Mid-Year Reading Freak-out Tag

I saw some book blogs doing this and thought I’d do my own!

Amount of books you’ve read so far: 18, which I think is better than most of my years so far at the half-way mark 🤗

Best book you’ve read so far in 2022: I’ve read some really great books this year, but I’m obsessed with House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. It was like eating a good meal, a book written for me specifically, and just really fun to get lost in a story again.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2022: hmm, I’ve only read one sequel this year since I’m rarely that big on series in general. I finished Jade Legacy which is the last book in the Green Bones Saga by Fonda Lee. I still adore the series overall, but I was a bit disappointed by the pacing and focus of the last book.

Still excellent though!

New release you haven’t read yet but want to: I just bought Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher which released a month or so ago and I’ve heard really great things about. I love a good dark fairy tale, definitely my jam. 

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: I am vibrating with excitement for the release of Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir later this year *grabby hands*. 

Biggest surprise favourite new author (debut or new to you): I’ve been meaning to read Ashley Herring Blake for forever now since I’ve heard good things and Delilah Green Doesn't Care fully lived up to my expectations. Really emotionally intelligent and fun Sapphic romance!! 

 Also, super hyped for the next one Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail.

Newest fictional crush: I didn’t enjoy the writing of this book, but I did thoroughly enjoy Talia from Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper. I love a spooky hot witch lady.

Book that made you cry: I listened to the audiobook of Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and the part where **SPOILERS** his mother got shot by the ex-husband had me crying, Trevor just loves his mom so much and the situation was so frustrating and heartbreaking and he’s a really good story teller.

I cried even more when she was okay, thoroughly moving book overall. I also cried while reading the next book below, Why Fish Don’t Exist. 

Book that made you happy: Not a happy book per say, but I found the book Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller to be deeply soothing and philosophically comforting. I’ve always been the type of person filled with doubt and Chaos if you will, and the conclusions of the book gave me a sense that doubt is good. There is a holiness to doubt, fish don’t exist, we make up categories, and the important part is not to divide ourselves, but care for each other.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received): I’ve got to go back to House of Hollow for this one, absolutely stunning cover. 

What books do you need to read by the end of the year? I’ve reread the first chapter to Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake several times now so I am absolutely hyped to read that later this year along with Nona the Ninth.

I’ve also been meaning to read The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri which looks very cool, though I’ve found myself less drawn to stories with royalty of late. I dunno, I’ve gotten kinda sick of the monarchy in fiction, can’t characters be blacksmiths or merchants at this point? lol

Feel free to friend me on Goodreads too! You can see my book reviews there and I’d love to see what other people are reading as well. What’s been YOUR favorite book so far this year?

I saw someone else doing this, so feel free to take it as an invitation! :)

I AM OFFICIALLY OFF HIATUS! And I've got a lot of cool stuff planned for the latter half of the year too! If you're interested in reading all the details and seeing pictures of my new cat, check out the post linked above!

TL:DR: (if you don't want to see the cat pictures)

I plan to finish the next draft of Runaways and start recruiting another round of beta readers by the end of August

Weekly website posts are back - I'm especially on the hunt for author interviews and so if you'd like to be featured please reach out I'd love to have you

Some of the post format is going to change including introducing a new series of posts called "Behind the Book Biographies" talking about the lives and times of famous authors

I'm expanding into Youtube so the weekly posts will be less long-form posts to read and sometimes more "Here's a transcript and link to the video."

The last week of each month, I’m going to be doing live write-ins on the YouTube! You can join and share your word count in chat as we do sprints. This will help me reach my goal of finishing Runaways and help me build a community of writers that support each other. The first of these write-ins will be on Monday, July 24th from 7:00pm-10:pm EST. That following Friday, the recording will be posted in lieu of a normal blog post, along with a recap of what we did during the write-in for anyone who missed it.

Finally, I’m going to a conference! If you happen to live in the Ohio area, come find me at the Columbus Book Festival on July 15th. I won’t have a table or anything since I don’t have any books published to sell yet, but I’ll be walking around and going to the talks. If you spot me, please don’t be afraid to say hi! I even got fancy new business cards for the occasion, and I’ll be giving out stickers too. Hope to see you there!

