Here are my top 5 highlight of the year 2025, listed randomly:
5 books
I have read 5 books this year. These are books I haven't read before and do not include the ones I've written.
4 new Android Mini Collectibles
I have added 4 new Android Mini Collectibles to my collection. The first was a reward for PE mentorship. I then got one as part of the swags for PES 2025 Dublin. During the event, I also purchased 2 other collectibles.
From top left clockwise: PES25 Dublin, Noogler, Glow in the Dark, PE Mentor
3rd edition of How to Build Android Applications with Kotlin
The third edition of our book How to Build Android Applications with Kotlin
has been released on September. If you still haven't, you can get your copy on Packt and on Amazon.
2 New countries visited
I visited two new countries this year: Mexico and Ireland. We went to Ciudad de México for the Concacaf Champions Finals of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC against Cruz Azul and spent a few days before and after the game. I tried Café de Olla (Mexican coffee) and we ate tacos and other Mexican food. We also visited Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Teotihuacan Pyramids.
Café de Olla (Mexican coffee) in Mexico
We went to Dublin, Ireland for PES 2025 and we extended for a few days in the city. I have tried Guiness, Irish coffee, Irish Stew, and full Irish breakfast in Dublin. We also visisted the Brú na Bóinne, Cliffs of Moher and the Book of Kells (at Trinity College).
Irish Coffee in Ireland
1 New App: Custom Currency Converter
I have released a new Android app, Custom Currency Converter. It is a currency exchange app that you can use to convert between two currencies using your custom exchange rate.
We went to Dublin, Ireland for a week. I joined the Product Experts Summit and we extended for a few days in the city.
I have tried Guiness, Irish coffee, Irish Stew, and full Irish breakfast in Dublin. We also visisted the Brú na Bóinne, Cliffs of Moher and the Book of Kells (at Trinity College). The weather has been great (not raining) so we were also able to walk around the city most of the time.
Irish Coffee in Ireland
It has been a great experience to visit Ireland. Hopefully, we can be back again soon.
The third edition of our book, How to Build Android Applications with Kotlin, has now been published. It is now fully using Jetpack Compose and had other updates as well.
You’ll learn the fundamentals of app development, enabling you to use Android Studio, as well as get to grips with Jetpack Compose to create your first screens, build apps to run them on virtual devices through guided exercises, and implement Jetpack Compose’s layout groups to make the most of lists, images, and maps. The book has been updated with Kotlin’s powerful networking and coroutines libraries to help you fetch data in the background from a web service and manage displaying the data using Kotlin flows. You’ll learn about testing, creating clean architecture, and persisting data, as well as exploring the dependency injection pattern and learning how to publish your apps on the Google Play Store.
You'll also work on realistic projects split up into bite-size exercises and activities, along with building apps to create quizzes, read news articles, check weather reports, store recipes, retrieve movie information, and remind you where you parked your car.
You can get your copy of the book on Packt and on Amazon.
Travelling to another place with a different currency than yours? Want to know how much the cost exactly is based on the exchange rate used when you bought the new currency or your bank's current rate? Custom Currency Converter is the app for you!
Custom Currency Converter is a currency exchange app that you can use to convert between two currencies using your custom exchange rate. It is my second app that is developed with 100% Jetpack Compose.
We visited Ciudad de México, Mexico for a few days. Our primary purpose is to watch the Concacaf Champions Finals of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC against Cruz Azul. They lost (badly) in the end but it was a great experience to watch a historic event.
We spent a few days in the city before and after the game. I tried Café de Olla (Mexican coffee). We ate tacos and other Mexican food. We also visited Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Teotihuacan Pyramids.
After trying the 8k at the BMO Vancouver Marathon 2024, I went back to running a half marathon at the BMO Vancouver Marathon 2025.
I finished the 21.1 km run in 2:11:47, which is a little faster than the last time I ran there (2023). It is a little slower than what I got last year at Vancouver Half Marathon 2024 but comparing the same route means a little improvement.
The record for the run according to the Strava app was 21.62 km in 2:11:48
. It also said I got a few best efforts: Half Marathn (02:08:38) and 20k (2:01:34).
It's good to be back and the postcard with personal results is a great souvenir. I'm hoping I can run again next year.
Here are the top 4 highlights of this year for me, in no particular order.
New App: MP2 Calculator
I released a new app called MP2 Calculator on Android and on the web (https://mp2calc.sweldongpinoy.com). MP2 Calculator is an app for computing how much your MP2 (Modified Pag-IBIG 2) savings may grow based on actual dividend rates. I have built the MP2 Calculator Android app using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose and the app is now my first to be developed using 100% Jetpack Compose.
