Preface
This piece chronicles my life and reflections from April 3rd to April 18th, 2023.
Perhaps due to my recent change in lifestyle, I had planned numerous engagements as early as March. From the beginning of April, I found myself wandering, experiencing a fortnight of leisure. This journey was akin to a homecoming - departing from Hangzhou where I was raised, to Wuhan, the first place I left home for an extended period, to visit my professor and old friends, and finally to Hong Kong, where I spent some remarkable years, to attend exhibitions and events.
It was hardly stolen moments of leisure amidst busyness, as I didn’t take time off work. Several workdays were spent in hotel rooms near schools or in corners of convention centers, and most travels were hurried affairs. In truth, it doesn’t feel like I accomplished much, yet it’s only now that I’ve found a moment to gather my thoughts and experiences from these days.
The half-month journey was interesting and worthwhile. I visited my long-unseen professor and attended a nostalgic “English Writing” class; strolled around campus with senior Boyi, marveling at how swiftly time passes; briefly stayed in Shanghai for a night, dining with Xiaoyu and celebrating senior’s birthday in a modest way; transited through Shenzhen, meeting many colleagues who previously existed only in work chats - a grand “online friends meetup”; attended the Web3 Festival in Hong Kong, and while I didn’t meet many interesting developers, I saw some intriguing projects and caught up with both old and new friends; revisited some memory spots at HKU, still beautiful and precious; met up with Zhan in Sheung Wan and the park after a long separation; attended an electrifying Mayday concert; and many other interesting happenings.
Now that I’ve returned to my usual routine, the frequency of weekly reviews and other inputs and outputs should return to normal (hopefully!).
Wuhan Chronicles
I actually returned to Wuhan in February, but due to circumstances, I didn’t get to see Professor Liang. So, after a short month, I found myself back again. During my previous journey, I was anxious about interviews, but this time, with everything settled, I felt more at ease, even slowing my pace.
The School of Foreign Languages has always held a peculiar place in my life and memories. For a time, due to career path limitations, I was particularly reluctant to mention it, seemingly regretting why I hadn’t chosen a more “useful” major. There was also a period when others would express surprise at my transition from liberal arts to coding, and to be honest, I somewhat enjoyed this label at that stage. Now, having met many interesting people with unusual experiences and having settled into my career, my past education no longer hinders my professional life. I’ve gradually come to cherish the four years I spent at the School of Foreign Languages.
As my steps traced the many corners of the campus, observing the traces of various student organizations, classrooms, and studios I had been part of, I truly felt the passage of time. Some familiar events now need to be recalled in terms of five or seven years, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen some people. I’m still somewhat sentimental, often wanting to hold onto things despite knowing that forgetting is natural. I’m not sure if I’m attached to that period or if I envy the self that existed then - although inevitably worried, that self was full of curiosity to explore and confidence to change.
Professor Liang is a particularly important figure in both my student career and life.
Academically, her teaching philosophy and methods truly made me feel the difference between University and High School, and completed the transformation of my learning mindset and attitude. On a personal level, she would support my explorations in various directions, entrust former students to look after me when I ventured alone to unfamiliar places, and gossip with me about all sorts of interesting things.
She was also my main reason for returning to Wuhan this time. I arranged to sit in on a writing class during her teaching time, seemingly returning to that period. Back then, I was busy, rushing about various affairs, confused but never afraid. I shamefully admit that I skipped or didn’t listen to many classes at that time, thinking they were of no use to me. Looking back now, I regret it quite a bit. English literature, American literature, poetry - these only began to attract me after graduation, but I no longer had the luxury of time to read and appreciate them carefully.
Hong Kong Chronicles
Another major part of my itinerary was Hong Kong. Since leaving in 2021, I’ve always wanted to go back for a visit, but kept procrastinating. Add to that many changes in life, and the plan had gradually been shelted. This time, coinciding with the Web3 Festival in Hong Kong, I quickly decided to go.
