turning 24 (and other life updates)

Written By Angelina Xu .

24. Officially mid-20s? Certainly the mid-life crises that come along with it.

The year began with many successes: being published for the first time, receiving my first nomination for a literary award and some day-job career successes. I had the bravery to start writing more and to upgrade this website. I went to Bali with P.

The year crumbled in my hands right at the end. P and I got covid and missed the start of the year (I’m still testing positive as I write this). Both family cars stopped working over Christmas. Relentless bureaucracy. My grandfather passed away on NYE.

The weekly goal-setting was a good experience but really varied week on week. This year I’m trying to set monthly goals again (per 2023) but using Notion. I was right when I observed in 2023 that my pen-and-paper weekly goal setting “seems a little archaic and [not] the most functional.” Turns out my obsessive need to handwrite things doesn’t pair well with my desire to carry very little on my person at all times.

This year hasn’t been defined largely by reflection. I’ve stopped relentlessly curating film photos on google drive or phone photos on facebook. Perhaps my need to remember things isn’t so painfully desperate. This has somewhat generously rewarded me with the joyful surprise that I’ve achieved all my yearly goals from last year. They were as follows:

  • Journal weekly - too easy; many poems, thoughts and words

  • Run 10kms without stopping - although I wasn’t consistent with the running, I got to 12kms without stopping and I’ve signed up for my first race in 2025

  • Get published in a magazine / journal - thank you Griffith Review

  • Publish 4 blog posts - designed a new blog too!

  • Plan Europe 2025!! - thank you covid induced isolation. it’s happening apr-may

As always, the present moment. Here are the things I’ve loved through 2024:

  • Poetry Connection (monthly poetry reading club)

  • Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

  • The Anthropocene Reviews podcast series by John Green

  • Ganni Ganni Ganni

  • Music - ‘All my Friends’ by LCD Soundsystem, ‘Brat’ by Charli XCX, ‘Balanca Pema’ by Jorge Ben Jor

  • TV Show - Modern Family

  • Film - rewatching disney classics (Ratatouille is forever the best)

  • Books - ‘The Desert and its Seed’; ‘Happy Stories, Mostly’; ‘Childhood, Youth and Dependency’

  • Running

  • Kneeboarding in Eppalock

  • LA Dodgers winning the MLB World Series

  • The Man Watching - Rainer Maria Rilke

  • Dinner parties!

Yours,

xx Angie

Angelina Xu .
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