2023 was a year of staying the path ahead of bigger changes to come - 2024 will bring a new job and a new city while laying the groundwork for an MBA soon - in short, the next 5 years are likely to be very different. 2023, though, was “more of the same” - I continued spending time with folks from work, visiting my girlfriend, working at my job, working out, etc. — and overall, I’d say that I had a good year doing that.

PROGRESS ON 2023 GOALS

1. Physically: Came up short here - I lost 11.5 pounds (versus my goal of maintaining weight), and dropped my body fat percentage from 24% to 21% (my goal was 15%). In November, I tried running a half marathon and couldn’t make it past ~10 miles. But the process itself developed for the better - I stopped spending time on Peloton classes and got a gym membership (which should help me when I travel); I started running outside at Memorial Park or along the bayou downtown.

2. Socially: Although I haven’t yet closed the distance gap with my girlfriend, I am seeing her (and the United safety video) more often. My social life in Houston is still going strong through BCG, which is nice, though I could probably do a better job of staying in touch with folks from college.

3. Professionally: I got promoted, and started thinking about what the next few years looks like - more on this in “goals for 2024”, though I didn’t take the GRE yet. I’ll still count this as a win - the promotion was the main thing that mattered.

4. Being “Scream-free”: Mixed results here - one on hand, I continued donating 20% of my income (though I’m a bit unsure of what exactly I have and haven’t been counting - not too worried about this since I get to set my own rules and I’m still following the spirit of things) and generally bought more reusable/organic products. On the other, I did one vegetarian meal a day for a bit but didn’t stick to it, and I didn’t remotely touch carbon offsets.

In short, I did okay this year on my goals - I achieved the main points, but I didn’t get everything I wanted (likely because I didn’t really re-visit these throughout the year).

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2023

• I continued to spend a lot of time with friends that I made through work: a lot had to do with food (Pancake Night, a sandwiches cookoff, a chili cookoff that I brought store-bought canned chili to, visiting Turkey Leg Hut, the best turkey of my life at Friendsgiving), a couple of wedding celebrations (one in Cancun, another in Houston), a murder mystery party, a wonderful and crazy soccer game (Houston - Dallas), poker nights, happy hours, an amazing trip to Banff, a beach day at Galveston, White Linen night, a type-II-fun weekend trip to Summit County, and (of course) the Holiday Party.

• I continued having some interesting experiences through work, including my first visit(s) to Miami; this was the strongest Reality Distortion Field I’d ever seen (funny enough, I went to watch a Miami Heat game at what was then FTX arena… little did I know). I learned a bit about plastics recycling, a bit about renewables development, and a lot of having an amazing intern to work with. I witnessed an incredible party to celebrate the one-year founding of a company (at which I saw the most amazing magic that I had ever seen).

• I visited my girlfriend throughout the year, and we got to go to Hawaii for a full week. Oahu is paradise, Gertrude is a kind cat, Forty-Niner is a phenomenal restaurant, and I can’t wait to go back soon. We also went with my family to Cancun, which turned out to have been an excellent time.

• I went skiing with my “third set of grandparents” in Utah, and had a blast skiing trees.

• My dog, Sasha, passed away.

• I drove down to Boca Chica to watch the first launch of Starship (and damaged my car along the way). I bought the creme brulee torch, which I have zero regrets about. Later, I drove down to near Goliad, TX to watch the annual eclipse, and snagged one of the most epic photos I’ve ever taken.

• At the last second, my uncle convinced me to go to the Taylor Swift concert. It was 110% worth it, and I have a sweatshirt from the Eras Tour. Shortly after, I visited New York for a weekend to watch an Angele concert, which was also super impressive, and then about a month after that I saw the RHCP live, which would have made tweenage me incredibly happy.

• I started cooking again, and found a few new all-time favorites to add to my meal prep rotation. I also went down the mushroom rabbit hole, and experimented with oysters, trumpets, chicken of the woods, and wood ears.

• I visited India for the first time in seven years, and got to visit my grandparents and see my friend get married.

goals for 2024

1. Physically: Be able to run a half marathon in under 1:45:00 (a pace of 8:00 / mile). Continue lifting and hit 15% body fat while targeting a weight of 160-175 pounds. Ultimately though, as long as I have a solid process here I’ll be happy.

2. Move to the SF Bay Area, close the gap with my girlfriend (likely between March and June), and get established in the area socially and financially (which will be tougher given higher taxes and higher cost of living).

3. Transition into a new career that I find enjoyable, and that will continue to develop my skills. Prepare for business school by taking the GMAT and getting a highly competitive score that positions me well for the Stanfords and Harvards of the world.

things to ponder

• What next step career-wise is really going to be the right one for me?

• How will I find new people in the Bay Area?