2025 Year in Review

Time really does fly. Another year has passed, and it feels like the right moment to sum up a pretty ordinary one.

💻 Work

Twelve years into my career. Nothing dramatic—somewhere in the middle, as they say.

What I did this year: Kept doing Web development as usual. I’m more open-minded about work now: less obsessed with grinding, more willing to try new things when they show up. Prefer a real work–life balance and not pushing myself too hard.
Technical growth: Started using AI tools like Cursor and Claude Code, and got a taste of Vibe Coding. Writing code has shifted toward designing products with AI; efficiency has clearly gone up.
Vibe Coding: AI is changing how we program. Using it made me see how powerful vibe coding can be. For straightforward tasks it can break down knowledge barriers and feel like a real “dimension drop.” That’s both risk and opportunity—only way through is to keep learning and grab the chance (classic “always hustling” mindset 😂).
Side gigs & side projects: Tried some freelance and personal projects this year. Realized my time management still isn’t good enough; I need to plan better and get more done in less time.

🏠 Daily Life

Routine

Sleep & health: Having a 🐱 has helped—I’ve been going to bed and waking up earlier, so my schedule is more regular. As long as work from the night before doesn’t spill over 😅.

Hobbies

Reading: Still mostly technical books. I’d like to step away from work reading more and pick up other genres to broaden the view.
Fitness: I’ve been casually working out for years with no big results—more for general wellness. Next year I might plan diet a bit more and aim for a more standard shape.

✈️ Travel

Places I went

I traveled a bit more than in past years. Sticking to the “at least one trip a year” rule—life’s for experiencing.

Altay road trip — Scenery was great. Last day we got stuck in heavy snow on the road and sat in traffic till dawn. Unforgettable in its own way.
Bangkok — First time in Bangkok. Lots of eating and wandering; international vibe was nice.
Tibet, Ngari (Ali) road trip — As a Guangdong native, first time seeing thick snowfall. Every day was another “co” (lake), very photogenic. I had altitude sickness and threw up on day one, but the trip was still worth it.

Takeaway

Getting out more, feeling different cultures and landscapes, does open your eyes.

Not much to say here. I try to be kind and care more about family. With friends I’m working on better communication and expression. More socializing, more going out, meeting more people, trying more new things.

🎯 New Experiences

Sports

Skiing 🎿 — First time ever. Alpine (two skis) was easier to start; snowboard was a lot harder. Planning to keep at it next year.
Badminton 🏸 — Joined the company badminton group for the first time this year. Good experience; played a couple of matches.

💰 Investing & Money

How it went: Overall not great—some wins, some losses, net negative, but almost back to even.
Lessons: If you don’t understand it, don’t invest. A lot of it is luck anyway; you won’t get rich from it. Better to spend time on things that add more value.
Going forward: Pay more attention to US stock ETFs and keep building basic financial literacy.

🌟 Turning 35

I turned 35 in 2025. Honestly it didn’t feel like a big shift—no “I must set big goals” anxiety like at 30. Accepting that ordinary is the norm. Still, it’s a good time to look at my life again and plan the next chapter.

Closing

Looking back at 2025: new experiences with AI and this blog, slowing down and simplifying in daily life, more travel and relationships and trying new sports. Investing was rough but the lessons were real. At 35 I’ve looked at my life a bit more clearly and have a better sense of what matters. Nothing spectacular, but every step was still growth.

Here’s to becoming a slightly better version of ourselves on the way. 🚀

Took me a while to finish this—time to start the next leg of the journey.

Last updated: 2026-03-07