2017 in Review

This year, my blog posts continued to decrease and I can't really promise that I'll be more active in 2018. In a nutshell, the latter half of this year was filled with travels and two new additions to the family. Here are some mini recaps by months: 

January - February: 

Survived working 60~85 hours a week

March: Washington D.C.

Didn't get a chance to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom because it was a bit delayed due to cold weather during those few weeks, but at least we got to see hints of it.

April: Baltimore

Not really sure what to say about Baltimore.. I honestly don't know if I would ever come here again if it wasn't to visit someone.

May: Washington D.C. (again)

I felt like the first trip left more to be desired, but when I had the opportunity to come again, it just didn't meet expectations.

June: Las Vegas & moved into my new apartment

Las Vegas was also a bit underwhelming, I think mostly because it was such a short weekend and I was just so exhausted throughout the bulk of it. The following week, I moved into a one bedroom a bit further from work.

July: Canada & Leo

First omakase experience in Toronto, thanks D! :)

But admittedly the biggest highlight of this month, maybe this year (sorry #2!) is Leo! (Short post on his adoption here)

I know he's definitely gotten a lot bigger now, but it's hard for me to imagine and remember him when he was still so tiny! I still wake up sometimes feeling as if he's grown so much but when I see him every day and because he has grown so quickly, it's hard to remember. To think it hasn't even been half a year yet. He's definitely given me a lot of headaches but when he snuggles up against me or looks at me like that, I can't stay mad as cliche as it sounds.

August

Mostly uneventful. I think I was trying hard to find a second cat at this time, but at the same time also wavering as it seemed like a lot of commitment. Because, commitment issues I guess.

September: Austria, France, Germany

Excuse the super awkward pic, but it was my first time fiddling with remotely taking pictures on my camera via my phone! This was taken atop the Hohensalzburg Castle in Salzburg. 

To be perfectly honest, it was the most stressful trip ever. In a nutshell, I broke my phone on the first day, missed a number of flights, and was reminded on how impatient of a person I can be.

October

Nothing significant here as well, but a bit of self reflection.

November: San Francisco, London, Iceland & #2

Semi impulsive trip to San Francisco. It's my first time in years in the West Coast without family. It was a nice getaway but unfortunately too short of a trip.

The second trip to Europe this year was a bit stressful as well because it kind of ended on a bad note (had a minor auto accident) but overall it was better than expected. I don't think I'll be blogging about this trip though. I was able to visit London again - I can't believe it's already been two years. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but London will always leave more to be desired.

On the day I got back from my trip, #2 was delivered to my apartment! 

Don't be deceived by how peaceful he looks! It took weeks before he finally came out from under the bed but he's actually sleeping on my leg right now as I type though. I've drafted a separate post on him, which I may or may not ever get to. It took me four months, but I finally found a friend for Leo! Leo is already a teenager so I'm a bit worried that it'll get more difficult for him to 'learn' how to be a socialized cat, but better late than never. I don't really want to go into too much detail now to keep things short, so maybe I will blog separately after all :P 

December

Uneventful, mostly spent reflecting and helping #2 adapt. 

While writing this post, I realized that it wasn't as quiet as I thought this year. I traveled quite a bit and there were two additions to the family! But for some reason it still feels a bit uneventful in my mind. I'm looking forward to what 2018 may bring :) I hope it'll be full of happiness not only for myself but for everyone as well.

Until next time~