As soon as I settled in, I decided to take a stroll around HKU. This was a magical year, where various aspects of myself changed significantly. I, who had long ceased using Moments, gradually began to post some daily life updates. Looking back at the few posts I made then, it seems to have divided this period of life into several stages. Even though it’s been nearly two years, the memories remain crystal clear.
First Arrival
The early days in Hong Kong were filled with trepidation and anticipation, curious and eager to explore every aspect of this city. I would often walk along Victoria Harbour, stopping here and there, capturing the city’s vitality; in my small room, I would cook, study, write, content in my solitude.
To be honest, Hong Kong isn’t exactly a warm city. Everyone always seems to be in a hurry, busy with their own lives and work, offering others polite but extremely restrained care. The cramped, confined spaces also make it difficult to feel truly comfortable.
However, at that time, I seemed to still be a positive person, always finding interesting points in daily life, letting the light in life dispel the shadows. Particularly memorable was a note from the landlord, which I’ve kept for many years.
Days of Splendor
After a short period of adjustment, I gradually began to enjoy my new life in Hong Kong, and went through a long period of happy times.
I marveled at the night views of the HKU campus, couldn’t forget the delicious Korean barbecue in Causeway Bay, collected various merchandise at the HKU Starbucks, went to Central to eat Shake Shack and watch movies, would have a drink at Quinary Bar in Lan Kwai Fong, and after rushing to meet a deadline, would bring lots of snacks and drinks to Victoria Harbour to drink until sunrise.
I often feel fortunate that I took a gap year before returning to campus, as it made me cherish this hard-earned pace and campus life more, becoming a special and beautiful experience in my life.
Particularly memorable is a dim sum restaurant called “Chau Kee” near the school, which I ate at many times. When I ate there again on this trip, it seemed I could taste the old Hong Kong flavor again.
The Long Night Approaches
Of course, life always has its ups and downs.
The happy times didn’t last too long, and life tends to quietly crumble just when we think we’ve gotten on track.
At the end of 2020, a four-year relationship ended. In early 2021, I lost my beloved grandmother, and in the middle of the year, I lost my cousin who grew up with me. At the same time, I experienced some other emotional and psychological dark moments. Life is always like this - when you think things are already bad, unexpected events tend to come one after another. During that time, I often thought of a saying:
“You never know whether an accident or tomorrow will come first.”
The days that followed are somewhat blurry in my memory, partly due to the heavy coursework and job-seeking pressure, and partly due to the negative impact of various emotions piling up. Looking back now, I still feel that I was very unlike myself during that time - fragile, sensitive, yet cold.
Therefore, the latter half of my time in Hong Kong passed very quickly and hazily. I didn’t leave many videos or photos, and didn’t post any updates for several months. Even now, as I try to recall, these memories are gradually fading. This has been something I’ve often regretted in the year and more since then.
Long-Awaited Reunion
HKU
If I had to say what I remember most vividly from my entire Hong Kong period, it would be the early mornings at Chi Wah Learning Commons. I spent countless hours there, going back and forth between just two points. Every morning, to secure a seat, I would arrive early before Chi Wah opened. I often greeted the guard at the entrance with a “zousen” (good morning). Because I only said this one phrase, even halfway through the semester, he still thought I was a local.
The coffee shop in the school is also a place that carries many memory points. I would go there every morning or afternoon for a cup of coffee. When I went this time, I still took out my student card to enjoy the discount. Back then, I would often go crazy recharging my card for some Hong Kong-limited merchandise. It’s a pity that I couldn’t bring back some items like mugs when I finally left.
I remember when I left Hong Kong, there was still some balance left on both my Octopus card and Starbucks card. But thinking that Hong Kong would be a place I would often miss and revisit, and that I would have opportunities to come back and play often, I just left them as they were. I didn’t expect that the next time I came back would be almost two years later, and everything would no longer be the same. So, this time, as if fulfilling some kind of obsession, I cleared the balance on my Starbucks card. It was like a farewell, to that past time and memory.
