New Year, Same Me

January 01, 2026

2026   ·   thoughts  

I told myself I wouldn’t make new year’s resolutions because I don’t need to change (≧ᗜ≦)

This morning, though, I did feel an urge to make some sort of list of things that I would like to do this year. I want to make them relatively achievable, but if I don’t manage to do all of these things, I’ll leave them for next year.

So here is my list, in order, of things that I would like to do this year.

  1. Connect with community outside of school. I’d like to do more community outreach in the surrounding Pittsburgh area. To start, I’d like to facilitate AI literacy for K-12 students and the broader public. I’d also like to participate more in non-Sunday church activities and events.

  2. Start brewing my own kombucha and making my own kimchi. I was pretty consistent with baking sourdough last year, so why not add a few more cultures in my kitchen?

  3. Read more. I bought more books than I read last year. Granted, I do read a lot for school, but it’s mostly academic papers, aka short-form content. I started Yellowface in November, but I have yet to finish it. So I’d like to read at least 2 books for leisure. I know, ambitious.

  4. There’s a whole list of things that I would like to do once I finish my coursework this spring. I’d like to get back into taking French classes. Since high school, I’ve been treading at an intermediate level. I’d like to eventually reach a decent level of proficiency, or at least remember how to conjugate verbs again. I’d also like to take an acting or improv class to help with public speaking. Lastly, I want to start martial arts. For this last bullet, I won’t be too strict, and if I have to push off some things until 2027, that’s fine.

  5. Have better sleep hygiene and a consistent health sleep schedule. My current sleep schedule is consistent; it’s just not great. I’ve realized that if I sleep by 11pm, my sleep quality is much better. Even though I think Bryan Johnson is crazy in many ways, he makes a good point about the importance of sleep. Maybe I’ll replace my pre-bed TV with reading. We’ll see.

Ok, I think 5 is a good number to end on. Those are the things that I would like to do this year. I feel like they’re realistic, and if I’m able to accomplish them all (with leniency for #4), I’ll be quite satisfied. I’ll follow up in December to see how well I did.

Peace and happy new year ✌︎︎

Meryl