2025 - Wrapped
Last year I started a new tradition: reflecting on my year in writing. It felt good to hit publish, so I’m doing it again.
There’s something about stating goals publicly that makes them real. It’s accountability, the good kind that nudges you forward when motivation fades.
In 2025, I learned:
- The importance of effective planning across time horizons, from hours to years, and even decades.
- The necessity of taking action and consistently showing up (inspired by Karpathy’s famous tweet on Agency > Intelligence).
- The peace of mind that comes from having backup plans, because plans rarely go perfectly.
- The joy and resilience that come from practicing gratitude no matter what happens.
So once again, here’s my 2025 in review, and what’s next for 2026.
BOOKS
- Lonely Crowds, debut novel by Stephanie Wambugu
- Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets, autobiography by Lucinda Williams
- Post Office by Charles Bukowski
- Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks
- Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks
- The Old Man and The Sea by Earnest Hemingway
- Earnest Hemingway by Anthony Burgess (my thoughts)
- Small Country by Gael Faye (reread)
- A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
SONGS
- Arike by Kunmie
- Modesto by Pedro The Lion
- Heart on Fire by Little Simz
- Isaka (6am) by CIZA ft JAZZWRLD & Thukuthela
- Blue by Lycoriscoris (Grandbrothers Remix)
- Gatluak by Kronan ft Nyaruach (Bakermat Remix)
- Heart on Fire by Little Simz
MOVIES
- The Godfather (1972) (rewatch)
- The Great Flood (2025)
- One Battle After Another (2025)
- Crazy Rich Asians (2018) (rewatch)
- Jay Kelly (2025)
- Happy Gilmore 2 (2025)
TV SHOWS
- Pluribus (S1)
- The Gilded Age (S1-S3)
- Task (S1)
- The Pitt (S1)
- Andor (S2)
GOALS FOR 2026
Mostly continuations of my 2025 goals (proud to have summitted Mount St Helens).
- Highway 101 road-trip (PNW to SoCal)
- Play a group sport weekly (soccer, pickleball)
- Pray daily! Read daily! Write more (on this blog and elsewhere)!