Reflections on the Old Year
Here’s this year’s planner, one of the most precious tools I own. Moleskine again, because the format is ideal, The Pilot Hi-Tec C Coletos turned out to be the perfect match, so I’m sticking with that system.
Happy New Year! (Sorry I’m late.) Yes, it’s been a while since I have posted anything. I’ve been busy! Anyway, 2025 was quite a year for me: some good, some awful, some milestones and new beginnings, and a bit of learning to understand myself better as well.
One of the biggest events of 2025 was the launch of the literary magazine, The Drowsy Dragon, brainchild of E.R. Scrivener. It’s a publication of clean and cozy fantasy short stories, aiming to provide some light and hope in a dark, angsty world and foster a sense of community among other readers. It’s been a wonderful journey—the team effort, the new territory, and hearing reactions from readers. Interested subscribers should mosey over here. Issue 2 comes out in April!
I’m also excited to have 2 short stories published in that first issue! Technically, this is not the first time I have been published, but it is the first time I’ve had fiction published in PRINT. That’s quite a milestone.
2025 was quite a year of branching out for me. I got a manual typewriter. I also took up archery! Interestingly, both hobbies are things many people warned me might be too rough on my body, but I’m tackling these responsibly and I’m doing okay. I especially love archery—it’s quite a stress release and so different from everything else I do. I’ve actually been dying to take up archery for close to 25 years, so it’s about time I stopped dreaming about it and got a bow. I’m so glad I finally took that leap.
It’s been a weird year for pen purchases. I got some goodies, but I was also too daring and got some pens that were too heavy for me (some websites had slightly inaccurate specifications so I misjudged). The fact that they were more expensive than I typically splurge on added to the disappointment. But I also got some winners. The biggest pleasant surprise was the Nahvalur Triad, which I will review soon. I intend to exercise more restraint in the pen-buying department this year. Partially because of the doozies I experienced last year, and partially due to the fact that I’ve pretty much reached a state of pen contentment. I’m at the point where many more pens would be too overwhelming for me.
I deleted my Instagram account for various reasons. Social media was never my thing. After such a long absence from all social media platforms, it was an interesting experience to see how different it is today, now that it’s all algorithm-based. I miss the old internet, which encouraged genuine exploration and discovery—you know, effort! I hate having random posts flung in my face and having an algorithm figure out my interests. As a private person, I’m not okay with that. The creepiness of Instagram far outweighs the benefits for me, so bye-bye! My stress level has improved since I made my escape.
Also, I’ve updated my “about the blog” page of The Constrained Creative to reflect that I am no longer publishing a post every other week. It was a good experiment for a brief while, but ultimately too taxing on me both physically and mentally. Life happens. I have other responsibilities and projects to work on. And I refuse to make screen-based content become the center of my universe. I need to stay true to my personal values and take better care of myself.
It was a notoriously rough year in the health department for me, definitely one of the worst on record. But I got through, and overall I’m now feeling better than I’ve felt in a long while. I still have a lot of progress to make considering I’m still not very physically active, but hey—one step at a time.
So, now what? It’s 2026 and I’m snowed in. There’s writing to do, arrows to shoot, new things to research and learn, strength to gain.
How about you?
May 2026 be an excellent year.
