Preface#
This article is a record and reflection on life from 2024-09-29 to 2024-10-13.
During these two weeks, I went to Chiang Mai to participate in the Invisible Garden event and served as a Solidity course instructor; my senior also took some time off, resulting in a half-month journey. Over the years, I have spent about a month in Chiang Mai, but my feelings have always been different.
I didn't update the weekly report during this entire period, but I kept a relatively complete record in my Telegram Channel, so this article can be considered a compilation. This piece is more of a diary, and I may discuss my feelings and thoughts later, including interactions during the trip. Many interesting things happened and were experienced.
Life in Chiang Mai#
00. First Arrival#
On the evening of 9.29, I just arrived in Chiang Mai. The enthusiastic driver who picked me up reminded me to visit the Sunday Night Market (the largest night market in Chiang Mai, which I had missed several times before). This time, without planning, I unexpectedly encountered it, and it was very lively.
At the night market, I bought a set of local clothing and flip-flops, starting my October Thai-style living.
I even ran into a fan of the weekly report and gave him a Follow code 🤣.
01. Invisible Garden#
I served as a mentor at Invisible Garden and taught three classes (two main lectures and one assisting another mentor, Daniel, with Q&A). In the following week, I should have three or four more classes.
The last time I taught in English was last year at the muChiangMai event, but this time the duration was longer, and the content was more in-depth. Although there were some hiccups, by the third class, I felt much more at ease. I met many interesting developers and had a pleasant collaboration with Daniel, which was the biggest gain from this experience.
After finishing the first class at Invisible Garden in Chiang Mai, another mentor, Daniel, drew me while we discussed the arrangements for subsequent courses, adding an interesting memory 🥰.
I was also lucky to run into Vitalik after a lecture. Encouraged by my senior, I went to chat with him for a while and even bought him a cup of coffee. He was more approachable than I imagined and encouraged me to keep programming. I felt like I had a boost just by writing contracts now 🔥
Talking to Vitalik Buterin at Chiang Mai really made my day!!! 🥹 bought him a cup of latte, shared ideas about ethereum and introduced our RSS3 project to him 😊
02. Iyengar Yoga#
I attended yoga classes five times, almost always taking a taxi to the old city at 7 AM. Iyengar Yoga is really a challenge for someone like me with poor flexibility; I feel like I need to start over. Initially, I just wanted to accompany my senior, but it seems I've persisted. The teacher said my progress is quite obvious, and I can even do a headstand now. This week, I should complete a session of 4-5 classes.
Interestingly, the teacher chatted with me to help me relax:
“You have a very healthy body but apparently lack of exercise, how old are you? 22?”
“27 and I’m a programmer”
“Oh that makes sense, you actually need yoga!!!”
As I age, I have to face the reality that my body and energy are somewhat lagging behind my thoughts. Getting up early for yoga or exercising for a few hours often leaves me feeling fatigued in the afternoon, and my learning ability and concentration are not what they used to be.
I have tried to make some adjustments, such as resuming an 8+16 fasting schedule and sticking to a vegetarian diet for almost a month (not very strict, as I would break it when dining with friends, but I generally maintained it), along with the current yoga and occasional sports. It feels like a human effort to resist nature—painful but useful.
03. Meditation#
I practiced sitting meditation at two temples, which is a form of yoga. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to experience a longer, complete meditation retreat (mainly due to needing to disconnect from the internet for 10+ days, and my current mindset isn't quite suitable). I saw some online courses teaching how to meditate and plan to start practicing slowly.
I have a vague feeling that future opportunities like this will come at some important life milestones.
(I didn't take a photo of myself meditating; I found that with my current outfit and hairstyle, my senior wearing my clothes makes it hard to distinguish who is who 🤣)
04. A Chiang Mai Couple#
A classic gathering where one person cooks one or two dishes.
I visited the home of a friend my senior met during her trip to Chiang Mai seven years ago twice. They are a very interesting couple, probably in their early 30s. They fell in love with Chiang Mai while volunteering during a gap year in 2015 and decided to stay, running a guesthouse business. Nearly ten years have passed, with ups and downs, and they have experienced starting almost from scratch after the pandemic. Now, they are gradually getting back on track.
The man is enthusiastic and responsible, handling most of the tedious aspects of the guesthouse business. To make a living, he has worked as a Chinese teacher, an art tutor, and even obtained a diving certificate and competed in Muay Thai for several years. The woman initially managed the guesthouse alone, washing sheets and scrubbing toilets, but now she has learned Thai and started a company managing many cleaning staff in Thailand, showing resilience and strength.
Looking at the wall filled with their paintings and woodworking tools, I began to think that this might be what true living is.
05. People in Chiang Mai#
Another interesting observation is my feelings about the people of Chiang Mai (or Thai people).
Thailand is a country heavily reliant on the service industry. My previous impressions were that hotel housekeeping staff are always friendly, and taxi drivers are enthusiastic and attentive. However, after chatting with the owner of the guesthouse mentioned earlier, I discovered some interesting cultural phenomena (mainly referring to service industry personnel, but it can also summarize some overall characteristics):
- They rarely express their true feelings directly to you; they are always warm and kind in person, agreeing to everything, but behind your back, they might be cursing you. It takes a long time for them to trust you.
- They are essentially slow and "lazy," with a very laid-back attitude towards work. If they are unhappy with their job, they might quit at any time, spending their savings before looking for another job.
With this observational perspective after living in Chiang Mai for a week, I encountered two incidents while using Bolt to get a taxi. On a weekend morning, while heading to yoga, a driver said he was dropping off another passenger and would arrive in about two or three minutes. After waiting for over ten minutes, I simply sent a message on the app asking him, "where are you? I’m late," and he directly canceled the order. Another time, I ordered a taxi after finishing a meal, but I was delayed a bit while paying. I informed the driver to wait a moment, and he sent several messages cursing me before canceling the order 🤡.
Perhaps they don't want to put any pressure on themselves at work; if they can avoid taking urgent orders, they will. After all, it's not like they can't find another job; if something makes them unhappy at work, they will act according to their mood. There is a gas delivery service that reportedly always has a "hiring" sign because employees tend to work for a while and then simply not show up the next day if they don't want to continue.
Of course, negative experiences are rare; most of the time, I can still feel their kindness. I met a Thai driver who, upon hearing us speak Chinese, searched for Jay Chou's playlist on YouTube and played it for us.
These are probably feelings that can only be slowly appreciated after living locally for a while.
Interesting Things and Items#
Input#
Although most interesting inputs will automatically sync to the 「Yu's Life」 Telegram channel, I still selected a portion to list here, feeling more like a newsletter. Additionally, I built a microblog using Telegram Channel messages as content sources—「daily.pseudoyu.com」—for easier browsing.
Articles#
Videos#
- Resigned at 28, decided to invest 800,000 for a down payment, and open an ideal courtyard in Dali
- Chatting with my 5-year-old self in front of Meili Snow Mountain | Taking my 5-year-old self to the top for some fries | A conversation across time and space
- “Painful” sudden wealth and stable wealth accumulation, which would you choose? | Hong Kong Web3 Chronicles | The Power of Scarcity | Random Chat with Friends | Yu Zhen's "Posthumous Letter"
- Every encounter between two creations in the world is a mutual tearing｜"The Viscount Divided in Half"
- Taking a globally limited camera of 1000 units to four countries, what can I capture?
- A continuous journey through 40 years of Japanese drama music!
Music#
- Last Days of September by Giant Ember