2017 has passed by, and it feels like it was just yesterday, even though it’s already been more than half a month since the year-end summary meeting. This year brought some gains and some regrets. The most impactful for the future was probably finally learning to swim at the age of 28. As a “land duck” from the mountains, taking this step was a way to make up for a long-standing weakness, though the cost wasn’t low—my spouse and I spent over 2000 yuan on lessons.
The second significant achievement was publishing a short article in a central magazine of our unit’s system, which turned out to be the only central-level article from our unit that year.
“Chang’an” Magazine is a political, legal, and social comprehensive news monthly supervised by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. It serves as the official publication of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission and the Central Comprehensive Management Committee, acting as the main channel and front for the Party’s propaganda in the fields of political and legal affairs, comprehensive management, and legal ideology.
Third, we started the year on a good note. After our first long-distance road trip at the beginning of the year, we ended up making five cross-province trips throughout the year, covering 20,000 kilometers without any traffic violations. I guess we didn’t let our driving instructor down.
Ran into our coach on the road
Fourth, we visited some Han Dynasty relics. Following the Mawangdui experience, this was the second time I felt the awe-inspiring impact of our ancestors from 2000 years ago, and I finally understood what cultural confidence truly means.
Fifth, I read a few leisure books, including the 7-million-word web novel The Peak of Power and the highly popular sci-fi trilogy The Three-Body Problem. I’ve noticed that I’m reading less and less, life is becoming more “greasy,” and my theoretical knowledge and reserves are slowly being depleted.
Sixth, I significantly increased my intake of cigarettes, alcohol, and betel nuts. The fat kept piling up, and my body remained in a sub-healthy state. I even skipped my annual blood donation this year.
Seventh, I upgraded a bunch of electronic devices. My phone went from an iPhone 5s to an iPhone SE, then I found the small screen unsatisfying after prolonged use, so I switched to an iPhone 7 Plus. Later, due to a directive from my boss, who thought my 132 China Unicom number looked too much like a scam call, I switched to a 139 China Mobile number and bought a Smartisan Nut Pro 2. My iPad mini, which my daughter kept dropping and was too slow, was replaced with a high-capacity iPad Pro. My gaming console upgraded from an Xbox One to an Xbox One X, and I also added a PS4 Pro. My VPN switched from Linode and Virmach to Hong Kong’s HostKVM and UFOVPS. My main computer went from an E3-1230V2/960GTX/8GB/128G+2TB/U2412M HTPC desktop to a Dell M4600 workstation with an i7-2820QM/Quadro1000M/8GB/128G+1TB, along with a modified Thinkpad X220 (basically just upgrading my old laptop). Overall, I feel like I don’t have the energy or time to play anymore—my gaming consoles barely get turned on, let alone my computer. The best game of the year was Battlefield 1, the one I played the most was The Division, the best phone was the Nut Pro 2, and the one I used the most was the 7 Plus.
Eighth, I took my little one to many places, striving to be a good father.
Ninth, I did a few good deeds. With approval nearly finalized at the leadership level, I pushed to increase the annual fund utilization rate from 94% to 99.6%. I also helped a few particularly needy individuals secure early assistance funds, ensuring they wouldn’t drop out of school due to poverty or face financial difficulties during the New Year.
Tenth, I accomplished a few things I had wanted to do but couldn’t or hadn’t managed to before, mostly work-related, so I won’t go into details here.