Preface#
This article is a record and reflection on the past two weeks of life from 2024-05-16 to 2024-06-02.
Nanjing Study Tour#
I have seen several speeches by Yixi in Beijing and quite liked their style. By chance, I saw that they were organizing a parent-child study tour in Nanjing, which included a visit to the studio of a designer/writer, Zhu Yingchun, whom my sister likes very much. So, I borrowed a child (my sister) and signed up together. Because I haven't really recovered from all the running around in the past two weeks, I didn't have high expectations. However, I unexpectedly had an interesting two-day and one-night experience.
Bugs#
Probably because I spent nearly ten years in the countryside, at first, I couldn't quite understand why there would be an activity for a group of children to look at bugs. Even I, who debugs for work every day, don't have much fondness for bugs 🤣. But when I followed the teacher to observe the bugs and their "writings," "drawings," and "music," I suddenly realized that it seemed like I hadn't really looked at bugs for a long time.
I still remember when I was a child, I would catch cicadas with a net and collect their discarded shells as treasures. I would catch grasshoppers in the grass and watch them fight each other. I would curiously watch ants form lines and carry things. I would squat down and observe ladybugs with unique patterns for a long time. Even after moving to the city, there are still cicadas chirping at night, but in my ears, they have become nothing more than noise and the annoyance of summer.
In the book "Beside Bugs," the teacher accompanies the bugs in the garden and looks at the world from their microscopic perspective, imagining their daily lives. There is even a short film in which a small ant is trapped in a pool, allowing the children in the group to use their imagination and drawings to save it.
Perhaps there are too many things that our eyes need to accommodate, and these bugs, which live vivid and colorful lives around us, have never been noticed by me. Along with them, my childlike innocence and curiosity about life have also disappeared.
However, my sister seems to still possess that childlike innocence in some way. She would draw a few teams of helicopters to rescue the ants and even cried when the teacher signed her copy of "Beside Bugs" because she successfully achieved her goal.
I suddenly remembered a summer afternoon half a year ago when I was wandering in front of my sister's bookshelf, looking for a book to pass the time. She recommended this book and another book that depicted various forms of tigers. I casually flipped through and chose another book, forgetting whether it was "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" or "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow." It seems that only now do I slowly begin to understand the importance of moments like this, where one learns about bugs, in her past life.
Educational Philosophy#
Another interesting experience during this study tour was the final speech session, where each child had to prepare a themed speech to share their observations and thoughts from the past two days. My sister and I, as parents, were there to assist with brainstorming and guidance.
Although we only had a little over ten minutes for discussion, it was very apparent that my sister and I had different educational philosophies. My sister used a guiding questioning approach to help my sister gradually discover the most memorable moments and changes in her thoughts during the trip. On the other hand, I preferred to provide a clearer framework to help her organize her thoughts and ensure the best speech effect.
I deeply realized that the concepts and ways of thinking that develop as a person grows up often compensate for the missing parts of their own growth experiences.
Sometimes, I can't help but think that if many moments of childhood received more attention and guidance, I might have taken fewer detours. I would have cared more about the results themselves when it came to things like grades and performances that are judged under the spotlight. Subconsciously, I hope she can gain more confidence and a sense of achievement in these areas. On the other hand, perhaps because her parents are teachers, my sister always plans more for her. It seems that many things during her student days only need to be completed step by step, which has resulted in fewer opportunities for independent exploration and self-discovery. Therefore, she focuses more on stimulating my sister's own ideas and creativity, considering any results as valuable experiences for her growth.
EpubKit#
In recent weeks, I have been involved in the development of EpubKit, a product by Randy. When I received his invitation, I was both surprised and delighted. I am primarily a backend developer, with only basic knowledge of React and no experience with Electron. However, I cherish the opportunity to work closely with him and find the product itself very appealing. So, after reading the documentation a few times and understanding the IPC mechanism, I started writing code.
From the small feature of adding an update button to completing tasks in the GitHub Projects by collecting requirements from the user community, the whole process has been very interesting and has brought a great sense of accomplishment.
During these weeks, I have also been serving as a mentor for the Summer of Open Source and some training camp projects, and I happened to need course materials. So, I converted the blockchain/Solidity tutorials I had written on my blog into EPUB format e-books. The experience was smooth, and it reminded me of the concept of "eating your own dog food." It feels wonderful to use a tool that I participated in developing and that meets my own needs.
Interesting Things#
Input#
Although most interesting inputs are automatically synchronized in the "Yu's Life" Telegram channel, I will list some of them here, making it feel more like a newsletter.
Books#
- Kafka on the Shore: Similar to "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World," the story revolves around Oedipus' curse, ubiquitous metaphors, and the ordinary journey of young Kafka and old Nakata. The people and cats they encounter along the way leave a deep impression, carrying varying degrees of kindness and mutual redemption. I particularly like the Nakata storyline.
- Beside Bugs: After the study tour, I became curious about bugs, and they seem more friendly in this book.
Collections#
Articles#
Videos#
- Vlog #56 | A Female Programmer's Study Record After Work | Researching Based Rollup | Taiko Documentation | Daily English Learning | Reading "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" | Keeping Thinking and Recording
- One-Year Anniversary Live Stream of "Beyond Code"
- Vlog #57 | A Female Programmer's Study Record After Work | Learning Rust | Researching Substrate | Daily English Learning | Focusing on Myself | Finished Reading "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"
- "Not every day has to be perfect."
TV Series#
- Joy of Life Season 2: I read the novel during my student days and had a good impression of the first season, so I was looking forward to it. However, after watching it, I was somewhat disappointed. The character design, plot, and pacing have changed a lot, and there are clichés everywhere. It's really a letdown after "five years of polishing."
- The Genius: Rule Breaker: Although I don't usually watch variety shows, I really enjoy the intellectual battles. After a recommendation, I watched it over the weekend, and it was fantastic.