The second half of the year has passed. When I was a child, I would buy new clothes and count the days until the Lunar New Year. I used to think that the New Year was still far away, but now, in the blink of an eye, another year has passed and I find myself already 30 years old. I increasingly feel that I can't accomplish much in a year, or even in a lifetime. Perhaps it's because most days are filled with repetitive routines, and there are only a few days of real progress.
At the beginning of July, when the restrictions were relaxed, I rushed back home for a weekend to visit my family and grandma. Although the time was short, I felt a sense of peace. But the journey was still quite tiring.
In July, I also started learning oil painting. The reason was that every time someone in my circle of friends posted a painting, the artist would say they would give one to him. I am grateful to him for teaching me boxing before, without charging me any tuition fees and treating me to many meals. So I wanted to paint a boxing-themed painting, and ended up painting a tiger that was the cover of his circle of friends. The painting for the artist has already been sent to Guangzhou in August, but I don't want to stop learning oil painting. The beauty of oil painting is that the paint doesn't dry quickly, so you can keep modifying and adjusting the picture. I hope I can keep painting until I'm 80 years old!
In July, my physical condition was very good. I didn't neglect rock climbing, dancing, swimming, surfing, or boxing. I just felt that there wasn't enough time, but I had plenty of energy. However, for activities like rock climbing and dancing, they need to be done twice a week to maintain the level, otherwise the skills will deteriorate quickly. So I decided to reduce my hobbies. After much thought, I decided to give up swimming and boxing.
Outside of work, I am full of daydreams. I always want to go back to Lantau Island for a ten-day meditation retreat, go surfing at Big Wave Bay, and become an islander on Lamma Island. On the one hand, I am puzzled and frustrated. Why do my friends' aspirations seem more practical to everyone, such as my best friend's goal of working and living steadily in Beijing, getting married, buying a house, and a car as soon as possible? My aspirations seem "impractical" and "immature".
August can be described as a blur. The company's working hours were changed from 8:30 to 8:00, and there was never a lunch break due to live broadcasts. I would come home exhausted after work and sleep on the couch, only to wake up hungry around ten o'clock. It was the same routine day after day, like a zombie.
But I still persisted in painting oil paintings every weekend. I went to the climbing gym for seven working nights and achieved my goal of climbing two 5.10a routes in August. However, my dancing skills regressed.
Due to the impact of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the pandemic, I couldn't buy a ticket to go home. I mainly used the weekends to practice driving, spending a total of 12 days. I finally got my driver's license yesterday and achieved my Q3 goal. I also bought latex paint, made an appointment with a painter, and planned to repaint the walls during the National Day holiday to make my home brighter and give myself a good mood. And because I was too exhausted from work, I indulged in retail therapy and bought a bunch of paint and art supplies.
Overall, I am a small and transparent person trying to hold onto life in the squeeze of work. During the low points, the most important thing is to survive.