I turn 29 today and the same as last year I would like to reflect a little on the past year and think about what would be next.

While my 27th year was memorable in that there had been a lot of pain and growth, 28 had rolled by smoothly. The year went by so quickly that I think it is hard to reflect on all that might have happened in that time. But here is a short summation.

On the career front, while I had left behind my job at True&Co, it was here that I started developing a career that I feel that is more in line with what I am excited about. I began taking on a number of different clients and working with their businesses. Freelancing started to bring in more money and the result was more independence. Much of my year 28 was spent in coffee shops with my Macbook, with the California sunlight pouring in through windows. Jenny used to ask me, “What is my ideal day?” Well I had the distinct pleasure of experiencing my ideal day quite often through my 28th year.

On the personal front, I moved to Taiwan. It took a long time to develop but it did. I did not anticipate that I would end up here and I am grateful for all the breaks that had to actually happen. It was hard to leave my family and friends behind - and in the final weeks before I left I got the chance to sit with them one on one whereupon I got a serious case of cold feet. But I did eventually go.

Now I am here in the beautiful city of Taipei, writing this post in a Starbucks during a rainy day. The weather is cold and humid, but tolerable. I am waayy underdressed for a Taiwanese, which makes me stick out like a sore thumb. Also I work really long hours.

But I really like being here, in the heart of a living urban city. It makes me feel like my time here in Taipei is special and I am now a bit frustrated that I spent so much time in suburban Redwood City. This might go down as my biggest regret of my 28th year - I should have left Redwood City years ago.

For my year 29, I would like to spend more time thinking the opposite. I want to take some contrarian positions and think differently from the mainstream. Perhaps I would need to adopt some sort of framework - some opposing mechanism - but I would like to try.

I don’t know how long this time in Taipei will last - but I will treasure every moment … and document it thoroughly on Instagram and Facebook.