Early to bed and early to rise for good health
The first thing that comes to mind is that I haven't achieved the goal of going to bed early and getting up early. Ultimately, it's because I've wasted too much time in certain areas, leading to a routine of often going to bed at 2 or 3 AM and waking up at 9 or 10 AM. I occasionally reflect on why this happens, but I still find myself stuck in a loop. It seems my methods aren't quite right. The long-term extreme schedule has gradually caused some health issues, so developing a good routine is indeed very important.
Sprint, sprint
The flag I set at the beginning of the year has been a mess due to the lack of a clear goal. The biggest impact on me this year has been the postgraduate entrance examination. Strictly speaking, I started preparing for it in May, but unlike others, I need to review both high school and middle school math knowledge, which causes me to waste some time. It seems I have little hope for the exam this year, so I'll just see how I do in English and my major subjects this year. As for next year, I might take the exam again. In the past, people took the exam to research new things; now, it's more about finding a job, which is quite ironic.
The above only represents my personal views and is not aimed at anything specific. Sigh, there are too many people.
- Calm down and read a few books √
I barely achieved this, so here are a few books I read this year:
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"The Republic", see my friends' reviews on it.
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"Selected Works of Mao Zedong (Volume 1)", a good book, hard to evaluate, and I dare not comment.
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"The Old Regime and the Revolution", reading a chapter before bed is particularly hypnotic.
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"Overview of Capital", I feel like I didn't read it just for the exam, although it was of little use after finishing.
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"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future", the first autobiography I bought in middle school, I read it for a long time. Now the cover is all worn out, but the pages are mostly intact, so I read it again.
As for detailed reviews, I feel like no one would care to read them, so I won't write them. Maybe in the future, I'll write book reviews on my blog for everyone to enjoy, but not now.
- Improve Bilibili/YouTube channel
2016 was a year when major video platforms were thriving, and it was also the year I opened my Bilibili account. That year, I caught a small tail end of video creation, crazily submitting videos related to anime commentary or game recordings on Bilibili, occasionally mixing in some technical tutorial videos. I was responsible for the entire process: scripts, copywriting, and editing. During that time, I gained over 1,000 followers in about a month. While that may not seem like a big number now, it was quite a good achievement back then, as the internet was still rapidly developing.
So, in 2024, my videos will mainly focus on gaming and lifestyle. The video quality isn't as good as before, and I no longer care about the content; I just want to do what I like and share some of my insights and thoughts. I also opened a Douyin account, preparing to venture into short videos.
About the postgraduate entrance examination#
The thought of taking the postgraduate entrance examination came to me after the network security protection ended two years ago. At that time, my colleagues, who were graduate students, said their mentors advised them to earn some money through network security before finding internships. Since then, I've thought about taking the exam to relieve the pressure of job hunting. However, due to various reasons, the books I bought in February this year weren't used until May.
Here's a simple timeline of my exam preparation:
- February: Bought the Wangdao 4-piece set on Pinduoduo.
- April: Bought the Wuzhongxiang family bucket on Pinduoduo.
- May: Bought the Zhang Yu family bucket on Pinduoduo and started the online course army mode (referring to all the online courses being pirated), reviewing middle school/high school math, advanced math, and the red book.
- June: Bought Tian Jing's "Words of Truth" on Pinduoduo, reviewing middle school/high school math, advanced math, the red book, and English reading.
- July: Finished advanced math and started linear algebra and probability and statistics (advanced math included series and curve surface integrals). Here’s a small suggestion for those taking the exam in 2026: when reviewing, don't rush through the material. I realized too late that my foundation wasn't solid enough.
- From July to October, I was emo and stopped studying, only memorizing vocabulary and reading foreign publications.
This self-destructive approach goes against my original intention of doing things. So when someone asks me if I regret not taking the exam seriously, my answer is no.
Instead of stubbornly tackling an unfamiliar field, it's better to do more things that suit you. Learning to empathize is very important.
About myself#
This year, aside from the postgraduate entrance examination, the biggest change for me has been my personal transformation. For a long time, I stopped asking my parents for living expenses. Besides daily food and accommodation, I try to save money. Since I'm not a low-income student, I can't apply for work-study programs, but if I had the opportunity, I would definitely participate, rather than pretending to be poor while actually changing my phone and computer every year.
This year, I assembled my first desktop computer, laptop, and phone. As for the price, I won't elaborate; you can find me offline to see what I'm using :D. I also spent a few thousand to tidy up my room a bit. Sometimes I believe in religion and think that if the room isn't clean, divine beings won't come, so keeping it clean is very important.
