a carrier of contradictions

A teacher of mine from my middle school commented my recent post: kiddo you should pay more attention to your dating life, only the people who entered the market in the morning get to choose.

Ok, time for another introspection post. As a 20 year old college student, do I want to date? Yes. But do I REALLY want to date? Probably not. I feel like there’s something wrong with me that whenever I encounter this type of questions, I’d answer yes but after taking a deeper thought about it, I’d become indecisive about my answer. For example, “do you like your major?” YES. Wait, actually I’m not sure.

Another example, I was thinking about writing this post in Chinese but then changed to English halfway. I’ll leave the Chinese part here anyway, the thought flow, very fun to look at. I tried to explain this mental state, but I’ll just end here since I want to keep this post relatively shorter (or I’m just being lazy).

(I’m starting on a new project to improve my English. I’m aware that it is almost impossible for me to reach the native speaker level, but I mean, half English native plus half Chinese native would just make me a hybridized native right? Sorry this is too random just a little thought popped up when I’m writing this. )

What do I want? Who do I want to become? What are the priorities? (also a reply to my teacher’s comment)

  • At the moment, I need a low neuroticism, or fewer mood swings. It might be hard, but after some deep analysis on myself, I have to admit that I’m not mentally or emotionally mature enough for things that are beyond my capabilities.
  • I’m still trying to figure out who I want to be. So, it seems that it’s more important to know myself first before getting to know other people. I need to be a person who’s not easily attached to anything that might potentially affect my own goals.
  • Priorities don’t allow me to even consider the possibility of it. I move around a lot and it’s just like the senior year of high school, it’s not smart to start anything new.
  • I’m 20, technically I’m still in this identity & role confusion stage based on Erikson’s developmental theory. (lol jk it’s just an excuse)

It’s summer everyone, go out more, run, do sports, get tan, do whatever that can make you happy. Have a nice summer and I’ll see you in the next post ❤


【对,我要开始了,开始我的情绪倾倒。不好意思,我这一篇准备就这么逼逼过去了,中夹英,很烦,我知道,但是谁又不想懒一下呢?

其实我五六月并不是什么都没有写,notes里面堆了很多很多情绪垃圾,但是一方面的我没有什么精力来修改成一个成文的post entry,同时也觉得没什么必要做到每月一篇,even though it’s over $200 for yearly subscription.

从四月开始吧,然后一直持续到五六月份,我觉得我情绪管理的非常不好,虽然我生活看似非常有条理。我觉得自己本身就是一个矛盾体,不知道这是不是不成熟的表现,总是优柔寡断,which i know is a negative adjective,但有时候真的无法做出一个选择。然而,并不是所有的问题都是可以用是或不是来回答的,所以我总是在middle ground徘徊,想不明白自己到底该怎么办。比如,现在的我马上要开始谈谈感情,一方面的我觉得,“ugh 谁还每个情绪了,干嘛这么小题大做,你自己私下想想解决不就好了吗?”另一方面的我又觉得 “不管是什么情绪,都应该好好的对待。”

前段时间吧,可能跟我比较熟的人都知道,有那么个人,我走心了。我也不知道自己哪儿出问题了,开玩笑说是~网恋的魅力~,但过程is not so pretty。好了,这次我是真的看开了。难过肯定是会难过的,毕竟我内心还是很弱的哈哈,但是我知道会没事儿的,不说马上,只要努努力,肯定很快就能走出来。

不好意思,这几段中英文段落也太口语化了哈哈,多看点儿书,小黄同学!好了,表达能力有限,就先这样,下次我一定好好写!】

hi, 20s

time is moving fast, i’m stepping into my 20s, for real this time.

the number is relative, the growth is continuous

am i turning into a whole new person at midnight today? probably not, but i still want to make it somewhat special to myself. i tend to question myself a lot: who am i? what do i want? am i living with satisfaction? what should i do next? do i need to change? the deeper i go, the more lost i get. 20 is a big number to my little mind. it’s my first time being a 20 year old, it’s the first to all of us. i’m looking forward to it and at the same time, kinda scared. i don’t know what the future holds, i don’t know what the next problem is, i don’t know when another mental breakdown will strike.

there’re too many things i’m uncertain about, but one thing i’m pretty sure is that i’ve grown up. it might not seem like a big change on an everyday scale, but throwing back, looking at me at 19, or 18, or even 17, i am indeed different. though, i still care too much, i still overshare, i still am the person with a consistent personality. i might have had this same, or similar mindset a couple days ago, while i wasn’t 20 yet. so this number didn’t really matter too much. what matters is to improve a little bit every day. yeah, i procrastinate. yeah, i’m off the track here and there. yeah, i’m disappointed in myself sometimes. they are all normal. there are turbulences when you fly too high.

it’s about you, you only, but not only you

only i know myself deep down there but i’m the one who makes myself confused, all the time. i asked my mom if she knows me well enough, she said yes, “but even myself don’t really know about myself lol.” i want to have april 12th to myself, but it’s not a day only about me, neither any other day in a year is. it was a big day for my mom, for my dad, maybe for the people who love me, for the people who remember this day. i, when i was younger (or less mature), would get somewhat frustrated if people forgot the date, especially the ones i expected them to remember. some people started to wish me birthday wishes since march, i asked them why, is it because they didn’t actually know my birthday. they really did don’t remember, but they knew it’s somewhere around march and april, they really cared. does the date really matter? no, what matters is that they remember me, they remember i’m growing up, every year, not just on the 12th. when the first signs of spring started to bloom, “it’s march, spring is here, oh wait, her bday is coming up.” with these people around me, i’m beyond grateful.

happy bday and have a good one!

i still want to make the day a ritual, even though i’m having too many dues for school on 12th *checking my schedule while shaking my head.* but hey! it’s pretty cool to write down my birthday on the cover page for the endocrinology paper!

no matter how tough life is, there’s always a positive aspect to look at. hi, my third* decade, we’ll definitely get along. happy birthday, i love you.

Rating the Best & Worst Dating apps

It’s that time of the year again! Spring? Not quite yet. Yes, it’s the Valentine’s day! Sorry for being late to just post this out, but, the dating game is not just for Feb. 14th! After reading this, even though I can’t guarantee you a valentine for 2022, I’m sure you’ll have an idea of the mainstream dating apps on the market and get yourself prepared for the Valentine’s day in 2031!

*Disclaimer: these were my personal experiences and opinions, wasn’t trying to target any apps. If you work for one of them, that’s great, they are good apps in terms of popularity. And no, they did not sponsor me. I wish they did though.

*Disclaimer 2.0: people have different intentions on dating apps, mine might not be the same as yours, so this is a judgemental free zone. (Reviewing apps doesn’t equal to judging them though or does it?)

Quick overview:

Chinese apps marked with *

“I don’t recommend” section:

  • Into the trash

Tinder: Its algorithm was pretty bad; “purchase this and that” everywhere; swiping for ages and couldn’t find a person to match with. Might be fun to have tinder passports and flying around the world during this COVID time though (if you have da money, I’d recommend you to extend your Netflix subscription lol)

*Momo: Opened, didn’t know how to register, closed, deleted.

