And just like that, it's 2024..
I was wanting to write an entry right after Christmas. In fact, I had planned on doing lots of work for my site while I've been on work leave but obviously none of that got done...I've been enjoying lots of time with my family as well as resting lots and lots. I had an increase in dosage of one of my meds which resulted in me sleeping for most of my staycation! I've been taking hours-long daily naps...so I haven't been super productive. That's okay though, I got a few things knocked off my to-do list anyways (like deep cleaning the house as well as hosting a dinner party!) but it's still hard for me to let go of feeling like I should always be productive and hustling. I have not drawn or written or read anything this break (even fanfiction! who am i!?) but it's been very nice and peaceful. Turning off my brain and just...existing. I stepped away from Discord/chatting too but after the 1st, I will be doing my best to be active and social again. I also need to scroll through my NC feed to see all the updates that I missed while I was pretty much phone-free for 10 days! I am still very behind on all my art obligations but I'll buckle down soon (I have no choice!!)
I was truly and utterly spoiled this Christmas. I got one of my dream bags (a Vivienne Westwood Betty! with the matching wallet😭🖤), lots of cute clothes, Doc Marten platform sandals, Jimmy Choo sunglasses and a ton of other things:
Isn't she gorgeous!? I can't wait to use her!
Resolutions and Retrospections
Thinking and writing about my resolutions is always hard. I feel like if I write them out...I'm dooming myself to never following through. I hardly ever achieve my NY resolutions because I set really high standards for myself or I fall into depression during the year. I'm very hopeful for 2024 though: I want to continue to improve and stay happy. I think that's my honest to God goal for this new year. I would just like to stay happy! Enjoy my life one day at a time, spend time with my loved ones, and do the things I love to do as well as try new things. I don't want to be afraid to take leaps of faith this year, whether the decisions are about my career or relationships, or things even as silly as hobbies.
It's cheesy but I think my biggest accomplishment of 2023 was just...being happy for most of the year, and staying true to myself. Sure I had some down moments, mostly during the beginning of the year, but I steadily improved. One of the things that helped me a lot was befriending and being around other women, online and IRL. I definitely was more active socially online, and I got to meet a bunch of incredibly creative, smart, and talented women through Neocities and Discord. I was very motivated to keep up with Lovesick, as well as being inspired to revisit old loves like pixel art and yume spaces because of certain friends and mutuals I've made in 2023!
My creative output was a little bit slower, but I truly loved everything I drew and created last year. I dabbled in new creative hobbies like decoden, GKs, and keychain making. This year I hope to learn how to knit, crochet, and sew as I've been inspired by some ladies from NC/Discord that are so talented. I know I've been gushing but I always feel so lucky when I think about the feminine presence in my life, whether it's online or family members like my sister and my mother.
There are a few things I would like to achieve this year, things that are very important to me:
Be Stay happy!
- Practice secondary language skills. I'd like to converse more with my mom in her mother tongue. It's always fun when we can talk back and forth but my skills are soooo rusty, I would like to be more fluent.
- A materialistic one but I am aiming to buy my mom her dream bag for Mother's Day! A Burberry purse of some kind. I know she will love it but also hate that we will drop a large sum on a purse for her but she deserves it!!
- Do some travelling this year! Mostly stateside. I'd love to see my sister again, as well as go to the Grand Canyon and New Orleans (again)! I really want to go to the aquarium there. We are planning a possible overseas trip, though Poopy would love to go to Europe and I want to go back to Asia n_n
- Be more active in my community. Last year I did a lot of donating and volunteer work for local animal shelters as well as participated in the Women's Fair. (sidenote: I meant to make a dedicated journal entry or site page for my experience and all the merch I made but decided against it because I didn't want to deal with kids misconstruing my intentions 😒 The absolute state of the internet... ) I'd like to do all of that again plus more! I want to participate in a local drive for sanitary products (Because why are tampons $13 a box here? Insane!) and I want to donate to local food pantries. I just believe that it means more to be actually active politically or involved in local/global philanthropy. Sure 88x31s are cute and all, but do they actually do anything? No, besides virtue signal. I made it my goal a couple years back not to be self-satisfied with just hitting the retweet button and calling it a day.
In 2023, there was ONE goal that I did reach 100% and that was to get used to drawing on my iPad. It's not really a big deal but I am someone soooo stuck in my ways that I was previously using an obsolete and practically unknown JP art program for years because I was too scared to try anything else. Another one that I (mostly) reached was keeping a clean closet. That also doesn't sound like a hard ask, but I truly hate doing laundry with every fiber of my soul (for the longest time I just threw all my clean clothes on a computer chair unfolded lol) and I also love buying clothes that I wear once because it looked so pretty on the hanger but the second I put it on my body I feel embarassed so I stuff it in the corner of my closet to never see the light of day again! It's wasteful and creates so much clutter...I really didn't buy too many clothes in 2023 but regretfully a lot of them remained unworn because I just couldn't bear to see myself in them. Gotta stop doing that ugh.
As usual, the resolution that I NEVER acheive: lose weight/get hot/start and maintain an active gym routine for health (and vanity) reasons. I've always made this one since I was like 16...10+ years of failing, I finally decided to not even try LOL. I'll be as healthy and as mindful as I can, as my body and my brain allow, but I'm not going to guilt myself back into concerning eating habits. Nuh uh, not this year. I'll just do things that are fun and healthy. My poor kayak has been sitting untouched for about two years so I need to get back on the water! I want to do hikes and nature trails. I used to do a weekly nature trail with my mom but that stopped as I fell into a depression a couple years back so I'm going to reach out and get that started again!
I guess in a nutshell my resolutions are: be happy, make others happy, and stay healthy! Nothing too crazy or out there but I'm pleased with my list. I hope everyone I know, love, and like have a wonderful 2024. May everyone's goals and dreams come true!!
K