Fastest Half Marathon, First 8k
I ran my best (so far) half marathon at the Vancouver Half Marathon 2024 with a record of 2:10:52. It was a few minutes faster than the previous record I had, which was at the same race last year.
I have been working on an app with a startup based in France which we have released publicly this year. My co-authors and I am also working on the third edition of our book How to Build Android Apps with Kotlin, which should be available soon on Packt and on Amazon.
After deciding to try the 8k at the BMO Vancouver Marathon this year, I registered for the half marathon at the Vancouver Half Marathon 2024.
I have tried it last year and it was my fastest half marathon. I was heavier this time and was unable to run more before the race so my only goal is to finish the 21.1 km without injuries. When I finished it, I was surprised to see my results at 2:10:52, which is now my fastest half marathon.
The record for the run according to the Strava app was 21.44 km in 02:10:54. It also said I got new best records, including 15k, 10 mile, 20k, and half-marathon.
The run was great and my over-all experience was still good. It was sad though that Asics didn't have a booth that give out posters with your finish time. I'm hoping I can run another half marathon next year.
I was invited again to the PE Summit Connect for North America in Austin, Texas. The summit was held in the Google Austin office on May 22-23, 2024. It was a smaller than the global one but it was a great experience to meet fellow Product Experts and learn more about relevant topics.
Celine and I extended a few days after the summit. Our first goal was to watch the bat colony fly after sunset but we were only able to see around 2-4 bats. We visited the Texas Capitol and Bullock Museum. The weather was hotter and more humid so we only did a few walks, along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail and Rainey Street. And of course, we tried different barbecue spots and the hamburger from Whataburger.
I'd love to go back soon, especially when the weather is better.
After my twohalf-marathons at BMO Vancouver Marathon, I decided to try their 8k. I have never run one before as I only did 5k, 10k, and 16k, aside from the half marathon.
My goal for this run is to do it in less than an hour or a little faster than my 10k. I finished my run in 50:30 (chip time).
It was a different experience for me. However, I'm hoping I can do the half marathon again next year.
Vancouver Sun Run is Canada’s largest 10K race. The last time I ran in one was on their 35th anniversary. Now, since it's their 40th, I have decided to try it again.
I finished my run in 01:03:56 which was faster than my run at Vancouver Sun Run 2019 but slower than my 10k last September.
The run was okay but I feel my experience was better five years ago. I'm not sure if I'll do it again for the 45th or 50th of the Vancouver Sun Run
I have been working on a new application in the past few weeks and I am happy to announce that new app, MP2 Calculator, is now available on the Play Store and online.
MP2 Calculator is an app for computing how much your MP2 (Modified Pag-IBIG 2) savings may grow based on actual dividend rates. The MP2 Savings is a special voluntary savings facility with a 5-year maturity, designed for active Pag-IBIG Fund members who wish to save more and earn even higher dividends, in addition to their Pag-IBIG Regular Savings.
I have built the MP2 Calculator Android app using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose and the app is now my first to be developed using 100% Jetpack Compose. The web application, meanwhile, was built on top of Sweldong Pinoy.
2023 has been a very unique year. The first three months was good but the remaining 3 quarters was not as good. Speaking of three, I have noticed that a lot of things related to the number 3 to me happened this year. Here are some of them:
Third Continent
After living and touring around Asia and North America, we finally visited a new continent this year: Europe. I was invited to the PE Summit 2023 in London, England and we toured around a few days before the summit. We went to the Prime Meridian, ate English breakfast, and went to Sherlock Holmes Museum, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter, British Museum, and more. I also got to meet my three co-authors (who are all based in England) for the first time since we started working in 2019.
Book #3
My third book, the second edition of our book How to Build Android Apps with Kotlin, has been released last May. It is available on Packt and on Amazon. The first edition was published on February 2021 and there has been some new changes with the new one.
Third Year of Blood Donation: This year marks the third consecutive year that I had donated blood.
Three Visits to the US: We went to the United States thrice this year: a weekend in California (March-April), a day trip in Seattle (June), and another weekend in California (November).
3 VWFC Games: We watched 3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC matches at BC Place this year:
March 8: CONCACAF Champions League game against Real Club Deportivo Espana. Whitecaps won the game 5-0. It was our first time to watch their game where they scored more than 3 goals.
August 4: Leagues Cup Round of 32 match vs Tigres UANL. The final score was 1-1 but they lost on the penalty shootout 5-3
November 5: MLS Cup Playoff First Round Game 2 vs LAFC. They lost 1-0 and exited the playoffs
3 Honorable Mentions of Non-3 Things
After more than 8 years, I was finally able to replace my Macbook!