  • Would literally forget (about their existence)

Coffee meets bagel: Still don’t know what it’s about, lots of questionable features when I was using it but I LOVE COFFEE AND BAGELS 😍

*Soul: (did not seem like an actual dating app) People there don’t generally post profile pictures since it’s all about that ~anonymity~. You can talk to people without revealing your identity which means it’s all random. So, you might run into a 13 yo kid or a 50 yo millionaire who knows. No profile pic means no security, so no thanks. Generally, a very boring place if you get bored easily.

*Jimu: Another Chinese dating app. I don’t quite remember about this one. The layouts were kind of confusing and people there were basically all on Tantan as well.

  • NO

*Tantan: got banned there, no comments (It’s actually alright, the community was very small, pretty much all Chinese there which means 80% cat fishing and 20% people that I already know irl)

Facebook: 1) Facebook dating: scrolled for a bit and had no interest. The constant notifications are annoying as hell and I don’t know and don’t care how to turn that off. 2) Subtle Asian Dating: I was too weak to compete there but got to know some people on the other end of the world which was nice.

“Can take a look” section:

  • It’s ight

Hinge: (the latest version is an Average or a NO) The quality of matches there was higher on average and they would actually respond if they matched you back. It didn’t have the bio section, which I disliked because that’s the place I like the most (does this even make sense lmao). The version long time ago was much better and the recent version has a new feature added where they had this section for “outstanding prompts from the people most my type” that “you won’t see elsewhere,” and you would need roses to like them. Very nice algorithm because mostly were indeed my type, but $5.49 per rose was too much to ask. I mean I get it that apps need this kind of things for business but is it really necessary to pull people that are “most my type” out of the general pool? No, Hinge, you’ve failed me.

*WeChat: The “people around me” feature was ahahah I don’t know how to put it but it was definitely something, especially if you saw your friends on there. You can find some 阿姨 or 叔叔 if you don’t want to 努力 anymore. How WeChat acts as a dating app: 1) you see someone in your friends’ posts like a group photo or some kind, you ask your friends to introduce you and hit them up afterwards. 2) Directly hit up on the person if they’re already your friend. It’s basically like Instagram which I’ll be mentioning below but less stalking and less interactive.

  • Average

Bumble: The matching quality was about 200% higher than Tinder’s and 34% lower than Hinge’s. The app icon is a little yellow honeycomb, which is the cutest among the all. Through Bumble, I’ve practiced my pickup line skills to its maximum since it’s a “girls talk first” type of app which weirdly was the only thing I liked about it (besides the icon). It had 24-hr time limits for you to initiate the conversation which I absolutely hated. When I hopped on there after 24 days, everything had gone expired. What are you? Milk? In general, it’s pretty average, doesn’t have any mind-blowing highlight features.

“Shoot your shot, go get em” section:

  • Actually helpful

Instagram: Pros: 1) mostly are the people you know I believe? 2) You get to stalk their life. 3) Seems not so dating app, but can still act as one. Cons: 1) if you don’t take the first move, your DM is going to be as dry as your throat just woke up on a winter morning. 2) They are the people you know, so you have to have manners and you can’t just walk away. 3) The “seen” feature, like what if I want to remove that red notification dot but don’t want to respond to the message?

LinkedIn: Very high quality and some people even have a detailed CV attached. Many volunteering experiences? -> must be a kind person; many work experiences? -> must have da money; etc… you get what I mean. (“If you don’t have an over-a-year lab experience, I don’t want it” jkjk)

  • THE CHOSEN ONE ヾ(・ε・`*)

McGill MyCourses: If you know you know QwQ


Dating apps can be fun, can be boring, can be useful, and can be impractical. Different people have different views. It’s almost reading break which is a perfect time to put my suggestions above in use 😉 The thing I want to emphasize is that during this hard time, have fun, stay safe, and act smart.

In the end, I hope y’all can find your right one (or left one) if you haven’t yet and have a long lasting love and happiness if you already have one (or multiple) ❤

One last thing, I wish y’all the best for the rest of your midterms and have a wonderful break with the lecture recordings and assignments that you’ve left behind!

Answers To The Questions That I Can’t Answer But Have To

What the hell is this? I don’t know, either.

I’m going to answer one of the most popular questions:

  • Tell me about yourself.

Interview questions always get me, very deep into my soul, as if they are questioning my existence. “I don’t know” would be the best answer, and the second worst answer after staying completely silent. The best solution out of hesitation for this is to present myself as someone who they want me to be.

More questions come after:

  • Are interview questions more of a guessing game?
  • Am I myself or their want-to-be?
  • Is it just a coincidence when I’m being myself fits/overlaps with their expectations?

Tell me about yourself.

One problem that I’ve always been trying to figure out is who I really am, not the unsolved philosophical type of question, nor the everyday existential problem, but how I, myself, views myself as a person. I believe that I exist even though I can’t prove it and I don’t want to go too deep into this topic either because my logical arguments are not strong or evidenced. I still remember I wrote something about “every human is born with a dictionary that has everything written and growing up is just a process of unlocking things that are already known” when I was 15. Does that mean eventually everyone is the same? Enough being said, I don’t know why I had that thought nor little did I know anything about philosophy, but there are still many questions that I can’t answer that, in the end, are somehow connected.

Myself, my whole world, seems always “not right” to me. I don’t mean doubting the realness of the world, but rather, my individuality. It has been bothering me for a long time when people ask me to “tell me about yourself.” I just don’t know how to answer it while it’s one of the major questions for any interviews. Should I describe my external traits or internal perspectives of myself? Whenever it comes to describing my external traits, objective truths, or uncontroversial facts, I have no problem. I can tell them the researches I’ve done, I can tell them everything that happened to me throughout 19 years, but I want to tell them more, more about myself, as a person who’s distinctive from the rest of population.

For example, I say that “I have a good personality: approachable, outgoing, and always helpful,” but those characteristics don’t define Me, Myself. Everyone could have that, or even this exact same combination. I still somehow assume that I’m different, not in the sense that I can make a remarkable contribution to the world and get remembered for centuries even though that might be the best result to live, but in the sense as an individual with my own thoughts. However, whenever I think I’m different because I have this particular thought of mine, I start questioning if there is any other human being who has similar or even the same thought as I am having this right now. The answer to that is probably yes. I am almost certain that there is at least one person who must have, or have had this same thought. So, should I say that I have a good personality and categorize myself along with other people who claim to be having the traits I mentioned above?

For interviews, I prepared to describe myself in advance, polishing my words to the best as I could; while inside, I felt quite conflictive, for being someone who I think I am but might not be, for not giving a completed answer, for an absolute answer that even I, myself suspect.

Are interview questions more of a guessing game?

Yes, in order to get a particular position, I’m constantly guessing what They want the answers to be.

Am I myself or their want-to-be?

I am still myself (hopefully) by switching, adapting, changing under different circumstances. Their want-to-be’s are just the products of my guesses in the beginning.

Is it just a coincidence when I’m being myself fits/overlaps with their expectations?

I would call it luck. I have made a good guess and then provide a good answer.

