
Last year I put my goals on the internet where any friend, foe and in between could discover. As scary as it was, nothing really happened negatively to me that stopped me from doing it again. So here we are.

> Hungry dogs run faster.
> — Jalen Hurts

These goals will be fluid. In a year a lot can happen and a lot will change, so I may add or remove from this list as time goes on.

1. Move to NYC and get a software eng job there.
2. [Redacted health-related] - _will unredact if I accomplish it_
3. Cut down on spending and focus on underconsumption. Build savings and increase my investments hit [Redacted target numbers].
4. Make meditation a daily habit.
5. Run a half marathon (or marathon if I'm able to do a half decently).
6. [Redacted personal related] - _will unredact if I accomplish it_
7. Get to 1000 subscribers on YouTube, and build a TikTok following.
8. Keep a regular habit of journaling either via computer-based apps or ideally offline with pen and paper.
9. Keep in touch with friends and family, and foster new relationships.
10. Be more open, smile more, talk to random people and give more complements.

If you have any goals that you're working towards, please let me know. I love to hear about what people are working on and thinking about doing.

Naveen


Goals for 2025


This blog post is going to be a reflection and I guess a commentary on the year that was 2024. I think for a lot of people this year was crazy in so many ways.

> Life is Live
>
> - Timothée Chalamet

## Change

I started my previous blog post talking about change, and I'm going to do it again. Every year I like to think I've changed, grown, developed whatever kind of adjective you want to throw in there. But this year in particular I think no word more accurately describes what's happened to me than change. I've made some changes in my environment (notably moving countries), who I hang out with and associate with, and my general mindset. And I've made moves that will lead into 2025 and put myself in a better position to succeed not just for next year but going forward (that said, only time will tell if the seeds I'm planting today will flourish in the future). Normally I find myself in situations where I'm oscillating between good years and bad years. I don't tend to view the year as a whole as a binary good or bad year, because obviously there would be some amazing moments and things I can't forget about in every year. Life is made out of moments and yes, there have been ups and downs and moments I'd rather not have experienced. But the sunshine always follows the rain (I'm not actually sure if it does, but I love the song by Yoko Miwa Trio, so I'll hope it does). If I were to look at me as a whole compared to the person I was at the start of the year, I'm almost unrecognisable. Appearance wise, I don't think that much has changed, lmao, but inside, I think I spent most of the year rebuilding myself from within.

Certain hobbies and activities I don’t engage in as much, while others have received a significant uptake in importance as well as time I spend. Unfortunately, for some reason, music listening is one of those that I just simply didn’t do as much. I had only 31,052 minutes, which, if you know me, is pretty insane given how much new music I listen to. It’s even more insane that Christopher Luxon, the PM of New Zealand, has more Spotify listening minutes. I think my only saving grace or counterargument is that I’ve listened to infinitely more podcasts/long-form videos on YouTube instead of just listening to music itself. Is that much of a saving grace, or does that just mean I’ve reached unc status?

Hopefully, I'm not jinxing myself, and I'm kinda praying I don’t, but I have a feeling 2025 is going to be a year to remember for me. I also want to say that change hasn't only just affected me; it's affected friends and family. I'm so happy and fortunate to see so many people I care about flourish in different ways. An example being my younger brother making a move to NYC. He's one of the hardest-working, knuckle-headed at times people I know. But throughout all his ups and downs and journeys in his life, he did it his own way, brick by brick. For that, there's nothing more than I can say than I'm so happy to follow his own path. To be honest, only a couple of years ago, I don’t think I would’ve been able to say that; maybe in the future, I’ll be able to talk about that more.

## Goals in review for 2024

I wrote down my 2024 goals in a blog post that I published early in the year. I’m going to go through them; some will remain redacted just because I still feel at this time in my life that they are too personal to put out into the internet. This will likely contradict what I am going to say later on, but please cut me some slack; this is my first time living this thing we call life.

