--- title: Looking Back 2022 date: 2022-12-31 09:00:15 permalink: https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/12/31/looking-back-2022/ author: Lester Chan excerpt: "Looking back at 2022, the year Singapore reopened and masks became optional, finally feeling almost normal again. It was also when I joined Roborock's PR list and received the Q7 Max and G10 for review." categories: - Blog tags: - "2022" - "2023" - looking back --- After almost two years plus on-and-off restrictions due to COVID-19, Singapore finally opened up slowly in the year’s second half, and mask-wearing became optional for most places. Finally, we are almost back to normal. I hope in 2023, mask-wearing will become optional on public transport. ## Robot Vacuum Cleaner Thanks to my ex-colleague, [JayJay](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayjaylin/), for the link up, I got into Roborock’s Public relations (PR) list. They have sent me two Roborock cleaners for review, the [Roborock Q7 Max](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/04/26/roborock-q7-max-review/) and [Roborock G10](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/08/29/roborock-g10-review/). I am keeping the Roborock G10 for my use while I pass the Roborock Q7 Max to my parents so that it will help them with some household work. I also got into Dreame’s PR list, and they sent me the [DreameBot L10s Ultra](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/09/05/dreamebot-l10s-ultra-review/) for review. So right now, I have four robot vacuum cleaners cleaning my house. My [iRobot Roomba 980](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2017/01/06/irobot-roomba-980/) is responsible for vacuuming my master bedroom only, while my [Roborock S7](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/11/19/roborock-s7-review/) will clean my whole house. After vacuuming, I will alternate between my Roborock G10 and DreameBot L10s Ultra to take care of the mopping part since both come with auto-mop cleaning. ## Gadgets/Tech My brother got me the [CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/05/30/caldigit-ts4-thunderbolt-4-dock-review/) for my birthday so I can dock my new work 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro). I recommend getting this dock if you are looking for a dock for your M1/M2 MacBook. Ugraded my living room’s [Sonos Beam](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/05/19/sonos-beam/) to a [Sonos Arc](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/06/23/sonos-arc/). I moved the Sonos Beam to my room since I have a [PRISM+ Q55 TV](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2020/11/09/prism-q55-tv-review/) in it. Because my living room’s [Xiaomi Mi LED TV 4S 55](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2020/09/21/xiaomi-mi-led-tv-4s-55/) doesn’t support eARC, so to get Dolby Atmos on my Sonos Arc, I have to buy the [HDFury 4K Arcana 18Gbps](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/06/27/hdfury-4k-arcana-18gbps/). I upgraded my mesh routers to [eero Pro 6](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/08/17/eero-pro-6-review/), so my house is finally on wi-fi 6. Lastly, I got myself a [Rode NT-USB Mini Microphone](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/12/05/rode-nt-usb-mini/) with the [Rode PSA1+ Microphone Arm](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/12/27/rode-psa1/) because I wanted to sound better during Zoom/Slack calls. ## Apple I got myself a new base model [Apple 14″ MacBook Pro (2021)](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/07/18/apple-14-macbook-pro-2021/) since my brother has a friend who is leaving Apple and asked if we got any last things to buy. The price is too reasonable for me to resist. Bought the new [Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/10/31/apple-airpods-pro-2nd-generation/) during Shopee’s 10/10 flash sale. Lastly, for the usual yearly iPhone upgrades cycle, except this time, I upgraded to higher storage which is 512GB. I got the iPhone 14 Pro Max in Deep Purple. ## Travel With COVID-19 restrictions slowly easing for the rest of the world, I am happy I managed to travel to three countries in the year’s second half. Traveled to Australia in August 2022. Japan in November 2022, and Switzerland in December 2022. When this post is published, I will be in Geneva, Switzerland. I will be back in Singapore only on the 9th of January, 2023. **[What I Said In 2021](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/12/31/looking-back-2021/)** > I am looking forward to getting the Roborock Onyx in 2022. Roborock Onyx is the auto-empty dock for the Roborocks S7. The stocks come and go, and there is no way for me to pre-order it on Lazada or Shopee, so I can only manually check it now and then. I managed to get the [Roborock Auto-Empty Dock](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2022/01/17/roborock-auto-empty-dock-review/) the moment it got back in stock. > There are a lot of rumors that the iPhone 14 will drop the notch. I hope it is true. AirPods Pro 2 will be released in 2022. Somewhat true for the iPhone 14 Pro series. It dropped the notch and replaced it with Dynamic Island, which still looks like a notch. AirPods Pro 2 was released back in September 2022, and I bought it. > Maybe 2022 will be when I get my MacBook/MacBook Air/MacBook Pro that uses Apple Silicon. My current personal laptop is a hand-me-down 13″ MacBook Pro (Retina) from Li Xiang, which is an early 2015 model. I did get the base model Apple 14″ MacBook Pro (2021). > Nest will launch a new wired video doorbell in 2022 that supports 24/7 recording. I hope they fixed the power issue, and I may consider getting it again. They did. Google called it the Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen). > I think it might be possible to travel by the end of 2022 without VTL. I am hoping to visit Japan or U.S. at the end of 2022. I did visit Japan in November 2022, but not the U.S. Wanted to go to the U.S., but we ended up with Switzerland because we wanted to learn skiing. ## For 2023 For 2023, probably the most significant change is I might be moving house to somewhere more central in Singapore. If that happens, I will re-look at all the devices I really need in a smart home again. The good thing about your second house is that you will know what you want and don’t like. It is like learning from all the mistakes made with your first house. **Wishing all my readers, visitors, and supporters a Happy New Year 2023! May both the inflation and war in Ukraine stop so that we can get back on to our lives.** **Looking Back 2022** >