I haven’t worn jeans – or any real pants, for that matter – since March. I’ve also been taking a pass on real bras and makeup; and for awhile there, I was using an old ironing board as a desk. That’s the kind of year this was, but we’re all well aware of that by now.
Though I was with the rest of the world sighing a collective breath of relief when the clock struck midnight, I want to pause and recognize my MVP’s of 2020. Even though it was a really shitty year, it had its new-discoveries-turned-faithful-standbys, silver linings, and bright lights. All the brighter actually, perhaps because of all the challenges. So!
Best of 2020
Best Purchases of 2020
Leggings and tops from Beyond Yoga: I now live in Beyond Yoga, and I’ve managed to get all of my best friends hooked as well. Softest ever. The Heather Ribbed and SpaceDye sets are what athleisure dreams are made of.
Neck massager: this baby saved me from some terrible tension headaches. My 2020 happy hour was basically thirty minutes with this and a glass of wine at 4pm (or earlier, shh), every day.
CBD relief balm: like I said, tension headaches had it out for me. CBD balms are lifesavers; my mom is now obsessed as well. Equilibria relief balm was a miracle-worker when she had major toothaches a few weeks ago. I also love Papa & Barkley’s Releaf Balm.
Hydro Flask: my ride or die. I think I might’ve been dehydrated my entire life before Hydro Flask came along. It’s made me like – nay, love – water. The straw lid is a must. My best friend, niece, and nephew all stole it so much that now they each have their own 🙂
Wireless bra: I’m never ever ever going back to real bras. So far, I’ve tried and loved True & Co but think there’s so many more to discover too.
Bike shorts: yes, I drank the bike shorts Kool-Aid, and I’m not sorry about it. I have this cheap one from Amazon, and it’s one of the softest things I own.
Bidet: I won’t ever fear the toilet paper hoarders ever again.
AirPods Pro: I was an AirPods skeptic for years, but then 2020 came along and I had to conduct virtual job interviews while construction dug up the street a few feet away for DAYS. I now understand how powerful they are. I even slept in them a few times to drown out noise, worked like a charm.
Best Entertainment of 2020
Productivity, Fitness, and Entertainment Apps
Scribd: I’ve read more books this year than I ever have before (or at least, since middle school) and I credit a lot of that to Scribd making e-books so accessible. I’ve powered through 48 books since March and am thrilled that reading so much for fun is once again a part of my life.
Obé Fitness: huge variety of classes, uplifting instructors, and as in-studio of a feel as you can get without actually being there. Huge fan so far (I started right around Thanksgiving).
Melissa Wood Health: new girl crush! Melissa is so positive and reassuring, and I’m really into her short and spicy workouts.
Ritual Hot Yoga: my studio of choice in San Francisco. I phased it out a bit since my membership ended, but their virtual classes were my go-to at the beginning of shelter-in-place. Can’t wait to go back.
Duolingo: I’m on a 278-day streak of learning Spanish, and I’m not planning on quitting anytime soon. Duolingo’s bite-sized lessons make practicing a new language fun and approachable.
NY Times Crossword subscription: some of my happiest memories from this year involve projecting a tough crossword onto the TV and solving it together with my roommates over wine. I’ve loved working on them solo for awhile, but turning them into a group activity was an unexpected hit!
Notion: this is the only collaboration/note-taking/workspace tool I’ve stuck with, and I’ve tried many over the years. It’s simple but powerful!
TikTok: need I say more?
TV, Movies, Music, and Books
I’ve liked a lot of what I watched, read and listened to beyond what’s listed below, but these are the ones that I can remember right now.
Again, I read so much this year! The books I can’t stop thinking about are… Severance (eerie!). What Remains (I couldn’t stop reading!). The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace (must-read.). Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. The Year of Magical Thinking. The Island of Sea Women. Becoming (!!!). The Siege of Sarajevo. The Girl with Seven Names. Somewhere Inside. Nothing Good Can Come From This. On Writing. Love, Loss, and What We Ate (omg so juicy, but also Padma Lakshmi has such a way with words).
Homeland: I think I might’ve binged through all seven seasons in a month or two. What a captivating series. And Carrie! Such a flawed human, so thrilling to watch. I loved, loved, loved this series.
Schitt’s Creek: this I watched right after Homeland because I majorly needed something to lighten the mood. I’ve tried to watch season 1 before and couldn’t push through it, but once I did – hello, what a funny, heartfelt, kind of ridiculous series.
