Happy New Year’s Eve!! ππ
Since today is the last day of 2018 (π±Β I’m still shook), I’m here to share my non-bookish favorite things of 2018!! And yes, I’m just as surprised as you are: I enjoy doing things other than reading. books are my first love though, don’t worry
Specifically, in my free time (more like in my “i should be doing homework and other productive things” time), I love to marathon TV shows, watch movies, and listen to music!! (I know, these are very basic hobbies, but I LOVE DOING THEM AND THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS.) π
And because this is a book blog, and I can’t write one post without mentioning books, I’ll list a few books that should’ve made myΒ favorite books of 2018 post, but didn’t because i was too lazy to write more. Lastly, I’ll end this post with aΒ list of what I accomplished this year & my 2019 goals, as a way to wrap up 2018. π
Excited? I sure am, hehe. Let’s get started!! π«
Actually, before I begin, I want to give a special shoutout to my best Internet friend,Β Jordan!! She’s the one who got me into most of my favorite TV shows and movies that I’m about to scream about. i love her so much for that…and ofc for other reasons too πΒ Jordan, if you’re reading this (which you will be because I’m gonna make you), I can’t express how grateful I am for our friendship; you’ve always been there and you’ve done so much for me. Thanks for always letting me spill the tea, laughing and dying with me, and putting up with my weirdness & overthinking. :’) I appreciate how you’re always ready to fight someone/something for me, too. YOU’RE THE BEST and you better not deny this indisputable fact!! Love you fam ππΒ ok i’m done being sappy now…or am i π€
TV Shows
πΒ Brooklyn 99: Even if you’ve only read a couple of my blog posts, you should know the infinite love I have for this show (through my never-ending use of B99 gifs). Diversity, representation, supportive friendships, the best ship, character development – B99 has it ALL. This show is heartwarming, emotional (when Rosa came out as bi to her parents ππ), yet never fails to make me laugh until there are tears in my eyes.Β Nine nine! π
πΒ The Good Place: Holy motherforking shirtballs – this show is forking GOOD!! (Ok, it’s better than good, but please appreciate my attempt to be funny.)Β Honestly though, TGP makes me laugh and raises many ethical & philosophical questions for me to ponder over, which I appreciate. And the plot twists…y’all, I can’t even. My mind has been blown many times over throughout the three seasons, and I love it. β οΈ
πΒ Andi Mack: I haven’t been very vocal about my love for this show on this blog – but yes, I love it a lot!! Even though Andi Mack is a Disney show, it’s unlike any other show on Disney Channel, because it’s so diverse. Not only does it feature Disney Channel’s first gay character (I LOVE Cyrus Goodman), but it also has Asian American, anxiety (panic attacks), and learning disability representation, and more. I love all of the characters so much!! And the theme song is a bop…Β πΆΒ Tomorrow starts today πΆ
πΒ One Day at a Time: Only two seasons are out on Netflix currently, but both of the season finales made me tear up. πΒ This show as a whole is incredibly hilarious and emotional. I could literally be laughing in one scene and close to tears in the next. ODAAT also has Cuban and LGBTQ+ representation (lesbian + nonbinary rep). I love the family and sibling dynamics, as well as the friendships in this show. I’m so grateful that such a diverse, inclusive, and entertaining show exists. β€οΈ
πΒ Kim’s Convenience: This show is about a Korean Canadian family running a convenience store in Toronto, and honestly, it’s so freaking funny and wholesome and heartwarming, and I just love it A LOT, haha. Appa, the dad and owner of the convenience store, is such an entertaining and lovable character – but honestly, I can say that for most of the characters.Β Ok, see you! ππΌ
Movies
πΒ Love, Simon: I watched this amazing movie in theatersΒ three times, and once again over the summer. (This is the most I’ve ever watched a movie.) Even though there are flaws, I honestly adore this movie adaptation with all of my heart –Β Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is one of my favorite books, as y’all know, and this movie really captured the essence of the book. I laughed, smiled, gasped, and teared up countless times throughoutΒ Love, Simon. Merely thinking about this movie makes my heart warm with joy. πΒ (Also, all the songs in the soundtrack are BOPS.)
