December 27, 2023

Cultured Individual's 2023 Recap And Plans For 2024


The year of 2023 is finally coming to an end, and it is time for me to reflect on the year I had in general, as well as what I wrote on this blog. I would say that 2023 was a memorable year for me, with my biggest highlight being my European mega-vacation touring Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. I was able to play my fair share of video games this year as well and wrote some good reviews. There were some events and stories this year and I want to talk about those as well.

I will start by talking about my European mega-vacation. In August/September, I spent a week in Italy travelling around the country, and the following week was my cruise vacation travelling to Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. At the time of this post going live, I would have written all my posts about my cruise vacation, but I did not write about my trip to Italy yet. I am still trying to figure out how to structure how my Italy posts are going to be, while the cruise vacation posts had a definite beginning and an end, so those were easy to write about. You are going to start seeing my Italy blog posts at the beginning of 2024, and I hope at that point I would figure out how to write about the Italy trip.

For my cruise vacation, I sailed on the Celebrity Infinity. I wrote a more-formal review of the ship, as well as a less-formal ship highlights post. The best highlight for me on the Celebrity Infinity was whenever I had an alcoholic drink in my hand, because there was very little on this ship that catered to my age group, and I did not care if it was a beer or a martini. In terms of actual events, I liked the premium mixology demonstration where the flair bartender made three distinct cocktails. Also, the Solarium pool was face-meltingly relaxing.

I went to several places during my voyage on the Celebrity Infinity, but my favourite day out was when I went to Dubrovnik, Croatia. The architecture of the old town, as well as the lagoon surrounding the cruise dock were some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I also had the best pizza on the whole trip while in Dubrovnik (and I am including my week in Italy in this criteria). The whole experience was amazing, and I do recommend visiting this city when you get a chance, even though this place has recently exploded with tourists. Another blog post(s) I would recommend reading is my day in Santorini (part 1 and part 2). It was just a packed day with sights, beaches, and tourists fighting trying to get on the only cable car down to the tender dock.

I have played a few video games and written my fair share of video game reviews as well. Video game reviews I am particularly proud of writing include Final Fantasy XVI, Cassette Beasts, and Super Mario Bros Wonder. Games I am looking forward to playing and possibly reviewing next year include Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

This year would not be complete without writing about the dumpster fire that is Toronto FC. I wrote two TFC-related posts this year, but I want to pay particular attention to my second post about Toronto FC this year. To put it in short, I do not think Toronto FC is salvageable in a positive-perception sense. The club will forever have the tinge of 'loser' etched on its badge. Just find a new owner already.

Talking about the other posts I wrote this year; I would like to highlight a few posts worth reading. First, I would recommend reading my post on going to the Cirque Du Soleil show as part of a work event. I desperately tried not to get too drunk due to past events with previous co-workers, but I also felt like I needed to drink to forget the awkwardness of the day. Another post I would recommend reading is recalling my times in section 114 at BMO Field. I talk about the joys and the pains of going to BMO, and specifically, in section 114, my home away from home. Finally, I wrote about my times interacting with a former co-worker from a previous job, who just by existing, seemed to destroy my identity and I even wanted to shut down this blog. I am glad I did not shut this blog down. Instead, it looks like this blog is thriving in its little corner of the internet.

So, what am I looking forward to in 2024? I cannot say Grand Theft Auto VI because the release date will be somewhere in 2025. I have several smaller vacations planned in 2024. There may be some more boozy vacations in the Caribbean on the horizon, as well as another wedding in Florida where a woman will steal me away from the dance floor and bring me to her hotel room.

Anyways, that is the recap. Bye!

No comments:

Post a Comment