Lights all around the city

Lights all around the city

With all the Winter Arc conversations floating around on social media, December is often portrayed as a month of darkness, cold, and decline. But for me, December has always felt different. It feels calm. A month for slowing down, reflecting, and quietly collecting fuel for what comes next.

After the shakiness of November, especially around routines, December felt like a soft reset. I started finding my rhythm again, returned to BJJ, and almost immediately got injured once more. This time it was the rotator cuff. At this point, it feels almost predictable, but it also forced me to slow down and listen.

Health 🧘‍♂️

Health-wise, I consciously chose not to push.

I am not lifting heavy weights at all right now due to the injury. Instead, I’m focusing on maintaining my conditioning. Most days revolve around endurance runs with short sprints in between. It keeps my body active without stressing injured areas.

I also made walking a non-negotiable. Getting between 7K and 10K steps daily has been surprisingly grounding. There is something calming about long walks during winter. It gives me space to think without forcing productivity.

SwiftUI and Staying Consistent 🍎

SwiftUI has been my anchor this month. I am currently at Day 50 of hacking with Swift, and that consistency matters more to me than the number itself.

Some days I learn something new. Other days I just reinforce what I already know. But I show up. Opening Xcode, reading code, tweaking small things. That habit feels stable now, and I can see how repetition is slowly compounding into confidence.

I’m no longer chasing speed. I’m chasing continuity.

Games I’m Playing 🎮

I started playing Ratchet & Clank this month. It didn’t hit me emotionally the way Ghost of Tsushima did, but it has its own charm.

What stood out most was how well the game integrates with the PlayStation DualSense controller. The haptics, trigger resistance, and feedback add a layer to the experience that feels intentional and well designed. It’s one of those moments where you step back and appreciate how hardware and software design come together. I want to write about this from a design perspective.

Gratitude and Looking Back 🙏

As the year comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on where I started and where I am now.

At the beginning of this year, I had less knowledge and less privilege than I do today. I was unsure, experimenting, and trying to find my footing in multiple areas. As this year ends, I can confidently say I am in a better place. Not because everything is figured out, but because I have moved forward.

What matters more to me is that I am learning, challenging myself, putting myself in uncomfortable situations, whether it’s SwiftUI, BJJ, writing, or building things. That forward motion means more to me than any milestone.

December reminded me that growth doesn’t always need to be loud. Its the consistency that compounds to be the behemoth.