It’s been a weird month. I set some goals for 2024 and went about it totally differently than last year. The key this time around is focus. I tried top roping and loved it. Next step is to purchase a harness. I presented at work, despite hating public speaking. I got weird sick — I didn’t have a cough or cold or anything but I was drained as hell and lay in bed for like 3 days straight. I read a book that had so much potential but ended up falling flat. I completely messed up my sleep schedule. I ran for longer than I ever have in my life. I cancelled my pilates membership. A weird month indeed. I’m kind of a huge fan though. I hope the rest of 2024 is just as fun. Minus the getting sick part. I don’t need that energy.

I’m falling into a bit of a pattern with these year end reviews. One year I make a graphic, the next year I don’t. And so on. This year I’m just too tired to even consider doing it. Plain text it is.

This was a really weird year. I did my first solo trip. I read less books than I planned. Last week I ran a 10 minute mile — a personal best and 2 full minutes better than my previous time — without having run in months. I also did a terrible job of documenting the year, so I have no idea what made this year so busy and crazy. Anyway, here are some of the things that I did this year.

1. Traveled to 2 new countries — Mexico and Spain
2. Ran a 10 minute mile
3. Climbed my first v3
4. Wrote 12 blog posts
5. Got all 12 Duolingo monthly badges
6. Read 15 books

I’ve never been to a spa before. I’ve never really felt the urge to. But I’ve been seeing Korean spas all over social media, and now that it’s getting cold in the Northeast, it felt like a good time to give it a shot. And I loved it.

I loved sitting there for hours in the oversized spa uniform. I loved feeling truly warm after constantly being subjected to the winter cold. I loved the different saunas and feeling my pores open up. I loved the satisfaction of sweating from every square inch of skin. I loved the refreshing coolness after leaving the sauna. I loved eating the Korean spa food and trying the different desserts. I loved chatting with my friends in between saunas. I especially loved that going in and out of the saunas meant we were effectively forced to be phone free for the entire day.

So I’m a spa girl now. I’m already scheming to go back again next month. And the weather be colder, so the spa will feel even better.

I’ve loved traveling for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been dreaming of doing a solo trip for a long time. After putting it off for years, this month, I finally did it. I took a trip to Spain by myself.

A bunch of things were imperfect about this trip. Life got in the way of planning, so besides my flight, I didn’t have logistics settled until the day before I left. Because I was booking so last minute, my options were limited. I almost didn’t get the hostel that I really wanted to stay in and trains were more pricey. And then the morning of my flight out, I got incredibly nervous that I was in way too deep and had no idea what I was doing.

But once I got to Spain, everything seemed to fall into place. I landed in Madrid, and then caught a flight to Sevilla, where I spent two nights. I took the train to Granada, spent another two nights there, before heading to Madrid for four nights. I met a friend there, and spent three days exploring the city with her. After she left, I did a quick day trip to Toledo on the fourth day and then caught my flight back to the US.

I enjoyed the entire trip. I had complete liberty to do what I wanted. I could be incredibly selfish about how I spent my time. There was no pressure about expectations. The only person to make decisions was myself, and the only person to please was myself. It was nice to have the mix of solitude during the day and company when I got back to the hostel. I’ve also been casually working on my Spanish for the last few years, and while I’m far from perfect, it was really cool to be able to use what I’ve learned in real life both this time in Spain, and last month in Mexico.

Some things I would do differently next time — I’d love to travel for a longer period of time, but at a slower pace. During this trip, I visited four cities in eight days, which got a bit tiring. I would look up dining etiquette ahead of time. In Spain, people seat themselves at restaurants. I didn’t know this initially and had quite a few awkward situations before I finally figured things out. I also would do more hostels. I’d booked half hostels and half hotels as a failsafe, since it was my first time trying out shared accommodations. I ended up having a great time and meeting some really cool people, and would definitely do it again.

Overall, this solo trip was such a success, and I’m so glad I was finally able to check this off my bucket list.

Things that happened in September:

1. visited Mexico
2. took a trip to upstate New York and did all the fall things
3. started drinking protein shakes
4. got sick twice
5. visited Orlando and went to Disney World

It’s been another busy month and at this point, I’m just waiting the end of October when things calm down and I can finally just breathe again. But I’m having fun and living life and that matters too!