πΒ The Hate U Give: THUG was another incredible 2018 movie adaptation!! I love this movie (and book) so much; it’s so important and empowering. There were so many heartbreaking and hard-hitting scenes that brought tears into my eyes. I’m so glad that THUG was made into a movie, because Starr and Khalil’s story should reach as many people as possible. Black lives matter.Β β€οΈ
πΒ Crazy Rich Asians: I haven’t read the book, but I really enjoyed this movie!! I loved the Chinese American representation and found it so relatable. I also loved that some characters actually spoke Mandarin and Cantonese in the movie, hehe. Overall, this was an entertaining and fun movie – loving the Asian representation we got in 2018. πΒ (Speaking of which, I also loved theΒ To All the Boys I’ve Loved BeforeΒ movie adaptation!)
Music
This year IΒ actually started listening to music on Spotify (in previous years, I literally didn’t listen to music besides the songs on the radio LOL). Here are some of my favorite bops of the year. π§
- Troye Sivan πΆ
- Bloom
- Seventeen
- Bloom
- Dance to This
- What a Heavenly Way to Die
- Blue Neighborhood
- Suburbia
- for him.
- The Quiet
- Fools
- Bloom
- Conan Gray π€
- Idle Town
- Generation Why
- Greek God
- The Greatest Showman πΌ
- Rewrite the Stars
- A Million Dreams
- This is Me
More Favorite Books of 2018
(In addition to my favorite books of 2018)
Things I Accomplished in 2018
- Created a blog (and reached 200 followers!!)
- Read 43 books
- Discovered my favorite books & TV shows
- Wrote dozens of college essays & submitted all of my college apps
- Made new friends (both online and in real life)
- Strengthened old friendships
- Survived two of my most difficult semesters of high school (with straight As)
- Gave a 30-minute long presentation for school
- Became better at public speaking
- Spent 4 weeks away from home (for a summer program)
- Helped and supported others as much as I could
- Educated myself & became more open-minded
- Started a bullet journal & learned to hand letter / do calligraphy
- Opened up more to my friends
- Survived
2019 Goals
i know a lot of them are vague haha, i don’t usually make goals or resolutions
- Spend as much time with my friends as I can before we all leave for college (π)
- Graduate high school
- Become more independent (since I’m going off to college AHH)
- Continue supporting my loved ones
- Work on asking for help when I need it
- I struggle with this a lot since I hate feeling like a burden to other people
- Have more faith in myself and my abilities!! BeΒ more self-confident
- Don’t be so harsh on myself – I don’t need to be perfect in everything
- Stop procrastinating!! Or at least work on managing time better
- Lmao this is probably not gonna happen but Β―\_(γ)_/Β―
- Step out of my comfort zone in some way
- Grow my blog & continue championing for diverse books π
- Continue to blog hop and support fellow book bloggers π
- Continue learning & growing
This is actually my 19th blog post, which is fitting because it’s about to beΒ 2019!! Thank you all for the kindness and support you’ve shown me this year. πΒ Wishing you all the best for the new year!! I hope that 2019 will be a good year for you, both bookish and life wise. I’m going to say this into existence – 2019 WILL be our year. π
Tell me your favorite TV shows and movies of 2018!! Do you share my love for any of them? Do you love Troye Sivan or Conan Gray too?
What did you accomplish this year? (Big or small, I’d love to celebrate your accomplishments with you!) What are your 2019 goals or resolutions? Is 2019 going to be your year? (Hint: The answer isΒ yes.)
Goodbye 2018 – it’s been quite a journey.
Let’s be friends!
