amenaje

Happy New Year to anyone reading this!

It has been about three months since my last update – and I am happy to announce that I was able to overcome the slump of an intense semester! Returning to campus in-person was exhaustive, given that it had been 2 years since the pandemic that I have commuted to the city for classes. I was pleased to have encountered wonderful people during my first semester back, allowing me to slowly enter that scholar-writer mindset that motivated me in the first place. Sadly, I could not avail of any leisure trips that I used to partake in, in my early years of exploring NYC. Much of my attention was turned towards preparing for my thesis – which I should be starting soon!

December was particularly difficult, with catching a cold that came from the crowded areas of midtown Manhattan, since the holiday season was beginning! It took 3 weeks to recover from sickness, which forced me to take pause and allow my body to rest… which was hard to do, as I was getting used to the fast-paced lifestyle that I hadn’t experienced since pre-pandemic! But I guess I needed to slow down and give myself the grace to sleep more, hydrate more, and relax more. But I never want to go through that again!

For this new year, I’d like to manifest the dream of writerhood. In addition to my thesis, I have a couple of independent projects to work on, which are aimed to step out of my comfort zone. I see these projects as small yet impactful steps towards bigger goals up ahead; anything can help me enter into a new stage of my life where I can present the best version of myself to the world!

May I continue updating this blog, at least once a month!

Less than 3 months left in the year… and I find myself struggling to keep my head above water with the amount of work, meetings, and other obligations I have to meet.

Even writing has been a struggle to do, as I don’t feel like I can produce worthy content of any kind like I used to… so, this is just to give a quick update on what is happening, but I must get to some assignments that are due this week!

Hello~

Apologies for my absence on this blog. I made a few changes to the appearance, but I am still unsure if this is how I want to present my thoughts… Inspiration for creativity on my blog space has wavered, coinciding with my desire to be more minimalist & elusive in my online persona. (Or so, that’s how I try to convince myself of such~)

The most significant update I can give is the completion of my home office! (Currently typing this post on my new desktop, with an upgraded monitor and an L-shaped desk… not to mention, majority of my books shelved around the room!) This is phase01 of the home office renovation; I have more plans to make the space more personal. For now, it’s comfortable enough to now have two different places where I can hold video meetings, but my office has a more decent background! (Imagine: a letterboard with changeable messages, thick hardcovers of spooky books, year-round Halloween decor, and a small tapestry of Our Lady of Guadalupe. All displayed above a wooden headboard with a mirror and rose etching, a piece of furniture from when my family lived in Queens.)

A new semester will begin in about 2 weeks. It will be my first time returning to campus since the pandemic, and it is both exciting and nerve-wracking…! But I do look forward to re-visiting a few places in the city that I used to enjoy going to, such a bookshops, coffeeshops, and other small corners to come across. More importantly, I anticipate coming back to a space that allows for scholarly influence, which I have struggled with in the past year or so… but I managed to read a couple of books from start to finish. Nothing relating to my thesis – which, I will figure out definitely, soon, sometime this year.

I swear.