2022: My Year in Review

Welcome to 2023!

2022 is behind us, and we’re steadily moving through the 2020s. COVID is still around, but in spite of that, the world has since reopened to travel and “normal life.” I already wrote about my 2022 year in the last post, but in essence, it was a good year for love and travel. Granted, there were a few concerns and doubts along the way, but overall, I found 2022 to be a more-eventful and solid year, compared with previous ones.

That said, here’s the month-by-month breakdown of what I was up to 2022 (photos included). Enjoy! 🙂

January

I started the New Year by getting COVID, which was no fun: I had to take a week off from work to recover and there was also the headache of dealing with getting my COVID hours back (a process which took until March to resolve). Other than that, it was a lot of time spent later on with family with plenty of hot pot meals to warm up in the winter– granted, if you call 16°C/60°F cold!

Hot pot with my family

February

The second month was a quiet one, mostly working and staying at home. However, I did spend a half-day on a scenic drive through Palos Verdes. Perched on the cliffside overlooking the Pacific, this part of Los Angeles is a beautiful gem, and I revisited the stunning Wayfarer’s Chapel right by the sea. ❤

Inside Wayfarers Chapel

March

March is my birthday month, and I spent a long weekend with my dad in Central California. The central coast of California is one of my absolute favorite places in the world, and I hadn’t been back since 2015. We revisited Santa Barbara, Solvang, and Cambria, as well as made our first drive up to Big Sur, which I find is the most-stunning part of California. Definitely a place that everyone needs to visit!

Big Sur coastline

April

I spent a day in Long Beach, where I checked out the beach (obviously), Downtown, and the MOLAA (Museum of Latin American Art). It was abnormally hot (32°C/90°F in April??), but a fun day out. Later that month, I had the opportunity from someone close to go on a yacht for the first time! It was an awesome perk, as we enjoyed an afternoon on-board with food, drinks, and cruising the harbor in style!

On the yacht– cheers!

May

Unfortunately, I had some health problems earlier in the month, which forced me to take a week off from work. Thankfully, I recovered, and I spent the rest of May with some time at the beach. I also stepped into the movie theater for the first time prior to the pandemic (back in December 2019!), which was a familiar, yet surreal experience. I watched Everything Everywhere All at Once, and it was incredible– what a perfect first film to watch back in theaters!

Everything Everywhere All at Once was such a good film!!!

June

June was another travel month, as I had a long weekend in San Diego with my family. I’d gone to San Diego the previous spring, but it’d only been for a day. This time, we stayed longer, visiting the Old Town, Coronado Bay, and La Jolla. We also had plenty of good food, from tacos to gelato to even Georgian cuisine. We also enjoyed plenty of sun, and I subsequently got horribly sunburnt afterwards! San Diego is such a beautiful city, and I plan to make more frequent trips again someday.

At Sunset Cliffs

July

Basically, July was filled with lots of food and hanging out with my partner. We tried coffee shops and restaurants all over Los Angeles, as well as visited the beach and museum together. Thanks to my partner, I discovered some café spots that I now love and will happily frequent going forward!

Views of LA from above…

August

August started with big news: my friend got married! We’ve known each other since high school, and it was an honor to celebrate this big day in her life. Celebrations included a day at the beach, followed by a dinner reception along the beautiful harbor (and the club afterwards). Super happy for her, and I wish her happiness in her marriage! I also revisited the LACMA and Getty Villa with my partner, two iconic museums in Los Angeles– I hadn’t been to them in years, and it was fun returning and seeing them with a loved one. 🙂

At the Getty Villa

September

Summer had been relatively-temperate, but September saw a massive heatwave in LA that lasted for more than two weeks– I’m talking about over 32°C/90°F! It was a struggle to stay cool, but despite that, I got more good food in town, including ramen, Sichuan cuisine, and biscuits. Also celebrated a friend’s birthday with lunch later in the month and catching up with each other.

Sichuan food with my family

October

I got both the COVID bivalent booster and flu shot in the beginning of the month. I got both at the same time, and whoa, the side effects were intense! They were unpleasant, and they lasted over a week, but at least I was up-to-date with my shots. Also got dim sum with my friends for the first time prior to the pandemic, and it was all delicious. I ended the month with pumpkin carving and watching Hocus Pocus with my partner (which I’d never seen before) during Halloween, which was a lot of fun.

My Jack o’ Lantern!

November

After months of planning and years of waiting, I finally took my big international trip! I spent over two weeks in Argentina, traveling all over the country and also taking brief trips to Brazil and Uruguay. It was an unforgettable trip, as I saw so much, ate so much, and overall had the best time ever. The trip was a special one, as it was my first trip out of the country since the pandemic started, and I couldn’t have asked for a better destination than Argentina. I did, unfortunately, get COVID at the end of it, but it wasn’t too bad, and I still had a wonderful time.

In Buenos Aires

December

Last month of the year was pretty busy with celebrating a family birthday, meeting up with friends, and spending time with my partner after my big Argentina trip. I spent the long Christmas weekend partially with my family for a nice hot pot meal at home and partially with my partner with her family and friends out for lunch. Plenty of delicious food to be had as I closed out 2022 surrounded by loved ones. ❤

Christmas lights in town

How was your 2022? Thanks for reading, and I wish everyone a wonderful year ahead! 🙂

— Rebecca

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