2023 In Review 年度总结

2023, what a year it's been.

Left SF, which I begrudgingly called home for 10 years. Lived in Hawaii and Vancouver. Moved to London. Got a divorce. Suffered heartbreak, twice. Stayed afloat, buoyed by the love and support of family and friends. Sent my baby brother off to college. Attended several beautiful weddings of some of my dearest friends. Ran to stay sane -- 1,200km with a 7 minute half marathon PR. Started doing Pilates. Started using retinol. Started cooking on induction (still hate it, at least give me knobs).

Learnings & Changes

Sleep - In late 2022, I read Matthew Walker’s “Why We Sleep”, but 2023 was when I really started incorporating a lot of the learnings into my own sleep routine. I also got an Oura ring to better track my sleep.

  • Temperature: For better sleep, our internal body temperature needs to cool down. This is actually why, counterintuitively, a hot bath or shower helps us sleep better. By warming our body surface temperature, our core temperature actually cools down in response. This year, I switched from a "cold weather” goose down comforter to an “all seasons” silk comforter (which is also deliciously weighted). When possible to regulate room temperature, I try to keep it at 65-68F.

  • Light + Sound: No surprise, but we achieve better sleep quality in darkness and quietness. With how much I traveled this year, this is hard to achieve consistently in new hotel rooms (not me unplugging every digital alarm clock). I now carry an eye mask and ear plugs everywhere I go and use them every night. This also helps when sharing a bed or room with others.

  • Caffeine: Half time of caffeine in the body is ~5 hours. I try to avoid coffee, tea, anything caffeinated after lunch.

  • Eating: Going to bed with a full stomach may feel really good, but makes for poor sleep as your digestive system is still working hard to process what you’ve just put in your body. I now try to stop eating 3-4 hours before bed.

  • Alcohol: To quote Dr Peter Attia "I’m in the camp that believes that there’s absolutely no benefit to alcohol at any dose, but I have anywhere from 0-8 drinks a week", I also really like a good drink once in a while, but any time I have more than one drink a night, my sleep quality definitely suffers. Somewhat surprisingly, I drank a lot less frequently and in volume this year and will continue to try to have no more than 2 drinks a night when I do.

Running easy - Absolutely game-changing for my running game this year was learning about aerobic vs anaerobic metabolism, zone 2 training and doing a lactate test. Basically, run slower to get faster. What this meant for me in 2023 is starting to really enjoy running on a consistent basis, because the run itself becomes a meditative time for myself and I’m not fatiguing myself to the point of requiring recovery days. Now, if I take more than a day off running, my whole body feels antsy. If you’re interested, keep reading for details of the science, which I wrote below to help myself summarize my learnings.

There are 2 ways for the body to produce energy, with oxygen (aerobic) or without (anaerobic). Aerobic metabolism is the process by which fats and carbs are converted into usable energy in the form of ATP, requiring oxygen. While efficient and produces a lot of energy output, this process is slow. During really intense activity sustained for a short period of time, in the absence of enough oxygen, the body uses anaerobic metabolism to generate energy for immediate use from carbs. Anaerobic metabolism is when our body fatigues and thus this level of exercise is not sustainable.

At low intensity in the aerobic zone, the body is able to use primarily fat via fatty acid oxidation vs carbs (via glycolysis). The aerobic threshold (AT) is thus when the production of energy starts to become dominated by anaerobic glycolysis of carbs rather than the oxidation of fats. To become a faster (endurance) runner, I want to push up my AT, making my body more efficient at transporting and using oxygen (and fat) for energy before tapping into the anaerobic system (which uses glycogen).

The way to efficiently do this is to spend more time training well within the aerobic threshold in “zone 2” (out of a 5 zone system). Training in zone 2 pushes up AT without requiring long periods of recovery. So how do you know what your zone 2 is? Most articles out there use heart rate (HR), but that’s actually just a proxy. The actual measurement of aerobic threshold is when blood lactate begins to rise above the normal resting level of 2mmol/L since lactic acid accumulates through anaerobic glycolysis. In July, I did a blood lactate test (aka getting my fingers pricked after running progressively faster intervals on a treadmill….super fun) and so have a pretty good idea what my personal zone 2 is (anywhere from 9:00 - 11:00 / mile). I don’t recommend using HR to determine your zone 2 (see this run where O and I held a conversation for the entire time, my HR was in the 150-160 range while his never went above 125). Instead, try the “conversation test”. Can you speak in full sentences and hold a conversation, albeit perhaps laboriously, while maintaining this intensity? Here is a video from Dr Peter Attia on what zone 2 feels / sounds like.

Next year, I will continue to keep 80% of my weekly milesage in zone 2 to improve my AT (reducing the rate at which lactate is produced), but will also focus on anaerobic adaptations (improving my body’s ability to remove that lactate).

