This week was mostly spent on boring work, dull and meaningless, and still no salary increase in sight. It's frustrating; continuing with this salary might lead to a situation where I can't make ends meet, but changing jobs seems equally unappealing given the current environment. I think the color scheme of my blog is really ugly, but I'm too lazy to redecorate.
The First Rule of the Workplace#
This week, I was assigned a colleague's work, which was somewhat annoying since doing work for a colleague didn't earn me a dime.
What's worse is that my work efficiency is much higher than that of the colleague who originally did this task.
At this point, I have to quote the first rule of the workplace: "Don't do the work you dislike too well."
Doing work I dislike too well won't lead to a raise; it will only result in more undesirable tasks being thrown my way. So, never do the work you dislike too well. Especially after testing the waters with last month's salary, which was on the brink of being insufficient, I plan to slack off next week. Really slack off!
No Effort is Wasted#
While slacking off at work, I came across this video1. I feel that changing oneself, whether it takes two years or two months, will yield results as long as you keep at it, even if the results may not be immediately obvious.
I never thought I would exercise, yet I've been doing it for two months now. Regardless of whether I've lost weight, I feel my mindset towards problems has improved significantly.
Actually, I've heard a term called "no effort is wasted," which I believe is a Buddhist saying. I remember seeing it while reading something related to Vimalakirti (though I'm not particularly fond of Buddhist philosophy, I used to like Vimalakirti).
The reason I mention "no effort is wasted" is that they believe the merits gained from good deeds are never wasted; for every good deed done, there is a corresponding merit. You may not see the results now, but one day, it will bear fruit, perhaps sprouting in places you can't see.
When I interviewed for my current job, one of the points in my favor was my lack of interest in my studies in college, which led me to self-study front-end knowledge and build a website (it might have been a bit early; back then, the HTML5 specifications hadn't even come out yet, but it was simpler than it is now).
Although my job has nothing to do with front-end development, my boss, who also transitioned into this field and developed the current system himself, has a particular fondness for people like me.
Similarly, last Friday, my boss invited me to participate in the arrangement because of my little front-end knowledge. He said as long as he showed off the system's features, I would know how to use it without needing detailed explanations. Other colleagues had to sit next to him, working while asking how to implement things.
The front-end knowledge I learned hasn't made me a programmer, but it has made many things in my current job feel logical. This is what I understand by the meaning of "no effort is wasted."
Follow-up: Just got paid and it still feels like wasted effort.
Digital RMB Light Experience#
When ordering Burger King on Meituan, I was prompted that using digital RMB could save me an extra 2 yuan. Being frugal, I definitely wanted to take advantage of that 2 yuan.
In fact, if there's money in the digital RMB, the payment experience feels smoother than the other two payment methods. I ordered through a WeChat mini-program, and logically, WeChat Pay should be more compatible. Although the steps are similar, it just feels smoother (XX illusion XX).
It's just that the process of adding money is quite troublesome.
Speaking of adding money, the Changsha Bank app couldn't even add money and required me to go offline to activate something, while the 招商银行 app was super fast.
Gambling Behavior#
A few days ago, while sitting on the toilet, I saw that USDT had risen by 50 due to the exchange rate. Out of boredom, I exchanged it for BTC, and when I checked, it was already worth 1125.
I was a bit happy and then coldly exchanged it back to USDT; it's impossible to trick me into the casino.
Gambling behavior is neither worthy of sympathy nor envy.
Autumn Vibes#
I feel like autumn has arrived; although the temperature hasn't dropped yet, I can't help but drink water like crazy.
My favorite season is here.
Thinking about this made me happy for three seconds.
I suddenly realized I don't have any special thoughts about cities with spring-like weather; the reason is that I love autumn. I wonder if there are cities that feel like autumn all year round.
I want to go out and play, to run.
After work, I changed clothes without eating and rushed out to run; I love autumn so much.
Then coincidentally, it was the Ghost Festival, and many people were burning things by the river, filling the air with a faint smoky smell. However, the wind by the river was strong, and it blew the smell away.
Ghost Festival is my holiday; cute ghosts are still ghosts, lazy ghosts are still ghosts, poor ghosts are still ghosts. Anyway, today I'm celebrating; I don't care.
I only felt hungry after running for a while, so I ordered Burger King on a whim. Although I don't know if this will help with weight loss, I don't care; I'm celebrating, and I'm happy.
Memories of Tooth Extraction#
I forgot how it all started, but I ended up searching for dental filling content on Xiaohongshu. With a mouthful of rotten teeth, I need to find a day to get them fixed. I remembered telling my mom that I had four wisdom teeth that needed to be extracted, but she didn't believe me at all and didn't take me to see a doctor, even when I told her I was troubled by toothaches every month. She just kept asking me to open my mouth to count if I had four wisdom teeth.
