Frequently Answered Questions

I am living🏠 in Guangzhou, China🇨🇳, a popular city with developed transportations (underground🚇, BRT🚌, trams🚋) as well as beautiful tourism attractions📸.

My school is in Foshan and my hometown is in Guangxi Province.

I am Mulao Nationality (仫佬族) which nestles in Guangxi Province (my hometown). Learn More

While I am a student🧑‍🎓 in the city🌉 (e.g. at home🏠 and school🏫), I represent one of our members🙋 of our nation enjoying😊 and showcasing🎪 our local culture🥙 in my hometown🏚️.

While I am travelling✈️, apart from discovering knowledge🔬, I learn about some local cultures🥙, including food🌮, language🌎 and habits.

I passed🎫 Cambridge KET and PET, but I am going to fix my English pronunciation problem📣 for several months.

I also have taken an IELTS exam📝, with a Band 7.0 score. (Listening: 7.5; Reading: 7.0; Writing: 6.0; Speaking: 6.5)

This is because I didn't study well📝 in the past⏳ until 2019⌛️, so I need some time🕰️ to improve my English skills.

Note: This problem is being mitigated✅ since I have the opportunity to practise English💬 at my school and IELTS lessons.

When I talk with my new schoolmates, I will use English🇬🇧 first because it can improve my English communication skills. Then use Chinese🇨🇳 only if they cannot speak English.

Also, my school🏫 uses English to teach knowledge at all.

• 💻 MacBook Pro 2020 (Intel chip; 4 Type-C ports)
• ⌨️ Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse (use at my home)
• 🎧 AirPods Pro (first generation)
• 🏷️ 4 AirTags (on my backpack🎒, pencil case🗃️, water bottle🥤 and luggage🧳)
• ⌚️ Apple Watch 7
• 📱 iPhone 13 Pro
• 📱 iPad Air (5^th generation)

No. I don't take a nap🛏️ at noon. Some international exams📝 take place at 13:00.

I am a student at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in Hong Kong, China.

Yes✅. It is essential because it is far away🛣️ from my home🏠.

I will normally live in school🏫 (including weekends) and go back home🏠 only during holidays.

I live in the university Halls🏢 (dormitory).

I am studying various courses (computer-related) in the School of Engineering.

Unlike high schools, universities generally allow✅ electronic devices like phones📱, iPads and computers💻.

Sometimes they are necessary, checking courses and schedules🗓️, processing university email notifications✉️🔔, and finishing assignments📄.

I may travel to the Hong Kong city centre at weekends, depending on my study tasks📄.

Since the school may be far from an underground🚇 (MTR) station, I need to take buses🚌 to reach the nearest one.

My school is called: Guangdong Country Garden School (GCGS).

It is in Foshan, Guangdong, China, which is adjacent to Guangzhou.

Yes✅. It is essential to live in the school because my school🏫 is quite far away🛣️ from my home🏠.

I will live in school🏫 on weekdays and go back home🏠 at weekend.

I live in my school apartment🏢 instead of a dorm.

I can make some decorations🪄 around my apartment bedroom to build my own study environment. Learn More

I am studying Cambridge International AS and A Level🔍. As well as CAIE, we also study Edexcel Further Mathematics🧮 and EPQ🔬.

I am currently studying the following subjects📝:

Compulsory: Further Mathematics (YFM01)🧮, EPQ🔬, PE🏃, IELTS📝.

Optional: Physics (9702)📏, Computer Science (9618)🖥️.

My school bans📵 electronic devices such as smartphones📱 and game consoles🎮. It can prevent students from playing games🎮 all day, and even during the lessons.

However, we may take our laptops💻 and iPad (in our grade) and use them only for searching🔍 information on the Internet, preparing for exams and competitions, and making research projects🔬.

To learn more about my study routine, please see this article.

My website was previously a blog📄 sharing my tutorials🪄, personal routine⏰ and ideas.

Then I have started to share my study tips💡 instead of other types of articles.

Since August 18, 2021 after I have updated my website, it was changed to a website that shares study tips💡.

