farewell, may
(i should REALLY stop starting my wrap-up posts like this, but i can’t seem to stop. it’s like the plague.) i can’t believe may is already over!!!! (shocker. REALLY.) this past month was incredibly busy for me and everything feels nonnnnnn-stop. BUT IT’S GREAT. I LOVE IT.
the beginning of may started off with me going to YALLWEST and the somewhere only we know launch event!!! YALLWEST ended up being very low-key and it was just a nice to catch up with friends i haven’t seen in a while. i picked up a couple of books (including Permanent Record!!) and was reminded why i love the book community so much :”)
i hung out with tiffany from read by tiffany (aka one of my oldest irl friends) a couple times; we went to watch a screening for the sun is also a star and caught up on life. i also got a chance to visit the lush labs pop-up in santa monica and took home a couple of bath bombs. in general, A LOT of promo-related events.
in the last weekend of may, i went to disneyland/downtown disney to support my ballet friends at a dance competition!! it was very very hectic, but i’m so proud of my friends :”) the next day, i flew to new york and am currently here for the rest of may (aka the rest of the week).
but aside from leaving my comfy cave of a room and Doing Things, i spent a majority of my time Making Content. i scheduled “film video,” “write blog post,” “edit photos/videos” into my calendar and i actually did it. who am i???
um, wow. i feel like i was literally JUST writing my part of the april wrap-up and now may is almost over….
i always have to look back at my photos to remember what i did, because the months honestly aren’t very defined for me. but that’s what i love about google photos and taking photos in general! photos are such a great great way to save memories, but it’s also really nice to unplug sometimes and just enjoy the experiences 🙂
it’s been a pretty busy/packed month for me, with finals and school ending and moving back, but here are some of the highlights!
- hanging out with friends at the end of the semester <3
- txt showcase in new york!
- (i literally almost forgot to write this???? the most obvious thing hahaha) officially finishing my freshman year of college!!!
- coming home – i missed California <3
- seeing friends from back home!!
- simple things – taking walks, catching the sunset, food!
- norcal night market
i also started bullet journaling again!! i am very very happy about this :))
haley:
i cannot believe how quickly senior year is going by and how my entire life is just zooming by. i find it seriously trippy! it’s become a daily thing now for me to sit, look around me, and realize that my days living in my hometown are numbered. kinda weird, i know. i only have one month of school left before that’s that! the last time i’ll ever see some of these people! it’s both liberating and terrifying.
wow may has been a (big oof of a) ride !! i had just gotten back from a trip to disneyland, which is always fun and kind of basically dealing with the ap test stressing. so, essentially my first half of may was mass studying for my ap tests, studying every day all the time. i kind of went a little crazy and got super stressed it out i made it through!
after ap testing was pROM! we will have a post later talking about prom experiences so there will be more pics there but prom was about 3 days after my last ap test so it was perfect in where i allowed myself to relax (for the first time in like three weeks) and just try to have fun. i had a super nice time and it was definitely something to kind of culminate my suffering period of constant studying.
and then after prom i got sick for like, a week. i write this STILL SICK. it’s SATURDAY, i got sick on TUESDAY. i spent a solid 4 days in bed feeling the worst but i’ve felt a little better today and yesterday so recovery is slow but it is getting there. i have no idea what i got but it better be going away soon because i have finals coming up and no time for a sickness to be in the way of those finals.
so the last of my may will be spent doing school work, hopefully finding sometime to watch aladdin and the sun is also a star, and some final choir performances. (update: saw aladdin to end off may yee !!)
may has just been a fast ride honestly but i am so grateful that the school year is ending soon because i really do look forward to going into summer, hanging out with friends, and taking some time to work on myself.
kristy:
hi 🙂 i recently joined the twiling pages team! i’m so excited to introduce myself (in another blogpost- coming soon) and to write here. may has honestly been a whirlwind for me. in between the jet lag, i was also juggling 5 classes, projects, and deadlines- i’m so glad may is over. this is the first time in a while where i’ve been traveling back to back. the first place i visited was UCLA. I toured the school and learned about the different resources that they offer. i wish i took some pictures but i was consumed in learning as much as possible & enjoying it to the fullest extent. it was a huge help, and i decided to SIR (submit intent to register) to UCLA. i’ll be attending there next fall!
