2022 Recap

Well. Another year survived. And what a strange year it has been...

Of course January 2022 started off on a rough foot with the snowpocalypse (during which we lost power for 5 days). Not exactly ideal, and hopefully something we won't have to repeat in January 2023. We didn't fully lose power during the "Arctic blast" this December, so hopefully that's a good sign.

Beckett

A lot of delightful things happened this year too, of course. One particular highlight was celebrating my loved ones' successes: One of my sisters started a new job, and our youngest sister graduated college and just moved to a different city for grad school. My parents adopted a new dog named Beckett. So many people I love left jobs that were causing them  pain or started new jobs/businesses, earned degrees or returned to school, clocked another year of fighting addictions and eating disorders, left toxic or abusive situations, got diagnoses for illnesses that had mystified doctors treating them for some time, had babies or announced pregnancies, bought houses/moved out for the first time/moved in with their partners, met someone special or even got engaged or married, etc.  I love seeing the people I love thrive, and I love celebrating for and with you. 

Personally, I struggled a lot this year. One of our family dogs, Pink, passed away, which was tough on everyone. Anxiety and depression have plagued me a lot, especially these past few months. Mental health struggles have made it difficult to motivate myself to do certain tasks, especially when it comes to activities I enjoy. Although I've managed to maintain a regular reading schedule, writing for fun has been extremely difficult lately. 

Rest In peace, Pink.

I've also struggled with not wanting to socialize, even in a pandemic-friendly manner--I'm much more of a homebody these days. I did manage to go on one (virtual) date this year, which if you know me well, you know that's a huge step out of my comfort zone. The experience was honestly the best date I've ever been on and I got a cool new friend out of it, so we'll see how this year goes. I also visited some places (masked) that I'd never been to before with my family: Potters Cidery and Early Mountain Vineyards (I don't drink but the scenery was nice, haha); Lovingston; and The Scrappy Elephant (very cool place to donate or purchase secondhand craft supplies). 

I didn't get cast in any theatrical shows this year, so I didn't meet my goal there either. I had a few really fun audition & callback experiences at Live Arts, and auditioned at Four County Players for the first time ever. I miss acting a lot, so hopefully I can return to it again soon. I didn't get to see much theatre either because so many places rescinded their COVID masking and vaccine requirements, so I was too nervous to attend any in-person shows. I did manage to purchase a virtual ticket to Sweet Tea Shakespeare's production of Emma (shoutout to Hayley!) and attend the IDR of Have You Filled A Bucket Today? at my workplace, both of which were incredible.

I've lost some of my confidence in not just writing but also at work. I took on some new roles/responsibilities in the late summer and because that involved learning new skills, I've felt a bit out of my element. It's been fun and exciting to learn new skills, but I have a hard time feeling like I'm bothering people when I ask for guidance and like I cause trouble when I make mistakes. My main goal at work is always to be as helpful to everyone else as possible, so when it seems like I'm failing to achieve that, it takes a toll. There was a period where I was commuting to RVA once a week with a coworker, and I am so immensely grateful to her for allowing me to join her carpool and for all her support and guidance as I transitioned to working in-person in a busy office again (while wearing a mask). I had gotten so used to working alone at home, so it was nice to have someone helping me through that transition, however temporary it was. Now I am back to being a full-time virtual employee, so for the most part my colleagues don't have to put up with me as much. I know it's silly to be so emotional considering I'm not that young anymore and I shouldn't let my emotions affect my professional environment, so I'm trying to work on that for next year. 

In the interest in not complaining for the entire recap, I should say that I have succeeded at meeting some goals I set for myself: I enjoyed several books, I tried some new recipes, and I discovered a LOT of new music. A bubble tea place called Nguyen's Kitchen opened in town, so I got to try bubble tea flavors I've never had before (honey, chai, green tea, strawberry, honeydew). It sounds silly, but I got to taste Hawaiian Sun for the first time too (green tea lychee and strawberry guava). I also did an okay job maintaining my exercise goals, so that's something I guess. 

I had a lot of visits from Frankie, our balcony squirrel--excited to see him again in the spring! 

Additionally, I’ve managed to post on this blog at least once a month for the fourth year in a row. As I said last year, I don’t get paid to blog nor do I allow ads, so I don't get any income from this...but I think that's why I've been able to stick with it for so long. It’s strictly a creative outlet, where I can feel free to express opinions, share my thoughts about media, or recap memorable events in my life. I can discuss whatever I feel called to and I don't have to worry about what topics will be the most lucrative or popular or whatever. (I really appreciate anyone who finds it interesting to read my rambles, so thank you if you read here!)

