Let's end with a recap, Vol. III
It is December 2024, and once again, it is time for a recap.
Springtime Adventures
I entered the year energized and ready to see more places around Los Angeles. The winter was very rainy, making spring a great opportunity to experience some of Southern California's rivers and waterfalls. Each weekend I tried to go out and see at least one new and cool place, and I think I largely succeeded.
The Paramount Ranch.
Switzer Falls. Had to cross the stream like 12 times.
Los Liones Trail, recommended by my office manager. It did not disappoint.
Strawberry Peak (with an old school friend).
Eaton Canyon. My classmate from Bible study happened to be volunteering at the nature center on that day.
Lull in February
Early in the year, I also settled more into my new job, which I started the previous September. I got on some interesting projects and it felt good to make contributions that my managers valued. In mid-February, however, a couple of my projects abruptly closed. I felt discouraged at first, but looking back, this was a great chance to recharge for the months to come.
I went to the Little Tokyo Library and checked out All the Strangers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami. I enjoyed the simple writing and found myself drawn to the lonesome main character. I also enjoyed going to the Noho Laemmle on back-to-back afternoons to see The Taste of Things and Perfect Days. Watching these two meditative movies in a nearly-empty theater was a perfect way to unwind. By Thursday the following week, I was staffed to a large project that lasted me until September.
Elephant Gym
One of my favorite days of the year was March 9th, when I saw the Taiwanese band Elephant Gym play. That morning, I went on a nice solo hike in Pacific Palisades, had lunch at my favorite ramen restaurant in Sawtelle, and spent the afternoon reading books at the Beverly Hills library. In the evening I took stroll around The Grove, taking in the bright lights and fountains. The concert itself was incredible. The band members were very friendly and down-to-earth, and you could tell how much love and energy they poured into their music. I'm so thankful that they came all the way from Kaoshuing, Taiwan to share a joyful evening with the audience. For me, it was one of those moments that felt like a dream.
The rest of the spring, I was in the office a lot. But there were relaxing moments too. I took some nice walks to Little Tokyo after work, or to the Lost Bookstore to look at books or to Grand Central Market to get dinner. I became quite familiar with Downtown LA more generally. And one Saturday in April, I completed my Bible study homework at the Manhattan Beach Library in the morning and saw Herbie Hancock perform at Walt Disney in the evening. A couple days later, I finished reading A Suitable Boy (it only took me five months).
Beautiful Broadway Street in DTLA.
View outside of Manhattan Beach Library.
Herbie show (sadly they didn't do Watermelon Man).
Runyon Canyon, a bucket list spot I hit in April.
Chaotic May
May was a big month for me. I moved to a new apartment near beautiful Echo Park. I got a new phone. Also, with some big project deadlines, things got pretty helter skelter at work. Thankfully, mom was there to help me weather the storm. She visited for a week, helping me to arrange my furniture, settle into my new place, and to cook some delicious food. We also got to see the amazing pianist Yuja Wang play Chopin's Ballads (and 7 encore pieces) at Walt Disney Hall on Mother's Day.
Early that month, I also wrote some graduation letters to students in Taiwan that I had taught the previous year. It was tiring (and expensive) to write so many cards by hand and mail them off, but it was enjoyable in that I got to remember each of these amazing students. An extremely kind man at a shop in Burbank gave me some free packs of basketball cards to pass along to the boys. In Taiwan, my former co-teacher Alex helped give the letters out to the students, and to my surprise I received many wonderful thank-you emails from them.
The incredible Echo Park.
Yuja Wang's recital.
In early June, I visited my family in Sacramento. It was a peaceful week-long stay. After I came back to Los Angeles, I studied very hard for my finance exam. Each weekend I would go to a new library in the LA area to study. Like my earlier stay at mom's house, the summer passed peacefully, with little fanfare.
My very first Dodgers game, courtesy of my company.
Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, another one of my LA bucket list spots.
Another Echo Park photo.
Bonaventure Hotel. One of my favourite buildings of all time.
Angel's Point, within walking distance of my apartment. Great view of downtown LA, and I heard the Dodgers playoff game taking place nearby.
