I neglected my writings in 2025, so to jump start 2026, I tried to cover every major thing that happened to me last year, and give it a proper review.
Just like last year, to help me keep track of everything, I used Steph Ango list of "40 questions to ask yourself" as guidelines.1
Life
First part of the year was quite intense, packed with uncertainty and stress. I was simultaneously studying for Goethe B2 German exam in March while juggling an intensive round of job interviews. Over the weekends, we were searching for a new apartment in different canton, as my partner was continuing her residency in a new hospital there in April. This meant that we had to move again (our third move in less than four years).
Everything seemed to converge at once, and then, within a single week in march, all the major questions were finally resolved and everything fell into place. In the same week I got job offer, received results of my German exam, which I passed, and we finally found an apartment. Just a week earlier, my best friend had a baby girl, and I was riding high on all that positive energy.
Most of the spring was spent settling into our new apartment and getting used to our new jobs.
And the summer finally arrived. We celebrated two birthdays in July: my partner's 30th and our dog Xenon's first birthday. We organized a nice dinner party at Lake Zürich. Xenon grew so much over the year, transforming from a puppy into a young dog, and now looks and behaves like a proper Schnauzer.
We also went on a few short trips, to San Remo and Monaco, and an unplanned one-day trip to Zagreb to attend my partner's grandmother's funeral. To close out the summer, we spent time in Poreč with friends.
In late fall, we finally went on our long-awaited, bigger trip to Japan. We visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Nikko, Hakone and Kamakura. I plan to write a separate posts about Japan and my trip to Japan, spolier alert: it exceeded all our expectations and we are already planning our next trip.
Work
In May, I joined Hexagon's Innovation Hub as UX/UI designer. My main focus is designing internal IoT platform for their devices, but from time to time I also get to support Hexagon's design system team, either helping out with documentation or, most recently, implementing new UI components based on MUI/JoyUI. Being surrounded by cool tech and working with it is great, but the best part are people working there. I met so many interesting, smart/nerdy people.
Side Projects
I picked up a new hobby, horology. I always appreciated artistry and craftsmanship, and was always curious about how things work. Living in a country famous for its watchmaking history and high-quality mechanisms, it was only natural that I'd fall down this rabbit hole.
Recent trip to Japan, only solidified my interest, as I bought my first mechanical watch, a green-dialed Seiko Alpinist GMT.
I also tried to "degoogle" my life a cut down number of my subscriptions. For my personal emails, I moved from gmail to Proton for a more private account, and from Google Workspace to iCloud for a more public one. I still have one active Gmail account, which I scheduled for deletion later this year.
I replaced 1Password with Apple's built-in password manager and canceled my Dropbox subscription after more than 8 years. Until I find a better solution, I'm keeping everything backed up on two external hard drives and iCloud Drive. I'm open to suggestions :)
Other
- I didn’t get through as many books this year, but my favorite so far is The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop, which I’m still reading.
- I finally decided to go for it and bought a Studio Display
- As for music, for the second year in a row, new Jelusick's album Apolitical, blew me away, especially after attending their concert in October. Song that was on repeat at home was Taylor Swift’s Ophelia, I’m not a fan myself, but my dog and partner are,
- My favorite show of 2025 is Tschugger, a swiss crime-comedy placed in Valais.
- The meal I’ve enjoyed most this year is, surprisingly, a rather simple one: miso soup, a traditional Japanese dish. I even discovered a Japanese store in Zürich where I buy the ingredients, so I make it myself every other week.
- As a long time Dallas Mavericks fan, their decision to trade Luka Dončić caught me off-guard. I'm not sure that I'm a fan of current Mavericks, but I am all in for the Lakers these days.
- For the first time ever, I took on installing ceiling lamps myself, tackling the wiring and even drilling holes in the ceiling. I also drove an old delivery truck when helped a friend move.
If I had to sum up my year in one quote, it would be:
Ichi-go ichi-e
Meaning: one time, one meeting. Basically saying that every moment is unique and unrepeatable.
This year was full of unique moments, some wonderful, some challenging, but I’m okay with that, because I feel I’ve learned and grown through it all.
Apart from wishing I had spent more time cycling or swimming instead of binge-watching videos of ‘lonely Japanese salarymen,’ this year gave me everything I could have hoped for in 2024. Despite the growing talk of AI taking over jobs in software and the uncertainty in the world, I feel a renewed sense of energy and optimism. I’m ready to learn, grow, and tackle whatever comes next.
Have a wonderful 2026!
Footnotes
Footnotes
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