Dear friends and family,
I was sitting in a bookstore in Kyoto writing this letter on Jan 1, 2025. We just ate しめらめん(end-of-year ramen together as a family) and now completing reflection for 2024, before heading home for New Year's eve dinner & countdowns.
At the start of this year, I would never have imagined that I was going to celebrate New Year in Kyoto again, not with friends this time (I miss them as well), but with my partner and his mom and sister in the house.
A beautiful, yet unexpected relationship has grown out of 2024, and so has my career, hobby, thoughts, and myself as a whole.
The year 2024 has been a year of self-direction, fresh out of college into the new world, with no structured curriculum, activities, or rotations, I need to figure out how to spend my ‘LIFE’.
It’s also a year of cultivating.
For the first time in four years, I’m based in one city, which allows me to invest in things, and just like this,
I completed my first full marathon and first salsa team performance after months of consistent training.
I’ve also finished 1 year & 3 months on a platform team and now starting a new journey in the product team.
I also had time to have chill weekends reading books (29 this year) and do more reflections, thanks to my business partner
My roommate and I also built a new co-living space House of Treat with 2 other roommates where we support each other and host events.
However, I do feel that I’m losing connection to you, my old friends, and I would love to continue including you in my life through deep connections. That’s why I’m writing this letter to share what I’ve been thinking about in 2024. Please comment if you resonate with similar things, have advice, or simply leave an emoji. I would love to know what you’ve been working on as well but I know replying to an email is difficult, so feel free to schedule some time here to catch up in the new year or send me a photo of your new year! I’m always here for you.
Link to set up a call to reconnect!
Every week in 2024, my business partner and I reflect on our lives and write down how we feel and how we would like to improve next week. This is where I iterate on the problem-solving life cycle. Looking back on the weekly reflections, here are 9 learnings from the problems I worked through in 2024.
Career: True growth at work isn’t about promotions, but about using company resources to develop in areas that align with our personal goals.
When I first joined the company, I focused on getting promoted quickly, aligning my projects and schedule with the company’s evaluation metrics. Later, I realized my growth priorities—learning applicable skills for teaching, understanding the business model, and building a strong network—didn’t match the company’s goals.
This clarity made it easy to switch to a product-focused team, even if it meant giving up a promotion. While others might not understand, I know this decision best supports my long-term growth and to prepare to be a teacher.
Body & Physical Health: The body is magical, and a lifetime may not be enough to fully understand it. This year, I explored hormones and blood sugar through The Glucose Revolution and Outlive and became more attuned to my body through marathon training. Using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) revealed how food, routines, and exercise impact my blood sugar, energy, and well-being. Here are a few takeaways I’ll continue to refine next year:
Meal Order Matters: Eat vegetables, protein, then carbs to stabilize blood sugar
Move After Meals: Walk or do light activity to prevent spikes.
Avoid Late Eating: Finish meals 3 hours before bed for better sleep and recovery.
Refuel Post-Workout: Blood sugar drops after exercise; replenish protein promptly.
Time Sweets Strategically: Have them after meals or workouts for minimal impact.
Avoid High-GI Foods on an Empty Stomach: Choose natural, complex foods to prevent energy crashes.
Opening up to the world: Solo traveling is one of the best ways to connect with the world. When we step into an unfamiliar environment and interact with strangers, we can fully embrace our true selves. In December, during a 24-hour layover in Hawaii, I encountered an incredible array of unexpected connections.
At the hostel, I discovered with delight that the next day was the once-every-two-years Waimea Bay Big Wave Surfing Competition, with locals camping out overnight on the beach to secure spots. Chatting with my hostel roommates, I learned that both were teachers: one was a Finnish drama teacher on a gap year, working and traveling in Australia before resting in Hawaii for three weeks on the way home; the other was an Australian high school woodshop teacher, spending his fifth visit to Hawaii surfing for five weeks during the summer holidays.
On the drive to the airport, I already felt incredibly lucky, but an impromptu chat with a girl in the airport lounge revealed that we shared the same birth date. She had grown up in Orange County and now works as a government attorney on Oahu. We promised to meet again in Hawaii someday.
These serendipitous moments reminded me of how vibrant and fulfilling the world can be, but perhaps it is only when we open ourselves up and embrace uncertainty that we can truly enjoy all it has to offer.
Sharing dreams out loud is different from just writing them down. It’s an assertion to yourself that this is my dream and I will do it! And sharing it with people helps attract resources and similar-interested people.
In the Ramen restaurant Yume Wo Katare. People share their dreams out loud after finishing ramen Mental Health: How to quickly recover from unstable mental state —
Tackle tasks one by one. Getting things done, even small things can shift the entire mood
When the mind cannot move, move the ody first.
Helping others is helping ourselves Simple acts of kindness help me feel reconnected to the world
Mental fitness is as important as physical fitness and can be trained. We are stronger than we think. Because of marathon training, I read《Good for a Girl》《How Bad Do You Want It?》which opened up a new door for me on mental fitness — the strength to push through discomfort and doubt—often matters more than physical ability. Our brains perceive effort as harder than it truly is, limiting us before our bodies reach their actual limits. To build mental fitness:
Set goals and manage the discomfort in pursuit of the goals
Use objective measures (e.g., heart rate) to counteract mental fatigue when your body can do more
Remind yourself of past achievements to push through challenges.
This mindset extends beyond running—reframing tasks as achievable reduces life’s perceived effort and boosts resilience.
Unlearning and redefining social constructs are important to understanding what we actually want. After starting dating I’ve been troubled by how I would introduce my partner to other people. I don’t categorize him as a “boyfriend” because ‘boyfriend’ carries a lot of social expectations like giving gifts, celebrating anniversaries, etc. When people ask me which stage are you guys at, talking? dating? I can’t answer. But I think we have a deep bond and a high level of trust and commitment, we support each other and try to bring the best out of each other. Do we need that outside labeling to define the relationship? So we decided to use the Hawaiian word ‘De Aloha’ which contains more complex meanings like kindness, affection, peace, etc. But this made me think about how many other social constructs we use without thinking.
Being present means to me simplifying my life to focus on what truly matters, both for myself and the people I love. To achieve this, I need to:
Avoid overloading my schedule by better estimating my capacity and setting clear priorities. [I limit my socials to at most 2 every weekend]
Embrace the art of doing nothing—leaving space in my life for spontaneity, exploration, and unplanned joy.
Fully prioritize and cherish moments with loved ones by giving them my undivided attention.
Interpersonal relationships: I need to open up to people first to create relationships. Just like this.
What did you learn in 2024? Anything that resonates with you? Let me know!!
Best,
Tianhui