I joined two organizations this year and have already volunteered twice for each organization.
We watched our first NFL game in person in November, the Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Chargers (SoFi Stadium).
As a Platinum Product Expert for Play Developer (Play Console), I was invited to the PE Summit 2023 in London, England. It was our first time in London (and in Europe!) so we decided to stay a few days before the summit to tour around London.
The Product Experts (PE) Summit was held in Hilton London Metropole from October 16 to 18. That was my first time to attend this event. I met fellow product experts, community managers, and Googlers. It was a great experience and I learned more about the PE program, Play Console, and other Google products.
One of the few places I wanted to vist is the Prime Meridian in Greenwhich. The prime meridian indicates 0 degree longitude and separates the east and the west hemispheres of the Earth. We went inside the Royal Observatory and learned about the longitude and time. Afterwards, we took photos in the prime meridian line.
Me in the Prime Meridian
Since my three co-authors for the two editions of our Android Kotlin book are all based in England, I sent them a message so we can finally meet up in person. It was the first time all of us met after we started working late 2019.
Celine and me meeting with my co-authors
We were able to do a lot of things and visited many places despite the short time in London. I was finally able to try full English Breakfast in England (after ordering one last year via delivery and not getting the full breakfast). We rode the red double-decker bus. On our way from Greenwich, we also took the riverboat on the Thames.
We went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum (in 221b Baker Street) on our first day. Celine and I also visited the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter. We also went to the Tower of London and saw the Crown Jewels. The day before the summit, we went to the British Museum (and saw the Rosetta Stone, Easter Island Moai among many other things). The PE Summit closing was at Madame Tusssauds so I was able to roam inside and take photos.
There are still many more places that I haven't visited and food we haven't tried. We would love to go back there soon!
I registered for the Under Armour Eastside 10K because they are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. Under Armour Eastside 10K is a race through the historic east side of Vancouver (Gastown, Chinatown, and East Vancouver).
It was my first run in the Eastside and the route is totally different from what I am used to. I managed to finish the 10 km run in 01:01:17, which is a little better than my last 10k result at the Vancouver Sun Run. It would also be my fastest 10k since I started running in 2011.
The record for the run according to the Strava app was 10.28 km in 1:01:32.
This was a good experience but I am not sure if I would make it an annual thing. I'm thinking of doing the Sun Run for my next 10k as they will be celebrating their 40th next year.
After running a half marathon at the BMO Vancouver Marathon 2023 last month, I ran another one at the Vancouver Half Marathon 2023.
It was my first time at the Vancouver Half Marathon and their route from UBC to Museum of Vancouver is new to me. I finished the 21.1 km run in 02:16:41, which is now my fastest half marathon. Losing a pound compared to last month's run probably helped.
The record for the run according to the Strava app was 21.49 km in 02:17:38. It also said I got a few best efforts, including 15k, 10 mile, 20k, and half-marathon.
After the run, I drank a lot and ate some food and a freezie. I queued in the Asics booth where they give out a poster with your finish time.
It's a great experience for me to run two half marathons again this year. I'm not sure when I'll run another half marathon but hopefully, I can run at least one every year.
After running in person at BMO Vancouver Marathon 2022, I registered for this year's edition for another 21.1 km run. I registered for another combo run (In-Person Half Marathon + Virtual 8KM + Virtual 5KM) for the "free" singlet. To prepare for the half marathon, I ran a few times from March to April and I also attempted a few week dieting to lose a couple pounds.
I finished the 21.1 km run in 02:19:55. It was a little faster than my half marathons last year and is now my fastest half marathon (so far). It felt great to finish the run and beat my personal record by a few minutes.
The record for the run according to the Strava app was 21.48 km in 02:19:52. It also said I got a few best efforts, including 5k, 10k, 15k, 20k, and half-marathon.
After the run, we ate some food and roamed around the street festival, something we weren't able to do (no thanks to FedEx!). We then walked towards Burrard Bridge and cheered the marathon runners on both side of the bridge before going home.
I'll have another half marathon next month. Hopefully, I can join the 2024 BMO Vancouver Marathon.
The second edition of our book, How to Build Android Apps with Kotlin, has now been published. There are additions and updates to the first edition which was published on February 2021.
This book starts with the fundamentals of app development, enabling you to utilize Android Studio and Kotlin to get started with building Android projects. You'll learn how to create apps and run them on virtual devices through guided exercises. Progressing through the chapters, you'll delve into Android's RecyclerView to make the most of lists, images, and maps, and see how to fetch data from a web service.
