2022: it’s a wrap!
2022 is over and we are now officially in 2023 – the Earth completed another lap around the sun, and I had my last morning coffee yesterday. The last cup of 2022. What a fantastic year it was, oh my! I am kind of sad it’s over but… 2023, I am coming for you!
So, let’s see what my 2022 looked like, shall we?
My vibe right now is just living life!
First thing I gotta say about entering 2022 is that it was with a proper bang! MM and I were spending a chill evening at Vandalore, dressed up alright, but after midnight we crossed the border and celebrated with my neighbor. Lots of laughter, prosecco and board games – it was a really good beginning.
Over the years I grew into the mindset of quality over quantity – it truly matters! As the saying goes: associate yourself with people of good quality as it is better to be alone than in a bad company. I can safely say that 2022 was the year of exquisite quality.
But you know what they say… Oh no, come on, Lot. I will save you the clichés. It was a great freaking start to 2022. All of the things played out. And hey – the first speed-bump happened in February, so… It truly wasn’t all that bad.
It’s over Covid, I have the high ground!
Oh yes, that bugger finally got me – in February 2022. Nearly 2 years after the pandemic “officially” started in Poland. Being vaccinated and boosted… That stung a little. Luckily, it wasn’t so bad for me – I was very tired and the cough was a nightmare, but overall – I managed pretty well.
Okay, to be honest – I made it worse for me because I decided that I “MUST VACUUM THE APARTMENT LIKE RIGHT NOW”. Took me 40 minutes (which usually takes about 15) and I needed to sit on the floor for an hour to recover. So, a very stupid decision – but one of a few I made in 2022.
Now that I think about it – I am kind of lucky it happened in February – the original date for Hans Zimmer’s concert was Feb 13th, and due to severe Covid in Prague, they moved it to April. Yeah, I would not be able to make it, if it would go ahead as planned.
My “2022 tour” was about to start, and recovery after that bloody virus was probably more painful (mentally) than the sickness itself. But hey, what doesn’t kill me… Simply made me more grateful for everything I have in life.
Tickets go on sale in…
Ah, the tour! Goodness gracious, it was one hell of a year – so intensive, so colorful. So many concerts and shows and events – damn, it was really tiring with a regular 9-to-5, so if there is a band that needs a professional concert-goer to help them out… I have the experience! 😉
It all started with Mrozu and then it just kept getting better and better through the spring and summer, to finish strong in autumn. Let’s do a quick recap: Hans Zimmer in Prague in April, OneRepublic in Warsaw in May, Sanah in Wroclaw in May, Van Gogh multi-sensorial experience in Wroclaw in June, Dawid Podsiadlo in Wroclaw in June, Coldplay in Warsaw in July, Meskie Granie Festival in Wroclaw in July, Sanah for the 2nd time in Wroclaw in July.
August started off with another festival: Stay Wild in Wroclaw (which was a birthday present for my mum), Ed Sheeran in Warsaw in August, Artur Rojek in Wroclaw, Mrozu for the 3rd time (2nd was during the Stay Wild festival) in September Wroclaw, Kaska Sochacka in Wroclaw in September, Krzysztof Zalewski in Wroclaw in September, Cirque du Soleil in Krakow in September (for my birthday!).
The tour slowed down to a strong finish – Ralph Kaminski in Wroclaw in November – probably the only polish artist that made me cry with the very first song. Oh, and the very last gig in November – movie soundtracks in Wroclaw.
Work, work, work, work, work, work…
This year was really revolutionary when it comes to work – I applied for a supervising position back in April and it did not work out, but it also showed my leadership that I am ready for more. I waited a little and the opportunity came – and this time, I was ready to accept it.
So yes, new year new me – at least at work, but to be honest – aside from the title, not much will change for me. Which is good, I need some stability. Maybe this will do me some good, who knows.
The other thing I liked about work this year was creatively stimulating – I had the opportunity to conduct some “interviews” with our leaders and even though I was a bit stressed, I think it worked out well. And it only proved to me that I was born to do this: talk to people, listen, be inspired and… Share things I’ve learnt.
Who knows, maybe one day it will make my living. As of now, I have bills to pay and concert tickets to buy, so! 😉 Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Live long and prosper…
Oh yes, when it comes to my book – I don’t have much of an update. I don’t want to write under pressure or because I feel forced to. I needed to get rid of the weight on my mind (certification at work) and heart (feeling anemic, anxious and overwhelmed). 2022 was a good year when I looked at Twin Peaks Café – I celebrated 3 years!
The book is coming, it’s still happening and one day (hopefully) you will be able to read about certain lady’s adventures. Um, she will not be a lady-lady, just that she is a female. But the book is very much out there, it’s in progress and…
A lot of fun things will happen. The minute I ditched the advice “write what you know” (which to the point is fair and valid) and decided to “write whatever the hell I want” it became easier to put words out there.
So, it’s coming, I have a lot of ideas, I keep writing them all down and it feels amazing. Plus, I have the best case consultant working with me – Spock to my Kirk! And honestly, the very fact that he said I am so much like Kirk proves that we will work great together.
I feel the need… The need for speed!
Ah, 2022 was a pretty good year when it comes to movies, really. And yes, I also mean the fantastic Top Gun: Maverick. But so many others – Bullet Train, Amsterdam, Bones and all, Moonage Daydream, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Batman (though I am still on the fence with this one), Nope!, Everything Everywhere All at Once, See how they run, The unbearable weight of massive talent and many, many more!