1. This was getting a job in the US. - I didn’t achieve it, but I’ve made some progress towards it. Plus, I made a move to Melbourne.
2. This was a fitness-related goal. - I’m not going to explicitly elaborate on it, but I definitely made a lot of progress towards it.
3. Cut down on useless spending and keep my investments and savings growing. I have specific numbers I want to hit but will keep them on the down low. - I achieved those numbers; I did cut down on a lot of useless spending in some areas but made some dumb purchases and unfortunately added a bit of lifestyle creep. In 2025, I want to fully lock in with this.
4. Have more consistent wake-up and bedtimes. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep. - I think I achieved this; I swapped back from the Whoop to Apple Watch (maybe I’ll explain this in a future blog post), but at least for the past 6 months, I’ve been averaging about 9 hours (8 hours 57 mins).
5. Stop using devices, be it my phone or computer, in bed. - I started off strong and changed that. I don’t actively scroll social media, but I still queue up a video and fall asleep to some random shit.
6. Get my RHR (resting heart rate) to 55. - I didn’t achieve this. I got close for a couple of months, but then life and its various factors took over. Not really a valid excuse, I know, but something I will also be focusing on in the year ahead.
7. This was a personal/family goal. - I barely made progress on it, mostly because I wasn’t trying on it. My focus at this point in time doesn’t really lend itself well to this goal, unfortunately.
8. Get back to uploading YouTube videos after completing personal goal #1 and aim to get 1000 subscribers. - I didn’t really accomplish this because I made a move to Melbourne instead. At the time of writing, I have 208 subscribers. But hopefully, in the new year, I’ll get to uploading consistently. I filmed a lot of cool stuff while I was in Asia.
9. Keep a regular habit of journaling either via computer-based apps or ideally offline with pen and paper. - I’ve done this quite regularly. I wouldn’t say it’s a habit, but I moved towards a hybrid solution which I think has worked well for me. And I’ll carry this on into 2025.
10. Make meditating a habit. - I’ve honestly struggled with this. If anyone who reads this has any suggestions, let me know. I’m trying out a few recommendations in terms of schedules, apps, and the like at the moment. Hopefully, one of them sticks.
11. Add to my tech repertoire. - I’d like to think I have again. This goal was poorly defined, but as the year has gone on, I’ve been able to be engaged in a wide variety of work… .NET, GHA, AI (Playing around with different models and services), Lambdas, Workers, Terraform, Typescript, More debugging and code reviews, and hella test and architectural writing, and just random shit throughout the year.
12. Travel to more places and try different things. - I’ll address this later on, but yes, I achieved this. I’d say almost too well lol.
13. Say yes to more stuff (within reasons). - I think this goal at the time was focused on being more spontaneous and just not letting myself become a hermit drowning in my sorrows at home alone. In a way, I’d say I’m more out there, but at the same time, instead of avoiding the world, I actively look forward to being a recluse. I’m choosing to be alone, and I enjoy my solitude rather than that being forced upon me as a punishment, if that makes sense?

I think I did a decent job at least attempting my goals. Some in hindsight needed more thought and I guess should’ve been more aligned with the general focus I had going into the year. But idk I’m pretty with what I achieved and have some good learnings for the year ahead.

## Travel

I travelled the most in my life to date. Shoutout the Flighty app. I only came across it late in the year, and I wish I either thought of it myself or came across it earlier. It’s really nicely designed and just for someone like me who likes to stat track for something as relatively mundane as flights. It’s perfect and also serves as a good reminder of the things I’ve done. With that said here is some of my stats:

- I flew 19 times (8 domestic, 11 international, 4 long haul)
- I flew most frequently on a Friday and didn’t fly at all on a Sunday.
- Total distance covered 60,758km
- 14 total airports
- 9 total airlines
- 8 countries
- 3d 11hr of flight time

I think most notably, which aligned with one of my goals, was that besides the trip I had planned with my brother to the States, I took a relatively spontaneous trip with a good friend George to Asia (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore). More specifically, I visited Taipei, Hanoi, Bangkok, and Phuket. With Hong Kong and Singapore, I guess because of their size, I was able to inherently get a pretty big chunk of the country. It’d be impossible to visit all of either, but I think I did a decent job of at least getting a feel for both of them, and for the cities of the other countries, I definitely think I achieved the same.

## The Future

I’m excited for 2025. In the words of Katt Williams - “All lies will be exposed”. I’d argue that it wasn’t just lies that were exposed in 2024. There were a lot of things that were outed or just made sense in 2024. I think in terms of the tech world, look how far things have changed in terms of AI, Crypto, and the general consumer tech market. A lot can be said of the current state of movies and television. The role of social media and even the political landscape or climate has changed. I think a lot of these things, if not all, will come to a head in 2025 and whether it becomes a year to marvel or a year of meltdowns. I can’t say, but I can say that I am excited to live through it and experience it. Thanks to 2024 and all the people, places, and experiences I encountered this year, let’s bring on 2025.

