It’s already been a week into the new year, but I wanted to take this time to reflect on last year. I’ve already done that for travel, but surprise to say, there’s a lot more to life than trying to fit in a new destination every weekend! Here are the things that really stand out in my mind from 2016:

Career

• Made it a full year at my employer!
• Implemented nurture programs at my job, something that had not been done before.
• Completed my first two courses for a second bachelor’s in Computer Science. Two down, ten more to go!
• Opened up a travel consultation service!

Relationships:

• Have known my significant other for about a year!
• Was a groomsmen for the first time in my friend’s wedding
• Attended two weddings of longtime friends in one weekend: Saturday in Phuket and Sunday in Boston

Travel:

• Trekked to Everest Base Camp
• Visited Cape Town and the Cape Winelands
• Traveled for the first time with my mom in about a decade.
• Visited several new places: Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Seoul, Grand Canyon, Dallas
• Attended NYC, DC and Chicago Pride; was on the Google parade float at NYC Pride

Finances

• Paid off $8.5k towards my student loan debt. (Have about $14k left, originally $85k)
• Contributed about $9k towards my retirement accounts
• Increased my contributions to max out my 403(b) and 457(b) accounts in 2017

Health & Fitness:

• Ran three races this year: Brooklyn 15k, Philadelphia and Brooklyn Rock N Roll Half-Marathons.
• Set a PR this year on my half marathon time (2hr 15min)
• Walked or ran a total of 216.23 miles, over 55 days, for a total of 35hr 31min and 44 sec.
• Maintained a fairly regular and consistent exercise routine throughout the year.
• Maintained a consistent weight throughout the year (~120 lbs)

 

 

2017 Goals

I don’t really believe in resolutions per se, but these are some of the things that I’m looking forward to working on an improving in this new year:

• Improve my Mandarin Chinese. I majored in Chinese in undergrad and studied abroad in Shanghai and Taipei, but have barely used the language in the last three years. I just signed up for GLN’s Nearly Native Mandarin Chinese class beginning in February!
• Set another PR with my half-marathon time. As of this moment I’m running three half-marathons this year, all affiliated with the Rock-N-Roll Series: Raleigh in April, Chicago in July and Denver in October. Really aiming to finally get under two hours.
• Learn how to cook. I spend way too much on eating out, and in the new year I’d like to prepare and cook at least 50% of my meals.
• Continue working towards completing my second bachelors in Computer Science by taking at least two classes per term.
• Continue growing at my day job and helping more people achieve their travel goals with my consultation service.

Despite the ups and downs of 2016, it definitely was a memorable year. Looking forward to laughing, growing, learning and traveling even more in the new year!