It's said to be the last day, but actually, I just came back from dinner outside. While showering, I suddenly felt like writing an article, reflecting on my 19th year. It seems I was incredibly happy, with very few moments of unhappiness.
2023
January
1.1That day, I had a disagreement with a friend and came to Chengdu alone from Guang'an for New Year's Eve. It wasn't very pleasant, but fortunately, I still participated in the countdown under the Twin Towers (I'm a person who values rituals very much).
1.15It snowed in Guang'an. The feelings of Sichuanese people towards snow are something Northerners cannot understand. As I walked outside, my hair slowly turned white from the falling snow.
1.21On the day everyone was preparing to gather for Chinese New Year, due to family reasons, my friend and I chose to travel. It was also my first time celebrating Chinese New Year outside in 18 years. We went to Kunming, which is like spring all year round, watched fireworks, and then successively visited Lijiang and Dali in the following days. We had a great time!!!
February
2.25Hehe, today is my 19th birthday, and it's also the first time I've had a relatively meaningful birthday. My friends prepared a birthday cake for me early. This feeling of being remembered is truly wonderful.
March
3.12Today marks the end of freshman military training. Looking back at the past fifteen days, from the initial fun, it slowly turned into irritation, then adaptation, and finally reluctance to part. These short fifteen days felt like a very long time, longer than ever before.
3.16Today is the birthday of Rui Rui, my 'good son' in the dorm. A friend gave him a poster, which I found hilarious and still very iconic. I brought it back to school and put it at the door, but the dorm manager took it away the next day.
April
4.5Represented the school in the Sichuan Provincial English Exam, with the theme of telling Chinese stories in English. Afterwards, that day, I visited several teahouses, including the 'cultural sanctuary' Pengzhen Old Teahouse, Hemin Teahouse in People's Park, and Chenjin Teahouse on Tiexiang Temple Water Street.
May
5.2Taking advantage of the Labor Day holiday, I set off for Mount Siguniang. I turned another page in the book of the world and took many satisfying photos.
5.13Spent an afternoon wandering around Chengdu Botanical Garden. On the way back, I encountered a cute little squirrel.
5.18Went to the Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum to see an exhibition. For someone who loves to document life, it was truly meaningful. I enjoy looking at other people's works; it not only helps improve my aesthetic sense but also makes me feel like I've witnessed these events firsthand.
5.27Went hiking in Zhongba Forest. Overcast weather is best, it's quite nice. It's rather ordinary, and for those without a drone, please be aware.
June
6.10Went to Western Sichuan Bamboo Sea. Being in nature's oxygen bar felt especially comfortable; my breathing felt unusually clear (I wonder if it's just psychological).
6.24Went to Leshan. Left Chengdu early in the morning and spent the whole day eating and exploring. Please avoid recommendations on Xiaohongshu; it's better to find places yourself. Although it might be more troublesome, honestly, 85% of online recommendations are traps. In the end, I thought Maomao Han Bobo Chicken was particularly good for my last meal back in Chengdu.
July
7.10Came to Hangzhou again. Hangzhou has become the city I've visited most outside of Sichuan. I particularly love the atmosphere of Hangzhou.
7.31The day the nightmare began. Because I loved eating sweets as a child and didn't brush my teeth properly, I had three decayed teeth that couldn't be saved. This week, I successively had three teeth extracted. Now, the dentist's office is a place I dread even thinking about. Remember to brush your teeth well!!!
August
8.1Met an online friend I've known for three years, who could also be called my mentor in a certain circle. I asked him many questions I didn't know, and he always answered them, often saying things that weren't pleasant but full of wisdom. He gave me paper-cuts he made himself, and I treated him to milk tea.
8.4First trip to Jiangnan. For the first time, I intimately felt the charm of boating in the misty rain of Jiangnan. I came to Wuzhen, Jiaxing. The commercialization was acceptable, but I truly loved this feeling.
8.6Arrived at Xun Ge'er's hometown, visited Baicao Garden, saw Sanwei Study, and ate yellow wine popsicles. I truly love this slow pace of life in Jiangnan.
8.8Met up with friends from Shandong and went to Quzhou to see Oz and Yanyu, friends I've known online for 6 years. The first meeting was quite awkward, but fortunately, Yanyu's partner had a great personality, which helped me relax and not be so nervous (I'm quite socially anxious when first meeting strangers, but very talkative once I get to know them). The next day, we went together to welcome another friend, Shiyue's 'newborn.' It felt great to hang out with them.
September
9.10Joined a photography group in Chengdu. Personally, I don't really like shooting portraits; I'm more inclined towards lighting. Influenced by the group members, I had my first TFP (Time For Prints) photoshoot. For some reasons, the shoot wasn't particularly enjoyable, almost making me give up TFP shoots.
9.16As a socially anxious person, I attended a large offline photography friends' meetup for the first time, hahahahah. It was so awkward when I first arrived and didn't know anyone. Fortunately, I knew Mr. Yang, who was good at livening up the atmosphere in the group. I slowly integrated, and we even took a group photo at the end.