Crash Landing Onto You: obsessed. with. this. K-drama! This show did a lot to humanize North Korean citizens, and was just warm and cute and ohmygosh Hyun Bin’s cheekbones! I’m currently watching The Last Empress and am super into that one too.
Workin’ Moms and It’s OK: putting these two together because I watched them at the same time and they remind me of each other. Both punchy and hilarious, and about very relatable women.
Hamilton: my besties and I went to see the musical for the second time in February (one of our last life-before-COVID outings) and it was a powerhouse performance. I miss going to the theater! We watched it again on Disney+ on July 4th as the fireworks started going off… goosebumps!
Finally, anything by Emotional Oranges and Pretty Please by Jackson Wang played on repeat at our apartment all summer long. These will bring me right back to 2020 for years to come (the good parts, at least).
Best Foods and Drinks of 2020
Culinarily, this year was split into distinct phases, which were correlated to the places I found myself throughout the year. I didn’t become a sourdough aficionado like many of you, but nonetheless it was one of my more delicious years in recent memory.
Part I: “Old Normal” San Francisco
In January and February, I was living it up. Weeks away from saying goodbye to the city, I was splurging on nice dinners more weeks than not. Standouts were a Valentine’s Day meal at La Ciccia (the pastas are unreal) and Rich Table. Amazing dining experiences. City Beer Store was also excellent for a casual meal. On the home-front, I got really into making pasta e ceci. Ultimate comfort food for the winter.
Part II: Colombia
Colombia was a treat to all the senses, but especially to my tastebuds. Good Lord, we had amazing food. In fact, I wrote up a list of the foods you must try if you’re ever visiting the country.
I’m still dreaming about limonada de coco, arepas, and ajiaco.
Part III: Shelter-in-Phoenix
Upon flying back to the US from Colombia as the virus really started to flare up, my friend Leah and I quarantined in Arizona for a few weeks. Our Phoenix staples included 1) whatever was cheap (see: newly unemployed and fresh off of an international trip during a global pandemic), and 2) whatever could still be found at the grocery store. Fearing food shortages, we had even lugged back six pounds of spaghetti from Cartagena! (We ended up using it all!)
Our favorite go-to was a sausage, red pepper, and black bean fry-up over rice. Also, I distinctly remember my first takeout/delivery of COVID. We ordered sweet pork bowls from Costa Vida. It tasted amazingly like freedom.
Part IV: LA Quarantine
Backyard picnics with sausage and banana pepper Domino’s and hot dogs. This is what I’m going to remember the most about our wonderfully slow summer. Amidst all the craziness happening in the world, we had our own little oasis and that was all we could have ever asked for.
That, and weekly taro and red bean boba smoothies from Cha Bei Bei. No other boba can compare.
Part V: San Francisco Bubble
My roommates and I cooked together every weeknight for months, and made some of the best-tasting food I’ve ever had. Beyond being delicious, our food rituals also deepened our bonds. From our weekly Gus’s Community Market and farmers’ market routine, to meal-planning on Friday’s, and cooking together in the evening after work… I think it made us feel so much less alone.
Favorite recipes? Slow cooker hot honey ribs (OMG). Khachapuri. Spicy chicken katsu. Spicy fusilli a la vodka (my go-to weekend treat). Honey chipotle shrimp tacos. Burgers from Olivier’s Butchery with my secret sauce. One-pot Japanese chicken curry (I’d always make omurice for lunch with the leftovers). David Chang’s Bo Ssam (like, whoa). We also loved playing with farmer’s market goodies. From salads made with fresh peaches and arugula, to Roli Roti carnitas, and feta roasted with honey and heirloom tomatoes… all SO scrumptious.
And I can’t forget… Dumpling Time and House of Xian Dumpling, our weekend cheats. Caramba breakfast burritos, our weekday morning cheats. And McDonald’s spicy chicken nuggets at the beach, our play-hooky-on-really-really-hot-Fridays treats.
Oh, and we spent way too much money on nice wine from Ungrafted, and White Claw and Golden Road Mango, Pineapple, Watermelon Cart value packs. But like, I’m writing that off as a 2020 necessity.
Part VI: Sweet Home Houston
And here I am, back in my childhood home in the suburbs of Houston. I haven’t been back here in five years. But the gang’s all back – cats, kids, and all. With the virus spiking and the holidays in full force, there’s something inherently safe and nurturing being back here. Fittingly, mom’s cooking is comfort above all. Her beef noodle soup would be “last meal” status for me.
