Some pre-entry rambling: yesterday’s post was supposed to be visible to me only, then made public a few days later. My finger slipped and published it, and I decided, eh, leave it—hardly anyone will see it anyway (

After playing soccer, I went to Teacher Figo’s house for dinner. On the way, we talked a lot about the future, about school, work, and time management. So, I finally started to think: How should I spend the possibly relatively free year ahead?

Put somewhat imprecisely, I used to be content obeying whatever schedule other people gave me. The moment that routine broke—during the weeks before my final exams abroad, for example, when classes stopped and my time became my own—I was at a loss. The same is true in Hangzhou now. Whenever a gap appears in this seemingly busy life, I know full well that there are things I ought to do, yet I put them off anyway. Sometimes I wonder whether I am running away, or numbing myself with busyness until there is scarcely any time left to think. (Perhaps that reminds you of an old Moments post.)

Only today did I realize that the coming year may matter even more than the one before my exams. The most important thing is not a qualification or an income, but what I experience as a person. Mr. Figo opened my eyes to many possible forms of service. These roads may look different from every angle, near or far, high or low, but they share one thing at their core: I must choose and arrange them for myself.

And perhaps some part of me is still resisting that.