October
10.1Because my 13Pm's battery was low, I had been thinking about getting a new phone. I hesitated during the new product launch, which resulted in losing a 256GB original peptide color order because I didn't pay. Finally, I picked up a 512GB one offline at Taikoo Li. Plus, my previous Watch S5 was also broken, so I gritted my teeth and went for the S9 as well.
10.15Met my good friend Brother TT from the photography group. We share common interests, so we get along very well. We also have a common 'enemy.' That day, he arranged a model and asked me to go shoot with him. I must say, Brother TT is really good at directing poses; without him, I might not have known how to shoot that day.
November
11.11Drove with dorm mates to Bipenggou. It was my first time driving on a highway, at night, in heavy rain, on mountain roads – all the buffs were stacked! I had only gotten my driver's license a little over a year ago, and the last time I drove was more than two months prior. Fortunately, we returned to school safely.
11.25Met another friend, Mu Fei, whom I've known online for about 5 years. He had just picked up his new car and asked me to go out and take some photos for him. Fortunately, we took some decent photos at IKEA. When we went up Longquan Mountain, the weather turned bad with heavy rain, but when we drove down, the rain stopped again, which was quite absurd.
December
12.9Drove with friends again to Balang Mountain in Western Sichuan. Because we took a wrong turn when we first arrived, we climbed almost two-thirds of a mountain only to be told it was the wrong one. As a result, we didn't finish climbing Balang Mountain and were exhausted and panting. Finally, we had a hearty meal after descending, eating 'Liangshan Burgers,' which tasted quite good.
12.15Naraka: Bladepoint mobile game offline trial. Queued from three to seven o'clock, who understands the struggle, my friends? Played for over half an hour, chatted a lot with the developers, and even got some merchandise. It was all worth it!!!
2024
January
1.1Went to Guosetianxiang for New Year's Eve. There were so many people; I lost internet connection for almost 6 hours as soon as I entered. We watched the iron flower show, participated in the countdown, and bid farewell to my 2023. Since it's in the suburbs, it was extremely difficult to get a taxi. I finally got home past 4 AM.
1.11Hehe, came to Hangzhou again. Although I've been to Hangzhou many times, I haven't properly explored West Lake. The Broken Bridge in my memory was already blurry. I went to the Broken Bridge again, and it felt very different from my memory. The last time I came to the Broken Bridge was probably when I was in 6th grade.
1.12Arrived at Hongcun, Anhui. The ink-wash Jiangnan style of Huizhou architecture is truly etched into my bones as something I love. We spent two days exploring and eating. The next day, we went to the neighboring Xidi Ancient Village, which is very original and ecological, but personally, I prefer the atmosphere of Hongcun over Xidi.
1.15A 'Southern little potato' bravely ventured to Harbin. I spent a week there, visited Central Street, went to Heifengzhai from 'Tracks in the Snowy Forest,' and discovered that 'Bear Ridge' from Snow Town really exists. I ate frozen pears, candied hawthorns, iron pot stewed goose, chicken stewed with mushrooms, and experienced many, many firsts: my first time skiing, my first time getting a full body scrub, my first time doing a Yangko dance. It was a particularly happy trip.
1.29Went to climb Mount Emei again. It's embarrassing to say, but as a Sichuanese, it was my first time climbing Mount Emei. It took 3 hours to reach the Golden Summit. I must say, the scenery of Mount Emei is truly beautiful. On the way down, I saw many monkeys interacting with tourists. At the foot of the mountain, I ate skewers from Changyao Fried Factory, which I call super, super, super delicious skewers; they were fried particularly dry. Highly recommended.
February
2.8Happy New Year! 2023 is officially over. I had New Year's Eve dinner at home. Because I didn't go home for Chinese New Year last year, I feel like it's been a long time since I've been home. The days of 2023 at home in my memory are already from 2022. I don't know why, but I feel like the festive atmosphere of Chinese New Year is fading. I wonder if it's because I've grown up, and many things just don't feel interesting anymore.
March
3.14Because some people in the dorm had plans, we couldn't get together on the weekend, so they suggested celebrating my birthday early. We sang at KTV for an afternoon and finally had hotpot. Something particularly awkward happened: I had made a reservation on Meituan, and I just followed them into the restaurant without paying attention. They sat down, and the waiter poured them tea. I tried to redeem my voucher but couldn't. Then I looked closely and realized we were in the wrong restaurant. My face flushed; I was so embarrassed.
3.16Today I'm 20! Truly 20 years old, and it's the 20th year I started wishing for everything to go smoothly when I was 19. I hope everything in this new year will be even more wonderful than my 19th year. I ate cake at midnight and received many blessings from friends on WeChat Moments. I will always love my good friends.
Finally
The above is my 2023, and also the happy fragments of my 19th year. I originally planned to finish writing last night, recalling and writing at the same time, but 4 hours passed in a blink. There's a lot of casual talk in the article. Thank you for reading this far. These are all my recollections based on photos in my album, which is the meaning of photography for me. I hope that you, who are reading this article, can be happy every day, safe and sound, and take good care of yourself.