There are many questions out there with no answer. Even though I try to be myself and present myself in some ways, being myself and to prove myself having individuality is another problem. One of the choices I made for my finite lifespan is to study sciences and focus on what the world is presenting to us, instead of us to the world. I’m sure there will be more entanglements like this in my life, questioning everything and doubting the simplest but at the same time, the hardest truth of myself, but right at the moment, my priority is to watch lecture recordings and obtain my degree so I won’t get starved when I’m older 😷

In the end, wish everyone who’s reading this can ace their interviews in the future ❤

12/2020

well… i’ve already been exercising regularly for months, so i’ll make it harder by adding a HIIT session (which i absolutely hate) into my daily workout routine. idek if i can stick to it lol cuz the last time i tried to do HIIT, i gave up after two burpees. BUT we love challenges, so i’ll try my best 👊 – Nov. 30

Yes, the reason why I did this was that I gained weight throughout the whole quarantine (nothing crazy though, just around 4 pounds). How do I feel about this? To be honest, I’m very chill with the number showing on the scale. I still weigh myself (and my food sometimes lol) everyday, but it’s different from the time where all I cared about was that number. The number helps me to understand how my body is responding to the new food combination, new workout routine, etc. Do 122 and 118 lbs really differ that much? I felt pretty the same standing on that scale, but my skin, digestion and body composition are different. Since a healthy lifestyle is a long term thing, focusing on one number is not ideal. I did what I could and if I felt right, I did it right.

Dec. 1

it was alright but i still hate burpees

Dec. 2

the first one doesn’t have the HIIT intensity

Dec. 3

didn’t do anything cuz i’m on my second day of menstrual cycle (the actual reason is i was debugging and two quizzes are due tmr morning hehe)

and thanks to december for having 31 days so i can skip one with a legitimate reason

Dec. 4

i prefer repetition but this chest and triceps one is just TOO much

Dec. 5

a good 20 min warmup

Dec. 6

one day i’ll be able to do pistol squats 👊

Dec. 7

multitasking: watching 甄嬛传 while doing those workouts

Dec. 8

20 min of burpee and its variations made me wanna throw up 🥲

Dec. 9

i feel like a burpee queen now 🤡

Dec. 10

burpee and i are in a love-hate relationship 🥰

Dec. 11 (i feel nothing on my butt so i did it again lol)

sorry the sparkol was too random here but i want the pic to fit the screen

Dec. 12

my laptop is on dark mode sorry for the inconsistency

Dec. 13

i sincerely miss the gym my improper burpee gesture is giving me knee pain

Dec. 14 (i really really don’t wanna do HIIT today)

i did one anyway (respect to myself)

Dec. 15 (i need a break from jumping my knees can’t take it anymore)

okay my 2021 new resolution: get abs

Dec. 16

i realized that i forgot to do abs after the shower was done 🥲

Dec. 17

i kinda love doing abs cuz it’s 90% of time lying on the ground lol

Dec. 18

didn’t do HIIT today oops i just don’t want to use my lower body lol

Dec. 19

i stepped into the gym for the first time in 9 months bruh my hands, my arms, my whole body is aching and i couldn’t even lift 70 lbs. let’s just wait for those new calluses to form and we shall be good. alright my updated resolution for 2021: get back to my personal bests in one month (or two).

Dec. 20

i did shoulders and back today (like wtf would even do HIIT when they got a gym). i’ve never trained this early like 7am my body is not fully functioning yet but it was fun trying it out. i moved my breakfast 2 hrs late to 9am which feels like a lunch and the 3pm lunch feels like a umm afternoon tea? anyway, 2020 is weird so just let my schedule be weirder.

Dec. 21

my body is aching EVERYWHERE (legs from the day before yesterday and upper body from yesterday lol) so i just did a tiny cardio plus abs

Dec. 22

did legs, was fun

Dec. 23

went uphill with my boots for the first time in the year (a quality cardio session) + biceps and chest (haven’t been lifting for a while and it hurts wherever i work on lol)

Dec. 24

what’s the day before christmas called again? christmas eve??? did booty cuz upper body is very sore

Dec. 25

christmas yay did legs cuz upper body wasn’t ready

Dec. 26

cardio plus some random kettle dumbbell thing

Dec. 27

upper body day my hands are shaky rn

Dec. 28

did the whole body which felt like i did nothing 😬

Dec. 29

chest + back (not the best combination but it made the upper body session seem shorter if u know what i mean)

Dec. 30

leg day fun day 🦵it’s interesting how it’s a lower and upper never ending cycle, when the upper body is sore, it’s time for the lower body and vice versa and when both need recovery, i’ll only be left with cardio

Dec. 31

did a 1hr stationary bicycling and i’ll take a break tomorrow (we be starting off 2021 strong 💪). the nonstop gym is VERY exhausting especially when it’s so early in the morning. new year, old me, so ready for some new changes.

summary:

i could’ve done the challenge but the gym showed up halfway and i couldn’t ignore it. we need to rearrange our priorities when changes happen, don’t we? [all excuses i just don’t want to do HIIT or cardio or probably i don’t even want to move at all lol]

i’ve tried many fitness youtubers’ workouts but caroline girvan and lilly sabri are my top two favorites. caroline’s aren’t easy nor too difficult and most importantly, SHE WON’T YELL AT YOU. lilly’s don’t have previews so it took me quite a while to remember what’s coming next and she kinda yells too much u know…

and the gym omg this little 20 square meter room makes me so happy. that’s like the fifth thing that i love the most in the world ranking after my mom and dad, sleep, carrot cake and bullshitting (should be mentioning studying but let’s just be honest for one more time). 2020 is tough, im constantly in this gaining-and-losing weight cycle without doing the “normal” amount of physical activities i used to do pre-covid. i still remember i told myself to not to worry too much in the beginning of the quarantine: “just think it as a 3-month cutting season.” Then, 9 months passed lol. but im still happy (depressed only when the dues are in front of my eyes) that i’ve got motivation to stay active and creative. im no longer concerned of losing my progress or dropping weights whatsoever. it was fun pushing myself to add one more 2.5 lbs plate pre-covid but it was also nice to take a super super long 9-month break and follow that enormous youtube fitness trend (chloe ting etc).

i forgot to mention that since the covid started which was around mid march, i had switched to intermittent fasting because i realized that my regular 4-5 meals per day was too much when all i do is staying at home and facing the screens. one more thing i learned from this 9-month quarantine is that constant snacking is a big pitfall, it took me two months for my digestion and skin to recover, not to mention my weight lol. so, after 9 months experimenting with all sorts of combinations, i found my mind and body responded to a clean diet with moderate exercises the best (they prefer health after all smh). i like unhealthy things like staying up late till 3 am, eating a whole bag of chips without looking at the nutrition label, but my body doesn’t like the ideas so we kinda compromised.

