Welcoming 2026
My laptop screen broke for the third or fourth time this year. It's nuts. Every time, it costs anywhere from 3 to 3.5jt to replace. That amount could pay for two months of school tuition or about four different vaccines. Multiply that by three or four and I could've purchased a new laptop by now. The last time my laptop broke prior to 2025 was in 2021. That year, it broke twice — first because Baby1 tried to 'help' me by wiping the screen with water, and later because... I don't remember, actually. 2022 then became a really great year for me. I hope that this string of medium catastrophes spells good fortune for 2026.
(Also I got scammed four days into the new year. Even more luck).
I can’t believe it’s been over a decade since I was left, stranded here, like a beached whale. I went from planning an exit within two months to building and rebuilding my life over ten years in a foreign country to the point it’s become familiar, maddeningly so.
Somehow, I have now progressed to the point that I am standing at the edge of a new precipice. So many unexpected opportunities have opened up before me, and I’m nervous about making the ‘right‘ decision. Do I make the practical choice (like I almost always have) or the hopeful, optimistic one? What kind of future am I allowed to imagine for myself?
Great things that have happened recently:
- New project offerings
- New… job offerings! That I may not end up accepting anyways
- Tried some really great Excelsa this week
- I bought some simple futatsuki yunomi for better service at the shop
- Finally got around to messaging my friends back
- Found the energy and motivation to write this post
- Created a simple notes template for tea tasting/testing
- Recently got back from a wonderful short trip with the family
- Communication and my relationship with my beloved only gets better
Honestly, even with the medium catastrophes I realise I’m so blessed to be where I am right now. I couldn’t be happier. Here’s to a good 2026.