Hello, hello! It has been a whole year and what a year it's been! I know a lot of people have shared similar thoughts to 2021 as they did 2020, but honestly, my 2021 was actually pretty good - if not so much better than my 2020. So, let's get reflecting!
| Shows Watched (34) |
|---|
|
Legend of Fei (Ch) - Cherry Magic (Jp) - Bling Empire - Gokushufudou (Jp) - The Story of
Minglan (Ch) - Duoluo Continent (Ch) - Giri/Haji - Wandavision - Crisis: Special
Investigation Squad (Jp) - Word of Honor (Ch) - Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) - Hakata Tonkotsu
Ramens (Anime) - 9-1-1 - Lupin - Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Fullmetal Alchemist:
Brotherhood* (Anime) - LOKI - Fruit Baskets 2020 s3 (Anime) - Nigehaji NY SP (Jp) - The Untamed* (Ch) - You Are My Glory (Ch) - Made in Abyss (Anime) - Shiguang Daili Ren (Donghua) - Brooklyn Nine Nine: S8 - Sex Education S3 - Never Have I Ever S2 - Squid Game (Kr) - Love Death and Robots S2 - Marvel: What If…? - Samurai Champloo* (Anime) - Cowboy Bebop (Anime) - The Wheel of Time - Luoyang (Ch) - Hawkeye |
| Books Read (13 |
|---|
| The Three Body Problem - The Dark Forest - Death's End - Gregor the Overland - Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane - The Last Wish - Legend of Fei - The Wizard of Earthsea - The Tombs of Atuan - The Farthest Shore - The Body Keeps the Score - Raybearer - The Trials of Apollo: Tower of Nero Fanfic Counter: ~250 |
| Movies Watched (38) |
|---|
|
Promare - Soul - Isn't it Romantic - To All the Boys: Always and
Forever - Pitch Perfect* - Charlie's Angels (2019) - Fantastic Four: Rise of the
Silver Surfer - The Emperors New Groove* - Godzilla (2014) - Kong: Skull Island - Godzilla: King of Monsters - Raya and the Last Dragon - Crouching Tiger Hidden
Dragon* - Parasite - Internal Affairs* - Howl's Moving Castle* - Tales from Earthsea - Hidden Figures* - Nezha: Reborn - The Hitman's Bodyguard - Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen
Ressha - Edge of Tomorrow - Shang-chi: Legend of the Ten
Rings - Evangelion 2.0: You can (not)
advance - Evangelion 3.0: You can (not)
redo - Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice
Upon a Time - Mortal Kombat (2020) - Luca - Godzilla vs Kong - Little Women - Rurouni Kenshin - Rurouni - Kenshin: Kyoto
Inferno - Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend
Ends - Rurouni Kenshin: The Final - Love Hard - He's the Man - Black Widow - Princess Switch 2 |
| Games Played (21) |
|---|
|
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Stardew Valley - FFVIII - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney* - Phoenix Wright: Justice for
All - Phoenix Wright: Trials &
Tribulations - Katamari Damacy: Reroll* - Persona 5: Strikers - ABZU - Enter the Gungeon - The Witness - Story of Seasons: Pioneers of
Olive Town - Bioshock[PT] (Dansg08) - Bioshock 2[PT] (Dansgo08) - Mass Effect 1* - Mass Effect 2* - Hollow Knight - Limbo - Undertale - Resident Evil [PT] (Dansg08) - God of War (2018) |
* - not my first time playing/reading/watching the item.
Did you enjoy this past year?
Honestly? Yeah, I did. A lot. I started a new job which I actually really enjoy, was able to visit my family, see old friends again, moved to a bigger and nicer place where I actually have a room with my own door and a proper closet(!!!) and was able to continue doing a lot of things I enjoyed even despite all the pandemic stuff. So. All in all, it was actually a pretty great year for me.
What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
Getting a full-time job that has regular hours, decent pay and benefits, and good coworkers.
What was the worst thing that happened?