Things that happened in August:

1. reunited with a friend that I hadn’t seen in 5 years
2. saw a Broadway show
3. went home and celebrated a family birthday
4. visited Las Vegas for the first time
5. tried a gymnastics class
6. reunited with another friend that I hadn’t seen in 4 years

It’s been a busy month and I’ve been so tired that I’ve napped like 10 times in the last 3 days. This is all I have the energy to type out right now.

Winning this lottery after months of trying was so, so thrilling. It felt unreal. Let’s walk through it.

Firstly, it felt like the fates willed this to be. I got the notification just when I was about to leave my apartment for work. It was the smallest window of time where I actually had time to act and purchase my discounted ticket before time ran out. And then the ticket date! I won tickets for literally the only day that I would have been able to go in weeks. It was just too much of a coincidence. The Broadway deities had to be smiling upon me. Thank you Broadway deities.

I went after work. It was a hot summer evening, as it has been in New York recently. This also was my first time going to a show by myself, and it felt especially surreal. While the Theater District has its flaws, it can also be so magical. It’s the New York City younger me dreamed of.

The show itself was amazing as well. It didn’t live up to the original cast, but I also didn’t expect it to. It was so dynamic and there was so much movement. The lottery seats are extremely close to the stage, so it was hard to appreciate the intricacies of the choreography, but I really do think it was done well. I think the ensemble was actually my favorite part for this reason. And the close up seats meant that I could really appreciate their expressions and artistry as they moved across the stage.

I don’t know if I’d have bothered to see Hamilton normally, since tickets are so pricey. But for $10? An easy decision and a dream come true.

At the beginning of the year, I started bouldering. I got a membership and a pair of climbing shoes and I set a goal for 2023: to complete a V3. That was six months ago. And this past weekend, I finally completed my first V3.

I’m not a V3 climber by any means. I probably hover closer to a V1, edging towards a V2. The route type also plays a huge factor — I’m better at certain bouldering skills than others. But this achievement made me realise how much I improved in the last 6 months.

I’ve also been reminded of the importance of consistency. In January, going climbing diligently helped me get my first V2. It took another 5 months for me to get my first V3, but I wasn’t going consistently at all during that time. I spent more time regaining strength I’d lost, than making progress. In fact, I’ve made more progress in the last 2-3 weeks than I did in the last 5 months. And it all comes down to consistency.

I’ve also made a few other changes recently. I’ve started prioritizing sleep (an obvious strategy), and dialing back on other things. I stopped forcing myself to exercise on climbing off days. Instead, I started walking to work rather than take the subway — adding up to 50 minutes of low impact exercise each day. I stopped trying to minimize calories, and instead began opting for a protein rich diet, with a focus on whole foods.

And these changes have also helped me at work. I have more energy during the day. I have more mental clarity. I’m more productive. My life feels really balanced right now and I’m excited to continue with it.

May was a weird month. I nearly made a life-changing decision, but then backed out. I committed to a project that I’ve had on my mind for years and discovered… that I really enjoy it. I realised that I’m a little dissatisfied with life right now. Something is missing and figuring out what is top on my summer bucket list (that’s still in progress).

But back to reflections on May. I worked remotely for most of the month. I spent time with family and friends. I went to a concert for the first time. I gained weight. I went for my first run in months. I neglected real life. I got back to real life.

It was an eventful month. Next month is for me. Many of the things I mention are deliberately left vague for the sake of privacy. So all I’m going to say is, I really feel like I’m in a good position to create some great opportunities for myself. I feel like it’s the right time for it. Maybe next month, finally, I’ll have something more concrete to talk about. But I said that last month, so we’ll see!

This month has been busy, but at the same time it feels like I did nothing at all. Let’s see. I went to a museum by myself for the first time. I visited home. I visited a botanical garden. I finished a book finally after two months. I fell so ill that I basically couldn’t work for a full week.

I’m going to chalk April up to kind of a ramp up month. May is a big month. I have two trips and a quick weekend getaway planned. I have ideas for more solo adventures to squeeze in. I’m planning to get back into reading. I’m hoping to gain back the strength I lost while sick. Hopefully next month I have something I feel like talking about besides how annoying this lingering cough is. Onwards.