2021, im not sure where it’s going but i know that i have the capability to cope with any situations. fingers crossed wishing we all can go back to a slightly “normal” life. cheers to my very random, everything-mixed-together workout routines, it was a fun 9 months. and cheers to the somewhat consistent 20 (ish) day HIIT challenge, i for sure, will not do it again.

for 2021:

  • drink more water
  • eat more veggies
  • consume only adequate amount of processed food
  • do the exercises you love (and the ones you don’t love but necessary i.e. burpees lol)

some fitness goals to “look cool”:

  • be able to do pull-ups
  • be able to do pistol squats
  • be able to do proper pushups
  • and be able to bench press your squat weight lol

Lastly, enjoy the last bit of your winter break and happy new year ❤

30 days

Nov. 1

was planning to do a 30 day diet streak but failed on the first day lol

Nov. 2

ok i remembered to take pics for my meals but forgot the comp sci assignment due is today. (thank god i only added two more if statements in my last version) plz i beg u lin, DO NOT LET THIS KIND OF THINGS HAPPEN AGAIN 😀

Nov. 3

snow is visible today, winter is really here

Nov. 4

too busy i can’t remember what i did

Nov. 5

studied for the two tests that i’m totally unprepared for

Nov. 6

hey i survived

Nov. 7

add some sugar when life’s bitter

Nov. 8

repetition is bootyful

Nov. 9

new week so let’s start over the streak 🤡

Nov. 10

i forgot again… but i can still use my classic sky pic

amazement of the day: temperature is 23 degrees blessed 🌹

Nov. 11

hmm didn’t do much and forgot everything hehe (the only pic i had for today :))

Nov. 12

probably the last time i ran for this year, can’t do it when the temperature gets too low (i felt slow like a cow when i was running but it turned out it wasn’t too bad lol)

oh and got a 100 on the last cs assignment. i cried 😭

Nov. 13

there was one person sneezed in the student room omfg

Nov. 14

i had a donut today, kinda disappointed i remember original glazed should be better

arugula tastes as bitter as my gpa :^)

Nov. 15

so much work towards the end of the semester :((

Nov. 16

it’s 2am, i’m very hungry and tired right now so i have to note it down.

Nov. 17

my mindset atm: i really don’t care about this particular assignment cuz the worst i could get would be a B and i have all those high A’s to balance it out anyway (not healthy but i’m so done hehe)

Nov. 18

very cold today, nothing happened, peace

Nov. 19

me doing “getting rid of muffin tops in 7 days” exercises and at the same time:

Nov. 20

the muffins are so good and hopefully i can survive this weekend

Nov. 21

i’m always saying i have lots of work but after breaking them down and getting some of them done, i realized actually, that’s not bad at all

i scrolled through my photo album today (procrastinating again yeah i know) and made this comparison collage. it’s been two years ngl the changes can barely be seen (i mean 8 months were at-home what can i expect lol) try living healthier, do less comparison, love every inch of ur body and stay confident ❤

Nov. 22

big snow day today and it was 12 degrees celsius two days ago 2020 is strange in every single possible way

i stg berries taste the best in the morning (other times do not work)

Nov. 23

the second last week of the semester yayayyyy

i have no pics today but a meme

Nov. 24

it’s 1am idk why but my powerpoint file for today’s 9am presentation got damaged so i’m redoing everything lol why am i still alive 🙂

Nov. 25

haven’t started my comp assignment yet, i’m very worried

Nov. 26

the snow from yesterday cuz i didn’t have any today

Nov. 27

coding is hard and i don’t like it

Nov. 28

why are there so many edge cases in comp assignments?

Nov. 29

biol 301 report is fun

Nov. 30

the last day of this month and the last week of the semester and the last month of 2020

conclusion:

it was hard to not to forget to take pictures of every single meal but yea this is my 30 days of randomness again.

to-do’s for december:

  • finish the semester nicely
  • sleep until i can no longer
  • eat clean
  • exercise
  • enjoy the break and be mentally prepared for the next online semester 🥲

happy holiday season by the way

hOw To sTaY aWaKe

an advice from a cOlLeGe student that no one asked

(“lin, u really need to stop bs“

“hehe”)

am i sharing another bs post again? yes, i am. kinda busy this month (but still writing THIS at 11pm to avoid work. yes my whole life is a huge oxymoron in its human form.)

first of all, it’s autumn, pumpkin season, maple leaf season, spooky season. and, on the way to winter hibernation, a drowsy season. it rained a lot and my circadian rhythm somehow adjusted to the precipitation, the more rain, the sleepier i am. i particularly love the bloodshot in my eyes, making me feel so productive 👌

let’s do a tiny calculation cuz my little brain cant handle the ones bigger than three digits. it’s week 9 soon, and this semester ends on december 3rd, which means we only have 5 weeks left. FIVE! WEEKS! doesnt that sound so short? we just need to keep ourselves awake and grind for another a month plus a week and WE👏ARE👏DONE👏

here’s how lin has been keeping herself alive, i mean awake, for the past 9 weeks:

  1. sleep is trivial, deadlines are more real.
  2. keep track of your substance usage.
  3. time management is important.
  4. calm down.

substances?

*disclaimer* her substance usage is BAD don’t listen to her.

s tier: death wish mix with java monster

urm honestly i don’t recommend this but if your receptors are getting more and more insensitive, all you can do is to increase the amount of caffeine you consume (we can biology ;)) when you’re so in need of caffeine, you just stop caring about the taste.

a tier:

there’s a tim hortons right down my stairs but it’s over two bucks and milk tea is expensive af with $4.99 delivery fees i’m not doing that.

f tier (cuz we have no tolerance towards non-A’s 🤡):

the original monster has a similar taste as red bulls (yea we all know marketing is all about copying from each other). the sugar, 50 something grams, no thanks, i don’t wanna get obese before i even reach the end of the semester. red bull is just another name for bulls**t. nespresso coffee pods: what we need is not just a taste of coffee.

time management

how i do it is i write out things that i need to do on a list clearly and thoroughly and end up not doing them at all BUT it helps build up the guilts inside so ultimately i get them done. pretty clever huh. oh and sipping on coffee while i’m doing it so i can trick my brain that i’m being productive ;))

i have none so i’m probably not the best person for giving advice on this.

i drink coffee every day so i can feel i’ve accomplished at least something

CALM DOWN

21st century lin’s dictionary definition: calming down is another synonym for not caring anymore.

watch some youtube and procrastinate a bit and you’ll find some peacefulness during that short interval and more anxieties afterwards which will lead to a higher stress and motivation level for getting the work done since you are running out of time 🤭 (like me doing it right now)

jokes aside, seriously, calm the f down and target each small task in an organized order. small progress is better than no progress at all isn’t it?

wishing you people can go through this 2020 stressful time with success. 5 weeks (or more if ur somewhere else in the world), we can do this.

september updates

“it’s easy to talk big, but the important thing is whether or not you clean up the shit.”

– norwegian wood (how i was procrastinating by reading it again instead of getting shit done lol)
the song of the month

sept. 2 wednesday

to-buy

☐ a nice ipad pro

☐ desk stand

☐ COFFEE

☐ grocery list on ur phone

the whole year of 2020 is weird. schools normally start on the first tuesday of september, but this year mcgill decided to start today. there’s a strange thought that has been stuck inside for a while: how do i know that physiology is the right one for me? at this point, all i can do is to constantly persuade myself that im into the subject and will be willing to do it for the rest of my life. if i say that i want to switch to a whole new major, people must think im crazy. anything “for the rest of the life” becomes overwhelming for a 19 year old and when i think of it, i start to doubt. i guess that’s why i feel weird. [haha nah i like physiology, it’s just when i think it’s MY major, it feels bizarre.]

im really stressed out these days, can’t sleep and wake up super early too. it’ll be alright, just take a deep breath and sort things out slowly.

