This is an unfinished version of this article, and the draft is directly written on xlog.
It's that time of year again, and in the past few years, it seems that I haven't written a decent year-end summary or participated in the annual essay contest of the minority. This year, I should write an article no matter what, in order to review this year at the end of the year and not forget these bits and pieces when looking back on life in the future.
Highlights of 2023#
Completed the graphic and video production of the tutorial series "Getting Started with TickTick in 59 Minutes" on the minority.
This is the first time I have done a tutorial series for the minority. Although I procrastinated for a long time, the final response was not bad, and I also took this opportunity to learn DaVinci Fusion.
Things that have improved happiness/work efficiency#
After graduating and working, I finally realized how difficult it is to earn money and how difficult it is to eat shit. But thanks to working and living in my hometown, the cost of living is extremely low, which also allows me to have the ability to buy some things I like.
1. Xiaomi 27-inch 4K monitor
The monitor is something I have been longing for throughout my college years. But because I have been exposed to some work related to radio and television, I don't want to just buy an average monitor. After saving some money from work, I decided to buy a Xiaomi monitor.
Xiaomi's products may not be the best, but at the same price, it is definitely a choice that won't go wrong.
2. Logi MX Master 3s
The previous 2s lasted for almost 4 years and finally broke down, so I naturally bought the 3s. To be honest, Logitech really puts effort into making hardware and drivers. Even Logi Options+ is still a piece of crap.
3. Assembling a desktop computer (unfinished)
This cannot be considered as something bought in 2023. At the time of writing this article, I still haven't saved enough money to buy a CPU and graphics card, but all the other devices have been installed.
Assembling a desktop computer, returning to the embrace of Windows, can be considered as a forced choice. The soldered hard drive and expensive memory of macOS make it impossible for me to use macOS with peace of mind for work that requires a large amount of disk cache, and I cannot freely add memory and hard drives. The M1 version of the graphics card cannot handle the cost of Blender ray tracing (although NV's graphics cards are more expensive, but I can buy Intel's discrete graphics card /sarcasm). macOS is not as powerful as I imagined, and if I accidentally mess up the system, I need another macOS to restore the system.
4. Timo Chestnut Grinder
There was a problem with the semi-automatic coffee machine in the company, which made me lazy to use the company's coffee machine for quite some time. But since I got the grinder, I can basically enjoy coffee freely. The average cost of my coffee beans is less than 2 yuan per cup, cheaper than Luckin Coffee.
This machine can finely adjust the grinding degree within a considerable range, and can be used for both hand brewing and espresso. I plan to buy a set of hand brewing equipment or a moka pot to use at home.
For more things that I think are worth repurchasing, you can browse them in the article 100 Things Challenge - Tripper Press.
5. Redmi Watch
The feature I value most is the Do Not Disturb mode and phone synchronization. When I used the Xiaomi bracelet 7 before, I had to turn off the Bluetooth of my phone when taking a nap at noon, otherwise the bracelet would keep buzzing even if the phone was in Do Not Disturb mode. However, Xiaomi's wearable devices also have many bugs, but the most important functions such as time, battery life, and notifications have never gone wrong.
Habits I have developed/not developed#
✔ Exercise, I have done a decent amount of exercise this year. Although I planned to go to the gym and do a three-phase plan, I gave up after going for two weeks and lying down for three days due to a sudden change of mind. But I have been persisting in running and swimming.
According to incomplete statistics from Xiaomi Sports, as of December 24th, I have run a total of 55 times this year, totaling 146.68 km and burning 10,254 calories; I have also swum a total of 12 times, totaling 15.83 kilometers and burning 4,490 calories. My weight has also dropped from 86.5 to around 80.
✔ Learning/side jobs. I have made some progress in my side job this year. I have done some small tutorial series on π and earned a few hundred yuan, and I have also paid three yuan in taxes. I have also started learning AE, Fusion, and Blender. Currently, I position myself in the field of brand promotion and animation design, which is also related to my main job.
✖ Keeping track of expenses. Around August this year, I sorted out the bills from January to August, but I didn't continue to keep track of expenses later on, I was just lazy. Generally, the highest expenses are on eating and drinking, and the highest single expenses are on electronic devices.
✖ Continuously updating my blog/notes. This year, I have been trying out several note-taking and writing software, including flomo, Obsidian, and Notion, but I still haven't consistently input and output information, and the experimentation continues.
✖ Saving money. I saved a little money this year, and then quickly spent it, mainly on the monitor and assembling a desktop computer. I also lost a lot of money in A-shares and ChinaBond-related funds, but I made a few dollars on the Nasdaq Connect.
Games I played#
Genshin Impact, although I only played it for a week or two.
I got a lot of free games on Epic and Steam, but I can't play them because I don't have a Windows device, so I can't forget them.
Finally, give my 2023 a score#
If we use the standards of college, with a full score of 100, a passing score of 60, and an excellent score of 85, I would give myself a score of 75.
My 2023 is still far from excellent, but I recognize the efforts and hard work I have put in this year. I recognize the nights and hair loss I endured to broaden the breadth of life, and I recognize the sweat I shed to improve the quality of life. I recognize every moment I struggled towards the elusive dream and future.
2023 has regrets, but I have no regrets.
I hope that in 2024, I can move forward bravely and make unlimited progress.
Extra - Recording fleeting moments in a hurry#
At the beginning of the year, I wanted to make a set of postcards, but now I feel that it is not necessary to print these photos, so I will leave them here.
In the first half of this year, I was still doing the previous business work, without much excitement. But the stable life of working from eight to five and having weekends off gave me a lot of opportunities to pick up my camera and take a walk around the surroundings during my leisure time. In the second half of the year, with some adjustments in the company, although the work became a bit busier, I also had more opportunities to see farther places.
Basalt, taken on New Year's Day 2023
A local coffee shop
Bauhinia flowers
Reservoir
During the National Day holiday, we also drove to nearby counties and looked up at the Milky Way for the first time in the dark night.