This week marks the arrival of the holiday, making work more frustrating. Even though I didn't have any expectations for the holiday itself, I have gradually grown tired of my current job, and I need to find something else to do after the holiday.
Autumn has arrived, but I don't know which rain brought it.
Seeking the Tao#
In the past half month, I have been feeling that things are not going well. Although I really want to go to Wudang Mountain to seek the Tao, considering that the National Day holiday is crowded all over China, I decided to consult the Cyber Sage instead.
I consulted the "Kun" hexagram, a notorious hexagram, but it does reflect my current situation. I am in poverty, everything is going wrong, and countless obstacles lie before me, as if I am constantly being restricted.
The hexagram "Kun" indicates success, perseverance, and auspiciousness for a great person. There is no blame, but there may be disbelief in words.
The image of the hexagram: Water without a source is stagnant. This is the hexagram "Kun". A noble person should devote their life to achieving their aspirations.
After that, I became lazy and didn't want to do anything. I'm not a graphic designer who is asked to draw every day, so I picked a few particularly difficult drawings and said that I couldn't do them. My boss was understanding and suggested that I find an artist to do them.
Then I told my boss the price I was quoted for the drawings, and it seemed to have a small impact on the market economy. He hasn't talked to me since then.
I guess he found someone cheaper. Anyway, I don't want to take on this troublesome task, and I have a feeling that they will lay me off after squeezing me dry.
The next hexagram after "Kun" is "Jing" (The Well). The "Sequence of Hexagrams" states: "If one continues to rise without stopping, they will become trapped. Therefore, they receive the hexagram 'Kun'. If one is trapped above, they will eventually fall below, so they receive the hexagram 'Jing'."
Everything will be fine in the end.
Superstition#
As someone who received a materialistic education from a young age, I am not very superstitious. However, in high school, my desk mate and I discussed the meaninglessness of life, filled with a sense of determinism. To alleviate this sense of powerlessness, I dabbled in some supernatural things.
I remember one morning before self-study, I consulted the hexagrams for myself. It was a funny process. I used six coins and tossed them together. Heads represented a yang line, while tails represented a yin line. I remember it clearly. I got the hexagram "Li" (The Clinging Fire) above and "Xun" (The Gentle Wind) below. At that time, my understanding was that adding wind to fire would make the fire stronger.
On that day, a fire drill was conducted without any prior notice. At that moment, I realized that everything in the world has cause and effect and cannot escape the will of heaven.
Looking back now, it was really silly. Looking back at the Book of Changes (Yi Jing), it actually expresses the stages of development of 64 different things, or the laws of development. One should contemplate the corresponding hexagrams at different times to achieve the so-called "seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster." The Book of Changes is a very positive thing, perhaps because I interpret it positively now. The Book of Changes has four difficult hexagrams, all related to the hexagram "Kan" (The Abyss). It is said in old sayings that crossing this abyss may refer to the hexagram "Kan".
The four difficult hexagrams refer to: "Zhen" (The Arousing Thunder) in the Water and Thunder hexagram, which represents the difficulties at the beginning of all things; "Kan" (The Abyss), which represents numerous crises; "Jian" (The Mountain), which represents the exhaustion of resources; and "Kun" (The Receptive), which represents being at a loss.
In these four difficult hexagrams, the hexagram texts all contain auspicious signs, which is what I mean by the positivity of the Book of Changes. There are many different explanations for failure in the market, such as when you fail, everyone will come and kick you. However, the Book of Changes believes that things are constantly developing, and difficulties are only temporary.
Internet Myth#
Q: What's so interesting about this?
A: It's spectacular.
Q: Then I can put 1000 lollipops on the ground, and it will be spectacular too, right?
A: That's a panda!
Q: Then I can set up a thousand screens on the ground, each with a live panda room, wouldn't that be both spectacular and artistic?
........
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5-book series)#
I always feel like I've read it before. I've read the beginning of the story at least five times, but I still haven't finished reading this book, let alone knowing that there are five books in the series! I really think Douglas Adams is a genius. I thought he was either a genius or a madman when I read his "The Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" before.
I want to read the physical version. Maybe I'll go to the library during the holiday and get a copy.
Extraordinary You#
I don't usually watch Korean dramas, but I've been seeing this drama everywhere recently, and it seems to have good reviews, so I decided to give it a try. The general idea is that there is a group of people with special abilities who pretend to be ordinary people and go to school.
I originally thought it would be a dark superhero-themed drama like DC, and I imagined several possible settings in my mind, such as "Watchmen". But it's a pity that such a good setting is used for ideological propaganda. The quality of the plot has declined since the involvement of North Korea. However, it is said that the portrayal of love and family by Koreans is far superior to that of the surrounding countries.
I especially like the love story between the male lead's mother and father, which is the main storyline. The mother is cool and stylish, and the father is handsome and gentle. They both have good fashion sense. It's no wonder so many people love watching Korean dramas. Who can resist it?
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BBQ's subjective rating: 8/10, it's okay
The plot is actually decent, but the portrayal of love and family by Koreans is really good. The special effects are also decent, and the characters' motivations seem reasonable. The only downside is that it becomes less enjoyable when it delves into ideology and conflicts with North Korea.
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Under the Power#
As a live-action adaptation of a Chinese comic, it's really good. It has special effects and a good plot. The only thing that may not be as good as the anime is the voice acting in some places, but overall, it's really good. I've watched 21 episodes, and I don't have much motivation to continue watching the rest because I haven't seen the later episodes of the anime.
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BBQ's subjective rating: 8.2/10, very good, this rating doesn't include any bonus points for being a Chinese production
Except for the slightly unattractive male lead (but his performance is still decent, so it can't be considered a deduction, after all, the original male lead wasn't described as handsome), Bao'er is quite faithful to the original, although there are some traces of acting in her temperament, not as naturally naive as in the anime. It's difficult to portray natural naivety, so it can't be considered a deduction either.
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Julie & Julia#
A very comfortable movie. I really like the pace and plot of this movie. After watching it, I want to get the book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and read it, hahaha.
The plot is about Julie's dissatisfaction with her job and her decision to replicate all 524 recipes in famous chef Julia's cookbook within a year. The movie alternates between Julie and Julia's stories. The story is actually quite ordinary, but fortunately, the tone and cinematography are quite healing.
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BBQ's subjective rating: 8.2/10
A healing dessert
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Cyberpunk 2077#
I really like the anime "Cyberpunk Edgerunners". So when the DLC "The Day Before" was released, I downloaded Cyberpunk again. It is said that version 2.0 has fixed many issues.
In practice, there are still quite a few bugs, but the smoothness has indeed improved compared to before.
Although I haven't finished playing yet, I have had many thoughts while replaying these past few days. In addition, many people on TikTok have already spoiled the plot.
At the beginning, the middleman asked me, "Do I want to be an unknown person for the rest of my life, or do I want to become famous in the world?"
At that time, V chose to become famous. In the end, I went to blow up Arasaka Tower, and I only had six months to live. I searched for a way to live longer with Panam and Judy (of course, there probably isn't one). Death should come with a V cocktail.
The DLC provides a new ending where V survives but becomes an ordinary person on the street, Panam disappears (most likely), Judy gets married, Misty leaves Night City, and Old V succumbs to Zetatech. It seems like I got what I always wanted, but it also feels like I lost everything.
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