This week's work was very light, so I had a lot of free time. I spent two days writing last week's travelogue, and then I played Monster Hunter and did puzzles.
Spring Snow#
I finished reading this book on the train. I couldn't continue reading Yukio Mishima's "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion," but I was really engrossed in "Spring Snow." The first volume of the Sea of Fertility, it tells the tragic love story of a pair of noble lovers.
Spring snow, delicate, tender, pure white, a beautiful and cold elf dancing lightly, with the noblest death farthest from eternity, giving up all living beings.
My favorite part of the book is when the two of them make a promise to see the spring snow together. It is beautiful and intoxicating, but also heartbreaking. On this day of spring snow, they had their first kiss, but it was also the beginning of this tragedy. They could never hold onto this love because of their own issues. It was only when the Emperor's decree and the engagement of Prince Niou of the Doin Palace were announced that Kiyoaki realized he had forever lost this love and discovered his own feelings. However, Satoko also couldn't let go of this love. So they started an affair, and the consequence of the affair was that Satoko became pregnant before the engagement.
All of this is like spring snow, beautiful but elusive. Their love may be even more sweet, clear, and light than snowflakes, but it is also fleeting.
To put it bluntly, I didn't like any part of the book except for the part about spring snow. The two of them were like sick people. When I read "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword," I thought the Japanese were a bit sick, and this book made me feel that they were somewhat sick. I couldn't understand why two people who loved each other couldn't hold onto their love, especially when there were no family or societal obstacles. It was all because of their twisted personalities that this tragedy occurred. Why did they wait until after the Emperor's decree to resist these constraints? Why did they only think of breaking free from their fate when it was too late? None of this had to happen. What's even more baffling is how they found excitement and happiness in their affair. These two people are sick.
Of course, setting aside morality, one can view the affair as a pursuit of love and a rebellion against an inescapable fate. But it is irresponsible to romanticize their affair from this perspective. Perhaps this is the charm of this book, a simple story that reflects the complexity of human nature and a sense of melancholy.
Attempting to Record Life with Tools#
Many years ago, when I was still using an iPhone, I came across an interesting app called "World of Mist." I was particularly interested in this app because its core design was that the whole world was covered in a layer of "war fog," and you could explore the world by carrying your phone to eliminate the fog on the map. Essentially, it was a way to record the footprints of your life.
Unfortunately, it was too expensive (over 200 dollars!), and since I was planning to switch to Android (at that time, it was exclusive to iOS), I didn't pursue it further.
After switching to Android, I always had this app in mind and kept looking for similar software. Later, a domestic app called "Footprints" (now it seems to have been renamed "Life Footprints") appeared, and it was free, but it was exclusive to iOS.
Breaking down its functions, it essentially records GPS data when you go out and displays it on a map.
Before my trip to Nanjing, I had been trying this app because it's quite difficult for me to go on a trip, and I had the idea of tinkering with this tool. You can see the results in my previous weekly journal.
GPSLogger#
I found an open-source GPS logging software called GPSLogger. It's not a complicated tool itself, nor does it have complicated functions.
- It's simple, it just logs GPS data, and once logged, it can even automatically send it to a cloud storage.
- It's unobtrusive, once you've set it up, you can leave it running in the background.
- It doesn't have a map, it has a small background footprint, and there's not much difference whether it's running or not on a Samsung device.
You start recording when you go out and stop recording when you return to your hotel (home). It saves the data as GPX files named by date.
In addition to GPX format, there is also KML format. The KML format only records longitude and latitude, while GPX includes time attributes. If you want to create an animation of your route, similar to the route map created by a Xiaomi bracelet after running, the time attribute is important.
It depends on personal preference, but having more data recorded is better, right?
The first time I tested GPSLogger was when I went for a run at night, and the recorded data was particularly scary. It calculated that I ran 60 kilometers when I actually only ran 6 kilometers. When I opened the GPX file, I saw that it repeated many points over and over again. This software requires some tweaking, so it has a learning curve.
GPX Studio#
GPS positioning has limited accuracy and sometimes there can be a deviation of several hundred meters or signal loss, so manual adjustments are needed. GPX Studio is quite useful, and I found it on GitHub. It allows you to manually draw GPS paths and place markers. However, if the data is complex, it can be a bit tiring to make changes.
It would be great if you could just draw with a brush on the road and automatically convert it into a suitable GPX file.
Loss of High-Speed Rail Data#
I don't know if GPS data is blocked on high-speed trains or something, but there was a long stretch where the data was lost and the accuracy was very low.
