2022, Down-to-earth, Look up at the stars

Summary of 2021: 2021, From Adversity to Prosperity
Summary of 2020: 2020, Regret is the Prelude to Surprise

Time flies, and the year 2022 is coming to an end. As usual, I am hastily writing my year-end summary in the last two days (procrastination at its finest). I will let my pen guide me as I reflect on the past year and document my experiences here.

Review of Last Year's Goals#

This year, I officially entered the workforce and started working. My life has become more regular, waking up at 8:30 am every morning and dedicating myself to work at the company. Now, I start feeling drowsy around noon 💤.

Due to work, I usually return home after 9 pm, which leaves me with no opportunity for night running. Another reason is the strong wind in Beijing since October, which has made me feel lazy. ~~Of course, the main reason is my own laziness, hehe~~.

In terms of front-end development, although I have been exposed to some new technologies and learned new things at work, I feel that I haven't delved deep enough. I can only give myself a passing grade in this aspect, as there is still room for improvement. I need to focus and consolidate my knowledge 🧐.

As for financial management... let's not talk about it 😭.

In the first half of this year, the pandemic situation did not improve significantly. I spent most of my time at school with friends, completing our graduation projects and playing games. I came to Beijing in July, but unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to explore Guangzhou yet. However, now that the policies have been completely relaxed, I will strive to explore Beijing 🗺️.

My 2022#

Life and Work#

I have never been a nostalgic person, but when I had my last meal with my school friends, I couldn't help but shed tears. From now on, we will all go our separate ways, and it's uncertain when we will be able to gather again. Looking back on my four years of university, I am grateful for the excellent senior who helped me with my programming enlightenment and provided valuable advice for finding internships and jobs. I am also grateful for the roommates and friends who accompanied me and brought me joy, as well as their support during times of stress. I hope we will have the opportunity to gather again and celebrate together. Cheers to everyone's well-being 🍻.

Since July, I have been in Beijing, starting my life as a "Beipiao" (a term for people who move to Beijing for work). If there is one thing I found most difficult to adapt to when I first came to Beijing... it's the fact that everything I eat in the company cafeteria feels spicy... while my colleagues say it's not spicy at all 😓.

The life of a "Beipiao" is not as good as I imagined, but it's also not as bad as I imagined. Currently, my working hours are generally from 10 am to 9 pm, and I usually don't have to work overtime on weekends. At first, I found it difficult to adjust to these working hours after relaxing too much in college. I even felt that my days were packed and filled with work 😩. However, after becoming familiar with the project and requirements, I became more efficient. I gradually got used to this working schedule and sometimes even had time to browse GitHub and learn new things in the evenings. The atmosphere among my colleagues is great. If I have any questions, as long as there are no urgent tasks, someone will always respond. We have lunch together every day, take walks in the park, and chat. When facing personal problems, we help each other. I am fortunate to have such a great team lead and colleagues. I recently had my probation review, and I hope everything goes well.

In July, I joined Xiaomi. I received a lot of things from Xiaomi, such as cultural shirts (I already have four different ones), a Xiaomi backpack, and a book by the CEO, Lei Jun. I also received a mooncake gift box during the Mid-Autumn Festival. I remember there were activities and giveaways during the Programmer's Day on October 24th, but unfortunately, I didn't participate 🤧.

One regret is that although I came to Beijing this year, I haven't had the chance to visit many places (such as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square). I either stay at home on weekends or go to Starbucks to write code. I hope to explore more next year 🚶‍♂️.

Health#

I haven't exercised much this year, and I feel that my physical fitness hasn't improved much. In mid-December, I unfortunately contracted COVID-19 and spent two days in bed with a high fever 😷. The highest temperature reached 39.9 degrees Celsius (who knows if it went higher at night). Fortunately, the coughing finally subsided a few days ago. It was really exhausting, and I hope that all my friends who haven't been infected will remain safe, and those who have been infected will recover and test negative soon. According to online rumors, there are different strains of the virus in the north and south of China. I'm afraid I might experience it again when I go home for the Chinese New Year 😵‍💫.

Code and Learning#

Since July, most of my time has been focused on work-related tasks, so I haven't had much time for personal projects. I haven't made significant contributions to open source projects this year, but I did make my first pull request (PR) in my programming career. I hope to submit many more PRs in the future and contribute more to the open source community 🙁.
This year, I briefly explored Three.js, Nuxt, and Next.js, but I haven't produced any output yet. I hope to use the knowledge I have gained to create new projects next year.
I have learned some knowledge beyond development at work (making full use of the resources available, regardless of whether they are directly related to my field). Learning more is always a good thing 🎫.
I concentrated most of my coding time in the second half of this year (because I spent the first half playing games with my roommates). Unknowingly, I have spent nearly 1000 hours coding 👾.

