This morning after Hamer woke me up, I prepared breakfast while she got ready.
Work was fragmented; I intended to work on the Stream Service feature but spent unplanned time on the S123 feature due to pending tasks and discussions.
A table tennis session with colleagues at noon left me a bit tired since I skipped my usual nap.
In the evening, Hamer hadn’t planned on doing homework, ended up working on her math assignments instead of taking a bath as intended.
Today, Hamer and I had a busy day filled with activities.
After getting fissure sealants for Hamer’s teeth, she saw pictures of her classmates making pizza and decided to join them. Initially shy, she was encouraged by Linlin’s mom and ended up having a great time. Later, the kids played in the park for a while.
In the evening, Hamer and her classmates joined us for a badminton game, and though it started a bit chaotic, everyone gradually found their rhythm. Xiaoyan enjoyed the physical activity and plans to continue next week.
Today, Hamer made her own version of “pizza” for breakfast and was very proud of it. After depositing money in a fixed account, we went to the library.
In the afternoon, I took Hamer to dance, after which I handled errands for Xiaoyan and myself. Hamer seemed a bit disappointed when she didn’t see us after class but later shared that dancing was the most stressful part of her day. She then asked why both parents always accompany her after class.
At home, I continued learning about large language models and tidied up the house. In the evening, Hamer got excited about having her own phone, feeling grown-up.
It was freezing today, and even the short walk to drop Hamer off at school felt tough.
I worked on Stream Service support, and discussions with PE helped clarify things. In the evening, I started on S123, and after that, I got home at 8:30 PM—my first overtime this year.
I enjoyed classical music in the morning and kept my headphones on all day. At noon, I hit the gym and focused a lot on my leg muscles.
Today is Thursday, and time has flown by quickly. Though I’ve made progress, I still don’t see the end. Sprint 3 has begun, and it’s moving fast. By the way, I noticed that RT group has a practice of congratulating promotions, which is something we could improve in our Beijing office.
I played ping-pong with colleagues at noon, and it was fun.
In the evening, I let Hamer choose which poems to recite, allowing us both to relax.
A special thing today was our agreement to speak only in English every Thursday at home. Hamer and Xiaoyan fully supported this.
During the day, I continued working on developing new features. While I’ve managed to get part of the process working, the connection and loading parts still need rethinking, and time is running out.
After work, Xiaoyan shared that she might be moving abroad for an extended period, and the company’s management has approved it. Now, it’s just a matter of how to proceed. This will be a new experience for her.
Recently, I’ve been reading A Road to Classical Music and trying to follow its suggestions by listening to some classical music.
In the morning, Hamer was confused about the early lights but went back to sleep. Before she fell asleep, I said, “I’m sorry,” and she immediately replied, “It’s okay.” When I said, “I love you,” she got a little shy, buried her head, and went back to sleep.
During the day, I focused entirely on developing new features, resolving TOC display issues, but realizing much of the code needs rewriting.
In the evening, Xiaoyan was worried because Hamer skipped dinner after eating too many snacks. They argued again, and their recent conflicts seem to have become more frequent over the past week.
Today was Hamer’s first day of school for the new semester. She woke up early and prepared a lot of things on her own.
During the day, I focused on work and finally started diving in new feautres.
Hamer spent the evening organizing her supplies until 9:30 PM. After losing a shirt and feeling exhausted, she fell asleep. Later, I noticed she had left some books for her classes. When I reminded her, she became upset and cried, fearing I would take them. I comforted her and had her finish organizing, but she remained upset and eventually fell asleep at her desk.
Seeing her so sad made me feel guilty, realizing I had overlooked her feelings and needs.
In the morning, we accompanied Xiaoyan to renew her passport, which was quick and hassle-free.
Instead of visiting the crowded Yonghe Temple, we explored the Confucius Temple and Imperial College, which she visited for the first time. Lunch at La Casa Verde was delightful—spacious and delicious. The “Deep Water, Danger!” sign in a dry lake amused her. After playing in the park, we napped until 6 PM
In the evening, we worked together to organize Hamer’s school prep, sorting through materials and working on time-consuming hand-copied posters.
Today, I finally completed my Performance Review and felt the relief of Friday.
Hamer seemed better in the morning but still wasn’t feeling well during the day.
In the evening, Xiaoyan and I went to a live house event featuring Taylor Swift’s greatest hits. The music was captivating, and we had a great time. However, on the subway ride home, I unintentionally said something that completely ruined the mood of the night.
The day was packed with challenges. While addressing unresolved issues from yesterday, we discovered flaws. Analyzing differences in data requests from the previous version required extensive testing, which consumed most of my time.
In the afternoon, Hamer called me in tears, saying she missed me. Likely overtired from skipping her nap, she later fell asleep in a shop near my office. By evening, she felt unwell, skipped dinner, and developed a slight fever.
On our way home, the moon appeared unusually large—even grander than last night’s full moon.
Today, we discovered that our previous fix for the identify issue was only partial and might not address the root cause. After discussions and testing various solutions, a late-day conversation with a colleague led me to identify and resolve the underlying problem, potentially improving related performance issues.
In the evening, Hamer called about purchasing a backpack she found on Taobao and reminded me of our planned shopping trip.
