2024 - a Belated Update

It has been half a year since the end of 2024. A lot of things happened. Some of them are not great, but most of them fortunately, have been wonderful. I started off the year with a lifetime gamble - to switch job from a high paying role where I’m guaranteed to make very decent amount of money (with the caveat that I was absolutely burnt out - then later bored out, with no self-improvement in sight) to another company with lower level role (but I did retain most of the pay).

It doesn’t sound like a bad deal, but it comes at a time of turbulence in my sector (tech). People are getting laid off left and right, horror stories about rescinded offers right before the supposed start date, etc. The experience was inducing all sorts of anxiousness and late-night overthinking to say the least. The saving grace was my determination that I put in my last yearly update:

But I know I won't regret it. Fully living in a non-ideal state would be better than just being stuck perpetually in a glorious castle waiting to crumble.

I’m really grateful that I wrote my thoughts at that point of time. I was able to look back and see the whole reason why I took this path. So I tread my way, do my best in my new company, and it paid off. My work schedule is much more bearable. I met a lot of wonderful colleagues. I got assigned to a team with a great manager that cares and helps as much as he could. My mental health recovered a whole lot and I was able to live an enjoyable life.

The first change after I regained my mental health is simply the amount of energy and positive feelings I have every morning. I wake up feeling fresh, eager to start the day, and do my best. It’s a total opposite from my previous state where I dread every single day. There are days when I wake up just to lay down, doom scroll various sites, and back to sleep again for the whole day. The feeling of exhaustion irregardless of whether I did any activities during the day or not is something I don’t miss.

It snowballed right after. Since I have more energy and enthusiasm to do things, I went and signed up for a gym membership. I also took a private trainer for a year. I manage to get back to shape (a bit), and train my body to have even more capacity for additional activities. I slept right on time (by that I meant, before 1AM) and woke up just nice at 7-8AM. It’s absolutely great in comparison to my insomnia previously.

With all the renewed energy, I started going out more to do my hobby - photography. Since then I met even more people, and make some new close(r) friends. The friendship goes beyond the hobby and sometimes we just meet to hangout for dinner or other occassions. As a foreigner, it feels like I’m getting out of a bubble. I have been introduced to new things - local spots, food, pastimes, etc - some stick rather permanently ever since.

From the same hobby - I also met my girlfriend. We are both very introverted but for some reason - can’t stop talking to each other. We hit it right off the bat after our second meeting - we started talking on daily basis, meeting every week or even more, share personal preferences and stuffs. Three months later - I asked her out - and she said yes. Ever since then, we went to two different countries together and become closer than ever (through experiences - and occassional fights of course).

With that being said, not everything is without regret and challenges. Sometimes I thought to myself about the financial gain I left behind due to my job switch. My previous company stock unexpectedly increased by 3 fold - an amount that would allow me to comfortably retire in 3-4 years with the amount of stock the company has given to me on my promotion. I would essentially get almost double the compensation if I have stayed. It’s a bit sad to have left those all behind - but then remembering how bad it was for my personal life - I think I would have chosen this path even if I knew all of these would happen.

My relationship with my previous colleagues also went sour - especially with my ex-manager. I tried to communicate with him, but he decided not to engage with me anymore. I can see his perspective - essentially he was pushing me up for a promotion while I sneakily apply for another job elsewhere. I appreciate his help throughout my career a lot - but maybe in the end, my actions just amount to betrayal and he had enough. I would never know the true reason, but it’s very much a possibility. I decided to hide my job search from my manager as it would have risked my current job (selection process were tight and I don’t even know if I would make it) and my backup plan (the promotion). Decision were made - there were consequences - end of story.

Overall though, it has been a good year. I’m planning to be more active on this blog, maybe write some experiments with all sorts of technologies - especially the craze on AI and LLMs. I think this technology could help a lot of people if used correctly, hence I would start learning about it. I’m also making plans to possibly settle down with my partner - if we make it that far.

I truly hope for a “boring” year, given all the external turbulences happening around the world. Nothing much I could do about that - so I’ll try my best not to worry so much on those - and focus on what I can do.

Here’s one towards a better 2025 for all of us, cheers.