Look back at 2025, look forward to 2026

First post of 2026!

Today, I drove my family to visit the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle, which has a Dragon Kiln that is still being used today. This was something that was just 11 minutes drive away from home but somehow (in 20 over years), I just never visited the place.

I am glad I went there with my family. As I get older and my parents age, having everyone healthy is a precious thing that I no longer take for granted. 

Here are some photos from today. 

 A playful family photo together =)

 

 The famous Dragon kiln...

Some of the quirky stuff you can find there. 

 

Look back at 2025

2025 was a year that I did a lot. I am not sure if I accomplished a lot, but let me walk you through what happened in the year.

1. Fab Academy

Man, this one was a real challenge which felt so sweet when I completed. You can find my entire journey here. 

2. Fab 25 Czechia

This trip is definitely a highlight of 2025. I completed Fab Academy and was so blessed to be able to attend my graduation in the Czech Republic. Wonderful experience!

 

3. Restructuring at Work

My department at work got restructured and as a result, I got moved to another lab. I cannot say that I was too happy with the changes but I supposed the silver lining was that I was moved into a teaching role that I quite enjoy now. I am only teaching one class now but this is something that I think I can venture further into.  

4. Healthier?

I joined a health study that gave me a smart watch and a health coach. I have stepped into my school's gym for the first time ever and hopefully, this is a journey towards a healthier life.

I also got my first pair of progressive glasses. I was wondering why I spend so much on other stuff but hold back when it comes to important things like clear vision. Well, wonder no more. I got it done.

5. My New Home

I collected the keys to my BTO (Build-to-Order) apartment. It is still not done yet but I am really excited for the day when my renovation is done and I can finally move in. My very own place! I just hope my neighbors are nice.

 

6. HK Trip 

This is another thing that I am really happy to have done this year. This trip is special to me because I got to spend quality time with my HK family (Pak Leung and Alice). I made a plan to go and just went. It was hectic and tiring, but also filled with fun, adventure and love. So glad I got this done.

Here are some highlights of the trip:

 

Christmas light up in Central

 

 Kowloon Walled City Park

  

 Toy hunting around Mong Kok

 

 Cheese baked rice with pork that I had for lunch at 4pm

 

 Hong Kong Museum of History

 

 Amazing Dim Sum at Master Chan's

 

 Fluid bear workshop at Tsim Sha Tsui

 

Dinner at home with HK family. Food cooked with love.

 

At the airport...

The flight home. The food and service on Cathay Pacific was good. Their baggage handling was horrendous. They lost my luggage tag when I flew in and broke my luggage on the return flight. I watched Superman and Nobody on the plane. Discovered and loved the song "More Today than Yesterday" by Spiral Staircase, which was on the Nobody soundtrack.

 

Reflection on 2025

I suppose the start of the year is a good time to evaluate the parts of your life. Like the year before, I'm using the life wheel for this.

1. Family and Home - 8/10 I am happy that I still have my loved ones with me. My parents are getting older but are still in good health, so I think this aspect is great. Moving out will be a big change but this will be in 2026.
2. Financial and Career - 7/10 I knocked a half point off because I am seeing real challenges at work. It is win-some lose-some most of the time. I still have things that I enjoy doing but there is also the mind-numbing trudge. Still, I largely managed to overcome challenges (such as Fab Academy) and progress.
3. Mental and Educational - 7/10 I think this aspect remains good. Even if I lost my 543 day streak on Brilliant, I am still happy to learn new things. I look forward to re-learning Zbrush in the year ahead.
4. Physical and Health - 7/10 Up a little in 2025. I took a little more effort and stepped a little more out of my comfort zone to be more healthy. For the first time in a long while, I'm back in the gym again.
5. Social and Cultural - 6/10 A little better? I suppose my friendships remain intact and the same struggles with loneliness remain.  
6. Spiritual and Ethical - 4.5/10 I haven't thought about this in too much detail. I suppose I still struggle at times but if you asked me if I believed in God today, I would say yes. I know I do not act like this is my truth and I am still very flawed as a person, but deep down I know I am connected to something much larger and more powerful than myself.

 

My Hopes for 2026

Here are my goals for 2026 and how I think I can achieve them... 

1. Harmony - Harmony is still a worthy goal for 2026. I would like to be more secure in my place and purpose, to be in tune with nature and with God's plan for me. To do this, I could probably be more deliberate in guarding my mental health, letting go of things I cannot control, and being more active in discerning God's plan for me.
2. Home - I would like to have my now barren apartment turned into a home. To do this, I will need to invest time and effort to work on my design, source good renovation firms, and have funds to do it.
3. Learning - I would love to learn more skills and enjoy using them. I think this one can be done by setting realistic learning goals, and seizing opportunities to learn.
4. Health - I want to be healthier. Being under 70KG would be a good target for me. I think I can achieve this by simply following my current path.
5. Leave your comfort zone - Some new experiences aren't going to be comfortable because they are new. Just step out once in a while so that life does not get too stale.