Alone

Today was slightly better than yesterday. In the morning, I spent some time studying the manual for Dwarf Fortress. It’s still quite complex and requires further review. Regular exposure to and use of English gradually familiarizes me with the language, even if it’s just through gaming. Yesterday and today, I looked into the requirements for applying for a student visa. Money remains a significant hurdle. But I don’t care too much anymore—I’ll leave it to fate. At this point, I’m not as eager to go abroad as before. Facing reality is more important. As Teacher Liu said: for ordinary families, studying abroad is almost an impossible path. Maybe things will improve if I work harder in the future. ...

Recently, I’ve been feeling unusually anxious, and it’s hard to describe this state. I’ve already started anticipating the rejection of my CSC application, looking forward to the stability of starting a regular job. At noon, Yao Dong called me to discuss work-related matters and mentioned that Professor Cai is also planning to study abroad, saying that upon returning, he could supervise Ph.D. students. Later, I came across a video by Geng on Bilibili, where he talked about wanting to pursue a Ph.D. in his 50s. I think it’s a great idea. The current issue is whether our abilities can support us in leading a relatively stable and smooth life. ...

How to evaluate today? It’s hard to say. Yesterday, I scheduled a medical check-up for this morning to assess my health condition in advance and avoid any issues with the upcoming pre-employment physical. So I got up early this morning and quickly finished the check-up at the hospital. The main focus was on blood and urine-related indicators, which were conveniently covered by the free check-up offered by JD.com. After the check-up, I was both thirsty and hungry, and since the free check-up didn’t include a breakfast voucher, I went to Kaihui convenient store across from the medical center and bought a bottle of water and a grilled sausage. Back at my place, I boiled an ear of corn my mom gave me yesterday. The corn lately hasn’t been very sweet—fruit corn seems to taste better. ...

Early this morning, I received a message from Professor Hu, which immediately got me anxious again. I quickly got up to check the progress of my CSC application, and sure enough, there was no update yet. My mom also called me early in the morning, asking if I was coming over to pick up some rice. I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet. After getting up, I did laundry and took a shower. Then I lay in bed and finished reading Animal Farm—it was incredibly satirical and blunt. I bought the English original to keep at home, so I can read it again next time I’m back. ...

The news of my successful interview with the Emergency Management Bureau has already reached my teachers. This morning, both Teacher Hu and Teacher Dai messaged me to ask about it. Teacher Hu even joked that if the CSC (China Scholarship Council) doesn’t come through, he’d feel terribly guilty—hahaha. Of course, I don’t see it that way at all, and I reassured him with sincere gratitude. After washing the dishes and taking a shower, the entire morning slipped by. ...

09:38 Upgrading My Phone’s System Over the past couple of days, while browsing CoolAPK, I noticed that Xiaomi 15’s system had a major official update. Many users claimed it was significantly smoother and more power-efficient, which made me eager to try it out. However, it was still in the closed beta phase, and I didn’t have access. So, I spent about an hour tinkering and managed to sideload it using a replacement method. ...

This morning, I tried frying peanuts for the first time. At first, nothing seemed to change, but after frying them a few seconds longer, I scooped them out only to find they had all turned golden. They were slightly overdone but not burnt. Timing for Scooping Out Peanuts ...