$20k+ online school, let’s do it.


sept. 4 friday

first (half) week, done.

i’ve only been having online classes for two days, i already feel *not good*. I really should have taken a gap year. it’s not about motivation, but the learning styles. if i could do it online, even the free mit opencoueseware had done it better lol. [jkjk I LOVE MCGILL.]

anyway that’s life, shit happens and it’s happening to most of people right now.

strange thought of the day: i want to live in 90s in france like the one depicted in amélie. can’t speak french but i want a getaway to somewhere i have zero knowledge of.

edit: nah i want japan instead.


sept. 5 saturday

a little chat about rejections

had some talks with my friends about our dating life. throwing back, i’ve received a handful rejections from the “crushes” that i had. I’ve rejected lots of people myself too. those nervous but excitable moments, the times sitting down with friends and trying to word a perfect message, planning a specific route to have that “accidental” encounter, the careful but bold spirits… three things should be kept in mind:

1) be yourself. “you shouldn’t have poured everything out like that” “you should’ve been more tactful in the game” “you should’ve…” all those advice flooding in. abandon those “techniques” because that’s not you. be affectionate, be whole-hearted, be you.

2) acknowledge and appreciate. if you are the one rejecting the other person, the least your can do is say thank you and appreciate their feelings. if you are the one being rejected, acknowledge the feelings towards the person and don’t feel embarrassed. these feelings are actually cute and genuine!

3) there’re many other things (and people) out there! the further you go, the better and more alike people you’ll meet. the movies, the books, the projects, the friends, and the everything you like. think about all the delightful chances you are going to have, exciting!

like my friends joked: “move on, plenty of fish out there.”

edit: i don’t even like the smell of fish.


two of my favorite human beings from the stanford high 🥺 i miss them so so so much 🥺 (sept. 06 2020)

sept. 12 saturday

kind of things that i love.

another week done. busy week.

it’s slowly getting colder and the priority on the list is to keep myself warm, physically and mentally. it’s too cold to go out for a run now, i just can’t make my mind if i should wear t-shirt or long sleeve.

a week with the still-trying-to-get-used-to occupied schedule, the lukewarm coffee in the mug, the frozen prof on the zoom call, while trying to catch the last scrap of summer 2020. everything makes week 2 unique. there’s no second junior week 2 anymore, and i loved it.


sept. 15 12:30 am

i feel like i’m drained out. my friend messaged me that he has been on a 3hr sleep schedule for a while now. me here, working till midnight every day, having a less than 6hr sleep, i honestly don’t know where all my time went. and i kinda feel bad that i’m not sleeping little enough (yeah i know, some weird peer pressure). i knew from the beginning that this year is NOT meant to be easy, stay alive and keep working.

edit: google said 4 cups of brewed coffee is too much. okay.


“you can’t always keep your loved ones with you. you can’t always settle your life in one place. the world was made to change. but as long as you cherish the memories and make new ones along on the way, no matter where you are, you’ll always be at home.” – this is where it ends (why do i always quote so much lol)


sep. 18 friday

omg week 3 is FINALLY done, im crying. i still have two dues this weekend and some extra psets to get over with. (sorry lemme start over again, this beginning was too shitty.)

this week has been rough and too much caffeine consumption is giving me a high tolerance that red bull and espresso shots no longer work well. i cut naps from my life and i kinda miss them. running and exercising are the only sources for my everyday endorphins / dopamine / serotonin / noradrenaline intake. im grateful that i still have time for them.

edit: red bull doesn’t even have that much caffeine lol rip all that liquid in my stomach for doing nothing. “if you drink coffee or tea or monster energy or whatever for every single day of college, as a whole your energy and motivation will be a little bit elevated and your health will only be marginally decreased.” (not recommending doing it just personally i need to use “substances”)

every day seemed so long but days passed by so fast, be productive and yeah that’s it for the week.


sept. 20th sunday

some feelings are not good. they are something so hard to comprehend, like sick sentiments from inside out, slowly deteriorating and getting rotten like the apples you put in the fridge but without power for six months. it’s so hard that i just want to close my eyes and huddle myself up under a big warm comforter. the further i go, the more responsibilities and pressure i get and the more i’ll realize that there’s nothing i can do to go beyond that. i wish i could live without any restraints or just a person without those damn consciousness.

are “the responsibility” or “the role of being a person in this society” the ones bothering me? nope, i could totally live without them but

“the thought of dying has never bothered me, but getting hurt, losing blood, becoming crippled and the like—no thanks.”  – no longer human

i guess im too apprehensive after all.

dying at 17 is much better than dying at 71. but im not going to form an argument to write about how it’s “better” here cuz “it’s not right to say that” as people will say. for real, for the next life, i want to be the wind, the sky, or just something intangible of nothingness.

edit: this is a very typical me, one side being like “i can do this” and the other is being like “im so done with my life.” im totally fine, i just think too much.


sept. 25th friday

things are getting better, or it’s just me getting more used to it.

edit (1:30 am): nope nope nope, i lied, still shit tons of stuff to get done lol. i mean why tho i didnt procrastinate or anything (or im prob doing it unconsciously lol), why i still cant keep up? is it just me or everyone else too? but i do need to hop onto my bed and go die now :))

the anxiety level has been high in the sky lately, very nice. I was awoken by the dream that i got kicked out of school by the committee THROUGH ZOOM. then i started to wake myself from the sleep every ten minutes to make sure that it was just a dream. i mean even though im cool with many things, but getting kicked out is not one of them.

weekend to-do:

☐ 250 quiz 2 (due on sunday)

☐ feedback (due on monday)

☐ phgy311 test 3 (due on monday)

☐ 301 prelab

☐ 359 paper

☐ study for bioc311 quiz 2

☐ 250 extra and presentation


junior year do be different, i feel like im living a final-week life lol. anyway, cheers to september, can’t wait for week 5 and october’s torturing hehe.

october looking forward to:

☞ moon cakes and the full moon 🥮

☞ cinnamony halloween 🎃

☞ maple leaves on mt. royal 🍁

☞ first snow (or november we never know) ❄️

☞ a clean diet with less doritos 🥗

☞ abs, im quitting doritos u better show up 😤


that’s it for sept, might be adding something to it later but idk.

thanks for reading 🙂

****

– A COMPILATION OF A CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT’S JOURNAL EXCERPTS

PRELUDE

2007 (6 years old)

– the year I started my never-ending English learning 

February 

The guy was standing in front of me, lowering his body trying to keep an eye contact. He asked me if I knew the English for the word “apple.” I thought about it for a second, it was almost there. I certainly did know it, but it didn’t come out. He put his mouth in the shape of “a” pronunciation without making the sound. Oh right! Now I remember! APPLE! Then I was gotten into an intermediate level class because I for some reason knew the word for an apple. 

