Rewarding 2025

My 2025 can be split into two parts.

During the first part (Jan – Aug), I lived a relaxed life, trying to accomplish things that I hadn’t had time for before. In the second part (Sep – Dec), I went back to studying and became stressed again loll. Everything was super smooth and I felt really happy—until I dislocated my shoulder in late October. Still, I should call 2025 a rewarding year, because a LOT of things finally paid off. 😊

Here are 9 stories.

1. Spend more time building muscles, not showing them. Have you ever seen people’s photo in the gym? Finding the right lighting and shooting from an angle that makes their muscles look more defined? I was doing exactly that. I applied to 6 MBA programes and was rejected by all of them. How long did I spend preparing my applications? A whole year. Meanwhile, my friend spent just a week applying for 2 schools—she was waitlisted by one and admitted by the other. We both applied for top-tier schools, yet our results were so different. Why? She has developed her thoughts and skills through her everyday life and achievements. It’s not about how well you can speak; what really matters is the depth of your experience and the trajectory you’ve built.

2. Keep spending time with loved ones. My parents finally visited HK after I’d been living here for five years. During their trip, we squeezed together in my tiny apartment. We went to watch horse racing, hit my favourate spots, and explored Macau casinos together. Having them in town made me feel warm. I burst into tears at the airport when I was sending them off. That emotion turned into trust in our relationship—seeing my living conditions brought us closer and gave all three of us peace of mind.

Last week, my mom and I visited Hunan where my kai maa lives. We had a great time chatting and joking, even though we hadn’t seen each other for two years. I felt comfortable enough to talk about things that I had nevery discussed with anyone before. When I doubted myself, they showed their support without hesitation, reminding me that I am loved no matter what. It makes me fearless.

3. I’m good and keep building up confidence. I haven’t been a confident person. But starting from this year, I realised that I’m not so bad after all—in fact, I am good in certain things. This confidence didn’t come easily; it was built through a series of successes. Improving my English, getting a good score in GMAT, being waitlisted by Haas, receiving an offer from Penn, contributing to my team and driving initiatives, talking to random people and being liked by them, and finishing strong in 2 courses. Just listing them out here makes me feel proud. 😊

Congrats to Sandy about being officially admitted to MCIT 🍻

4. Stay in an energetic state and don’t lose pace. I repeatedly think to myself that life is so fulfilling and this year has been good to me… until I injured my shoulder and had to stop playing tennis. I’d never been so in hooked on a sport, but the doctor suggested I should stop playing—maybe forever. I was heartbroken. I didn’t know how seriously I should take this advice, whether I should take surgery, or who I could trust to help me with rehab.

Then final comes, and I have to stay at home on weekends, finishing demanding homeworks and preparing for the exams. I burned out. The same feeling from last year—the exhaustion and unwillingness to go out—came back to me. My mind became dull, my will was weak. Even when it was finally over, I couldn’t get out of that bad state until I spent three weeks just resting.

Now I’m recovered and ready to start the next semaster. I don’t know if I’ll be able to play tennis again, but that’s okay. I’ll do what I can—hitting the gym for rehab and building full-body strength. It takes effort to stay energetic, and I want to keep that energy for as long as possible.

5. Do more novel things. A friend’s friend also lives in Hong Kong. She goes out with her packpack every weekend, while I stay at home complaining about how boring things are. I realized that setting yourself “free” is a choice. So, I rented a car to Huizhou, a city 1.5h away from Shenzhen. In the morning, I didn’t know the destination, in the afternoon, I had already completed 1/3 of the newly opened “218 highway” in the region.

When I hop on the MTR back to Hong Kong, it felt like a whole week had passed since the last time I was here—even though it was just yesterday morning! For years, time seemed to pass by so quickly, and I had no idea how to hold onto it. “This is the answer!” I thought to myself. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I came back from the States: what felt like two weeks was actually only 6 days.

6. Be precise about your purpose, and be willing to bear the consiquences. I planned a trip to Huangshan with mom and one of her friends. They were both in their late 50s. My original plan was to hike all the way up from the bottom to top on the first day, then have another intense walk on the second day. However, my mom’s friend dropped out, and my mom didn’t sleep well the night before the hike. I realized that the moment they agreed to join the trip, the goal shifted—from challenging myself to planning a trip that suited them.

That morning, we decided to take the cable car up, do the intense trek on the first day, and keep the second day easy. When we got back, my mom’s legs were way to sore, while I wished I could have taken more challenges. I learned that I should either plan a relaxed trip from the start or invite people who are more similar to me. I can’t have both close companionship and an intense hike at the same time. This experience taught me the importance of being clear about my purpose and being willing to make sacrifices.

7. Get away from inner termoil. I have trouble replying to other people’s messages. Sometimes, I want to find the perfect answer; othertimes, I’m just not interested in the conversation. These situations lead to slow responses, and I don’t like that.

Kai maa’s word woke me up. She said it’s okay to be imperfect and to share your real thoughts. The key is being sincere, and others will understand. “Not responding drains you, and it hurts your image too,” she said. I can’t agree more.

8. You can save money by being more “careful.” I realized that I was renting a WiFi router for HKD80 every month, for more than a year. With that amount, I can easily buy any kind of router I want! All I needed to do was to call the WiFi company and schedule a time for them to collect the device. But I was too lazy to make the call, so I kept getting charged for a whole year.

Similarly, if I can plan ahead for daily necessities and stock up during Double-Eleven, I can easily save RMB10~20 on each item I buy. Micro plans like these might seem tedious, but the cost really add up over time.

9. Nail what you’re doing. When I was in college, my GPA wasn’t great becuase I thought study wasn’t important. To convince others that my IQ is okay, I have to explain a whole lot. But the most compelling evidence is your records, period.

If you are a student, get As. If you’re a product manager, deliver features. If you work in pricing, give wise advice about how much to charge. “Tell them to shut up and listen to you because you’re the expert,” boss asked me. (Right, I don’t think I am that expert yet.) I put this as the last story to remind myself because I get distracted sometimes.

Let’s live in the moment and live the best we can.