I have a feeling this will turn out to be a stream-of-consciousness ramble—well, here it goes.

A Steady Journey in Research

In truth, I'm increasingly convinced that I'm better suited for industry than academia. Maybe I should be grateful I chose an engineering PhD.

This year, my research progress has been painfully slow. One project has dragged on for nearly a year and a half with no tangible results yet. The paper draft is already complete, but experiments still need to be added to further improve performance. Unfortunately, I never implemented server runtime tracking—otherwise, maybe I could've ranked at the top? At one point, I even wrote a script that would send me an email upon completion of experiments, but later found the pressure too intense and deleted it.

(* ￣︿￣)

Besides my own project, there's also a collaboration with another lab. At least this year we managed to produce a single image from the code—yay! But actual outputs like papers will still take some time. Right now, both labs' advisors are uncertain about the next steps. I hope they can make a decision soon so I can determine my next improvements.

I really hope to submit the paper early next year! Come on, server, give me a little more power!

No Poetry, But the Horizon Remains

Since deciding not to work overtime on weekends, life has felt significantly happier. In 2023, driven by ambition (or perhaps other reasons), I never truly relaxed. This year, whether alone or with friends, I’ve gone outside campus far more often. I used to think I was extremely homebound, but now I realize stepping out isn’t so bad. I’ve visited many cities (Shanghai, Chuzhou, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Hefei, Shaoxing, Weihai, Wuxi —only the first two weren’t due to business trips), and twice returned to my hometown (Yichun, my hateful homeland, yet that homesickness…). I’ve also explored many spots in Nanjing, like walking over 30,000 steps in a day to cover all the attractions near Zhongshan Mausoleum.

The change might have started when I bought a used car early this year (my wallet instantly flattened), which was prompted by inconvenient local travel back home (and some unavoidable need for independence). On the bright side, I got Jiangsu’s three-free card, allowing free rides on buses and subways, plus free entry to many scenic spots! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o

But honestly, attending events brings me more joy than visiting tourist sites. My favorite event this year was definitely ChiliChill’s Tour—the atmosphere was absolutely incredible! Of course, BA Only was also fantastic.

Oh wow, it’s a two-dimensional anime!

Compared to last year, this year I’ve had more time to detach myself from reality and dive into story after story.

Undoubtedly, my favorite anime this year was Too Many Losing Heroines!. The animation is exquisite, and the nostalgic youthfulness of the story lingers long after watching. After finishing the anime, I even read the original light novel. I’m Yukari’s dog! A1, you won’t seriously not make a second season, will you?! (´；ω；`) Or perhaps you didn’t notice—every time this page refreshes, the theme color is one ofEna Kananami,Lemon Sake, orYukari Chikura’s palette (I might be slightly obsessed).

Another must-mention is My Hero Academia: You’re Next. Both seasons were genuinely excellent. But I really can’t stand Akira Akihiko—he always hooks you in the beginning, turns it into a great anime, then ruins it with a disappointing ending. While I prefer happy endings, I can accept less perfect ones (like Plastic Memories or CLANNAD), but after finishing the second season of My Hero Academia: You’re Next and checking up on the sequel, I was reminded of how I felt when finishing the manga of Kimi ni Todoke. I’m not that fragile, though—I’ll either skip his next work or prepare myself mentally for another emotional blow.

Movies I watched this year weren’t many. Hayao Miyazaki’s How Do You Live? once again draws us into his world and conveys a vision of peace. Spy x Family: Operation Overdrive delivered just as much fun as the anime. The Umbrella Girl was honestly disappointing—too grandiose a setting to unfold in just 90 minutes. If the production quality had stayed consistent, turning it into something akin to a series format might’ve worked better. Look Back’s hand-drawn visuals evoke deep emotion—this emotional depth makes it a powerful story, even if it lacks a happy ending. That’s you, Akira Akihiko (gritting teeth)! This short year-end summary references you twice already. Perhaps we all face separation and loss, no matter how painful—time keeps moving, and life goes on.

Stay Curious

Recently, a fellow grad student said I have a strong spirit of exploration—maybe that’s true. New things always spark my curiosity. The biggest growth this year might be diving into frontend basics. I’ve wanted to learn this before several times, but kept giving up because I thought it would take too much time. This year, however, I started learning while building tools for my own convenience: a lab GPU monitor and an EV charging station status tracker. I learned by doing, then improved by learning. On the side, I’ve also been refining my personal site built on Mix Space and Shiro—I love the aesthetic, but there are still aspects I’m not satisfied with. I’ve used AI and my own understanding to make some improvements. I’ll write a blog post about them someday.

Another highlight: I refactored my mijia-api this year, turning it into a PyPI package for easier use by others. Since then, its star count has grown faster. But it’s still just a simple tool—no expectations for major impact. Recently, Xiaomi even released an official HomeAssistant integration (XiaoMi/haxiaomihome). My version offers a simpler Python interface—maybe that’s a tiny advantage.

Here’s hoping I keep nurturing curiosity and keep growing in 2025.

Hello, 2025

I really enjoy life as it is now—perhaps contentment is the key. I hope 2025 continues this way. Of course, my research progress is still slow. I really hope to publish something soon, creating positive feedback to fuel my motivation to keep going.