2010 (9 years old)

– the year I made my mind to study abroad

May 

I heard about this USA middle school (or high school?) exchange program from my English teacher at school. That sounded sooooo interesting. I’ve always been wanting to go out and see the world because of all those Hollywood movies I watched. This is definitely the BEST opportunity. I mean my English is not that bad so it won’t be a problem. Actually, not bragging or anything, I think my English is the best in my class, probably even one of the best in my age group.

I discussed (more like stating the fact) it with my parents and they gave me a BIG no because they said I’m too young to study abroad. They didn’t even think about it for a second.

2013 (12 years old)

– the year my “plan” went sideways 

June/July 

Six years of primary school is finished now yayy. The USA plan was spoiled years ago, so definitely no USA for me now. My parents told me that they are going to send me to No. 8 Middle School. I begged them for not sending me there but of course when it comes to my parent’s decision, there’s no compromise. Literally NOBODY is going there. All my friends told me how terrifyingly strict the school is and they’re all going to another school. Why can’t I go to the same school as my friends though… 

I swear I’ll make my own decision once I grow up. 


OFF THE BOAT

2016 (15 years old)

– the year my life changed 

January 

I was crying on the backseat of the car because I screwed up the final exams so badly. Then my mom told me about the plan of studying abroad that she and my dad had been discussing for a long time. “Me and your dad thought you’re now old enough and capable of handling to study abroad. Where to, we haven’t decided yet. Might be Singapore, Canada, England, or Australia” This short notice made my heart pound so hard. As far as I know, I’m not going back to school for the next semester so I can prepare my English for the high school.

Finally. My dream. I can see a little bit of it now. 

April 12th

After staying at home and preparing for IELTS™ [the English exam for international students] for three months, I felt lost. My three years of middle school, should I really run away in the end and give up the last semester like a deserter? What about my friends? They are all studying hard for the last exam but I’m here staying at home? No, I want to go back to school and take that final final exam to end my middle school journey nicely without any regrets.

So, I went back. 

It’s my birthday today. Sihong [my best friend in middle school] literally gave me a whole box of birthday gifts with a bunch of letters and cards. She said she cried when she knew that I wasn’t going back and she started to write me letters every day. Taking an initiative to befriend with her was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

June 14th

I made it. I finished. Like my teachers joked:” She’s not taking the exam to get into a prominent high school, but for fun.” It feels nice to put three years of hard work in this one exam. BTW, the decision has been made, I’m going to Vancouver for high school. (followup: the marks turned out to be unexpectedly high. I was at the very top in the whole class of 2016, 1700 students, on my big three subjects – Chinese, Math, and English. Yes, the last exam, I made my teachers proud. I made my parents proud. I made myself proud.) 

August 13th

I took the second and last IELTS™ exam today. My parents threatened me that if I can’t get a score of 6.5, they are going to un-allow me to go to Canada. I knew that they didn’t mean it because the result won’t come out till the day I arrive in Canada. But I don’t know why I still feel anxious about it. What if they’re going to throw me back to China when they find out that I didn’t make it to the mark they asked for? 

August 22nd

can we just appreciate this very first aesthetic pic I took in Canada because of the jet lag?

OMG NORTH AMERICA!!! It’s my first time stepping my foot onto this new continent. It feels so odd. It used to seem so far from my life but I’m standing here right now. I’m breathing this North American air, nothing different from that of China’s, maybe a bit chiller. Never realized my English was this clumsy though. I got a 6 on IELTS™, my speaking part didn’t turn out great. I think I’m safe, they’re not going to throw me back haha. 

I had a funny thought: I left China on 22nd at 5pm but arrived Vancouver on 22nd at 2pm. Does that mean I just saved time? My mom is calling me to take a shower now, I’ll just end here. 

September 6th

I was so excited but nervous for the first day of the school. I had no problems understanding what teachers were saying in class (IELTS™ sufferings paid off.) The whole school system is so different. We never had homerooms back in China and we didn’t have to move from one classroom to another. (Alright, I’m exaggerating this. I knew the system a long time ago. But you know, when people are moving into a new environment, the emotions are different. So I gotta express my excitement.)

December 12th

I’ve been feeling lonely recently. I don’t think I can fit into those local’s groups. Why are they sitting on the floor by their lockers during the lunch break? Why do they send Snapchat streaks? Why do they look asian but don’t behave like one? Why do they speak English in that way? I have so many why’s and I can’t really answer them. I miss my friends back in China. (My English is no longer my strongest subject, probably even the worst. This frustrates me a lot. I’m still good at math though. The math here is way too easy like they’re still solving equations in grade 10. Getting 100% is nice but I want more challenges.)

I don’t wanna show off or anything but I was once good at math.

2017 (16 years old)

– the year of reaching my childhood dream

January 10th

I got accepted to the Stanford high school college! I applied to this summer program in the last December and I wasn’t expecting too much because I thought I screwed up the personal statement part in the application. But I made it with my high average, with my principal as the referee, and with some luck. STANFORD! I feel like I’m even closer to my dream. I can literally touch it. 

May 13th

I finished the last AP exam today. The US history a few days ago was okay but I was definitely bullshitting in the last essay section. Today’s Microeconomics, meh, I wasn’t too sure about the last few written questions. I compared my answers with Alex (a friend I met in the Stanford group chat who’s also in Vancouver Coquitlam and taking Microeconomics today), and I think I got some of them wrong. I don’t know what has gotten into my head for choosing APUSH the first year I’m here without any knowledge in history. But at least, it’s done.

June 22nd 

We are off to Palo Alto!!! My parents are driving me to Stanford from Vancouver. Isn’t that the coolest road trip ever? One advantage of having a car is that I can take my bike with me. You know, Stanford, you can’t live without a bike there. Driving on California 1 was one of my dad’s dreams, and I’m cool with it. 

June 24th

OMG OMG I’M STANDING ON STANFORD CAMPUS RIGHT NOW. It has been my dream since 7. After 9 years, I finally got a chance to actually experience it. I’m grateful. And excited! Go Cardinal!

my home of 2 months

Do you know what’s the best thing? Me and Alex got into the same dorm Gavilan! TJ [another friend I met in the group chat before the summer started] got into Alondra. My room key had some problem, I couldn’t open the door. So, me and this LA girl, Rachel [my roommate] waited in the lounge until it got fixed. 

July 5th

was a mood.

Today’s the AP score release day. I’m in California right now which means I’ll have to wait till July 9th for the result. Who’s gonna wait for that though. So I used VPN to change my location to New York. I woke up at 5 am (8 am ET) because I was too nervous.

  • Macroeconomics: 5
  • Microeconomics: 5
  • United States History: 3

The result of self-studying and “I love challenges.” A three, very nice. One of my friends who scored a 5 on APUSH comforted me by saying: “Three is not too bad.” Bruh, thank you, that’s really comforting.

July 8th

CS106A is the very first CS class I have. I really think it’s destroying my interests in CS. I thought I might be good at coding but it turned out nope. PSYC111S is going well for now except the reading work is a little bit too much. I spent hours on the textbook but I feel like I can’t understand much after reading once only. 

hello papa richard and alex and mark over there who was clearly not with us.