Well, you probably know how this goes. Lists of 2022, let's go: 

FOOD:

 (I always always always wear a mask and take home to eat 99% of the time)

-Mane Course (3.5 ⭐️s) - good, just overpriced for the portions and far away from where we live

-Mochiko (4.5 ⭐️s) - also far away but usually worth the drive; also I'm pretty sure it's the first and perhaps the only Hawaiian BBQ in Charlottesville so that's pretty cool!

-The Rusty Scupper (3.5 ⭐️s) - went for my sister's graduation from her college in Baltimore so probably will never go again but it was a nice experience haha 

-Nguyen’s Kitchen (4.5 ⭐️s) - amazing bubble tea, delicious food, fantastic service and owned by the nicest family! 

-Maharaja Fine Indian Cuisine (3.5 ⭐️s) - could order 5 packs of their garlic naan and be perfectly satisfied lol 

-Panda King (4 ⭐️s) - YUM, also the cashier was an 8 year old child learning to use the register for the first time and it was adorable 

-Ming Dynasty (4 ⭐️s) - crab rangoon was off the chain, also it's really conveniently located now that they've moved from downtown to where the Starbucks near the Lidl used to be

BOOKS:

(I might do more in-depth reviews another post because Lord knows I have too many opinions)

-Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

-Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler ❌ - felt more like an incomplete writing exercise that needed fleshing out before being turned in to the publisher

-500 Miles From You by Jenny Colgan 

-Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow 👑 - Probably my favorite book of the year. The tangled web of predators in Hollywood connected to Harvey Weinstein and NBC is wild and learning all the nefarious manipulation that went into sweeping his misdeeds (and other people's) under the rug is absolutely mind-blowing

-The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult  

-She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey - not as detailed or thoughtful as Catch & Kill but fills in a couple of gaps and the letter from Lisa Bloom was shockinggggggg

-Pride by Ibi Zoboi 

-Breaking Free by Rachel Jeffs 

-Escape by Carolyn Jessup 

-The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet by Kate Rorick and Rachel Kiley 

-Ace by Angela Chen - fascinating, recommend if you are interested in learning about asexuality or the psychology & sociology of relationships in general 

-Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao - SO GOOD BUT ALSO SO PAINFUL 

PLAYS: 

-Plain and Fancy by Joseph Stein & Will Glickman (1955) - I love the Amish so I had to lol

-Blown Youth by Dipika Guha - great contemporary audition material for women 

-Check Please by Jonathan Rand ❌

-In My Chair by Eva DeVirgilis

-Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang

WEBSERIES:

-Rational Creatures season 2 - THANK GOD, a Persuasion adaptation that doesn't aggravate my poor nerves. Granted, its a modern version, but it's also perfection and I recommend if you enjoy Jane Austen or literary-based webseries. Excited to see what they do next!!!

TV: 

(If anyone wants to say I watch too much TV, go ahead and judge me. It's one of my and my sister Alex's favorite things to do together because we are movie talkers. Also the pandemic is still raging so it's a nice safe activity and after working full-time, sometimes all you want to do is watch three 20-minute episodes about people falling in love or solving ghost mysteries or whatever. Sue me.)

-Queer Eye season 6 

-My Dead Ex ❌ - SO BAD, SKIP SKIP SKIP 

-Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier (docuseries) 

-Haikyuu! (anime) finished season 4

-Kinou Nani Tabeta (Japanese drama)

-The Perfect Match (Taiwanese drama) - three characters carried this show on their backs and none of them were the main leads 

-The Woman In the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window 

-Murderville - Marshawn was the best rookie partner and I will die on that hill 

-Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Korean drama) - worth the hype 

-Queer Eye: Germany season 1

-Find Yourself (Chinese drama) 

-Miraculous Ladybug season 4

-Kuroko no Basuke (anime) seasons 1-3 - not as good as Haikyuu, sorry 

-The Truth Seekers (Singaporean drama) ❌ - misogyny + paternity musical chairs, SKIP 

-Is It Cake? ❌ - WHAT ARE THE RULES? WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE?  

-The Home Edit seasons 1&2 ❌ - the sheer overconsumption y'all 

-Cheese in the Trap (Korean drama) 

-End of the F***ing World season 2 - SO GOOD (yes I'm late to the party)

-Our Flag Means Death - "He's a visual artist!" 

-Mismatched (Indian drama) season 1 - our first Indian drama! :) 

-Heartstopper 

-I Need Romance (Thai version)

-Young Royals (Swedish) season 1 - our first Swedish show! 

-Is This Love Checkmate? (Japanese drama)

-Centaurworld seasons 1&2 - absolutely bizarre and kind of creepy but the music is so good? 

