Picked the weekly notes back up… logging what happened over the past two weeks.

Trip

Last Friday six of us drove off on a trip—destination Nanjing.

Friday night we reached Bengbu, Anhui, and stayed there. We found a restaurant with local flavor. The owner heard we’d come from out of town just to eat there and was super warm; my outgoing brother‑in‑law said next to her “we all seemed introverted.” Most dishes were salty and spicy—maybe local style—but delicious and great with rice. My cousin and I shared a twin; the first night was still a bit awkward, then we loosened up. We gamed a bit in the room and slept. That cousin is very good‑looking; he voice‑chatted with girls while playing Honor of Kings; I played Wild Rift.

After breakfast the next morning we hit the road. Breakfast was local‑style chicken soup noodles—but unlike here, it was a bowl of soup and a bowl of noodles; I finished the soup and barely touched the noodles.

We reached Nanjing around one or two in the afternoon. We dropped bags at the hotel near Xinjiekou, then walked to a salted duck shop my sister said was authentic—huge line, so we had duck‑blood vermicelli nearby. After eating I took my little niece outside to play; my brother‑in‑law (her dad) was smoking across the alley. She saw him and started to run over when a three‑wheeler came—the driver seemed to be on his phone; he braked hard at the last second and I was holding her—we almost got hit. Thinking back still scares me.

Then we went to Zhan Garden—saw the Taiping museum and the garden, walked and took photos (most photos are with my sister; I’m only posting casual shots without family faces).

From Zhan Garden we walked to Confucius Temple—packed. The taxi driver had warned us not to buy stuff there, so we only looked around. We’d wanted a Qinhuai river boat tour—too crowded, skipped it.

Day two: Hongshan Zoo—lots of animals; my brother‑in‑law thought it wasn’t as good as the wildlife park they’d visited in Beijing. Lunch might’ve been off; my mom, my niece, and I had diarrhea that night and into the next day. We spent the day at the zoo; my sister bought my niece a red panda plush—she loved it—then three minutes later she was bored before we even left. Kids…

Day three: Zhongshan scenic area—temple and vegetarian lunch. Lunch was noodles plus a piece of mock “chicken”; I liked it but got hungry fast. Then we climbed the pagoda—each floor felt uneven and steep, scary near the edge. Nine floors, tiring; with a bit of acrophobia, my mom, sister, and I took a few photos and came down.

Then the music terrace—pigeons, fountain that moved with the music, crowded; we stayed a bit and left. Nearby Sun Yat‑sen Mausoleum was closed that day—we walked up to the door and back. That wrapped the day.

Morning four: a small museum (name slipped my mind—Dream of the Red Chamber and Cao Xueqin stuff), then a bakery (my sister bakes, so she samples bakeries), then crab‑roe noodles. Afternoon: aquarium—the sea lion even “jump‑scared” me while swimming.

Evening: lantern festival—gorgeous.

That ended Nanjing. The next day we left, spent a night in Hefei—my brother‑in‑law had dinner with his uncle; my cousin and I went too—then home and back to routine.

Capstone

Besides the trip I’ve been on the thesis project—head‑scratching, but a thread is forming. Still can’t skim; ask why. I’ll write more when it’s further along.

Alcohol allergy…

Birthday these past two weeks—two glasses of white wine at dinner and…

Games

Hit Master in Wild Rift—happy about that. Ranked matchmaking is still awful—teammates from hell. New season added items; Titanic Hydra and Heartsteel favor bruisers/tanks; Aurelion Sol rework; Syndra added; more assassin jungles coming—ADC life feels harder. Trying to adapt, but capstone is busy so probably less ranked.

Reading

Finished Chen Hao’s Left Ear, Listen to the Wind; started Walter Isaacson’s Elon Musk.

Manga

Following Frieren and Jujutsu Kaisen; plan to continue Delicious in Dungeon—not started yet.