the weekend afterwards, i visited philadelphia for a social justice program. i learned more about organizing/activism there. the community was so warm and welcoming- i came out with so many new friends and memories. it really warms my heart and i’m forever grateful that i got accepted into this year’s cohort.
between school and traveling, i haven’t had much time to myself. things are starting to calm down a bit so i’m looking forward to relaxing this weekend 🙂
media consumed
as mentioned earlier, i got to watch the sun is also a star and it made want to reread the book. it’s one of my faves and i forgot how good it was ugh. however, the movie was very cringey. definitely not my cup of tea, but maybe someone else would enjoy it. also rewatched la la land and YUP still so good UGH.
as for books, i read permanent record, by mary h.k. choi and it was one!! of!! my!! faves!!! a review will be up closer to pub date. i also finished finale, by stephanie garber. i tried reading a little more for aapi month, but wasn’t very successful since i was so busy irl. *sigh*
books:
- somewhere only we know – xan’s been raving about this, so when i saw it at the bookstore, i HAD to pick it up! i binged it in less than 2 hours, and WOW. i honestly loved it, even though it was overly dramatic and kinda cliché at times. i cried about 3 times because i was so invested in the characters hahaha. overall, a super super cute read and i definitely recommend it!
- you are a badass – finally finished this book! i actually started it on my flight back to california for winter break (aka four months ago, oops) but made a lot more progress on my flight home this time! pretty empowering and honestly just really fun to read, haha
- the princess saves herself in this one – i’ve had this one for so long but finally got around to reading it and wow. it’s so raw, so real, and there are SO many gems in this book that i just want to copy and save. i would highkey make prints out of them…..or polaroids would be super cute too omg. but yes, HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend.
- the life-changing manga of tidying up – i actually don’t own a physical copy of the original book, but the manga is so so cute!
other media!
- the last summer – super cheesy/cringey, would not recommend
- the perfect date – i love noah centineo, so this was an obvious one
- to all the boys i’ve loved before – a rewatch, because it’s just so cute
- avengers: infinity war – i know i’m WAY behind, just let me live
- avengers: endgame – naturally, i had to watch endgame after infinity war! i was sad at first because i didn’t have anyone to go with, but i just went by myself and it was really nice! and of course, the movie was very very good.
- kim’s convenience – finally finished season 1! i love this show; the characters are just so so great
i drove an hour to find the only drive-in theatre left in my province! it was a seriously cool experience but i couldn’t take many photos because the weather was pretty dark and gloomy. i watched detective pikachu which wasn’t the best movie for me since i never watched/played pokemon when i was younger but pikachu was rly adorable?? i also started watching lost in translation on netflix bc i heard it was really good but i just couldn’t get past the racist vibes . . . i had to stop at the part where a japanese woman kept shouting “lip my tights! lip my tights!” (rip my tights) and then fell over, screaming “hep!” in an overly-exaggerated fashion. look it up if you don’t believe that that’s an actual scene. 🙁
the only book i read this month was gone girl! i consumed it in about two days because it’s seriously addictive. i think i’m going to write a review about it so more on that later!
as for music, I WAS STREAMING LEMONADE NON-STOP. it was finally released everywhere at the end of april and wow . . . sometimes you forget how amazing beyonce is and then it hits you??? it’s one of my ultimate life goals to be as classy and confident as beyonce is, which is definitely a huge task that’ll occupy me for a life time. she’s so inspiring. my favorite songs from the album are “hold up” and “daddy lessons”!!
books:
- barron’s prep guide to the ap language and composition test
- barron’s prep guide to the ap calculus ab test
- barron’s prep guide to the ap chinese and culture test
- princeton review’s prep guide to the ap biology
- i wish i was kidding.