My website is targeted for some students, parents and teachers, for example:

• Students in international🌎 schools.
• UK Students, studying GCSE and A Level.
• University or college🏛️ students.

Most visitors on my website and users on Ken's Study Planner come from China🇨🇳 in different provinces and cities, especially Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

There are also visitors/users from other countries with the highest rankings: United Kingdom🇬🇧, Singapore🇸🇬.

In recent years🗓️, the website experiences Incorrect Target Audiences Problem📊 on the visitors/users count on my website:
The number of visitors and users in China🇨🇳 is far larger than the sum of such number in all other countries🌎.

Note that this data does not❌ contain robots🤖, search engine spiders🔍🕷️ and Internet proxies.

The number of visitors and users in China🇨🇳 is far larger than the sum of such number in all other countries🌎, even if:

• My servers were (previously) outside📤 China near📍 my targeted audiences,
• My website and services' main language is English🇬🇧,
• There are hundreds of indexed📥 pages on Google and Bing🔍 with high rankings📈.

Then, I realised🤔 that this is because (my guesses):

1. The Study Tips💡 industry was well-developed🏭 in other countries far earlier↩️.

This can be dated back↩️ to 2014 when Ali Abdaal (a UK university medical🩺 student) started his website🖥️ and YouTube Channel📹 (approx. 2017) sharing his study tips.

So, an increasing number of students are starting▶️ their YouTube channels🎞️.

2. These students are already using well made apps📱 (e.g. Notion and Forest🌳) which may also be sponsors💰 on some shared resources🗞️.

However, I estimate🧮 that this problem may be solved✅ once I enter university later on.

This means, in 2019 when electronic devices were not allowed📵 in my school lacking❌ Internet access🌎, I materially (very largely) had the same idea🌟 with Ali Abdaal sharing📤 study tips.

I estimated and promise that my website will keep running until at least 2035⏳.

After I graduate from university in approximately 2027 or 2029, I will keep my website running for a few years⏳.

I write and publish new articles on my website if I have free time⌛️. This rule is implemented to let me focus on studying📝.

If you want to receive my latest study tips and articles, please subscribe to my email newsletter📩.

No❌. Guest posts are not allowed on my website because I need to keep the originality of my content.

By observing other websites, blogs and vlog channels, some emojis😀 sandwiched in the long text can help me understand them easily.

So, from 2023, I will start using emojis on my articles📑 and videos🎥 to help students understand and demystify my content.

Since 2019, I have invented🪄 a new study technique: Discover🔍, Apply and Share📤 knowledge in real life.

This was kept confidential📦 between 2019 and 2020, sharing discovered knowledge only on WeChat Moments, private🛡️ to my classmates and friends.

Since 2021, I started sandwiching knowledge on my public content📄, in Green Boxes. I keep this tradition until now.

My servers have two types:

• Edge Server (for distributing files and data to nearby users)
• Core Server (for storing, encrypting and processing private user data, statistics, and so on)

Simply Speaking, in two cities:

• Guangzhou, China🇨🇳 (CN-CAN): Edge and Core Servers
• Hong Kong (SAR), China🇨🇳🇭🇰 (CN-HKG): Edge Servers only

The core servers and main edge servers are in Guangzhou, China🇨🇳 (CN-CAN; in China Mainland), the place where I live📍.

To attract🌟 more visitors and enhance user experience for university students outside the Mainland, I have some edge (forward) servers (like CDNs) in Hong Kong (SAR), China🇨🇳🇭🇰 (CN-HKG).

All services are available on all servers in both languages (English🇬🇧 and Chinese-Simplified🇨🇳).

Publicly-available files and data are distributed🔀 among all edge servers worldwide, but private🛡️data is only stored in core servers.

You can see which server🗃️ you have been allocated to at the bottom⬇️ of my website (you are now using my CN-HKG-E-01 server).

* ICP Registration (备案） is required to use servers🗃️ and CDNs (data centres) in China Mainland🇨🇳.

China🇨🇳 has the strictest Internet and data security laws📄, regulations and industry standards🏭 (e.g. Internet security hierarchical protection) to protect against data breach⚠️.

