Looking over my shoulder at 2025, it is time to do an annual recap of how well it went, that is becoming a bit of a habit now, as this is my 4th year doing it.
Health
Well, not going to sugarcoat this one, it was shit. Not only did I register my heaviest pressure on the earth, I did not get anywhere near the Peloton as I should have. I had done well getting back on in 2024 clocking up 3,625 minutes of cycling, but this year, a pitiful 555 minutes. I am ashamed of myself there, and basically donated a load of Peloton monthly fees for little return.
I have since climbed back on, having ridden out the last 3 days of 2025, adding 90 minutes to the overall total. I am committed to maintaining this, as I need my stamina up and weight down, and have sought the assistance of others to help keep me accountable.
Professional
Last year I joined HiBid, noting at the time it was one of the best career choices. With another 12 months under my belt, I can proudly say that decision is still standing. We have achieved a lot in 2025, notably opening up offices in Richmond, lot of new additions to the team and cranking out so many new improvements. I am still working a huge amount of hours and I am loving every minute of it.
My book sales did very well in 2025 and it has been over 2 years since I finished that. I miss writing. The few blog posts I have published in 2025 got good traction, therefore I am committed to writing more in 2026 to scratch the itch.
Flights dropped from 59 in 2024 to 42, with 25 hotel nights (marginally maintaining Marriott status for 2026).
Movies
This is now my 8th year of tracking my watching habits on IMDB (which interestingly is one of my oldest online accounts registering it April 1999). For watching, I broke my all-time 2023 record of 410, last year at 455. I do like to throw on a movie in the background while working.
The top 5 movies, that came out in 2025, that got my highest rating (only 9 out this year, no 10) were:
It was a disappointing year for new movies with no real one I was excited to see. There are a few on the 2026 horizon that is coming up that I am keenly looking forward to (Jason Statham and Bill Nighy together at last)
TV
TV on the other hand, 2025 was an excellent year especially for new series and here is my top rated new series:
A very strong outing and each of these were in the “can’t wait until next episode drops” category. Speaking of that, “Slow Horses” still on the top, with Gary Oldman putting in the performance of his career – it only dropped in September and have already watched it again.
Was looking forward to Ewan’s and Charlie’s new motorbike adventure, Long Way Home, but it felt flat. Still enjoyable and inspirational but it felt way too scripted. Shetland & Clarkson’s Farm did not fail to deliver an excellent cross-generational output.
Music
I continue to tag new videos over on YouTube, now in my 10th year of curating an annual playlist. A few tracks kept being put on repeat.
- Beluga Lagoon – The Glen
- Ed Sheeran – Sapphire
- Lady Gaga – Come to Mama
- Sabrina Carpenter – Please Please Please ft. Dolly Parton
- Pulp – Common People (Glastonbury)
I went deep with a few artists after rediscovering their back catalogue, including Lady Gaga and Ian Dury. Vinyl collection grew with a sprinkling of Leonard Cohen (naturally), Cher and a few other classics.
Looking forward to the new Elvis Presley in Concert coming out in new year from Baz Luhrmann – hoping it does not disappoint.
Misc.
Some other small highlights:
- Family came over for Thanksgiving which was a fun week
- Went back to Paris/London this year for a quick weekend, finally got to the Louvre
- Our annual (July to July) monthly poker ended with me picking up the trophy
- Gadget of the year goes to the Samsung Fold 7 – absolutely love it and has opened up my world
- Clocked up a lot of miles on the motorbike, including a trip down in Charleston with some friends
- Year free of family deaths
Looking to 2026
Health is the top priority this year, both physically and mentally. I feel I had a good 2025 year mentally and want to continue that, reaching out to old friends, spending more time with family and friends locally, and keep learning new things.
Alan Williamson 