January, 2024

1/1 (Mon): The morning sun was its usual radiant self, but today held a unique significance—it was the first day of the year. Aware that nearly 50% of New Year resolutions fail within a few weeks and 90% by year-end, I've opted not to burden myself too heavily for 2024. Instead, I've reflected extensively on what truly matters to me and set only a few, meaningful goals. One such goal, which I'm sharing here, is a dedicated commitment to writing and note-taking on my newborn blog, vunotes.com. I've spent the entire first day of 2024 building the layout for this site. Now, at 10:29 PM, I'm content with today's accomplishments. The structure of the site is essentially complete, allowing me to start journaling from tomorrow. I'm looking forward to December 31, 2024, when I read these lines, will I be able to reflect with pride? Gambatte, Vu of 2024! :)

1/6 (Sat): Reflecting on the past week, two ideas from James Clear, the author of "Atomic Habits," immediately came to mind that I wanted to note here: making irreversible changes and selecting a community whose norms align with your desired values.

1/10 (Wed): "Asking the right questions" — My advisor has stressed this hundreds of times since my first day of PhD study. Even after nearly three years of working with him, I still can't underestimate the importance of this advice. Asking seemingly right but ultimately incorrect questions has led me lost for months despite putting in all the hard work. I am so fortunate to learn this significant lesson.

1/14 (Sun): Thinking a lot about this quote: "It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required." — Winston Churchill

1/19 (Fri): Best approach to the creative process: find a balance between inspiration and discipline—for example, dedicate each day to the laborer, such as writing 10 minutes every morning, and then allow time for the muse to strike. (I read it from here)