In recent years, the severity of Data Breach has increased, where hackers use weaknesses in website security, illegally obtaining data and selling them on the Tor🧅 network (dark web).
- summarised from Firefox Monitor (monitor.firefox.com)

For users outside China Mainland: If this policy is against your local📍 privacy/data protection laws and regulations, you can contact me💬 to process your data properly.

ICP is shorted by Internet Content🗞️ Provider.

According to China laws and regulations, only with ICP registration can the website use servers🗃️ and CDNs (data centres) in China Mainland.

It rigorously📑 verifies the identity of the website owner, using ID cards🪪, passports and/or company licenses.

It is used to prevent🛡️ Internet abuse⚠️ (e.g. prohibited content🚫) and identify fake websites (if the original website is registered).

There is a registration number (e.g. 粤ICP备xxxxxxxx号 for Guangdong Province) shown on the website footer⬇️ linking🔗 to the official verification website (beian.miit.gov.cn).

I banned🚫 users from using my services via Tor since 1 May 2023, because it has:

• Zero-logging policy;
• Always incognito mode🕶️ on Tor browsers;
• Random🔀 IP addresses, which change on every visit;
• Triple encryption🔒, making it almost impossible to investigate.

It may have these negative impacts:

• Disrupt⚠️ website statistical data📊;
• Disrupt⚠️ the IP address locations📍 display;
• Almost impossible❌ to investigate🔍 in case of misbehaviours.

In other words, Tor is majorly used for illegal🧑‍⚖️ and even criminal⚠️ Internet actvities like Data Breach🔐.

View Notice

Yes✅, you can access and use my website via both IPv4 and IPv6🔗.

I attempted🔬 to enable IPv6 in 2021 as part of EPQ Project, then enabled🎚️ IPv4 and IPv6 Dual Stack on all servers🗃️ in 2022.

Since 2023, I strongly attached the importance🔺 of IPv6 technology on my website.

The main drawback👎 of IPv4, in my opinion👀, is the “Coexistence Effect”🏘️.

For example, some students in a school🏫 with the same public IPv4 address may intentionally attack🗡️ a study resources website to make the school’s IP address banned🚫 and hence prevent🪧 other students from studying.

There are also some other benefits of IPv6. For example, it has enhanced security🔒.

Some technologies are also used for my EPQ project (A*; 27/28) in high school.

• IPv6
• HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security)
• TLS 1.2 and 1.3🔑
• HTTP/2
• DNS CAA (Certificate Authority Authentication)
• Load-balancing⚖️ with Many Servers (Allocated by DNS)
• Inter-server Data Synchronisation
• Forwarding Servers⏩ (outside China Mainland enhancing user experience)
• Email SPF and DMARC Security🛡️ Policies
• Data Encryption🔐
• Content-Security-Policy🛡️
• Dark Mode/Theme🌓 (using Apple system settings)
• Calendar🗓️ Import/Subscription in iCalendar (.ics) Format
• (Coming Soon in 2024) (JSON) API (Application Interface)🔌
• (Self-invented in 2021) Email Anti-fake System with Unique Codes
• (Self-invented in 2023) Automated Reminder System for Threatening Website/Internet Security (Massively Scanning Hidden Modules like “/wp-login.php”)
  • This also includes a Reminder Board (曝光台) displaying violations.

My website is non-profit❌ so it does not contain any ads📢 and affiliate links.

The scholarships💰 and revenue from study tips sharing lectures🧑‍🏫 are the main source for my web servers and the ISP bandwidth. That's why I can always keep my services and resources free.

• Scholarships💰 and Revenue from Study Tips Sharing Lectures🧑‍🏫 (60%, main source)
• Parent's Subsidy for my Research (30%)
• Giveaway from Hosting Providers and ISPs (10%)

My website is non-profit and free and there aren’t❌ any ads.

So, you are allowed✅ to use AdBlockers on my website, but please note that some features may not be working correctly under some AdBlockers browser extensions.

You can✅ translate the content on my website to your languages using some translation extensions🌎 on your browser.

