Happy New Year!

Every new year I look at the goals I set for myself the previous year and see how many of them I actually accomplished.

I wasn’t going to do it this year, but since I crossed off more than half the list I felt kinda proud of myself.  Plus, making goals for oneself is never a bad thing (even if we never reach them all).

What I accomplished in 2015:

• Learn Advanced CSS, HTML, and Javascript; as well as Photoshop, Illustrator and In-Design.  I took a web design course and made a pretty impressive website.  I also spruced up Ruby Ronin’s layout. I still need to learn Illustrator and In-Design, but I’m using more photoshop!
• Become an Irish Citizen.  Yup.  Did it.
• Pay Off My Student Loans.  Aaaand they’re gone.
• Visit at Least One National Park.  Went to Joshua Tree, although it’s definitely not Yosemite.
• Run a 5k.  I participated in a color run and I actually thought 5k was too easy.  Time to upgrade to a 10k.

What I need to work on:

• Update this Blog Once a Week and Really Commit to The Ruby Ronin.  Again, fail.  I think in June 2015 I didn’t even post once.  That’s horrible.  I need to make this priority #1!
• Learn Italian and Sign up for an Italian Class.  Again, didn’t happen.  I tried to look for Italian classes in the LA area, but they were all 1.5 hours (by car) from my house.  Looks like Italian gets put back on the back burner…
• Lose 20 pounds–and more importantly, lead a healthier life.  I didn’t lose 20 pounds, but I do lead a healthier life.  I exercise 4-5 times a week and cook almost all of my meals–now I just gotta figure out how to lose weight…

So basically, I rocked all the short term goals but really failed on the long term ones.  Worrisome!

A Look Back at 2015

2015 was much better than 2014, but it was still not easy.  I still struggle adjusting to life in California, and after two years I constantly wonder if I’ll ever be able to assimilate back into American culture.

I got a new job that has made me loads happier: I have a great boss and coworkers, my commute is 20 minutes instead of 2 hours, and I actually have pretty darn good benefits.

On the other hand, it’s the lowest job I’ve had in terms of pay and prestige.  I am not challenged.  I am on the bottom of the totem pole.  But most frustrating of all: I know I can do better (and I have been offered better).  Yet I stay because…

My boyfriend is in his third year of medical residency.  The whole reason I’m in California is because I want to be by his side and support him.  And praise Jesus, 2016 is the year he finally finishes.

I think if I had to sum up my 2015 in a word, it would be: acceptance.  2014 was filled with a lot of frustration and disappointment upon my return to the United States.  I couldn’t find work, I was living in the deserts of Southern California (definitely not where I imagined myself at 29), and I was without friends.  I felt like I was wasting my twenties, and it was a really hard year.

In 2015, I think I learned to accept that life in America isn’t easy and to just make the best of it.  I’ve made a handful of wonderful friends, I work out and have a healthier diet, and I have a loving boyfriend that takes care of me even when I have emotional breakdowns (for the 20th time).

I’ve realized that travel is integral to my happiness, since the 2015 Europe trip brought me back to life.  It was also an absolute pleasure to see one of my best friends get married in Belgium and be her bridesmaid.

I also realized that I need my mountains and seasons, since living in the eternal summer of Los Angeles just isn’t for me.

I still wonder whether or not I should move back to Asia.  It might be where I belong.

And finally, I know that I’ve found the right person or me.  It took one hell of a sacrifice, but no one else seems to complement me much like my lovely boyfriend.  We’re in it for the long haul.

Goals for 2016

• Let my 2016 plans come to fruition.  I’ll talk about this later.
• Update Ruby Ronin at least once a week.  No more procrastinatin’.
• Publish something.  This is the year!
• Run a 10k.  Since I totally rocked the 5k!
• Start Learning Another Foreign Language.  Maybe Arabic, or French?
• Go to Japan and China.  It’s time to see old friends.
• Drive Less.  My car lease is up in 2016.  I hope this will be the last car I ever drive.
• Continue to exercise and lose 10 pounds.   Being healthy is key!
• Take up a hobby and stick to it.  Whether it’s painting, calligraphy, jewelry making–I want to commit to a hobby and do it at least once a week.  I think hobbies are a form of meditation that calm us.  I need it.

Favorite Posts of 2015 

My highest ranked post of 2015 is Being Half Asian, followed up by What it’s Like to Work at a Japanese Company.

My personal favorites for 2015 are:

• How My Vietnamese Mom Forgot Thanksgiving
• That Time I got Fleas in Shanghai
• Hiroshima: 70 Years After the Atomic Bomb
• The Cherry Blossoms of Niigata
• Why Chinese Men Make Great Boyfriends

How was 2015 for everyone?  How would you summarize your year, and what do you look forward to in 2016?