- finished days of blood and starlight by laini taylor while i was sick and bruuuuuuh the anGST. i’ve had like, 100 pages of this book read for MONTHS now so while i was laying in bed unwell to move, i finished it. i always was super sus about this trilogy but two books into it and i am kind of obsessed. i’m waiting for summer to hit for me to read the last book and finish it off because i don’t even have to look at the book to know that it’s thicc and gonna take me a little while to read it.
movies/tv:
- skam: i have been back on my skam shit for a few months now, i just never got the chance to talk about it LOL. literally 4 different versions of skam are on their second season (aka my favorite storyline) so i have been busy keeping up with the america, italian and dutch versions of skam.
- i watched one movie this month on netflix, which was called battle. it’s norwegian and kind of like the step up movies (i was in the mood for a dance movie hahah) and what i thought was super interesting about this show was that the dancing style of the show was hip hop and also modern dance that i have never seen before. i’m not a dancer but i have seen people dance contemporary and other dance styles but i had never seen the type of dancing the dancers did in the movie so while i was watching the movie, it was definitely interesting to be seeing the type of dancing that they were doing.
- i also started like an episode of the queen of flow — a columbian show on netflix. there are so many shows that i want to start this summer but i kind of said fuck it with this one and just started it and based on the first episode and a half it seems promising. it’s a very revenge-y show so i am anticipating lots of drama in the show. we’ll see how it goes though!
- aaaaand i saw aladdin! SUCH a good remake, especially because aladdin is one of my favorite disney movies. it has been a hot minute since i have seen the movie so i didn’t really remember the storyline before i went in to see the live action. i really loved the live action version though, especially with what they added for jasmine’s storyline, and uhhhh ya girl was lightweight thirsting over aladdin the whole movie NO KAP. a great way to end off may and i kinda want more aladdin movies now HAHAHA.
music:
i made a new go-to playlist! it’s so much shorter than my previous one but that’s okay because for some reason i had so much trouble finding new music for this playlist. i might just add all these songs to my future summer 2019 playlist but for now, i have been on this playlist all the time. if you’re into r&b or new music hit up my playlist :’)
kristy:
i finally watched endgame! after 3 weeks of hearing my classmates rave about it i finally had the opportunity to watch it this week. a bit overhyped tbh, the beginning took too long but seeing the entire Marvel cast together was amazing 🙂 i’ve watched every movie (with the exception of captain marvel) so seeing this felt so satisfying.
on netflix, i watched season 4 of lucifer. i never thought i would like this show, but once you watch epsiode 1 it’s binge-worthy and worth every second of your time. lucifer goes through so much character development. it’s amazing to see his growth- he constantly questions his identity as the devil (mix that in with a headstrong female lead, a ‘perfect’ older brother, a therapist and you get a whole lot of drama)
for books, i’ve been reading the art of communication by thich nhat hanh. it was recommended by my psychology teacher because i wanted to learn more about how to listen and communicate effectively. the book is short, but still a great refresher
music:
i’m a huge fan of R&B. i play this every time i’m in someone’s car. it’s generally a crowd pleaser. because the majority of the songs are slow, if you want to talk to someone but not have it be completely silent in between, it can also serve as great background noise. let me know what you think of the playlist in the comments!
foresights of june
i can’t believe?!! june!! is here??!!! the big thing of june is that i’m turning 21 (??!!!!!!). i’m also in new york the first week of june/last week of may, as mentioned earlier. i originally wasn’t planning on going to book expo or bookcon, but my sister needed help with her pastry shop, DOMI, that weekend so my mom got me last-minute plane tickets. *cue confetti* i’ll only be gone for a week, but i’m v v excited.
aside from that: my sister will be visiting LA for our ballet studio’s annual photoshoots; my ballet summer program is starting; i’m hopefully going to try some new things/experiment with myself. here’s to warmer days!!
just the words “foresights of june” are kinda scary – summer’s really here. but honestly, i’m pretty excited for this summer! i made goals/challenges for myself, and i have so much time to do things i actually want to do, which is SO. NICE.
