Welcome to the first edition of my newsletter for 2023.

And I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year.

This is also the 1st edition of my new newsletter using the new platform, Beehiiv. I hope you enjoy the experience.

It was a really good break over Christmas and New Year and we spent some quality time with friends and families. We saw the Christmas lights in central London around Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly, Carnaby Street and Trafalgar Square. The lights at Carnaby Street were the best in my opinion. We went to the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and enjoyed some mulled wine, churros and thrilling rides. I ran two 5Ks at the Bromley Parkrun. We also went to the Christmas Family Fair at Beckenham Place Park where our son really enjoyed one of the rides. We played a lot of Catan during these holidays where somehow I almost win but never really do. And I played a lot of chess improving my rating in the 10 min rapid chess (not by a lot though). Dumb charades is my new favourite party game where guessing B-grade Bollywood films is the best part.

Rinat and I also recorded 2 podcasts and recently published our 59th episode. It's been a long journey since 2020, and we plan to publish our 100th episode by year end.

And this Sunday I ran my first 10K on an athletic track at the Norman Park Community Sports Centre. It feels amazing to run on an even and perfectly flat track. Very easy on the knees and a breeze to run. Though I did get wet as it rained a bit in between and my hands were freezing by the end of the run, it was still fun.

🧾 2022 accountability

Last year when I started my newsletter I wrote about a lot of stuff that I started and thought would continue. So let's see how I did on all the things I said I would do.

Create a course on Udemy - This is still pending and I might finish doing it this year.

10 min workout every day - After getting COVID in July 2022, this went for a toss. I need to resume this.

Listening to a podcast every week - This happened initially but then I struggled. I just can't find a good podcast or a topic. Technology interests and excites me and that's what I keep focussing on. So will try more around that this year, apart from health, productivity and learning something new.

Reading 30 mins every day - This is also something I have struggled with. It was easy, to begin with, but then I began to lose interest. I get bored easily so need to finish something quickly else I struggle later. Focus is what I lack. Focus is what I need to work on this year.

⚽ 2023 goals

So this year I want to achieve the following things -

• Read 30 mins every day - This is something I think is very important and I will really focus on this starting today.

• Reduce fat % to 15% and maintain it - I am currently around 17% and would like to get it down. I measure that using my Withings scale. The aim is to build more muscles and reduce fat. My personal trainer keeps telling me to stop eating rice but that's something really hard for me.

• Travel to 4 new countries - Last year we travelled to Morocco and this year we are travelling to Japan in March. If anyone has been to Japan then please get in touch with me. I also need to apply for a Schengen visa to travel to Europe this summer.

• Run a 5K Parkrun in <23 mins - My Personal Best (PB) is 23 mins 38 secs.

• Present at a software testing conference - I have spoken about Taiko at 4 different online meetups so far. But this time I want to speak in person at a live event related to software testing. I want to share my experiences in my current role at Emplifi and how as a team we have overcome issues and bottlenecks.

• Start generating passive income - I have tried so many things since the beginning of the pandemic all towards establishing my online presence. And this year I want to start generating a passive income by leveraging that or building something on the side and charging for it.

  • 2020 - Built my own website. Presented at 3 online meetups. Started my podcast. Created Charlotte Charles Beauty website for an ex-colleague.

  • 2021 - Started foodGully with friends, to help home caterers.

  • 2022 - Started my newsletter to improve my writing skills and articulate my thoughts

  • 2023 - Already started working on my next project

🔋 Battery swap

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are getting really popular and 2022 was a breakthrough year for EVs, in terms of sales. But the biggest challenge with EVs is recharging the battery while driving from one location to another. The fastest chargers can do a full recharge in approx. 30 mins depending upon the battery status. But that's still not fast enough compared to refuelling fossil fuels.

Gogoro has come up with a battery swap technology for electric scooters at scale. The whole swap can be done in under a minute. This is a game changer since it's faster than refuelling fossil fuels.

A lot of focus over the years has been given to battery capacity, battery recharge and battery storage but only a few companies have thought about battery swaps. Gogoro is one such company and I was quite excited to see such a process succeed and help electrify the two-wheeler market in Southeast Asia. Do watch the video and see what they are doing.

2023 is going to be an even bigger year for EVs. A lot of my friends have already bought electric vehicles and a lot are thinking about it. The future is definitely electric, so it's good to see various options emerging in this space to help consumers.

🪐 Planetary boundaries

I was recently watching a video from Financial Times on YouTube about planetary boundaries. Initially, I thought it would be something related to outer space but I was surprised to learn that it's actually related to Earth and how we are on the verge of crossing these boundaries through our activities.

The 9 planetary boundaries are mentioned below

1. Climate Change

2. Ocean acidification

3. Stratospheric ozone depletion

4. Land system change

5. Nitrogen and phosphorus flows to the biosphere and oceans

6. Freshwater consumption and the global hydrological cycle

7. Loss of biosphere integrity (biodiversity loss and extinctions)

8. Atmospheric aerosol loading

9. Chemical pollution and the release of novel entities

To learn more about these planetary boundaries please refer to this page.

Thank you so much once again for reading my newsletter this week. Please feel free to Buy me a coffee if you are enjoying what I am sharing.

Until we meet again next week, stay healthy, stay warm and do try to set some goals for this year.