This week's work was minimal, so I had a lot of free time. I spent two days writing last week's travelogue, and then I played Monster Hunter and puzzles.
Spring Snow#
I finished reading this book on the train. I couldn't continue reading Yukio Mishima's "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion," but I was really engrossed in "Spring Snow." The first volume of the Sea of Fertility, it tells the tragic love story of a pair of noble lovers.
Spring snow, delicate, tender, pure white, a beautiful and cold elf dancing lightly, with the noblest death farthest from eternity, bestowing eternal beauty upon all living beings.
My favorite part of the book is when the two of them make a pact to see the spring snow together. It is beautiful and intoxicating, yet heartbreaking. On this day of spring snow, they shared their first kiss, but it also marked the beginning of their tragedy. They were unable to hold onto this love due to their own issues. It was only when the Emperor's decree and the engagement of Prince Niou of the Dōin Palace were announced that Kiyoaki realized he had lost this love forever. It was then that he discovered his own feelings, and it was clear that Satoko could not let go of this love either. So they began their affair, and the consequence of their affair was that Satoko became pregnant before the engagement.
All of this is like spring snow, beautiful when it happens, but the snowflakes melt away in an instant. Their love may be even more sweet, clear, and fleeting than snowflakes.
To be frank, I didn't like any part of the book except for the part about the spring snow. The two of them were like sick people. When I read "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword," I thought the Japanese were a bit sick, and this book made me feel that they were somewhat sick as well. I couldn't understand why two people who loved each other couldn't be together, and there were no family or societal obstacles. It was all because of their twisted personalities that led to this tragedy. Why did they wait until after the Emperor's decree to resist these restraints? Why did they only think of breaking free from their fate when it was too late? None of this needed to happen. What's even more baffling is that they seemed to find the affair more exciting and happy. These two people are sick.
Of course, setting aside morality, one can view the affair as a pursuit of love, a rebellion against an inescapable fate. But it is irresponsible to romanticize their affair from this perspective. Perhaps this is the charm of this book, a simple story that reflects the complexity of human nature and a sense of melancholy.
Attempting to Record Life with Tools#
Many years ago, when I was still using an iPhone, I came across an interesting app called "World of Mist." I was particularly interested in this app because its core design was that the whole world was covered in a layer of "war fog," and you could explore the world by carrying your phone to eliminate the fog on the map. Essentially, it was a way to record the footprints of your life.
Unfortunately, it was too expensive (over 200 dollars!), and since I was planning to switch to Android (at that time, it was exclusive to iOS), I didn't pursue it further.
After switching to Android, I always had this app in the back of my mind and kept looking for similar software. Later, a domestic app called "Footprints" (now it seems to have been renamed "Life Footprints") appeared, and it was free, but unfortunately, it was exclusive to iOS.
Breaking down the functionality, it essentially records GPS data when you go out and displays it on a map.
Before my trip to Nanjing, I had been trying this out because it was quite difficult for me to go on a long trip, and I had the idea of tinkering with this tool. You can see the results in my previous weekly journal.
GPSLogger#
I found an open-source GPS logging software called GPSLogger. It's not a complex tool in itself, nor does it have complex functionality.
- It's simple, it just records GPS data, and once the recording is complete, it can even automatically send it to a cloud storage.
- It's unobtrusive, once you've set it up, you can leave it running in the background.
- It doesn't have a map, it has minimal background usage, and there's not much difference whether it's on or off on a Samsung device.
You start recording when you go out and stop recording when you return to the hotel (or home), and it saves the data as a GPX file named by date.
In addition to the GPX format, there is also the KML format. The KML format only records longitude and latitude, while GPX includes time attributes. If you want to create an animation of your route, similar to the route map created by a Xiaomi smart band after a run, the time attribute is important.
It depends on personal preference, but having more data recorded is better, right?
The first time I tested GPSLogger, I went for a run at night, and the recorded data was particularly alarming. It calculated that I ran 60 kilometers when I actually only ran 6 kilometers. When I opened the GPX file, I saw that it repeated many points over and over again. This software requires some tweaking, so there is a learning curve.
