Year in Brief
January
Enrolled in a drawing class and learned some basic sketching. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep it up.
Seriously considered making a move toward work I’d actually enjoy — sent out a résumé and landed an offer for a physics simulation job. I was planning to jump ship after the New Year.
February
Lupin III Season 6.
Found a clip of myself making an incredible play in Overwatch.
Shenzhen began mandatory routine PCR testing.
After watching Now You See Me and Cinderella at Midnight, I ordered a deck of cards online and learned a few basic magic tricks. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep that up either.
March
My manager called me in for a chat — there was an opportunity to go to Russia. But I’d already accepted the new offer.
I agonized over it for a while.
…In the end, I decided to pass on the job switch and go to Russia instead.
It felt a bit like going with the flow, but going with the flow is still a choice I made.
Switched to a red iPhone 13 and sold my old 8 Plus to a forum friend.
April
Gave away or sold most of my belongings.
Had a wisdom tooth pulled.
May
Participated in the Overwatch 2 beta — got a pentakill with Genji 😄
Prepared a short-term visa, took a business English exam, and flew Shenzhen → Beijing → Moscow → Novosibirsk.
Met a forum friend in Beijing; at midnight we were eating McFlurries in the hotel watching naked men wrestle.
June & July
Enjoyed the brief Novosibirsk summer between work.
August
Returned home, quarantined, and tested positive for COVID on the second day in the hotel…
Experienced the full gamut of China’s pandemic response procedures firsthand.
September
Discharged from hospital, home quarantine, returned to Shenzhen for work, and started the work visa process.
Dinner with forum friends.
October
OW1 shut down — six years of random-hero duo queues 😎
OW2 launched.
Moved out of the Shenzhen apartment: Shenzhen → Moscow → Novosibirsk. Played mahjong in Russia.
Novosibirsk already had snow.
November
Handled paperwork in Moscow, rented a 100-square-meter cabin in the forest near the Novosibirsk research institute, and received a refund for a flight cancelled due to market circuit breakers.
My mansion in the forest.
December
China lifted its zero-COVID policy.
Received my first euro-denominated paycheck, went with colleagues to a nearby sanatorium on the weekend, and exchanged Christmas gifts.
Books, Films & More
Didn’t read much this year. Since my home internet struggled to load certain images on Douban, I’m skipping the collage and just picking one favorite in each category.
Novel: The Tatami Time Machine Blues — pickings were so slim this year I had to go with the tallest dwarf.
Film: Bullet Train — I read the original novel ages ago; it was fun.
Anime: Lupin III Part 6, Episode 4 — the overall series felt average, but this standalone episode really got me.
Game: AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative — bought the sequel, then played the dusty original first. Sequels are usually a step down, but this one’s story held up.
2023 Resolutions
I expect life to be a bit more settled next year — peace, quiet, and a proper hermit lifestyle.
- Start keeping a diary.
- Plan my days, live with more self-discipline.
- Read 30 novels.
- Study Russian.
- Cook at home on weekends and holidays.
- Try drawing with the iPad.
- Work seriously.
Looking Back at Last Year’s Resolutions
2022 Year-End Review — Holed Up in Novosibirsk
- Sketching practice: gave up halfway
- Keep exercising: I was holed up in a forest
- Keep reading: not bad, actually
- Improve my writing: no time
- Declutter: definitely achieved — I moved countries
- Go to the dentist: had a wisdom tooth pulled