2025 was quite an eventful year. It lowkey felt like two years wrapped into one, I’m not gonna lie. There were a lotta things going on. When the year started, I was still in Sask with Acho and O. This was one of the only winter breaks at Conn that I actually enjoyed and didn’t want to kms, cause otherwise New London is already depressing, but in winter it’s kms depressing. But I guess this year felt really long because I think of one huge milestone: Graduation.

Over the months of Jan - May, I was really in a dilemma and constantly thinking/getting anxious about whether I should go home or not. I’ve always wanted to come back home ever since COVID, but as the time to graduate and actually decide on that came closer, you have this sense of what ifs coming at you. What if I go back home, lose my job and become a loser. What if I just get stuck at home and all my friends at Conn or from MUWCI move forward in their lives. What if I don’t make enough financially, what if I can’t support my family financially.

Also the added weight of Amala wanting me to stay there and work for a bit. My relationship with my parents has always been really nice and throughout our lives (mine and Acho’s and Ashim’s) they’ve never really pressured us much. The fact is also that they have a really soft spot for each of us and find it really hard to force things upon us. So in this kind of relationship you have to recognize the subtle cues and take them as heavier than how they’re presented. Amala would always subtly hint, maybe try for some work there and if it doesn’t work out it doesn’t work out. But you know through those minor interactions that she wants me to stay back.

And honestly I was torn apart about it as well. It’s not like I didn’t apply to jobs, I did quite a lot actually, but was my mind and will 100% leaning towards staying in the US? Not really. Some small part of me was self-sabotaging in the sense that if it doesn’t work out, that would be nice. A large part of me thought about the money most of these jobs entailed and how much that would help. But also other than the money I really didn’t have any other reason to stay. All my friends are at home. I genuinely have a lot of things to do at home, family is at home, and I also had a relatively well-paying job as well.

So idk, it was a time of confusion and a lot of anxiety I’m not gonna lie. Heck, I even have a video journal where I decided I’m going back home. And I guess one of the decisions that led to this was also interview fatigue. Thanks to Neo I was able to secure a lot of interviews to some really interesting startups. But I mostly bombed almost all of them. And then getting the rejection—no matter how sure you are that you’re not going to get it—it still hurts bro.

You don’t get used to rejection unless you’re nonchalant and haven’t actually invested time and effort into it. I think it’s BS that you will get used to it shit. I don’t think so—unless it’s like something that didn’t take much effort, then rejections don’t hurt. But otherwise it fatigues you a lot.

I digress, but that was most of Jan-May. Of being unsure if I’m making the right choices, and then in that inertia I fucking graduated bro. God damn was I happy. After 6 fucking long years. After deliberating dropping out, I graduated. Holy shit did that take a while, and it was also such a load off my shoulders. I always hated during breaks the thought or the sense of having to go back to Conn. And always wondered, fuck, what would it feel like to just be done with this shit. And honestly it felt really good. I lowkey thought that since I had expected it would be good, then it would turn bad. Yknow that shit like expectation is the thief of joy type of shit.

But I got back. I remember the plane ride home. Nervous excitement. I distinctly remember the awkward car ride from New London to JFK. I remember the aeroplane to New Delhi and the old couple beside me lost in this new world of technology. Of wanting to look through my window seat. I remember being called the sweetest passenger by the Air India flight attendant (I really don’t know why?). I remember buying Toki Suntory whisky from the duty free airport. I remember hearing Dzongkha after 2 years and that foreign but homey feeling. I remember the flight back home and sitting next to Ashang Tshultrim. I remember seeing Nobu Dema after god knows how many years as a flight attendant. All in all I was mad excited. And I remember Apala coming with a stinky ass khadar bro. Hahahahahah damn.

This really was a turning point in my life I feel like. This sense of a new phase beginning. It lowkey feels like 3 years ago but that was just last year. COVID also feels like 3 years ago but that was 7 years ago. Fucking hell.

But after that man, what happened after that? I fucking drank a lot and went out partying quite a lot. Almost no weekends missed for like the first 2-4 months. I enjoyed playing futsal on Fridays. Enjoyed bantering with my totshas. Damn what a time tbh, but all the nights look the same so I can’t remember much other than drinking at Alchemy and going to Space for the most part.

We worked a shit ton too. We applied to a shit ton of government projects, done did two hackathons and met the GainForest Team at the hackathon. Won the Land Hackathon and had to spend so many sessions at GovTech presenting the same thing again and again. Had my ego bruised quite a bit.

And then I started interning with GainForest in September. I think that was lowkey one of the hardest three months in terms of balancing work and life. DeWave already had a lotta work and the GainForest work was honestly technically challenging. So everytime I didn’t do work or I was walking it felt like something was chasing me. Honestly throughout those three months I was really anxious. Of the fear of being a disappointment, especially to the GainForest Team and the Hypercerts team. Especially since Sharfy brought me in, I felt the responsibility to actually do good work. But also having to juggle two jobs meant I was kinda unproductive. Because you’re neither here nor there, you’re in this limbo and the context switching kills productivity. The numerous meetings expend a lotta energy. And you can’t really enjoy weekends cause it feels like you’re slacking and the work is piling up. And you’d promise to do some during the weekends to lighten the workload during the week, but then you also want to rest a bit cause you worked a lot. And also Friday night is futsal night and drinking night. And that fucks up Saturday morning. All in all those were hard times.

