On the final day of 2024, Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning comedian Amy Poehler spoke to me from the picture-perfect bookcase backdrop of her MasterClass ad. "I am a big proponent of doing things before you're ready," she says, and it somehow inspires me enough to pull up my keyboard and begin typing.
It felt wrong to greet the new year without writing something, but the holidays felt strange to me this time. As the new years resolutions and TikTok video recaps flooded my algorithm, I felt an unmistakable sense of alienation settle in my ribcage.
I don't think I'm alone in feeling the insurmountable weight of the new years. Heavy is the weight of the world that you impose upon yourself, and I've never been known as a light-hearted person. (I wish I could say it was simpler when I was a child, but my thoughts have always been too big to shove into my body.)
But while I wrestle my inner voice into the new year, I still wanted to footnote the old year somehow, even if I'm not quite ready. So here is my attempt.
Here's some cool things I did last year:
I organised the second edition of Indie Jam and moderated two panels! (here & here)
I helped coordinate 20+ collaborations for The Cham Drinkers
I attended gamescom asia 2024 as an Official Media Partner
I interviewed Derren Lam from Neopets at gamescom asia 2024 (article & video)
I interviewed Andrew Wincott from Baldur's Gate 3 at gamescom asia 2024 (article & video)
I met Larian Studios Malaysia (who are all sweethearts!) and attended the BG3 anniversary party
I was a guest on The NexGen Show, a marketing podcast by Prof. Harmandar Singh (video)
I was a guest on Weekly Midnight Radio, a talk show hosted by content creator Adli_HM (video)
I was in the jury for Kakuchopurei’s Southeast Asia Game Awards & Appreciation (article)
I was in the jury for Taipei Game Show's Indie Game Award 2025
I hit three years of streaming on Twitch, and pivoted to coworking streams
I watched Hozier live in concert (!!!)
Here's the best media I consumed last year:
My Hero Academia
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Delicious In Dungeon
Dandadan
Look Back
Arcane Season 2
The Carls series by Hank Green
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Tavern Talk
Pacific Drive
Here's some lessons I learned last year:
I learned that done is better than perfect
I learned that leaving your comfort zone is almost always a good choice
I learned that there's inherent and unique value in human creativity
I learned that every choice has an opportunity cost, even people
I learned that even rest requires discipline
I learned that drinking water is really important in your late-twenties actually (???)
Here's what I hope to achieve this year:
Focus on mentorship
Travel overseas, hopefully twice!
Get back into streaming games more frequently
Dedicate more time to personal creative projects
Happy new year, and see you next post!