GPX Studio#
GPS positioning has limited accuracy, and sometimes there can be a deviation of several hundred meters or signal loss. In such cases, manual adjustments are needed. GPX Studio is quite useful and I found it on GitHub. It allows you to manually draw GPS paths and place markers. However, if the data is complex, it can be a bit tedious to make changes.
It would be great if you could just draw with a brush on the road and have it automatically converted into a suitable GPX file.
Loss of High-Speed Rail Data#
I don't know if GPS data is blocked on high-speed trains or something, but there was a long stretch where the data was lost and the accuracy was very low.
I searched online and found Chinese Railway KML Data. It was probably created by enthusiasts of the World of Mist, and I guess they manually created it to address the issue of high-speed rail data loss. Kudos to the developers.
I had to figure out how to use it for a while, but it's actually quite simple.
For example, this time I traveled from Changsha to Nanjing, taking the G1784 train. I checked the stations it passed through on 12306.
Changsha South -> Yueyang East -> Xianning North -> Wuhan -> Lu'an -> Hefei South -> Nanjing South
First, I found Changsha South on their website, and I discovered that it is composed of two lines, the "Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway" and the "Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway," along with two directions. The direction of my route is towards Wuhan, so I chose the "Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway (Guangzhou-Beijing)" line. I found that this line only goes as far as Wuhan. The next station after Wuhan in my train route is Lu'an, and I clicked on Lu'an to see that there are three lines passing through Lu'an, among which the "Ningxi Line" is too far from Wuhan, so the train must be taking the "Shanghai-Rongcheng Line."
First, I exported the KML data from Changsha to Wuhan, then exported the KML data from Hankou to Nanjing (the Shanghai-Rongcheng Line goes to Nanjing), and then used a KML to GPX conversion website to convert them. I dragged all the converted GPX files and the GPX file from that day into GPX Studio and made the necessary modifications. Finally, I exported it as a merged GPX file.
GPX Heatmap#
There are many tools available on the internet, and this heatmap tool is quite cool.
The effect looks similar to "Life Footprints," and the data is in your hands, so it's very secure.
However, after doing all this, I'm not sure what the significance is. After all, I don't really enjoy going out, at most it's just satisfying myself. Maybe when there is more stored data, it will look cooler and also remind me of how big the world is and encourage me to go out more.
Dreaming of Immortality#
A few days ago, I saw that the TV series adaptation of "Chinese Paladin 4" had premiered. Although I knew it would ruin the game for me, I couldn't help but watch an episode (I didn't even finish half of it, so I don't want to comment on the show). The opening theme song, "Dreaming of Immortality," brought back memories of the first time I couldn't let go. Because I played this game many years ago, I may not remember many details, so there may be some errors in what I write here, and my memory may have deviated, but it's not a big deal.
When I was young, I didn't understand much and just played whatever I wanted. My first entry into the Chinese Paladin series wasn't actually Chinese Paladin 1, it should have been Chinese Paladin 3. Of course, I didn't have the money to buy it back then, so I played pirated versions. Chinese Paladin 4 can be said to have had a significant impact on my worldview, and even as I grew up, I still felt that this game had a great influence on me.
Seeking immortality, asking the way of the Dao, life, old age, sickness, death, cause and effect, and the cycle of heaven and earth. The theme of Chinese Paladin 4 seems to be seeking immortality, but the core is fate. Chinese Paladin 4 doesn't have much focus on love, perhaps because I was naive at the time and didn't understand these things. What I saw more was friendship and growth.
Yun Tianhe: My father said, while alive, we should live with joy, so that we have no regrets when we die. If we are afraid of what will happen in the future and always avoid the present, then we won't be happy even when we're alive, so what's the point?
Liu Mengli: ...I think, I understand what Uncle Yun said... Instead of worrying about the impermanence of life, why not cherish the present time... cherish the time spent with loved ones...
Yun Tianhe: That's about right. In any case, we should live happily every day, so that even if we think back in the future, we won't have any regrets.
Han Lingsha: ...Is that so?... Live with joy, die without regrets...
At first, these lines were spoken by Yun Tianhe and Mengli in a conversation, and Han Lingsha was always pursuing longevity and trying to change her fate. Later, she understood.
Murong Ziyin: ...What's wrong with being cautious? Does everyone have to be compatible with you?
Han Lingsha: I didn't say that~ If you feel happy yourself, others won't have anything to say.
