Starting from Sunny Days

Reflections on Youth

In the narrative of this restless youth, where does the “meaning” that we’re accustomed to reside? Let’s not even mention the clichés like “unity and friendship” or “long live youth”; perhaps it’s the pure and true friendship, the profound insights into life, or the sense of loss and pain? It seems like none of the above. If that period of time is truly worth reminiscing about, then it should crystallize into some kind of significance, and we should deliberately make sure that after watching the film, we gain something from it. If that’s the case, then it shouldn’t just be a showcase of a certain lifestyle, but rather, there should be some inherent spirituality, refinement, and connection behind it. However, 阳光灿烂的日子 never quite lived up to our expectations. — Excerpt from 中国电影五十年

Youth is like sunshine, and adolescence is that period of radiant sunshine — constantly burning, releasing the vitality of life… and then everything returns to calm. I think that if we pretend to be worldly and cynical when youth arrives, then we’ll truly miss out on the most glorious and precious time of our lives. This film, adapted from Wang Shuo’s 动物凶猛, genuinely portrays our original, unadulterated youthful lives. Although I’m still in this period of my life, watching this film allows me to feel the passion that I lack.

An Email (with edits)

I just read your blog posts from March and April on your “pigsty.” Almost every post mentions 曲辰.

The first time I visited, the display effect wasn’t great, but the simple, genuine writing and true-to-life records deeply moved me. Especially the last post, where you said: “曲辰 is a place for practice, not for making money.”

I, too, waver every now and then, wondering if it’s time to retreat. But seeing everyone still working tirelessly for free, with that deep affection for 曲辰 still present, and the heavy tasks that still need to be handled, my thoughts retreat.

Men think logically, while women are emotional creatures. With the leadership changing, 宋大大 and 老牛 retiring… a bunch of talented people have left my sight. My studies are demanding, I have many class responsibilities, friendships to maintain, and hobbies to pursue. I want to experience the things that university students must do, like receiving a confession from a boy, but I know I don’t have the time to indulge in such luxury. I don’t want to leave, no matter how busy I am; I’ve been diligent with 曲辰’s tasks, not giving the leaders a chance to set a deadline for me.

The current management system is completely different from the old one. We’ve become purely voluntary labor. An hour and a half before reading your blog, I had a conversation with 老苗, and our thoughts were similar. I expressed my frustration. 曲辰 is destined to be the last student organization I participate in. I hope it leaves me with beautiful memories.

I’ve always felt that you’re a capable person with a strong sense of direction. Thank you for the D training over the past half year; it’s not easy to persevere. When I think about self-regulation and QC, I think of you. Your plan is within my expectations, and it’s even a bit later than I imagined.

Leaving is a wise choice under the current circumstances. I’d like to offer a small suggestion: for future development, if you don’t want to have the same experience, be more cautious.

It’s getting late, and I need to turn off the lights. Just a few small thoughts.

Challenging Myself

I love challenges, challenging my abilities to the limit. That’s why I enjoy QC’s work; it constantly demands that I surpass myself, with no chance to catch my breath. Since joining QC, I can say that I’ve made some progress in web development. Next, I’ll learn about dynamic web development technologies like AJAX and PHP. However, what truly makes me feel joyful and accomplished is not the tasks that require writing thousands of lines of code, but rather modifying existing code and porting it to web pages or tweaking certain codes. Because they’re simple yet require clever tricks, I love modifying code, especially when I don’t understand the programming language but can still succeed through trial and error. Only this kind of work can give me a true sense of accomplishment… But now, with constant refactoring, div+css… I’m fed up. It seems that’s what real programmers do — being a docile sheep under some boss, using their numb brains to write repetitive code. What’s the point?!

I need to consider my future development direction. I think the Electronic Association will be my true future direction. They participate in various electronic design competitions, and the knowledge they use is similar to what we learn in our measurement and control major, but more in-depth. If I join, I’ll be able to learn more professional knowledge and have better prospects (many people get directly admitted to the Chinese Academy of Sciences). Most importantly, I feel that this is where I can find the “sense of accomplishment” I need. To progress, one should constantly throw themselves into unfamiliar fields, struggling and challenging themselves with the courage of youth, until they stand firm and discover that they’ve surpassed others.

This semester, since I’m still in QC, I should complete my tasks well. After all, my level is far from being able to handle any web development problems. I still have a lot to learn. Although this path isn’t what I want to take, I need to challenge myself. AJAX might be a good starting point.

This week, I’ve been busy preparing for the 箭扣长城 trip. If everything goes as planned, we’ll set off the day after tomorrow. I hope everyone has a good time. I’ve prepared carefully, and I’ll share the details when I get back.

Regarding the model design competition… the fun category is really giving me a headache. I need some time to think, and since I’ve participated, I’ll give it my all.