But also, it was a terrible year for some movies: Marvel with just pathetic Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Blonde, Jurassic World Dominion, Don’t worry Darling, Uncharted, Morbius… Should I keep going?
I owe you so many reviews haha, I think I will take a week off to write it all down. Ah, I wish I had more time to write. Like, I do, but since I work in front of the screen for 8 hours a day, I try not to spend any additional time staring at the blue light.
But hey – overall it was a great year with many great movies, but 2023 is looking even more fly – with Nolan’s Oppenheimer (boy, am I excited? FIND OUT NEXT SUNDAY), Dune part two, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse part one, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Wonka, even the new Mission: Impossible is on my “to-watch list”.
But there are also movies that are totally unnecessary in my opinion: Barbie (the teaser looks horrific and I swear Kubrick is on his way from the up there to kick ass of whoever decided to “borrow” that beginning), anything from Marvel (except new Ant-Man because I love Paul Rudd, The Hunger Games prequel (why?), anything from DC (maybe except Shazam! The Fury of Gods but only because of Zach).
I can lie. I have adequate power reserves.
2022 was probably my favorite Star Wars year so far. And please, don’t get me wrong – The Mandalorian was FANTASTIC in its own “space-cowboy-single-dad-almost-hitchhiking-through-the-Galaxy” is my shit, Andor takes the throne. What an incredible show, really. I both hate and love Disney for releasing only one episode a week, but damn… It only added to the feelings.
2022 is also a year of my personal “droids” appreciation – starting with BD-1 from Jedi: Fallen order to B2EMO from Andor – I know it sounds weird but seeing these little robots being written more “human” – fearful, anxious, PTSD-like… I will say it: they are easier to relate to than the human heroes. And I am here for it!
It was quite a good year for TV series I watched or caught up with – like Parks & Rec which took me long enough, but once I got in, it was a quick one. Great shows from Amazon: Reacher and season 3 of Jack Ryan, a couple of good docu-series from Netflix (which is quite shocking) … Few replays on Disney+, including all Star Wars shows… Oh yes, it was a good year.
Would it save you a lot of time if I just gave up and went mad now?
Aside from concerts, the biggest highlight of 2022 was my trip to Thailand, which was just a cherry on top. It was my first time in Asia, first time on a different continent, first time on such a long flight and first time so many flights within 3 weeks.
3 different locations, thousands of different views and adventures, TONS of great food with a very, very good beer… Some tears of joy and happiness at the elephant sanctuary, warm water, cold smoothies and mental rest I desperately needed.
I am in the process of writing out my memories in 3 acts – Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui – so once it is ready, I will be updating my Travel Journal section here on the blog. I want to at least try and give you Lot the taste of Thailand. So, I don’t want to spoil much now, but it truly was a life-changing experience.
And you know what? There was one moment when I felt invincible, and in that moment I realized, I can do anything and I will get through anything. As long as I have good, right people by my side, I don’t let the anger win and my life is free of toxic people… Things will be good. And good is very underrated, so… I am good with good.
The strongest stars have of Kyber…
Most importantly, though, I know that 2022 was a great year when it comes to me, personally. I grew, I learnt a lot of new things, I cultivated my peace and balance… Fought for what was right and stood up for what was wrong. It seems like I say it (or rather write it) every year, but I honestly could not be prouder.
Each year I leave some room for improvement, though – haha. I know that there are still some things I need to work on – like creating a better balance between work and my personal life (for instance, not bringing that work BS into “after hours”) or focusing on writing more.
But 2022 was amazing when it comes to creativity and inspiration – I can see it with my own eyes. So many of you inspired by my words and actions (some to the extent of literally copying my content or “trying to make it your own with changing a note or two” – which initially made me laugh but then again… life of an influencer, right?), so many of you reaching out to me anonymously with “thank you, this helped me” or “I needed to hear this…”.
This means the world to me. Because for me it’s quite effortless – it comes naturally because it’s honest. I don’t lie, I don’t pretend, I don’t do it “for the gram” or to be seen. The right people see me. And so does the Universe, in all its grace.
To all my fans, readers, supporters, friends and family – thank you. I see you and I hear you. Thank you for believing me when I pour my heart out. I promise to stay like this until the world ends.
I wanna thank me for believing in me… I wanna thank me for doing all the hard work.
You gotta love Snoop, I am telling you, haha. We can laugh all we want, but this speech is straight to the point that many people keep forgetting – at the end of the day, in 99% of cases, you are responsible for your own success.
In 2022 I achieved so much. Why should I not be happy about it? Believe it or not, there will always be people who will downplay your success or tell you that something happened “because there was a need for it” (like getting a promotion at work). Bullshit. It happened, because you MADE IT HAPPEN.
Hell yes I am beyond amazed with how I lived through 2022. Lived, not existed through. Even today, when I am writing this, I caught myself being angry at someone, but… As Albus Dumbledore said: “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love”.
Listen carefully, Lot as I am about to let you in on a little secret: if it feels wrong, let it go. If it causes pain or spreads toxicity, get rid of it. Cultivate your happiness, listen to your body but most importantly: don’t ever ignore that gut feeling or your intuition. It exists for a reason, okay? Trust your inner Force.
And with that… You can be sure that your 2023 will be just as amazing as mine. Thank you for being here, see you soon! So long and thanks for all the fish! <3
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