Background image for blog graphic from Unsplash
It’s SO crazy to think that 2018 is basically over, but it seems like your 2018 rocked!! I’ve heard SO many great things about B99 from so many people, but I just haven’t found time to just sit down and watch TV. π However, even though I haven’t seen The Good Place, it comes up ALL THE TIME in my ethics class, so I think I may just have to give it a try. π While I haven’t heard all of his songs, I love Troye Sivan!! His music is great and he’s honestly such an icon. π I also love the Greatest Showman soundtrack- there are SO many great songs in it, and the movie is also so heartwarming.β€οΈ I read Warcross back in 2017, but it is still one of my all time favorites! Marie Lu is just so talented XD. I’m SOOOO happy you created a blog this year too- and it’s awesome to see how much you’ve grown in less than a year! You definitely deserve all 200 of those followers. π Good luck with all of your college applications- I know my senior friends are stressed about those, but I hope you get into your dream college and you get to spend time with all of your friends before you go! I loved this 2019 and I hope your 2019 is amazing! π
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Oops! I wrote I loved this 2019, but I meant to say I loved this post. π
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Omg ikr, I can’t believe it’s 2019 now!! (Even though we’re already 4 days into the new year π) And AHHH SAPPHIRE B99 IS HONESTLY THE BEST SHOW EVER – you need to watch it (whenever you have time)!! I’m so excited for you to fall in love with this show, hehe π And omg YES The Good Place is also an INCREDIBLE show; I can’t wait for you to watch it as well.
Yesss I loveee Troye & I listen to him all the time!! (I’m actually listening to Bloom right now, haha.) And I’m so glad you love The Greatest Showman soundtrack too. ππΆ And ahhh you’re so sweet Sapphire; thank you SO much for all the support you’ve given me this past year π It honestly means the world to me. Wishing you the best for 2019 – I hope you have an amazing year, you deserve it! βΊοΈ
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Haha, I already started laughing at the title of this post. “I love things besides books,” because if that doesn’t sum up my life, I don’t know what does. π
Ahh, okay, I am so sad because I still haven’t seen Love, Simon or THUG! I just got so busy with school and never went to the theater to see them. *tear* I’ll have to watch them as soon as possible though, because I LOVED both of the books! (I think part of the reason I didn’t see Love, Simon was because I hadn’t read the book yet when the movie came out.) It made me so happy to see Garrett Girls on your favorites list, because YES, YAY, ADORE.
Congrats on all you’ve accomplished this year! Here’s to an even better 2019π₯
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HAHA I’m glad you can relate to the title of my post π And ahhh I hope you can watch Love, Simon and THUG this year – they’re both such incredible movies and I love them so much!! So emotional & impactful ππ And YES, I absolutely loved The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls – thank you SO much for the recommendation!!
Aww thank you so much, Olivia; you’re the kindest. I hope 2019 will be an amazing year for you, filled with great books and memories!! π
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Omg B99 and The Good Place – some of my favorite shows! π I also loved all of those movies that you listed, and I listened to The Greatest Showman a lot this year! Congrats on all your accomplishments from 2018, and good luck with your 2019 goals! β€οΈ
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AHH that makes me so happy that you love B99 and TGP too, Margaret!! Hehe π Thank you so much; that means a lot!! Wishing you the best for 2019 – I hope you have a wonderful year filled with great books & memories! π
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Dezzy, your list made me so happy! I see you’re into comedy shows a lot, and though they’re not my favorites, I’m glad they’ve made you happy this year.
I also watched Love, Simon three times. I first watched it with my friends, and I definitely didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, so I dragged my entire family to watch afterwards. It’s such a beautiful story and got me moved to tears multiple times. I also didn’t read the book for Crazy Rich Asians, but I absolutely adored the movie. It was so extravagant and colorful, plus all the great food. I know it’s stupid to say that, but I just loved how everything was Asian. It wasn’t like an Asian meets US scenario; but Asian stuff absolutely everywhere! There was even a Chinese version of Material Girl in the soundtrack and I didn’t know how much I needed that until I listened to it, hahah.
I’ll also be going off to college next year, and it’s scary and exciting to think about it. I’m excited to meet new people, as a clean slate, where I’ll be able to restart without any past high school drama around me. On the other hand, it’s scary to enter a new environment, especially considering how bad I deal with changes. But I’m trying to keep an optimistic mindset and hopefully the year of 2019 will be amazing for all of us!