Me and Alex automatically became best friends because we’ve known each other since March and we’ve been talking a lot before we even arrived here. Then, Richard joined us later. Like during the first day of Gavilan bonding, Richard came to me and asked my name or something. Later when we threw back to how we met, he told me: “So there was a morning I was eating breakfast alone and you suddenly appeared in front of me with that bossy look ‘can I sit next to you?’ and then we became good friends.” I don’t know why but Alex and Richard’s rooms are SO MUCH cooler than mine. Mine is like a stove in the afternoon (no AC in the dorm btw). So, I often go to theirs to study. We hang out with Chenqi and his roommate Gage sometimes too. Oh, and Daemon from Mirlo who brought me SIM cards all the way from China. (I owe him a big one.)

August 9th

i know it was weird to snap a photo like this but still.

I heard that people have been seeing Connor from CiC [A friend of a Stanford YouTuber] around on campus and Chenqi later told me that Connor is in his electrical engineering class. WOWW, he’s an upper year student and taking the summer class with us?! I sneaked into the class with Chenqi, hoping to see Connor but he wasn’t there. (As Chenqi said:” he ditched from time to time.”) So I went again today, and oh my gosh, he was literally sitting right next to me. It felt like meeting your idol in person but closer and more real. I even got his phone number from a friend of Chenqi’s. He never added me back on Snapchat though lol.

August 20th

till the next time.

How can two months be so short? I left the last when it was all empty in Gavilan. I couldn’t stop crying when I was sending off my last friends onto the Uber. One student’s mom noticed me and said to me: ” I know it’s pretty hard to say goodbye, it’ll be alright.”

the emperor’s new gavi got talented peeps.

I met some of the best people in my life here at Stanford with some bestest memories. Laughing at 2am and staying up all night to get assignments done. Rushing back to the dorm before the 12am curfew. Sneaking into the cafeteria at night and stealing cereals. Talking about futures under the stars on Meyer Green and getting soaked by an unexpected irrigation sprinkler. Supporting each other when someone was mentally unstable…

They taught me so much that I realized that the world I’m living in right now has potentials that I’ve been neglecting. When they had 6 or 7 AP exam scores, me only having three made me feel bad (but of course it’s because they’re older than me). Their intelligence, creativity, and passion towards everything are truly inspiring. We’re from different places but in this group, I feel home. We’re a group of people with similar values. We are dreamers, doers, and achievers. I don’t know when we’re going to meet again. For one thing I’m sure of is that we are all going to do great things. 

Goodbye Gavilan. Goodbye Stanford. Goodbye summer 2017.

October 20th

I suddenly found out that I’ve been taking too many online classes and AP classes (thanks to those Stanford peeps inspo, I’m taking 7 this year) on my own that I don’t have any classes left for my grade 12 except gr.12 English. So, I decided to skip gr. 11. The school principal arranged a few meetings with my mom. (Yeah, I had to be there too to translate for my mom.) I was then moved to gr.12. One problem of moving into a different grade: the friends I just made last year are now in the different year than me which means I’m graduating with a bunch of new people. 

To be honest, the reason why I wanted to skip a year was that all my Stanford high friends were a year ahead of me, and I didn’t want to be left behind.

December

I’ve been mainly working on my college applications recently. I mean since I only applied to U of T and McGill, I’m not stressed by the amount of work as my friends. They have so many essays to write because most of them applied to the states. I skipped a year so I haven’t had a chance to take my SAT yet. But anyway, I’m applying to those two to take my chance. You know, what if? Why not UBC? I didn’t want to write essays and I wanted to move to somewhere else after being in Vancouver for two years.

2018 (17 years old)

– the year I got into the college, accidentally

March 28th

U of T rejected me because I didn’t have English 12. I sent them an email beforehand explaining that I’ll be taking it this summer but they never replied or they never seen it. I guess that was indeed some U of T pride. 

My Stanford high friends are starting to receive their college decisions now as well.  When I saw them posting their offers from Ivy Leagues, I was so happy for them because they really deserved it. My current situation here makes me a bit sad. Now I just have to wait for McGill’s decision. My mom is more prone to McGill so she didn’t really care that I got rejected. Personally, the fact that it’s in the French speaking province concerns me. Should I take SAT and wait for another year?

April 12th

It’s my birthday today. I received an email from the McGill admission office, asking for my English 12. What’s the chance, receiving the email right on my birthday? I told them the reason why it’s missing and I explained my “special” situation. The rest is up to McGill, whether they are going to accept me or not, which doesn’t matter anymore, a gap year is always nice to have.

April 16th

i can see that admission office was an early bird too. (11:42am ET)

I received the offer from McGill right after the weekend. During the first block of biology class around 8:30 ish, I was a bit bored so I started to check my mailbox. Then I got a reply from McGill admission team right at the time when I was checking it. Wow, two sentences, just like that. I was expecting some thrilling moment of opening admission decision email like those “college decision reactions” videos I saw on YouTube. McGill, I’ve never taken a serious thought about it. Montreal, sounds so exotic to me. Quebec, I don’t even know how to pronounce it in the right way… 

Not going to lie, I still don’t know what’s the difference between B.Sc life science and B.Arts&Sc life science. So, I clicked both when I was applying, just in case. I guess I’ll have to figure it out before making the decision between the two.

June 13th

green/black is completely opposite of red/white.

After I received the offer from McGill, I was like “why not go check if there’re any other colleges left that are still available?” I checked Cambridge and Oxford, but unfortunately, I passed the deadlines. Then I saw UCL education admission was still opened. I’ve never thought about majoring in education either. So, I went for it. I mean what if I’m going to like it, it’s a great school. UCL was weird. They sent me an email later saying that my personal statement wasn’t good enough and asked me to rewrite it. “Can it work like that???” I did what they told me and I got the offer today. 

July

Everyone has graduated except me. The graduation ceremony was two months ago and I’m still sitting here for the English 12 summer class. It makes me feel REALLY special.

September 4th

Yes, I made the decision to come to McGill, B.Sc in life science btw. It’s not that I didn’t consider about UCL. London is one of the top cities I want to visit. A kingdom with such cultural heritages, the elegant British accent, the origin where so many remarkable works were born, how could I say no to it? Three reasons why I chose to stay in Canada: 1) Chenqi is at U of T (he chose it over Georgia Tech, what???) and Alex is at UBC (he said he wanted to get out of British Columbia too after staying there for 4 years. Now oops, another 4 years for him.) I’ve got companions here in Canada, even though those two are pretty far from Montreal. 2) I spent two years to adapt to Canadian life but I don’t think I’ve really experienced it to the fullest. 3) My childhood dream was always the North America.

I’m going to spend my next four years at McGill now. I’m feeling strange. The US, after all these time and effort, I didn’t make it.

December 26th

we two idiots forgot to take photos together but took a pic of the food.

Two years in Canada, now I’m finally back to China. Christmas break is usually only two weeks long, but it’s better than nothing, right? I was surprised by the changes taken place in the past two years. The WeChat pay became a new trend.  The new constructions built. The takeout chain. Everything seemed so new to me.

I met up with Richard today too (yes we’re both in Beijing right now). I really missed him after the Stanford summer.

