2022 Summary: 2022, Down-to-earth, Looking Up at the Stars
2021 Summary: 2021, From Adversity to Prosperity
2020 Summary: 2020, Regret is the Prelude to Surprise
The ancients said, "When faced with obstacles, one should first reflect on oneself rather than attribute them to external factors."
The year-end summary is also a self-reflection of the past year.
Review of Last Year's Goals#
- Share the knowledge I have learned
- Complete one ARTS task every week (Algorithm: Solve at least one LeetCode algorithm problem each week; Review: Read and comment on 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 more deeply
- Go out and explore interesting places, spend less time at home
- Read 5-10 books (if possible, write book reviews or post-reading thoughts)
- Set aside a fixed amount of money for investment every month
This year, I learned some new things and made some attempts. I have developed a habit of learning while reading, so I have both input and output. However, I lack technical summaries (I haven't written many technical blog posts this year, I should be scolded 😵💫).
But in terms of the depth of learning, I give myself a score of zero. I have only scratched the surface of many knowledge areas without understanding the underlying principles. In the future, I will not easily define myself as having "learned" something 🙈
I spent less time at home on weekends and sometimes I would spend time in bookstores (Xixi Books should give me a discount).
I have truly practiced financial management this year, after all, I set up automatic deductions every month💰
2023#
People always overestimate what they can do in one or two days, but underestimate what they can do in one or two years.
Every time I have to write a year-end summary, I have a headache and don't know what to write. When I think about it carefully, it seems like I haven't done much this year. But when I look back at my records, I realize that I have done some things.
Work#
As usual, let's talk about work first.
At the beginning of the year, our department decided to move from Beijing to Nanjing (I only spent a short six months in Beijing, and now I have moved south again). Although the office location has changed, there hasn't been much change for me personally. I don't have much nostalgia for Beijing, so I moved to Nanjing in March this year.
This whole year has been a year of work, with good news and bad news.
The good news is that I became a full-time employee and have a job that can provide me with a stable income 🎉
The bad news is that I failed to get promoted this autumn. I heard that I was one spot short 😭 (Thanks to my team leader and colleagues for their help, but I let them down)
Although it's regrettable, it's not a big problem. Failure is common, and I haven't contributed enough since moving to Nanjing. In a sense, it's my own fault 🤕
In the second half of the year, I joined a new project team. The pace is slower than before, with fewer pushes, but still under pressure...
The previous business iterations here were too fast, and there were some outdated technology stacks and incomplete development patterns, which accumulated a lot of technical debt that is difficult to change. At the same time, there are very few colleagues in the new project team who are responsible for front-end development with me... I almost went into a state of despair when I first took over 😩
I spent a couple of months doing some business logic analysis for the main projects, referring to the development patterns of the original project team, and now I have successfully adapted 🎯
Code, Learning#
This year, due to work and personal laziness, I entered a period of fatigue in coding. My motivation for personal learning has decreased a lot, so I have been neglecting my personal studies.
This year, I learned a bit about cross-platform development, including React Native and Electron. I tried to work on my own side projects, but as I mentioned earlier, I only scratched the surface. Coupled with work, I had even less time for my own projects, so I ended up abandoning them 😖
And then there's Rust, which I have tried to learn for the nth time, but I always give up (it's too difficult, my brain is going to explode 🤒
As of December 19, 2023, I have spent nearly 1500 hours coding in the past year. Time is not the standard for measuring achievements, but good results cannot be achieved without a lot of time. Next year, I will spend more time and effort on programming, be more humble, and work hard.
Reading, Watching, Playing#
Books#
I read more books this year compared to previous years, mainly because I spent a lot of time at Xixi Books on weekends. I also read some books on WeChat Reading using my iPad (I didn't know that the book coins on WeChat Reading would expire, so I missed the opportunity to exchange them for the books I wanted to read. Every time I checked, I had less than 10 book coins, and the ones I had saved before had expired 🤮).
- "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future"
- "The Alchemist"
- "Siddhartha"
- "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer"
- "How to Be an Imperfectionist"
- "Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned"
- "The Praise of Leibowitz"
- "Steve Jobs"
- "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid"
- "Tess of the d'Urbervilles"
- "No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention"
- "Lord of the Flies"
- "The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help"
- "The Art of Questioning" (Reading)
The most memorable book for me this year was "Siddhartha".
Siddhartha was once a noble Brahmin's son who had everything in terms of worldly success. However, he still couldn't find inner peace, so he left home in search of answers and became an ascetic who lived a life of fasting, meditation, and homelessness. After learning skills such as "thinking, waiting, and fasting," he looked down on the secular world but eventually got entangled in it again, experiencing love, status, and wealth, only to feel empty inside. He gave up pursuing fame and fortune, freed himself from material desires, but couldn't escape the ultimate challenge of raising children. In the end, he found peace and reconciliation with everything.
The meaning of life may lie in the process of constant exploration. You can't possess anything, and you can't hold onto anything. You don't need to prove anything, and there's nothing that must be achieved. All you can do is keep trying, harvesting, and experiencing, and then let go...
Movies and TV Shows#
- "The Shawshank Redemption"
- "The Wandering Earth 2"
- "Manjianghong"
- "Kunqu Opera"
- "Green Book"
- "Dreamland"
- "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania"
- "Ring Ring"
- "Super Mario Bros."
