02 July, 2026 Thursday 16:40
Hello, this is a mid-year check-in point post. I wanted to evaluate how my life has evolved over the last 6 months, how much progress I've made since, and what are new values I want to adopt over the next six months.
Against all odds, things have actually gotten better - or it might just be that I'm on my follicular phase.
I have people around me that I can talk to again. I am getting along better with my new dorm-mates. I also reconnected with some old friends I had a falling out with.
In addition, I have felt less stressed about academics. I have decided not to overload myself and only bite as much as I can chew. It necessarily means I am graduating a year later than I was supposed to, but I find it to be a worthy trade-off.
I am still unemployed lol, but to be fair, I haven't been applying very seriously. I should ... need to stack up my CV for internships.
In any case, here are some revised and new goals till the end of the year:
Raise GPA to 2.5 from 2.0
Complete 85 credits before the end of the year
Learn to do at least one proper rep of pull-ups
Learn to do at least one proper rep of push-ups
Get to A2 level German
Eat a more plant based diet
Write 50k more words before the end of the year
Learn CAD
Get a job
Fix my sleep schedule
Attend classes more regularly
Build better cleaning habits
Read 4 books by the end of the year
Initially, I wanted to raise my GPA to 3.0, but that is too ambitious as of right now. Instead, I am going to try my best to learn the necessary skills and not hyper-fixate on the number.
On push-ups and pull-ups: I started Judo, and I am really enjoying it. I want to get to an orange belt by next year, and this year, I am mainly focusing on building muscle and improving stamina. I am really unfit, so I am just focused on building up to a base level of fitness so I can do Judo properly. I also want to run a 10k sometime next year, but it's one of my lower priority goals at the moment.
Unfortunately, despite being generally happier and less stressed, I am not cured of executive dysfunction and procrastination. I struggle a lot to keep my room clean so I am hoping to break it down into smaller, regular tasks so I don't dread it as much.
That is all for now! I think one of my main take-aways from the last six months is this: unhappiness is not a moral failure. It's hard, but as long as you keep moving and making the choice to show up for yourself, eventually, it gets easier.
Of course, this does not mean to be complacent in the idea that effort alone will fix everything. I think it is equally important to remain aware of all the social, economic and political factors shaping up our environments, because humans do not exist in a vacuum.
As always, here's to hoping for better days :)