the challenges i have for june include no added sugar, waking up early, meditating, and journaling. i realized that i’ve actually been incorporating a lot of healthier habits just in the past 1-2 weeks. i started waking up early (although this wasn’t completely by choice – thanks, jetlag!), doing morning pages, taking walks, etc, so i might have to change a lot of my challenges. i honestly thought this was going to be such a mehh summer, but i feel like i’ve been living my best life! i’m doing things on my own time, and i have so much control over how i spend my time. at this rate, i feel like i’m going to be in such a good place, mentally and physically, by the end of the summer :))
okay guys, i feel like this is actually a breakthrough. i’ve been having thoughts and feelings i NEVER would have had even a month ago. i feel like i actually love myself more, i feel happier and more at peace, and i really feel like my life is just coming together. this is unreal. i am a changed woman!!!! just kidding haha – still me, but just in a much much better place, and i’m so thankful for that.
also, i just got a job at boba guys, and i have training may 29-june 1, which should be…fun? i’ll probably be working about 4 days a week, which will take up a good chunk of time, but hopefully in a good way since i’ll have more structure for my time. i’m really excited to start and meet new people! and, of course, the free drinks don’t hurt 😉
other goals for june:
- keep learning about photography! i’ve been watching classes on skillshare (get 2 free months here!!), which i’ve really enjoyed. there’s classes on all kinds of subjects, and the lessons are very bite-sized. i’ve literally done multiple skillshare trials and…..never watched a single video, but i thought summer would be the perfect time to take some classes. and i’ve actually been doing it! my actual actual goal is to save up enough money to buy a DSLR ahhhh so excited!!
- going off of saving money, i really really need to stop buying things i don’t need. this is such a bad habit agh
- finishing marie kondo-ing my room! i’ve been cleaning, discarding, donating, selling, etc, and i feel like i’ve been making pretty good progress! i’ve set a deadline for myself (june 9), so i won’t be able to keep putting things off. i’m so so excited to be done with tidying and start living my new life!
- keep studying korean. i am not korean, but i love love love learning the language. i took korean at barnard the past two semesters, and i’m definitely going to continue next year! to kinda retain what i know and keep learning more, my goal is to use memrise for 10 minutes a day and finish lessons 3 and 4 from ttmik. i’m going to write a post about learning korean with more detail about what resources i use!
haley:
i forgot to mention this earlier, but there was a huge & prestigious screenwriting competition at the beginning of may! i decided to apply literally the week before the final deadline, and ended up writing an entire movie script in just 5 days. it was the first script i ever wrote because i always put it off, saying oh i’ll take this class and read this book to learn how to write a screenplay, but it turned out that just DOING IT was the best way of learning. i don’t think i’ll win anything but it was simultaneously one of the most stressful and amazing weeks of my life.
so yeah! i haven’t really been keeping up with my writing in high school but hopefully that all changes in this summer and college. i still have one month of school left in june (graduation is june 27!! :0) so i’ll be trying to make the best memories i can and savoring every moment.
JUNE. i am so excited for june. i end school the first week of june, with a couple of finals, and i am truLY done with school once i take my ACT. then i anticipate it will be a week of kind of chilling it, going to grad parties, hanging out with friends, seeing hamilton (;)), and kind of taking a break because i will be real with you: junior year has fucked me over real bad. so i am really looking forward relaxing and taking some time for myself. i have a whole list of posts i want to be writing for this blog this summer, as well as some books that need selling, shows that need watching, and a journal the needs pages filled. more will be discussed in a later post though. and of course, some traveling happening in june ! i will be hitting up the midwest for a week, which i am soooo excited about because it’s been a hot minute since i have city-splored.
kristy:
if i’m able to get through june, i’ll feel that i can conquer anything. school ends on june 28th and my goal is to get straight A’s. i’ll be working on a research paper, my term project for business class, and studying for finals. it’ll be an intense 4 weeks. i’m praying i’ll be able to manage my time and not die in the process. i’m currently juggling 5 classes and am trying to find an internship to keep myself busy for the remaining summer. it’ll also be my birthday on the 24th!
i really can’t wait for summer to start, until then i’m still in school mode :(( despite that, i’m going to design and create during the weekends to keep myself sane. so many things are happening- i’m nervous but excited!!
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