No❌. In order to protect my original work, you cannot copy or reblog my contents without my permission.

Previously, I had used the WordPress platform with themes (templates) and plugins🔌 to make my website.

Since August 2021, all codes🧑🏻‍💻 on my website were written by myself using HTML, JavaScript, CSS, PHP and MySQL. I also have set up my servers🗃️ on my own. I no longer❌ use WordPress or any other templates.

No❌. All elements on my website🖥️ and products📦 were made by myself🧑🏻‍💻, including:

• Design🏞️ (e.g. UI/UX, posters, logo);
• Code programming⌨️;
• Web servers🗃️ configuration and maintenance;
• New technology🛠️ applications (e.g. IPv6🔗, HTTP/2).

However, I have recently invented🪄 a new “Collaboration for Beginners (零基础合作)” scheme (now under trial) welcoming students with interests😀 but without skills.

Unlike most other websites, apps, programmers and developers🧑‍💻 majorly using third-party platforms and embedded modules (dependencies) for convenience, I have the opposite view (not including third-party APIs) focusing on research🔬 for the following reasons:

1. Each third-party platform may have its own rules and policies📄 and may be difficult to get used to.
2. The policies (on third-party platforms) can be changed📝 at any time (with/without notice).
3. Third-party platforms may limit🚧 the number of views to a user's content (which may include fans/followers).
4. Ken’s Study Journey is non-profit and non-commercial (also focusing on technical research), while some third-party platforms may insert ads for users to maintain its free services.
5. I tend to self-research🔬 the basic principles (i.e. how it works; e.g. algorithms, programming logic) of the modules behind it.
   - This will develop my skills in figuring out technical logic🔗.

I usually send my latest articles📑, study tips, latest news, and so on.

You can subscribe to my newsletter📩 so you do not need to frequently check my website.

Just open planner.kenstudyjourney.cn🌎 and then click "Sign up" button at the bottom.

You can see the tutorials here.

Yes✅, my Study Planner is completely free with all features.

I have made this web-based app in my free time⏳, using my programming knowledge🧑🏻‍💻, to boost my productivity.

It could only be used by myself, but later I decided to share it to other students worldwide🌎.

I have been inventing🪄 my own study techniques🛠️ since 2019.

Previously, these techniques, including Ken's Study Planner app, is only known to and could only be used by myself🧑🏻‍💻.

Then, I decided to share📤 them to other students worldwide without charging any fees.

I will release and publish them on approximately in September 2023 to January 2024⏳, when I will in the university📲 and after I will learn more programming knowledge.

This is because I need to practice my English speaking📣 and pronunciation and enable people who cannot or are not convenient to read the text to 'read'📖 my articles.

Note: Audio articles are available in English🇬🇧 only.

I use Adobe Audition to record🎤 my audio articles.

It has an extra feature✅ that I can cut off✂️ sentences or paragraphs that has been read incorrectly❌ and record them🎤 again. So, I do not need to record the whole audio again and again.

Recently, YouTube recently started banning🚫 ad-blockers. This may seriously affect the user experience of Ken’s Study Journey channel.

Most other websites and channels are mainly for earning money💰, but Ken’s Study Journey is non-profit and non-commercial.

Since other channels are commercial, they are more motivated🌟 to keep making new videos🎥.

I use various software🖥️ to make and edit my videos🎥 based on their ease of use. They all support up to 4K resolution🖥️.

• KeyNote (for editing animations) 📺
• iMovie (for combining video elements) 🎬

Like Study To Success, the highest resolution on my videos is 4K🖥️ (3840 x 2160).

You can choose a suitable resolution, from 144p to 4K, depending on your network speed🎛️.

4K (60fps) is supported on my iPhone 13 Pro📱 with its large storage space. It is also supported on all video editing software🛠️ I use.

Not available currently❌, the main purpose of the channel is to attract more visitors/users speaking English.

Also, I don't have much time⌛️ to provide such subtitles.

My website is always non-profit and non-commercial❌, but I may earn money and profits💰 from my channel.

However, they are both non-profit and non-commercial❌ until I go to university.