I got up early today because I needed to go to the #gym to exercise with Chathuranga.

It’s a good way for me to get more time from a busy day by getting up early. After a few days of exercise, I realize that my muscles are weaker than others. They start trembling even when I only lift an empty steel bar without any weights.

I need to learn #Abaqus to finish the term paper for FEM, so I spent the whole day on it.

Due to lack of sleep, I was feeling so sleepy and tired after 5 pm. I didn’t want to cook anymore, and I remembered that I had a 75% off #promotion on Uber Eats for my first 3 orders. I wanted to use it, otherwise I felt like I was losing something, but it notified me that it wasn’t available after I confirmed the checkout. I tried KFC and A&W, and they both failed. Then, I wanted to try the last one on Thai Express. So excited! It worked!

Unfortunately, when I clicked the order details, I found that I didn’t apply the promotion. I spent $20 CAD on rice noodles, damn it!

I still wanted to try that 75% promotion again after finishing the rice noodles. I ordered a combo which included double sliders, an iced tea, a side, and a small bag of fries. Surprisingly, it worked! So I ordered 7 burgers from A&W with that promotion, and I felt a little bit better.

I put them in the fridge when I got home. So tired today, I almost fell asleep in the food court.

What did I even do on December 27th? I’ve already forgotten and need to think carefully to recall it.

I got up very late, cooked some rice, and made a simple stir‑fry for lunch. After eating, I decided to go to the mall to buy a nail clipper and a box of toothpaste.

I saw KZ’s Moments post, so I went to Rogers to switch my SIM card to a 5G one. But my phone doesn’t support the mainstream 5G bands, so the network speed didn’t really improve.

Then I went to check out a church, but it was closed, so I decided to head to the EPL library instead for study.

It seemed like the snow‑clearing workers had also gone home for the holidays, because the snow on the road was ridiculously thick. By the time I was almost there, I felt like my face had frozen. I gave up and just went home.

After getting up, I stuffed myself with pig’s trotters and cooked a pot of greens 🥬. Then, I spent the rest of the day scrolling on my phone; my self-control is honestly non-existent. In the evening, I headed to the mall to pick up some nail clippers and toothpaste, as well as some fruit and vegetables.

Once I got back, I was right back on my phone and tablet again—thinking about studying while actually just playing around.

Tomorrow, I really should go to school or the library to study.

原文：

今天我 11 点半才起床，起床开始检查消息，叫我的代聊给我回复消息。这种突破自己的固有性格的方式使我舒服了很多，也开始反思自己中国式的性格最这里有点不大吃香了，老是容易被别人拿捏，自己还不舒服。

起床后干闷了猪脚，煮了一锅青菜🥬。然后又开始玩了一整天的手机，自控能力真的太低了。傍晚的时候去了趟商场买了指甲刀和牙膏，又去买了点水果和蔬菜。

回来又开始接着玩手机和平板了，一边想着学习一边玩。

明天还是去学校或者图书馆学习吧。

I did my dirty laundry and I realized the #dryer has other benefits such as filtering the dust. After laundry I cooked lunch and studied for a short while.

And then I think I can invite Jian to have a fried chicken for dinner, he wanted to go airport outlets mall to return a clothe he bought before. So we went and spent a lot of money. I bought a sweater and a pair of boots for me, a sweater for Huan.

We ordered two Seoul fried chicken and brought them to Jian’s home. It’s a beautiful night with chicken and beer.

After that, we use projector to play a movie called Nobodies (浪浪山小妖怪), it’s a restful night. Huan was calling with me during 701 bus.

I successfully created a very smooth iPad shortcut. This record was actually added using it!

🕒 01:01 | First Priority

The first thing I want to do is show this shortcut to Huan. I can now clip content from any app directly into Obsidian and record text manually via the notification bar. #shortcut

Today, I roasted a large turkey and four pork legs to prep for the coming days. They turned out pretty well!

🕒 02:00 | Manual Input

Congratulations to me! I’ve figured out how to insert content into Obsidian manually, just like the iPad shortcut.

🕒 03:11 | Good night 🌇

🕒 03:12 | Formatting

Don’t worry about the format for now!! I’ll leave that until the very end.

🕒 16:22 | Freezing Cold

Dr. Zhao messaged me to see if I wanted to go shopping at Southgate Mall. It is freezing today; the wind is so sharp it actually hurts my face.

