Goodbye 2017! Hello 2018!
I’m not even going to mention all the bad things that happened in 2017. No point. Instead, I’m going to focus on all the good things! I can’t say that the last day of my 2017 ended particularly well (although it certainly was memorable), I can definitely say that there were some spectacular things that went down throughout the year!
LOOKING BACK
SENIOR YEAR OF COLLEGE
I took a ballroom class and my god was it so much fun! We ended up doing an east coast swing number as well as a tribute to Dirty Dancing during the end-of-year dance school performance š On top of my ridiculously fun dance nights, I took an art class that improved my skills exponentially, I treated myself to a few date nights at the cinema and a fancy restaurant, I attended a concert at the museum, I became pretty close to one of my shier sorority sisters, and I was blessed with amazing roommates, one of whom I still keep in contact with even though she’s in Atlanta! A grand senior year and an amazing way to end my college career, I think.
GRADUATION, A JOB, AND AN INTERNSHIP
I graduated from USC on May 12, 2017 as a magna cum laude renaissance scholar with a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) along with a minor in Business Administration. Not too long after graduating, I managed to snag both a job as a Starbucks barista and an internship as a marketing/editorial intern at Red Hen Press in Pasadena!
WONDERCON & ANIME EXPO
2017 marked the first year I convinced myself to attend not one, but TWO conventions. Wondercon was an amazing experience. I learned so much on how to navigate a convention and I also came away with so many goodies. Even though I like anime, the Anime Expo wasn’t really my thing. Too crowded and a lot more intimidating for someone who casually appreciates anime. I still had a great time, though, mostly because of the people I went with!
KEEPING UP WITH TRADITIONĀ
As promised, my old roommates/”sisters” and I visited Universal Studios this year for Halloween Horror Nights. It wasn’t as scary as the last two times, but we managed to see the Jabawockeez in concert! And even though we were missing one core member of our group this time, two of my “sisters” and I kept with tradition and visited Disneyland in December. It was MAGICAL!!! Also, the park wasn’t as crowded, and so we got on a lotĀ more rides than usual.
MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL
My family and I attended one of the most amazing and underrated musicals on Broadway right now! I grew up listening to Motown, so you best believe that the entire show was nothing but nourishment for my soul. The cast was brilliant and the song selection was phenomenal. Loved every single moment of it!
LA FESTIVAL OF BOOKS AND BOOK SIGNINGS
Oh I went a little book crazy at the festival. I thought I bought a lot of books the year before, but it was NOTHING compared to what I bought in 2017. There were just so many great books being released at the time. And I also managed to grab a spot for an author conversation that included Kiersten White, Laini Taylor, Marie Lu, and Victoria Aveyard!! I got ALL my books signed too!!
ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY AND BLOG REDESIGN
And finally, my blog hit its one year anniversary in July and to celebrate, I redesigned my blog to its current state and held a book giveaway. I love the new color palette and theme, and I was so happy that I could give away such a cool book to a fellow blogger! I’m so thankful for all the support I’ve received and for all the amazing bloggers I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to converse with!
LOOKING FORWARD
I can’t say that I lived up to all my 2017 resolutions. My free time was really limited last year and so I didn’t read my original goal of 100 books nor did I manage to blog as frequently or consistently as I hoped I would. However, I did manage to reach and exceed my revised goal of 60 books last year, and I did manage to find time to blog every once in a while. I also stayed in shape and tended to my social life pretty well. So, anything is possible!
My New Year Resolutions
šøĀ Exercise more frequently. Walking, biking, swimming, and visits to the gym should become more regular aspects of my life!
šøĀ Reach or exceed my new Goodreads Challenge of 70 books
šøĀ Experiment with more genres of books and diversify my reading experience
šøĀ Find a job in publishing, preferably as an assistant editor or marketing assistant
šøĀ Stay on top of my reviews, tags, and awards to avoid backlogs
šøĀ Redesign my site at least once this year
šøĀ Host another book giveaway
šøĀ Be more active on Goodreads, Twitter, and Bookstagram to stay in touch with my fellow readers/bloggers
šøĀ Stay on top of bookish news and preorder books whenever possible
šøĀ Try watching more BookTube
šøĀ Donate my old clothes and revamp my wardrobe/style
šøĀ Improve my financial status and increase my savings
šøĀ Stay in contact with old friends, make new friends, and tend to my social life
šøĀ Return to my writing and work on my short stories and revise my old ones
šøĀ Go on more date nights with myself (or others if that so a happens to be the case) and encourage my own happiness
*The parts in bold are most important to me at the moment!
