This post marks the 4^th iteration of my quarterly check-in posts (1, 2 and 3), which I guess marks one whole year of reflecting in a public domain. I always find writing these helpful as they provide a sense of stability amongst the busyness of life, so I have no reason to stop. As always, I’ll aim to answer the following questions regarding the last 3 months:

1. What was good?
2. What wasn’t so good?
3. Goals for the months ahead?

The good

1. Travelling

This period was the busiest travelling period I’ve ever had. Two new countries visited: New Zealand and Malaysia, and one new city: Canberra, on top of Perth and Sydney to visit family. Travelling this much was new for me and though it was undeniably tiring, I enjoyed creating experiences with some amazing people. From the mountains of Wanaka to Char Kuay Teow in Penang, these travels have given me insight on how beautiful this world is and how little of it I’ve seen. As a result, a resolution of mine is to travel more this year. One new country is already planned: Germany, for the Berlin marathon in September, which is exciting.   

2. Writing

In my last check-in post, I made it a goal to write publicly 3 times a month. I’m pleased to say I’ve managed to keep to this goal, with 9 posts being written over the last 3 months. Finding my own writing style is still a work in process, though it’s been fun playing with the style of personal dialogues (e.g. Challenges of Medicine) vs. more essay-based styles (e.g. The Queen’s Gambit and Undiscovered Narratives). I personally enjoy writing both, though the more dialogue-based posts tend to require a bit more vulnerability. I’m looking forward to writing and experimenting more this year, with poetry and short stories on the radar.

3. Reading

For me, reading seems to be the highest quality form of learning out there. Of course, there is merit in YouTube videos or podcasts but there is something special about a book, where decades of a one’s knowledge are condensed into a neat, little package ready for consumption. These last few months I managed to read 12 new books, including my first fantasy novel The Name of the Wind which I thoroughly enjoyed. New worlds and insights are hidden in books and I hope to uncover many more this year, amongst juggling my commitments as an incoming medical student.

The not-so-good

1. Laziness

This holiday season marked some of the laziest and most unproductive days of 2019. Healthy, established habits gradually gave way to damaging, old practices as my motivations for being productive approached zero. Some of these useless practices included gaming in the form of online chess and the MMORPG Guild Wars 2. YouTube is still a resource which I feel like I struggle to exert control over and often find myself lost on it for hours. Perhaps an argument could be made that the holidays warrant some unproductive behaviour but I’m not convinced – there are surely more productive forms of entertainment such as running or catching up with a friend. I’m not sure how I’m going to fully deal with this problem but as they say, the first step to solving any problem is recognising there is one.

2. Running

A drawback to travelling is the disruption of a consistent running schedule, amongst other things. Between November and now, I averaged only 10km of running a week, whereas between August to October had an average of 46km per week. I suspect my fitness level currently is the lowest it’s been in over a year. With a triathalon coming up in March and two marathons on the radar later this year, it’s time to get back into training.

Goals

1. Running: Getting back to prior fitness: sub-19 5k by April.
2. Writing a post every week. This is perhaps a little audacious but it’ll be a good challenge.
3. Reading a book every fortnight.