From my freshman to junior years, I always wandered outside the group, trying to find a small space that suited me. However, reality often slapped me in the face. The consequences of isolating myself from society are severe. Fortunately, I realized this in my junior year and began to actively develop outward, changing some of my bad habits (though I still have some now). I started managing my own public account, which I created in 2018 and have been operating ever since. From initially having only 10-20 followers, through continuously posting my own or reprinted technical articles, it has now grown to nearly 3,000 followers. All of this is thanks to two words: "persistence."
In addition, I also tried to break my information gap with the outside world by actively reading some foreign technical literature and journals, striving to broaden my horizons. Although my current English level isn't sufficient for daily conversations with foreigners, I've found a suitable learning method and am continuously improving myself.
About competitions#
Regarding academic competitions, I consider myself a semi-professional CTF player. From my freshman to senior years, and even during my exam preparation, I've participated in countless competitions. During this time, I've managed to get into offline competitions thanks to seniors, and I've also single-handedly penetrated the entire internal network to win first place. There's also the thrill of watching others solve problems I created during competitions. However, these honors no longer feel significant to me. The sense of achievement from past competitions has faded, and what attracts me now is how much prize money a competition can bring and how many credits it can add. From being on stage to being behind the scenes, I believe the cybersecurity industry may continue to improve, but it could also become increasingly secure (this is a poorly constructed sentence). Hehe
After starting to integrate into a group, I found that I didn't adapt to group life quickly. Occasionally, people would say I lacked social awareness, meaning I had low emotional intelligence. I completely agree with this. When I'm alone doing research, I only think about talking to myself and not to others. Over time, I developed the habit of saying whatever comes to mind. However, after receiving feedback from others, I've started to become more cautious in my words and actions, always thinking ahead before doing anything, but I will never avoid taking the first step. I am very grateful to the person who pointed this out to me; although you won't see this article, you helped me identify a serious flaw in myself.
This year, I also managed to break a significant bad habit of mine, which was "spamming groups." After leaving dozens of CTF and other chat groups, I realized that the groups suitable for me are those that can yield results, rather than chaotic large groups. Instead of spending ten minutes reading meaningless chat content, it's better to learn some practical knowledge.
About the blog#
My blog updates are quite random; I basically write whatever comes to mind. If you often read my blog, you may have noticed that I've removed a dozen articles, such as CC chain analysis, SPI analysis, various middleware vulnerability reproductions, and targeting articles, all of which have been privatized. Nearly ten years of writing on the internet has made me gradually realize that I can't continue to produce content that others already have (referring to producing highly repetitive articles or heavily quoting others' work). I believe writing such repetitive articles is meaningless; good articles can stand out among hundreds. Therefore, in the new year, I will strive to produce some high-quality articles to bid farewell to my previous habit of writing defense articles. If you like it, feel free to follow my RSS feed.
About cryptocurrency trading#
This year, another significant influence on me has been my experience in the cryptocurrency market. I started heavily investing in cryptocurrencies two years ago, and back then, I didn't lose as much as I do now (though I have recouped my losses). However, I still want to share some insights from my cryptocurrency trading experience.
In November last year, I invested 3,000 yuan in Dogecoin, and just about three days later, I went bankrupt. At that time, I was using 100x leverage with a Martingale strategy. I wasn't very skilled and didn't know how to calculate the liquidation price, so I carelessly lost several thousand yuan. When I saw my account showing -3,000, I felt very calm, even wanting to laugh. I'm quite optimistic; even if I were sleeping under a bridge or dying on the road, I would probably still feel very happy.
Just think, that 3,000 yuan might be a sophomore student's living expenses for three months.
So, just about two weeks later, I re-entered the market (it was my novice protection period). I started researching strategies, looking at market trends, learning to pick up airdrops, and avoiding scams, but I still couldn't outsmart some big players. After watching the market for a while, I casually bought some Meow Meow Coin with 1,000 yuan in my account. In January this year, I added another 2,000 yuan to buy WLD, which was priced between 1-4 yuan at the time. I used 50-100x leverage and made several thousand yuan. At that time, I had high hopes for the cryptocurrency market, feeling like a genius trader, as if Buffett had possessed me. So, I quickly engaged in C2C trading, withdrew the money, and bought a computer, wanting to go all-in on this cryptocurrency market. However, after a few days, I realized I was being led by the big players. Not long after, I added another 2,000 yuan, but this time, my novice protection period had expired, and luck was not on my side. That 2,000 yuan vanished in an instant. Unwilling to accept this, I added another 2,000 yuan, but the same thing happened again.