Naveen


A year to review (2024)


I thought I was going to be able to keep up the writing habit, but unfortunately I've been too busy with other things. I will try to explain over the course of this blog post. But what I won't do is promise that I will go back to being active on here and writing regularly. I just know if I write something down right now I'll forget about it. I'll come back to it when I come back to it and be like damn I was capping again.

> wooimabouttomakeanameformyselfere
>
> - Gambit(Channing Tatum)

## Life Updates

The first big change and probably one of the most consequential, is that I've hopped over the ditch. I'm now living in Melbourne, which is both far and not too far from home back in Wellington. I've visited Melbourne a few times before moving over so it wasn't like I was going to experience this great unknown. But nevertheless visiting a place and living there are two different things. So I'd say there has been a period of adapting and getting used to things but I'd say I'm pretty used to things now.
I think the comparison of Sydney being an upscale Auckland and Melbourne being an upscale Wellington is apt. I can confidently say at least for now, that I don't regret the move one bit. In hindsight I should've probably dipped earlier but I ended up here anyway.

## Change in Country

Why I moved, the answer can be distilled into 3 main reasons:

1. A change in scenery and vibes.
2. Chasing the Pesos.
3. It felt right.

For 16 years of my life, I was based and setup in Wellington. I grew up and became an adult in Wellington. I think the "coolest little capital" self proclaimed title is actually an accurate way to describe Wellington. But that's the thing it's little, and after having done more travel in the past couple of years, coming back to Wellington was nice and refreshing. But it felt too little for me, and every time it just felt like I was coming back to the boonies in the sense that it seemed backwards and less just exciting to be there. I began to want to travel more as a way to escape the mundane, and it was at that point I decided for myself I just needed to change and needed to leave. Fortunately for me the opportunity arrived at work, where I was able to transfer internally to Melbourne, but not only that I would get to stay in the same team. Which was awesome and the cherry on the top was that they were able to adjust my salary to be in line with the salary ranges in Australia. Which if you weren't aware are higher than in New Zealand.

So I got to stay in the same team, change location and get paid more (have to now pay rent, bills, real life expenses so am I really getting paid more?). It seemed like a no brainer to not change. As my birthday was nearing as well, at time of writing I have since turned 25. It felt like this eagle needed to take a leap and leave the nest.

## Feelings around work

I'd say right now, I'm at this weird crossroad when it's come to work. I feel really fortunate to one have a job in this economy, and two be in an environment where I'm still learning where I really like the people I am working with. The thing is that I just have this nagging feeling that I could be doing more or that there could be more interesting work available. At the moment I need to take some time to assess whether another leap is the right move for me. Again I'm fortunate to be in a place where I can take a jump rather than be pushed.

## Age++

Since the last time I've written something my age has incremented by one. I'm not normally one to do a big birthday celebration or make a big deal. In fact I kinda detest it, for some people I can understand it, but for me I just feel weird about it. I don't like the attention and I'd rather have people be happy and treat me well everyday. Rather than have an over the top, exuberant celebration of myself. Idk if that makes sense but that's just how I feel I guess.

I think also after my trip with my brother, potentially my prefrontal cortex may have started to mature. As I'm writing this I feel lot more at peace with myself now. I don't feel any rush to make decisions like I did before and I'm happy where I am right now and the person that I've become. That's not to say that I've stopped grinding, don't worry I still got goals that I want to hit and achieve. I just feel a bit at ease to take a moment to smell the roses. Again I'm not entirely sure that just came from aging up but maybe it did?

## Random Future Blog Post

Another update since the last time I wrote, I went back to the land of the free, the USA, with my brother. This feels like ages ago given that I moved countries as well but that experience proved to be truly eye-opening in numerous ways. While I am American, my formative years and the person I've become were shaped outside its borders, so returning felt both oddly familiar and somewhat distant. Nonetheless, it was a journey I thoroughly enjoyed, and I plan to share more about it in a write-up soon.

## Gratitude

I think another big lesson and feeling I have that is welling up inside of me. Is of gratitude, I'm thankful for:

- the people who have I've met
- who've been with me on various journeys
- who've I've gone on different pathways from
- who are still with me today
- who I'm yet to meet
- and all the opportunities, help, people, places and anything else past and present that I've interacted with

Idk I find it hard to express just how grateful I am for everything. And in a way when I look back and reflect on my quarter century of life lived so far. Yes there have been some amazing ups and some even more horrendous downs. Wins, losses, celebrations, disappointments and everything in between. Certain things I prayed for never came true and yet I was still blessed in ways I could've never expected. I think as I look back I am where I am, and it's almost poetic in how things just found a way to work out for the best.