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Awww you’re so sweet, Lais; thank you so much!! Yesss I adore comedy shows haha. Omg I’m so glad you loved Love, Simon too – I completely agree with you, it’s such a beautiful and emotional movie! β€οΈ
Ahh I’m happy you enjoyed Crazy Rich Asians as well!! I absolutely loved the Asian rep in it too; it made my Chinese American heart so happy, hehe βΊοΈ I haven’t listened to all the songs in the soundtrack yet, but I definitely should!
Omg yes I relate! I’m both excited and nervous to go to college next year. I’m definitely looking forward to having a fresh start, but same, I usually don’t like changes. π I’m sure college will be a great experience for us both, though, after we adjust to everything!! I hope 2019 will be a wonderful year for you, Lais, and thank you for this lovely comment!! I really love long comments and yours always make my day π
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I LOVE The Good Place so much and I’m so happy to see you mentioning it. It is one of these shows I never get bored of and always anticipate and I love EVERY character so much, too β€
You have a wonderful list of favorite books, too, and I'm so proud of all the things you've accomplished in the past year. I really hope you'll have a wonderful 2019 filled with incredible things and happiness and love and awesome books and shows, too β€ β€
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YES I’m honestly so happy you share my love of TGP haha; it’s such a wonderful show. Omg yes I love all the characters as well – the character dynamics are great and always make me laugh.
Aww thank you SO much, Marie!! You’re so sweet and your kindness means the world to me π I hope 2019 will be an amazing year for you too – you deserve it. Wishing you a great year filled with wonderful books and memories π
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I love B99! Although I am behind a season because Netflix UK doesn’t have season 5 up and I can’t find it on actual TV anymore π Warcross was one of my favourite books I read last year too, I’m hoping to get to the sequel very soon π
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Yesss B99 is the best!! Awww I hope season 5 comes to Netflix UK soon; I loved that season. And I haven’t Wildcard yet, either – I hope we’ll both enjoy it π Wishing you a great 2019!!
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Oops I meant to say *I haven’t read Wildcard yet, either…haha π
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B99!! ANDI MACK!! ODAAT!! TGP!! YESSSS I love those shows so much and I can’t wait for them to come back (is Andi Mack airing right now or on hiatus? I’m a bit behind oops). They’re all just so positive, funny and inspiring (while also making me cry but in a good way) and I need them back in my life. I hadn’t heard of Kim’s Convenience before but it sounds right up my alley, so definitely giving it a try at some point π
Also ALL of your favourite movie YES even though THUG isn’t out here yet and thus I haven’t seen it yet, but I can’t imagine not loving it??
I hope 2019 will be an amazing year for you β€οΈ
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OMG MICHELLE this comment completely made my day!! I’m SO happy you love all of these shows as well aahhh ππ And I can’t believe you watch Andi Mack too (I honestly didn’t expect anyone reading my blog to watch it too, LOL), so this is amazing. ππ It’s currently on hiatus, but it’s coming back in about two weeks, I think! (I can’t wait.) And yesss I 100% agree – I love all of these shows so much because they make me laugh, think, and cry π
And omg yes I’m so excited for you to watch THUG!! I’m sure you’ll love it as well, because it’s such a great movie adaptation of the book β€οΈ And thank you so much!! Wishing you the best for 2019 – I hope it’s filled with great books and memories!! Thank you so much for this lovely comment βΊοΈ
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Haha yeah I was happy to see you that you watch it, because it’s very underrated. It got some buzz right before s2 came out because of Cyrus being gay, but other than that it’s not very well-known, which is such a shame! It deserves so much more hype.
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Ahhh I completely agree!! Itβs such an incredible show with great representation (for being a Disney show).
