This year has been an extraordinary year for many people, especially for me.
🦠 COVID-19 Pandemic#
The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out in January, is still ongoing today. The panic and despair in the early stages of the pandemic are still vivid in my memory: overnight on January 20th, masks and traditional Chinese medicine were sold out nationwide, the internet was filled with negative news about the pandemic, the number of infections skyrocketed, frontline protective equipment was severely lacking, members of the expert group were infected, Wuhan was locked down, a daughter wearing pajamas banging a gong on the balcony to save her mother, a girl chasing an ambulance and shouting for her mother, the desperate Noah's Ark Hospital, eating self-heating rice at home for weeks because I was afraid to order takeout...
There have been too many events related to the pandemic, and a few of them have left a deep impression on me: Li Wenliang, the whistleblower, being reprimanded, the number of infections being concealed, epidemic prevention supplies donated to the Red Cross being prioritized for government officials instead of frontline medical staff, the hashtag #WeWantFreedomOfSpeech# briefly appearing on Weibo, a young person reading "The Origins of Political Order" on a bed in the Noah's Ark Hospital, the vigorous promotion of traditional Chinese medicine for treating pneumonia, companies requiring employees to return to work on the first day without providing masks, the "Five-One" policy and the demonization of international students, patients' privacy being exposed and subjected to online harassment...
Fortunately, the situation is improving. The domestic epidemic has been largely brought under control, and the Pfizer vaccine is being produced at full speed and has been used in the UK and the US. Things will definitely get better before the summer of 2021.
🏝 Animal Crossing: New Horizons#
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released on March 19th. It's safe to say that the month I played this game was one of the happiest times in my short 25 years of life. The reason is not only because the game itself is great, but more importantly, it allowed me to meet a group of interesting friends (see My Animal Crossing Diary for more details). Every day, I visited my friends' islands, exchanged gifts, wrote letters, fished, watched meteor showers, showed off our new clothes, discussed the turnip market, and excitedly shared news about Sahara and shooting stars visiting our islands, or a cute new villager moving in. If there was nothing new happening, a group of us could gather around a bonfire and play all night. When I played alone, I would wander aimlessly on my island, talking to the animals and visiting their homes. In this virtual world, I discovered a completely different side of myself, free from the pressures and fast-paced life of the real world.
Unfortunately, happy times are always short-lived. Due to various reasons, including the game itself and the players, the novelty wore off after a month. Everyone gradually returned to their real lives, and I also stopped playing Animal Crossing and gradually lost touch with many friends.
Although I know it's impossible to go back to that time, as there is no feast that never ends, I still can't let go. I fantasize about opening Animal Crossing again one day, and finding my villagers and friends still there, with nothing changed.
I don't expect to never encounter such things again, but I hope that the next time I do, I can face them more calmly.
🇬🇧 Study Abroad#
On the morning of July 12th, a terrible thing shattered the tranquility of my short two-month period. Two agents from Ziroom, while I was sleeping, used the backdoor password provided by Ziroom to open my bedroom door and invade my room, claiming to be conducting a "safety check" authorized by Ziroom. I tried my best to seek justice through public opinion, administrative channels, and the legal system, but I encountered many magical things and hit a wall at every turn. In the end, I realized that no matter how hard I tried, this matter would not have a good ending. So, after weighing the pros and cons, I gave up the fight and decided to immigrate.
Of course, it was not only the invasion of my bedroom and the difficulties in seeking justice that led to my decision to immigrate. They were just the catalyst. There are many reasons, but they all ultimately point to the same thing: the rule of law.
The rule of law protects citizens' homes from invasion, protects workers from being forced into a 996 ICU, protects the privacy of COVID-19 patients from being spread everywhere, protects citizens from being arbitrarily punished for pocket crimes, and protects citizens' basic rights and freedoms.
The absence of the rule of law can lead to many problems. It is not only reflected in the inability to protect rights, but also in the scarcity of legal awareness and mutual respect among the people. Due to the national situation, this cannot be easily changed. Luo Xiang once said in a program about the formation of the rule of law: "To a large extent, the rule of law is a combination of top-down and bottom-up processes. The rule of law first emphasizes that power itself must be constrained, and then, in such a context of constraint, gradually, others will be willing to constrain themselves. It is a two-way process, and it cannot be a one-way process."
I am well aware of what immigration means. It will turn years of my accumulation into sunk costs in economics, quickly deplete all the savings I have accumulated over years of work, force me to change many hobbies and habits, and cause me to lose most of my friends and connections. I can't even be sure if it is the right choice. However, the first season of "Attack on Titan" also tells us: "If a person cannot sacrifice something, they cannot change the status quo." Now is the time for courage.
The plan is as follows: Study in the UK (→ Work in the UK)? → Work in Canada → Canadian Permanent Residency → Canadian Citizenship. It can be completed as early as 2029.
I'll leave a blank space here for the answer in 2024: Is the Maple Leaf Card still going smoothly?
- Yes
So far, everything has been going smoothly, except for some detours in the early planning stage. The preparation for studying abroad has been much easier than I imagined. I have already submitted applications to six universities and am waiting for offers. My friend has already received two offers. We have also arranged for our yogurt to be fostered by Henry's family in the UK. By this time next year, we should be happily celebrating Christmas in some corner of the UK.