At this point, my state was completely shattered. The money I worked hard to earn just died on the word "gamble." So, I stopped for a long time and didn't continue playing. During that time, I felt very low until July this year when I heard from a friend about a trading method called quantitative trading, which was learned from stocks. I began to try to research some of my own quantitative strategies, such as AI quant, venture capital quant, etc., and attempted to develop a bot for automated trading. Terms like MACD, SMA, Bollinger Bands, and ATR were all new to me. So, during my exam preparation, I wrote a simple trading platform that called the Okx exchange's API to achieve automated trading (pulled from Tradingview). However, due to the exam and some uncontrollable factors, this platform was ultimately abandoned.
Regarding the cryptocurrency industry, I've always been optimistic. I entered the cryptocurrency market in 2017 when Bitcoin's price wasn't as outrageous as it is now https://x.com/icecliffs/status/1816042446385733753. Since the confirmation of the "understanding king" to now, the price has soared to nearly 100,000 USD. A few years ago, this big pie was still under 10,000. If I had asked my parents for some money to buy some spot, I might not be living so miserably now (just kidding). It can only be said that people can never earn money beyond their understanding. In the future, I will definitely continue to delve into the cryptocurrency industry because I want to study this new field of Web3. Now, I'm also trying to develop a DApp to bring some convenience to myself or others.
If nothing unexpected happens, I will go all-in on Web3 in the future. Some classmates have already achieved financial freedom through contracts, while I'm still standing still. Sigh.
Summary: Those without brains, money, or luck should avoid high leverage; those with brains, money, and luck should go for high leverage. Playing this game is all about fate and luck. If you have a lot of money and want to control the market, then forget I said anything.
Annual Best#
Now it's time for 👴's favorite annual best segment 🌶️
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All content only represents personal views and is unrelated to any platform or product. The technologies, tools, methods, and related discussions mentioned in this article are based on personal experience and knowledge accumulation and may differ from current industry standards or the actual functions of certain products. If any of the technologies or practices mentioned in the article are incorrect or inapplicable, readers are advised to verify or adjust them based on actual circumstances. I bear no responsibility for any third-party tools, platforms, or services mentioned in the article. All related content is for reference only, and users should assume risks and responsibilities.
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Next are some works that I personally consider the annual best.
Best Singer/Band#
- ななひら (Best for six consecutive years; indeed, nothing can change a loli complex (๑・؎・๑)✧)
- Queen
- YOASOBI
- David Bowie
- きくお (new addition)
- 交響アクティブ NEETs
Best Music#
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I don't want to list them; there are several hundred songs... You can check out my playlist for specifics.
Best Album#
- Neko Hacker - うごくちゃんコレクション
- The album below has become a swan song because the vocalist was canceled, and then they disappeared. I bought a physical copy of this album, so if you also like this vocalist, you can support them (even though they are no longer around).
- きくお - きくおミク 7
- The reason the master is called the master is that every song he writes has a style I really like. Everyone should give it a listen.
Best Movie#
- I haven't watched many movies this year; it doesn't seem necessary. In recent years, the only movies that have attracted me are "Interstellar" and "The Wandering Earth."
Best Anime#
"Sousou no Frieren"#
Sousou no Frieren#
What kind of work is this? This is a divine work, super good. There's a reason it's ranked first. I won't spoil it; you can watch the anime and then catch up on the manga. I've heard the second season is coming out next year.
"BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!"#
BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!#
There are many derived memes; still going, still going, still going, still going, still going, still going. I feel like I'm Xiangzi, the one who can never make money. The one who is always detached from the mundane.
"Girls Band Cry"#
Girls Band Cry#
Super good. Another anime released at the same time is "Beijing Girl Band," and the New Year Ave Mujika is about to come out. Please, everyone, come watch Ave Mujika; I would do anything for Ave Mujika.
Best Game#
- Battle Field 1/5
- Tetris
- Genshin Impact · Teyvat Chapter
- Ninguo
- CS2
- No Man's Sky
Summary && Next Year's Flag#
I write an annual summary every year, a habit I've maintained since 2017. Back then, the internet wasn't as developed as it is now, and there weren't as many elementary school students online, so many people were writing annual summaries. I saw others writing them, so I followed suit. The reason I write an annual summary is that I think it's necessary to make myself public and transparent, allowing everyone to criticize me. I place great importance on criticism and self-criticism as a method of political life. Since others can't supervise me, I supervise myself, identifying my shortcomings and finding ways to correct them.
Regarding the cybersecurity industry, I personally believe it is nearing saturation (this is just my personal opinion). Perhaps within five years, it will become as common as civil engineering, starting to flood the market. With the rise of various useful tools, anyone can become a cybersecurity expert. Even our school opened a cybersecurity program this year, indicating that more cybersecurity professionals will emerge in the future. If you lack education, skills, or connections in this industry, you will gradually be eliminated. The higher you go, the more people you meet, and the more you realize how insignificant you are.
As for next year's flag?
- Peace and prosperity for the country and its people.