I searched online and found Chinese Railway KML Data. It was probably created by enthusiasts of World of Mist, and they probably manually created it to solve the problem of lost high-speed rail data. I praise the developers.
I had to figure out how to use it for a while, but it's actually quite simple.
For example, this time I traveled from Changsha to Nanjing, taking train G1784, and I checked the stations it passed through on 12306.
Changsha South -> Yueyang East -> Xianning North -> Wuhan -> Lu'an -> Hefei South -> Nanjing South
First, I found Changsha South on their website and discovered that it is composed of two lines, the "Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway" and the "Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway," along with two directions. The direction of my route is towards Wuhan, so I chose the "Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway (Guangzhou-Beijing)" line. I found that this line only goes as far as Wuhan. The next station after Wuhan in my train route is Lu'an, and I clicked on Lu'an to see that there are three lines passing through Lu'an, among which the "Ningxi Line" is too far from Wuhan, so the train must be taking the "Shanghai-Rongcheng Line."
First, export the KML data from Changsha to Wuhan, then export the KML data from Hankou to Nanjing (the Shanghai-Rongcheng Line goes to Nanjing), and then use a KML to GPX conversion website to convert them. Drag and drop the converted GPX files and the GPX file from that day into GPX Studio and make the necessary modifications. Finally, export it as a merged GPX file.
GPX Heatmap#
There are many tools available on the internet, and this heatmap tool is quite cool.
The effect looks similar to "Life Footprints," and the data is in your hands, so it's very secure.
However, after doing all this, I'm not sure what the significance is. After all, I don't really enjoy going out, at most it's just to satisfy myself. Maybe when I have more stored data, it will look cooler and remind me that the world is so big, so I should go out more.
Dreaming of Immortality#
A few days ago, I saw that the TV series adaptation of "Chinese Paladin 4" had started airing. Although I knew it would ruin the game for me, I couldn't help but watch an episode (I didn't even finish half of it, so I don't want to comment on the show). The opening theme song, "Dreaming of Immortality," gave me goosebumps and reminded me of the first time I couldn't let go of something in my life. Because I played this game many years ago, I may not remember all the details, so there may be some errors in what I write here, and my memory may be biased, but it's not a big deal.
When I was young, I didn't understand much and just played whatever I wanted. My first entry into the Chinese Paladin series was not Chinese Paladin 1, but rather Chinese Paladin 3. Of course, I didn't have the money to buy it back then, so I played a pirated version. Chinese Paladin 4 can be said to have influenced my worldview, and even as I grew up, I still felt that this game had a great impact on me.
Seeking immortality, asking about the way of life, birth, aging, illness, death, cause and effect, and reincarnation. The theme of Chinese Paladin 4 seems to be seeking immortality, but the core is fate. Chinese Paladin 4 doesn't have much focus on love, maybe because I was ignorant at the time and didn't understand these things. What I saw more was friendship and growth.
Yun Tianhe: My father said that when you're alive, you should live with joy and without regrets. If you're always avoiding the present because you're afraid of the future, then you won't be happy even when you're alive, so what's the point?
Liu Mengli: ...I think, I understand what Uncle Yun said... Instead of worrying about the uncertainty of life, why not cherish the present time... cherish the time spent with loved ones...
Yun Tianhe: That's about right. Just live happily every day, so even if you think back on it, you won't have any regrets.
Han Lingsha: ...Is that so?... Live with joy, die without regrets...
At first, these lines were spoken by Yun Tianhe and Mengli in a conversation, and Han Lingsha always pursued longevity and wanted to change her fate, but later she understood.
Murong Ziying: ...What's wrong with being cautious? Does everyone have to be compatible with you?
Han Lingsha: I didn't say that. If you feel happy yourself, then others won't have anything to say.
Han Lingsha: But I see you following the rules every day, yet you often furrow your brow. Ask yourself, are you really living happily?
Murong Ziying: Your words are strange. Life is short, how can everything go according to your wishes?
Han Lingsha: Because life is short, why not live a little happier? Do you have to wait until you're about to die to regret?
Living happily is still living, living in pain is still living, life is short, so why not be a little happier? These lines made me start thinking about this question for the first time at a young age, and this perspective has accompanied me through my darkest days. Perhaps it was these lines that kept me going until now. Initially, I didn't like Han Lingsha, but her change in attitude towards life was my change as well. She is the person who saved me in my half-life.
Live with joy, die without regrets