Well actually September was rather chill cause I’d just started at GF and there wasn’t much at the start. And October I went on the Dharamshala trip with the team. Man that shit was fucking nice. I really really loved all of the team and actually bonded quite a lot with them. So much so that when I left early I really wished I could’ve stayed. But hey, looking forward to the team retreat 2026. But yeah man, such a diverse team but everyone’s so sweet. Man, some really wholesome people. I think 2025 I was surrounded by a lotta nice people or people I fucked with. Come the end of the year that changed a bit because well, I just had to out of obligation interact with people I didn’t fuck with.

Yoo wait, Stella came by during—I forget what month it was. But it was nice being able to show the nightlife and her enjoying it. And also chilling with Kinley was always nice throughout, during Conn and while in Bhutan as well. I tried to get Kurlean to Bhutan but that didn’t work out.

But man I didn’t meet a lotta new people in 2025 I think. Wait actually, met quite a lot. GainForest dhoedyi, Baeyul301 lay dhoedyi, a lotta new GovTech people, some new Selisians from futsal, some people from partying. All in all quite a bit. And come November, I think looking back now, November was the toughest month.

I think at that point I was really really burnt out from juggling two things. So much so that it became really hard for me to want to open the laptop and work. And after having gotten an offer to work at CoalaPay my motivation just dipped into the negatives. Man that shit was some tough times honestly. It felt really really heavy to work at that point. I was constantly exhausted, stressed and not being productive. And then stressing that I was not being productive so then the breaks I was taking were not nice. And just this whole negative feedback loop bro. So when the end of November came I was honestly really relieved. It felt like a huge huge weight off my shoulders.

And then December came by and I think lowkey December must be the most favorite month of the year. But maybe that’s recency bias. But also I genuinely have a reason to have it be the favorite month. I think one of the things was having the time to chill after three months of a shit ton of workload. Second was finally finally going on that BKK trip with my brodie Dorji Khandu. A trip that I thought might not materialize but it actually did.

Being able to explore Bangkok, being able to experience again that big city life. How it made me nostalgic of my times in Seoul. How I really like to go on walks not for walking but more so looking. Of just randomly walking and ending up in streets like these. Of being able to look at people living their lives in this busy metropolitan city. And being able to drink coffee at bobo places but I don’t know the bobo people so it’s more chill. And also big city means a bigger population and a bigger population correlates directly to more baddies. Of walking around and seeing some really cute girls, eye candy honestly. Sounds creepy but heyyyy who doesn’t like seeing pretty and aesthetic people man.

Also finally being able to tick off something from my life bucket list which is going to a club and kissing a stranger I find hot and if she kisses back she most prolly found me hot too. I think that definitely is the biggest highlight of 2025 lmaooooooooo. Bro had so many major changes but hahahahah kissing a girl def stood out. But the trip was really nice not just cause of that, and the trip itself also ticked off another checklist which is going on a trip with a friend. I think that was the first time going on a trip outside of the country and for the most part it was nice.

But bro 2025 was crazy but crazy in a good way. Yo and then after coming back from BKK I flew directly to Bumthang soon as I landed. Man did I feel like an important and busy businessman at the time. And December was just really eventful. After coming from BKK I thought I would be understimulated in Bhutan. But soon as I got to Bumthang everything was so hectic man. I had to help out at Amala’s and Achila’s for National Day. They had some really interesting guests and it was just busy busy. Went to National Day with Apala, sat in the tents, fell for these three sisters from Chummey who were mad cute. Funny thing is they came for lunch at Amala’s and we served them. My sister who is not the most socially aware took my chance at serving them and potentially talking to them but bygones be bygones.

And I thought I’d be understimulated in Bumthang but turned out to be the opposite as soon as Achi and I got back to Thimphu. It hit me, the wave of boredom and the lack of stimulation. Because there was nothing going on and in the words of Travis Scott: “The city been feeling small” (realized that’s not the lyrics but fuck it that’s how I understood it). And then that understimulation really hit me man. Like the small population and how much that affects what’s happening around the city. Or the lack of happenings around the city. And so I’ve decided come 2028 I run for government and if I don’t get it, then I’m gonna go to East Asia, most likely back to Seoul for masters and find a Korean wifey and get that Korean passport cause man I really want that big city life for a bit at least when I’m young dude.

But all in all amazing 2025, Universe blessed the shit outta me man. And honestly I’m scared, that maybe I’ve been having it too good and the balance will be set back kinda feeling yknow. That the plot line might change and honestly that shit does scare me quite a bit but fuck it we ball.

2026 we’ll see how this year goes. But it did start off on a pretty good note.