These four wisdom teeth have troubled me since high school, and later on, I had a toothache for almost a week every month. But I never went to get them extracted because I was very afraid of dentists, especially going to the hospital alone, and I was most afraid of hearing that dental work is expensive and that I couldn't afford it.
After working for a while, I still didn't dare to get my teeth extracted. Eventually, I couldn't stand it anymore and went to have them removed, extracting all four wisdom teeth in two sessions.
The first time, the one who extracted my teeth was an assistant-like doctor who probably used me to practice. It took almost an hour, sigh. It wasn't too bad, since my health insurance covered it, and letting newcomers practice is also for the benefit of future patients, but it was just too long, and I was so tired.
The second assistant was very handsome, really handsome. Even Bai Jingting would be overshadowed by him, but he was just too inexperienced. He couldn't even administer the anesthesia properly and was sent away by the attending physician. The attending physician personally extracted my teeth, and it was done in just a few minutes.
Actually, having my teeth extracted twice didn't cost me much. Even without health insurance, it wouldn't have cost much. I'm really mad at myself for not having the courage to get my teeth extracted earlier, enduring nearly ten years of toothaches, which led to a mouthful of rotten teeth.
Plus, just a few months after the extraction, I got COVID, and this series of events greatly changed my outlook on life: don't keep enduring broken things. Don't expect bad things to improve with time; it will only make other things worse, and the cost of resolving that bad thing might be much lower than I imagined.
Sunset and Full Moon#
Jogging towards the sunset
Is chasing time
Is the lost youth
Just kidding
I don't have such a youth
But the gradient clouds are really beautiful, like a piece of red-hot iron? (What a metaphor)
The algorithm can't capture it, so frustrating.
Clearly such gentle clouds, but I captured them so poorly.
On the way home, the moon was big and round. When I climbed the bridge, it felt like the moon was slowly rising from the river, reminiscent of the line "The bright moon rises over the sea." Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera.
There were old masters taking photos, and some young ladies stopped to take pictures. An aunt was happily returning home with a big bag of marinated dishes. This moment was still very beautiful.
I was lost in such a night...
Cooking#
After listening to a podcast last week, I felt that "restructuring life starts with cooking."
Cooking generally falls into two categories: one is the experiential type, perhaps a family recipe or just the way it's always been done, relying on years of cooking experience; the other is the recipe type, lacking experience and following a recipe step by step.
As for me, I am outside the three realms and not within the five elements, belonging to the inspiration type. Before making any dish, I first visualize how it should be made, and while cooking, I rely entirely on my feelings, neither drawing on others' experiences nor my own, and I definitely don't refer to recipes, focusing on doing whatever I want.
The biggest problem with this approach is instability; each time the taste is different. It can either be delicious enough to break through the taste buds or so bad that even the dog won't eat it, so I rarely cook. But today, I was very motivated and splurged on two pounds of beef at the supermarket.
The inspiration type is about to challenge itself with a high-end dish it has never made before.
Archive 1: Braised Beef#
It took about two hours, and we finished eating in less than 20 minutes. The taste was rich, but it was a bit like the flavor of braised beef noodles from a snack street. Of course, with so many spices thrown in, it was bound to taste good.
Then I opened a bottle of gin I just bought and mixed it with oolong tea, feeling very high and happy. It was my first time drinking gin, and it was so intoxicating and joyful (looking back, I might have poured too much), dancing at home with the speaker on, experiencing the joy of being an "i" person for the first time.
But after the high, all that's left is emptiness.
Archive 2: Cilantro Beef#
Cilantro and beef are undoubtedly a perfect match. When I stir-fried it, I even doubted if I was the one who cooked it. I was so eager to eat that I didn't even think about taking a photo; I just wanted to hurry up and eat!
After finishing my meal, I even drank the soup, and I lost control and ate a bit too much.
I feel like there's still a pound of beef left, so I have to cook again tomorrow.
Archive 3: Curry Beef#
As I write this, I haven't made it yet. The plan is to throw everything in and stew it with curry, so I can eat it for several meals. I'm a bit tired and don't want to deal with it, and the workweek is about to start.
Movie Watching#
Only Murders in the Building S2#
The first season of this series was quite stunning, and I almost binge-watched it. It was also this show that got me into podcasts. But overall, I feel that the pacing of the second season isn't as good as the first; it lacks a solid structure, and many episodes in the middle felt like filler. The sudden acceleration towards the end to identify the murderer was quite clever, but the structural issues remain, as if several different writers took turns writing it.
{{< notice notice-tip >}}
BBQ's subjective rating: 7.5/10
The final twist deserves extra points, but the plot's drive and character relationships are quite confusing. Overall, it's acceptable; if you enjoyed the first season, you can watch this as filler, as it's probably the best in its genre.