Those are some, if not most, of the goals I wish to achieve this year. Some will be easy and some will be extremely difficult, but I am DETERMINED to make this year a good one. And THIS time, I’ll be keeping track of the resolutions I manage to achieve throughout the year. There’s no avoiding it this time!
All right, so that’s it. How was your 2017?! Any memorable moments of your own? What are some of your resolutions?? I’d love to hear them!
As always, thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see ya soon ā¤
Congrats on graduating! Itās such a huge accomplishment and Iām incredibly excited for you! Really awesome that you managed to get a job as well as an internship. I interned my senior year of college and I really enjoyed it. Didnāt turn into a full-time job but oh well, it was a wonderful experience.
Love your goals as well, too. š My 2017 was pretty good especially since I went to Alaska in September on a cruise. That was probably my most exciting moment and I made some wonderful memories with my parents.
As far as resolutions, Iām hoping my blog can grow a little more and Iāll feel less pressure to read and blog. š Good luck with your goals this year ā¤
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Thank you so much! Interning during college is always a great idea. And even though it might not turn into a full-time job (my senior internship didn’t as well) at least you get that experience in, right?
And thanks! An Alaskan cruise sounds amazing! I bet you had some beautiful pictures for that trip! I’d love to visit Alaska some day. I hear the wilderness there is absolutely breathtaking ā¤
And that's a great goal to have. I'd say that's one of my unofficial resolutions as well! Good luck on achieving all your resolutions this year! ā¤
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You’re welcome. š Absolutely agree with it getting experience even though it might suck not getting paid. I’m just hoping I can find a sports writing job soon but for now, I’m working online.
It was amazing! The worst part was we all got seasick because of rough waters š¦ It’s such a beautiful state and getting to see nature and the state’s wildlife was incredible. If you get a chance to go, you should do it. š
Thank you! Same to you ā¤
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Good luck on finding a job that suits you!
And that sucks that you got seasick D: At least the view kind of made up for it! LOL.
Thanks again ā¤
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It seems like you had a great 2017 Azia. Wondercon and the Anime Expo sound like a lot of fun (if they’re anything like YALC I imagine they were two crowded but incredible conventions! :D) Also wow I love the pictures for Universals Halloween Horror Night. That looks like it would have been incredible too and it’s great you’re keeping up that tradition with your friends as well.
I’ll wish you good luck with your resolutions too. I set some every year but I never manage to keep them for too long so hopefully you’ll do better than I do every year! š
Great post, and I hope you have an incredible 2018 as well. š ā¤
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They were so much fun! I’d love to find my way to YALC one day, though! You always make it sound so wonderful š And Disneyland was gorgeous. Horror Nights is always brilliantly decorated as well. Perfect picture material haha. I’m so happy to keep up the tradition too! I really hope we can keep it going for as long as we’re all in the same state!
And thank you! Good luck on yours as well! Happy 2018, Beth! š ā¤
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I hope you do manage to make it to YALC then one day Azia. I imagine you’d really love it! š
It’s nice to have traditions like that, and yeah as long as you’re in the same state why not right?
That’s all right, and thanks Azia! š ā¤
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I spy Victor from Yuri on Ice mhhhmmm. Happy 2018 to you I hope you get to achieve everything you’ve put your mind to! I’ve started watching less booktube actually and I don’t know why…it might be because YouTube is not really as much of a safe space for me as it used to be…it’s interesting to see but it also makes me a bit sad.
I wish you all the happiness and I’m sending you HUGSSS.
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Girl yaaaaaaaas. I thought I didn’t like YOI at first, but then I figured out I was lying to myself. Victor is bae LOL. Happy 2018 to you, too, my friend! And I’m sorry to hear that š¦ I’m not really aware of the BookTube environment but YouTube in general seems to be sliding a bit, so I kind of get what ya mean. Hopefully things get better!
And you too! ā¤ *HUGS* Good luck in achieving all your goals this year š
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