In a way, I am grateful for what happened. Fortunately, it happened at the age of 25 instead of 35. It has freed me from the dangerous comfort zone, prompted me to reflect and change, and made me stronger. As "Principles" says: "Sometimes, terrible things happen to us. They can either destroy us or make us stronger. It depends on how we handle them." If I hadn't experienced this, I might have been addicted to my current comfort zone, thinking that the iron fist would never strike me. I would have written in my year-end summary, just like in previous years: "Ah, another year of accomplishing nothing and having no thoughts," along with some self-indulgent complaining (see What I Did in 2019 and 2018 Year-end Summary). Until the end, when I wanted to change the situation, it would be too late.
🗓 Bullet Journal#
Without the comfort zone, my life has become more organized. I started using a bullet journal to regularly summarize what I have done and plan for the next cycle. It looks something like this:
In the upper right corner of the weekly notes, I write down what needs to be done for the week. Below that, there are daily to-do lists and notes. Below that is a habit tracker table to quantify my daily state. At the end of each week, I write a summary of the week and plan for the next week. At the end of each month, I write a monthly summary.
Quantifying myself at the right time is really a good way of self-reflection, especially for someone like me with poor memory. It not only gives me a clearer understanding and reflection of myself, but also helps me develop good habits and get rid of bad habits through daily reminders and data quantification.
Through doing these things, I have also learned a lesson: to do something well or cultivate a habit, the most important thing is to find a strong enough inner drive and not forget it. Taking exercise as an example, the drive of "improving deteriorating health and reducing the risk of sudden death" is much more effective than "I want to lose weight." The latter is likely to fail.
💻 Digital Life#
Open Source
Affected by the Ziroom incident, you can see a clear watershed in the GitHub Contributions Calendar after July. After July, Henry has been maintaining RSSHub.
NAS
In June, I switched from Synology DS2018play to QNAP TS-453Bmini, which greatly increased the playability with Docker.
I installed Jellyfin as a media library. It can automatically generate detailed metadata and provides a consistent and good experience on Android TV, iPad, and the web.
I set up a bypass gateway, which supports router-level Clash and AdGuard at the same time.
Movies and TV Shows
I watched 29 TV shows, 26 anime series, and 16 movies. The complete list can be found on Douban: https://movie.douban.com/people/62759792/
The best TV shows of the year were "Friends" and "The Handmaid's Tale."
The best anime series of the year was "Attack on Titan."
No best movie of the year.
Games
I played 16 games. The complete list can be found on Douban: https://www.douban.com/people/62759792/games
The best game of the year was "Animal Crossing: New Horizons."
Vlog
I made my first video that can be considered a vlog: "Paragliding with My Friend and Cucu! Takeoff!"
Later, I bought a Sony ZV-1 and a bunch of accessories during the Double Eleven shopping festival, and I plan to make more vlogs when I go to the UK next year.
🪂 Real Life#
This year's real life has been very dull, but there are a few things worth mentioning.
National Day holiday: I went to many places with my friend and Cucu. We didn't have a single day of rest in 7 days. We moved, went paragliding, went to Disneyland...
The ideal of life is an ideal life
— justcc (@justjustjustcc) October 8, 2020
[Holiday Summary] pic.twitter.com/D2ctRhpr2m
Now you know why birds are always happy and singing～ pic.twitter.com/oiGiGAzGkR
— justcc (@justjustjustcc) October 7, 2020
The Three-Body Exhibition: There were many amazing designs related to the Three-Body series that impressed me as a fan.
Eliminate human tyranny!
— justcc (@justjustjustcc) May 3, 2020
The world belongs to the Three-Body! pic.twitter.com/aENPVrsJhy
Cooking: With a separate kitchen in my new home and to practice for studying abroad next year, I learned to cook some simple dishes, such as tomato and egg soup, stir-fried pork, Kung Pao chicken, fried noodles, curry rice, pan-fried dumplings, steak... I can now take care of myself.
🎉 Thanks#
This year has been a year of everyone's care and support.
I would like to thank my friend for their unconditional support for such a costly and selfish decision to immigrate. I am well aware of the sacrifices that this support requires, and I will not take it for granted. I will work hard with this trust.
I would like to thank my friend for teaching me some things this year: empathy, self-awareness, seizing the moment, and a positive attitude towards life. I still have a lot to learn in many aspects, and I am slowly learning.
I would like to thank Henry for his 360-degree assistance in my study abroad journey. He not only provided crucial help in the early planning stage, saving me from many detours, but also provided a lot of help in the later preparation for studying abroad. He also helped solve many worries, such as maintaining RSSHub and taking care of my yogurt next year.
I would like to thank Heifan, Fallenhh, and Uucky for their proactive help and a lot of useful information when I encountered difficulties in preparing my study abroad application. They also saved me from many detours.
I would like to thank a friend who prefers to remain anonymous for cherishing and trusting our friendship.
I would like to thank Cucu for helping and accompanying me through a perfect National Day holiday.
I would like to thank all the friends who played Animal Crossing with me, accompanying me through the happiest time.
I would like to thank everyone who spoke up for the Ziroom incident, shining a light in my darkest moment.
In 2021, as fate pushes me towards a brave moment, I hope I can be as brave as I imagine and move forward towards my goals.