Personal posts are some of my favorite posts to read (oh gosh, I’m sorry if that came off stalker-ish) because I get a better sense of who the blogger is and that allows me to connect more with their content. I started this blog late November of 2016 without making any introduction, and although I have an about me page, I feel like you guys can get to know me more. I’ve decided to start making monthly recaps where I highlight things I did/enjoyed/discovered and give a general life update. These posts are nice for me too since it gives me something to look back on.
- I began the New Year by flying back to college. It was bittersweet because, although I genuinely enjoy learning, it’ll be another six months until I return home.
- I had midterms the week after I returned to school. They went pretty well, and I attribute that to my new, super snazzy planner that I’ve been using to plan
(obviously)my days. - One of my New Year’s resolutions was to develop a blogging schedule. I decided I would post on Sundays and Wednesdays and planned to queue a variety of posts. However, my laptop keyboard suddenly stopped working one day and totally ruined my blogging mojo for a week and a half until it decided it wanted to do its job again.
The Breakfast Club (IMDB)
This was my second time watching this movie, and I loved it as much as I did the first time around. It’s about five high school students (the school princess, the criminal, the jock, the nerd, and the outcast) who learn that they aren’t so different from each other when they have Saturday detention together.
Spoiler: One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Claire is talking about how her parents only use her to get back at each other, and then Allison suddenly goes, “ha!” I know it was rude, but the meanie in me couldn’t help but laugh.
My Little Lover (Minami-kun no Koibito) (IMDB)
I found this show when I was scrolling through Netflix, looking for something to watch while I ate my lunch one day. Even though the beginning wasn’t amazing, I still ended up rescheduling everything I had planned that day to binge-watch all ten episodes (I had a three-day weekend, so I had that extra day to waste. I also thought the guy was really cute, but that’s beside the point).
The show is about two neighbors, a boy and a girl, who used to be childhood friends, but have grown apart for reasons we come to learn. One night, the girl suddenly transforms into a legendary one-inch princess, and the boy finds her. Afraid to go home, she persuades him to let her live in his room until she grows back.
I know it sounds silly, and there are lot of silly parts, but it’s also so cute and it played with my heartstrings, okay?
This was a month of movie soundtracks for me. I watched The Little Prince and La La Land at the end of December, and I spent most of January listening exclusively to their soundtracks.
The Little Prince Soundtrack on: Spotify / Youtube
I personally like how the French versions of the songs sound more than the English. I’ve been trying (and failing miserably) to learn how to pronounce the French lyrics so I can sing along 😂.
La La Land Soundtrack on: Spotify / Youtube
It’s hard to choose a favorite song from this movie. I was indifferent to a couple of the songs like A Lovely Night and Someone in the Crowd when I first watched the movie, but sometime around the 57th time I listened to the soundtrack, even those songs grew on me.
I read a total of eight books this month. Two of them were actually graphic novels, so I’m glad that I’m making good on my New Year’s resolution to read more graphic novels.
My favorite book of this month was Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson (Goodreads / My Review). It was a charming Regency book that satisfied my craving for a proper romance.
Ariel Bissett
I’m not sure how I stumbled upon Ariel Bissett’s youtube channel this month, but I’m glad I did. Her book discussions are very thought-provoking, and she seems like a genuine, good-hearted girl.
What happens when you have a disease doctors can’t diagnose – Jennifer Brea (Youtube)
This is a very emotional and eye-opening TED talk from Jennifer Brea, a woman living with the rare disease myalgic encaphalomyelitis (ME), sometimes called chronic fatigue syndrome. She recounts her experience of developing the disease, getting misdiagnosed, and how that changed her life forever.
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
Belle Can Read 