After being jolted awake by thunder, I coordinated with family on summer plans for Hamer, who’ll be accompanied back to their hometown by my two visiting sisters.

Recent days were tiring—lacking midday rest led to drained evenings and skipped journaling.

At work, UI implementation tasks for the AI project consumed two full days, with progress slowed by perfectionist tendencies. Hamer stayed up late doing homework but still woke up on time, often snuggling in bed briefly before rising. Dinners were handled outside. Xiaoyan has now arrived in Bangkok, marking the start of her Thailand trip.

The day began with lingering thoughts about Wikipedia integration, but priorities were handled sensibly. At work, I presented recent AI project updates in a well-received PPT, sparking lively team discussions. In the afternoon, I focused on documenting code and exploring DocFX for unified developer docs, though initial setup needs more work.

After work, we played badminton at a new, bustling venue. Yaoyao picked up Hamer, and together they joined us—Hamer happily interacted with my colleagues. After dinner and a park stroll, we returned home, where Hamer once again worked on homework with admirable persistence until late.

Today began with a sleepy Hamer dragging herself out of bed after staying up until midnight to finish homework—her dedication reflecting her growing sense of responsibility.

In the morning, I helped Yaoyao get her health certificate, and later, she excitedly landed her first part-time job at KFC, all by herself. Dinner became a memorable family moment, with Hamer and Yaoyao cooking together for the first time.

My work continued on lingering technical issues, with some progress made. Xiaoyan traveled to a coastal mining region—another leg in her demanding business trip.

After sleeping in, we took a failed attempt at getting health certificates and instead went for breakfast to try douzhi’er—Hamer and Yaoyao immediately disliked it.

The afternoon was joyful as Hamer reunited with five kindergarten friends at Taiyanggong Park, playing freely under the post-storm clear skies and refreshing breeze. Meanwhile, Xiaoyan departed for a weeklong business trip to Indonesia, marking the start of a new rhythm at home.

Yaoyao continued her job search, confidently asking about part-time roles at several stores. Her proactive attitude left a strong impression.

Yaoyao arrived in Beijing today, warmly welcomed by Hamer, who recognized her instantly and joyfully ran to greet her. A sudden downpour marked our return home, setting a cozy tone for a day spent indoors watching movies. Hamer, delighted to have her sister around, cherished every moment of their first day together.

Today felt inefficient due to two meetings and scattered tasks. The morning meeting was unproductive, with attendees unfamiliar with their issues and agenda items left unfinished. The afternoon lacked focused progress, with time split across miscellaneous to-dos.

After work, I took Hamer to Wudaokou on a low-battery e-bike to meet Xiaoyan for dinner—thankfully returning home safely.

The evening ended with yet another battle against persistent mosquitoes. Before bed, I cleaned up the small room to welcome Yaoyao, who will be staying in Beijing soon.

A packed day began with an intense but fruitful meeting with the Stream Service team.

Before noon, a first working version of the conversation management module was completed and PR submitted—a milestone with more work to come. The afternoon was spent debugging a S123 login issue, eventually resolved with help from a colleague.

Just before school pickup, an urgent call from Xiao Yan created a double-stress moment. Dinner at a community canteen was underwhelming, and the night ended with yet another mosquito battle—despite killing many, Hamer still suffered fresh bites, causing heartache.

After a late night journaling, I woke early with unexpected clarity and began pondering meaningful career shifts.

Inspired by Apple’s WWDC, especially the stunning Liquid Glass design and the open Foundation Models Framework, I felt new possibilities emerging.

Despite mental fog during the day, I continued working on session management. An afternoon sports session revealed my exhaustion, both physically and mentally. But the day ended on a warm note: Hamer gifted me a handmade token calling me “the most interesting dad”—a moment of pure joy.

Totally exhausted after work, I collapsed into bed by 9 PM and slept deeply.

Work centered on chat session integration—progress was good in the morning but hit snags in the afternoon.

Hamer wore two pairs of pants, learning through her own choice. After school, she confidently brought a classmate home alone for the first time; I followed quietly from afar. At home, Xiaoyan was visibly frustrated—more overseas projects were canceled, and planned business trips were scrapped. The growing instability at work left her disheartened, feeling like she was stuck in meaningless tasks.

The day was packed yet productive. I wrapped up prompt and tool description optimizations by noon, submitted a PR for the new data structure, and recorded a demo video. After summarizing weekly progress, I attended a meeting, then rushed to pick up Hamer. Back at the office, we discussed and implemented more on the data structure until 8 PM.

Returning home just in time for a family-cooked dinner, I finally had a quiet moment on the sofa, winding down the evening with the documentary Our Unwritten Seoul.

The day was full of energy and warmth. After a relaxed brunch together, Hamer went to her dance class while I played in an intense football match. Xiaoyan and Hamer enjoyed a leisurely afternoon shopping. Each of us did our own thing, yet shared a fulfilling family day.

We measured the house in the morning to plan furniture changes, with a brief disagreement that eased after open communication.

In the afternoon, we visited IKEA with Hamer, settled on a few items but decided to compare online options before buying. We only purchased two chairs—one for dining, one tiny Barbie chair picked by Hamer.

Exhausted by evening, I was touched when Hamer, still energetic, rewrote a heartfelt message she’d seen online: “To the best mom, Thanks for helping me grow,” planning to gift it lovingly to her mom.

I spent the day using Cursor to build a chat management module—completely new territory for me, but by late afternoon, I had a working prototype ready to migrate.

Hamer was thrilled after school: she alone received a carbon-reduction award, likely thanks to the big box and books we donated this morning.

We cooked pork ribs and broccoli at home for dinner. My niece Yaoyao, fresh from exams, hopes to work during the summer. We want her to come to Beijing to give it a try.

