Happy new year fellow nerds and everyone else! We have finally made it into 2024! But before I talk about my 2024 goals. Let's sit back and reflect on last year.

2023 Reflections

console.log("New year, new me 🥳");

A lot happened in 2023 for me. I started 2023 on a high note just like everyone else. Had that new year, new me vibe going on for first two months and then just like most people, I reset to my default settings of procrastinating and laziness.

By the time we were in March I did not care about my goals anymore, my final year of university was stressing me and that alone was something I was not willing to give up on.

2023 Wins

console.log("A win is a win!");

Despite being a rough and oddly long year, I managed to strike a few wins in it some of the big ones being finishing school, teaching at secondary school and falling in love with the experience, and building a mobile application.

Finishing School!

console.log("Finally!");

On 22nd December, 2023, I finally finished everything that was required of me to get my degree and when I woke up on the 23rd, it was the best feeling ever. I begun to dread school.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate nor dislike school. But the assignments and tests and other forms of assessment started had overstayed their welcome, became stale and they all felt like chores.

While I was in my first year in 2018 at University of Malawi, final year felt far away. I was due to graduate in 2022 but then COVID-19. The horror.

There is a Malawian saying (or is it African?) that goes like "Sukulu siyimatha" which means "Learning/School never stops" and basically it is said to encourage people to never settle for their education or what they already know.

But as for me, I am very excited that I won't have to think about an assignment or sit in a classroom anytime soon. And that for me, is a big WIN.

Learning More About Flutter

My final year project was a social media application and I used flutter to develop it. For more about that, read the article: Buildng Relate - Part 1 (Origins)

Teaching at Mkwichi Secondary School

This win alone deserves a dedicated article of its own because I have A LOT to say about my experiences of teaching and about Mkwichi Secondary School in general.

For those who do not know, every Bachelor of Education student at the University of Malawi has to go for teaching practice for one term once they complete their forth year. And for the rest of the term we are supervised and graded on our performance.

In short, we are required to apply everything we have been learning throughout the four years. Again, I have a lot to say and I will keep it short and make a dedicated post for my experiences at Mkwichi Secondary School.

2023 !Wins

Let's be honest, 2023 was not a straight road for most people myself included. There are a few things I wish I could have done or happened differently.

More Side Projects

This always shows up almost every year lol but last year it was worse. I literally did not release something useful and to be honest I am not pleased with myself. But this year, yes this year, things will change.

Write More Blog Posts

Yes, yes. Another recurring problem that seems to not go away. But in my defense... In my defense... Okay, I have nothing else to blame but myself. Last year I did not do a lot of writing and this includes blog posts. But this year, yes, this year, things will be different.

Reading More Books

This is a new one. I did not read as much as I would have liked last year and to be honest, I am also not pleased with myself. I literally read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho in January 2023 and was half way through Elantris by Brandon Sanderson in February.

I also started re-reading The Passionate Programmer but never got to finish it. That's all the reading I did.

Did Not Watch Enough Anime

Anime has a special place in my heart and I did not watch most of the anime I said I wanted to watch in 2023.

Conclusion

All I can say through all this is that, we can plan but GOD has the final say on how the events in our lives play out. If you are a non-believer then fate has its own plans.

We just have to embrace every outcome with open arms lest we dwell on something that will eventually be known as the past and when we dwell on the past, we become dormant and fail to make progress, money and eventually our goals and dreams die unfulfilled.

May you have a productive 2024 and thank you so much for reading this far and see you in the next one.