Naveen


Down and Under


It's the end of April and I haven't wrote anything since January. So to ease myself into the habit of writing I'm going to share the podcasts that I've been enjoying.

> How the f--k you big-steppin' with a size-seven men's on?
>
> - Drake

## Podcasts

I've kinda leaned off listening to music. I still bump stuff when I'm at the gym or listen to mixes while I'm working. But generally speaking I don't listen to as much music as I used to. What's filled that void instead is Podcasts and a wide variety of them. So, in no particular order here are the podcasts that I've been listening to:

- [Flagrant (and the patreon)](https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialFlagrant)

- [Brilliant Idiots](https://www.youtube.com/@BrilliantIdiotsPod)

- [What Now with Trevor Noah](https://open.spotify.com/show/122imavATqSE7eCyXIcqZL?si=eeabae88a9f24487)

- [The Ringer MMA Show](https://open.spotify.com/show/6Hz0d62BaXRMih8RjZ5Hov?si=25312b86055845f7)

- [Nightcap](https://www.youtube.com/@NightcapShow_)

After reflecting seems like I'm listening to a lot of sports related podcasts haha. I'm always open to recommendations, so if you have some please do send them my way.

## Random:

Recently, I went back to the land of the free, the USA, with by my brother. The experience proved to be truly eye-opening in numerous ways. While I am American, my formative years and the person I've become were shaped outside its borders, so returning felt both oddly familiar and somewhat distant. Nonetheless, it was a journey I thoroughly enjoyed, and I plan to share more about it in a write-up soon.

Naveen


Podcasts


The end of Jan is slowly creeping closer so with that in mind, I decided to get some of my thoughts about this month into writing.

> Thank you to everyone who believed n me and the incredible support. Those who didn&#39;t… well that makes you look like a dumbass!
>
> - Dricus Du Plessis

## Trying new things

As I touched on in my 2023 in Review blog post. I could feel that the energy that was around me in 2023 was changing and that I felt 2024 was going to be different. 22 days into the month, I can confirm that is the case. I feel a great tailwind at my back instead of headwinds. I feel a lot more motivated to try new things and get activities done. If that will be the case for the rest of the year, remains to be seen. One of those things is trying out new apps to help me in a range of fields.

These are some of the new apps I'm using:

- [Pile](https://github.com/UdaraJay/Pile)

- [Calmly Writer](https://www.calmlywriter.com/index.htm) (what I&#39;m using to write this blog)

- [Headway](https://makeheadway.com/)

- [Feedly](https://feedly.com/)

- [Balance](https://trybalance.app)

- [Amie](https://calendar.amie.so/)

- [Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai/)

- [Vocabulary](https://apps.apple.com/th/app/vocabulary-learn-words-daily/id1084540807)

- [Strong](https://www.strong.app/) (used to use this but locking in on the gym this year)

I&#39;ll do an update later on detailing my experience using these apps.

In terms of writing, this blog post will probably be all over the place in terms of ideas and topics. Future posts will be a lot more focused on a main theme/topic however I think will aim to do a monthly post that sums up a range of thoughts (cause this will give me room to explore random ideas lol).

## Slowing it down

I came across this [blog post](https://signalvnoise.com/posts/3124-give-it-five-minutes) by Jason Fried. These days we are encouraged to act faster, think with our guts, life is finite, and countless other adages. To a degree that quick thinking mentality is beneficial and generally holds true for a lot of situations. But there is something to be said about taking the time to slow down and collect one&#39;s thoughts. Instead of being dismissive of a thought or opinion, take sometime to think first and then react rather than the other way around. Jason said it best:

> Learning to think first rather than react quick is a life long pursuit. It&#39;s tough. I still get hot sometimes when I shouldn&#39;t. But I&#39;m really enjoying all the benefits of getting better.
>
> - Jason Fried

This is something I&#39;m trying to incorporate in both work and my personal life.

## The day music (reviewers) died

Earlier this month Pitchfork was formally [folded into GQ](https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/17/24042208/pitchfork-to-be-absorbed-into-gq-layoffs). As someone who growing up would love to read their reviews I wondered to myself, is this the death of music reviewing? To answer that in a way yes but also no. I can&#39;t honestly say the last time I actively made my way to Pitchfork and sought out one of their reviews on an album. Instead, I&#39;d just go check Twitter/X, Youtube or TikTok. I think there lies the problem. Before the proliferation of short-form media content, I&#39;d argue music reviewers and critics were the source of truth when it came to music. They possessed a certain cachet, offering consumers not just information but a trusted taste that could either elevate or dismantle an album. These days with app algorithms being so influential, anybody can press record dunk on an album without even listening to it and have it go viral, and a lack of trust around Media. Why, then, actively seek out a music reviewer's perspective when a tranche of information is at your fingertips?

