2016 END OF YEAR RECAP // HELLO 2017

I can't believe 2016 is over already (and omg I'm so sorry about how late this is). More than other years, this one has just flown by without any breathers. A lot of good things happened and a lot of meh things happened. I can't believe I'm halfway done with my third year of college OR that it's almost time to go back to school and be about that grind again.

I ACTUALLY COMPLETED MY 2016 READING CHALLENGE ON GOODREADS. This is the first time I've ever actually done that so I'm kind of (very. I'm very) excited. It feels so good!

So, yeah. It's not a lot but that's not the point. The point is I finished something and set myself reachable goals, which I need to remember to do in the future. 

Thus I am just increasing my goal by ten books for 2017. That's 45 books which is very reasonable and about 3.75 books per month. I think I can do it. 

SHORTEST BOOK

A Gallagher Wedding

by Ally Carter

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

12 pages

LONGEST BOOK

Winter

by Marissa Meyer

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

832  pages

FAVORITES 

All of these were five star reads and my ABSOLUTE favorites hands down.

Forged in Blood I by Lindsay Buroker

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

Forged in Blood II by Lindsay Buroker

A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin

LEAST FAVORITES

Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner (shallow characters, meh plot, 🌟🌟)

All Fall Down by Ally Carter (romantic interest that served no purpose but to form the third point of the love triangle, 🌟🌟🌟)

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton (me=very confused the WHOLE time, also abuse within relationships 👎, 🌟🌟)

I'm not kidding when I say music really is my therapist. I live to the beats of my favorite songs and they carry me through my low moments, my anxiety, and my happiest moments, when life is full of happiness and possibility. Sometimes I feel like it's my lifeline. SO here are my 12 favorite songs of 2016.

(pictures are linked to youtube)

Now that I think about it, a lot of things happened:

• I learned more and more that to be myself is more important than to be liked by people or noticed by them etc. etc. Now, to put that knowledge into action. 
• I WENT TO TAIWAN FOR 2 WEEKS. Not by myself though. Ha. (Psst. It's where my mom's people live.)
• I worked really hard on not pulling back into my shell so much and actually letting some of my friends in. It's hard. But worth it.
• I got my ears pierced at 20. But hey, I did it. \(^_^)/
• I studied many hours for a Biology CLEP (exam for credit) and passed. 
• I also got really discouraged over graphic design and my professor who teaches graphic design and was in general very burnt out, especially over the last half of the year. (But never fear, I had stern talks with myself and am starting 2017 with renewed determination.)

I probably, no scratch that I do, waste too much time watching tv shows and k-dramas aaand the list goes on. Movies not so much because they make me feel like I'm wasting time which is ironic because I end up spending a lot more time on shows. My brain is weird. It's fine. 

I was EXTREMELY bad about keeping up with Teen Wolf as the new episodes came out so I finally watched everything from Season 1 to Season 3A. I know I know, I still have a lot to catch up on but I feel pretty good about how much I've gotten out of the way. It was so great spending time with the whole squad again too. *all the feels*

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo has been by far one of my favorite K-dramas EVER TO EXIST. I can't believe it's almost over! I cry. My favorite thing is how the characters are so real--they have ugly cry faces, they yell at each other, they have misunderstandings. There are so few Korean drama cliches of oooh I like guys who are tsundere (act mean and are mean but eventually reveal the softies they are inside) or push me against walls. And, guys, there are all the cute, fuzzy relationship/friendship feels.

Descendents of the Sun aka DOTS aka the drama you may have heard me mention once or twice. That's sarcasm. I've probably mentioned it 50 times. That's only because this is the most heartwrenching drama to exist probably. Also because my husband (Song Joong Ki) stars and is extremely mischievous and brave and honorable. It was really interesting how American soldiers were portrayed in it too all brassy and stubborn. XD This is a romance with a military setting. 👍👍

I can't leave without also fangirling about W - Two Worlds. The premise was SO unique (especially for a k-drama which tend to fall along cliche lines), with manga characters coming to life and the manga world and real world interacting. There was some crazy ish. It felt very thriller-esque, but there were also sweet romantic moments. Oh Yeon Joo (the mc) was literally one of the first/the first female k-drama main character that I didn't have any problems with. And Kang Cheol (lead guy) displayed every emotion so keenly. GAH SO GOOD.

Aaand some of my favorite movies!

I have discovered that apparently I'm one of those people that doesn't really work towards goals that they show everybody. Well, the hard ones anyways. So I'm going to keep my 2017 resolutions a secret for now, but I can still show you how I fared with my 2016 resolutions.

1. Finish all the books you started but put aside.

Uh. That would be a "no".

2. Buy at least one Kpop album. ✔️ Yes! I bought two actually (and this is a big thing because they were my first two ever). I got Twice's first album in Taiwan and later got a BTS album for my sister's birthday.

3. Finish my design website. ✔️ MISSION COMPLETION THANK GOD. I've been needing to make an online design portfolio for. ever. And I finally did. Like two days before the year ended. Procrastination for the win.

4. Go on small adventures. ✔️ I feel like I went on a sizable amount of small adventures even though there's always room for more. I went to a corn maze with my best friend and her boyfriend, I ate at a super cool (new) vintage diner place with my family, I did a Goodwill outfit swap shop with my sister (we bought tops for each other). May 2017 bring all the small adventures.

5. Spend more time with friends. ✔️ I'm the type of person who puts school first. Always. Or almost always, but that's not healthy to do all the time. I think I let myself hang out with friends more even if it was just an hour here or there because our schedules never matched up.

6. Get my ears pierced. ✔️ I had been talking about getting my ears pierced for a while and it was time to woman up and get it done. I'm in love to be honest. What can I say, I'm attracted to shiny things. (Earrings that is. I don't do glitter.)

I feel pretty darn good about getting 5/6. It's probably the most I've achieved since I started making resolutions and crossing things off lists just makes me happy. 

I hope you had a good year, but more importantly I hope that the one to come is even better to you. xoxo