Preface#
This article is a record and reflection of my life from November 8th to November 12th, 2023.
This week, I returned to my normal routine. In terms of work, my main tasks were discussing and designing solutions, with not much coding involved. I also worked on a project related to AI, writing some backend API code for smart contracts and invocation chains. Although I wrote quite a few contracts, there weren't many opportunities to work on a complete non-demo project that covers the entire process. In terms of exercise, I took two private training sessions and felt pretty good. In my personal life, I cooked a few meals. My sister created an online document to record recipes and menus, and I feel like my cooking skills are improving. I also organized some video footage I had taken and plan to edit it into a review video. I rearranged my office environment in Beijing and it's much more comfortable now. I went shopping and bought some clothes for the changing season. There were also many interesting things happening.
Burnt Keyboard#
The most interesting (?) thing that happened this week was when I was working overtime one night and suddenly smelled something burning. I shouted to my sister, "It seems like something is burning." Then I continued writing. After a while, I smelled a strong burnt smell very close to me. I shouted again, "Maybe my computer or keyboard is burning." Then I continued writing. After a while, the keyboard stopped working. I picked it up and smelled it, and there was a strong burnt smell. It turned out that the keyboard was really burnt.
At that time, I didn't think much of it. Looking back, I realized that my reaction was quite funny. Maybe I was in a focused state while debugging a bug, so my reactions to the surroundings were like programmed outputs. I guess I'm the kind of person who, when an earthquake happens, thinks of "git commit" + "git push" as the first response.
I've been using this keyboard for almost a year. It's the Hanwen 75 designed by Zhihui Jun in "[DIY] I Made a Modular Mechanical Keyboard! [RISC-V]." The appearance and feel are pretty good. I contacted customer support and they said it was probably the ribbon cable that burned out. I need to contact after-sales service for repair. They said this was the first case they encountered.
I guess my coding skills have become so powerful that I even burned my keyboard.
My sister: "Do you want me to buy you insurance? Being a programmer is a high-risk profession." 🤣
Pompeii Mythology#
My sister's company has some benefits for art exhibitions, which can be enjoyed with family members. We thought it wouldn't be good to stay at home every weekend, so we decided to go to the National Classic Library on Saturday to attend an exhibition called "Pompeii Mythology - Ancient Greek and Roman Treasures from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples." It includes several parts: "Return to the Golden Age," "Love Myths in Ancient Greece and Rome," "Enjoying Life: The Roman Passion for a Good Life," "The Concept of Beauty in Ancient Art," and "Myth Reenactment."
Since there was a guided tour, we listened to fascinating stories about ancient Greek mythology along the way. We saw the ordinary yet not simple daily life of people in that era, which created a magical sense of harmony. Compared to ancient tombs that only the royal family in China can have, these disappeared cities seem to better showcase the true face of a city. They feel more real.
In our imagination, 2000 years ago seems like a distant era. However, based on the state displayed by Pompeii, their pursuit of life far exceeded ours. The food, paintings on tableware, various paintings and sculptures depicting gods, and interestingly, Pompeii had more than 20 brothels with many explicit erotic murals. Their openness to sex and desire was even higher than today.
The volcanic eruption froze time at that moment, without experiencing aging and slow death. Perhaps this perfectly matched their attitude towards life. Their daily lives also reflected the pursuit of "seizing the day" and the ultimate pursuit of beauty. Their longing for and celebration of love were also reflected in their artworks. Besides religion, they believed in a good life and love.
Magical Dreams#
Something magical happened on Sunday night.
Because I wanted to finish writing the weekly report at night, but after a whole day of exercising and shopping, I was very tired. I thought about putting my laptop next to my pillow and waking up at around 3 am to write (but I didn't wake up in the end). I had a dream in the middle of the night. I dreamt that for some reason, my MacBook accidentally broke into two pieces. In the last moment of the dream, I regretted not buying Apple Care. I woke up suddenly and grabbed my laptop, which was about to slip from the pillow to the floor.
It seems like my laptop and I have a telepathic connection. It sensed the danger and sent me a dream to save it. It was a very magical dream. Combined with the release of OpenAI's GPTs and a series of new features this week, as well as watching the anime "PLUTO" about humans and robots, I couldn't tell whether I was looking forward to or afraid of the future.
Health Adjustments#
Fitness#
About a month ago, I started taking personal training sessions at the gym twice a week. In the past, I didn't pay much attention to my body, thanks to my decent physique and rarely experiencing minor illnesses or pains. In high school and college, I would do some basic exercises in the dorm, such as sit-ups and push-ups, which helped me maintain good physical fitness and body shape. However, as I grew older and my daily routine became less controllable due to work and other factors, I started thinking about increasing the frequency and intensity of exercise.
After considering various factors, I signed up for personal training sessions at the gym. Usually, I have two sessions per week, from 7-8 am on Wednesdays/Thursdays and from 2-3 pm on Sundays. This covers various parts of my body that I want to exercise. I have already attended 7 sessions. The first session included a body assessment, and I will have another assessment after one or two more sessions to see if there is any progress.
Fitness is actually quite an interesting activity. The first two times were exciting, and I wanted to push myself to do more in each exercise. After attending a few sessions, there were occasional moments of fatigue and feeling unwell. Sometimes, when doing challenging movements, I would glance at the clock on the wall, feeling like the workout was taking too long. But now that I can see some visible results, I have become somewhat accustomed and even look forward to the feeling after exercising.
Diet#
As my fitness and daily routine became more stable, I started cooking more for myself. Although it takes more time each day, I find it an interesting experience, and life seems to have become more tangible.
Interesting Things and Items#
Shopping and Couple Outfits#
Beijing has already entered winter, and the temperature dropped suddenly these days. However, I haven't prepared thick clothes yet. After working out on the weekend, I thought it was time for a seasonal change and decided to buy some new clothes.
So I went to a shopping mall near my home and spent a few hours shopping with my sister. It suddenly occurred to me after we finished shopping that this seemed to be our first time truly going shopping for clothes together. It was quite magical. It feels like we have known each other for a long time, but we can still discover many new and fresh things. It's not about the level of intimacy in the relationship, but more about the way we interact. Neither of us deliberately tried to check off any "must-do" items. Everything just happened naturally.
Then we went to support Cali's Zowin Store and bought a set of "404 Not Found" couple hoodies. Looking forward to receiving them.
Inputs#
Although most interesting inputs are automatically synchronized in the "Yu's Life" Telegram channel, I'll list some here as well. It feels more like a newsletter.
Books#
- Building a Second Brain, currently reading.
- Elon Musk, currently reading.
Articles#
Videos#
- Earn Big! Learn to Shoot Great Videos with Drones Even with Zero Experience [Aerial Photography Tutorial]
- My First Time Having a Heart-to-Heart Talk with a Murderer
- Study Vlog #37 | Daily Study Routine of a Female Programmer After Work | Cat Content Overload | Reading "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" | TEDxTalks: The Secret to Self-Control/The Puzzle of Personality/Will Technology Save Us or Kill Us
Anime#
- PLUTO, an interesting theme about the symbiotic relationship between humans and robots. I watched the first episode and it's pretty good.
TV Shows#
- Prison Playbook, directed by the same person as "Reply 1988." I watch it during meals for relaxation. It has a different style but is still interesting.