Lately I barely keep track of what day it is anymore—unless it’s a holiday. Once the twelfth lunar month begins, time seems to speed up on its own. It feels like the company had only just announced the date and venue for this year’s annual gala a couple of weeks ago, and suddenly it’s already the last working week before the Spring Festival.
Around this time of year, the same topics come up over and over among working people:
- When does the holiday start?
- Is there a year-end bonus?
- What did you win at the annual gala raffle?
- How many days of leave do you have?
That, honestly, feels like the real flavor of New Year for office workers now.
I almost missed this year’s event.
The night before, on my way back home, I got hit with severe dizziness and waves of headache. It was so bad I felt miserable beyond words. Maybe only people who have gone through that kind of sudden spinning sensation can really understand it. I rushed through a shower and lay down, hoping rest would make it pass, but it didn’t help much. Even in bed, everything still felt like it was spinning, and I was nauseous the whole time.
I hadn’t been drinking, and I hadn’t eaten anything unusual. The dizziness and headache came out of nowhere. Since it was already late, I gave up on the idea of going to the hospital that night. I’m not even sure how long I endured it before finally falling asleep—maybe I was just too exhausted.
The next morning, I felt a little better when I first got up and thought maybe I had recovered, but then the dizziness came back, though without the headache this time. My family kept urging me to go get checked, so I booked an appointment with a pain specialist in the 疼痛科. I got to the hospital a little after eight, and it wasn’t until after ten that I finally had the paperwork to go for a CT scan.
Before that, the doctor pressed on a few spots around my head and cervical spine, asked about my symptoms and my work environment, and gave a preliminary judgment: migraine caused by cervical spine compression. Since the issue involved my head, the doctor still recommended imaging just to be safe. Once everything was done, I went home and slept almost immediately, all the way until close to one in the afternoon. When I woke up, I felt much better, so I dropped the idea of taking leave from the gala. I had a simple bowl of porridge and got ready to head out.
My partner picked up the CT scan later that afternoon and went back to see the doctor. The result was that there didn’t seem to be anything serious; it was most likely still related to cervical spine compression. The advice was pretty straightforward: avoid sitting too long and avoid keeping the neck under pressure for extended periods. About every 40 minutes, I should get up and move my neck around.
That part really hit home. When I get busy, I often lose all sense of time. Sometimes I can sit there working for two or three hours without moving at all. So it’s no surprise that both my neck and lower back have started to complain. Looks like I really do need to pay more attention from now on.
The annual gala itself was lively. There were 18 tables in total, and judging by the way things are going, it could easily grow by another one or two tables each year. Hopefully the company keeps doing well.
There were 20 performances and activities altogether, and the lineup was genuinely entertaining—singing, dancing, crosstalk, sketch comedy, rap, medleys, and more. The atmosphere was full from start to finish.
One of the company’s partners sponsored a bonfire and a fireworks show. Since fireworks are banned in Wuhan, these were specially transported in from another city. To be honest, I was pretty surprised they could actually set them off at all, and apparently no one stopped it. I only recorded a short clip. Growing up in the countryside, I saw plenty of fireworks as a kid, so I didn’t feel particularly amazed by it.
Wuhan really has had a warm winter this year. Lately the temperature has been hovering close to 20°C, though mornings and evenings are still chilly. If you skip the padded jacket, it feels cold; if you wear one, it feels too warm. On top of that, flu cases have been on the rise recently, so it’s definitely something to watch out for. Still, I’m hoping the weather stays mild through the New Year.