One month after starting my new job I had to go into self-isolation, and then our workplace shut down, so I basically stopped working for an entire month and was genuinely pretty worried about being laid off. I was not, but it wasn't an ideal way to start off a new job.
What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
Having to run therapy groups, and basically learn how to run therapy groups on the fly without any prior experience beforehand. It's not a single thing, so much as various challenging moments interspersed, but overall, it's been a challenge.
What was an unexpected joy this past year?
Finally becoming an officially registered psychotherapist and then having them retroactively re-approve all my hours that they had subsequently rejected before which means I am not only fully registered, but able to qualify to practice without regular supervision now. Yaaaay!
What was an unexpected obstacle?
As I mentioned above, when I was trying to move out of the "qualifying" stage of my licensing, I learned my governing college had actually rejected a bunch of my hours and so I had to wait and build them up again, which was annoying.
What would have made your year immensely more satisfying?
Working in a job with steady hours and a good team of coworkers.
What are things you did this year that you'd never done before?
Facilitate therapy groups. Work in an in-patient mental health facility. Bought LEGO sets! Actually practice yoga regularly for more than 1 month. I feel like there must be more, but nothing stands out.
Did you make any resolutions last year, did you keep them, and what are your new resolutions?
I did not. I think last year I was just so burned out (as was everyone). But, I did manage to achieve an old resolution of exercising semi-regularly this year with yoga!! I still have not learned Korean. My new resolutions are probably going to be along the same vein:
- Learn Korean and basic ASL (and actually maintain what I learned!)
- Brush up on Mandarin/Chinese reading ability
- Continue to maintain regular yoga/exercise schedule
- Read more therapy books
- Read more new books in general
- Save up and start seriously thinking about buying my own place.
What were the best books you read this year?
Uh... honestly this was a shit year for me when it came to reading. I don't even have the excuse of 2020 were I read so much fanfic. I really barely did any reading this year. The book I have been enjoying the most - which I am still not done yet because I am waiting for the last few chapters to be translated is Legend of Fei. Yunfei is my current OTP hyperfixation though, so I am aware the bias is real.
I will say, the last book I read which was recommended to me by a friend, Raybearer, is really good and was a pleasant surprise. It's also very new to me. It's a YA fantasy that builds on African mythology and culture. I blew through half of it on a 5 hour train ride, and basically finished the rest of it in a couple days (my work life doesn't offer me a super large amount of time). I am eagerly awaiting to get my hands on the 2nd (and final) book - just waiting to get it from the e-reader library!
What were the best movies/TV shows you watched this year?
At first I was thinking nothing really and then I realized - wait a second. I only watched The Story of Minglan in 2021??? A year ago?!!??? And of course, because I only watched it after I watched Legend of Fei. But oh my god you guys, I loooove The Story of Minglan - so much so that I actually watched it twice this year! Once at the beginning and once again over the summer? It's just so good. I remember for my LoF review I was quite neutral on Zhao Liying, but oh damn she killed it in this drama and I became a proper fan of hers.
The basic premise is Zhao Liying plays the title character, Minglan, the daughter of a concubine in a minister's home. Her father is neglectful, only cares about his image, and favours another concubine, which results in her mom dying during childbirth when Minglan is a young girl. The drama then follows Minglan's story from that point on, growing up, finding out who was responsible for murdering her mom, and finding a way to live a happy life with the unfortunate cards she was dealt with. All the acting is phenomenal, the characters, the motives. It also is very "slice of life" in the best way, while never forgetting the position Minglan is in. It's also just really awesome because Minglan is a female character who is very strong, but has no problem with following the conventions of her era - in fact all she wants is to be in a quiet, stable family where she can be a wife with no major issue, but she also can't ignore some of the injustices that have occurred to her (and her husband) because she's also not just a wallflower. Ugh, I could gush so much about The Story of Minglan and am so surprised I only watched this a year ago, but it's SO GOOD.
Otherwise, special shout outs to Giri/Haji, a BBC drama about a Japanese cop who flies to London to find his yakuza-affiliated brother, and Shiguang Dailiren (Link Click) which is a Chinese donghua (animation) that was a pleasant surprise about two guys who run a business helping people with their issues by diving into photos - without changing anything in the timeline - to investigate/find info etc.