Sources: 1, 2

Self care - This year, I continued in my n-th year of daily sunscreen use (yes, that’s right, every day even in the God forsaken places like London and Vancouver in wintertime). I also far more consistently did a nightly skincare routine of proper washing, actives (retinol or AHA/BHA), and layered hydration. My skin has never looked better. Even the stubborn bumps on my chin (sebaceous filaments) have smoothed out quite a bit towards the end of the year. Two other additions to my routine include Cocofloss (TY, JC!) and GrandeLASH serum (TY, JP!).

Companionship - This was a year of painful loss, but also new learnings. My time spent with JT and JC (what is with the J’s in my life?!) have shown me what good can feel like. I spent a lot of time on my own, which I quite enjoy and think I am quite “good” at, but also admitted to myself my need and appreciation for quality companionship whether in the form of a partner, housemates or travel buddy.

  • Good banter - I will never not live for good banter.

  • Bearing witness - To be seen, known, understood by a 知己 (and the same in return) will always be the bedrock upon which I build relationships and close friendships

  • Energy - R and I frequently joked about “activation energy” in a throwback to high school chem. It took spending (significant amounts of) time with different people to realize how draining it was to always be the one supplying said energy, drawing your partner out to do things. Having synergistic, complementary energy levels is so important to a relationship. To respect each other’s necessary downtimes, but to also be able to push and pull a little to help the other get out of a rut.

  • Giving and receiving - I love to take care of people. To feel taken care of was different and very pleasant. I 100% think the ideal is to be in a virtuous cycle of giving and appreciation with another giver.

  • Rhythm and pace - JC and I spent 6 weeks on the road together and part of what made it so easy was that we operated with very similar “tempo”. Getting out the door in the morning. Winding down at night. Even with a destination, we didn’t mind meandering, making detours, taking our time.

Favourite items

Kitchen Essentials - Moving twice this year has helped me really figure out what my kitchen must-haves are. A lot of these were the first things I packed in the luggage I took to Vancouver, and then again to London. Others were the first thing I (re)purchased upon arriving.

  • Maestro Wu artillery steel cleaver - I carried my entire knife collection with me in a knife roll, but if I had to choose one, a small Chinese cleaver it is.

  • Kuhn Rikon peeler

  • Muji silicone spoon & spatula

  • 8-inch non-stick frying pan

  • Saucepot

  • Cast iron french oven

  • Dinnerware and cutlery I love to eat out of and with (Royal Copenhagen, Cutipol, Muji chopsticks)

  • Hot water kettle or dispenser

  • Baking basics (not that essential, but this is what I’d get to rebuild my baking arsenal)

    • Kitchen scale

    • Measuring cups and spoons

    • Mixing spatula (the above Muji one works great)

    • Hand mixer

    • Parchment paper

Fashion - Having lived out of a “suitcase” (or 3) for more than half of the year, these were my wardrobe workhorses

  • Gianvito Rossi Chelsea Boots, black - to use my friend’s phrase “哇，他们居然有这么实用的鞋子??” Stomped around Europe for 6 weeks wearing these almost exclusively. Narrow slim ankle is super flattering to wear with skirts or pants (tucked in or over).

  • Uniqlo Ribbed Bra Tanks and Cropped Tees - best budget finds of the year. Really hope they bring these back next summer

  • Liwan LY Shirt, white - a white button up shirt with a rebel collar made by a Lebanese designer based in Paris

  • 7115 Painter Trousers, oatmeal linen - my summer pant of choice, had them tailored in Taipei last year to take in the hips a bit. Breezy and cool, but smart

  • Homme Plisse Pants, black - another workhorse on said Europe trip. Comfortable, easy to style, easy to take care of.

  • Celine Teen Triomphe, black - the one luxury handbag I’d repurchase in a heartbeat (maybe in lizard instead). Can elevate a casual outfit or be worn with something dressier. The size is perfect for wearing in both summer and winter (over or under coats), fits a Kindle and all the essentials (phone, keys, card case, sunglasses, tissues)

  • Loewe Reversible Belt - so versatile and easy

  • Eric Bompard Long Coat, navy - purchased in Paris after thinking about it for an entire year. To use JC’s words, a rare coat that looks even better buttoned than open. It’s double-sided wool and cashmere, heavy, warm…like a cocoon in which to armour myself from the elements.

Favourite Books

Favourite Media (shows, movies, podcasts)

  • 去有風的地方

  • 装腔启示录

  • 一念关山

  • 爱情而已

  • 少年歌行 - 2022, but I watched it this year

  • Past Lives

  • 流浪地球 2 Wandering Earth II

  • 封神 Creation of the Gods

  • Arthur C Brooks on Tim Ferris's podcast

  • Brene Brown on Tim Ferris’s podcast

Places Visited

  • North America: SF Bay Area, LA, Hawaii, Portland, Seattle, Vegas, Phoenix, Houston, Austin, New York, Los Cabos, Vancouver

  • Europe: London, Bruge, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Spanish Basque Country, Lisbon

  • Asia: Singapore, Ko Lanta in Thailand