many interesting and strange people with unique experiences, my work has also gotten on track, and gradually my future career is no longer hindered by my studies. I cherish the four years I spent at the School of Foreign Languages more.
As I walked through many corners of the campus, seeing the traces of various student organizations, classrooms, and studios I had been in, I truly felt the passage of time. Some familiar things now need to be recalled in terms of five or seven years, and some people I haven’t seen for a long time. Yet, I am somewhat nostalgic; I know that forgetting is a natural law, but I often still want to hold onto some memories. I don’t know if I am attached to that time or envious of the self I was during that period—although I still inevitably have worries, I am not lacking in curiosity for exploration and confidence in change.
Teacher Liang is an especially important presence in both my student life and my life in general.
Academically, her teaching philosophy and methods truly made me feel the difference between university and high school, completing my transformation in learning thinking and attitude; personally, she supports my explorations in various directions, entrusting former students to take care of me when I go to a strange place alone, and gossips with me about various interesting things.
She was also my main thought during this trip back to Wuhan. I arranged to audit a writing class, seemingly returning to that time. Back then, I was busy, rushing around various matters, confused yet unafraid. I regretfully say that I skipped or didn’t attend many classes that I thought were useless at the time. Looking back now, I still feel quite regretful about it. British literature, American literature, and poetry only began to attract me after graduation, but I no longer have that much time to savor them.
Hong Kong Chronicles#
Another main itinerary was Hong Kong. Since leaving in 2021, I have always wanted to return, but various delays and many life changes gradually shelved the plan. This time coincided with the Web3 Festival in Hong Kong, so I quickly decided to go.
As soon as I settled in, I decided to take a stroll around HKU. It has been a wonderful year, and I have changed a lot in various aspects. Even though I hadn’t used social media for a long time, I gradually started posting some daily updates. Looking back at some of the posts I made at that time, although there were only a few, they seemed to divide this period of life into several stages. Even though nearly two years have passed, the memories remain clear.
First Arrival#
The time when I first arrived in Hong Kong was filled with anxiety and anticipation, full of curiosity and a desire to explore everything about this city. I often walked along Victoria Harbour, stopping to capture the vitality of this city; I would cook, study, and write in my little room, feeling at ease.
To be honest, Hong Kong is not a very warm city. Everyone seems to be in a hurry, busy with their lives and work, offering polite yet extremely restrained concern for others. The cramped and narrow spaces make it hard to feel comfortable.
However, I seemed to be a positive person back then, always finding interesting points in daily life to dispel the shadows. One note from my landlord particularly left a deep impression on me, which I have kept for many years.
Blooming Years#
After a short period of adaptation, I gradually began to enjoy my new life in Hong Kong and spent a long time in happiness.
I was amazed by the nighttime scenery of the HKU campus, missed the delicious Korean barbecue in Causeway Bay, collected various merchandise at Starbucks in HKU, went to Central to eat Shake Shack and watch movies, had a drink at Quinary Bar in Lan Kwai Fong, and after finishing a tight deadline, I would bring lots of snacks and drinks to Victoria Harbour to watch the sunrise until dawn.
I often felt fortunate that I took a gap year before returning to campus, cherishing this hard-won rhythm and campus life, which became a special and beautiful experience in my life.
One particularly deep memory is of a dim sum place called "Zhou Ji" next to the school, where I had eaten many times. Returning to eat there this time seemed to bring back the old taste of Hong Kong.
Long Nights Approaching#
Of course, life always has its ups and downs.
The happy times didn’t last long; life tends to quietly collapse when we think we have gotten back on track.
At the end of 2020, I ended a four-year relationship, lost my beloved grandmother at the beginning of 2021, and lost a cousin I grew up with in the middle of the year, while also experiencing some other dark moments emotionally. Life is always like this; when you think it’s already bad enough, unexpected events come one after another. During that time, I often thought of a saying:
"You never know which will come first, the unexpected or tomorrow."
The days that followed were somewhat blurry, partly due to heavy coursework and job-seeking pressure, and partly due to the negative impact of various emotional accumulations. Looking back now, I still feel that time was very unlike myself—fragile, sensitive, yet indifferent.
Thus, the latter half of my time in Hong Kong passed quickly and insubstantially, leaving not many videos and photos. I hadn’t posted anything for months, and now the memories are gradually fading, which is something I often regret in the following year.
Long-Awaited Reunion#
HKU#
If I were to say what I remember most from my time in Hong Kong, it would be the Chi Wah Learning Commons in the morning, where I spent countless hours. Every morning, to secure a seat, I would arrive early before it opened, often greeting the elderly man at the entrance with a "zousen (good morning)," and because I only said that, he thought I was a local even halfway through the semester.
