Today was Sprint day, and in the morning, the team reviewed the list of issues needing resolution—most of which came from the external testing team. Though the list was quite long, it felt manageable. My main focus was on handling the mutual exclusivity between G and other functionalities.

As the workday was ending, I started tackling a S123 issue. While discussing with the PE, I realized that a logic error had been made. By 11 p.m., I thought I was close to untangling the issue, but the more I looked into it, the more complex it became. I knew I wouldn’t be able to solve it tonight. I let my colleague go home and decided to stay back and continue working on it until around 1:30 a.m., trying to get as far as I could before calling it a day.

I got home after 10 p.m. tonight, feeling quite satisfied. Most of the G features are complete, and the device connection issues, which had worried me, were mostly resolved thanks to a colleague’s help.

Throughout the morning, my biggest headache was the S123 reading and editing permissions issue. I kept experimenting with my idea of using the REST API to check edit permissions. By 10:30 a.m., I finally got the update and delete logic working, and took a break to relax. Later, I ran into another issue when editing geometry. Adding different layers created permission management problems, which made me anxious. I discussed it with the S123 team and kept thinking about it through lunch. By the afternoon, I managed to solve it, then quickly moved on to address the UI problems I had missed earlier, and finished off the G recording and data display. Without noticing, it was already night, and I worked until 10 p.m.

When I got home, Xiaoyan and Hamer were finishing a dance workout. Around 11 p.m., they went to get ready for bed, while I scrolled my phone aimlessly until I finally went to sleep at 1 a.m.

This morning, I looked for places near home where we could exercise and found some community centers and soccer fields. We got up late and rode to brunch, enjoying bagels, pasta, and fries. During brunch, I saw an open tennis court for the evening and booked it. Afterward, we picked up a tennis racket for Hamer, and she went to her dance class.

While she danced, I explored a nearby community center. The basement gym felt eerie, but once I got familiar with the place, it was better. I ended up in the library and read Scarcity Brain until it was time to get Hamer, who was eager to check out the gym.

Afterward, Hamer did some homework, knowing we planned to hike tomorrow and play tennis later. We struggled a bit with tennis, using an automatic launcher, but Hamer enjoyed using cones to catch the balls. Compared to badminton, tennis felt more challenging, and I considered getting a coach eventually.

After tennis, we went out for dinner, and when we got home, Hamer finished more homework. She then did a dance workout with Xiaoyan while I, exhausted, went to bed early.

Last night, I dreamt about Mr. Zheng. He invited me to join him for dinner.

This morning, as we were heading out, Hamer asked, “Are we late?” It was already 7:45, and she was worried about being scolded by her teacher. She also asked about not eating lunch at school anymore. At the gate, she started crying, saying she didn’t want to arrive that late again.

At lunch, I went out for some testing, taking a walk around the office building. I found several issues and potential improvements. In the afternoon, I revised my work and did more testing on the way home, uncovering even more problems. Testing always seems to reveal something new.

I woke up around 5 a.m., eager to solve the device connection monitoring issue. After searching, I found a useful reference in an old sample, which got me excited to try it out. This issue had been on my mind since my testing yesterday showed I couldn’t properly handle device connections, making the G feature frustrating.

Once at work, instead of diving into the issue, I focused on drafting my 1-on-1 notes for an afternoon meeting with my boss. I ended up writing too much detail, even though I knew it would have been better to just list key points. This slowed me down and kept me locked into a rigid structure. The meeting didn’t go well—I felt like my explanations fell flat. Luckily, my boss was patient and provided feedback, mainly on AI, people, overtime, and leadership.

Afterward, I returned to device management but kept running into issues. Debugging became impossible as the app wouldn’t start, citing a .NET version problem. Despite troubleshooting until the end of the day, I couldn’t solve it. Later, I picked up Hamer, met Xiaoyan at the mall, and treated ourselves to a nice dinner out.

This morning, I took Hamer to try out our new tennis rebound trainer. We changed plans to go to a spacious park near her old kindergarten instead. After warming up with badminton, we started practicing tennis, but the rebound ball was too heavy for her. Switching to a softer ball, Hamer struggled at first to dribble or bounce it. So we decided to use our hands and worked on getting comfortable with the ball and racket, eventually managing to make it fun. By the end, Hamer could bounce the ball five or six times!

