As 2021 comes to a close, I thought I’d write out some of my highlights, accomplishments, and everything else that happened:

• Didn’t do a whole lot of traveling, but visited Krabi in southern Thailand

• Got a 1-year education visa for Thailand after months of extending my 2-year tourist visa

• Finished (and super close to publishing) my second novel — A Viral State

• Came in last place in my Fantasy Football League (1st year doing it — I did NOT have beginner’s luck)

• Bought a motorcycle (still figuring out how to get a driver’s license in Thailand)

• Went to a Chiangmai FC football game

• Helped my girlfriend open a bar

• Bought a new MacBook Pro (2020 w/touchbar) // My 2015 served me well, but couldn’t keep up with workload

• Bought an Apple watch 7 to replace my FitBit

• Celebrated my 32nd birthday in a warm climate for the first time in almost a decade. Most past birthdays were spent in Beijing, and 2020 birthday was in Tirana, Albania, which was also cold.

• Donated the majority of my jeans, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts and got an almost entirely new wardrobe better suited to Thailand’s climate

• Did a full year of No Meat Mondays. You can check out what that was like here

• Got two new jobs — KrASIA (tech media) and MagicFew (crypto consulting) // Still working for China.org

• Put away $50,000 into my brokerage & Roth IRA

• Read 10 books

  • Blood Meridian — Cormac McCarthy

  • Kafka On The Shore — Haruki Murakami

  • The Crying Machine — Greg Chivers

  • Timbuktu — Paul Auster

  • A Wild Sheep Chase — Haruki Murakami

  • Mr. Vertigo — Paul Auster

  • Pastoralia — George Saunders

  • Killing Commendatore — Haruki Murakami

  • Bangkok 8 — John Burdett

  • Sputnik Sweetheart — Haruki Murakami

Looking forward to celebrating Christmas with friends this weekend, and yes, I bought several ugly Christmas sweaters from Taobao, so get ready for some great pictures.

Overall, it has been a bit of a quiet year for me amid all the COVID-19 restrictions. Thailand didn’t really fully open for most of 2021, and even now, it’s starting to close back up because of Omicron. I have worked from home (and remotely) all year, which has been nice. I don’t miss the office at all. I finished writing my novel and spent lots of time putting together all the pieces that go into publishing it.

Basically, I worked a lot, had fun with friends, dealt with the struggles of being with my girlfriend, saved a lot of money, tried not to fall into a COVID-19-related existential crisis, and exercised daily. It was a pretty routine year. Looking forward to doing more traveling in 2022, even if just domestically within Thailand, as well as starting some new personal writing projects. I plan on staying in Thailand for the foreseeable future, though unsure what next year will bring. Hope anyone reading this had a great 2021, despite all the challenges it brought with it.

Here’s to 2022 and the possibilities it brings with it!