Before he arrived, I stopped by Dollarama to pick up a spoon and some adhesive tape.

After shopping, we grabbed some drinks at Starbucks. Dr. Zhao recommended that I try the Pink Drink.

🕒 19:23 | Noise Issues

I haven’t been so happy for a long time for an electrical device. I was exploring as much as possible under my curiosity.

I told Huan that I became a fan to apple from a pedestrian. I want to save some money to buy an iPhone and a MacBook.

The style of apple likes a concentrated and professional engineer whom I admire for. Keep restraint but don’t be rigid.

I recommended Huan to use Journal application to write diary next year, and I found that she opened many subscriptions with expensive fees but seldom uses them in the Apple Store before. I was very angry for this and I think this means that she didn’t already have more attention to her money, however, she don’t have any savings with working for five years.

I cannot imagine she didn’t check her monthly payments at all before; only making payments and return credit cards in her life. From an engineering perspective, This is not a good habit. The PDCA cycle only has P and D.

Huan: if you read this diary, you should search the PDCA to understand what I said. I believe it is easy for you.

I’m trying to use the screen keyboard of iPad to input. This is the first diary typed by my iPad.

Kourush played a piano music 🎹 for us, and Amir sang two songs for us. Chat leaded us to play the cheating game. It’s very nice.

After then, Amir invited me to go shopping. I preferred to go T&T, but he thought the price is too high, so we walked over to Walmart under very cold snow. My tummy was not feeling good, and I didn’t know what’s reason. I bought some instant meal in T&T.

It’s not a good idea to go shopping in winter in Edmonton.

I bought a secondhand microwave last night, and the seller dropped it off at the Southgate station this afternoon. The microwave was so heavy that I was sweating by the time I got it home.

After finally putting the microwave away, I headed back out to buy some groceries. I bought a lot of items, including tomatoes, lettuce, pork, and more.

It took about 40 minutes for commuting.

14:51 My phone fell into the toilet

One second before, I thought whether my phone on my leg would fall into the toilet and the next second it fell.

23:15 Write journal

I found that Amir likes to hangout around especially at supermarket.

Tonight, he wanted buy a trunks, so I accompanied him to go to Walmart, but finally he didn’t buy anything, and I bought a lot groceries.

In addition, ZJ told me that he thought we can have another roommate. It’s crazy in my heart, however I only said I don’t recommend to do that. Moreover we only have one bathroom.

He might be thinking that I’m kind and easy to get along with. Perhaps he didn’t know all these are from inclusive roommate, or called tolerance.

grammar check

Here’s a grammar, spelling, clarity, and naturalness check of your writing in table format:

The rest of your writing is grammatically correct and sounds natural. The main issues were:

• Some awkward phrasing that could be more natural
• A few missing articles (“the”, “a”)
• Some verb tense inconsistencies
• A few missing prepositions

Would you like me to explain any of these corrections in more detail?

10:10 Buy some clothes and shoes

14:21 Buy Snipaste

I have become extravagant with my money. I spent ￥81 on Snipaste to unlock the Pro version.

16:41 Tired

I hate the Sorush who teaches the MIN E 610, and the assignment is useless.

17:04 Dizzy

If I buy a black coffee, I can drink it all day.

17:59 Get out of work

20:36 Confuse

It’s hard to communicate with my roommate.

下午做了一下午的 project，还是比较耗时间。下午去陪 Amirthan 参加了学校社团里的一个活动，聊天交朋友的。特别紧张和内向，感觉还是需要克服一下。到 Southgate 又买了件衣服，还遇到了 Chataranga 和他老婆，哈哈。

Why is the quality of these clothes so bad? I don’t know

15:41 Feel sleepy

I don’t know why I’m so sleepy.

20:06 Smelly lamb meat

I bought a lamb leg on Saturday and I boiled it yesterday.

The lamb of Canada is so smelly. I became a fat lamb after eating.

20:08 Weekly journal

I added the weekly journal function on my blog so that I can prepare the notes for the group meeting on Monday. I hope I can keep it as a good habit.

In the morning, I talked to the Bell staff who helped me get a phone card. I told her that I solved my problem yesterday. She was very happy and asked about the conditions of using Tellus. I even taught her how to set the DNS to boost the Chinese service.

Then I went to the TD ATM to withdraw some money, and then I deposited this money into the RBC bank.