-Sell Your Haunted House (Korean drama) - LOVED IT

-Drunken to Love You (Taiwanese drama)

-My Roommate is a Detective (Chinese drama) 

-Too Hot to Handle season 1

-Web of Make Believe (docuseries) 

-First Kill 

-Lovestruck in the City (Korean drama)

-Dead End: Paranormal Park seasons 1&2 

-The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Chinese drama) - SO GOOD OMG 

-Lovely Complex (anime) - a vintage classic 

-I Just Killed My Dad (docuseries)

-Blue Period (anime) 

-Dream Home Makeover seasons 1-3 ❌ - she just paints everything white 

-2 Fathers (Taiwanese drama)

-Business Proposal (Korean drama) 

-Queer Eye Brazil 

-Partner Track - not as good as I wanted it to be 

-Echoes ❌ - as a multiple, the way people think twins live their lives is so funny to me

-Sins of Our Mother (docuseries) 

-Chef’s Table: Pizza 

-Star and Sky: Sky in Your Heart (Thai drama) 

-Over the Garden Wall - so cute! 

-Great British Bake-off - WHAT WERE THOSE ALLEGED S'MORES LOL 

-Easy Bake Challenge 

-Dancing with the Stars season 31 - I don't want to talk about it but #teamsigntoshine

-Gameboys (Pinoy drama) season 1 

-Missing: The Other Side (Korean drama)

-Derry Girls season 3

-Cardcaptor Sakura (anime) - season 1, part of season 2

-Killer Sally (docuseries) 

-Boss & Me (Chinese drama) 

-Dash & Lily 

 -Cook at all Costs 

MOVIES:

-Escaping the NXIVM Cult ❌ - 

-Brazen ❌

-The Perfect Date 

-Crazy Beautiful You (Filipino) - I love Kathryn Bernardo x Daniel Padilla and their movies are always exactly what I'm looking for 

-She’s the One (Filipino) 

-Just the Way You Are (Filipino) ❌ - I'm sorry but Enrique Gil just does nothing for me as a leading man

-Finally Found Someone (Filipino) 

-Miraculous Ladybug New York Special 

-Miraculous Ladybug Shanghai Special

-Love & Leashes (Korean) 👑 - SO GOOD. I was very worried because of...well, obviously the plot. But luckily it was staunchly a rom-com and I ended up loving it. 

-Turning Red 

-The Royal Treatment ❌ - THE ITALIAN TOMATO I'M DEAD 

-Love is Colorblind (Filipino) - Stunning, definitely in my top 5 Filipino movies of all time 

-Khubsoorat (Bollywood) - 2014 version

-My Ex and Whys (Filipino) ❌ - "But Austen, if you don't like Enrique Gil, why do you keep watching his movies?" I DON'T KNOW, BECAUSE I HATE MYSELF I GUESS AND THERE AREN'T ANY MORE KATHNIEL ONES AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX (also this one earns the title of the worst because the female lead uses the c-slur) 

-Wish You (Korean)

-Alone/Together (Filipino) - probably the least offensive Enrique Gil x Liza Soberano film of the bunch so if I haven't warned you off of them altogether this is probably the one to watch 

-Bareilly Ki Barfi (Bollywood) - "Sweety Tera Drama" is a regular on my playlist thanks to this movie 

-Our Father (documentary) 

-A Perfect Pairing 

-Isa Pa with Feelings (Filipino) 👑 - PERFECTION. A sign-language sequence to "Buwan" by Juan Karlos + rumba performance for the finale = the way to my heart. 

-Love Per Square Foot (Bollywood) 

-Persuasion (2022) ❌ - Please, enjoy one, two, three posts worthy of complaints. And honestly, I could've kept going. 

-Love in the Villa ❌ 

-Wine Country 

-Always Be My Maybe (Filipino) 

-Everyday I Love You (Filipino) ❌

-Falling for Christmas 

-Happiest Season (in Portuguese 😂) 

-The Christmas Setup - mlm love story + Fran Drescher as the mom = I'm sold 

-Christmas with You

-Mistletoe and Menorahs ❌ - SKIP IT

-Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich 

-Under the Christmas Tree - this has the esteemed Laura Hollis (Elise Bauman) in it so make of that what you will, Carmilla fans 

-Enola Holmes 2 

-The Noel Diary 

-Christmas Pen Pals 

-Murderville Christmas Special - Marshawn had a cameo and that's all I care about really 

-Hanukkah on Rye - honestly probably the second-best Hallmark movie I've ever seen and the best Hanukkah-themed one overall. The characters were charming, mature, and reasonable and the plot was cute with a nice spoonful of emotion at the end.  

-Delivery by Christmas (Polish) - our first Polish movie! 

-A Very Special Love (Filipino) 

-Sakura Goes to Hong Kong - WHAT WAS THAT ENGLISH DUB???? And why did they change all their names??? Toya Kinomoto = Tory Avalon? Yukito = JULIAN???