2005 was one big roller-coaster ride for me, lots of changes, lots of action, ups and downs, and never a dull moment. I enjoyed the year, but it was certainly not always easy. Being an entrepreneur means taking risks and working (sometimes extremely) hard on things you believe in. This is not always easy to combine with a normal private life.

On the private life-side the beginning of 2005 was difficult when Qi had an operation, but luckily everything turned out well. Shortly after that I proposed to her and we had a wonderful wedding in September. I am happy that she always supports me, and does not complain too much about my working hours. We had some great vacations this year, on Koh Samui and in the Philippines. I realize more and more how important these trips are to look at your work and daily life from a different perspective.

Sportswise I finally ran my first marathon, although with an injury (that has still not gone away). I hope to keep the habit of training regularly, I feel I can accomplish a lot more when I am in good shape.

What will 2006 be like? Hopefully just as exciting, but hopefully also with a bit more time for my friends and family. I plan to keep doing lots of sports, but am not sure of a second marathon yet. The plan to ride from Lhasa to Kathmandu on my mountain bike still stands, and I have started training for that already. Vacation wise I don’t know, but I hope to spend next year Christmas in Europe. In China, I miss the Christmas and NY atmosphere. Workwise there are many new exciting projects and ideas, and I am currently in the process of deciding on what to focus. I’ll keep you posted.

I want to wish all my readers a healthy and happy 2006, xin nian kuai le!