It all started 57 days ago. I went home from work and checked Steemit. I saw that @papa-pepper was hosting a new selfie contest. The task is to take a new selfie each day that meets the requirements of the challenge. I usually don't take many selfies but decided, why not? I didn't expect the contest to run more than 2 weeks but I lasted until Day 56, and was "almost" in the top 10 players left. Alas, I was No. 11. That's ok because I had a lot of fun and learned a few lessons in the process.

57天前我看到 @papa-pepper的新比赛。任务是每天自拍一张照片,但要依每天挑战的规定才不会被淘汰。我平时很少自拍, 但我决定参加了。可惜我是第11名, 没有进入前十强。但我学到很多。

Lesson 1: It is ok to make a fool of yourself. Don't take yourself so seriously

People who know me in real life know that I am usually a serious person who cares about how others see me. Some of my friends who helped me with ideas for the contest were very surprised that I was willing to do silly things. At first I was hesitant but then I went all in. Take for example the photo below, taken in a public place! The people eating noodles at the next table must have thought I was crazy. But even looking at this picture now makes me laugh.
第一,我学到不要太严肃, 可以不顾面子。认是我的人知道我平时蛮严肃, 所以他们很惊讶我願意不顾面子完成任务。例如在牛肉面店扮鬼脸。

Lesson 2: Strangers are nicer than you think

One of the tasks was to take a photo with 9 other people, and I was thinking to myself, where am I going to find so many people? I was away from home and far away from my usual group of friends. It so happened that I was going to lunch with 3 other friends that day and I decided to ask the wait staff and manager of the restaurant to help me. They were a bit confused but willing to help out!
第二, 我发现陌生人其实蛮好的。有一天的任务是跟9个人照相。我的朋友分散个地所以只好问餐厅的经理和服务生願不願帮忙。他们听不太懂我到底在做什么但願入镜。

Lesson 3: Learn to observe your environment carefully and you will find many resources

While I was travelling with my friends, I saw that the task was to make myself into a flower, with the requirement that I change the colour of my face and have at least a leaf on my arm. It was too late to buy construction paper and tape to cut petals, so I decided to "borrow" the orchids in the hotel we were staying at. I also got some leaves from a nearby park. This also ties in with Lesson 1 as I was also making a fool of myself in public.
第三,多观察环境,可以找到好多资源。有一天我还在旅行的时候要把自己变成一朵花。文具店关了所以决定用饭店的蘭花和公园的树叶。

Lesson 4: I have more creativity than I thought I did

第四,我比我想象中还有想象力。
Some of my favourite photos that I found captured my ideas well:

Task was to be buried in something
把自己埋在书里

Task was to act like The Statue of Liberty
把自己变成自由女神。用柚子当皇冠。

Lesson 5: Where there's a will, there's a way

One of the hardest challenges was to make a vehicle look like it caught on fire, have another person hold a Steemit sign and hold a Steemit sign myself. The day the challenge was set, I was still in the middle of traveling and couldn't use a car or bike at home. I was scared of asking a stranger to lend me theirs but managed to find an abandoned bike to complete the task. Also hard was the making it look on fire part. Luckily I found this metal bowl that had handles which worked out perfectly for holding the fire.
第五, 有志者事竟成
在外要完成任务不易。有一天要假装一台交通工具烧起来。後来找到了一台废弃的脚踏车。

Lesson 6: My parents are creative people and good actors

I wouldn't have lasted this long in the competition if I didn't have my parents @tungjungchen and @helenliu helping me. Good thing I had the chance to go visit them the past few weeks. They were very supportive and gave me great suggestions and were good actors in some of the tasks! See below for some of my favorites:
第六, 我的爸爸@tungjungchen 妈妈@helenliu很有想象力也是好演员。

Thanks @papa-pepper for the fun contest and your generosity.

@snooway