Happy New Year 2019 (and a recap of 2018)

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here - May 2018 to be precise (!). Since then, a lot has been happening - so much so that I haven't really had time anymore to put together posts here. Some of these things I can't quite announce here publicly yet, but you'll no doubt find out in due course :) So, without further ado, here are some of my highlights of 2018.

In short, my 2018 was an epic year of travel, new experiences, and hanging out with many good friends old and new.


Particular highlights include:

• Going on 3 big trips around NZ, Europe, and China
• Getting to spend time exploring Wellington, Auckland, Amsterdam, Rotherham, Delft, The Hague, Bruges, Beijing, Harbin, Xi'an, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong
• Living away from home for an extended period for the first time ever (and doing so halfway around the world in Amsterdam, a place I've wanted to visit for the past 15 years)
• Learning to cook (and with a gas stove too to boot)
• Attending concerts at 3 notable concert halls around the world - The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Harbin Grand Opera House, and Hong Kong's City Hall
• Visiting Zelandia, Keukenhof, De Waag, the Old Blender Institute, Van Gogh museum, Forbidden City & Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, and feeding Siberian Tigers.
• Finally meeting Ton and so many Blender friends & legends in person after knowing each other for over a decade
• Getting to be part of the last day of the old Blender Institute (Entrepotdok), as well as the first day of the new office (Buikslotermeerplein)
• Meeting a cute girl during my travels who was in many ways my "dream wife"
• Finally custom building a powerful desktop workstation for the first time in a decade