What were the best games you played this year?
Undertale. It's one of those games I had always heard about, but never really paid attention to, but when I finally played it, was such a pleasant surprise. It's so silly, yet heartwarming, yet also offers some great meta-commentary on gamers as we play through RPG's and the weird mindset we allow ourselves to adopt re: "killing" enemies and what not. All while being 8-bit and graphically just so chill and simple (and ridiculous). Great game. A+++ would recommend.
Special shout out to Hollow Knight as well. Another great indie game. Took me a while to get into, but it was very satisfying - definitely in the same way I found Dark Souls satisfying. Mysterious. Learning to defeat enemies in a more tactical manner. And just trying again and again until you trudge your way to the end.
Who were your most valuable relationships with?
As usual it always ends up being my roomie. But I mean, she's the person I spend most of my time with and talk to the most. Special shout out to another friend J - who is the other person I talk to the most. Also my officemate M because at first I wasn't sure how well we'd get along, but thankfully we do and they have been so great about just listening to me vent about clients.
What were things you lacked, but eventually got this year?
An actual full-time job that isn't shit? Also a proper closet and desk in my room!!
What were things you wanted, but didn't get?
A new rice cooker, but I will get one! Also a lot of random LEGO sets, but those are best left for in my dreams where I am super rich and have unlimited space.
What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
Just, professionally I feel so much more confident in my job than I thought I would ever feel. Sometimes I still find myself walking around the hallways of my workplace having a moment of "wow... I can't believe I am doing this, and people take my opinion seriously and they actually see me as a professional and not just a kid".
In what way(s) did you grow emotionally/spiritually/physically/in relationships?
I think I am still working on being more honest with myself emotionally. Physically I haven't grown, but I think my acid reflux is improving. I would say on that aspect I have grown by getting a family doctor! In relationship... I am still working on it. I am not sure yet how I want to grow in relationship. Mostly because I think I am still trying to understand parts of myself.
What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
Just being able to help other clients in a way that actually feels meaningful because I actually see my clients regularly, daily, and know what they're up to. Also knowing I have a lot of support I can get help from when I'm stuck.
What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
Feeling constricted by the amount of time I have to help a client and accepting that there really is only so much I can do to help. Deciding on what is actually viable to work on in a 7-week time frame and what needs to be left for more longer term care. Also kind of just... being thrown into facilitating groups without much guidance, but I managed!
What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
Watching videos on my phone. Browsing reddit.
What was the best way you used your time this past year?
Time I've actually been able to spend on my hobbies and doing proper self-care. The 20-30min of yoga I would try to do at least 3x a week, and my dedication to maintaining that. I am not perfect, I definitely skip weeks, but I'm proud of how I've been able to correct myself.
What are things you wished you did more of?
Finding more good food places. It's been hard with COVID, but my acid reflux has been improving and I'm slowly regaining an interest in food again. I just... don't know where all the good food is :(
What are things you wished you did less of?
Again. Watching videos on my phone. I don't mean TV shows or movies, but just like... short 2min clips on social media, stuff like that. Browsing reddit.
What kept you sane this year?
I am amazing at self-care and I indulge in it whenever I can.
What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
I might be on the autism spectrum. Diagnosis still pending, but it was a bit of an eye-opener to get even a preliminary diagnosis.
Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.
Finally getting grounded. Really. I've learned a lot from my job, but I think what has been the biggest thing for me is I finally feel grounded in my career. I think all the things I have learned have helped me to feel more confident, and I am past the "beginner" learning stage, and onto to the "professional learning stage". I mean yes, I technically left the beginner stage in 2018, but it genuinely never felt that way until now. So. Finally getting grounded is what 2021 has felt like for me :).
What are you plans for this upcoming year?
Not much. Going to visit my family during the Lunar New Year. Otherwise... keep working at my full-time job, maintain my private practice, save money to buy a place, and just keep doing what I'm doing. Nothing big.
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