On the way back, we ran into Xiaoyan, who was heading out for a facial. Hamer couldn’t decide whether to join her, even as we got home, which made me impatient. She ended up crying, and we called Xiaoyan to pick her up.

Back at home, I got engrossed in the Korean drama “18 Again,” watching until they returned for lunch. In the afternoon, I took Hamer to her dance class, where she handled everything herself—changing clothes and packing up afterward. Later, Xiaoyan and Hamer went out for dinner with a coworker leaving Beijing, while I stayed home, watching the Korean drama.

Our family finally went on a hike today, choosing Baiwang Mountain over the Fragrant Hills, where Hamer and me had gone the previous week. We left around 9 a.m., taking the subway. The hike began with a quick ascent to the top before noon, leaving me initially disappointed by the lack of challenge. However, the day grew more interesting as we descended the northern slope.

There were lots of fun moments: Hamer and Xiaoyan held hands down long stairs, the three of us ran around like kids in an open field, and Hamer attempted a steep slope but got scared midway. We also visited a small pond where Xiaoyan reluctantly fed fish with dropped bread and explored a canyon full of gravel. We even stumbled across a group filming a cheesy but amusing skit.

After the hike, we ate a meal, where I surprisingly ended up eating the most despite snacking all day. Exhausted, we took a cab home, and everyone dozed off. Hamer completed her homework and went to bed, while I lounged on the couch, watching “18 Again” until I fell asleep, eventually deciding to stay there for the night.

This morning, Hamer woke up early, climbed into my bed, and asked if she could start getting ready. I encouraged her to decide, and she got ready efficiently, finishing by 7:20. We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise on our way to school, arriving at 7:25, likely the earliest.

After dropping her off, I practiced English, focusing on connected speech. During my commute, I listened to Circle Around’s A World of Music podcast, which lifted my mood, and I even joined in making sounds along with the music.

Work was focused on the G feature playback. In the morning, I worked on reflecting recorded data accurately, and in the afternoon, tackled pause issues. We devised two solutions, including a simplified version of my initial idea, but by 9 PM, I still had unresolved issues and decided to continue next week.

At home, Hamer was calm and relaxed. She had experimented with flour and makeup, washed dishes, and used the gas stove. We trimmed her nails, shared a snack, and read until she fell asleep.

Xiaoyan has had early flights for three days in a row and will be back tomorrow. I hope she can rest well.

Xiaoyan woke up early, and I went back to sleep, not getting up until Siri reminded me at 7 AM. Xiaoyan had already left by then.

Hamer woke up later, worried about being late for school, but after a quick time check, she felt reassured and we arrived at 7:39.

After dropping Hamer off, I read a chapter of Positive Discipline and practiced English. Over breakfast, I listened to All Songs Considered’s Thanksgiving special, which set a warm mood all the way to work.

At home, I treated myself to a chicken leg as a Thanksgiving treat. Hamer had already eaten out with Grandma, so I made instant noodles and helped her with her homework.

I spent the day optimizing the G feature, addressing small issues with icons, crashes, and unit tests. A colleague and I resolved a serious playback issue and agreed to fix it before the final RC.

During lunch, I did a five-part workout: dumbbell incline press, incline curls, RFESS, pull-ups, and crunches with leg raises. I felt exhausted but refreshed afterward, ready for the afternoon.

In the morning, Hamer got ready mostly on her own, and we arrived at school before the gates opened. Her independence filled me with pride.

After breakfast, I resumed my English practice. On the way to work, I listened to two podcasts: one on parents’ emotions affecting kids, and another about a girl practicing violin, reminding me of Xiaoyan’s wish to learn it.

At work, I addressed issues with the G feature, adding a DispatcherTimer for smoother transitions and adjusting path recording. The results were good, but my time management needs work.

I got home late, and Hamer called about our shopping plans. She and Grandma argued about her riding her bike. I encouraged her to work it out, but she wanted me to help. When she saw Xiaoyan, she burst into tears, but was soon comforted.

On the way to Hema, Hamer was upset about not riding her bike, but Xiaoyan suggested a shared bike, which cheered her up. We took turns holding it steady as she pedaled.

At Hema, we stuck to our shopping rules: no chips and staying under 150 yuan. We ended up at 151 yuan, a small “splurge”, and went home happy.