I also read two thought-provoking articles on music’s impact on productivity and motor learning.

Tonight around 9 p.m., a sudden storm knocked out the power for a few minutes. It returned quickly, and later we learned a fallen tree likely caused the brief outage.

Earlier, Hamer helped cook dinner—her joy in rinsing rice and stir-frying, under Xiaoyan’s guidance, made the meal especially meaningful. She ate every bite with satisfaction.

Workwise, I focused on optimizing plugin prompts and return types for the AI project, inspired by Claude’s system prompts. I also began defining the “Text to Map” feature and used C#’s \[return: Description\("..."\)\] to enhance output clarity.

Ping pong and an ice pop capped the midday heat.

This Dragon Boat Festival marked a special milestone for our family — our very first self-driving trip. The sense of freedom, the flexibility to explore on a whim, and simply being on the road together made it an experience to remember.

Our original plan was just to visit Yanqing for the Soda Music Festival, but the rest of the journey unfolded naturally, one stop at a time. We discovered that renting a good car and choosing cozy accommodations played a huge role in making the whole trip relaxing and fun.

There’s something deeply joyful about traveling with the ones you love — no rush, no pressure, just shared moments and open roads. 🌿🚗

🗺️ Itinerary Highlights

• Home
• Expo Park Flying Camp
• Chadao Ancient Town – Half Ton Guesthouse
• Longqing Gorge
• Baili Landscape Gallery
• Dishui Lake
• Miyue Residence · Manni Guesthouse
• Qinglong Gorge
• Heyin Café
• Philodendron (Little Angel Greenery)
• Home

💰 Trip Expenses Breakdown

Sometimes, the best trips are the ones not planned to the last detail.
Just a good car, a few comfy nights, and the company of those who matter most.

I finished the KML save test cases and spent the rest of the day resolving stream service issues—most went smoothly, making for a productive, if nonstop, day.

When I picked up Hamer, her smile and searching gaze from afar warmed my heart. After school, she played a bit, then joined me at the office. She’s been craving spicy snacks and playfully complained when I said “maybe tomorrow.”

With Xiaoyan out for dinner, we had a quiet evening—ate, watched TV, and went out for a light jog that, in Hamer’s words, was “mostly walking.”

This morning started slowly—both Hamer and I were sleepy, but she eats breakfast at school now, so our routine was simple.

I spent the day writing KML save test cases and fixing overlooked issues.

After school, Hamer’s eager smile always melts me. We played badminton, had noodles, then my phone got stuck in VoiceOver mode with a black screen. Unable to pay, I FaceTimed Xiaoyan using Hamer’s iPad. Our e-bike also had issues but finally started. At CapitaMall’s Apple Store, we resolved the phone issue—triple-pressing the side button toggled VoiceOver. A chaotic but memorable evening.

Today we wrapped up our Dragon Boat Festival trip with a visit to Qinglong Gorge, where the mountaintop offered clear views all the way to Beijing’s skyline.

On the drive back, we paused at a scenic riverside spot to enjoy a simple meal in the breeze.

Hamer slept peacefully through every car ride, like magic. With music playing, spontaneous stops, and open-ended plans, this trip felt less like travel and more like life on the road. Free-flowing, unhurried, and full of tender moments—it was a quiet, beautiful way to spend time together as a family.

Today truly felt like a self-driving adventure.

We explored the fading charm of Chadao, then headed to Longqing Gorge, where a thrilling water jetpack show wowed us. A bumpy van transfer and a scenic boat ride added to the day’s texture.

In the afternoon, we drove through the winding, tree-lined roads of the Baili Landscape Gallery, stopping to take in the stunning views.

As evening approached, we spontaneously booked a cozy, beautifully decorated guesthouse. After a smooth and surprisingly fast drive, we arrived by 8 p.m., ending the day with a shared “wow” of delight.

We kicked off our first self-driving trip to Yanqing, leaving at 9 a.m. after some clumsy adjustments to the rental car. Though I was nervous at first, I soon found my rhythm.

After a meal and some light shopping, we braved the rain to enjoy a music festival from afternoon to night. Highlights included NeongGarden, Constant & Change, 831, and the unforgettable energy of Second-Hand Rose, which had us all up dancing.

We ended the day at a charming guesthouse in an ancient town. No zongzi yet, but it was a special start to our Dragon Boat Festival.

On the last workday before the Dragon Boat Festival, I had a packed schedule. After a productive Sprint meeting, I picked up Hamer, who had a half-day of school, and we enjoyed lamb offal soup with a friend.

Afternoon AI meetings were smooth but lacked spark. I worked late debugging the KML save module, finally resolving most logic by 8 p.m.

Hamer, clearly worn out from the day, fell asleep early.

I spent the morning rushing to finish the MCP Plugins demo for tomorrow’s Sprint but only resolved a KML-saving issue. Writing tests took longer due to disorganized past test cases—a reminder of lingering tech debt.

After school, Hamer was relieved she no longer had to join a stressful science fair event.

Our evening at the river felt tense—Hamer accidentally hit someone while jumping rope, and I unfairly scolded her despite her apology. Lately, Xiaoyan’s constant complaints have also added to my stress.

Thanks to a midday nap, I felt refreshed and productive—something I’ll try to keep up.

The morning 2.4 retrospective was open and thoughtful, with even quiet team members speaking up impressively.

Although my last attempt at vector search didn’t fully succeed, I decided to pause it and focus elsewhere. I successfully completed the Wikipedia tool migration in the afternoon.

Hamer was calm while accompanying me at work. Afterward, we met Xiaoyan by the river for a lovely evening. Hamer read under a streetlamp, and Xiaoyan biked home, proudly finishing a one-hour ride.