07.19.22 - sign of life and what's up

Hello !! hmm... yes I didn't update on anything I said I'll be doing this summer break for several reasons but here's some life update, in case any of you are interested, haha.

just got off a 2-week no phone (because it decided to "overheat" and never turn on again) and of literally no social media use. it was a fun, peaceful, 0% anxiety activity I might go on again soon while I still have a month or so in my break. planned on going on this fast long ago, during my gap year but since I felt very anxious from getting away from soc med and stuff I guess my phone decided it was time for me to go on the fast at this time.

as soon as I get a new phone I might do this academic year's 100 days of productivity challenge again as I plan to do advance studying as well as to reinforce my study habits again.

all in all, I'll be going through uni in 6 years, including my gap year because I wasn't able to cross enroll this midyear term as our 2nd semester ended late compared to other unis. So I plan on registering on just my majors this 3rd year and take Mandarin and the rest of the minors I haven't taken on my 4th year together with my thesis.

well, until I start my 100dop for this new school year, I might just continue to be off social media as much as I can and make the most of my summer break with reading non-academic books, watching movies/series'/vlogs and do some advance studying :)

currently reading:

To Room Nineteen by Doris Lessing

Becoming by Michelle Obama

currently watching:

Warm and Cozy (kdrama)

plan on rewatching Happiness (kdrama)

also doing some catching up on the news since we didn't have wifi for a week, haha. I hope everyone's well, I'll try to post as soon as I can 🤍☁️

here's one of my favorite spotify playlists I usually play after a long day of chores and errands with a cup of tea or coffee

