I. Foreword

On December 2nd, a bit tipsy, I scheduled a message in my channel:

"2024 Year-End Review... huh?"

"Oh well"

"Still alive"

"And made it through another year"

"That's pretty awesome already!"

To avoid idling away the remaining half of the month, and to leave a memento for myself, I started writing this year-end review on December 16th.

And now, here it is.

II. What Happened in the Past Year?

A. Major Events

a) First Half of the Year

• Gaokao Preparation

Those six months preparing for the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination) were a grueling journey for both body and mind. Day in and day out, my life was filled with exam papers and rankings. The repetitive drilling gradually numbed me, even making me forget myself. Weekly tests, monthly tests, mock exams, first round, second round, third round... The endless cycle felt like a giant vortex, sucking me in relentlessly, leaving no room to escape. Thankfully, I had a few close friends for mutual support, and the anticipation of a new city and a new life kept me going until the end.

Perhaps it was destiny. I always seem to get a bit of luck at crucial moments. The changes in the math exam format and the style of the physics questions seemed tailor-made for me. Yet, I stumbled on my stronger subjects, which left me feeling a bit helpless. My final Gaokao score, while not spectacular, was a safe landing. My math score was even a dozen points higher than I had expected.

As a past testee, I am well aware of the drawbacks of the exam-oriented education system. I detest any rhetoric that attributes all failures to a lack of personal effort. I abhor the conformity-driven education that stifles individuality, and the manufacturing of students as if they were outdated machines. However, from a results perspective, I am a beneficiary of this system, a contradiction that leaves me with mixed feelings.

Although I know that for most people, the Gaokao, despite its thorny path, is a necessary journey. I still cannot deny the damage it has done to me. I tried to summarize these three years, only to find they left me with nothing but emptiness and exhaustion (it's a miracle I didn't end up with severe depression). The so-called "hard-working" quality was not something I acquired; instead, I lost my intrinsic motivation. My horizons, personality, and emotional intelligence—things that should have flourished during one's youth—were not what you might call "matured," but rather, benumbed.

b) Second Half of the Year

• A New Chapter

Stepping out of the exam hall on the last day, I felt a mix of calm and excitement. I calmly said goodbye to my friends, calmly walked out the gate, and then excitedly jumped into the car home, excitedly texting my friends. Looking back, it felt just like a prisoner being released and regaining freedom.

The majority of my summer vacation was spent at home. I only went on one trip. But without the pressure of schoolwork, it was probably the most relaxing summer I've ever had. It even got to the point where I needed to stack two piles of books in front of me to enjoy playing on my phone (haha). I filled out my college application myself and got into a relatively good university. My ranking was even lower than in previous years (what a strategist I got lucky!).

I moved to a fairly large and bustling city. The university's management is quite humane, and the environment is pleasant. The dorm conditions are not bad, and I get along well with my roommates. Of course, I inevitably fell into the "swamp" brought about by the "AI" bubble of this new era. The faculty are not exactly top-notch, and the program is built upon existing computer science or big data departments. The curriculum is not well-designed, and there are many competitors. This puts higher demands on my self-learning and time management skills. All in all, it's a mix of opportunities and challenges.

I know I need a clear goal. I know that whether I pursue graduate studies domestically or abroad, I need to maintain a high GPA, participate in projects, and compete in competitions... But I'm just too tired, and too lazy. I haven't really excelled in my academics. I'll leave it to the next semester, I tell myself.

If the first half of the year was characterized by aimlessness and intense ব্যস্ততা (bong-go-otaa, a Bengali word meaning "busy-ness"), the second half was about finding direction and enjoying a leisurely pace. I finally understood Thoreau's words: "Only he may truly live who is released from expectations of others."