For me, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and these other established music media giants became more politicised and sensationalist. I guess, in an attempt to keep up with the virality of times. So they focused more on the shock factor of their content rather than the substance. Which I think is a huge shame, examples of this are [Peppa Pig scoring higher than Donda](https://hypebeast.com/2021/9/peppa-pig-6-5-kanye-west-donda-album-pitchfork-review-twitter-comparison) or the various absurd [Rolling Stones lists](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/rolling-stone-best-singers-list-that-snubbed-celine-dion-is-nonsense). All of which seemed designed to set the internet on fire.

My refusal to say yes stems from the belief that the landscape of music media is changing. While formalised media is dying, the quote-on-quote “new media”. Influential figures like Anthony Fantano and other content creators are ushering in a new era marked by diverse voices and a range of experiences and opinions that were often overlooked by traditional music critics. In this era of new media, the democratization of opinions and the diversity of voices contribute to a rich and dynamic discourse that resonates with music enthusiasts worldwide.

I share similar sentiments about film as well but I think I&#39;ll save that for a future post.

## Random:

Some random thoughts that I can&#39;t be bothered to flesh out but I found interesting:

- Domain Parking: I came across this [AI related domain](http://trace.ai) and god damn salute to all those people acting fast, hustling and holding down domains in hope of a pay check. I do wonder about those who hold domains for trends that never ended up taking off.

- Sleeper Agent LLM&#39;s and the case for transparent data collection: I came across this brilliant [tweet](https://twitter.com/karpathy/status/1745921205020799433) by Andrej Karpathy. These powerful models continuously process and scrape vast amounts of data, raising concerns about the potential consequences of bad actors tainting the well of information. In my opinion, the likelihood of such tampering is not a matter of 'if' but 'when&#39;. We know that there is a vast amount of data out there but there are no guarantees that those companies training those models have done enough to cleanse or clean that data. “Once a liar, always a liar.” That seemingly applies to LLM&#39;s as well, if an LLM was trained with poisioned data. Even after alignment training the LLM&#39;s could still act out maliciously (?!!?). This is a real threat and one I don't see being solved easily.

- Global Warming: It&#39;s been hot as fuck in Wellington, I&#39;m complaining but also I&#39;m not. It&#39;s not often you get to say “Can&#39;t beat Wellington on a good day” over the course of multiple days.

- Running: I got back into running after tearing my meniscus last year. It has been a slog to get back to even a fraction of what I once was. Yesterday, I managed to run consistently for an hour straight, averaging around 7:30 per km. It&#39;s definitely not the most impressive time, but for me, considering that I haven&#39;t been able to run properly pain-free, being able to go for that long and at that pace was huge.

Naveen


Jumbled January


It's scary and I'm not used to doing it but I'm going to put my goals out there into the ether that is the internet. Let's see what happens. Some of them are too personal, and I don't feel comfortable putting them out there just yet, so I've redacted them.

> I'm in the arena trying stuff. Some will work, some won't. But always learning.
> — Chamath Palihapitiya

I'm not the biggest fan of setting goals for the entirety of the year and working towards them. One because a year is so far away and things change, two I tend to forget them, and three because I find it easier to work in a kanban style approach. By that, I mean I pull in goals and work on them in shorter periods. So this list will ebb and flow as the year goes on. But here goes:

1. [Redacted career-related] - _will unredact if I accomplish it_
2. [Redacted health-related] - _will unredact if I accomplish it_
3. Cut down on useless spending and keep my investments and savings growing. I have specific numbers I want to hit but will keep them on the down low.
4. Have more consistent wake-up and bedtimes. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep.
5. Stop using devices, be it my phone or computer, in bed.
6. Get my RHR (resting heart rate) to 55.
7. [Redacted personal related] - _will unredact if I accomplish it_
8. Get back to uploading YouTube videos after completing [Redacted career goal], and aim to get 1000 subscribers.
9. Keep a regular habit of journaling either via computer-based apps or ideally offline with pen and paper.
10. Make meditating a habit.
11. Add to my tech repertoire (how to define this I have no idea but we shall see).
12. Travel to more places and try different things.
13. Say yes to more stuff (within reason).

If you have any goals that you're working towards, please let me know. I love to hear about what people are working on and thinking about doing.

