Um Hello?

Hi, lovelies!

It’s been a while, right? I’m not even sure if any of you are going to pay attention to this post, but I thought I might as well use this blog for something, right? *chuckles*

If you follow me on Twitter (which, by the way, I have a new account! Follow me, here), you’ll know I’ve been in a slump for almost the whole of 2018. My slump comes from so many things, but particularly in the aftermath of the passage of Hurricane Maria through my island in September 2017, and the fact that I read so much being without electricity and communications during almost 6 months, that I sort of… fell out of love with reading.

Have I tried getting out of my slump? Absolutely. I used to love reading so much and I miss that feeling of getting lost in a story. Nowadays I cannot for the life of me concentrate on a book for more than a certain period of time, and I don’t seem to get that *spark* I used to feel when I read.

But something did come out of this horrendous slump, and it’s that I’ve found different ways to occupy the book-shaped hole in my heart.

HOW I’VE BEEN FILLING UP MY TIME

1. Music

Some of you may already know this from following me on my personal accounts, but I’ve become much more invested in music now, especially k-pop. What can I say? The BTS fever hit me late last year, and I’ve found a whole treasure trove of music (from BTS and other groups like Seventeen, Monsta X, Pentagon, Twice, etc.) that I probably would have never gotten into had it not been for this slump. I think I particularly got into kpop because the narratives they portray through their music videos sometimes makes it feel like I’m experiencing an alternate form of storytelling which in a way have helped me not miss reading that much? 

2. Reading- of a sort

Because I graduated university this year and I had a few months vacation before I started Law School, I had been filling up my time doing Sensitivity Reads. I’m immensely grateful to all the people who have shared my links and spread the word about what I do; I cannot tell you enough how much these have helped me… Sensitivity reading has really given me a new insight into publishing and made me realize how much effort and work is involved in writing a book. Through sensitivity reads I’ve also discovered new things about my WIPs and some internal biases/stereotypes that I hadn’t realized until I saw from another point of view. 

P.S. If you’re interested in a Sensitivity Read from me, please don’t hesitate to contact me. More information, here! Really, don’t hesitate, I have student loans now so I need all the help I can get…

3. 3. Studying

I know what you’re thinking: “this girl was so stressed with college and she decides to STUDY during her break?”. To an extent, it’s true, even I ask myself what I’m thinking most of the time lol. However, I’ve been studying things I’m passionate about. I’ve been brushing up on my French, plus also recently started an endeavor into Korean… let’s see how that goes hm? 

I am just a huge nerd on the inside and have been known to spend days reading up on American imperialism (which was a course i took in college but hated the professor, so), capitalism in latinamerican countries, photography, media imperialism (which is super interesting and relevant!!), history, etc.

4. Streaming

I could also mention my Netflix & Hulu marathon sessions as well, as I’ve watched my fair share of series as well. Here are some I recommend: 

• Sense8 (has its problems like aphobia, and racist undertones, but overall I really loved it and loved the finale, to each their own of course) 
• Brooklyn 99 (has some aphobic, fat phobic jokes, so please be warned!)
• The Good Place
• Money Heist
• The Resident
• The Good Doctor
• To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – I’VE SEEN IT LIKE 7 TIMES I RECOMMEND!!!! 

Yes I’m still in a book slump, however,

If there’s anything to my slump, is that the books I HAVE managed to read have left a deep impression on me. Here are some of my favorite reads this year: 

• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
• American Street by Ibi Zoboi
• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco 

What I’m doing now: 

I’m about a month into law school so am I going to be reading? Probably not *sads sadly*. I’m in like 4 different student organizations because I’m interested in EVERYTHING. Will I regret this? Maybe, but I’m taking things one step at a time. I might pop in once in a while with a blog post because I’ve been catching the inspiration bug, so y’all be seeing me around! 

I do want to be part of the community again and fangirl with all of you again! I think I lost my place during this really long hiatus but I want to try and get back to the wonderful people I connected with and also make new connections. 

If you’ve made it this far, I appreciate you. Thanks for sticking with me. 

Until next time