Han Lingsha: But I see you following the rules every day, yet your brows are often furrowed. Ask yourself, are you really living happily?
Murong Ziyin: Your words are strange. Life is only a few decades long. How can everything go according to your wishes?
Han Lingsha: Because life is short~ It's better to live happily. Do you want to regret it only when you're about to die?
Living happily for a lifetime is still a lifetime, living in pain for a lifetime is also a lifetime. Life is short, so why not be a little happier? When I was young and naive, the character I liked the least was Han Lingsha. Her change in attitude towards life was also my change, and she was the person who saved me in my half-life.
Live with joy, die without regrets
From the beginning, I didn't like Han Lingsha. I didn't like that she disturbed someone's grave, her liveliness as an introvert, or her cunning. At first, my favorite character was Murong Ziyin. He was handsome, strong, and irreplaceable. But as the plot progressed, I began to understand everything she did. Her family had been tomb raiders for generations, causing their clan members to have short lives and even work as laborers in the ghost realm after death. In addition, she was chosen as the second-generation host by Wangshu Sword, and Wangshu Sword needed to use Lingsha's body to stimulate her spiritual power~~(I cheated and didn't use Wangshu)~~, which gradually weakened Lingsha. She suffered from the torment of cold and exhaustion every moment, even stumbling on flat ground while walking, fearing fainting halfway through a fight, and being afraid of accidentally setting herself on fire while roasting meat. She sought immortality and the way of the Dao in order to find a way to prolong her life. She thought that tomb raiding and helping others would accumulate merit, but she discovered that it also damaged her Yin virtue...
In one's lifetime, it's already short enough. Why bother caring about this and that...
Liu Mengli, the epitome of a young lady, a literary goddess (she can play the piano), couldn't fall in love with a human because she was a daughter of the demon realm (even though it's possible in other Chinese Paladin games). She was gentle, kind, generous, dignified, and elegant. But what made her truly charming was her courage that didn't match her appearance. I don't remember what she did, but I remember feeling amazed by her courage and her inner struggle at that time. Of course, looking back now, I always feel that her character was created to pave the way for the main male and female leads.
Murong Ziyin started off cold and full of hatred for demons, but later he discovered that his friends were demons too, and he gradually understood that demons could be good or bad, and that not all cultivators were good. Cultivation meant losing love, losing family, losing life... and the shocking revelation that "in this life, be human; in the next life, be a demon"... Now that I recall it, it's all deeply engraved in my memory.
There are too many thoughts, and I don't know where to start writing, but when I look back, I've already written so much. The lines that had the most impact on me in this game were:
Yun Tianhe: My father said, while alive, we should live with joy, so that we have no regrets when we die. If we are afraid of what will happen in the future and always avoid the present, then we won't be happy even when we're alive, so what's the point?
Liu Mengli: ...I think, I understand what Uncle Yun said... Instead of worrying about the impermanence of life, why not cherish the present time... cherish the time spent with loved ones...
Yun Tianhe: That's about right. In any case, we should live happily every day, so that even if we think back in the future, we won't have any regrets.
Han Lingsha: ...Is that so?... Live with joy, die without regrets...
At first, these lines were spoken by Yun Tianhe and Mengli in a conversation, and Han Lingsha was always pursuing longevity and trying to change her fate. Later, she understood.
Murong Ziyin: ...What's wrong with being cautious? Does everyone have to be compatible with you?
Han Lingsha: I didn't say that~ If you feel happy yourself, others won't have anything to say.
Han Lingsha: But I see you following the rules every day, yet your brows are often furrowed. Ask yourself, are you really living happily?
Murong Ziyin: Your words are strange. Life is only a few decades long. How can everything go according to your wishes?
Han Lingsha: Because life is short~ It's better to live happily. Do you want to regret it only when you're about to die?
Living happily for a lifetime is still a lifetime, living in pain for a lifetime is also a lifetime. Life is short, so why not be a little happier? These lines made me start thinking about this question for the first time when I was young and naive, and this perspective has accompanied me through my darkest days. Perhaps it was these lines that kept me going until now. Han Lingsha, whom I initially disliked, went through the same change in attitude towards life as I did. She is the person who saved me in my half-life.
Live with joy, die without regrets