I bought a hot dog, which cost me CA$7.89. This is a simple robbery. Unfortunately, some sauce from the hot dog accidentally dropped on my pants. The spot position was just in the middle of my groin. I’m so embarrassed. Fortunately, I bought a tissue today.

I had an appointment with Mr. Robert. I was a little afraid of talking to the teacher. The ending is good because Mr. Robert is very patient and kind.

I woke up early, and then I continue sleep again. I cooked noodles with some vegetables as lunch for us.

In the afternoon, I decided to go to the T&T supermarket to buy some grocery and some food. I don’t want to do anything while I am alone.

In the evening, I wanted to have a look for assignment of sensor course. I found that this assignment was very interesting, though it had a little difficult. To finish this assignment, there are a lot of programming skills and computer skills what I really am good at.

I hope I can get the excellent grade in this course.

Come on!

We ate too much bread and hamburgers last week, so we decided to go to Walmart to buy some food and household items.

ZJ emptied his travel box to carry the goods. He wanted to walk to the mall, but I was a bit reluctant. In the end, I agreed with his idea.

We bought a lot of items, including vegetables, a pot, bowls, and so on.

First Home-Cooked Rice Meal

I bought 2kg of rice myself in the afternoon, so I decided to make Chinese food for dinner.

This was my first rice meal since arriving in Edmonton, and it was delicious. ZJ ate a lot, and I also enjoyed it, though I only had one bowl.

Collecting Second-Hand Furniture

After dinner, ZJ asked me to post an ad to buy some second-hand furniture like desks and lamps. I left both of our phone numbers, with ZJ’s listed first. Jenny was very helpful—I was worried about getting nonstop calls, so having two numbers seemed better.

Soon enough, someone contacted us about selling furniture. They lived nearby and even picked us up to choose the items at their place.

I picked out a desk, a mattress, chairs, and more. It cost quite a bit, but we probably won’t need to buy much more furniture after this.

The seller gave us a mirror for free. At first, I thought it was nice, but after bringing it home, it felt eerie, so we threw it away. It’s better not to casually accept things from others.

Tidying Up My Little Room

I cleaned the desk and chairs and rearranged the layout of the room, making it much cozier. The mattress is also very comfortable—it’s great!

PS: My English writing is still quite poor, so I used translation software for help and manually copied it over. I’ll improve gradually.

给爸爸买了风扇，学习量房画图，修改找到的模板给欢欢画了平面布置图。

对了，单位一直在催护照这个事情，很无奈，但是签证没办好就肯定还不了。

In the past, I tended to prepare and arrange daily study plans because I couldn’t go abroad due to financial constraints. But if the CSC scholarship is approved and I can go, things like English proficiency will become extremely important. Some research tools can be temporarily set aside, but I must set aside time every day to study English.

15:08 Check the Vendor’s Overall Appearance Before Buying

A few days ago, I bought some corn and immediately noticed it wasn’t great, but I had already picked two, so I reluctantly bought them. I also noticed the vendor was selling loquats and bayberries, neither of which looked fresh.

However, it’s hard to judge the freshness of corn just by looking. Once in Guiyang, I bought some corn and complained that it was too hard. The vendor said, “This kind softens when cooked—it’s actually the best.” Skeptical but curious, I bought it, and it turned out surprisingly delicious. When I bought corn this time, I recalled that experience and assumed it was the same type. But today, after cooking it, I realized it wasn’t—it was just old and poor quality.

Tip

When buying groceries, observe the overall quality of the vendor’s goods before deciding whether to purchase. Generally, vendors with a good overall image are less likely to sell subpar items, while those with a poor image are more likely to.

Especially for items where quality isn’t easily discernible, it’s best to avoid such vendors altogether.

17:22 Went Out for a Walk

My eyes have been bothering me the past few days. At first, I thought it was due to staring at my phone screen for too long. Gradually, though, I realized my wisdom tooth was inflamed—it seems every time it acts up, my eyes suffer first. I quickly took two metronidazole pills.

I just went to deliver a folding umbrella to my mom and picked up some mulberries my uncle had picked. I also took a stroll outside. I came across some very fresh corn, bought two, and threw away the three I had bought earlier. Then I found some fresh bayberries—I’d been craving them for days—so I bought half a kilo.

Tip

For fresh bayberries, if you pluck off the stem at the base, a small piece of flesh comes off with it, forming a tiny, berry-like ball.

