Year Review of Li Chen

Monthly Review

In 2023, my journey began and ended in Salt Lake City. Upon returning from a ski trip, I was surprised to find the returned green card application in my mail box. Due to my oversight, I had forgotten to sign the credit card authorization form. This oversight marked the beginning of a year-long ordeal with my application. I documented this rollercoaster journey in a dedicated article on my 1.3-acre blog (link). A good lesson to learn in life.

This year, I also explored various East Coast cities. I felt as though I traveled nearly every long weekend, such as my trip to Atlanta during the Martin Luther King holiday, thanks to incredibly cheap flight tickets. Atlanta proved to be a family-friendly destination, especially with its kid-centric attractions.

Similar to the previous year, I booked dozens of flights during snow seasons, but differently this year, the days I had flights to Salt Lake City almost all coincided with excellent skiing conditions. I thoroughly enjoyed five ski trips, particularly at the Alta resort, which experienced an astonishing 900+ inches of snow, burying lounges, road signs and our stupid rear-drive Ford Explorer (digging for hours but still got stuck). Maybe due to my frequent stays in Hyatt, I surprisingly became the “guest of the day” for Hyatt Place Lehi (with 5k points redemption. However, good things never last).

This year's warm winter provided no excuse to skip workouts. I maintained a consistent exercise routine, aiming to curb my rising blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, the heavy demands of work, coupled with my arduous fight with USCIS, left little room for rest. During my runs, I had the opportunity to explore Boston extensively, discovering hidden gems and lesser-known attractions.

Similar to the Atlanta trip, the trip to Minneapolis around my birthday was another one without much planning. Despite the lack of natural wonders, Minneapolis offers a pleasant environment for a casual stroll—perhaps even better in warmer weather—or for exploring its culinary delights. Notably, the city's milling history is unique.

The temperature rises quickly in the summer. I enjoyed a whale-watching journey in early June. Due to the scarce snow this season, we could start hiking earlier. During the new Juneteenth festival, we visited the Great Smoky Mountains for a 13-mile hike and firefly watching.

Following that, during the Independence Day holiday, I drove a thousand miles to the western part of New York State. While most people recognize only New York City, the rest of the state offers appealing destinations, including the state capital region in Albany, Cornell University, and various gorges and museums. MoviePass has made a comeback, which is somewhat surprising. I assume the deal is now more sustainable. With its return, I watched 39 movies this year, including the unexpectedly popular "Barbenheimer" (it took a month to find a decent seat in the theater) this July.

I also discovered that the Boston Library is a peaceful place to enjoy weekends amid busy work schedules. They even have a decent collection of Chinese books. Time flies, and I realized my passport will soon expire. I vividly remember applying for my passport 10 years ago for an exchange program. Back then, the year 2023 seemed distant. Little did I imagine that with that passport, I would travel to numerous countries and eventually live abroad. I had more summer outings in August, visiting neighboring cities like Ashland in MA, Newport, and Providence in RI.

I traveled to Denver over the Labor Day holiday. Although I had visited Denver multiple times in winter, I had never experienced it without snow. The beauty of the Rocky Mountains remains consistent across all seasons. We tackled some challenging alpine hiking trails and encountered various wild animals. Upon returning, I headed to Block Island, RI, for biking and paddleboarding. Returned from the trip, to catch the end of summer, I went to Block Island in RI for biking and did some additional paddle boardings before water turns cold.

As autumn approached, I transitioned from outdoor to indoor activities. I am excited to find that the symphony series from New England Conservatory is open to public. On my first visit, their performance of Sibelius's Symphony No. 2 left me with a deep impression. This symphony became my favorite of the year and provided me with source of energy during the most challenging period of time, when I was frustrated by pressure of deadlines from work, failure of repeated immigration applications and uncertainties for future life.

Despite the late red foliage, we enjoyed a scenic road trip to northeastern Massachusetts in late October.

Back in April, we discovered that Turkish Airlines offered 7.5k award tickets to Hawaii around the Thanksgiving holiday. As November approached, we started to plan our 11-day Hawaii trip. I found nearly all the weekends in November before the trip are used for planning. But still, some decisions were made in last minutes. Surprisingly, this trip became one of my most memorable journeys. It was my third visit to Hawaii but my first to Maui. The coastal views, volcanoes (Haleakalā National Park), WWII history (Pearl Harbor), and unique culture were unforgettable. Interestingly, traveling with credit card experts made this trip a textbook example of traveling on a budget.

The year concluded on a high note, with some long-held wishes coming true. Despite the lack of significant snow across the lower 48 states during Christmas, we visited Utah again and explored the three remaining national parks in Utah that I had missed two years earlier.

Year Remark

Few people discussed COVID this year. Although I occasionally noticed individuals wearing masks, perhaps we can consider the pandemic largely over. Travel has become more frequent, as evidenced by the fact that nearly all the flights I took this year were fully booked. Interestingly, many people have adopted a three-day (Tuesday-Thursday) on-site work pattern, making traffic particularly heavy on these days.

I've felt more energetic this year, thanks to more frequent workouts. Quantitatively, I've run 21% more miles, visited the gym 52% more often, and taken 26% more daily steps than last year. My body weight has also been gradually decreasing. However, my blood test results haven't been positive. Perhaps achieving a better work-life balance and quality rest are crucial.

I've aimed to be more efficient this year, balancing hard work with leisure. With the implementation of more tools and workflows, and with increased experience, I feel more adept at managing routine tasks at work. However, the downside is that my workload has limited my ability to explore new areas. Despite this, I've been surprised by the number of memorable journeys I've undertaken this year. I've flown more miles (though all domestic) than in most pre-COVID years.

Following last year's recall event, Philips underwent significant reorganization, resulting in layoffs, especially within research departments. Although our group remains intact for now, we've been reassigned to the Ultrasound Business. The long-term implications remain uncertain, and I hope the hiring freeze, promotion freeze, and intern freeze aren't permanent measures.

Inflation has subsided after several rounds of interest rate adjustments. Filling a gas tank now costs less than $50. However, grocery prices remain elevated, with some items I frequently buy having doubled in price within a year. Investors' optimistic opinions have led to a significant increase in stocks, especially in the latter half of the year.

New Year Wishes

Immigration status.

Keep learning new things.

Work hard. Play hard.