A Look Back at 2025

Previous posts in this series

Summary #

What a monumental year. 2025 was a year of incredible highs and intense periods of focus. We traveled extensively for work and leisure, with trips to Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Hunter Valley, and Amsterdam. The concert-going streak continued with some truly epic shows. My fitness journey, which started last year, became a consistent part of my life, hitting milestones I never thought possible. But two events stand out above all others: in August, we were granted Australian Permanent Residence, a huge weight off our shoulders. And after a stressful house-hunting period, we capped off the year by buying our very first home in Sydney. It’s been a whirlwind, and I’m filled with gratitude. Our weekly Discord calls with the gang continued, providing a steady anchor through all the craziness.

By the months #

Here’s a breakdown of how the year unfolded:

January: The year kicked off with a family health situation back in Mangalore, which thankfully resolved well. The trip involved a lot of city driving and rediscovering some iconic local eateries. Back in Sydney, I immediately flew out to Denver for The Trade Desk’s annual Palooza event. It was a great trip, featuring a visit to the surreal Meow Wolf exhibit and meeting colleagues, but it was freezing! I also got back into my gym routine.

February: We kicked off our concert-going for the year with a free String Quartet performance at the Art Gallery of NSW. Our guitar classes started up again, and we did the scenic Sydney Harbour Bridge walk. It was a big month for gaming with the release of Civilization VII, which consumed many of my weekends. In a new turn of events, I also took on the Scrum Master role for my team at work.

March: My 40th birthday month! Jo planned a fantastic day, culminating in watching MJ: The Musical. The month was packed with live music: Stone Temple Pilots with Wolfmother, King Stingray, and the Race of Champions motorsport event. I also upgraded my coffee setup at home with a Breville Bambino Plus. A minor disaster with my home server setup served as a reminder to always have backups.

April: Another huge month for concerts. We saw the legendary Andrea Bocelli at the SCG, and the phenomenal Hans Zimmer, whose live performance of the Interstellar soundtrack was a core memory. We said a sad farewell to our wonderful guitar instructor, Luis. For the Easter long weekend, we took a memorable road trip to Canberra, and on Anzac Day, we did a day trip to the beautiful Northern Beaches.

May: The weather turned cold and we watched our first live AFL “footy” match at the SCG, which was a fantastic experience. I celebrated my 50th workout session at the gym, a milestone that felt great.

June: Winter truly set in. I stepped up my fitness game by going for the group cross-fit classes and hit a new deadlift personal best of 80kg. A highlight was a day trip to Kiama, exploring the coastline and the famous blowhole. My school friend announced his wedding in Amsterdam, and the visa application process began.

July: We celebrated three years of living in Sydney! The month was marked by work events, including a fun winter party at Hijinx Hotel. I also got my old work desktop as part of a hardware refresh and began setting it up as a proper home server. We spent our Sunday mornings exploring local walking trails like the one at Berry Island Reserve.

August: A month of massive news and travel! We kicked it off with a trip to Hunter Valley for Jo’s birthday, though the weather turned it into a cozy staycation. In the gym, I hit a huge milestone: a 100kg deadlift. Then I was off to the US for two weeks, first to San Francisco for a team meetup, where I tried a Waymo for the first time and saw Dave Matthews Band live. Then, I flew to Seattle for the AWS Hero Summit. While there, I received the incredible news that our Australian Permanent Residence had been granted!

September: Back in Sydney, the first order of business was getting my Schengen visa, which was approved just in time. I then flew to Amsterdam for my best friend Raylen’s wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with school friends after two decades. Back home, we attended an amazing John Butler concert.

October: Returning from my Amsterdam vacation, it was a relaxed re-entry with a Lucky Ali concert at the Sydney Opera House. With our PR granted, we started thinking about our next milestone - purchasing our own house. The weeks and weekend went by fast. Our finances were approved and with that, we made our first offer on a property and attended our first-ever auction, where we were outbid. I also celebrated one full year of consistent strength training, having lost around 18kg and feeling fitter than ever.

November: The house hunt reached its climax. After observing another auction where the house we liked was passed in, we entered into a stressful negotiation process. And then, it happened - we bought a house! It’s an incredible feeling to finally have a place to call our own. We celebrated this massive milestone by attending a spectacular Metallica concert, with Evanescence supporting. A fittingly epic end to a stressful but rewarding month.

December: With the housing sorted and work generally winding down, December was a slow, relaxing month. We spent a few days in Brisbane, visiting Jo’s family and just chilling. NYE gets crazy busy in Sydney so we’ll be staying, just relaxing.

What’s for 2026? #

With the two huge goals of PR and a house achieved, 2026 will be about settling in. The big project will be moving into our new home and making it ours. I also need to finally get my Australian driver’s license. I want to continue my fitness journey, explore more of our new neighborhood, and perhaps do some local travel. And of course, keep writing, gaming, and enjoying live music. I do want to get into some hardware hacking - maybe work on a small project with an eInk display.

Wishing you all a wonderful and fulfilling 2026!