What a year, eh? Holy cannoli, I don’t want to do that again.

I’m recapping the 2019 year of blog posts, and looking back through photos from a decade of living abroad. Whoa.

Plowing the fields [Chiang Rai, Thailand, 2014]

January 2019 started off with taking a look at my relationship with money. I’m proud that I posted it, cause, you know, vulnerability.

Then I continued the party with Looking back to move forward: What changes will you make this year? because we had just moved. Rereading it, I can now say that work was a mixed bag, but an overall improvement. Our home situation skyrocketed, thank goodness, and my writing focus changed throughout the year. I’m hoping in 2020, I’ll be able to take all that I learned and put it to good use.

 

Catching a breeze, and a lucky shot. [Chiang Mai, 2011]

In February, I wrote a funny bit about bad dates, as well as a positive (because I felt like that’s where I needed to go) reflection on living a nomadic life in What is home?

For March, I took a look at morning versus night personality types. I’ve been fascinated with habits and productivity for some time now.

The month ended with a recap of my travels with our American scholarship kids to Khao Yai National Park which was a lot of fun.

 

Just another crazy bug from that time I lived in the bamboo woods. [Chiang Mai, 2013]

Next, I defended my right to be domestic with funny YouTube clips  tossed in for good measure. Then I wrote about my relationship to poetry with samples of some of my favorites.

I know I’m ‘all over the place’ and that’s why I don’t have a large readership, but I can’t simply stick to one thing, or two, or three. Hopefully, one day the rest of the world will catch up. 😛

For my birthday month, May, I was audacious, How do you relate to people different than you? I know, right? Someone was on her high horse, wasn’t she?

And then in typical style, a melancholic post, which was oddly popular, my long essay on walking.

I ended the month with starting a newsletter! This was probably one of the best things I did this year, so much better than social media.

 

Battambang Bike tour, 2015
Countryside bike tour through the rice fields. [Battambang, Cambodia, 2016]

In June, I took at our first six months in a non-tourist town, and in July, the ugly side of traveling.

Spontaneously, I joined Sarah’s music challenge which I discovered from Darren. And against my better judgment I wrote a reaction piece to NYT’s “Want to be Less Racist, Move to Hawaii”. I mean, it’s a good post to a click-baity article, but I think everyone is overtired of this race topic. I know I am.

July was my first month I started Su’s The Changing Seasons challenges.

 

Bayon at Angkor Wat Archaeological Park [Cambodia, 2015]

In August, I uploaded a silly list of the ways classrooms are the same here and back home.

I continued with the funny bits the following month with How to Be an Edgy and Thought-Provoking Asian American which I feared scared people away because in this current climate folks are afraid to laugh over the “wrong things”. (So over it, and will be the first to laugh over inappropriate and irreverent because that’s just the kind of delightful person I am. Damn it.)

 

I made a few collages when I was celebrating 7 years abroad. This one’s mostly from the earlier years with lots of family photos. They were a lot of work, but so worth it.

 

For October, I wrote a post based on someone’s search term on my blog. I want to try to do this at least once a year because it’s fascinating. And because it had to do with being Asian, and I’m too weird about self-promo (like none this year), my opinion gets easily lost. But that’s okay, it made me think about something that I haven’t thought of in a while, and this year I want to be braver about sharing my work.

Ended the month on What no one tells you about eating out in Thailand, a reaction to another amusing post.

 

Back in 2009 when I first started this crazy expat journey, I met Pat and Yui (and later attended their wedding). [Chiang Mai, Thailand] Looking forward to seeing you and the girls soon!

November was interesting because of the direction left-handedness: some stories and science went. I liked getting into the research of the topic.

 

At Incapirca for some summer solstice dancing [Ecuador, 2010]

And finally, in December, I wrote about Thailand’s changing diet, and a humorous piece on an imaginary introvert avoiding holiday parties.

Whew.

I wonder what I’ll write about in 2020?

Happy New Year, everybody! I hope 2020 is epic!

23 replies on “Let’s wrap up 2019, so we can move on to 2020!”

  3. Thanks for a wonderfully entertaining and insightful year. Looking forward to this new year and your posts and emails.

    By the way, it’s true that since you don’t restrict yourself to only one topic it might in turn limit your readership, but then again it’s impressive how entertaining and knowledgeable you can write about just anything, so congrats to this rare skill!

    Happy new year and greetings from Japan,
    Fabian

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    1. Thanks, Fabian, that’s a great way to look at it. Sometimes I’m in over-anaylizing mode. I’m sure you understand. Japan! You lucky dog. I hope you are having a fabulous time. HNY!!!

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  5. You’ve lived through a lot…but some good conscious choices made by you. My reflections on my past decade include some family tragedies which I can’t get into here on the ‘Net. Otherwise, blog does show where I’ve been, saw and thought of the outside world.

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    1. Yes, that’s the nice thing about having a blog. I enjoy seeing how much I’ve done (with pictures!) and what was on my mind. Thanks for reading along during all this time, Jean!

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  8. Wow, what an incredibly productive year it has been for you! I love the breadth of subjects you covered and, as always, your humor tickles me. Your posts have given me so much to chew on. Two of the most thought provoking was your post on money and your post on self-love amongst Asians.
    May 2020 be as epic as you hope and I too will be working on being braver with my writing despite the loathing of self-promotion. Wishing you much happy happy Lani!

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    1. Thank you soooo much! What a lovely comment to receive while on holiday, and now that I’m home I can use a KEYBOARD a properly write back. I don’t know how everyone else types on their phones. Grrrr.

      And thanks for the specific feedback. It’s hard to know what will resonate, and this of course, changes with time and place.

      Wishing you the best 2020. Thanks for the love, sending hugs and kisses your way, too.

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  9. Happy New Year Lani! My most fave of your 2019 blog-related accomplishments is the newsletter. I am thinking to start myself this year *fingers-crossed, ass-seated, lazy demon pushed far away*. I am looking forward to reading everything you write this year ❤

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  10. Okay, so after reading your comment (re my NY resolutions) I realized I have not been keeping up at ALL with my fellow WordPress bloggers. I feel like I am, though b/c of Instagram and all that, but it’s different than reading, obvs. Glad I went back to check on everyone and I have a lot of catching up to do! You’ve been busy!!

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  12. I’m finally getting back into my favorite blogs and Lani, this post summarizes it so well! I can check up on all your bests posts from all the months, haha. I’m always amazed at how honest, real and raw you are on here; it’s really inspiring and your topics are relatable to everyone. I bet you’re a great conversationalist in person!

    I’m glad that 2019 went well for you, although with a few ups and downs. Best of luck to you in 2020!

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    1. Ohhhhh, is she back??? Hmmm? Will you just be teasing us with your return? Or are you like an ex-lover showing up when we least expect it and leaving when we get used to your presence? 😛

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