- "Sherlock"
- "Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street"
- "Detective Conan: The Private Eyes' Requiem"
- "Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser"
- "Tetris"
- "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
- "Disappearance"
- "Cute Bones"
- "Pan's Labyrinth"
- "The Great Debaters"
- "Awakenings"
- "Venice at Midnight"
- "The Nun"
- "Hot Search"
- "Fury"
The best movie for me this year was "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse". The action design, visual colors, and expressive power of the movie amazed me. It can be considered a work of art. In addition, it is filled with references and Easter eggs, such as Spider-Cat, Spider-Horse, Paper Bag Spider-Man, and classic Spider-Man references... There were no dull moments in the two-hour movie, except for the suspenseful ending that I don't know when I will be able to see 😭.
Games#
The game I played the most this year was Monster Hunter Rise, and I became a dual blades user and gradually got addicted to it 🔪
I have also returned to playing Swords of Legends Online. I'm rubbing the floor for my new master in the JJC arena 😡
I bought Just Dance and Dance Dance Revolution for the Nintendo Switch, thinking that I could have fun and exercise at the same time. However, I am too lazy, and now it's my girlfriend who plays Just Dance 💃
💰Where Did the Money Go?#
PC#
The biggest expense this year was buying a new computer. The configuration includes an 13th generation i5 processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, an RTX 4060 Ti graphics card, and a Haisjingfang case. I took advantage of some company benefits and also bought a Redmi 2K monitor (I regret not spending a little more to get a 4K monitor 🤡) and a monitor desk lamp.
Now I can play games comfortably without having to lower the graphics settings or experience lag. It also makes coding much more enjoyable 😝
Dog 🐶#
I have a little Corgi. When I bought her, she was only two months old. We call her Xiaodian Dian (Little Dot). Unfortunately, due to my current work schedule, I couldn't take good care of her, so I sent her to my mom to raise. Now she eats eight meals a day and goes for walks three times a day. She must be very happy. She has also started renovating (destroying) the house.
Charity#
I participated in the monthly donation program of UNICEF, donating 200 yuan per month. It's not a lot, but if I have the ability, I will continue to do so.
Financial Management#
I love my job. I have loved computers since I was a child, and I love coding. My interests have indeed provided me with a job that can support me financially, but my interests cannot always bring me substantial income, and I am unlikely to code forever.
So I often dream that I will win a huge lottery jackpot at the next intersection 🤑
To bring in additional income and allow me to focus on my work without having to do things I don't enjoy, I can only think of financial management.
Therefore, starting from the middle of this year, I did some research and set up weekly regular investments in funds. I also set aside a portion of my monthly salary for investment. So far, I have made a small profit. Although it's not much, it's a good start.
Although I have always kept track of my expenses, I feel that it hasn't been very effective in managing my money... I simply record the money spent each time, but I don't go back and review it. Now I realize that it was a waste of time 😵
Periodically reviewing my expense records and understanding the reasons behind my spending and how the money I save will be used in the future may be the true purpose of keeping track of expenses.
Mini Theater:
Diary:
Month n, Day n: Bought a keyboard, shopping spree 💰
Month n+1, Day n: Bought a game, shopping spree 💰
Month n+2, Day n: Magren, Magren, you can't keep spending money like this!
Month n+3, Day n: Bought a computer, shopping spree 🤡
Life#
The last part of 2023 is about life.
Even if the ending is not as expected, meeting is still a good sign.
Life, for me, is a mess. It is a blow to my peaceful life when things are going well. It is a novel that treats life as a drama, constantly repeating hardships.
But it also brings unexpected joys in times of sadness and pain. It is the gods and Buddhas I meet when climbing the wrong mountain path, the ones who cancel their car rides just as I finally get to the front of the line, and the ones who help me.
Sadness and pain are often the main theme of life, but we must learn to find joy in them.
Attached: Lived for 23 years and saw snow for the first time as a southerner.
2024#
Learning, Work#
The most boring person in the world is the one who restricts themselves with limitations.
- Continue to learn new technical skills and understand the principles behind frameworks/technologies
- Learn English and consider taking a certification exam
- Develop a special skill, such as playing the guitar, drawing, or
video editing(Considering the time and effort required for video editing, I don't think I will pursue it) - Make progress in my work
- Work on some side projects and improve my blog
Life#
- I have gained 10 pounds since I started working (I haven't exercised in a year), so I need to exercise regularly
- Read more books and reflect on their contents, turning them into my own knowledge
- Take care of my health, as it is important (I probably got COVID-19 again last weekend and had a fever for two days, I almost passed out)
- Manage my finances and review my expenses quarterly
- Be mindful of my words and actions. See Good Communication
Final Words#
Follow your heart, keep moving forward, live like a traveler, and navigate with a single reed.
Thank you for reading this far. This year has been a year of exploration for me in work and life. Although I haven't made much progress in my work and life hasn't improved much, I won't dwell on the past. I look forward to achieving my goals in 2024.
I also wish you all the best and a promising future.
Merry Christmas 🎄 and Happy New Year in advance 🧨
Dedicated to myself in the past year