It's time for the annual Year-in-Review! A lot has happened since last year (The Blog of Michael Desrosiers: Year-in-Review 2024).
On the other hand, my wife's career has progressed a ton this year and I'm super proud of all of her accomplishments!
The year really started off with a very short notice trip to New York City to attend my brother's wedding. It was originally meant to just be the license signing with the full ceremony coming later, but when I found out that everyone else in both families would be attending, I felt like I had to fly to the US as well. My parents, sister, and I had a great time visiting the city when we were in town for the wedding. It had been a few months since I had seen them, and it was super nice to have some family time.
After the wedding, my dad and sister flew back home, but I stayed in New York with my mom for a few days. After all, it's not worth it to fly all the way from Bangkok for just three nights! We caught a show on Broadway, toured the city's amazing museums, and visited Ellis and Liberty Islands, something I hadn't gotten to do before on my previous trip to NYC.
On the way back to Bangkok I had a long layover in Manilla, Philippines. I was technically in the country, because I got a passport stamp, cleared immigration, and left the airport. I only checked in at the nearby capsule hotel for a long nap, though. I guess technically I've been in the country, and I'll count it, but I really have to go back.
And then, in March, something big happened. Bangkok was hit by a 7.7 earthquake which brought down one under-construction building and traumatized me. It caused me to have the first, and thankfully only, panic attack of my life, and gave me earthquake nightmares for a few weeks afterwards.
I had to flee my building with my poor cat. My wife and I had to move back in at her family home for a week until the building could be inspected. Now, months later, things are back to normal, and my building has finally (like in the last week), finished all of the cosmetic repairs.
I had to flee my building with my poor cat. My wife and I had to move back in at her family home for a week until the building could be inspected. Now, months later, things are back to normal, and my building has finally (like in the last week), finished all of the cosmetic repairs.
In the springtime, Pinky and I flew to Washington State to meet my parents for a national park adventure. We got into Seattle a few days before they did so that we could explore a bit and spend some time getting over our jetlag. We both loved the city... especially the amazing seafood!
When my parents arrived in town, we set off on a road trip to explore some of the most beautiful national parks I've ever seen!
We visited Olympic National Park and Mt. Rainier National Park.
One of the highlights, not just of the Washington trip but of my whole year, was a trip on the Puget Sound Express, a whale watching cruise that brought us up close to seals, sea lions, sea birds and orcas. Even if I had seen nothing else, I would have been thrilled at seeing just the orcas. We saw two families of them swimming around in the icy cold water of the sound, and it was genuinely one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
One the way home, my flight got delayed and I got to spend two nights in Doha, Qatar on Qatar Airlines' dime. I hadn't planned on having a stopover, but how could I say no to two free nights at the Radisson (breakfast included)?
I took another trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to renew my marriage visa, but unfortunately arrived in town the night that the border war between Thailand and Cambodia began. I got stuck longer than expected but was able to make the most of it by taking a full-day tour to Oudong, the ancient royal capital. Luckily, the husband of a friend in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was able to help me with my visa, and I was back in Thailand shortly.
In September, my mom and I spent an amazing two weeks touring Honshu, the main island in Japan!
We visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Himeji, Kobe, Nara, and Hiroshima on a Shinkansen-fueled whirlwind tour. It was such a fun trip! We ate a ton of good food, visited countless temples and shrines, watched a sumo match, met a geisha, and got to spend some really great time together.
We planned the trip at almost the last minute, and everything turned out really great. Maybe next time we will try to hike up Mt. Fuji together (we were arriving at the end of climbing season this year, and the weather was getting a bit sketchy).
I worked a lot on my food blog, The World of Street Food (theworldofstreetfood.com) and it's actually starting to gain more than just a handful of followers. The blog has grown a ton this year, and it's actually starting to make me some money, which is nice!
In December, Pinky and I flew to Taipei, Taiwan (my third new country of the year!) for a few days to wrap up the year. I loved the city so much and hope to go back again really soon. I'll be writing about my time in Taiwan on the blog over the next couple of days. I will probably end up backdating the posts after I publish them.
Overall, it's been a pretty good year. My brother got married, and I couldn't be happier for him. I got a brand-new nephew (still just a few weeks old and whom I cannot wait to meet next time I'm stateside). My wife got a great new position at work and has started working towards an even better one. My business has grown more and more, and my partner and I are really excited for what 2026 is going to bring us.
I'm hoping that next year brings more great things and new opportunities.
Happy New Year to all from Bangkok, Thailand! Here's to 2026!
I'm hoping that next year brings more great things and new opportunities.
Happy New Year to all from Bangkok, Thailand! Here's to 2026!