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[…] friend Dezzy recommended this book, and because she is the contemporary QUEEN, I trust this will be the read to […]
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Aw, Dezzy, I love this post so much! 2018 was the year I started listening to things on Spotify as well (though I did have Pandora before haha). And I’m so proud of all you’ve accomplished in 2018!! Opening up is definitely a huge thing (something I also need to work on) and I hope you’re able to do more of it in 2019, and I’m proud of you for just surviving 2018! Also, I had no idea you started your blog in 2018? Your posts are so well-written it seems like you’ve been blogging for longer!! β€
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Oh my gosh May, your comment made me smile so much, thank you ππ Yeah I relate; I honestly find it so hard to open up to my friends since I don’t want to feel like a burden to them. But I know asking for help when I need it is important, so I’m glad I opened up *a bit* more in 2018 than in previous years. I hope that you can open up more this year, too, and I’m happy that you’re becoming closer with your friends! π And aahhh omg you’re so kind; I’m so flattered!! π Haha yeah, I started my blog in June of 2018, and I’m so glad I did because I got to meet amazing people like you π Thank you again for this super sweet comment; it totally made my day. I hope your 2019 will be an amazing year, filled with great books and memories! π
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if anyone gets me to break and watch b99, its going to be you. i’ve heard you raving about it too much to NOT be slightly interested (and the constant gifs ππ) AND I NEED TO WATCH THE BOOK ADAPTATIONS SO BADLY!!! so far i’ve only watched to all the boys i’ve loved before (im working on it i know, i REALLY need to watch crazy rich asians)
“everything i never told you” was incredible??? i dont know how celeste ng does it, but i just listened to the audiobook and i was so thoroughly enchanted by the story, its a talent. and omg I JUST got the summer of us randomly and now im SO EXCITED to check it out!!
im so PROUD of you for everything you accomplished in 2018 (mainly public speaking, sis, share the knowledge, i can’t public speak to save my life) and i know 2019 is going to be an even better year you!! i’m honoured to have gotten to know you this year bc you are a special, super adorable bean who is too kind and sweet ilyππ
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HAHAHAH YES MAY PLS WATCH B99!! I PROMISE YOU WON’T REGRET IT π and lmao yes you’ll never see a post from me that doesn’t include a b99 gif, i love this show too much :’) and omg yes, crazy rich asians, love, simon, and the hate u give were all such AMAZING movies – i’m so excited for you to watch them π and YES the TATBILB movie adaptation was so cute (and better than the book…i said what i said)
ahhh i completely agree!! celeste ng has a way with words, i was intrigued and captivated with everything i never told you the entire time i read it. it’s so sad oh my gosh π i’m SO excited to read little fires everywhere!! and ahhh i hope you enjoy the summer of us, it really is a fascinating and adorable contemporary π
omg MAY YOU’RE TOO SWEET π thank you so much!! your support means the world π i’m so happy to have met you in 2018 as well, you’ve made my blogging experience 10000x better βΊοΈ I LOVE YOU AND I CAN’T WAIT TO CHAT WITH YOU MORE THIS YEAR!! and i hope you have the BEST 2019, filled with great books π (also lmao i wish i could help you but i still suck at public speaking)
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I love Brooklyn Nine-Nine, there so many incredible things about that show but the main thing that comes to mind (and if I could only pick one) would be the representation. Plus it’s so hilarious it never fails to make me laugh even if I’m watching an episode I’ve already seen ten times before. I really need to get around to watching The Good Place, basically everyone is saying amazing things about it and I need to jump on that hype train.
Love, Simon was probably one of my favourite movies this year too (definitely my favourite book to film adaptation from last year) but oh I still need to see The Hate U Give. I’ve got to get around to it soon because it’s another adaptation that looks incredible and that I’ve heard nothing but good things about.
