…Alright, so many people actually read my ramblings. Suddenly I feel motivated to keep writing.

Another year has passed in the blink of an eye. The last New Year’s Eve still feels vivid (okay, not really). On this occasion of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, I wish everyone… oops, wrong words.

2024 was a special year. Throughout the year, some people around me were busy, others passed silently. And I, seemingly stagnant (and indeed half a year behind schedule), am still striving. Outside of school, I learned more.

This year, I came of age, as if forced to mature, feeling helpless amidst many changes in life; this year, I was lost, questioning my motivation and goals for studying, trying again and again to convince myself to move forward; this year, I was disappointed, when the people and events around me overlapped with fictional works, I would wish for the predetermined ending to be rewritten;

This year, I also had regrets. On some quiet nights, lying alone, I would resolve to make changes in my heart, but the next day I would still end up browsing Bilibili (laugh).

Speaking of which, this year I actually spent 352 days on Bilibili (should I block my mom… oh well), which is definitely a lot more than last year’s 284 days.

This year, I transformed from assembling plastic figurines to assembling plastic mechs. I successfully avoided impulsive purchases of the Tianmu due to lack of time, but left the Tianqi unfinished (definitely next year).

This year, my rks increased from 14.15 at the beginning of the year to 14.40. I learned interaction and sheet music, but my fundamental skills didn’t keep up. I tried 4k fixed track and found everyone else was an alien.

This year, the only gacha game I played, Artery Gear: Fusion, shut down. It slipped away without a sound, and I have not tried another gacha game since.

This year, I cleared the new Rusty Lake game without a guide and left several unhinged reviews on Steam to celebrate. Next, I plan to climb down into Animal Well.

This year, I stepped into the puzzle-solving community, snatched three first kills in group challenges, and, with all my friends’ support except for direct help, successfully completed a small Puzzle Hunt for the first time before the deadline.

This year, I battled the final boss Radiance in “Hollow Knight” for three hundred rounds, achieving the true ending “Dream No More,” and now I’m being forcefully dragged into a dance by Nightmare King Grimm.

This year, I kept watching tokusatsu. When Blazar ended, I wrote an entire column analyzing its finale. Now I can only hope Arc sticks the landing and Gavv stays as strong as it started.

This year, I witnessed all manner of happenings in the tiny Medium⁵ community. I marveled at Stardust taking all three top spots in issue 628 of V Weekly, and admired the passion of fan creators who kept going while the official account played dead. At year’s end, I was glad to see the new operators finally get their act together.

This year, I discovered the hidden treasure that is the Chinese Vocaloid series Paranoia and earned every achievement in its story game of the same name. Then it got reported, throttled, and forced to change platforms. Real “joined the Nationalists in 1949” timing on my part.

This year, I tried the Synth V AI editor and then abandoned the ancient Vocaloid 4 FE, exclaiming that gacha-style mindless tuning was more suitable for me.

This year, I completed “Terraria” with all achievements and finished the entire process of the famous associated mod “Calamity.” I can’t help but laugh when I think of how I disliked playing with my friend who was online next to me at the beginning.

This year, I broke a Guinness World Record: “The Largest Drum Lesson.” Although it sounds humble, I can now add “Participated in breaking a Guinness World Record” to my resume.

This year, because I was home alone, I learned to cook by following recipes. Although there was a tragic incident where I turned beef claypot rice into beef jerky, I still firmly believe my cooking skills are decent.

This year, I occasionally ran, occasionally cycled, and often played soccer, but my skills didn’t improve. Maybe my team awareness got a bit stronger?

This year, I graduated from high school and am ready to embrace a broader world.

I wanted to write more, but time doesn’t allow it anymore. To friends who read this, whether you scrolled directly to the end or read every word, thank you for your patience with this rambling account. I can only say that publishing this requires courage (chuckle).

All in all, everything in 2024 is already in the past. What matters is still everything in the present and the future.

Appendix: Here’s a question without an answer key: Can you find a pattern in when I update this series? However, to answer this question, you might need to understand me well enough on various levels