Happiness is defined by oneself and does not depend on others. This is a change in my outlook on life since I entered college in 2017, and it is also my attitude towards life now.
Yesterday, I posted a tweet with the following content:
To summarize, my current work and hobbies mainly include the following: coding, trading cryptocurrencies (opening contracts), wandering with my partner, and playing mahjong.
Here are some book recommendations for the end of the year.
1. Mahjong#
Let's start with something light, mahjong is a hobby I started cultivating last year (2022).
I learned mahjong together with my partner and friends around me. We started with Shanghai-style mahjong, then learned Northeastern mahjong, Japanese mahjong, and the difficulty gradually increased.
I am grateful to my partner and friends for accompanying me in my growth in mahjong. Mahjong has also helped me in my gambling interests.
PS: Anything that attracts people always has reasons behind it. If you have prejudice against something, then you will not learn to appreciate it. I used to have prejudice against mahjong a long time ago, thinking it was a game only played by middle-aged women. I thought it was a deceptive game played only by gamblers. In fact, mahjong is a competitive game that combines "skills" and "luck".
- Shanghai-style Mahjong
Shanghai-style Mahjong is the simplest form of mahjong. If you have a friend from Shanghai, they can teach you how to play mahjong. The basic requirement for winning is to have a hand that satisfies the 3-3-3-2 pattern.
- Northeastern Mahjong
Northeastern Mahjong adds three additional conditions: 19, pung, and three suits. As for scoring, Shanghai-style mahjong is the easiest to calculate. Northeastern Mahjong requires separate calculations for each player.
- Japanese Mahjong
The most complex form is Japanese Mahjong, also known as "Riichi Mahjong". In addition to the basic 3-3-3-2 pattern, Japanese Mahjong adds another condition, which is the need for yaku (the most well-known one being "All Simples"). Therefore, Japanese Mahjong is the most competitive form of mahjong.
If you have never played mahjong before, the recommended order of learning is Shanghai-style Mahjong > Northeastern or Sichuan Mahjong > Japanese Mahjong.
When it comes to Japanese Mahjong, you must watch the anime "Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai" (The Legend of Mahjong: Akagi) on Bilibili. This anime has multiple sequels. Some of my crypto friends also learned Japanese Mahjong from watching this anime. (By the way, it also adds a touch of gambling atmosphere. I took a screenshot of my favorite line, which sometimes gives me inspiration when I lose in crypto contracts.)
After you have played Japanese Mahjong, I will recommend a mobile game to you, Mahjong Soul.
Mahjong Soul is a must-play game, especially when you are bored at home alone. I have been playing it for several months and it feels very relaxing.
2. Wandering with my partner#
- Sports
Not much, but due to my increasing weight, I need to exercise, not limited to bowling, swimming, and running. (Setting a goal)
- Food
This part will be shorter, as my partner's Twitter usually has records. Hehe, we enjoy drinking delicious beer and eating ice cream together.
We also go to various shopping malls to try different foods.
These are some simple pleasures, and happiness is created by ourselves.
- Switch
Starting this year, both my partner and I have a Nintendo Switch. Here are some recommended Switch games.
Overcooked is a two-player game that we both love. We have completed 1 and 2 with a full 3-star rating. However, we lost interest in getting 4 stars. We still play it occasionally in our free time.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is my favorite game this year, without a doubt. I still prefer 2D puzzle games, even more than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Of course, this is just a personal preference for games. Different people have different preferences.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is the game I am currently playing. It also falls into the category of casual games that I personally enjoy.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has much higher replayability than 3. It is an RPG game that I like. The moment when the characters transform into fire/light is an instant ignition of my 2D spirit.
3. Cryptocurrencies#
I started playing with contracts after getting involved in crypto around April 2022. My first encounter with crypto was when I was looking for a job after graduating in March 2021.
- Bitcoin
In 2021, I probably saw a Weibo post by Teacher Xiong Yue. At that time, I read some books about Bitcoin. Here is a book list I recommend from that time.
- Web3
Later, I accidentally came across the website Dappchaser that K Erica was involved in, and I got in touch with dapps. So I quit my job and wanted to go all in on web3. Currently, I am still a very new learner in this field.
- Contracts
Speaking of contracts, let's talk about gambling. Why is gambling important? Because it's a hobby. Only with an endless spirit of gambling and not being afraid of losing can one continue to be a qualified gambler.
I highly recommend watching the anime "Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor" to understand the risks involved in contract trading, similar to what is depicted in the anime. Many people have lost their lives in gambling, just like in the anime.
To become a qualified gambler, the most important thing is to fall in love with gambling, just like Yumeko Jabami. You must have an intrusive love for gambling in order to succeed.
The psychology of a gambler is often the most important.
For technical analysis, you can watch the lessons by Inner Circle Trader. In addition, the book Natural Trading is a comprehensive and systematic book that I think is quite powerful.
Since I am still exploring this path of gambling, I can't give better advice for now, so I'll share some books I have read about gambling.
First, I recommend Jesse Livermore's "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator," which can be considered a holy book. The rest are listed below.
4. Coding#
In 2017, when I was a sophomore, I studied "Energy and Mechanical Engineering" as my major. At that time, a teacher taught us C language, and that's when I fell in love with programming. So in my junior year, I was fortunate enough to transfer to the major of "Software Engineering."
I struggled with coding for a long time, and throughout my four years of college, I was learning piece by piece. It was only after graduation that I barely entered the field.
My attitude towards coding in school was to become a industry expert like those big shots. Time slowly wore me down, but it didn't wear down my passion for coding. After all, "passion" is what drives everything, right?
For coding, whether it's frontend, backend, or AI training, passion should always come first. So even though my work sometimes feels challenging, I still continue, taking it slow and doing something I love.
I started using macOS in my sophomore year, and the book lists I read in college were fortunately saved in iCloud. I read some general books during that time.
I prefer to save PDF versions of books in iCloud, so it's easier to search and review.
5. End#
I have never written an annual summary before, so this year-end summary includes content from 2021, 2022, and even some from my university years. I can now move forward and strive to write a summary for the current year in 2023.