Crypto peaked a year ago — investors have lost more than $2 trillion since

A year ago this week, investors were describing bitcoin as the future of money and ethereum as the world’s most important developer tool. Non-fungible tokens were exploding, Coinbase was trading at a record and the NBA’s Miami Heat was just into its first full season in the newly renamed FTX Arena. As it turns out, that was peak crypto. In the 12 months since bitcoin topped out at over $68,000, the two largest digital currencies have lost three-quarters of their value, collapsing alongside the riskiest tech stocks. The industry, once valued at roughly $3 trillion, now sits at around $900 billion. Rather than acting as a hedge against inflation, which is near a 40-year high, bitcoin has proven to be another speculative asset that bubbles up when the evangelists are behind it and plunges when enthusiasm melts and investors get scared. And the $135 million that FTX spent last year for a 19-year deal with the Heat? The crypto exchange with the naming rights is poised to land in the history books alongside another brand that once had its logo on a sports facility: Enron. In a blink this week, FTX sank from a $32 billion valuation to the brink of bankruptcy as liquidity dried up, customers demanded withdrawals and rival exchange Binance ripped up its nonbinding agreement to buy the company. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried admitted on Thursday that he “f---ed up.” “Looking back now, the excitement and prices of assets were clearly getting ahead of themselves and trading far above any fundamental value,” said Katie Talati, director of research at Arca, an investment firm focused on digital assets. “As the downturn was so fast and violent, many have proclaimed that digital assets are dead.” Whether crypto is forever doomed or will eventually rebound, as Talati expects, the 2022 bloodbath exposed the industry’s many flaws and served as a reminder to investors and the public why financial regulation exists. Bankruptcies have come fast and furious since midyear, leaving clients with crypto accounts unable to access their funds, and in some cases scrapping to retrieve pennies on the dollar. If this is indeed the future of finance, it’s looking rather bleak. Crypto was supposed to bring transparency. Transactions on the blockchain could all be tracked. We didn’t need centralized institutions — banks — because we had digital ledgers to serve as the single source of truth. That narrative is gone. “Speaking for the bitcoiners, we feel like we’re trapped in a dysfunctional relationship with crypto and we want out,” said Michael Saylor, executive chairman of MicroStrategy, a technology company that owns 130,000 bitcoins. “The industry needs to grow up and the regulators are coming into this space. The future of the industry is registered digital assets traded on regulated exchanges, where everyone has the investor protections they need.” Saylor was speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” as FTX’s demise roiled the crypto market. Bitcoin sank to a two-year low this week, before bouncing back on Thursday. Ethereum also tanked, and solana, another popular coin used by developers and touted by Bankman-Fried, fell by more than half. Equities tied to crypto suffered, too. Crypto exchange Coinbase tumbled 20% over two days, while Robinhood, the trading app that counts Bankman-Fried as one of its biggest investors, fell by 30% during the same period. There was already plenty of pain to go around. Last week, Coinbase reported a revenue plunge of more than 50% in the third quarter from a year earlier, and a loss of $545 million. In June, the crypto exchange slashed 18% of its workforce. “We are actively updating and evaluating our scenario plans and prepared to reduce operating expenses further if market conditions worsen,” Alesia Haas, Coinbase’s finance chief, said on the Nov. 3 earnings call. How it started The downdraft started in late 2021. That’s when inflation rates started to spike and sparked concern that the Federal Reserve would begin hiking borrowing costs when the calendar turned. Bitcoin tumbled 19% in December, as investors rotated into assets deemed safer in a tumultuous economy. The sell-off continued in January, with bitcoin falling 17% and ethereum plummeting 26%. David Marcus, former head of crypto at Facebook parent Meta, used a phrase that would soon enter the lexicon. “It’s during crypto winters that the best entrepreneurs build the better companies,” Marcus wrote in a Jan. 24 tweet. “This is the time again to focus on solving real problems vs. pumping tokens.” https://twitter.com/davidmarcus/status/1485652386626428929?ref_src=twsrctfwtwcamptweetembedtwterm1485652386626428929twgra66f3d86e48c92144872ca9ad82b6092a9ff163ftwcons1_&ref_url=httpswww.cnbc.com20221111crypto-peaked-in-nov-2021-investors-lost-more-than-2-trillion-since.html The crypto winter didn’t actually hit for a few months. The markets even briefly stabilized. Then, in May, stablecoins became officially unstable. A stablecoin is a type of digital currency designed to maintain a 1-to-1 peg with the U.S. dollar, acting as a sort of bank account for the crypto economy and offering a sound store of value, as opposed to the volatility experienced in bitcoin and other digital currencies. When TerraUSD, or UST, and its sister token called luna dove below the $1 mark, a different kind of panic set in. The peg had been broken. Confidence evaporated. More than $40 billion in wealth was wiped out in luna’s collapse. Suddenly it was as if nothing in crypto was safe. The leading crypto currencies cratered, with bitcoin dropping 16% in a single week, putting it down by more than half from its peak six months earlier. On the macro front, inflation had shown no sign of easing, and the central bank remained committed to raising rates as much as would be required to slow the increase in consumer prices. In