I'll most likely be slacking for the rest of this year, so don't expect any blog output. Before clocking out on 12.12, here's a summary — then I'll forget about the blog for the year.
The Beginning
The year started with research on HIL devices. Working from one paper and other related papers in the field, I implemented a matrix-based circuit simulation, then built a prototype algorithm in Python and engineered it in C, with support for importing XML files from PSpice, PSIM, and Simulink. It seems to work well for common power electronics topologies.
It never became an actual product, but at least it's wrapped up.
This wasn't something I was interested in — my manager just told me to research it.
It's also the only technical exploration this year that I can really show off.
Everything Else
I also tried a bunch of random things that sounded impressive from hearsay — parasoft 测试框架, QEMU MCU外设行为仿真, and so on. But work stuff kept interrupting them, and then I was too lazy to pick them back up. No milestones, and nothing written up as an experience-sharing article.
As for accumulated personal experience in this industry, I can't put it into words. The less technical stuff I tried did bring some gains.
PlatformIO+arduino for ESP32 development — ESP32 toy - Saturn Ring Base
MCU + Python backend + web frontend proof of concept — Exploring the DAQ data acquisition card - Saturn Ring Base
Someone actually donated money to me for the open-source library I made last year — awesome!!
stbanana/modbusX: modbus protocol support
A Lazy Dog's Travels
This year I had two trips: 1 week in Yunnan + 1 week on a cruise, with average daily steps under 5,000 — very pleasant and relaxing.
Yunnan was with classmates who'd just finished their master's degrees (planned 5, only 4 showed up). They happened to be taking a gap before starting work (I tagged along), and overall we covered Kunming–Shangri-La.
Maybe because it wasn't a holiday, the whole experience was great and the cost was very low — even lower than my hometown's small county. We spent most of the time playing mahjong at the guesthouse or going online at an internet café, with daily scenic-spot time averaging under 6 hours.
The whole trip was recorded on an Action 5 Pro I wore throughout, and I claimed I'd write a blog post about it. But I'm too lazy — I never reviewed the footage to cut clips, so forget it.
The most thrilling part in Yunnan was probably driving a rental car with my classmates and nearly getting us all killed on the highway. Awesome — permanently stripped of my driving rights.
The cruise was with my sister. She'd booked the tickets way in advance — she could see an exhibition on the side and bring me along for the ride. The short route covered Shanghai–Jeju–Fukuoka.
Shanghai was a rough experience — everything was expensive. Even though we were basically street loafers on citywalks, taxis, restaurants, and accommodation still cost a fortune. My sister took me to see an art exhibition — I'm half from an art school myself:-D roughly. Shanghai's exhibitions are just great, with a wonderful, peculiar vibe.
First cruise ever. This mode of travel suits me perfectly — no need to worry about accommodation, routes, transportation, or anything. On a cruise, the ship drifts at sea all night, docks in the morning to dump people off, and they make their own way back aboard in the evening.
In Korea, hailing a cab was a pain, so we found a couple to share rides with. When leaving the ship, they couldn't get an Uber no matter what, but I got one through Korea's local Kakao T. Coming back, Kakao T wouldn't work no matter what, so we got an Uber instead.
In Japan, Uber was fast.
Overall, still the street-loafer strategy. None of us has much stamina — after a bit of walking we'd have to squat for ten-plus minutes with a cigarette to recover. More often, the most comfortable thing was lying on the balcony watching the sea — doing nothing is the best! I wailed and howled away on the balcony the whole way and finally learned A-Mei's Listen to the Sea.
Life
Basically pulled a five-day, eight-hour week all year — maybe even under eight hours. I often couldn't wake up, so I'd take half a day off.
In the latter half of the year, I started avoiding people in my daily life, so my mental state is much healthier than last year.
I still like being alone day to day. I can't maintain long stretches of being around people — I need to shut myself away for days or weeks at a time to feel comfortable.
I've basically given up all self-discipline and decided to lie down and let life flow naturally into whatever way of living feels comfortable.
The Future
Currently lost, with no clear goals. Maybe I should think about whether AI + quantitative trading is worth a shot?
2025 · Living Freely in a Quiet Corner