I want to try recording the monthly changes separately and document the progress here every six months. Compared to the annual frequency, this is a bit more frequent to see if I am really executing my plans well.
A congratulatory image drawn for the 21st anniversary of the Dream Diary
to comfort the child who is depressed
A#
Bad News#
Insomnia seems to have worsened, and I've started to gain weight.
The estimate at the beginning of the year was still too optimistic; I still haven't settled on a proper research topic direction. In contrast, I have to complete the overloaded courses and more challenging demands from the group this semester. The entire months of April and May were spent under immense pressure, with several all-nighters.
In terms of diet, several cafeteria outlets have closed, and I don't know why, so there are fewer choices, and the issue of high oil content has become quite serious. I did cook some noodles in the dorm, but without much vegetables and meat, it was still too bland (I haven't seen a vegetable market nearby). I haven't dared to try other recipes, and combined with long hours sitting in front of the computer without exercise, it was only a matter of time before the weight gain issue appeared.
June was basically about handling final exams; I had some free time, but maybe I got used to the pressure, so I still stayed up until three or four in the morning. It's quite serious, and I'm currently trying to adjust my schedule...
Good News#
The good news is that I feel I have a bit of a clue regarding programming.
Although I don't have any serious projects, I at least tried out C# and pure front-end (the classic JS+CSS+HTML). I used C# to make a Unity game for fun; the logic is quite similar to Java, and I adapted to it pretty well. For pure front-end, I built a small tool called Color-Compass (website) for color analysis, borrowed some logic from color-thief (website) and made some improvements, which I think is quite good.
Although it's not something particularly impressive, I still feel a sense of accomplishment from creating something.
I also submitted a paper as the first author in the group, which has been 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 this 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 the first year of my master's, I feel like I've completed most of my courses in this lifetime. The subsequent stages of graduate school are really about honing myself 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 should list all the possibilities and take a look.
Voice: If I don't count the pieces I've listened to and my understanding of pure tuning, then I should say I haven't made any progress. This completely contradicts my plans.
Drawing: I pushed through a hundred pieces (the kind of hundred-day drawing challenge is definitely not sustainable due to too many unexpected situations, so I lowered my expectations to just draw 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 sense of "inaccuracy" in the forms; the human figure is a complete mess.
Graphics: I haven't made much progress outside of the plan, but I did randomly create one piece when I finished the work in the group; I can really 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 "Double Body," which has a nice feel of a mystery novel.
I recently noticed that all of Haruka Fata's RE series have been translated. After I pre-ordered the second book, the second book hadn't been released yet, and the third book was already translated and published for pre-sale, followed by the fourth book. But 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 chaotic and contradictory tone, 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 to get through Animal Well because some parts were too difficult for my hands to keep up). I had an inspiration and started a project using Unity 2022 LFS. Although Unity seems to have quite a few issues, my experience with Godot was really 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 have to 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 I decided to cut off some of these 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 severely 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 almost forgotten everything, so I started learning and practicing Blender again.
So What Are My Plans?#
I think I still need to pick up voice work again. My computer was damaged by the intense sun in Xi'an (yes, I had to carry my laptop to class in 40-degree heat), and I reinstalled it once; the software hasn't been opened, so the plugins are probably all broken. At the very least, I should do some listening exercises and transcribe some scores.
For drawing, games, and literature, I will continue to push forward little by little, solidifying my foundation to reduce unnecessary practice time later.
For computer work, I will try to do more projects, and I need to start looking into 3DCV-related materials.
As for video, I still need to finish Segment #04; this shouldn't be delayed too long, and then I'll see if I can do more parts of "The Third Heart."
In summary, the key is to look 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 start together!