Happy New Year, guys! Here comes my year in retrospect kinda post with a twist. I do this every year. It's like a tradition here in my blog. It's quite challenging because I have to do it in alphabetical order every single year. You know the drill. Without rambling on too much, here's my 2020 wrap-up in alphabetical order. Grab a cuppa because this is going to be a long one.
Ariana Grande | Queen of getting me all entertained and fascinated with all her songs. While she's not everyone's cup of tea, she's definitely my cup of tea.
Bullet journal | I would say 2020 has been the year where I did pretty good with keeping up with my bullet journal. I think I'm more creative there instead of my blog. Maybe because I have all the space for myself only so I just go with it. I'm not the best artist but I've totally become more comfortable doing some hand lettering, creating spreads without even outlining them out first. The practicality of a bullet journal is my number one priority, though. It helps me with managing my personal life to work life to even blogging!
COVID-19 & cancelled plans | I've put on my 'positive-thinking cap' for 2020 all year long so I don't have to jump on the "2020 is cancelled" bandwagon but it kept disappointing me. I guess I don't have to explain more. Let's hope 2021 will be better for all of us.
Dalgona coffee | The viral drink catching tons of buzz that I, myself was sufficiently influenced to give it a whirl. The result was... I found it to be my favourite type of coffee to drink and I made it a bunch of times. But it all comes with consequences and I would say it's the sleepless nights for me.
Facetime | Been through a lot of Facetime calls with my significant other this year. It was pretty hard for us in the first few months. He was visiting his parents for a minute and then Covid happened and we can't cross country for a while so he was stuck and we can't see each other. What a situation.
“Growing, blooming, and flourishing” | This has to be one of my favourite mantras in 2020.
Hyram | Some of you might come for me but I relate to Hyram more than I relate to other skincare junkies out there. He's so young but so full of skincare information and I want to be like that someday.
Instagram | Instagram is an amazing tool to grow your blog! Yes. I used to think Instagram is a place for people to show their nicest things, the glitz and glam, and all of that jazz. I was overwhelmed. I even went on hiatus on Instagram because it felt so toxic at some point in my life. Turns out, Instagram is not half bad. I decided to make a comeback and try to stay active there and then I started to promote my blog more. It was surreal. It drives crazy traffic to my blog as well as my Instagram page. My insights were all green! That's insane. I will never talk bad about Instagram anymore.
Joo Dan Tae & Sim Soo Ryeon | I love Penthouse. I was completely invested my time in this k-drama. I am not like a hardcore fan of k-dramas by any means. I watch what I want to watch. So, Penthouse was definitely IT this year. Joo Dan Tae is the father of 2 and a husband of the oh-so-lovely Sim Soo Ryeon. I love their acting ability! Joo Dan Tae, how can you look so kind and yet so unbelievably terrifying? And Sim Soo Ryeon, she's such a goddess, even in real life. Ugh, can't get enough of this drama. I definitely recommend giving it a watch if you haven't. Now. Right now.
Loungewear | Since we have been stuck at home with nowhere to go and cute outfits for no one to see, loungewear is definitely a thing in 2020. It is all the rage to be as comfy as possible. Loungewear has always been my go-to and I am glad I am being seen as fashionable now. LOL.
Mostly beige | I really fell so hard into the beige aesthetics. I think beige is my signature colour in 2020. I love everything in beige. My bullet journal spreads were mostly in the beige tone. I want everything in beige. Give it to me, I am ready to bathe in it.
New smartphone | I have been an Android user for as long as I can remember but this year was quite interesting for me where I took the plunge and switched to an iPhone. iPhone is not the be-all and end-all for me but the experience is something else. It's quite spectacular actually.
Organized | I think having a journal is one of the very reasons I am very organized with my life this year. I have several spreads in there to help with different aspects of my personal life, my blogging life. I track down almost everything I could because I am quite forgetful.