The second workday remained busy, with meetings, debugging, and issue reporting. Two new colleagues joined the Movie project, and I resolved the “identify” bug, preparing a minimal reproducible case for submission.
In the evening, I played badminton, expecting to struggle but feeling surprisingly at ease. Later, we had dinner at Hamer’s friend Liuliu’s house, where her parents served a delicious meal with hometown specialties. The lively conversation and good food made for a delightful evening.
Returning to Beijing marked the start of a new year.
The train ride felt short for Hamer, who hadn’t slept enough. My night was restless, waking up from station noises or checking on her.
The workday was packed—clearing emails, handling invoices, picking up my passport, and debugging an identify issue.
Hamer spent the day playing with her friend. In the evening, Hamer’s friend’s parents joined us for dinner, and we had a great time chatting over the meal.
The Last Day at Home: A Warm Farewell
This morning, the sun was shining brightly, and the weather felt perfect. I brought my uncle outside to walk and soak up the warmth.
After lunch, I took my mom and Hamer into town to buy groceries for dumplings and snacks for our train ride. In the afternoon, the sun gradually disappeared, and the air grew colder and colder.
In the evening, the whole family gathered to prepare dumplings, with the kids enthusiastically joining in.
I woke up late today after staying up watching Family Matters, making the day feel much shorter. In the morning, my dad kept calling for me repeatedly, which frustrated me.
In the afternoon, I napped while Hamer went to town with her aunt, returning happily with new toys. Later, I struggled while changing my uncle’s bandages and discussed adjustments with my dad.
The day ended warmly with a family dinner, bringing back a comforting sense of togetherness.
A Day of Exploration and Family Time
I took Hamer to explore the Xinjiang River, where she turned our walk through harvested fields into an obstacle course. At lunch, she enjoyed leftovers more than expected.
In the afternoon, we went shopping with her Grandma, played the claw machine, and stocked up on snacks and toys.
In the evening, Hamer helped make dumplings and experimented with adding firewood to the stove in my Grandma’s house.
Lunar New Year - Day 8: The Last Days of Celebration
My uncle’s wound still isn’t healing well, but he was more active and engaged with the family.
At noon, my sister and nephews came over, filling the house with laughter and games.
In the evening, we visited my eldest sister’s house and had meaningful conversations, strengthening our family bonds. Walking home through the dark village, Hamer reflected on the day, calling it “both happy and sad.”
Lunar New Year - Day 7, I decided to extend my stay instead of returning to Beijing as planned, so I could take care of my uncle and spend more time with family.
Hamer learned to ride a bigger bike, her joy radiating as she mastered it. I took the kids to the movies while also dropping Yaoyao off at school. The roads were congested, but I managed well.
I’ve been feeling incredibly sleepy at night, barely staying awake while writing my journal.
Lunar New Year - Day 6, we attended my cousin’s engagement ceremony, traveling as a family on a large bus, which felt like a fun group trip. At the groom’s house, we enjoyed a spread of local snacks before touring the area.
In the evening, we had dinner at my cousin’s place, where his daughter impressively prepared two full tables of delicious food. After dinner, I had a heartfelt conversation with my sister-in-law, realizing how valuable it is just to listen and connect.
Last night, Hamer had multiple vomiting episodes, showing signs of gastroenteritis. She remained calm, but it was a restless night for both of us. I consulted DeepSeek and ChatGPT, both confirming similar symptoms.
In the morning, I accompanied my brother to take our uncle to the hospital for his constipation issue, but the enema didn’t work as expected.
Despite the exhaustion, we continued our family visits, having lunch at my aunt’s and dinner at my second sister’s place. Driving all day was tiring, but the warmth of family gatherings made it all worthwhile.
Lunar New Year – Day 4, we visited my aunt’s house for lunch and my eldest sister’s for dinner. My driving has become much smoother after these days of practice.
My uncle was more active today, doing light exercises in the morning and walking with my brother’s help in the evening. We’re gradually helping him regain independence.
However, I’m feeling under the weather—my throat is sore, and painful mouth sores are making eating and speaking uncomfortable.
Lunar New Year - Day 3, I drove Xiaoyan to the high-speed rail station for her trip, handling the drive smoothly but feeling slightly tense. Later, I picked up family members from my aunt’s house and refueled the car for the first time.
The evening was filled with simple moments—Hamer and Coco playing before doing homework, and my brother making extra egg fried rice when the kids couldn’t get enough. For the first time, I observed the kids managing their bedtime routine independently.
Today started with unexpected news of a fire in the mountains. I helped guide the fire truck and joined villagers in putting out the flames. Later, my brother changed my uncle’s dressing, and I was shocked by the severity of his injury.
In the evening, we gathered at my maternal family’s home. We enjoyed a lively dinner followed by an energetic card game, filling the house with laughter.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, we visited family and friends in the village, starting from Grandma’s house and ending at my cousin’s. The day was filled with warmth and laughter.
The sun was intense in the afternoon, and the courtyard was lively with chatter and laughter. In the evening, I was surprised to find Hamer doing her homework, determined to catch up on her schoolwork.
As I write this, I feel very tired, ready to rest and recover for tomorrow’s festivities.
