The year’s end is silent, with winter painting the ground and sky in monochrome. Just like the previous year, you’re forced to spend the holiday week recovering from a sore throat and fever, feeling a bit bitter about your situation. Yet, perhaps it’s the universe telling you to slow down, reset, and reflect on how far you’ve come.
Proudest moments
This year you’ve loved yourself more than ever. By love, I mean it. A nurturing relationship with yourself with all 5 love languages. You dedicated time nourishing your soul, body, and mind.
Whether it’s running through all four seasons, swim, gym, yoga, and feeling great about your body after. You signed up for ballroom class; even when you frequently ditched practice sessions, I know those box steps gave you butterflies as you glide around the room. You ventured on to learn Chinese and Japanese, and although you still suck at it, last year you couldn’t have dreamt to be as good as you are now.
Then a solo trip to japan! glasses of cocktails, wandering around museums, hiking Fujisan, hopping between thrift stores, desserts, tea, reading, music discoveries, slow movies, nature, and photography - capturing every little thing that made you happy. The strangers you met, those late night conversations at the sharehouse. Or the date night at the jazz and sake bar. You then reunite with your family, finding brief moment of everlasting safety and comfort.
In filling yourself with love, your heart has become a river. You notice more capacity to love, to care, to give, to appreciate.
You welcomed new people into your life, transformed through each other’s presence. The mentoring you did, the date nights, the hustles. And in every small acts of kindness, even when given without expectations, you know that energy will have to go somewhere - based on the law of conservation of kindness. It will spread.
To you next year, continue to love, date, spoil, and grow yourself, even more than you do for others. Protect that love - even, and especially, from those you adore. Treat it as a polygamous relationship if you must.
Opportunities in 2026 that excite you
The age of AI is here! This year you’ve learned to trust it more. Along the way you discovered another side gig, a venture that fills you with both doubt and excitement. It’s daunting to invest your time and effort into a big, obscure dream, but no one can predict the outcome. Learn to fall, and don’t overthink your stride. It could be worth it. Aim for the moon, and even if you fall, you’ll be among the stars.
As to you next year, find joy in consistently bringing your ideas and projects out into the world. Allow yourself to consume the right things, dive deep into your passions, and make a museum out of it.
Muscles that you strengthen this year
Remember the silent, peaceful summer at Toda? Or the time spent gazing at a leaf in the heat of the onsen at Hakone? How about those long grueling runs, on the empty trails all on your own? The thrill you had learning about Sou Fujimoto’s architecture exhibition, and the moment Satake Makiko’s painting ‘Seaside Seeds’ brought tears to your eyes at the museum.
You were happy in your thoughts - inspired, excited, focused, in the zone. You’re in tune with yourself and you kept it consistent in your long runs and stretches, building endurance along the way.
To you next year, keep your stride small, consistent, and confident. Stretch a lot to avoid injury.
The year in general
For many, it was a really tough year. I was in japan when the civil unrest took place in Indonesia. Economic frustration magnified by governemnt irresponsibility and tone-deafness. Amongst the feeling of anger and hopelessness, there was also guilt of having the priveledge of safety. I’m no longer patriotic as I was, but the fact remains that our people deserve better and I love that we are standing up to it. The battle is never easy, and I wanted to help move the needle.
Climate change became more real than ever. Aceh in Northern Sumatera to say the least was greatly impacted. Massive flood destroyed hundred thousand homes, leaving nothing but mud, piles of timber and other debris from palm oil deforestation. For a couple of weeks, flood were happening all over southeast asia, painting a bleak picture of where we’re heading. Yet, witnessing the solidarity and resilience of communities recovering from it, taught me something about survival, community. What it means to be human.
To you next year,
Steven.