Books and Movies#

Books#

I read fewer books this year, mainly because I dedicated most of my time to work in the second half of the year. I hope to write book reviews or reflections for the books I read in the future. It's best to have both input and output for effective learning.

Vue.js Design and Implementation
Xiaomi's Entrepreneurial Thinking
I Am a Cat
Numb Sensibility
The Narrow Door
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future (Reading)

Movies#

I watched fewer movies compared to last year... but I did catch up on two classic films, "Interstellar" and "The Butterfly Effect."

Sheep Without a Shepherd
Léon: The Professional
Moonfall
Interstellar
The Girl in the Swamp
The Butterfly Effect

Games#

In the first half of this year, I played the game "Genshin Impact" with my roommates. Unfortunately, after graduating and coming to Beijing, I haven't had much time to play games. However, before officially starting work, I completed the 2019 game of the year, "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice." I spent a total of 42 hours on the first playthrough, and I must admit that I had to skip class to defeat the Sculptor 😵. I will face him properly when I play the second playthrough.

I bought several games for my Nintendo Switch this year, including "Mario Kart 8," "Monster Hunter Rise," "Pokémon Arceus," and "Pokémon Brilliant Diamond." I consider all of these games to be excellent (especially Pokémon, as I am a fan). I haven't completed Pokémon Brilliant Diamond yet, but I find it even more enjoyable than Sword and Shield. However, there are some bugs and the graphics could be better. I hope Game Freak can improve their technical capabilities and not ruin the Pokémon IP 😟.

What Did I Buy?#

In the great Qing Dynasty, there was a national situation, and I had my own expenses to take care of 💰.

Main Work Tool: MacBook Pro 2021 14-inch#

After using a heavy gaming laptop for a long time, switching to a MacBook Pro has significantly reduced the weight I carry. Its performance is more than enough for my daily development tasks, and the fan doesn't make any noise. The only downsides are that the keyboard is prone to getting oily and it can be cold to touch in winter (it doesn't generate heat 🥵).

Filco Minila Air#

I bought this keyboard secondhand and replaced the keycaps with a set of PBT keycaps. Although it is an older keyboard, it has a 60% layout and a unique arrangement. The Bluetooth connection is fast. It has become my main keyboard, but one downside is that it is an older model, so the Bluetooth version may be outdated, and it occasionally disconnects.

Lamy Safari (Pacific Blue)#

This fountain pen in the limited edition Pacific Blue color was released in 2017. At that time, I was still in high school and had a habit of writing in my diary. I really liked the color of this pen, but I didn't have the means to buy it back then. My diary-writing habit stopped when I entered college. Recently, I decided to start writing a diary again and fulfilled my past regret by purchasing this pen. Now, I use it to write my diary 🖋️.

Crystal#

A cat that either eats or sleeps all day. It is mischievous and always tries to steal my food. I miss the time when it was shy and hiding under the sofa.

2022, Random Thoughts#

In the cold winter of 2022, JD.com and Youzan (two Chinese companies) carried out large-scale layoffs and destroyed third-party platforms in the spring. I remember my company also conducted a round of layoffs in April. It was a challenging time, and it affected my mindset. I often wonder if I have done enough and if there are any shortcomings. However, I gradually realized that these things may not be within my control. The reasons behind such decisions are complex and sometimes beyond our control.

So, what can I do in this cold winter? I will focus on the factors that I can control, improve myself honestly, and pay more attention to my personal growth. I will ensure that my mindset remains positive.

If you worry too much about something, you are creating a reality that you don't want to see and forcing yourself to exist in that reality.

2023#

Learning#

Share the knowledge I have learned.
Weekly ARTS (Algorithm: Solve at least one LeetCode problem every week; Review: Read and review at least one English technical article; Tips: Learn at least one technical skill; Share: Share a technical article with opinions and thoughts).
Continue to excel in my work and strive for breakthroughs.
Make some insignificant contributions to open source projects.
Explore Web3 in more depth.

Life#

Explore interesting places outside and spend less time at home.
Read 5 to 10 books (if possible, write book reviews or reflections).
Set aside a fixed amount of money each month for financial management.

In Conclusion#

The past is just a prologue.

I hope that all the difficulties will pass and everything will gradually improve in the new year. Embrace 2023 with anticipation.

Dedicated to myself