2025 in a nutshell: Malayo pa pero malayo na

Every year, I look back at the year that was and loosely plan the next one. Not a detailed and fixed plan, more like setting a direction and where I want to go.

In 2024, the goal was simple: run a sub-3:30 marathon. I finished at 3:32. Close enough to feel proud, close enough to know there was still more in me.

2025 was different. I stepped back from sports a bit and set new goals: applying to be a conference speaker and building my own startup. Both sounded exciting on paper, but in reality, they required consistency, focus, and long stretches where progress wasn’t obvious.

If you know me already, give me a goal and I’ll spend evenings and weekends reading, building, breaking things, and trying again. That’s why 2025 doesn’t feel finished. Not in a bad way, but more like I thought the end was closer, or I overestimated my capabilities.

While that looks like a failure, it isn’t, so here’s my attempt to look at what I actually achieved and give myself a pat on the back.

2025, by the numbers

5 running events and races
1 Hyrox relay
4 conference speaking engagements
~90% completion of my passion project (or maybe 80% — let’s be real)
Hundreds of hours of learning, mostly AI and LLMs
1 injured ankle
10+ articles written (LinkedIn and blogs)

Good job, Jake (pats back).

Just like this year, I actually don't know how this year-end article should end. Okay, maybe I know.

A new year doesn’t mean starting from zero. It means continuing from the current state. If anything, 2025 wasn’t a fast marathon finish. It was an ultra-marathon: longer, demanding, but expanding my limits.

There's a Filipino quote saying, "Malayo pa pero malayo na,"
which means we are still far, but we’ve already come far.

See you next year!