🔔 My calendar notification buzzed on my phone. It's my dad's birthday today, he's passed away since 2006, and I miss him dearly. I keep it as a reminder as I get older, things like dates normally fade away and forgotten.
🗓️ And now it's 2026, I felt last year melted away and didn't feel like I achieved what I wanted, like a blink of an eye, or when you wake up from slumber, it's all foggy. I can't even remember things even from a couple of days ago.
📝 So it might be a bit late but I kept a note in Bear, I use this app to jot things down, prepare workshops/presentations, checklists, ideas, and so on.
This note is actually a list of all the things I did throughout 2025, major ones that is. It's not for showing off, but it's an acknowledgement to myself. People may not read it, that's ok, but to the future me who is reading old posts and you come across this...
"Hello! Just want to say that you did good and you still are doing well, keep it up!"
🚥 Ready? Here we go in no particular order:-
- Started "Train the Creative Trainer course" (QQI certified) with Creative Skillnet (Dec 2025)
- Got accepted into "Creative Learning" micro-credential course with NCAD and will be starting soon in Jan 2026
- Lead of PyLadiesCon 2025 Code of Conduct team
- Co-lead EuroPython FinAid 2025 team
- Helped on EuroPython 2025 Code of Conduct team
- Helped on DjangoConEurope 2025 Code of Conduct team
- Nominated for DSF membership, and accepted the nomination
- Judge at Diversity in Tech Awards in 2025
- Short-listed and accepted for Public Jobs ARC programme (but withdrawn application as it's not the right time for me at the moment)
- Personal story published in "Kings and Queens of the Road" book by Museum of Childhood Ireland
- Co-organised irish techie quiz that brought the tech community together and raised over €2500 for The Dublin Simon Community
- Ran community table promoting irish tech communities at ShipItCon 2025 and PyCon Ireland 2025
- Ran zine workshop & created Makers memento zine at Dublin Maker 2025
- Committee member in Cantonese in Ireland. Helped with the Dragonboat race in Carlow and mini-flowerboard workshop at Dublin Maker. Also revamping their website.
- Continuing member of PSF Grants Working Group
- Continuing organiser of PyLadies Dublin, onboarding new volunteers.
- Ran my first ever in-house game jam with Story Toys
- Coordinated Bloomsday festival event for Cantonese in Ireland
- Organised and facilitated the 4th Django Girls workshop at DjangoCon Europe
And what will 2026 bring? I hope when I get certified as a trainer, and with a more creative mindset, this will help me build Coding Grace and myself to continue my pursuit and helping others.
And also make it sustainable so I can travel more to achieve more without feeling guilty to charge for what I do.
It took me over a decade to accept that it's okay to make money to sustain myself in order to help others, given that I'm not in full time employment, and I do have bills and a mortgage to pay (and no pension 🫤). I'm in my late 40s, I have to think about my future, what will happen to me in 10-20 years time when I can't afford to let all my volunteering eat away at my personal funds.
So 2026, I'm here! Let's do this! 💪
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