And you know what’s also been quite fun? Re-discovering favorites from my teens that I’ve long since forgotten. Fresh tortillas from H-E-B, boudin kolaches, Chick-Fil-A (well I haven’t forgotten Chick-Fil-A, but it’s never been more accessible!), and Tiff’s Treats.
All in all, a very delicious year.
2020 Gratitude List
The thing about challenging years is that the joyful moments shine so much brighter. I’m lucky that I was rich in these moments, that I had the time to slow down and soak it all in. Most of all, I’m grateful for…
A Proper Goodbye
Going into the New Normal, I was at a major advantage because I had spent the first two months of the year preparing to start a different way of life. I had quit my job and was planning a few months of travel, and so spent those months very intentionally appreciating my daily routine, saving money, and saying ‘see you later’ to friends.
I splurged for indulgent dinners at restaurants I’ve long wanted to try, stayed out at bars with friends much later than normal, even planned a last minute getaway to Tahoe with coworkers for fun. I’m glad I got to see so many friends and so much of San Francisco then because by the time I returned, doing so became so much riskier!
Te Amo, Colombia
Though it was disappointing to cut the dream trip I had quit my job for short (and though the tail-end of the trip was incredibly stressful given the situation), I’ll always be grateful to have had some time abroad in 2020.
I fell hard for Colombia – for its food, the warmth of its people, and the diversity of its landscape. Memories from this trip, from Salento in particular, truly sustained me during low points throughout the year. I can’t wait to go back someday.
Quality Time with Family
What are the kids going to say when they’re older and I tell them we didn’t leave the house for two whole months? I’m excited to tell them about how we created a lovely routine full of games and adventures and cuddles, and that this year would’ve been so much harder without all the sweet joy they radiated.
My time in LA and now in Houston will forever be stamped on my heart. It has been tremendously special. Even from afar in San Francisco, I conducted virtual pre-school and read stories to my nephew over Zoom, watched my niece’s first steps (to me!) on FaceTime, chatted with my parents every day… This has meant the world.
In March, right as everything started to shut down, my niece had open-heart surgery. There’s nothing I’m more grateful for this year than her successful surgery and speedy recovery. To have been able to be there with her and with my whole family as she regained her strength is something I’ll always cherish.
Committing to Growth
“WFH” without a job for most of the year was a challenge in that it didn’t come with a paycheck or coworkers to chat with. But for the first time in my adult life, I finally had the time to dedicate to working on things outside of my day job. Like volunteering. Mentoring. Learning Spanish. Reading. Reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. Discovering and getting involved with online communities. And, of course job-hunting – which happily culminated in a great new role at an awesome company.
I’m proud of the time and energy I committed to developing personally and professionally, and am thankful that an incredible, at-home support system through it all.
Summer in San Francisco
…was a doozy. I mean, the sky turned orange from the fires, the heat was suffocating, there was SO MUCH CONSTRUCTION on our street, and then obvi there was the ‘rona.
But we managed to find a lot of good… like social distanced hangouts at parks on beautiful, sunny weekends. The beach. Quarantine haircuts. Masked wine-tasting in Napa. Getting creative with seeing friends from afar. Witnessing and supporting local businesses as they innovated and adapted; I love the Dogpatch community so much. Cooking with my roommates, becoming each other’s pseudo-coworkers, Slack group included. Rooftop happy hours. The farmers market. Enjoying outdoor dining every once in awhile. Pizza or burgers at the new park down the street.
And then going into the fall as we made the moves to Make the Big Move and the apartment was always a mess and we were all so stressed, it makes my heart warm thinking about how much fun we still had.
Unplugging at Lake Shasta
I took a critical week of job-hunting off at the end of August to go on a COVID-safe vacation with my best friend’s family. We rented a houseboat on Lake Shasta for the week, and only had cell service for a couple of hours every two days or so. I debated going up until the morning we left. Luckily, I went with my gut (and my travel-starved soul). The hikes, jet-skiing, rafting, and swimming were so very rejuvenating, but that one week delay also made all the difference in the timing of the offer I ended up taking. It was absolutely worth the COVID test and so much more.
Goodbye, 2020
Without these MVP’s and memories, 2020 would’ve been so much bleaker. Compared to 2019’s many trips and adventures, life was certainly more inward and still. Albeit the circumstances sucked, in some ways I think the forced slowdown was just what I needed. There’s a lot that I’m immensely grateful for this year, but oh please please please let 2021 bring with it more cheer, more travels, and good health to all.
With that, 2020, please see yourself out!!
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