Peaceful Stay in the Bay
August 24th was a turning point in my year. That morning, I took my exam. The staff at the testing center were very friendly, and I felt good about the result as I walked out. Afterwards, I took a leisurely drive around the Santa Monica Mountains, stopping over at the Calabasas Commons (because I always love myself a Rick Caruso shopping center). The next day, I drove back up to Northern California. Listening to episodes of Acquired on the way there made the journey much more pleasant.
I stayed with my mom for the first week in Sacramento and then my brother for the second in the Bay. It was very peaceful to stay in my brother's spacious university apartment. He introduced me to his record collection, and we went to a few fine restaurants in the East Bay. I also had a nice solo morning at the Presidio in San Francisco, and I spent a happy afternoon with my former roommate from college.
Tilden Park.
One of the areas I visited in San Francisco was Crissy Field, Fort Point, and the Golden Gate Bridge.
The fall was a wonderful time too. With the exam monkey off my back, I really got the chance to settle into my new apartment and into a nice work-life balance. Along the way, I enjoyed many magnificent books, like Grotesque, Trust, My Brilliant Friend, and The Water Margin, and visited many magnificent places around LA.
Franklin Canyon Park. They were filming a police movie there that day.
I had been wanting to try Porto's french toast for a long time, and I finally did.
Debs Park in East LA.
Potato Mountain in Claremont. Oddly enough, even though I went to school so close by, this was the first time I ever made it there.
I attended my step-sister's wedding in Albany, NY. It was a very happy celebration, and the leaves were all sorts of different colors.
Universal Studios (another one courtesy of my company).
Went to the Dodgers Parade with some office mates.
Journey to Asia
In November and December, I went to Asia. I first spent some time in Taiwan, where I enjoyed a few days in Taipei and visited Hualien again. It felt great to be welcomed back after a year-and-a-half away. It really made Hualien feel like a second home. I was happy to see my former students learning so well. Some of them even remembered me. I had a wonderful dinner with my co-teacher and head teacher (now retired, and living in a Buddhist hall) from that year. The new English teachers at the school welcomed me with open arms.
From Taiwan, I went to Macau where I attended my cousin Ariel's wedding. I saw many of my aunts and uncles at the wedding banquet. The following Monday I went with my mom, brother, and stepfather to visit the grave of my grandparents, high up on the hill overlooking the river. Those days were very special. I might not visit Macau too many more times in the future.
On a riverside path in the Taiwan mountains, I met an elderly schoolteacher. She gave me this orange and we had a nice little chat.
After Macau, I took the ferry to Hong Kong. When I was younger, I went to Hong Kong many times on the way to Macau, but never for very long. This time, though, I stayed there for three days, and was satisfied to finally get a better sense of the place.
I spent the last week in mainland China. I was very impressed by the modern cities there, like Shenzhen, as well as the incredible subways and high-speed rail networks, and the clean and orderly streets. I met many kind people while travelling there. At the same time, I got to experience some amazing world heritage sites like the ancient city of Quanzhou, the serene Wuyishan National Park, and the famous old trading post of Kulangyu Island. I closed out my travels with a quick run through Kinmen and Taipei. The entire Kinmen is like a living history museum, and as soon as I stepped off the ferry, I knew it was one of the most friendly places that I have ever been to.
The peaceful vibes at Wuyishan made it one of my favourite parts of the journey.
On my final day in Taipei, I saw an old classmate of my mom's who has always taken care of me so well, like an aunty. She was very impressed when I told her about all of my travels of the previous couple weeks. And in that moment, sitting at the tea house, I looked back and felt very satisfied with how things had gone. I had been a little been nervous to travel on such a complex itinerary, and to mainland China, a place that I was not too familiar with. But things went smoother than I ever could have imagined. All the border crossings, train tickets, and hotels went without a hitch. Eskimo ESIM and Alipay were my best friends.
Quintessence
This year was sneaky good. How can I look back on it with anything other than immense gratitude? I accomplished everything that I set out to accomplish, and maybe more. I got to learn from so many people this year, whether from older men at my Bible study group or caring managers at my job or my very own family. Next year I hope I can learn more and work hard. ■
