My thoughts, experiences, appreciations and fears as 2025 closes.
2025 is coming to an end, so I thought I'd look back and summarize somewhat on some of the many good pointers of the year.
I live a comparably uninteresting life on the surface, I think. Many people post their daily activities that, well, look quite exciting; full of life, full of smiles. Meanwhile I don't really have any food to present, much less anything outside of what I see on the road; its too car-centric, that's why.
I don't see my accounts and socials being a lifestyle thing so I hardly want to bring those into what I put online. That's probably why it doesn't look as fun then.
Not that keen am I to post everything I do online; its not a thing I want to do at all, but admittedly to "keep up" with others and keep a reminder I, or we, are still around.. I don't like it.
Still, I guess I am going about things how I want it to be, rather than how an algorithm wants it, or how I want my life to look than how it feels. Gah, its probably me trying to treat everything like a daily or lifestyle expectation.
Anyways, I think 2025 is a sufficient year for me to look back on what has happened both in relation to this website, and also what has happened over the course of the year. It is a blog page at its core, after all.
Straits Times
I honestly prefer being anonymous, but this opportunity is super rare, and all around me were suggesting I just bite the bullet. I did, and although the story (IMO) is nowhere as inspirational or, perhaps, "deserving", I guess what I more often do is enough to make up for it.
Does this make me a big deal? I hope not. But those around me are happy I took the opportunity, and I'm just glad it hasn't spreaded like a viral post would - I'm not in for that kind of attention LOL.
Motorist
I don't think its that much of a surprise (although I never fully disclosed it) that I was working with Motorist since sometime around the start of the year. That ship is sailing as I'm only a temporary, but I'm incredibly appreciative of this opportunity, enjoying good company and more. Cars are definitely one thing, but I'm happier chatting with everyone in the media circle.
Unfortunately as a heavily-introverted person, I fail to start talking with people - one of them being Mate Rimac. Huge missed opportunity, but at the very least I got to have one piece of small talk (without realizing who he was 😂)
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| I cannot say working wasn't a highlight when I can finally see at least three of these. |
Magazine writeups
Start of the year was when I bit the bullet to start writing a few magazine articles of my own. It was rocky to keep it going, and I have conceded that it will be a "every now-and-then" thing. With my other writers, we have made nine complete (and incomplete) articles. I must be dreaming, because this is a dream come true. No, they don't get the traction I would have wanted them to, but there are people and friends who like it lots, and I'm all in for it.
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| From zero to hero - none last year and about nine articles written since |
Feriko
Start of the year was also the next car in my family, being my Honda Civic Ferio SiR - Feriko. It was a dream car of mine, honestly. I bought it not because of that, but because I was chasing acceptance with another group that ultimately didn't even come to be. I still speak to some of them that are unrelated, but it was and is a bad misjudgement.
In any case, as much as I hate to spend money on repairs and will have to pay the most in rust repair and a repaint, I've grown to love this car, even though I may not show it from its condition and evident rot.
In my motoring journey, I am no doubt going to miss this car should it have to go, or if I move to something else higher on the hierachy. Its an enthusiast dream to keep all of your cars, but it doesn't feel possible these days.
Friends all around
I've definitely made more over the course of year. I nearly went on a roadtrip, did go overseas, attended many events, lived and laughed with many more. Summarizing it cannot do justice with all of you that I've met and done random nonsense with over the course of the year.
Genuinely it has been a pleasure meeting you and sharing a laugh at a minimum.
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| Group photo of my closest kakis and their respective cars / dream cars |
Cars sampled - best of 2025:
The team has sat in / driven their respective share of cars. Some have sat in more cars than others, but our best pick after rounding it up in terms of sporty feeling, engagement, smiles and thrills (but discounting price, insurance premiums, long-term livability) is:
2025 MINI Cooper JCW
(SatriaRX wants to argue his FD2R ride-in was better, but I make the rules)
Cosplay
Well, I didn't expect I'd be going back to it all that much. I can openly admit I'm not the most confident with my stature, not especially of recent after finding out I'm essentially nowhere near my goals. I skipped a year doing this because of the same thing. Felt better after four event days.
More so are the folks I've met through this (say hello if you're reading this!) whom are giving me a reason to come back and just keep doing it while I still can, age-wise. I appreciate the sense of community - two similar groups before this couldn't make it last or happen.
I still have body image issues - probably will still. No, I don't look like a model (I'm literally the wrong gender for that) and won't ever be, but apart from pushing my boundaries beyond my comfort zone and shying away afterwards, I think I'm having fun.
Thoughts on the website, addressing my fears
I more often than not struggle to justify running this website. You could tell I'm the major contributor whereas my other writers don't publish as much entries. I'm unfortunately still in that state where I'm chasing recognition (I mean, I'm always told to publish what I do so that people know what I can!), and its unhealthy.
