My biggest year so far…?

Last year I reviewed my twenties going through each year in some detail, that blog can be found here: A successful decade in review – failure and achievements in my 20s. Naturally there were some ups and downs and some of the ups were amazing years for me. But 2025, my first year in my 30s, was perhaps my biggest year so far. Certainly the most fun!

Chronological order seems to make the most sense. So here goes.

Study, study, study

January through to mid April was focused on studying for my final actuarial exam. It was literally work, study and then a little bit of everything else. Not the most exciting start of the year but an important and ultimately necessary one. More on this later. No stone was left unturned during this period, I put everything into my studies. I wrote about Actuarial study tips although it can be applied to anything, see here: Secret tips for passing actuarial exams

Back to back trips of a lifetime

As soon as I finished my exams, my focus switched on organising and packing for my next two trips. Bali, Indonesia and Ibiza, Spain. Bali was a stag holiday and Ibiza was a sten (a combined stag and hen) holiday!

Bali itself was amazing, the journey was long but once we got there it was very much like a tropical paradise. In part, due to the cost or rather inexpensiveness of food and accommodation in Bali. So, for a tourist from the UK, it feels you can get a lot more for your money. We travelled from Bali to Gili Islands and back. Gili Islands was my favourite part, there is something refreshing about lack of vehicles on a small island where you can ride a bicycle everywhere. The holiday was a combination of adventure and party, which equals bags of fun.

A few days after I came back, I was on another plane to Ibiza. There were ten people in total, double that of Bali. We shared a villa which made an amazing villa quite reasonable in price. So I went from one paradise to another! Ibiza was a great blend of partying and relaxing, from beach clubs to yatch rides. Safe to say by the end of the trip I was all partied out. It can be quite costly but definitely worth doing once if you are indifferent to going out.

Wedding season

Weddings, a different kind of party. Three of my best friends got married this year, with weddings at the end of May, middle of June, end of June, start of July and end of August. Yes, that is five dates not three. My friends all had an Indian wedding but they also need to have a registry/civil ceremony so as to get married by law.

That translates into Indian weddings in May, June and August. And civil marriages in June and July. So yeah, lots of weddings. I had only been to one friend’s wedding prior to this year and lots of family weddings. But there is a different feeling when it’s your close friends getting married. Happiness, emotional and lots of excitement!

All weddings were in the UK except for the July civil ceremony which was in Lake Como, Italy. So you could say that was another holiday. I was only there for a few days, but it was intimate, fun and a privilege to be able to be one of thirty attending.

Trip with my partner

Speaking of Italy in late August, Astha and I went to Rome, Naples and Amalfi Coast for a summer break. It was a busy, fun and active holiday. The Amalfi coast area is quite hilly especially as these towns are built on and into a cliff area. So that meant going up and down a lot of steps. Irrespective it is a beautiful and scenic destination. If you’re active then I would recommend despite the cost, which is considerably higher than Rome for example. Rome itself was a fantastic city, it has history, good food and a nice vibe in central daytime. We didn’t really experience Rome at night so I can’t comment on that.

My wedding

Yes, I got married to my partner in November this year. The lead up to the wedding was generally quite chilled out, we organised the main vendors and sent out invitations in good time. Even managed to slip in a weekend trip to Dublin with the boys. There were a few curveballs going into the last few weeks which really ramped up the challenge but I think we passed with flying colours. If you want to hear more about the wedding organising just send me a message.

I too had a civil ceremony followed by a two day Indian wedding a fortnight later. The former in London, and the latter in Coventry and the Cotswolds. Luckily the weather held up in both cases and the Indian wedding was awesome.

We followed this by a minimoon to Copenhagen which I would describe as cool, clean and welcoming. It was generally quite cold with highs of 3 degrees, the metro and surrounding areas were super clean and the people were friendly for the most part. It was definitely good to get a break immediately after the wedding.

Reflection

I forgot to mention that I did indeed pass my exam which I found out in July. That makes me a fully qualified Actuary pending some paperwork to complete by the end of the year. So cue celebrations or lack thereof because I was busy with weddings and wedding planning. I plan to host something in the new year but this is yet to be determined.

As the busy year dies down this is the period in which I have some extra space to reflect. I’ll be thinking about my career and in which direction I want that to head. I’ll also be thinking about our relationship (Astha and I), whether we want to buy a house, start a family or something else. I am also thinking about my fitness and hobbies, the sports I’m involved in and what I would like to experience and challenge myself to next. Finally, I am thinking about my family and friends and how I can spend more time with them while getting busier and busier with other things.

What’s next…

In the immediate future I am going away on honeymoon before the year ends. Down under to Australia. I’ll write or share stories on this after it has happened. After that it is hitting the ground running as I come to the conclusions of my reflection. I’m actually almost there.

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