Preface
This piece is a record and reflection of my life from June 7, 2024, to June 16, 2024.
A Good Friend’s Wedding
I returned to Beijing during the Dragon Boat Festival to attend a wedding - that of my dear high school friend, Jian.
In high school, I was in the liberal arts class with only eight boys. One of them had a sudden epiphany in the second year of high school, deciding to take a break from school to write books and revitalize Chinese literature, leaving only seven of us to accompany each other through the third year. Perhaps due to our small number, we developed a sense of camaraderie and mutual appreciation. After graduation, we maintained a frequency of two or three gatherings a year until the outbreak of the pandemic.
Among us, three, including myself, were particularly close due to our similar wavelengths. We had a small group chat for daily casual conversations, and we would seize opportunities to meet for meals when traveling to Beijing, Shanghai, or Hangzhou for work. We also visited each other’s homes, tasted each other’s cooking, and met the people important to each of us.
Last year, another member of our trio was the first to get married. At that time, I wasn’t quite “up to par” with my long blue hair and didn’t get to be a groomsman, which left me with a tinge of regret. When Jian set the date for his wedding, he invited me early on to be his groomsman - the only one, in fact. The English term “best man” is quite an appealing title, and I was both surprised and honored.
In fact, beyond the obligatory duties at the wedding ceremony, I think inviting important people to witness a significant milestone in one’s life is inherently romantic.
I spent an afternoon trying on suits a few days before the wedding, only to discover that I couldn’t quite pull off the look. In the end, I pieced together a casual suit from my usual men’s clothing online store. It was the most formal outfit I’ve ever worn. I couldn’t bring myself to cut my hair short, but I did trim it and styled it in a more grown-up manner.
It was a lawn wedding, something I’ve seen many times in movies but never attended in real life. It was full of ceremony yet intimate. Having been involved in the wedding preparations early on, I could better appreciate the details and thoughtfulness behind this perfect ceremony.
The bridesmaid on the bride’s side was an extrovert, radiating with energy, while I was still lowering my head and silently rehearsing the order of hands for presenting the wedding rings just before going on stage. My introversion stood out in stark contrast. It was an interesting juxtaposition, and I’m looking forward to seeing the official photos later.
Weddings and Marriage
As early as mid-May, I had accompanied them to discuss details with the wedding planning company. Looking at the lengthy and meticulous process charts, item lists, and layout diagrams, I was amazed at the complexity and expense of a wedding. When discussing the quote, we saw that two floral arches and some floral decorations on the seats added up to over 50,000 yuan. So much so that when my senior and I arrived at the wedding venue and saw the floral arches, we couldn’t help but think of these numbers.
Weddings are often labeled as “once in a lifetime” events, so it seems that no amount of effort or expense is too much for that moment of perfection. But I often wonder, when something originally emotional and romantic becomes an endless list of items in an Excel spreadsheet with precise numbers behind it, when every move of the bride and groom must be perfectly prescribed, who is this wedding really for?
Perhaps because my senior and I are people who value experience over form, we might feel that planning and filming a documentary about marriage and love together, taking a “tour” to see important but long-unseen friends of both sides while wearing a veil and carrying blessings, or capturing some more authentic and precious promises in a church in a favorite country or city would be more memorable than the luxury of a wedding banquet.
But standing beside the groom and witnessing the vows and emotions at the wedding, I felt that perhaps any way is fine, as long as it’s with the right person.
Other Matters
Blog Comments
When I discovered that QuQu, a respected figure who had been in my RSS reader subscription list since the early days, was reading my weekly review and even left a comment, I felt like I had successfully met an idol and broken through a dimensional wall 😭
Companionship of Readers
On my birthday, I initiated a lucky draw, selecting six readers who left comments. Three winners chose EpubKit memberships, two chose physical books, and one chose WeChat Reading.
Interestingly, one of the winning friends reciprocated by sending me a set of voluminous books. Last year, he commented on my birthday summary article “The Man Who Pushes Rocks,” suggesting that perhaps Sisyphus should also shrug. Today, seeing “Atlas Shrugged” that he sent me, I felt a strange and warm sense of companionship and connection 🥰.
Changing Note-taking System
I spent an afternoon organizing my notes today and realized that Logseq had, to some extent, changed my thinking habits. Although the Daily Notes method indeed reduced the mental burden of recording, it also made my thinking less continuous. My thoughts were all converted into bullet points, yet often couldn’t be connected into a complete blog post, and much of what I had learned was gradually forgotten.
So I made up my mind to switch to Obsidian. I didn’t install any plugins, but instead adopted a more primitive single-text mode of recording, using files starting with “20240615 + keyword” and noting tags at the beginning of each article. This actually allows me to organize things more systematically.
Changing macOS Theme
I discovered a complete theme set of pure dark icons + wallpaper, which has a very immersive effect (except for the Finder icon which can’t be changed and stands out). The practical effect is shown in the image.
Interesting Things and Objects
Input
Although most interesting inputs are automatically synced in the “Yu’s Life” Telegram channel, I’ll still select a few to list here, making it feel more like a newsletter.
Books
- Insect Radical, I became curious after completing the study camp, and the insects mentioned inside seem more familiar now.
- Atlas Shrugged, sent by a reader, I read a bit every morning.
Collections
- GitHub - scalar/scalar
- Up host polebug’s channel
- Introduction to Generative AI 2024 Spring
- DarkOS Icon Pack
Articles
- Let’s Talk About E-ink Readers
- The Renaissance of SQLite
- Managing My Motivation, as a Solo Dev
- A Decade in the Blink of an Eye
- AI Reviving RSS?
Videos
- vlog #58 | What can be done after work | A female programmer’s after-work study record | Deceived by AltLayer | Thoughts on English thinking | Inspiration from reading “Time Poverty”
- Tips from 17 years of travel experience, from student to newlywed
- vlog #59 | Stealing time to study | A female programmer’s after-work study routine | Learning Rust | May review | Long-term English learning | Reading “Time Poverty”
- When a rebellious middle-aged examinee gets this year’s essay topic…
- Lesson 3 Solidity Smart Contract Development
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