Mayday, How I’ve Longed to See You
The main reason for returning to Hong Kong this time was actually a Mayday concert called “How I’ve Longed to See You”. Their songs have had a special significance for both my emotions and life at various stages, accompanying me through several difficult periods. With the various restrictions of the three-year pandemic, such a live performance seemed particularly precious. Even until I arrived at the venue, it still felt unreal.
To be honest, I feel my state hasn’t been very good during this period. I’ve been in a kind of indulgence after emotional accumulation, unable to settle down to do the things I want to do properly, but also not wanting to fall into a vicious cycle again. So I simply treated this half-month “journey” as a self-healing process. But the result wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped. I really enjoyed the time in Wuhan, but it was a kind of slowness of returning to the past, also like the comfort of a home, beautiful but brief. After leaving, I had to face the vast sea of life again.
After a period of toil, I actually found that I couldn’t really enjoy such “freedom”, and it was hard to get any pure happiness from it. I even started to look forward to going home, returning to that state of focusing on my own world. Maybe it’s because it’s been so long since I’ve had such an outing that I realized I’ve actually been often avoiding such changes and insecurity in life. People always have their comfort zones.
The end point of the journey was the Mayday concert. I brought a camera, but was told at the entrance that it couldn’t be brought in and needed to be stored in a place far away. As I was running to make it in time, I suddenly felt that relaxation and happiness I had been seeking throughout this journey. During the several hours of the performance that followed, I was in this somewhat magical state, as if a curve was gradually rising from the bottom.
As I was waving the light stick and singing and jumping along with Mayday, I suddenly realized that life itself doesn’t have that many answers. Many meanings are hidden in experiences and feelings. Sometimes what we need more is to let down our guard and immerse ourselves, to explore.
It wasn’t until I got home that I started to write down my experiences from these two weeks. In my weekly reviews, I always hope to express genuine feelings rather than just record some fragments and traces of life. Several times during the journey I wanted to start writing but it always felt a bit off, so I simply put it aside.
Web3 Festival
I also attended the Web3 Festival. After changing jobs, I felt a particularly strong desire to go out, to meet new people, and to use this opportunity to see more possibilities in this industry.
I met many colleagues. Since we’ve always been working remotely, most of them were just “online friends”. It was an interesting experience to have this opportunity to meet face-to-face. There were many projects on display, and I chatted with many teams. Truly interesting ones were few, and I didn’t meet any new interesting developers, which was a bit disappointing.
Interestingly, while wandering around the venue, I was called out to by a friend I never expected to see - a classmate from before we were divided into science and liberal arts streams, whom I hadn’t been in touch with for about 10 years. He said I looked a bit familiar, so he checked my Moments and saw my blue hair, so he came to say hello. After chatting, I found out he was a former employee of our company’s closest partner. What a curious coincidence.
Nie Nie’s Recent Situation
It’s been half a month since I’ve seen her, and I miss her very much. Fortunately, my family has taken good care of both kittens, and the two kittens (one being fostered for a colleague) have become good friends. Now that I’m back, I’ll continue to update more about my daily life with Nie Nie.
Interesting Things and Objects
Coinciding with the release of a new title, I purchased the collector’s editions of “Fire Emblem: Engage” and “Octopath Traveler II”.
As they were shipped from Japan, I had to wait for quite a while, but the merchandise is indeed exquisite. I’ve already put the Octopath Traveler bag to use on this trip - it’s incredibly convenient.
Input
Although most interesting inputs are automatically synced to the “Yu’s Life” Telegram channel, I’ll still select a few to list here. It feels more like a newsletter this way.
Articles
- BeyondStorage: why we failed
- A programmer who doesn’t want to be a writer can’t write Redis | Programmer’s Meow
- Anthropic | Introducing Claude
- The End of Front-End Development
- Three dystopian animes that pain me - DIYgod
- “CN” ABCDE: Hong Kong Conference, Rethinking 3 Popular Tracks
Videos
Similarly, I’ve also recorded some interesting videos I’ve watched:
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