2025 look back
what a wild year…!
Learning goals
I sure did study Japanese a bunch! I even took the JLPT N2 earlier this month. I also learned some new software (AfterEffects, ProtoPie) and got back into learning Blender and DaVinci Resolve. Yay!
Project goals
Didn’t finish anything worth sharing, but I made some meaningful progress on personal projects. I even did a game jam!!
Posting goals
I managed to post on the internet a little more often! A grand total of… two blog posts, five Instagram posts, and lots of rambling on Bluesky.
Health goals
My average step count increased from last year, but I want it to be higher!!
Get a cat
I didn’t get a cat… I got a boyfriend instead, a different kind of creature. It’s been great for me though!
For 2026 I’ll keep my resolutions to myself, written in my notebook… but generally I’d like to be healthier, use my time more wisely, and focus on finishing and publishing my work. And I will get a cat!!!
I made some bingo cards as a way to try to focus on playing more games and making more stuff… will it work? I dunno! but it might be fun to try to get some bingos. I’d be really pleased even if I just got one on each card :)
Movies I watched/rewatched (my favorites marked with 💟, rewatches with 🔁)
I love movies!! "The Flow of a River, the Sound of a Violin" and "The Fall" are definitely top ones to watch whenever I become pessimistic about AI supposedly taking over creative fields. No way, man... Media literacy may be dying, but I believe that people will always value a story created by human effort. The issue is that a lot of higher ups that actually have money and power seem to lack taste... but oh well, that's their problem and not mine.
Games I played/replayed, in no particular order
I actually didn't play a lot of games this year, which I feel embarrassed about...
Online content creators I watched this year
In the start of 2025 I thought I had basically graduated from my deepest Vtuber otaku phase, but somehow Vtubers remain my most-watched content... I might be falling into the rabbithole again, but it's okay. I'm watching a lot less gameplay streams, and more videos that are more like vlog-style content. I find the stuff that blends virtual with real life, or shares knowledge about new skills to be the most interesting and exciting. In particular, 自作 (self-made) indie creators are the ultimate inspiration to me, and it's been giving me a lot of stuff to think about for what I'd like to do in the future..
Every year I end up listening to the same mix of music… Lots of house music, drum and bass, indie folk, Vocaloid, Yaeji, and Utada Hikaru obviously. I was able to go to an Ichiko Aoba concert in Yokohama and Sean Oshima live in Shimokitazawa! And I even did a performance myself, as my violist debut…!! I rented a viola for a short period, and basically only had a week to transcribe my music and get a feel for the instrument. It was a whirlwind… but surprisingly not that hard to go from transitioning from violin to viola. Personally, I enjoy the viola more than the violin, both tonally and personality-wise.
I’m still super into cameras and I even got my first digital camera (a Pentax K-70 DSLR)! I’m very slow at editing photos but I’ll keep posting them on my Instagram.
When I think about how this year went… My work and personal life experienced some huge transitions. As always, with change comes uncertainty. There were many times where I was way too worried about things out of my control. What matters is that I made it through the year. At the end of the day I think I challenged myself in some meaningful ways that allowed me to grow.
I’ve been working in Japan for about 2.5 years by now, and the longer I live here the more I enjoy it. This year I realized that I could actually see myself staying here longterm instead of going back to the states, and that revelation has helped me adjust my focus. I hope that next year, I can have a little bit more chill, but keep working on the stuff that I care about.
Anyway, goodbye to 2025, and see you next year! 2026年もよろしくお願いします🎵