June, the bottom fell out. Lending platform Celsius paused withdrawals because of “extreme market conditions.” Binance also halted withdrawals, while crypto lender BlockFi slashed 20% of its workforce after more than quintupling since the end of 2020. Prominent crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, or 3AC, defaulted on a loan worth more than $670 million, and FTX signed a deal giving it the option to buy BlockFi at a fraction of the company’s last private valuation. Bitcoin had its worst month on record in June, losing roughly 38% of its value. Ether plummeted by more than 40%. Then came the bankruptcies. Singapore-based 3AC filed for bankruptcy protection in July, just months after disclosing that it had $10 billion in assets. The firm’s risky strategy involved borrowing money from across the industry and then turning around and investing that capital in other, often nascent, crypto projects. After 3AC fell, crypto brokerage Voyager Digital wasn’t far behind. That’s because 3AC’s massive default was on a loan from Voyager. “We strongly believe in the future of the industry but the prolonged volatility in the crypto markets, and the default of Three Arrows Capital, require us to take this decisive action,” Voyager CEO Stephen Ehrlich said at the time. Next was Celsius, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in mid-July. The company had been paying customers interest of up to 17% to store their crypto on the platform. It would lend those assets to counterparties willing to pay sky-high rates. The structure came crashing down as liquidity dried up. Meanwhile, Bankman-Fried was making himself out to be an industry savior. The 30-year-old living in the Bahamas was poised to pick up the carnage and consolidate the industry, claiming FTX was in better position than its peers because it stashed away cash, kept overhead low and avoided lending. With a net worth that on paper had swelled to $17 billion, he personally bought a 7.6% stake in Robinhood. SBF, as he’s known, was dubbed by some as “the JPMorgan of crypto.” He told CNBC’s Kate Rooney in September that the company had in the neighborhood of $1 billion to spend on bailouts if the right opportunities emerged to keep key players afloat. “It’s not going to be good for anyone long term if we have real pain, if we have real blowouts, and it’s not fair to customers and it’s not going to be good for regulation. It’s not going to be good for anything,” Bankman-Fried said. “From a longer-term perspective, that’s what was important for the ecosystem, it’s what was important for customers and it’s what was important for people to be able to operate in the ecosystem without being terrified that unknown unknowns were going to blow them up somehow.” It’s almost as if Bankman-Fried was describing his own fate. FTX’s lightning-fast descent began this past weekend after Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao tweeted that his company was selling the last of its FTT tokens, the native currency of FTX. That followed an article on CoinDesk, pointing out that Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund, held an outsized amount of FTT on its balance sheet. https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1589374530413215744?ref_src=twsrctfwtwcamptweetembedtwterm1589374530413215744twgra66f3d86e48c92144872ca9ad82b6092a9ff163ftwcons1_&ref_url=httpswww.cnbc.com20221111crypto-peaked-in-nov-2021-investors-lost-more-than-2-trillion-since.html Not only did Zhao’s public pronouncement cause a plunge in the price of FTT, it led FTX customers to hit the exits. Bankman-Fried said in a tweet Thursday that FTX clients on Sunday demanded roughly $5 billion of withdrawals, which he called “the largest by a huge margin.” Lacking the reserves to cover the virtual bank run, FTX turned to Zhao for help. How it’s going Binance announced a nonbinding agreement to acquire FTX on Tuesday, in a deal that would’ve been so catastrophic for FTX that equity investors were expecting to be wiped out. But Binance reversed course a day later, saying that FTX’s “issues are beyond our control or ability to help.” Bankman-Fried has since been scrambling for billions of dollars in an effort to stay out of bankruptcy. He says he’s also been working to maintain liquidity so clients can get their money out. Venture firm Sequoia Capital, which first backed FTX in 2021 at an $18 billion valuation, said it was marking its $213.5 million investment in FTX “down to 0.” Multicoin Capital, a crypto investment firm, told limited partners on Tuesday that while it was able to retrieve about one-quarter of its assets from FTX, the funds still stranded there represented 15.6% of the fund’s assets, and there’s no guarantee it will all be recouped. Additionally, Multicoin said it’s taking a hit because its largest position is in solana, which was tumbling in value because it “was generally considered to be within SBF’s sphere of influence.” The firm said it’s sticking to its thesis and looking for assets that can “outperform market beta across market cycles.” “We are not short term or momentum traders, and we do not operate on short time horizons,” Multicoin said. “Although this situation is painful, we are going to remain focused on our strategy.” It won’t be easy. Ryan Gilbert, founder of fintech venture firm Launchpad Capital, said the crypto world is facing a crisis of confidence after the FTX implosion. While it was already a tumultuous year for crypto, Gilbert said Bankman-Friedman was a trusted leader who was comfortable representing the industry on Capitol Hill. In a market without a central bank, an insurer or any institutional protections, trust is paramount. “It’s a question of, can trust exist at all in this industry at this stage of the game?” Gilbert said in an interview Thursday. “To a large extent the concept of trust is as bankrupt as some of these companies.” Original Article Here: Read the full article

