Weekly Report #85 - Moment in Peking

Preface#

weekly_review_85

This article is a record and reflection of life from 2025-01-20 to 2025-01-26.

I have always liked the word Moment. The English title of Lin Yutang's "京华烟云" is Moments in Peking, which seems to embody the traces and bits of living in a city, so I borrowed this name.

Moment in Peking#

Last year, I temporarily left Beijing with my senior and have been living in Hangzhou since then.

We used to feel that life in Beijing was somewhat mundane; the city is vast, and we felt small within it. Every day we hurried through the crowds, often forgetting to feel. When the opportunity to leave came, we didn't hesitate much, but were instead filled with anticipation for a new life.

Coincidentally, this week I had some matters to attend to, so we decided to return to Beijing for a "vacation," revisiting the place. The city that once felt cold and distant has become filled with many beautiful memories over the past year, and slowing down to experience it has made it feel precious.

beijing_food

Looking back at my daily routine in Beijing that year, it seems quite interesting.

Every morning, I would wake up around seven, cut some fruits ordered from the supermarket the night before, make a fried egg or toast, and hurriedly walk for about ten minutes to send my senior to work. Sometimes I would also have a class with the gym instructor.

In the morning, I usually returned home to write code until around eleven when I would go to pick her up from work; sometimes I would order takeout for lunch, and if I felt inspired, I would make a simple fried rice or something. I would watch shows like "Reply 1988" and "Prison Playbook" while eating, then take a short nap; in the afternoon, I would send my senior to work again, usually working in a sunny spot at the Starbucks next to her company until around five or six when I would pick her up.

In the evenings, I would sometimes stroll around the nearby mall or take a walk in Ritan Park, stop by the market on the way home to buy some vegetables to make simple home-cooked meals, continue watching the shows from noon, and watch the two kittens play. We would each read or write a bit, ending the day.

boyi_paint

On weekends, I would sometimes go to the studio to paint. I mostly sat in the parents' area working on my computer or attending meetings, occasionally glancing at her, sometimes catching her sneaking a look to see if I was watching her, pretending to be nonchalant.

Most of the time, I was just at home watching shows, but I struggled to get ready and go out because of the pre-scheduled gym instructor; occasionally, I would check out some exhibitions or concerts, and sometimes I would be pleasantly surprised by interesting events like the Chaoyang Beer Festival or a sharing session by "Little Deer Lawrence" at Apple Sanlitun; we would also meet each other's friends, have meals and chat, or invite them over.

My senior said that I seemed to sigh more often in the past few months due to work pressure or life's trivialities, but I had to put on a brave face and pretend nothing was wrong. She occasionally mentioned that it seemed like I was happier during that time in Beijing, not having to think about so many things, just living simply.

But thinking back, I also had many moments of confusion back then; looking back now, it feels like I was very happy. Time has its own scale; all happiness or worries are relative. It seems that sometimes we also fall into the difficulties of our current lives, but perhaps one day in the future, looking back, we will say:

"That time in Hangzhou was really joyful, with so much time, family, cats, and loved ones, doing so many things together."

pic_desktop

There are still many classes I haven't finished in Beijing. This time when I returned to accompany my senior to the studio, I also tried to paint the workspace in Hangzhou, which is where I spend the most time every day. It felt interesting to leave these through my brush.

pic_avatar

This is my second attempt at oil painting; the first was also in the same studio, where I painted the avatar I currently use across all platforms.

Interesting Things and Items#

Input#

Although most interesting inputs are automatically synced in the "Yu's Life" Telegram channel, I still selected a portion to list here, making it feel more like a newsletter. Additionally, I built a microblog using the Telegram Channel messages as content sources - "daily.pseudoyu.com" for easier browsing.

Articles#

Review of January 2025 - "Neurosis, what am I really doing?"

Videos#

Series#

My Altay, a new show to watch during meals.

Games#

It Takes Two, I have played several levels, and I feel the difficulty and gameplay are well balanced; even a clumsy turn-based player like me can have a good experience.