The coffee shop on campus also holds many memories. I would go there every morning or afternoon to order a cup. This time, I still took out my student ID to enjoy the discount. I often went crazy recharging my card for some Hong Kong-exclusive merchandise, but unfortunately, I couldn’t bring back some items like the mugs when I left.
I remember when I left Hong Kong, I still had some balance on my Octopus card and Starbucks card, but I thought Hong Kong would be a place I often missed and remembered, so I would come back to play whenever I had the chance. I didn’t expect that returning again would be nearly two years later, and everything had changed. So, this time, it felt like a kind of obsession to clear the balance on my Starbucks card, as if saying goodbye to that past time and memory.
Mayday - "I Really Want to See You"#
The main reason for returning to Hong Kong this time was for Mayday's concert "I Really Want to See You." Their songs have held special significance for me at various stages, accompanying me through several tough times. With the various restrictions of the pandemic over the past three years, such a live event felt especially precious, and even upon arriving at the venue, there was a sense of unreality.
In fact, I felt that my state during this period wasn’t very good, indulging in emotions that had built up, unable to settle down and do what I wanted to do, yet not wanting to fall into a vicious cycle. So, I simply treated this half-month "trip" as a form of self-healing. But the outcome was not ideal; I enjoyed my time in Wuhan, but it was a slow return to the past, a sense of home that was beautiful yet fleeting, and after leaving, I had to face the vastness of life again.
After a period of fatigue, I realized I couldn’t enjoy such "freedom" that much, and it was hard to find pure joy in it. I even began to look forward to going home, returning to a state focused on my own world. Perhaps it was only after such a long time that I realized I had often been avoiding the changes and uncertainties of life; everyone has their own comfort zone.
The journey culminated in the Mayday concert. I brought my camera, but was told I couldn’t bring it in and had to store it far away. As I rushed to catch up, I suddenly felt the relaxation and joy I had been seeking throughout this trip. During the following hours of the performance, I remained in a somewhat wonderful state, as if a curve was gradually rising from the valley.
Waving my light stick and singing along with Mayday, I suddenly realized that life itself doesn’t have so many answers; much meaning lies in experiences and feelings. Sometimes, what is needed more is to let down our guard and immerse ourselves, to explore.
It was only after returning home that I began to write down the experiences of these two weeks. I always hope that my weekly report can come from heartfelt feelings rather than just recording fragments and traces of life. I wanted to write during the trip several times, but it was always a bit difficult, so I simply set it aside.
Web3 Festival#
I also attended the Web3 Festival. After changing jobs, my desire to go out was particularly strong; I wanted to meet new people and also wanted to explore more possibilities in this industry through this opportunity.
I met many colleagues. Since I had been working remotely, most of them were "online friends." This time, it was a very interesting experience to have the opportunity to meet in person. There were many projects at the exhibition, and I chatted with many teams, but there weren’t many truly fun ones, and I didn’t meet any new interesting developers, which was somewhat disappointing.
Interestingly, while wandering around the venue, I was unexpectedly called by a friend I hadn’t seen in nearly ten years since we were in different classes before the division of arts and sciences. They recognized me because I looked familiar and saw my blue hair on social media. We chatted and found out that they were a former employee of my company’s closest partner, a strange coincidence.
Recent Updates#
I haven’t seen them for half a month and miss them very much. Fortunately, my family has taken good care of the two cats, and the two cats (fostered by a colleague) have become good friends. I will start updating more about my daily life with them.
Interesting Things and Items#
Toys#
I probably have some squirrel-like traits; I haven’t opened various consoles and handhelds for a long time but still collect some cartridges and peripherals. Speaking of which, the games I’ve been most engrossed in on the Switch, besides the Pokémon series, are the Fire Emblem series. Just in time for the release of a new title, I got the "Fire Emblem: Engage" and "Octopath Traveler 2" collector's editions.
Since they were shipped from Japan, I waited a long time, but the peripherals are indeed exquisite. I quickly used the bag from Octopath Traveler on this trip, which was super convenient.
Inputs#
Although most interesting inputs will automatically sync in the "Yu's Life" Telegram channel, I still selected a portion to list here, making it feel more like a newsletter.
Articles#
- BeyondStorage: why we failed
- Programmers Who Don’t Want to Be Writers Can’t Write Redis | Programmer's Meow
- Anthropic | Introducing Claude
- The End of Front-End Development
- Three Dystopian Animes That Break My Heart - DIYgod
- “CN” ABCDE: Hong Kong Conference, Rethinking 3 Hot Tracks
Videos#
Similarly, here are some interesting videos I’ve watched: