Hey everyone!

My first post of the new year! If I haven’t already said it, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! It’s crazy that it is already 2017. 2016 is a thing of the past, and 2017 is the here and now. A warm welcome to you. Let’s hope this year brings about only good happenings, unlike the previous year, which was filled with ups and downs.

I hope you all had a wonderful holidays! With it being January, holiday season is coming to an end. Except for those of you who celebrate the Epiphany holiday on Jan 6th. I only know of it because I learned it when I took French back in middle school and high school. Not much French has stuck with me over the years, except for the parts pertaining to the occasions where we got to make and taste food. Because priorities.

For the holidays, I went to Canada (as usual because I literally go to Canada all the time). Spent a week with relatives on both sides of my family. Ate a ton of delicious food. Relaxed and did a lot of nothing. I would say it was a very productive winter break.

What did you do for the holidays? How did you celebrate New Year’s?

I know I get very repetitive, and that I say it year after year, but damn did the year fly by. I seriously cannot believe that 2016 is over. I feel like 2016 begun not too long ago. What happened? I mean obviously I know what happened, because a lot happened, but seriously the time went by way too fast to grasp.

In the past year, my blog really grew. I revamped this blog back in the fall of 2015, and really started putting in effort to make this exist. By early 2016, it started to actually become something, shaping into more than just one girl’s rambling thoughts. I’ve had the chance to collaborate and partner with many different companies. I’ve created and posted a ton of blog posts sharing with you all many outfit looks, some food recipes, reflections on current happenings, and more. Not to mention I’ve gained more readers, fellow bloggers of whom I’ve come to better know. Meeting new people, expanding my circles, all of this really made 2016 a great time for me.

Of course with highs there are lows. I shared long ago a post on toxic friends. 2016 was the year when I found out which friends were real and here to stay, and which friends were only there for the short term and for their own benefits. Losing people who were important to me really hit me hard. People you come in contact with, friends especially, shape who you are. When things split and change, there are mental and emotional repercussions. It takes time to adapt to a new reality, but once I did I knew it was for the better. Friends may play a major role in shaping you into who you are, but don’t let it become what defines you.

Despite that, other great things happened. I got to finally travel to the East Coast, and touch the Atlantic waters. It was a memorable trip that had me recounting it in multiple posts spanning several months. Literally up till the very end of the year.

Also, I am currently in my third year at university. I finally have a better grasp of how to go about what I want to do. I am majoring in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts, a fancy name for Art that isn’t specialized in just one medium. As in, I can do some of everything, with the freedom to incorporate it all into whatever style I want for my senior project. I am also double minoring, in Art History and Nutrition. I considered turning my art history minor into another major, but I decided that it would be too much. Beyond textiles and fashion, I finally found what inspires me in art that I can use in my studies. Definitely super helpful because I cannot keep meandering about. These last couple years at the university will definitely be packed, but at least I have a better idea of which direction to go.

The coming 2017 I really hope to continue expanding my circles, and going beyond my comfort zone. I’ve made a ton of good friends over this past year, many of whom I still keep in contact with. I had to force myself to stop being quiet in my classes, and to not be afraid to be the first to speak up. Usually I let others approach me, but it doesn’t hurt to be the one taking the first step. After all, if things go wrong, in ten weeks the quarter would be over and I won’t ever have to see their faces again. Taking some aspects of my customer-friendly persona at work, and applying that carefree cheery confidence into my daily life really helped me a lot. I definitely want to continue doing that. Pushing beyond those walls I’ve built in the past.

I also hope that this coming year my blog will continue to grow and achieve more. It can be difficult to set aside time to blog, as it is a job in itself. With school and my part-time job, it can be a lot to do. But the successes and achievements are worth the pain and hard work.

New Year’s Resolutions aren’t always the best choice for me. Sure making a list is easy. I can readily whip up a long list of things I hope to do and achieve. We all have things we want to improve on. But these lists don’t do anything to help me get closer to achieving my goals. What really helps is looking at past successes. Knowing that I have the capability of achieving certain things helps me to continue on and put in effort to make my goals happen. A competition between my past and present, if you will. Looking back on past me and wanting to surpass that really helps me make my aspirations a reality.

When comparing my current status with where I was at in the beginning of 2016, I definitely think that I’ve gotten somewhere. I made some New Year’s resolutions last year to help guide me. I think that I have achieved my resolutions more or less. Be an achiever, be daring, be simple, be experimental, be myself. Those where what I set out to do and improve on. Check, check, check, check, and check..?

Sorta kinda maybe…?

I mean I think I’ve grown and gotten closer to where I want to be. Maybe not all of them to their fullest, but definitely somewhere. Let’s go with that.

How do you go about achieving your New Year’s Resolutions?

I really hope this coming year will be a good one. Let’s see how this goes. In a short 365 days I will be looking back and comparing. I wonder what future me will think. If you could gaze into the future… Shut up. I’ve been watching way too many Disney Channel reruns. Back when the shows used to actually be entertaining and worth watching. Hence one of my recent Instagram post and this reference here… Comment down below if you know what I am talking bout! (Also don’t hesitate to follow me on Instagram if you haven’t already. Mwa ha ha ha shameless self promotion)

What are some of your aspirations for 2017? How do you think your 2016 went? Did you achieve any of the goals you had set? Lemme know in the comments below! 

I hope you all enjoyed reading this longer rant of a post! Thanks for sticking it out and reading it! You guys are amazing, and I wish you all a wonderful week!

Til next time,
~A