Its suppressed most of the time but I always think about the feasibility of still running this, plus thinking if Google one day shuts down Blogger as a whole. Where can I import my works over, how can I automate the photos and reupload them elsewhere more stable, etc.
But it has been around four years that I have had this thought. Blogger is a free hosting site, photos do not have a storage limit, and the format is semi-workable - the fact I need another blog as a landing page should tell you enough.
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| Work-in-progress, just like this website |
I was hardly active on my socials and technically here as well at the start of the year, until a mixture of my work, personal works and feel to "grow" the content a bit really pushed me to do what I am now.
Technically, I have been putting our works on a daily basis (you don't see them because they're set to publish roughly around when the photos were taken), but am having constant doubts on why I'm posting them if Google won't search index the website. Again, maybe I am putting too much of an emphasis on that someone needs to read them for the work to be worth it. But, honestly, writing like this is for people, so would I be wrong for wanting others to read my works?
It does dawn on me that my writing also isn't really anywhere as good as it should be. Affirmed "better than average" by should-be-accredited friends and colleagues, it could just be that I'm starting out. Maybe I am comparing myself to people with half a decade more in experience. That probably is the case, is it not?
The writing is probably fine (safe for the endless mistakes that happen), but I sure lack joking about relatable scenarios, good wordplay, rhymes and others. That's definitely the insecurity that I'm looking at, but with time (maybe?), it'll perhaps improve.
Emiri's thoughts
Heya! 2025 has been a better kickstart for us at CharadeSG, given we have undertaken more projects compared to the previous year that can make it to publication here. We're without doubt very happy with what we have managed to accomplish over the year, and certainly hope we'll keep the flame alive on the next!
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| Emiri's photo of the year |
SatriaRX's thoughts
The team bonding is great to see. Unfortunately none of us apart from Efini at this point are photo-friendly so we don't have any group photo as a "hurray look at us we're a team" sort. I contribute every now and then in posts but is still a core member where the background work is concerned. Its great seeing what we've done, and I'll keep working with the rest how we do about things.
More RoadNotes will be in order in the form of articles than the usual magazine writeups that are now dominating that tag - Me, Efini and Emiri will all be working our part in that, so expect to see some in regards to those in 2026.
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| SatriaRX's photo of the year |
Inspiron's thoughts
Charade Archival had a sufficient start getting a boost from the right people, but we've slowed down a fair bit. Hope we'll be able to clinch and get some extra things out. Thanks for the support!
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| Inspiron's photo of the year |
Final
This might all be oversharing, but I mean, its a blog site at the end of the day. I write all of these articles, you'll probably already be getting to know me (and my colleagues). Human connection is supposed to be messy, awkward, and embarassing. Obviously I'm not going farther than I need to be but I've said what I feel is fine to mention.
Its not all downs (the events highlighted are far from down), I think I've gotten a groove with this page while I'm still trying to get my fellow writers to also be on board, and generally I feel the quality of the posts are getting better. Split-view an article from now and 2023, you'll see what I mean.
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| Workflow has been better compared to 2024, with introductions like Charade Archival dropping motoring scans |
I think 2015 me will definitely be appreciative of what has come to be. It isn't the exact life that I want, but whose really is at a young age? In this life, maintaining all of this is getting harder, so I can only keep working what I can so that I won't be disappointed in 2035.
2026 will be a huge tangent away from the usual dealings of 2024 and 2025, but I can only embrace what next year will bring.
~Efini
Gallery (some you've seen, some not):
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| For long I'd accepted the saloon EG as something I'd want to have - it happened |
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| The very first time my car was included in a photoshoot, with a good friend |
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| Parking with the accent-matching Lotus Esprit Turbo and Lotus Emira SE when it had its old-school-inspired livery |
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| Kind of the first time I had a "supper" session, paiseh guys but for what I've done and is doing now, this still is somewhat big 😂 |
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| Visiting Lim Chu Kang road on its last two days - meeting some really good folk and missing this place I never thought about previously |
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| 5th place in Porsche's Singapore 2.4h Endurance Karting Challenge 2025 as Mobil 1 |
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| First time then hearing about Monster Jam 2025 then, still amazed that they'd partake within Singapore, and returning after a few years |
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| Opening of Charade Archival, with scans of magazines and brochures could finally be uploaded somewhere for us |
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| All of those brochures going to something for once 😂correct brochures for the correct car |
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| Car meets with friends hardly go wrong |
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| Our first fully written comparison test, with two cars the team had been wanting to write about for months if not a year |
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| "Official" unofficial photographer for the CL7SG Mega Meet, never been invited to cover for a community event |
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| Our first character feature that was dreamt up for years and finally executed this month |
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| Clowning around at Doujima |
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| The last car I've had the opportunity to assist with. Poetically ending the year with the dream body style of my teenage years |
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| Ending the year with a summarization of two mediums that is and might become more commonplace going forward.. |
Read more: Fuel for Thought: A prediction by old scale models
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