22:55 I Think I’ve Lost the Ability to Notice Beauty

I remember I used to be someone who easily spotted beautiful things in everyday life and was enthusiastic about capturing those little moments with photos.

But now, I find it hard to notice beauty, and I rarely feel the urge to photograph the lovely things I see.

Maybe it’s because my surroundings lack beauty these days? Maybe I don’t go out enough to experience life? Or perhaps my inner state has changed? In any case, my phone hasn’t had any new landscape or candid photos in a long time.

Maybe this is a good thing—maybe I’ve shifted to appreciating life more with my eyes and memory? I don’t really know myself anymore.

Yesterday, I only added the attributes but didn’t have time to implement them. Today, I spent some time making it work and also optimized the style and layout.

09:52 Drew Number 27 for the Interview

For the interview at the Energy Bureau, I drew number 27. Being at the very end is quite annoying.

10:13 Studying After a Shower

On the Himalaya App, there’s a program called National Centre for the Performing Arts | Listening to Classical Music. The host prepares each episode exceptionally well, even expanding on some stories and knowledge. It’s much better than randomly listening to songs or radio programs—no weird lyrics to make me feel agitated. It also allows me to appreciate the variations in music, preventing me from getting tired of the same genre too quickly.

19:45 Repairing an Old Phone

I managed to fix the broken phone at home earlier, but the back cover was still damaged. So, I bought a replacement online.

It’s been quite a saga—I initially bought the wrong model and had to exchange it, and it just arrived today. After carefully cleaning off the residual adhesive and attaching the new back cover, I noticed it didn’t fit perfectly. I lightly tapped the edges that were sticking up, and… the newly replaced back cover shattered. Ugh. I ended up covering the broken part with a sticker to prevent glass shards from falling out.

21:36 Reflecting on Today

This afternoon, I tested whether the interview setup was working properly. After finishing the test, I went to the supermarket to buy groceries.

Every time I go to the supermarket, I end up buying way too much food. Tonight, I planned to eat glass noodles, so I bought some. Huanhuan mentioned they had fish for lunch, so I bought a fish too. When I got home, I realized there was still some sliced cured meat from the day before yesterday that needed to be cooked soon. As a result, I now have more food than I can finish.

This seems to clash with my fasting day plan. Oh well, I’ll figure it out later.

Another day has come to an end, and I can barely recall what I did today.

Let me think: studying, helping Mom with her phone, playing on my phone, sleeping.

23:49 Created a New Templater Template for Callouts

I often use callouts in my notes for exercises, notes, tips, and the like. Writing them in native syntax gets tedious, especially with all the switching between Chinese and English. So, I made a Templater template to make it easier.

1
2
3

> [!<% tp.system.suggester((item) => item, ["question", "note", "tip"]) %>]+ <% tp.system.prompt("Please input callout title", "Example") %>  
> <% tp.system.clipboard() %>  
>  

For the main content, I used Metan AI to transcribe it, which made things much more convenient.

23:53 Added an stime Attribute to My Journal

This attribute tracks daily phone usage time to analyze long-term changes in my habits.

I originally wanted to log sleep time too, but I sometimes nap at noon, and phone tracking isn’t accurate enough. So, I’ll leave it at that for now.

I cooked a bowl of noodles in the morning, and before I knew it, it was already noon. Lately, my phone has been lagging a lot, probably due to aging components. I thought resetting it might not solve much, so I started considering getting a new one. I should have taken a proper nap at noon, but instead, I spent time browsing and comparing prices on different platforms, which left me poorly rested.

In the afternoon, I studied for a while, but by around 4 p.m., I was really hungry. Since the rice was still cooking, I fried an egg to eat. I chopped up a lot of chili peppers and stir-fried them with cured meat, then ate it all with rice—it was so much.

After that, I planned to go out to pick up Huang Wenxiu’s diary, which Huanhuan had bought, and also grab a few things. Cherries have been really cheap lately—you can get fresh ones for about 5 yuan per pound. I went to Jiahui Supermarket to buy some groceries for the next couple of days.

Studying is always so easy to get distracted from. I really need to plan my time better and focus wholeheartedly on learning.

I’m tired now, so I’m going to bed.

Idea

Sometimes I feel like my writing is very ordinary and doesn’t hold much value. But then I think that years from now, people might read my diary to catch a glimpse of what life was like for an ordinary person in this era.
I’m sure it will be very different from the future.