开工大吉！

越老越迷信，以前都没有去理什么开工吉日的，但近几年每年都会特意查看几时是开工吉日，然后相应安排自己的年假。

今天是其中一个不冲我的生肖的开工吉日，所以选择了今天开工。

当然也有开工吉时，很巧那是我正常开工的时间，所以就是如常上班时间就是了。毕竟现在才刚过凌晨，睡醒了开工正好。

不求升官升职，就许工作顺心顺意、没有小人困扰、和有个可观加薪。

祝自己乙巳年开工大吉！

心语细述 |系列|

乙巳年

今天是农历正月初一，农历新年，祝大家农历新年快乐！

很多人以为农历是阴历，其实农历是阴阳合历，因为虽然农历是以阴历为基础，但它也参考太阳回归为年的长度，用闰月来调节。

今年是乙巳年，就是木蛇年，但今天出世的宝宝还是属龙的哦！;)

这是因为中国命理学用的是中国阳历（干支历），一套根据二十四节气的历法。干支历里新的一年是在立春，而二零二五年的立春是二月三日，所以乙巳年二月三日才开始，在那天之前还是龙年哦。

其实不在乎八字或风水的人应该也不会在乎生肖啦，呵呵。而在乎八字的人也不重视生肖动物，而是相对的阴阳五行。

不多说了，希望自己本命年可以顺顺利利。

心语细述 |系列|

Hello cave

It hit me yesterday night. No, I don't know what triggered it, but then, I seldom do.

I just know its arrival from the familiar feeling, the state it puts me in.

No warning and no opt out.

Another depression bout has started.

Hello cave.

Other |hyped up heads up| category entries.

Pickleball

Played my first game of Pickleball today with colleagues. It was a team event.

Let me be frank and direct and get this out first: I suck at Pickleball. =P

Eight of us, all first-timers. Four males and four females, just nice for two sets of mixed double. Regardless, whoever paired with me loses the game, haha.

I am guessing I am not used to the size of the paddle, always missing the ball. And yes I suck, but we already covered that.

Nevertheless I had fun, hope this will be a regular team event.

Expect to be aching all over tomorrow though, for I is weak. (Yes, that's on purpose.)

Other |enjoyable events| category entries.

怎么这么弱？

洗车一个小时半，过后会大腿和手臂肌肉酸痛，那我完全可以理解。

只有轻微的腰背酸痛我已经觉得非常庆幸，真的。

可是，为什么我会头晕、头疼不适了两天？

这是什么回事？

洗车是星期六起床后的事，结果就整个周末都是这糟糕的状况下度过。真是的。

我健康到底怎么了？怎么会这么弱？

心语细述 |系列|

有感而发：情感投入（又）

刚看完了韩国二零二四年播出，一个叫 Couple Palace （情侶宮殿）的恋爱综艺节目。

五十位女士和五十位男士寻求结婚伴侣的一个节目。经过不同的环节配对互相满意的伴侣，再逐渐看发展的程度开始计划结婚的过程和事项。

有越来越坚信的伴侣，也有成了伴侣但发现不合适或种种原因变回单身的男女。过程有很多令人心动的甜蜜，也有很多令人心疼的情节。情人老婆仔说是节目效果，我选择相信是真情流露。

为那对互相喜欢但女方父母反对的情侣感到心酸和遗憾。支持那些勇于表示的纯情直男，为他们的成功喝彩，也为他们的失败惋惜。

尊重那些最终勇敢求婚的男女，那些错了会自我反省勇于认错的男女，那些真的是为了寻求结婚伴侣而参加节目的男女。

而那些渣男渣女、那些自以为是、那些为了刷知名度、那些纯粹玩玩心态的男女… 我真的是不能理喻你们，完全不在一个频率上。

一大把年纪了我还是会被情感带入，看这恋爱综艺节目我的情感会跟着起伏。会跟着心动、会跟着开心雀跃、会心痛惋惜、会感动、会感伤、热泪盈眶。

也许那就是为什么我喜欢看恋爱综艺节目的原因吧？

〈 单身即地狱〉第四季开播了，虽然觉得这节目的出演者越来越像是为了知名度而参演，这仍会是我接下来看的恋综。

有感而发 |系列|

There is a first for everything

I have been working for seventeen years and more, and have dutifully paid my tax every year without exception.

Not that I have a choice really, as it is directly deducted from my salary every month, and always exceeding what I need to pay, so every year I have to claim the excess back. Every single year.

And of course, the government does not pay me interest for these extra-charged amount. Bet they charge us interest if we pay less. Also if I put the amount that I actually need to pay in investment or fixed deposit and only pay the correct one lump sum annually, not only do I not have to go through the process of claiming the excess back, I also get the benefit of extra income from investment or interest from fixed deposit. But no, my money is helping the government earn interest instead of for myself. Bollocks.

Anyway, as I am not in business of faking tax return, I have never been worried about being audited. In fact, colleague friends used to approach me for receipts when they get audited, because they know I actually have them.

Well, there is a first for everything, received an email a few days ago saying I am being audited for 2022 tax return. Interesting documents they wanted me to show them, instead of receipts for books, sports equipment, computer, medical check up, that sort of things that I diligently keep, they asked for life, medical, education insurance statements, pension fund statement, and travel related receipt.

Granted that particular year there was a special incentive for local travel, I claimed that since I did had a local vacation with the family, and yes I have the receipt.

However I don't have the insurance statements and my pension fund statement. The insurance company stopped sending paper statement a while back and forced me to create yet another login or download yet another application on mobile phone, which I refuse to do. I have way too many logins I can no longer keep up, I don't need another that I only use once per year that guarantee I will forget the login name and password of.

