And just like that, before we’ve even had an opportunity to finish our eggnog lattes and hot apple ciders, the year is already drawing to a close. As I go about reflecting on 2022, I can’t help but feel like I’ve come up short in so many areas. Yet, as so many of us recognize, we can all be our own worst critics. That’s why, on some level, I find it helpful to quantify the year that was, making it easier to compare 2022 against previous years. So, what do the numbers have to say?

My Three Goals for 2022

Back in January, I set three over-arching goals for 2022. Call them new year’s resolutions if you prefer, particularly since only one of them is a S.M.A.R.T. goal. Whatever the term, things didn’t exactly go as well as I had hoped this year.

  • Speak more Cantonese with my kids: Nope, failed this one hard. In an effort to preserve our cultural heritage, I wanted to provide my kids with a better opportunity to surround themselves with Cantonese. It’s becoming an endangered language, for reasons I won’t get into right now, and it’s even harder when I’m anything but fluent in it myself.
  • Log three million steps: Nope, didn’t get this one either. Looking at my Fitbit stats, I should end the year with a hair over 2.6 million steps. That’s down from 2.8 million in both 2021 and 2020. I really let those daily steps slide in the fall and I have yet to recover. I really need to make my physical wellbeing(and my mental health) more of a priority next year.
  • Get comfortable with letting go: Maybe? You would think that by letting those first two goals slide, “winning” with this third goal should have been a given. But, it really hasn’t been. While I cut myself more slack on those two goals (among other things), I also brood obsessively over my all my shortcomings (of which there are many). Is it incompatible to have goals but also be kind to ourselves?

Top BTR Blog Posts of 2022

I wrote and published 42 blog posts here on Beyond the Rhetoric in 2022, including this one. That’s less than half compared to the 94 blog posts I wrote in 2021 and a far cry from the 200+ I wrote in 2018. Is blogging dead? I don’t think so. Blogging has just taken on different forms over the years and it will continue to change with the times. Through that lens, here are the top five blog posts published this year.

  1. Top Cartoon Dads (As Ranked By You): This was a fun one based on a series of Instagram polls.
  2. Dim Sum at Jade Palace: The Burnaby Heights neighborhood doesn’t have too many dim sum options, so Jade Palace almost takes the crown by default. Thankfully, it’s not too shabby and we’ve been back several times since I wrote this brief review.
  3. Tokyo John Sushi: Two restaurant reviews made the top five for 2022, including this sponsored media tasting.
  4. An Incapable, Incompetent Dad: You’re probably as sick and tired of hearing from me complaining about being sick and tired of this “useless dad” trope. It’s all the more reason we need to drastically shift the prevailing narrative around modern parenting.
  5. Recommended Burnaby Eats: Yes, a third “foodie” post in the top five. This one is more a series of mini reviews than one bigger review, highlighting everything from Sunday brunch to sourdough pizza.
Top 16 Cartoon Dads (As Ranked By You!)

Goodreads Reading Challenge

Reflecting on 2022, my Goodreads Reading Challenge looks a lot like previous years. I set a “lower” goal of reading 36 books this year, telling myself this is a lower priority and it’s okay to let it slide. I ended up finishing 45 books in all, and I should finish one more in the next week or two. Some of my favorite books this year include:

  • Thanos: Titan Consumed by Barry Lyga – The origin story of the Mad Titan really gives his character so much more depth than we got through the MCU movies.
  • We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu – Whether you know him as Jung from Kim’s Convenience or as Marvel’s Shang-Chi, you’ll love this open and honest memoir of how he continues to disappoint his immigrant parents.
  • A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin – Dunk the lunk, thick as a castle wall. If you miss Game of Thrones, this knightly side quest is a worthwhile adventure.
  • How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur – If you enjoy moral philosophy as much as you enjoy immature bathroom humor, you’ll love this exploration of ethical decision making from the creator of The Good Place.
  • Son of Elsewhere by Elamin Abdelmahmoud – I feel it is critically important to read stories that oftentimes don’t get told, like moving from Sudan and Kingston, Ontario at the age of 12 and getting “handed his Blackness like a passport.”

My Favorite Movies of 2022

Roughly in line with previous years, I watched a total of 38 movies in 2022. While I’m known to fall into the melancholic pits of hipster existentialism with my film choices, most of the movies I watched this year were more about action and/or escapism. I’m probably not alone in that, given everything we’ve all gone through these past couple of years. Noteworthy highlights include:

  • Minari: He’s more than just “Glenn from The Walking Dead.” Steven Yeun’s take on a Korean immigrant family trying to make it in rural America is simultaneously quiet and gripping.
  • Turning Red: Are we seeing more Asian (and Asian American) representation in mainstream media? Maybe! And this Pixar flick is one of the best examples of that.
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: I know that many of us are feeling some level of MCU fatigue at this point and this film is not without its faults. Even so, it’s a fun romp and we had a great time watching it.
  • Prey: All too often, we get remakes and reboots that can’t even hold a candle to the original material. Prey is not one of those movies. It takes the mythos behind the Predator franchise and takes it in thrilling new directions.
  • Stutz: This might have been a little too self-indulgent on the part of Jonah Hill, but the extended interview with his therapist offers terrific insights in the psychology of trauma, happiness, and personal growth.

Creating Instagram Reels and YouTube Videos

Remember how I said blogging isn’t dead; it’s just taking on different forms? One of those forms, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, is online video. For my part this year, I’ve shot and published a total of 94 Instagram Reels, 60 YouTube Shorts, and 5 regular YouTube videos (2 of which were vertical). That doesn’t include any I might publish in the next few days. We’ll see. Some of my favorites include:

And then there was our #hosted spring break trip over to Sunrise Ridge Waterfront Resort in beautiful Parksville, BC too. If you’re looking for family fun things to do in and around Parksville, I’ve got you covered too. We need to go back.

Keep Calm and Carry On to 2023?

Reflecting on 2022, I can’t help but to also look back at my 2021 year in review and compare. In 2022, I wrote less than half the number of blog posts, posted about twice as many online videos, read fewer books and watched fewer movies, and accomplished fewer “main” goals. And the podcast quickly became a forgotten child. But, I have to feel like that’s okay and to keep moving forward as we head into 2023.

How did your 2022 go? Was it better or worse than you predicted back in January?

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