1. Read 18 books, at least 3 nonfiction.
   I’ve always averaged 5 books/year but I’d like to make reading more of a priority this year.
2. Commit to a longer side project (At least 3 months).
   I have at least one in mind :)
3. Accomplish two physical milestones.
   Potential examples: train for another run or swim or bike race, complete a major hike/trek, do a muscle up, etc...
4. Accomplish two creative milestones.
   Potential examples: getting better at freestyle hip hop, art, music, or even food composition/plating.

Can't wait.

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[resolutions]

Let's go over my 2016 resolutions:

"Ship something in virtual reality"

I made a scene in VR but nothing worth sharing or shipping. This resolution fell to the wayside since I was waiting for the touch controllers to come out. I also started some work on a 2D project. I might prefer 2D.

"Write 8 posts worthy of reading"

Well, it sure is rough to have fallen short on the first two resolutions. This one was related to the first, as I was planning on writing about things I learned in VR.

"Hike at two national parks, preferably new"

Hiked at Arches, Joshua Tree, Banff, Mt. Rainier, Crater Lake. Each park was deeply inspiring in its own way and I continue to feel lucky and humbled upon every visit. To get a feel for what I saw, check out my instagram.

“Live in a foreign country that's new to me"

I spent March living in Budapest. I had an amazing time in that city. Solo travel has shown me how much I care about human relationships. So it's exceedingly ironic that where I expected to find independence, I instead found how I crave the vulnerability of dependence.

“Develop a fluidity in the kitchen so most dishes I make are served on time"

I prepared somewhere between one to two handfuls of multiple course dinner parties (~6 people each time). And most were ready to go by the time the last guest arrived!

Be able to name all common herbs & spices by sight & smell"

TBD, I need to test myself and get this on tape.

"Accomplish at least two physical goals for surfing, snowboarding, skiing, or weightlifting"

Surfing: After many youtube videos and lots of trial and error, I'm proud to say I can usually get up on the board, albeit sometimes only briefly before falling. I still need to work on my speed and foot placement.

Snowboarding: I definitely progressed from beginner/intermediate to intermediate/advanced levels. I’m good enough to mess around on jumps at the terrain park and I can get some good speed on downhill runs.

Bonus physical goal: I went from the couch to a half marathon this year :)

All in all: 4 to 5 resolutions of 7.

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[resolutions]

It’s been a few years since I’ve done this publicly, but I’d like to bring this tradition back. Learning from past experiences, I’m keeping this list concise and specific. Life can sometimes get in the way but here’s what I’m agreeing to in 2016:

1. Ship something in virtual reality.
2. Write 8 posts worthy of reading.
3. Hike at two national parks, preferably new.
4. Live in a foreign country that's new to me.
5. Develop a fluidity in the kitchen so most dishes I make are served on time.
6. Be able to name all common herbs & spices by sight & smell.
7. Accomplish at least two physical goals for surfing, snowboarding, skiing, or weightlifting.

Time's ticking.

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[resolutions] [2016]

Before I release the 2016 ones, here are my last set of resolutions from 2013:

"100 posts about programming things I’ve encountered and want to share"

Rode the new years train a bit too hard on this one. Even without life getting in the way, this would have been a tough one to keep, but glad I managed even 14 posts even if 13 came in the first half of the year.

"Contribute a couple patches or a bug fix to an open source project."

To my credit, I did make a very small contribution to Django REST Framework as well as other smaller repositories. Work and personal projects have always gotten the best of me. I’ve since forked projects and made features I’ve needed but I’ve always been too lazy to properly submit pull requests with tests.

"Do a weekend project and get it on the front page of HN"

In retrospect, it seems silly to make a project with the explicit intention of making the HN front page. No wonder this is the resolution I remember making the least. I suspect many developers have fallen into the same trap, but I have numerous projects that are anywhere from 50% to 80% complete. Shipping products is an art.

“Read more books: I need to expand my knowledge beyond just reading the news and blogs"

By my count, I’ve read around 18 books since then. Paltry, to be sure, but not nothing.

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[resolutions]

Last year was the first year in a long time that I did not make any resolutions over the year. I’d like to get back to it this year, with a few that I should be able to keep.

1. Articulation: 100 posts about programming things I’ve encountered and want to share.
2. Get involved: Contribute a couple patches or a bug fix to an open source project.
3. Push myself: Do a weekend project and get it on the front page of HN.
4. Read more books: I need to expand my knowledge beyond just reading the news and blogs.

Here’s to a great 2013!

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[resolutions] [2013] [2012] [programming] [open source] [blog] [weekend project] [hacker news]