B. Miscellaneous

• During the Lunar New Year, my old domain name was taken back. Because I like developing lolis wanted something more aesthetically pleasing, I bought the domain lolis.dev.
• After the Gaokao, I purchased a server with a 3c2.5g configuration, which is sufficient for most of my needs.
• During the summer, I got into electronic DIY and successfully replicated Holocubic and X-Knob. Although soldering any kind of Esp32 package drove me crazy and turned several boards golden brown (to the point where it could have knocked out the kid next door), the joy of successful replication was still immense.
• After soldering the boards, I started learning to design circuit boards. But with my weak foundation in circuitry, I could only start with a simple NFC card. The final product looks quite exquisite.
• After a hiatus of over four years, I picked up my old hobby of flashing ROMs, and had fun playing with 9008 recovery. The price is that I still can't use Meituan (a food delivery app) or 12306 (the official train ticketing app).
• I bought a 7-inch e-reader, which effectively reduced eye strain. The sunk cost is also pushing me to read more.
• I dabbled in paperless learning. Although I only used OneNote and a PDF reader, it was nice not having to carry around and search for physical textbooks.
• I participated in many meaningful activities, which can be attributed to the benefits of living in a big city and having ample free time. It was a huge breakthrough for someone with social anxiety like me.
• I've been using LLMs extensively, for English learning, coding, psychological counseling, and even having them act as virtual characters to provide emotional support... They have gradually become integrated into my life.
• I started learning Japanese on Duolingo in October and have maintained an 82-day streak.
• Started a two-day Digital Detox on December 9th. It was almost carefree, proving the possibility of self-regulating time usage.
• My self-awareness has increased, and I pay more attention to my personal needs and feelings.

C. Regrets and Reflections

• Over the past six months, I've often pondered the three ultimate philosophical questions: "Who am I," "Where do I come from," and "Where am I going," but I still haven't found the answers. (Based on similar experiences of many of my peers, I prefer to call this sense of confusion a "post-exam-oriented education syndrome.")
• I'm still confused about my academic direction in university. I always say "practice is the most important" when it comes to coursework, but when opportunities arise, I often make excuses to back down.
• I'm trapped in a cycle of procrastination, constantly struggling between to-do lists and deadlines. (I'm ashamed to say that I still hadn't started reviewing for finals on December 23rd when editing this.)
• My mind has become calmer, and my emotions are relatively stable, but I seem to lack passion, being in a constant state of being subdued, or even feeling down.
• When it comes to interpersonal relationships, both in real life and online, I'm too reserved. Social anxiety, poor social skills, and difficulty in understanding others' emotions—these are obstacles I need to strive to overcome.

III. Looking Ahead to 2025

• Sleep Early!!! Try to sleep before 12 AM every day. I envy those who can grow taller in college just by getting enough sleep!
• Read More. There are still many books on my list that I've only partially read. I aim to read one book every week or two, dedicating at least half an hour to reading each day.
• Meditate Daily. I've found that meditation is very helpful for improving focus and calming the mind, though it's easy to fall asleep during meditation when I'm sleep-deprived. I plan to gradually increase my daily meditation time from 5 minutes to 10 minutes.
• Manage Screen Time. Reduce fragmented information consumption. Continue to monitor screen time and keep daily phone usage under 5 hours.
• Teach Myself Python. If time permits, I also plan to learn Unity and Kotlin. My initial goal is to try to develop a virtual assistant application, and make a catgirl waifu to make learning more enjoyable.
• Use AI to improve my English speaking skills and continue my Japanese studies.
• Try and use more productivity tools like Anki, NotebookLM, Obsidian, etc., to make learning and life more efficient.
• Embrace RSS. Build an information feed that is not controlled by algorithms.
• ...

IV. Postscript

Looking back on the past year, I was once anxious about the mundaneness of life and doubted whether I lacked appealing traits—humor, cuteness, erudition, or success. I also considered giving up writing due to my mediocre writing skills, wanting to just fade into the background. However, when I changed my perspective, I realized that I might not be as bad as I imagined. I'm always used to looking up to talented peers or successful seniors, but I forget that I am also being looked up to by others. In this grand game of "Earth Online," everyone is constantly comparing themselves, but in reality, there is no standard answer.

Although the road ahead is still unclear, I know that time will not stand still, and the world will not stop. Therefore, I continue to explore, and this is the meaning of "A Fruitful Year of Mundane," which is also the origin of this article's title.

As I wrote in the brief year-end summary at the beginning of the year, just being alive is something to be grateful for. I thank myself, I thank everyone who has accompanied me or has been with me, I thank this vast space, and I thank the flowing time.

"Didn't do much, but I'm so tired meow!"

"As for next year's things, let's talk about them next year meow!"

P.S.: Due to privacy concerns, some information has been vaguely presented but is generally based on real experiences.