Time has been flying by lately! Last week, I celebrated my 29th birthday. I can't say that I feel that different; it feels pretty much like 28. I have no grand revelation—but I do feel that I'm always moving towards being more intentional about how I like to spend my time, and more conscious about what I choose to include in my life (items, experiences, relationships, etc.).

Though I didn't have anything "proper" planned, I'm very, very grateful for all those who showed up and reached out to wish me a happy birthday.

On the weekend before, I stayed with my parents and my mom baked me a perfectly-not-too-sweet cake filled with mango, kiwi, and whipped cream. On Sunday, my sister-in-law's sister's family was visiting from Switzerland and came over for dinner. It's been close to a decade since I've seen them, so it was a fun reunion, and we spent an evening making dumplings together.

This past weekend I took an impromptu trip to Joshua Tree and did some stargazing. I think I'd like to do that more often.

my goals for the year

I've been thinking about what I actually want this year to look like, so here's a short list of things I'd like to work on:

• - I've been neglecting my time at the gym lately due to work, so I want to be more diligent with my gym routine
• - my Japanese studies have been slow, but steady. I'd like to spend more time learning grammar these next few months
• - make more art (is at least one piece per week too ambitious?) I have a laundry list of ideas I've been thing about, so it's time to finally act on them
• - keep updating and improving this blog, my newsletter and social media
• - find a stockist for my work
• - participate in another exhibition

Let's see what this year brings—onwards and upwards!

—Tommy

Tags: daily life