I want to try recording the monthly changes separately and document the progress here every six months. Compared to the once-a-year frequency, this is a bit more frequent, to see if I am really executing my plans well.
A congratulatory illustration for the 21st anniversary of the Dream Diary
for the child who has been depressed
A#
Bad News#
Insomnia seems to have worsened, and I have started to gain weight.
The estimate at the beginning of the year was still too optimistic; I still haven't settled on a proper topic direction. In contrast, I have to complete the overwhelming courses and more challenging demands in the group this semester, and the entire months of April and May were spent under immense pressure, even pulling several all-nighters.
In terms of diet, several dining options have closed, and I don't know what's going on; the choices have decreased, and the issue of high oil content has become quite serious. I did cook some noodles in the dorm, but without much vegetables or meat, it was still too bland (I haven't seen a market nearby), and I haven't dared to try other recipes. Coupled with long hours sitting in front of the computer without exercise, it was only a matter of time before the obesity issue appeared.
June was basically about handling final exam matters, and I had quite a bit of free time, but maybe I got used to the pressure; I still end up staying up until three or four in the morning, which is quite concerning. I'm currently trying to adjust my schedule...
Good News#
The good news is that I feel I have made some progress in programming.
Although I don't have any serious projects, I at least tried out the possibilities of C# and pure front-end (the classic JS+CSS+HTML trio). I used C# to make a Unity game for fun; the logic is quite similar to Java, and I adapted to it pretty well. As for pure front-end, I built a small tool called Color-Compass (website) for color analysis, borrowing some logic from color-thief (website) and making improvements. I think it's decent.
Although it's not anything particularly impressive, I feel that creating something gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Following along with the group to code, I also submitted a paper as the first author, which was accepted, and I'm waiting to see when it will be indexed by EI. However, to be honest, I still feel a bit resistant to Deep Learning at this point, and I might not pursue that direction in the future. If I don't have too much to do during the summer, I plan to look into 3DCV-related topics.
Additionally, after finishing my first year of graduate studies, I feel like I've completed most of my coursework for life. The subsequent years of graduate school will mainly be about honing my skills and waiting to find a job, so I need to plan well for the second half of the year based on my earlier plans.
B#
Let Me Think#
If all the plans can be completed on time, then they wouldn't be called plans.
I still need to list all the possibilities and see.
Audio: If I don't count the listening of those operas and my understanding of pure tuning, I should say I haven't made any progress. This completely contradicts my plans.
Drawing: I pushed through a hundred pieces (I definitely can't stick to drawing for a hundred consecutive days due to too many unexpected situations, so I lowered my requirement to drawing 100 pieces first) from #22 to #30. However, I can still feel that, although I'm a bit more skilled with the brush, the shapes are all crooked, and there's a feeling of "inaccuracy," especially with human figures, which are a complete mess.
Graphics: I haven't made much progress outside of the plan, but I did happen to create one piece when I finished the group's work; I can honestly say I have a bit of PTSD regarding Python and deep learning.
Animation: I have determined the work goals for the second half of the year and started Segment #04 as a practice piece for "The Third Heart."
Literature: I read "No Longer Human" and found it quite underwhelming. However, I was tempted by a shopping app to buy a book by Haruka Fata called "REWRITE," and I also read his "Doppelgänger," which had a decent feel for a mystery novel.
Recently, I noticed that the entire RE series by Haruka Fata has been translated. After I pre-ordered the second book, it hadn't been released yet, but the third book was quickly translated and published for pre-sale, followed by the fourth book. However, the translators for the last three books are all the same person, and it's someone I haven't heard of, which makes me worry about the quality.
For works translated from Japanese, especially mystery novels, accuracy in translation is crucial. Take the classic "Hell in a Bottle," for example; a straightforward translation would be terrible. If it fails to convey the original text's disordered contradictions, it completely loses its horror and instead becomes ridiculous, which is entirely the translator's responsibility...
Games: I've played quite a few independent puzzle games, especially classic ones, including Animal Well and Braid (though I used cheats for Animal Well because some parts were too difficult for my skills). I had an inspiration and started a project with Unity 2022 LFS. Although there seem to be many issues with Unity, my experience with Godot felt quite poor due to its Python-like syntax; I'm still more accustomed to object-oriented styles. Perhaps I should look into Unreal Engine later?
The computer part is actually written in the previous section.
Other Matters#
I don't intend to discuss politics, but I must admit that part of my mental burden comes from the netizens on my list who are in poor mental states, some of whom have attempted suicide; and much of this stems from societal issues. After deciding to cut off some of those relationships, I wrote an article titled “Investigating the Empathy of Creators” based on the "virtue" of being a creator.
Regularly examining my relationships and severing those that are toxic to me is probably a form of mental solace.
Additionally, while working on Segment #04, I realized I might need to use Blender. Although I had previously watched a "donut" tutorial, I had nearly forgotten everything, so I started learning and practicing Blender again.
So What’s the Plan?#
I think I still need to pick up audio again. My laptop had issues due to the intense sun in Xi'an (yes, I had to carry my laptop in 40-degree heat), and I reinstalled it once; the software hasn't been opened, so the plugins are probably broken. At the very least, I should do some listening practice and transcribe some scores.
For drawing, games, and literature, I will continue to push forward bit by bit, solidifying the foundation to reduce unnecessary practice time later.
In terms of computers, I will try to work on some projects, and I need to start looking into 3DCV-related materials.
For video, I still need to finish Segment #04; this shouldn't be delayed too long, and I will see if I can do more parts of "The Third Heart."
In short, the key is to see more, practice more, and rest more to maintain balance.
By the time I finished writing, the clock had already turned.
So, welcome to the second half of 2025; let's get started together!