What's good, y'all! Another heck of a year in the books. Time to sit back, and enjoy a little downtime.
Over the past few years, the spirit of New Year's magic has felt... missing. At least to me. A lot of my friends shared the same feeling – that the holidays don't feel as festive as they used to. Some say it's simply because we got older, and that childlike naivety and carefree attitude aren't quite there anymore.
In childhood, a lot of the festivity and excitement comes from parents and loved ones. They fuel that warmth in us as we wait for New Year's Eve and everything it brings.
As adults, we need reminding that the holiday spirit lives within us – and now it's on us to foster it and share it with the people around us. This December was full of classic Christmas activities: I built a gingerbread house with my girlfriend, watched Elf for the first time, and assembled the Lego version of the Nissan Skyline. And of course, I listened to 'Last Christmas' for the hundredth time, on numerous occasions.
What else was good in 2025?
Don't Look Back In Anger... Oasis Live '25
I won't shy away from saying to a stranger that I'm a die-hard Oasis fan. I've been listening to them regularly ever since I moved to Canada, and they consistently land in my Spotify Wrapped top five. It's hard to overstate how many times its music comforted me throughout my life.
When the announcement dropped that Noel and Liam finally put their 15-year-old feud aside and announced the UK and Ireland leg of the tour, I was ready to throw my money at the monitor. I woke up at 3am EST to queue on Ticketmaster and grab tickets for any announced show.
I really wanted the Dublin date – I'd never been to Ireland (unlike the UK). Plus, waiting for the North American leg just wasn't my vibe. When I joined the queue at number 8,000 something, I was very skeptical that fortune would be on my side. But I got the tickets – and almost a year later, I flew to Dublin for one of the greatest concerts of my life, with my sister as my partner in crime.
Two brothers let ego tear the band apart, then reunited 15 years later to give people the time of their lives (and collected some fat checks, of course 🤑). There was something poetic about experiencing that rekindled brotherhood alongside my own sister. And the Dublin crowd was unreal – strangers hugging, singing along, and turning the whole night into something special.
Round Two
What surprised me just as much was that when I shared my Dublin plans with my school friends last December, we actually committed to a follow-up summer 2025 reunion – a trip that made it out of the group chat.
The gang of four first came together in Berlin in December 2024. Cigarettes and alcohol were very much involved as we spent seven days and nights exploring the city and resurfacing memories we thought had been buried somewhere in the back of our minds. By the end of it, everyone was sad the adventure had ended – but we were already anticipating the next chapter, in new places.
Round two took us to Ireland, and then on to Spain, with my sister joining the crew. The result: nearly two weeks of action, laughter, drama, and memories that will carry for a long time.
As you can see, neither my friends nor I can be trusted with directions.
Running Community
2025 was a year that I found a running community that better alings with my personality – only sick people would meet up by the Well downtown Toronto at 6am for a 6k run!
I first joined in the winter of 2025, at -10°C, fully geared up and wearing a puffy jacket out of fear I'd freeze my ass off (a rookie mistake I learned the hard way). The voluntary adversity felt rewarding, though.
I enjoy hanging out with the group at the cafe after runs and catching up. This is a very wholesome group of interesting, inspiring, and genuine individuals. Do I enjoy early morning runs? Absolutely not. But I am looking forward to more morning runs with my Daily Acta people in 2026.
My First Freestyle Battle
I've been a member of Footnotes Academy since late 2024 – a community focused on street-style dance across multiple genres, with a strong emphasis on freestyle.
Freestyle has always been hard for me. You have to catch the song's pattern within two counts of eight, then layer groove with rhythms, move, and be present – all at once.
It's not surprising why this is difficult beyond just dance. Growing up, we're told to wear school uniforms, raise our hands only when asked, and give answers teachers expect. We aren't encouraged to think freely or express ideas openly. That mindset often carries into adulthood, where people choose to follow someone else's dream instead of building their own – even when they have the skills to do so.
I'm one of those people, too. And I'm starting to challenge that.
I entered my first locking battle this summer. I didn't make it past prelims and danced for only 45 seconds. The emotions were mixed: on one side, disappointment for not delivering what I imagined, but pride for stepping into the ring.
I've realized that an expert is simply someone willing to mess up more times than an amateur is willing to try. So I plan to keep putting myself out there – and keep screwing up until it clicks.
One Year in a Relationship
A few days ago marked one year with my beautiful girlfriend. She's awesome!
One thing I've learned is that you don't need try hard to make someone like you. A relationship is a two-way street, and reciprocity can't be forced – it's either there or it isn't.
You also don't need to change yourself for another person. Eventually, your true colors come through anyway, so it's better to stay authentic from the very beginning.
Readings
I read about a dozen books in 2025, both fiction and non-fiction. A few months ago, I felt the urge to dive into literature from the Napoleonic era, and I'm currently halfway through the first volume of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. It's nice to read something epic, so you can later brag to your friends that you've actually read it.
One thing LLMs are good at is visualizing Tolstoy's extremely detailed descriptions. Since I care about actually understanding the text and its historical context, I sometimes ask ChatGPT to generate images from passages – and it does a solid job.
2026 bucket list
Here's a list to keep myself honest in 2026 (no particular order):
- Travel South America
- Take my girlfriend to Europe
- Ship that project I keep overthinking
- Gain more muskels (78 kg, < 12% body fat)
- Read at least three volumes of War and Peace
- Compete in more freestyle battles
- Move to a new place
- Keep daily phone screen time under 2 hours
- Take a boxing class
- Reach 80 WPM typing speed
À bientôt!