Weekly Report E3

The cover image shows the state of my desktop while studying CS50 this week. Please forgive the messiness, I will tidy it up next week. 😁

Work & Life & Study#

There isn't much to say about work this week, the only minor issue is that I have a remote meeting with a foreigner next week. The bad part is that my English is average. Even worse, the person I will be communicating with is from India. I have no prejudice, but I have difficulty understanding what they say (mainly because I'm not proficient enough). I have had communication with Indian colleagues in previous meetings, but luckily Teams now has real-time subtitles (with a slight delay), and there is also a project manager who can help. So I can only hope that I can explain the solution clearly to the foreigner.

There haven't been any major changes in my personal life, mainly just an increase in exercise. Following a tutorial on Bilibili, I started practicing boxing. I originally planned to exercise for at least 5 days, but there was a slight deviation. Here is my exercise record: . Overall, boxing is definitely more efficient in burning fat than doing exercises. So, for now, it is still my best choice.

On Saturday, I participated in a company event and received a 300 yuan shopping card. I think I should reward myself a little. I thought about my wish list and it seems that there is nothing special that I want to buy in the near future, the only thing I want to buy is a kitten. I thought about it for a long time and felt that it might not be appropriate. There are several reasons why it's not suitable:

I don't have a settled place, so there are transportation issues when it comes to holidays. I usually go home by bus, and whether or not pets are allowed on the bus depends on the "mood of the security officer." So, it's quite awkward.
In 2024, I will most likely change jobs, whether it's entering the software industry or continuing in the mechanical industry, I probably won't stay in Hefei anymore. So there will be transportation issues for the kitten when the time comes.
Personal business trips: There is a certain probability that I will go on business trips. Because I am single, taking care of the kitten during business trips is a problem.
.......

I thought about it for a long time and then had a dream on Saturday night: I dreamt that I bought a kitten, bought cat food, bought cat litter, and comforted it not to be afraid when it came home... It seems that I really want a kitten. I used to have cats when I was in the countryside, but it's been more than ten years since I last had a cat.

On Sunday afternoon, I had a chat with Boss Tang and felt that he has been quite troubled recently. Boss Tang and I have always had a casual style of conversation, so we talked about all sorts of things. Boss Tang recently resigned, so we talked about his next job. We reached a consensus that the next job should be treated as a career, not just a job. I have always had this goal in mind, so I am quite cautious in choosing companies and positions. It seems that there are no particularly good positions at the end of the year, so I didn't look for any related jobs anymore and plan to look after the new year. Finally, we also talked about Yuan Shikai proclaiming himself emperor (manual dog head 🐶).

As for studying, I am still "conquering CS50" this week. I originally planned to finish all the courses this week, but unfortunately, there is still one lecture left, Lecture 9. I should be able to finish the lecture next week, as well as the assignments for Lecture 0-8 (only 6-8 left). Lecture 9 is a big project where I have to use my imagination to create something. I haven't figured out what I want to do yet, so I'm still thinking about it and plan to spend some time and effort on this final project. It's worth mentioning that CS50 has a communication group, and when you ask questions in the group, a teaching assistant (I am not sure) will quickly answer you. In the middle of the week, when I was doing a check, I kept failing even though there was no problem with the debugging. I posted the problem in the group, and the teaching assistant later found out that the internal test system did not support the function call. After she made the modification, it worked. I looked at the records and basically, if there is a problem, the teaching assistant will answer quickly. This is great, at least in my opinion. Here is a screenshot of the response at that time.

Tools#

Notion Annual Plan: I found a great template made by Jenn Kingston from abroad, and I recommend it to everyone: 2024 Annual Plan Template, as shown in the image below. As a self-proclaimed "international lazy experimental research expert," when it comes to planning, I usually just find a template and make some changes to save time and effort. If you are a hands-on person, you can make your own, and if you do it well, I will copy yours:）😁

Life#

Medicated Foot Soak: I started doing a medicated foot soak this week. I still have some Motherwort that I bought before, so I used it to soak my feet. I like to use specially boiled water to soak the medicinal herbs, and then place my feet above the basin so that the steam can directly steam the soles of my feet (although it doesn't have much effect). When the water temperature is suitable, I put my feet in and soak them. Motherwort is said to have the function of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. Soaking feet with Motherwort helps improve blood circulation in the lower limbs and speed up metabolism. But I checked and it seems that it is mostly used by women. In the spirit of not wasting, I will finish using the remaining Motherwort before deciding.
Exercise: I have been following a video to practice the Wing Chun routine this week, and I feel that my body has improved a lot, or maybe it's just an illusion that flashed in my mind... I persisted for a total of 4 days and burned more than 800 calories. Combining the calculation method of "3500 calories per pound of fat," well, it's probably a little over two taels of fat.

Entertainment#

"Growing Soybeans for Beans": I watched three or four episodes, and the members in the show kept saying that sesame leaves are fragrant and delicious. As someone who grew up in the countryside, I seem to have never eaten sesame leaves before, nor have I heard that sesame leaves can be eaten. I even thought it was a translation issue. I checked the encyclopedia and it turns out that they can really be eaten (surprised me🤔). I can try them in the future. 😋 Here is a partial introduction to sesame in "Chinese Plant Records":

Sesame is originally from India and was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty. It was called "Hu Ma" (which is still used in Japan today), but now it is commonly known as "Zhi Ma" or sesame. This plant is widely cultivated in China and has a long history.
Sesame seeds contain 55% oil, which can be used for food and oil extraction. The oil is used for cooking and as a hair care product for women. It is also used in medicine as a base for ointments, lubricants, and detoxifiers. The seeds come in black and white varieties, with the black ones called black sesame and the white ones called white sesame. Black sesame is a mild and nourishing agent that contains fatty oils, which has a moisturizing and nourishing effect and can also treat hypertension.
"The Eight Travelers 2": Currently, the four teammates have gathered, but we keep getting killed by monsters, which is annoying.

Reading#

"A Global History" (current progress: 17%): I didn't read much this week, mainly read blog posts. I am currently reading about ancient Greek civilization and also discussing why Buddhism and Christianity were able to spread. I will paste the explanation from the book below for you to read:

In the following centuries, Christianity spread throughout Europe, while Buddhism won over most of Asia. The reasons for the success of these two major religions are due to certain new features they have in common: First, they both emphasize the salvation of the soul and promise eternal happiness in the afterlife; second, they both adhere to egalitarianism - opening their doors to anyone who wants to join, regardless of gender, wealth, or social status; finally, they both emphasize noble moral principles and the need to abide by these principles in order to save the soul. This requirement, combined with effective church organizations, allows these two religions to have a strong influence on the daily lives of their believers.

Others#

Planning to work on quarterly and monthly plans next week
Need to organize future work plans
Thinking about making a light painting, still considering whether or not to do it