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The Incredible Story of Rose Island#
Since this is a true story, halfway through, I remembered seeing a report about Rose Island in a magazine when I was a child (the magazine mentioned that you could gain Rose Island citizenship by writing to them, and I even searched for it).
It's a very romantic film. Rose Island is a utopia, symbolizing beauty and romance.
The latter half of this movie easily reminds one of the Pirate Radio; the Italian government smeared the "Rose Island government," and after the tourists disappeared, they sent warships to bomb Rose Island, which was dubbed "Italy's only war victory."
I found out that the Italian government even asked the male lead to pay for the destruction of Rose Island.
So they say weak nations have no diplomacy.
Rose Island is a daydream, but once, someone hoped to forge this dream into reality.
{{< notice notice-tip >}}
BBQ's subjective rating: 8.5/10
Although I gave it a high rating, it's mainly due to my fondness for Rose Island itself. The film's romanticism is too strong, and the packaging is excessive, which makes me not like it very much. The ending inevitably invites comparisons with Pirate Radio, which is much better.
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Park Visit#
Museums are the Disneyland for "i" People#
At a certain stage in life, one begins to ponder questions like "What is the ultimate goal of life?" "What is the purpose of living?" "Where are we headed?"
Of course, I'm going to the pier for some fries!
This week at work was so dull, and I thought about going to the museum now that school is starting. I wanted to go a few weeks ago, but I didn't expect so many people to bring their kids to the museum during the summer. The line was hundreds of meters long. I'm not one to wait in line, so I finally got to visit the museum now that school has started (the arrogance and freedom of adulthood). I always think of museums as Disneyland for "i" people; "i" people are incredibly happy in museums.
I took a few interesting photos on the way.
It's a bar, but I'm too "i" to have ever been to one (I'm scared, but I want to get rich (humble).
Before going to the museum, I stood by the river for a while, seeing a father and daughter, an enviable parent-child relationship, and couldn't help but take a photo.
A Wonderful Journey in the Museum#
Before entering the museum, my Xiaomi bracelet recorded about 10 minutes of moderate to high-intensity activity, and by the time I got home, it was 136 minutes. Can this intensity not compare to Disneyland?
To be honest, I went to the National Museum and the Palace Museum when I was a child, and since then, I've had a feeling that other museums just display "worthless trinkets."
A very cute artifact, like a civil servant with a tie?
A big cat with a smile!
A frugal gold seal, but I noticed that other seals seemed quite small; perhaps ancient seals were generally smaller. Wouldn't such a small one be easy to lose?
Treasure of the Museum! This is displayed on a wall by itself, indicating its importance. This is called "Western Han · Double-sided Carved Dragon and Phoenix Pattern Jade Ring," and its name suggests it's extraordinary.
The official description states, "Double-sided carving, with a coiling flying dragon, surrounded by flowing cloud patterns and phoenix motifs, creating a sense of dynamic movement as if clouds are steaming and dragons are soaring."
Western Han
frying pan (it's a bronze lamp).
Does it look more like a pig or a dog? I can't remember XD?
The clown is me!
I don't even know what this is?
Dream of the Red Chamber Special Exhibition#
Actually, there are many pictures, from the first chapter to the last. But I only looked at the beginning because I only read the first few dozen chapters of the book.
I only looked at the first few pictures, then skipped ahead to the end of the exhibition. The ending was so sad; there was a young lady listening to the commentary in the last few chapters, gently crying.
Another Special Exhibition, I Forgot the Name#
The cultural and creative store should make a similar one; this thing is quite artistic, perfect for holding rings and necklaces.
Want some fries?
Going Home!#
The reason I remember the name of the treasure of the museum so clearly is that I brought it home! I bought two bookmarks!
The autumn vibe is getting stronger; I really love autumn.
There are actually many more photos, but I don't want to dump them all at once, so I picked some interesting ones.
Input#
- Hugo | Custom Showcase Page If you have time, you can try making a similar one; I've just been too lazy to redecorate.
- FF14 Equipment Appearance Query Website Although I haven't logged in since clearing 6.0, it's still a game I've played for so long, and seeing this brings back memories.
- In the companies I've worked at, those with plaques saying "Hard Work Pays Off" have all gone bankrupt I really like this writing style, haha.
- After three years of exploring restaurants, I've gained 30 pounds and don't want to be an accomplice to pre-made dishes anymore Pre-made dishes can go to hell.
- The History of the Decline of Northeast Cuisine Related to the previous point.
- Changsha Cuisine Checking for omissions; there are indeed quite a few that I think are good (at least they smelled good when I passed by, but I didn't eat because of the long lines).
This week, I didn't have much energy to slack off and didn't see anything interesting.