Rounding out the 2023 season

❄️ December Life Updates

Dec 24, 2023

Bonjour! 👋🏻 It’s me. I know it’s been a long time (3 months in fact). Life got busy and I wasn’t able to prioritize my own personal content. And that’s ok.

I’ve learned that there’s a lot to be gained from a life of just “living” and being fully present in the moment — in not forcing myself to keep up with writing or creating content, when I feel creatively drained and burnt out.

I’m excited to share one last newsletter with y’all in 2023 — rounding out the things I’ve been up to and thinking about over the past 3 months, as well as a list of my Top 5 core memories for the year! 💙 Let’s get started 💪🏻

✍🏻 What I’ve been up to over the past 3 months

Hosting parties and events for friends in Toronto 🎉 - If there was a Partiful Platinum Tier, I think me and my roomies may have hit it for the number of parties and small events we hosted at our place over the past 3 months! 😅 It’s been a heap of fun hosting a Halloween party 🎃, a birthday party for the incredibly talented Ying Ge ✨ (who also recently started her own Substack!), small dinner gatherings, ping pong nights 🏓, as well as a holiday Christmas party for our onova and Inoki team and alumni at our studio! ❄️

A photo at the very end of the night with a few onova x Inoki team members —across the generations 💚

Becoming diligent with my stretching app “Bend” 🙆🏻 - Officially hitting a 50-day active streak 💪🏻 this morning and maintaining 100% on the app’s “Bendometer”. It’s been a great way to motivate me to stay disciplined and consistent with my stretching (doing at least 5 minutes a day) and really follow James Clear’s third rule of “make it easy” when it comes to creating good habits.
Going on a winter cottage trip with friends to mark the start of the holidays 🏡 - Sometimes we need to take a break from our everyday lives to go on a cottage trip or winter escape with friends. As much as I’ve loved living in our new apartment in the city (of downtown Toronto), I think my soul really needed a slow down and a break from urban city life to reset, reenergize and fully recharge before entering 2024 😌. Excited for what’s to come, but first — good food, good vibes, Christmas movies, gifting presents and staying at a well-designed and cozy AirBnB by the lake (with a hot tub as well)! 😍

Prioritizing getting some much-needed rest and relaxation at the cottage

🤔 3 things I’ve been thinking about over the past 3 months

“You fall in love with people’s minds” - we’re attracted to people’s energies, the way they think, the way they make us laugh and the way they make us feel with their words, deep questions and thoughtful actions.
“There’s only so much of yourself to give” - we can’t do it all, and it’s especially important for us to remind ourselves of this during the holiday season. Be gentle with yourself and make sure you also reserve time and energy for yourself too 🫶🏻.
“Prioritize the big goals in life” - building on from the point before, we should endeavour to prioritize the big goals in life. Those big-ticket items that’ll give us more feelings of joy, wonder, happiness and fulfilment over the long haul.

💙 This year's top 5 core memories

To round out the 2023 season, here’s a countdown of my top 5 core memories from throughout the year! Would highly encourage you to do something similar or to create a Reel summarizing the peak moments and memories for you this year!

Watching the world’s best tennis players play live in Cincinnati! 🎾

Seeing Carlos Alcaraz play for the first time and watching Novak practice from 2 metres away — for sure one of the biggest highlights of the year.

Skiing in Whistler ⛷️ and taking a train trip across the country 🚞

Achieving two of my biggest dreams on the same trip 💙 There were times when life didn’t even feel real — sitting on the train or skiing down the slopes of Whistler! 🏔️

Moving to Toronto 🏙️ and having the best roommates I could ever ask for!

The boys and I all dressed up for our cheeky, late, sexy/spooky Halloween party 🎃👻

Seeing my Dad in HK 🇭🇰 (after not having seen him in more than four years)

All the feels 🥹 Cherished and savoured every moment I got to spend with my Dad during the week I spent with him in Hong Kong 💙

Annndddddd in first place, visiting Bali 🏝️ for the first time and being there for Victor and Helen’s wedding 💍

Witnessing one of the most incredible and magical weddings of all time, with one of my closest and best friends from this year — Brandon Yu

💭 Some reflections for you heading into the new year

What are your biggest goals heading into 2024?
Which part of the “season” would you like to peak in the most?
Who is going to be a part of your closest support team and wider crew?
What beliefs about yourself will you have to overcome?

That’s it for 2023! 🎉 Looking forward to seeing you all in 2024 and catching up with a lot of you either virtually or in-person over the holiday break!

Happy Holidays ❄️ and Merry Christmas! 🎄 Enjoy spending some well-deserved time with friends and family over the coming weeks!

Much love,
Ron 💙