2019 (18 years old)

– the year with lots of downs

April 12th

with cafeteria as background is just 👌

Woohoo! She’s legal now! It’s the first birthday I’m having on my own without my parents. My friends brought me a bottle of wine as a birthday gift. Yes, how could we not celebrate without a glass of wine (the rez cafeteria only had those fast-food chain restaurants plastic cups tho)? I of course have had wine before but a whole bottle was too much. I was still not used to the taste of alcohol, so I only drank a little bit and let my friends to split up the rest. 

May 1st

My freshmen year just ended like that. The winter semester was really tough for me. I’ve never experienced a winter like this before. I felt depressed most of the time. I didn’t do well. I didn’t know how I passed the time in that little compartment. I think I have eating disorders now. It’s so hard to get over. I’m heading back home soon, so fingers crossed, everything will get better after I’m home. 

June 1st

Hey, new diary, nice to meet you! Let’s forget about the past and begin our new journey. 

Plans for the Break:

  • Be healthy: adjust the mindsets towards food.
  • French: basic communication level.
  • Read: the booklist.
  • Find a job and a volunteer position.
  • Get ready for the next school year.

Take a great care of yourself. Look after your parents. Eat less crappy food. And make friends. 

June 12th

ICONIC

I’ve arrived in Shanghai, the city he grew up. There’s always a bitter feeling accumulating inside. I miss him but that’s it. I’m not going to write a whole paragraph about something I’ve already lost. Shanghai is a beautiful, prosperous city, with the bustling vibe I love. I started working at a lab at ION, CAS two days ago. I’m ready to learn. Get excited!

July 7th

the very first gel I ran

I did the first complete lab on my own! It was a really basic lab (PCR followed by gel running) but it was something new and I’m proud of it. 

I went to the Disney this Wednesday. By myself. I had a good time in the park, at the same time, I’ve done lots of thinking, friendships, self-independence, commitment, etc. I heard that there was a thing of loneliness levels and going to a theme park alone was at 8/10. I wouldn’t call it lonely, I was just alone. 

July 27th

FINALLY a pic

I met up with Richard again!! This time was in Shanghai though (yes, we are INTERNATIONAL). He’s definitely looking more robust than he was last year. I have heard about UCLA’s cafeterias are one of the best in the states. By the way he looked, I’m sure that’s true.

I also met up with Joy. The last time was not too long ago when she visited me in Montreal during the spring break. She was one of my best friends back in Vancouver who always stole my food while complaining about her unpalatable sandwich.

*The rest of 2019 I wasn’t in a good shape and there were no journal entries after July 27th.

2020 (19 years old)

– the year of global pandemics, I grew up

January 1st

2020!!! 2019 was kinda miserable and a new year I’m up for some changes. 

I got my first tattoo on my right forearm a couple of days ago. My 2019 was a year with complication and it was a perfect time to get it. I told my parents after and they said it looked pretty. What a relief, I thought they were going to get mad at me.

i made those prettier ones.

I made dumplings from scratch with my friend today. The best I could do was putting frozen dumplings into boiling water. My dearest friend, a Northeastern Chinese, do be different, like making the dumpling wrapper from flour? That was on a whole different level. We made tomato and egg stir-fry flavour (as a southerner, it was my first time trying this) and beef cabbage flavour. They turned out pretty good. And that’s it for today.

January 5th 

I’m almost 19 and I just done my first ski trip of my life. I mean I wasn’t born in a city where it snows in winters, so it’s understandable. I can’t ski, I can’t ice skate. It might be okay back in Chongqing. But everyone else can here in Canada. So, I need to work on those two sometime in the future. 

The Mont-Tremblant trip was nice. I went with a couple of friends (four McGillans, a U of Ter and a Waterlooer). I not only had many bruises on my legs, I lost my voice too due to excessive screaming. (Shoutout to my girl Rainie for not abandoning me on the cold trails and keeping an eye on me even though I was constantly crying and being dramatic.)

March 16th

The COVID-19 situation is getting worse in Montreal recently. School was shut down and everyone’s now quarantined at home. McGill is going to resume the classes online the end of this month. I have no idea how it’s going to work but it sounds pretty fun to me. The last party I went to was the one on March 6th. Thank god that I went before things start deteriorating. 

April 12th

I’m 19 now. This year’s birthday is a little different. I celebrated without actually celebrating it. Obviously, there’s no going out celebration for me during this corona time.

Recently, my friends are heading back home. My heart feels quite heavy because some of them I might never be able to see again and I don’t get to meet them for one last time before they leave. Our life is a very long journey of meeting people and saying goodbyes. Always cherish the person in front of you because you’ll never know when the next get-together will be. 

Please, corona, just leave us alone. I want my normal life. 

May 31st

I haven’t been outside since March 12th. I’m doing my daily home workout but it’s still different from an actual gym workout. I miss my barbell squats. I miss my deadlifts. I miss the gym vibes. 

My productivity has been very low lately because of a lack of motivation. I’ve been procrastinating a lot and that’s not a good thing. Better change it before it’s too late.

June 3rd

I took a break from social media, not too long, just around 3 days. 

July 18th

Went to the Beaver’s Lake with my friends today. The weather was so nice. I had such a great time with them. I love my people. 

August 2nd

I decided to take another social media detox starting today. It’s not that I’m going completely off. I still check messages but much less frequent. I limited my time to the max of 20 minutes per day unless there’s something really important like the frosh leader Facebook group announcements. About that, yes, I’m one of the frosh leaders this year since I missed the previous two years of frosh weeks. And this year it’s going to be online, so I technically missed another year of “normal” frosh. What a life. 

August 16th

This time I took a longer time off from social media and I feel much more than the one in June. I threw back to my past and did some writings. By looking back and writing down those experiences, I got to know myself better. 

What quitting social media has taught me:

  • It’s hard to actually go completely off. There’s no need to do it anyway because the time we’re living in is highly depended on them.
  • Time will assure you the quality of your friendships. Do they appreciate you for being “inactive?” If you’ve gone off for some time, do they still need you?
  • Catching up becomes much more meaningful when you actually need to catch up with someone.
  • It’s more important to form a mindset of not constantly checking messages and free from the obligated feeling for instantaneous replies. 
  • Feelings are personal but when you post them on social media for validation, there will be different interpretations from people and they can’t be you.
  • Less comparison to other people based on social media in return is a gain of self-confidence and less anxieties. 

August 22nd (4-year anniversary of studying in Canada)

This will be the final excerpt for this compilation. Time flies. It’s been four years since the time I arrived Canada.

When I was little, I was always wondering what it was like on the other side of the world. I thought about drilling a tunnel right through the core and getting to the USA. I wanted adventures.

Four years ago, I arrived in Vancouver, starting my high school. I went through the culture shock. I got over the lost and confusing times. I tried hard to reach things I wanted. 

With four years of ups and downs, I’m still on my way to pursue dreams. If you ask me what dream is it exactly that makes me nonstop, it’s the dream to always become better, more responsible, and closer to the self-actualization. 

I don’t know where I’m heading. I don’t know where I’m going to be after another four years. But the future is bright and I’m in charge.