You definitely accomplished a lot this year, and I’m sure you’ll reach all your goals for 2019 as well. π Great post, and happy reading. π β€
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YES Brooklyn 99 is such an incredible and hilarious show, and I honestly love it with all of my heart π I adore the representation and diversity in it too. And omg yes – if you love B99, I’m almost 100% sure you’ll love The Good Place as well. π
I hope you get to watch the THUG movie adaptation soon; I really enjoyed it and it’s almost as good as the book. β€οΈ And thank you so much, Beth! Your support means so much to me, and I hope you have a wonderful 2019 π
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Have you started season 6 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine yet?! It was out the other day but I still havenβt gotten around to it yet (I will soon for sure though)
Ohh, hearing the adaptation lives up to the book just means I need to see it all the more now! Thats all right, and thanks so much Dezzy. π β€οΈ
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[…] The Thoughtful Voice […]
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PRETEND THIS COMMENT ISNT 25 YEARS LATE BUT I JUST READ THIS POST AND OMG!!! I LOVE ITπ first of all, I canβt believe I havenβt watched ANY of your favorite showsπ one of my new 2019 goals should be to watch one (especially B99 because I KNOW Iβd love that show hehe). Also that makes me happy you started listening to more music this year because (besides books ofc) music is my LIFE. I also adore The Greatest Showman soundtrack eeeee itβs so good. Weβre gonna have to discuss music soon lol!
ALSO I AM SO SO SO PROUD OF ALL THOSE THINGS YOU ACCOMPLISHED IN 2018 πππ look at you goooo! And Iβm sending you all the luck in the world for those 2019 goals! I really canβt wait to see all that you accomplish this yearπππ you got this Dezzy!!
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HAHAHA IT’S ALL GOOD!! This comment reminded me to reply to other comments on this post, so thank you for that ππ And OMG YES BRIANNA you *have to* watch B99!! It’s amazing and hilarious and diverse and I’m sure you’ll love it as well, hehe π You better tell me whenever you do start it, and I’m just gonna be yelling at you through our DMs π And omg yes!! I LOVE all the songs on The Greatest Showman soundtrack; they’re so good and listening to them makes me feel really happy βΊοΈ What’s your favorite song (or songs lol) on the soundtrack?
AHHH YOU’RE SO KIND BRIANNA, I love you and I’m so very thankful for your support and friendship ππ Wishing you the same!!
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OMG yes of course we need to scream in the DMs whenever I start B99! Which hopefully will be sooooon because I wanna watch it!
Ooh my favorite song from The Greatest Showman Soundtrack is ALL of them. lol no but really, if I had to pick one, probably This is Me because itβs so EMPOWERING and I love that scene in the movieππ
AND AWWWW ILY & IM THANKFUL FOR YOU TOOπ
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Okay, I have not heard of Kimβs Convenience BUT NOW I WANNA WATCH ITTTTT? It sounds so fun and I am always down for a heartwarming comedy. But anyways, this is such a great post! And wow, it sounds like you were able to accomplish so much in 2018! I love it when people share what they’ve accomplished like this because it just makes me so happy! Here’s hoping you are able to achieve all of your goals in 2019 as well π
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Omg yes Kat you should watch Kim’s Convenience!! It’s SO good and my description of it doesn’t do it justice. It’s so funny and entertaining and I just adore it a lot π And aww thank you so much!! Your support means the world to me. Wishing you the same!! I hope 2019 will be an incredible year for you π
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This fellow Brooklyn Nine Nine, Love, Simon, and Crazy Rich Asians stan is cheering you on!!! β₯ You’ve accomplished so much this year, and I’m certain you’ll reach your 2019 goals in no time. π And since I just graduated from high school last year (I’m in my second year of university now), I can say that the change is both drastic and not–for the independence thing, it’s actually a bit easy to get used to once you get to practice it more; academics-wise, I am dying HAH. But best of luck to you! Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with. My Twitter DMs / emails are always open. β₯
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Awww thank you SO much, Aimee! Your support truly means the world to me π And aahh, I’m so happy you love B99, Love, Simon, and CRA as well, hehe. And oohh, thanks for sharing your experiences with me! I’ll definitely let you know if I have any questions – thank you! I really appreciate this, Aimee π
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[…] of Books // May @ My First Chapter // May @ Forever and Everly // Brianna @ Brianna the Bookworm // Dezzy @ The Thoughtful Voice // Rhi @ Marshmallow Harmonies // Sissi @ The Book World // Katie @ That Bookish Girl // Tiffany @ […]
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