Naveen


Goals for 2024


Amongst the endless amounts of reflective year-in-review content, I add another such post. This comes in the form of my first blog post of 2024.

> Anita Max Wynn
>
> - Drake

2023 was an eventful year for me, filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, and everything in between. Leading into 2023, 2022 was a tough year with mixed success. I succeeded on a professional front but on an emotional and personal level, it was a year filled with immense loss, anger and struggle. 2023 began with me carrying over those feelings. However, as the year went on I wouldn't say those feelings went away or diminished but rather they were abstracted away. Location played a big part in that.

## Travelling

I started the year off in Korea and Japan. An experience I will truly never forget and never likely experience again. Not because I wouldn&#39;t go back (For example I went back to Japan for a second time later on in the year), it's because I went when the borders had just opened up. Because of that, there were barely any tourists let alone locals out and about in either of those countries. If there was one thing I would want back from the pandemic it would be for the whole world to be that quiet again. That being said I did heaps of travel in 2023:

- Japan x2
- Korea
- Canada
- Australia x2
- New Zealand (Travelling to Auckland as I'm based in Wellington) x2

I have been fortunate enough to visit some incredible cities, my favourites that I visited were Melbourne, Yokohama, Tokyo, and Toronto. Each of these cities had an amazing vibe, and I would love to go back and visit them again. For me, travelling is not just an escape, but it's also a way to recharge my energy and get inspired. Every time I come back from a trip, I feel more motivated to just get some shit done. I look forward to travelling some more in 2024 and exploring more of this beautiful world. I think life is too short to not do so. Another cool tidbit is that I managed to fly business class for the first time as well.

## Growth

I have undergone tremendous personal growth over the past year. However, not all of the changes I have experienced can be easily expressed, and I am still in the process of understanding them myself. Nevertheless, I can confidently say that I am not the same person I was at the beginning of 2023. Of course, I am not perfect, and there is still a lot I need to work on, but that's just a part of life.

> I'M THE ELDEST BOY
>
> - Kendall Roy

## Goals

I am not one to declare my goals in public. I'm a build-in silence rather than in public kinda guy. Or to be more honest I just have a deep-seated fear of putting my goals out there and being laughed at. I find it challenging to deal with the added pressure of someone else knowing what I am working towards, especially on top of my already lofty and ambitious goals. Therefore, I deeply admire those who confidently put their goals out in the open and pursue them despite the noise. I hope to reach that level of confidence someday, but I am not there yet.

The few things that I feel confident enough to talk about are on the professional front. I achieved my goal of being promoted going from an Associate Engineer to a Software Engineer at Xero. I was able to pass my AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam and I was able to buddy and mentor a grad for the course of their rotation in my team.

On a fitness front, I had a mixed bag as my year started well and I felt dialed in. However, halfway through the year multiple issues compounded at once. I had some other personal issues come up, Xero was going through layoffs. And during that same period, I tore my meniscus playing football. I can vividly remember going to the physio to get my diagnosis and as I was waiting, my slack was blowing up. I was waiting in anticipation for both my diagnosis as well as an email that would indicate whether my time at the company was up. That was not a pleasant day, to say the least. I've been able to recover and make decent progress on my fitness-related goals but I wouldn't say I accomplished them.

## Consumerism

There were a few things that added to my life this year and that I enjoyed "wasting" my hard-earned dollars and doing my part to keep the capitalistic locomotive thriving:

- Whoop
- AirPods Max
- Asics Novablast 3
- Uniqlo socks and underwear
- LIFX smart light
- Arcteryx Granville 25 backpack
- More Chrome Heart rings
- Travelling

Lastly, I finally purchased a new laptop! The base model Intel 2017 Macbook I had that was by my side all this time. Which got me through university and through the door for multiple internships, and which helped eventually get me my gig at Xero was on its last legs. So I decided to finally join the M series of chips. I ended up picking a pretty beefy (and very expensive) M3 pro. I really should've done this sooner as it has made a world of difference.

## The year ahead:

I feel quite deeply about this but for me at least 2023 was kinda of a filler year, a warmup, a precursor, however, you want to phrase it. I made some deep inroads and great progress, however, it still felt like I didn't really do anything and I just middling or meandering around. In a way it feels like 2023 was Avengers: Infinity War. A movie that had its' ups and downs but it was more so a movie to build suspense and set up a grand finale. That's how 2024 feels for me at least it's going to be my EndGame in a lot of ways. I'm excited though to see what happens.

Naveen
