22. My first rambling in 2023
I guess my newsletter is a really good example on how to not run a newsletter.
“Happy new year!” for those who celebrate and “It’s a new year.” for those who don’t celebrate.
Dear folks,
I’m pretty sure you’re not waiting or looking forward to this letter but here I am, bragging about my 2022.
In short, I lived 2022 much better compared to how I lived in 2021. I’m not depressed now and I have a job, a fulfilling job. Not only that, I live a balanced/relaxed life. I made new friends in Banda Aceh, my new town, and re-connected with my old siblings. While making new friends is hard, I never imagine being able to talk casually with my siblings. I’m away for a pretty long time and back then, I barely talk to them so… yeah, being able to have a casual conversation is really amazing to me. I felt… welcomed.
I read more books. I read anthologies, poem collections, novels, non-fiction, and anything that intrigues me, including children's books. I write less. On the bright side, I don’t stop writing. On another creative outlet, I drew more. I made 3D objects, sketches, pixel art, typographies, and silhouettes. All in all, I felt my creative juice is flowing nicely.
A lot of small meaningful things happened while I was adjusting here in Banda Aceh. I’m really grateful for it. If I have to choose a thing to be highlighted, I guess making a “sort the waste” video game would take the cake. I learn programming, 3D modeling, animation, level design, and many more. It’s fun and creatively challenging. It’s tiring of course but in a good way. I made a devlog about the game design progress.
If there’s anything that I want to improve, it will be my focus. I got easily distracted by my phone. Sometimes, I just unlock it and check if there’s anything new. When I’m using a computer, I don’t have the same urge to check my email or social media. For the last two months, I’ve been using the “forest” app to block me and then stashing it somewhere when I realized I need to stay away from my phone. The problem is it only works when I’ve realized I’ve been distracted.
Looking back, what’s interesting to me is how I remember my life in the Netherlands. All of them felt so distanced now even though I left the Netherlands only in March. It’s not even a year yet. My life in the Netherlands kinda become a landmark in my memory. I felt there are pre-Netherlands Julivius, Netherlands Julivius, and post-Netherlands Julivius. I’m not sure if you can see it through my writing but my reaction changed against the same old event.
So yeah, I guess that’s it. I’m not sure how to summarize my year in a better way. I think it’s too vague but I’m also a bit lazy to think for a moment about what to write. Part of me sometimes has a hard time considering whether a thing is worth sharing or not. Some of them felt hard to be relatable or understood. Others simply jump from one point to another point that would make no sense to you.
I’m sorry that I broke my promise last year to send out 12 letters. I think I only sent 9 letters. So, this year, I’m not going to promise you another 12 letters. I guess I will send some, a maximum of 12, but it’s not a must. However, I limit myself to sending a maximum of one letter in any month. That way, you don’t have to see my letter suddenly clogging up your inbox, and at the same time, you’ll get a random surprise. Do we have a deal?
I’ll be back with another bad random writing in the future. Until then, stay sane and stay awesome.
Sincerely,
Your nerdy neighbor,
Julivius