I know my insurance premium and EPF contribution every year exceed the tax return limit by a sizable margin so I assume everyone is the same, and that there is no reason for people to fake this and hence no reason for people to audit these. Guess I am wrong.

So ironically, of all things, the insurance and pension fund statements gave me the most trouble getting hold of, while the rest are readily available.

Anyway, just noting down the first audit of my tax return. Not at all worried, but don't care for the additional hassle. Every month you take extra of my money without giving me interest, and still you want to pester me.

Other |temperamental thoughts| category entries.

止损

二零二五年才过了十三天，我已经加时工作了七天，而且还是连续的七天。

加时工作天比不加时工作天还多，真的很无语。

这不是我想要的新的一年的形式。我要把加时工作量大幅度减少，我是真的希望今年的加时工作总数是两位数的。

我需要敢敢的放下、狠狠的放下，坚守准时下班，不加时工作。

想很容易，讲也不难，但真的要做到就…

唉～

加油吧，我自己！要及时止损，再这样下去今年又会失守了。

随兴随想 |系列|

If all goes smoothly

Whenever I have to commit a delivery date for thermal simulation results, it is already a second nature for me to state the date with "if all goes smoothly".

Those asking for a date almost always want the results sooner, and somehow believe that as long as they asked or a shorter delivery date, the thermal simulation will magically be completed faster.

This keeps happening regardless of how many times I state a realistic turnaround time, and that is with me already committing to an optimistic time frame assuming everything goes smoothly, without any major hiccup.

Of course I wish that everything would go smoothly, there would be no unexpected issue, and my thermal model and simulation would be perfect and needing only run once. I sincerely hope so, honestly I do, who wouldn't want smooth sailing and least amount of work?

But reality is that thermal simulation is seldom issue-free, things don't always go smoothly, and regardless of how many times you pushed for results, the time needed for simulation doesn't magically shorten.

Usually when a divergence occurs in simulation, I can resolve it within two debug revisions, often just needing one. And if I manage that, I can usually still meet my committed optimistic time frame.

Usually, not always. But people just ignore the "if all goes smoothly" part, demand results and pile on the pressure when things go badly.

Took me thirteen or fourteen debug revisions to get a model to run without divergence issue in my recent project, can really do without the constant demand for results while I was trying my best to make it work.

The original model has no problem whatsoever, it's the computing resource that is lacking. Ran out of memory instead of divergence issue with the original model, forcing me to reduce the mesh size, which led to the divergence issue.

It's liberating when I got a temporary access to a powerful computer to run my original model and it ran without a problem, giving the constantly-hounded for, heavily-demanded results. My work has no problem, thank you very much, just the computing resource I have to work with is not up to par. Give me the right tool!

Since it's only a temporary access to the super-computer, I have to lower the mesh size of my original model for it to work on the computing resource I normally have. Basically I have to make my perfectly working model into a lower quality coarser mesh version with lost of accuracy and lots of effort for the 'crappyfication' process.

Anyway, ya, been stressed by this ordeal recently, because things simply don't always go smoothly.

Other |temperamental thoughts| category entries.

Resurrected & Remastered

Back in 1998, when the original StarCraft came out, I bought a copy, the good old CD version. Then later, when Blizzard released a StarCraft and its expansion BroodWar combo pack, I bought that too. So I have two copies of StarCraft and one copy of StarCraft: BroodWar.

Fast forward a couple of years, when Diablo II was released in 2000, I bought two copies, so I could play with my girlfriend then, who has since become ex-girlfriend after promoted to wife. Then one year later in 2001, Blizzard released Diablo II expansion: Lord of Destruction, which I duly bought two copies as well.

Now in 2025, after twenty odd years, because they are on 50% and 60% discounts, I bought StarCraft: Remastered and Diablo II: Resurrected. Basically the upgraded graphics version of the same games that run friendlier on modern computer.

For StarCraft: Remastered, the in game graphics are nicer, but Blizzard did not touched up the cutscene cinematics. I am rather disappointed, as Blizzard cinematics are usually pretty impressive.

For that reason, I decided to give my limited game time to Diablo II: Resurrected first, because it has upgraded cutscene cinematics! =P

Strange how just an uplifted graphics can make an old game feels like a new game. I guess probably because Diablo II gameplay stood the test of time, but I could be biased since I am a Diablo fan.

Diablo I absolutely left its impression, the first ever computer game that I played for a long time, the turning point when I truly became a gamer, and the reason why I bought every Diablo game since.

So ya, bought two old games in new skin, so to speak, and I am enjoying the Diablo II: Resurrected experience thus far. =)

Other |geeky gaming| category entries.

Chugging along

SoulBot-V, my gaming machine built in 2014, decided to stop booting up today.

Kid was still using it to play game yesterday and didn't noticed anything strange, but today it just stopped working.

I know it is an old computer, the original graphics card has died and has been replaced. Probably some other components as well that had to be replaced but I cannot remember.

To give it credit, it already outlived SoulBot-VI, the NUC I bought in 2017, which the motherboard died.

Anyway, with my rudimentary debug skill, managed to narrow down the problem to memory related, thanks to the labelled LED on the motherboard. Then through trial and error of removing the memory module, clean with eraser, putting it back, still failed, removing it again and putting it in another slot, managed to get the computer working again.

So good old SoulBot-V is still up and chugging along, but I know it's just a matter of time.

Other |hyped up heads up| category entries.