farewell, may

alexandra:

may was filled with ups and downs, but we made it. it feels like i had my quarantine experience flipped; as i started to get used to the ~wfh life~, i felt more drained and unmotivated. most of my time was spent playing animal crossing, then feeling bad about all the “time wasted” (but tbh my island is gr8), then playing more animal crossing.

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i managed to complete my goals – upload weekly vids, bake, do a fitness challenge, etc – but with little drive and scraping by. needless to say, i’ve had better months.

but not all was bad! i managed to fix my sleep schedule (this helped A LOT) and facetime my friends more often. prior to this month, i’d only ever video chatted my sister and one other friend (zoom work meetings do not count.) and i realized how much i missed social interactions. shocker!!!! considering i’m an extrovert.

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haley:

at the beginning of quarantine, time seemed to pass so slowly but now, everything’s been flying by! on may 1st, i finished a 103-page script of a movie that i’d been wanting to write for years now. it was such an amazing feeling to finally finish something that has always been on my life-time to-do list (and secretly always thought i’d never do).

but that pretty much exhausted me creatively. all of april, i’d wake up, work on the script for hours, send it out for feedback, then repeat. i wanted to write a sitcom pilot this month, but i just couldn’t get myself to open the screenwriting software.

may 4 also marked the end of freshman year for me, but tbh, school has been on the back-burner since we left campus in march. i’d spend one day a week just “binging” all of my homework and the rest of the week to work on my own projects. school definitely hasn’t felt the same since going online and if it’s online in the fall, i’ll probably defer a year. but i’m pretty sad! a 1/4 of my college career is done! it’s been the most amazing thing!

so what projects have i been working on? 1) trying to learn the arabic alphabet which is incredibly hard!!! i’m convinced arabic is even harder than chinese, a language i have struggled with for 19 years. 2) writing for lithium magazine (getting paid to write FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER it’s exciting!) and trying to pitch to other orgs (it’d be a dream to write for teen vogue omg). 3) i was hired to be on the writing team for new sanctuary coalition, a non-profit dedicated to helping immigrants (currently writing campaigns for detained immigrants). 4) wrote a picture book about a lactose-intolerant dinosaur (!!!) and 5) started to study for the LSAT.

ok, that was a lot. but tbh if i don’t keep myself busy, i spiral into an existential crisis (not exaggerating) and negativity festers while i lie in bed and contemplate EVERYTHING. no biggie. soo yeah, i try to keep myself busy.

aside from that, i’ve been writing letters to my friends from school (and participating in xan’s written connections!!) but it’s a little hard because i live in canada and they’re all in the states so it takes foreeeverr to reach them. + i’ve been spending lots of time with my family exploring beaches, going on picnics, and baking lots. overall, a solid month!

nicole:

it’s absolutely ridiculous to me, how fast may flew by. i feel as though so little happened (for obvious reasons), but so many as well? my internship in nyc was cancelled, but a lot of old friends have reached out. i napped for an entire day and was kind of down, but then was super productive the next. it’s been an emotional rollercoaster of a month, as comes with quarantine, and i’m still trying to figure out ways to stay motivated, but i’m getting there.

sophomore year is officially over for me, marking the halfway point of college (and the beginning of preparing for fall recruitment). but, even with two years of college under my belt, it doesn’t feel like it. as someone who literally JUST transferred to cornell and only had two months on campus, i feel as though i’ve become a freshman again. i don’t even know how to walk around campus with google maps still tbh. it’s unfortunate timing, but what can you do?

i baked for the first time this month! as one does in quarantine. i made some butter mochi which was surprisingly delicious (surprisingly because i’m usually known as a mess in the kitchen) and i gave them to my friends who i miss very very very much.

i’ve also started to study korean again and signed up for code academy–we’ll see if i really do stick with it–and have been case prepping for the fall. stress !!!

priscilla:

may really flewwwwww by. i’ve been keeping pretty busy honestly! i finished classes, took my finals, and passed all my classes (yay) so i’m officially done with sophomore year. i can’t believe i’m already halfway done with college – it’s so crazy and i’m not ready for college to end!

i’ve been surprisingly busy even since finishing finals. since the middle/end of april, i’ve been volunteering with crisis text line, which is such an amazing resource. if you’re ever in crisis, text HOME to 741741 and you’ll be connected with a trained volunteer who’s there to support and listen to you, no matter what’s going on! it’s totally anonymous, so there’s no risk or shame to texting in. please reach out for support if you need it! we’re here for you, and you’re not alone – YOU MATTER <3

earlier this month, i did a bit of volunteer work for an organization called columbia volunteer tutor corps, which matches children of essential workers in nyc to college tutors! besides that, i’ve also been exercising every day (chloe ting’s 2 week shred challenge has really kickstarted my exercise routine and it’s been really great working out every day!), calling a LOT of friends (my record is 6 calls in one day), going to bible study, working on blog posts, taking walks, cooking/baking, watching netflix (currently watching 5 different shows oops) etc. this past month has literally been so busy for me haha, so i’m really looking forward to chilling more in june!