Pictures and videos | I have taken so many photos of me being with my favourite persons. And videos too! I record the moment and save it to myself just because I am afraid one day I will forget the sound of their voice and their laugh and overall the feeling I was in. I have a bunch of them and I encourage you to take pictures and record videos more as well because you never know.
Quitting | Love your job but never fall in love with your company. Mental health always comes first. If you don't already know, I quit my job in November and I know it's not easy to secure a job especially during a pandemic but I can't be in an environment that didn't spark joy anymore, you know what I mean?
Renovation | House renovation, to be exact. We decided to hire contractors instead of interior designers because the cost tends to be cheaper. It was not a hassle-free process, guys. I was a bit unsettled hiring them at first and I should just listen to my guts. We had a lot of unnecessary troubles and that's it. Pay a little more, hire an interior designer and it will save you big time.
Spilled tea | The year of "spilled tea". LOL. All jokes aside, I take it as a siren or a warning for me not to fall for the innocent look of certain people.
Tea | My all-time favorite companion. Perfect for any occasion. I am always with my tea that I love to make in a mason jar because a mason jar makes every drink tastes fancier and cuter.
Underweight? | Okay. I made a point to get back on track with intermittent fasting this year and it was a success, I think. I used to binge-snacking at work and all I wanna do was munch, munch, munch. That's why I started IF and I wore a waist trainer all the time so that I gradually lost my appetite. It was definitely a big moment where if I apparently lose a few more grams my BMI would probably be severely underweight. LOL. I think I took IF way too far. I have always been normal since I was a kid so that was a pretty major moment for me.
Visiting a place that I never knew existed | Before the pandemic, I actually had a road trip with my s/o to a place that I never knew existed. Yup. It's called a 'secret garden' and it was so magical. It has such a romantic path to it. Ugh! I didn't document it though because I was so caught up in the moment. It was a place you don't want to burst your camera out. You just want to feel the moment and it was actually the last trip we took together this year.
W7 cosmetics | I didn't discover a lot of makeup products because obviously we're all staying home and feeling comfy all year long, so it's pointless to shop for makeup that I know I am not going to use that much. But I did discover W7 cosmetics at the drugstore. I am actually shook with the quality because how can it be so good for so little money? This is not a new brand but definitely new to me and I am blown away. Please check out W7 if you haven't already. I love their lipsticks and banana powder.
“X-factor” of my blog | I have been getting a lot of compliments on my blog photography this year (thank you for the support, guys <3) to the point I was really kinda embarrassed about it because I am not like other bloggers that have everything when it comes to photography equipment or tech or whatever you wanna call it. If you haven't been noticing, I took all of my blog photos with my trustee cellphone. I don't want to seem like I am shoving this right down your throat but I have said this many times that you don't need much to have beautiful photos for your blog. And in my humble opinion, it's okay to not have a DSLR for your blog photography.
Yash | Yes, the MAC bullet lipstick. My s/o bought it for me as a gift earlier this year. He said I have so many of these in my collection so I won't hurt to another one. However, he didn't have a clue which colour to pick so he got me the shade that would look gorgeous on me. He's so clueless when it comes to makeup but his effort wins my heart every time. I honestly haven't been putting the shade to a test as in wearing them daily because I am really sentimental and I don't want to ruin it. That's the first makeup item my s/o got me. I think it holds some kind of memory to it.
Zen attitude | I think one of my biggest achievements in 2020 is achieving a zen attitude. I block out anything and everything that can possibly increase my stress level. I shift my focus mainly on positive things now. I let go of a lot of things that have been weighing me down or just overall negative towards my life. Of course, just focusing on the positive things won't magically make any problems go away, but it seems to boost my self-esteem and helps me believe in myself more. And I lowkey think self-growth is worth achieving.
Farewell, 2020! I don't know what 2021 holds in store, yet now it's a new adventure for me. I have hopes and aspirations, not much a New Year's resolution. But I know what I want. If they don't happen, I know they will be replaced with something else equally exciting. I am going to start it off right by having a positive mindset. The future is uncertain y'know but I am in to embrace that.
Have a blast and safe new year, guys! Take care xx