2025
Dear friends,
Is it just me, or did 2025 disappear in the blink of an eye?
It’s now Day 2 of the official Year of the Horse, and I have to say — I quite enjoy celebrating New Year twice. January 1st is for ambitious resolutions. By mid-January (at least for me), reality sets in.
Chinese New Year? That’s my second chance. A reset. A quiet recommitment.
💍 The Big News
I got engaged.
Still processing that one even though the wedding is just a month away. Still catching myself staring at my ring when I type (so lame).
✈️ Places 2025 Took Me
China
Sichuan adventures: Guangyuan, Qionglai, Luzhou, Yibin, Miyi
Chongqing (many times — still obsessed), including Wu Mountain
Beijing
Lijiang & Kunming (Yunnan)
Shanghai (also many times — always feels like a version of home)
Nanchang
Hangzhou & Wenzhou (Zhejiang)
Wuhan
Xi’an
Shenzhen
Tianjin
Guiyang
China never stops surprising me. The scale, the speed, the stories — every city feels like its own country.
Asia & MENA
Laos (Vientiane, Luang Prabang)
Korea (Seoul)
UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi)
Vietnam (Hanoi, Da Nang)
From quiet mornings along the Mekong to desert skylines in the UAE — and dancing at EDC in Seoul — wildly different energies, all in one year.
Europe
Belgium (Bruges)
France (Épernay, Amiens)
The Netherlands (Utrecht, Rotterdam, Delft, Den Haag)
UK (Farnham, Alton)
Europe felt less like tourism and more like timing — a friend’s wedding, a long-awaited first trip to the Champagne region (the real one), and somehow landing in Amiens just as the Tour de France swept through town.
🏃♀️ Sport Stats (Because Apparently I Don’t Sit Still)
Chengdu Marathon — Didn’t beat my PB of 2024, but did it in just after 2 hours
Badminton — 70 sessions
Supermonkey — 142 classes (105 Zumba… yes, they told me)
Dancing — 50 jazz classes (and tried one Samba class)
Exercise keeps me sane.
💼 Work (the serious bit)
2025 stretched me professionally in ways I didn’t quite anticipate.
I stepped into the Acting Head of Post role, covering the Commissioner position while continuing to lead the trade team and fulfil my Deputy Commissioner responsibilities. It was a season of dual hats, long days, and constant decision-making. For the first time, I found myself not wanting to choose where to eat or what to do on weekends — a small but telling sign of decision fatigue.
We delivered a strong program for the Premier’s visit, showcasing tangible engagement between Victoria and China — not just meetings, but meaningful commercial and institutional connections.
Almost immediately after, we prepared and executed the Victorian Trade Minister’s visit. Momentum rarely pauses in this line of work.
And in between it all: back-to-back major trade shows, including CIIE and FHC — supporting Victorian businesses on the ground and helping them grow in-market.
Victoria’s goods exports to China in 2024–25 reached AUD 40,555 million, reflecting continued depth in the trade relationship.
It’s work that sits within something much bigger than any one individual — but this year reminded me how much responsibility, and privilege, comes with being part of it.
What 2025 Taught Me
Living abroad continues to stretch me — sometimes in uncomfortable ways. It sharpens your sense of identity. It reminds you who your people are.
To my friends back home who ground me, to my global friends who expand me, and to those who’ve supported me quietly in the background — thank you. You are the constant in a very moving life.
Here’s to 2026.