You'll also get to grips with testing, learning how to keep your architecture clean, understanding how to persist data, and gaining basic knowledge of the dependency injection pattern. Finally, you'll see how to publish your apps on the Google Play Store.
You can get your copy of the book on Packt and on Amazon.
In the past few months, I have been updating my apps and decided to work on a new application. The app, called Toll Pinas, is now available on the Google Play Store.
Toll Pinas is an app that you can use to find out the toll fee you need to pay for expressways in the Philippines. Toll data were taken from the Toll Regulatory Board website. The app includes toll data for the following expressways:
Apolinario Mabini Superhighway (formerly known as STAR Tollway)
Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX)
Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX)
Metro Manila Skyway
NAIA Expressway (NAIAX)
North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)
Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX)
South Luzon Expressway (SLEX)
Muntinlupa–Cavite Expressway (MCX)
Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX)
To use the app, you can select the expressway, the entry/exit, and the vehicle class to compute the toll you need to pay. You can also share the output afterwards. Here's a sample video of how the app works.
* We have updated Boto Ko for the 2022 Philippine National and Local Elections and we have started an unofficial survey called Boto Ko Polls for the national positions based on anonymous user inputs. Boto Ko is an application for Philippine elections where you can list, update, and share the candidates you want to vote for.
* Boto Ko was featured in Youth for Truth, a youth-oriented program of the Presidential Communications Operations Office. You can watch the interview which aired live on May 7 on Facebook and on YouTube.
* We have updated Sweldong Pinoy and Budget Pinoy for 2023. The tax deductions will decrease but the contibutions for PhilHealth, SSS, and Pag-IBIG Fund will be higher. Sweldong Pinoy is a salary calculator for Filipinos in computing net pay, withholding taxes and contributions to SSS/GSIS, PhilHealth and PAG-IBIG. Budget Pinoy is a tool for Filipinos in finding out how much their asking salary should be based on their budget.
* I worked on a simple Android app for a client who will be using the app as a demo/prototype for presenting to their potential partners and investors. Most of the things I did involved adding animations and I used MotionLayout for them.
* I developed a simple Exchange Gift Generator using Google Forms/Google Spreadsheets and Apps Script.
Running
* I ran my first half marathon at the BMO Vancouver Marathon 2022. It was the 50th anniversary of the Vancouver Marathon. I ran the 21.1 km run in 2:27:11.
* I ran my second Half Marathon at Great Trek 2022, the 100th anniversary of the event. It took me 2:27:55 to finish the 21.1 km run.
* I ran at least once a month this year with a total distance of 356 km based on Strava, more than a half marathon's distance compared to last year's 327 km.
Travel and Tours
* This year, we visited the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, and BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. We also went out of town to Tsawwassen Mills to visit the Stargazer Exhibit.
* Celine's family (and I) went to Squamish (with a day trip to Whistler).
* for the first time, we went outside the province! We went to Ontario and had a tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls. The highlight of the trip was the Hornblower Boat Cruise.
* We stayed in Toronto for a few days of vacation and went to CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Distillery District, Casa Loma, Royal Ontario Museum, and St. Lawrence Market.
Sports
* This year, we watched more games of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. We watched 12 MLS games in BC Place.
* We watched the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in their Canadian Championship Preliminary Round game vs Valour FC (they won 2-0) and in the Canadian Championship Finals vs Toronto FC. They won 5-3 on penalty shootout (after a 1-1 90 minute game) and got their second Voyageurs Cup.
* We also watched a Vancouver Canucks game for the first time. It was our first time to watch an NHL game in person and was also our first time at Rogers Arena.
* We watched the Canada Women Football Team's National Team Celebration Tour, a friendly game vs Nigeria. They won 2-0!
* We watched the Canadian Mens Football Team during their CONCACAF Nations League match vs Curaçao. There were two other games which we paid for and could have also watched if they had not been cancelled.
Others
* I continued to use Duolingo to learn French. My stats for 2022 says I'm a top 1% French learner on Duolingo: 66611 total XP, 16993 minutes spent, 3896 words learned, 1989 longest streak. Here is the full year in review (video):
* After a very long time, I finished first in a Diamond League in Duolingo . The Diamond League is the "highest" league and it was always hard to even stay on it. It was also the first time I topped a Duolingo leaderboard so I got both the Winner and Legendary achievements.
* We were invited to the St. Paul's Lights of Hope Donor Celebration before the lighting ceremony. After the program, we went outside for the lighting ceremony.
* I donated blood twice in 2022: first in June and the second in December.
From top left clockwise: PES25 Dublin, Noogler, Glow in the Dark, PE Mentor
Café de Olla (Mexican coffee) in Mexico
Irish Coffee in Ireland