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media consumed

alexandra:

remember when i said i’d read in may? well, it wasn’t a COMPLETE lie but i only read one book on my tbr, which was subtle asian book club‘s pick last month: i love you so mochi. definitely hoping to read more this month (but i also say that every month). in terms of films, i rewatched some oldies (ghibli and barbie) and a newly released that is The Half Of It! i completely forgot i watched it this month since it was really early (literally may 1st). really appreciated the asian rep for AAPI month :”)

i’d add more commentary about the movies, music, or shows i watched but can offer NOTHING because all i did was PLAY ANIMAL CROSSING and you know what i have ZERO REGRETS. i’ve literally only been listening to animal crossing background music and youtube videos for how to get rid of villagers. LET ME BE.

haley:

i actually read my first two books of the year this month!! educated by tara westover and bad blood by john carreyrou. they were BOTH non-fiction which is not what i usually read, but i thoroughly enjoyed both of these books! i’m hoping to post a book review for educated in june and blog more in general on twirling pages!

i’m probably the worst film major in the world, because watching movies exhaust me. i find the 2-3 hours a huge commitment and have to be in a certain mindset to watch a movie. so this month, i only watched one (1) movie, which was ex-machina. i thought it was a really compelling movie and i was entranced the whole time, but i felt like it was one of those movies that men wrote thinking it was super progressive and feminist but turns out to be even more degrading to women. which would make sense that the only people i know who love that movie are all men. but like i said, still a very interesting movie.

i’ve also been binging a lot of @bestdressed and recently found a database of free magazines with my public library, so been reading tons of issues of vogue. which! brings me to a thrift-flip/ootd-inspo instagram i started with my little sister called @strawbfits. i’m really excited to be working more on social media skills and posting about fashion and bonding with my sister more!

nicole:

i binged all of avatar: the last airbender this month because my friends roasted me for never having watched it as a child. i know i know, my bad!! loved it, but hate katara.

i also bought two books (but have yet to read them just yet): permanent record by mary h.k. choi and difficult loves by italo calvino. i promise i’ll get to them soon!

i’ve been getting into art again after not touching it for quite some time (follow me @floralmilktea on instagram!!) so i’ve been watching so many procreate how-to videos and just stalking so many beautiful artists’ instagrams.

priscilla:

i ACTUALLY read a few books this month – shocking, right? but okay by a “few” i mean two haha. i read the wrath and the dawn (i’m so late to the game oops) and loved it! also read miracle creek by angie kim upon my friend’s recommendation and it was super interesting. adult fiction is so different from YA but i really enjoy the change of pace!

i’m currently in the process of reading the purpose-driven life by rick warren with my friend, but it’s more of a collection of devotionals than a normal book. although it’s written mostly for a christian audience, i would definitely recommend it, especially if you’re feeling a bit lost/purposeless.

some books i want to read in june: mere christianity by c.s. lewis, 12 ways your phone is changing you, prayer by tim keller, and flame in the mist by renee ahdieh. i also want to reread intuitive eating (if you haven’t read this, LOOK IT UP!! highly highly recommend for everyone, especially if you have a complicated relationship with food) and harry potter!

as for TV/movies, i’ve been working my way through parks and rec, itaewon class, and crash landing on you. i also just started watching unbreakable kimmy schmidt and re-watching avatar (my FAVORITE childhood show ever!!). besides parks and rec, the other shows are all shows i’m watching with friends, so progress has been slow hahaha. my friends and i also watched the tale of the princess kaguya, which is a surprisngly unknown studio ghibli movie. the story and the animation were so so beautiful – highly recommend!

foresights of june

alexandra:

i’m honestly very excited for june because it’s my birthday month! GEMINI SEASON LETS GO. (so far gemini season has been chaos but no worries just me in my natural habitat) i have a few exciting video ideas that i’m working on and i can’t wait to share them with y’all :’) but here are some general goals:

• be more forgiving of yourself / practice positive affirmations
• blog more often; weekly youtube videos, as per usual
• read 1-4 books (v high standards)
• watch more movies!!!!!
• find creative inspiration (aka make digital art, maybe paint?)

haley:

as we head into summer and restrictions start lifting, i hope to end my quarantine productivity with as much work as possible! this includes:

• pitch my picture book to agents!
• post at least twice on twirling pages
• write a sitcom pilot
• read FIVE (ambitious, i know) books
• start working out more… or working out, period.
• grow @strawbfits!! do more thrift flips!! exciting stuff.

priscilla:

i feel like i’ve been kinda grinding for the past 1.5 months, so i’m wayyy ready to take a proper break! i’m trying to find a good balance of productivity, socializing, and rest/alone time….but here are some goals anyway:

• write at least 3 blog posts!
• keep exercising every day
• continue practicing lettering
• read 4 books
• finish cleaning out my camera roll (a VERY long work in progress) – this was a goal from last month that i did not complete oops
• sleep at 12 and wake up at 8 every day!
• keep studying korean – at least 10 minutes every day (i have not been doing this…)

how was your month? let us know in the comments!