2022 Reflections & 2023 Intentions
2022 Reflections:
2022 was pretty extraordinary. A year of phenomenal experiences with intimate moments of mundane sprinkled in.
This year, I pushed really hard in my personal life. I started the year with an intention of connection and while it didn’t quite pan out in my romantic life, I really did get the chance to connect with friends and family members near and far.
2022 marked a year of constant travel, learning new skills, spending time being the person that I wanted to be.
Highlights:
• Traveling across three continents with notable stops in Iceland, along the west coast, NY, outlying Taiwanese islands, Italy, and France
• Reconnecting with friends that I hadn't seen in YEARS and meeting new like-minded friends
• Meeting the new fur babies, bonding with family over seasonal activities in NY, establishing new traditions with Dad in Taiwan quality time
• Spending time developing skills and creative passions: learning to freedive, creating small pieces of jewelry, learning to play the guitar
Low points:
• Breakup in April
• Feeling lost and misaligned regarding career
• Being exhausted physically and spiritually
Looking back at it, this year was jam packed with activity. Part of that was feeling like I needed to numb out the heartbreak but part of that was also because I made a promise to myself to explore as much as I could this year.
Intentions For 2023:
Going forward this next year, I'm going to let myself fully savor the little moments rather than being afraid of accidentally opening the emotional floodgates to negative feelings. I want to take more time in each place and fully appreciate what I get to experience. I also want to focus more on my career because that's been taking a backseat to my personal life lately…
I also want to spend more time basking in Taiwan’s beauty. I miss the foggy grey skies, soft yellow greens, and striking cerulean blues. I miss the lush earth and assorted vegetation. I miss the salty spray of the sea and the clear, refreshing rivers. I miss the silence and the safety and intend to spend more healing time there.
2022 In Photographs:
January: Buzzed my hair, Hualien/Taroko trip, Exploring Tainan
February - Surprise hot springs trip, Sending friend off, Planning a special Valentine’s day excursion, The hike, Sunny days in Daan park
March - Impossible beach escape to Yilan, Birthday trip to Taichung, Staying with best friend in Seattle, Iceland, Daily fika, Cherry blossoms in Seattle
April - Portland, Breakup, Meeting new friends and hanging with people I haven’t seen in a while, Bay area, Meeting IG friends, Camping trip with Taiwan friends in CA, Staying with friends and reconnecting in LA, Spontaneous trip to Coachella
May - Returning home to NY, Spending time in nature connecting and healing, Spontaneous beach day, Family time
June - Hosting a clothing swap, Discovering NY as an adult, Reconnecting with high school friends, Strawberry picking, New plants, Fly back to Taiwan, Begin quarantine
July - Quarantine, Penghu, Fireworks for Chinese Valentines
August - Green Island, Lanyu, Making jewelry
September - Sunflower fields, Lotus fields, Houtong Cat Village, Hanging at home, Liuqiu, Kaohsiung
October - Learning to freedive to Liuqiu, Flying back to NY, The Rose concert, Seasonal bonding with family, Friend’s wedding
November - Naples, Pompeii, Hernaculum, Vesuvio, Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Rome, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence, Venice, Milan
Dec - Venice, Milan, Annecy, Lyon, Paris, Flying back to Taipei, NYE at Xinyi
2022 was a year of phenomenal experiences with intimate moments of mundane sprinkled in. This year, I pushed really hard in my personal life and filled my time with constant travel, new skills, and working towards the person that I want to be. Going forward this next year, I'm going to let myself fully savor the little moments rather than being afraid of accidentally opening the emotional floodgates to negative feelings.