22 in 2022

**ANNOTATED FOR A MIDYEAR UPDATE** (not me, meaning to do this for like two months as a Check In On How It’s Going™)

Rules! Choose 22 books you want to read or goals you want to achieve in  2022. That’s it! It can be a mix of books and goals, or 22 books, or 22 goals…. it’s up to you. Then tag some friends to play along.  

Tagged by @sixofravens-reads. Thanks!! I’ve got a mix of Goals, Preorders I Wanna Read Close To Release Date (#8-13, not in release order), Backlist I Can See That I Keep Meaning To Read Soon (14-20), and Rereads That I Deserve Because I Deserve Joy* (21-22)

1. I would really super like to stick to the “read five books and you’re allowed to buy one (1)” thing, not including Writing Victory Books (or preorders). I’m hoping this’ll help me clear out backlog TBR.

oh this one’s Absolutely Failing Horribly, i’ll try again XD

2. I want to cycle through my Lit Fic box and actually. Read some of that backlog. (It’s harder for me to remember to bump them up my TBR when they’re all boxed up lol. I just need to cycle through them. Regularly.)

another Horrible Fail. i may or may not try again XD

3. Flip the TBR and Recently Read books through boxes more regularly also, for some Variety.

yikes. are you sensing a Pattern?? scuttles off the blog to pretend i’m cycling books

4. Get back into taking book pictures!! I really enjoy it, I just...haven’t been doing it....

hey i’ve done some of this!! not as much as i wanted to, but some!!

5. I want to find a couple more writing/craft-adjacent books and notes my way through those between writing projects. (I did Craft in the Real World and Meander, Spiral, Explode last year, and it was delightful!)

OH I’M WINNING!! okay so A Swim in the Pond in the Rain was actually delightful, and I got my hands on a copy of Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin that I’m stoked for, and on my way to me currently is The 10% Solution by Ken Rand. Nice!!

6. Actually intentionally read non-fic while working on writing projects.

i did pretty good at this while i was working through rell! i haven’t quite gotten there for driscoll yet, but i have curated a short stack by my bed, so that’s cool. Braiding Sweetgrass and The Kingdom of Rye and Against Memoir are toward the top of said stack, and there’s an architecture book in there too!

7. Find a balance of knitting and reading.

lol balance whomst?? i don’t know her. (i do suspect this goes in Waves for me--i did a bunch of frantic knitting recently, and then a bunch of frantic reading. i do not control the hyperfocus, but, hey: i’m both knitting and reading so that counts for something?)

**okay these next ones i’m just striking through if i’ve read them!**

8. Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir (steph--same hat!!)

9. Gallant - V. E. Schwab (same hat!!)

10. Seasonal Fears - Seanan McGuire (same hat!!)

11. Alone Out Here - Riley Redgate

12. Portrait of a Thief - Grace D. Li

13. These Prisoning Hills - Christopher Rowe

14. The Once and Future Witches - Alix E. Harrow

15. The Chosen and the Beautiful - Nghi Vo

16. The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series - K. S. Villoso

17. Docile - K. M. Szpara

18. Animorphs #1 and #2 Graphic Novels - K. A. Applegate and Chris Grine

19. Finally finish Avian Flight by John J. Videler to get it off my Goodreads

20. (Maybe get crazy and also finish Africa: A Biography for the same reason?)

21. MURDERBOT REREAD - Martha Wells (I deserve nice things)

22. Reread Gideon and Harrow (as Nona prep!!) - Tamsyn Muir

Tagging (only if interested, no pressure if not!): @asexualbookbird, @thebacklistbook, and @gaywinemommarianhawke

*(Joy may or may not present as suffering but please they’re BOTH SUCH GOOD SERIES!!!)

**FIN ANNOTATIONS**

overall i’m doing pretty good, i think! i’m considering scratching PORTRAIT and CHOSEN off the immediate TBR and reading those closer in line with writing projects that i know i’m not getting back to this year (alicia and lrrh, respectively). i also have no clue if i’ll be able to get to bitch queen by the end of the year because it’s a Chonky Series all lined up together, but i feel good about the rest!! this was fun!!

hello this is me holding myself accountable for this afternoon, but most of these probably won't make sense:

to do list

go to gym

take at least 4 book photos (4,3,2,1)

double-check on quotes

YA mysteries I own??

book haul thumbnail / write description

a calm before the storm review

the wicker king review

update spreadsheet

start edits on tag video

read 100 pgs 

redo mid year tag thumbnail

prep midyear stats video

broadway bby spread

Okay I set meself some new goals for the new year. How have I been keeping up with them?

1) Write 250 Words Each Day

I have missed a couple days this month, but I have certainly written more than the equivalent of 250 words times 31 days. So while I did have some misses, I more than made up for them. This one is both a hit and a miss, but far more hit than miss. I am mostly on track with this goal.

2) Read At Least 55 Books This Year

If we are counting audiobooks, which we ABSOLUTELY ARE, I have finished ten books this month and am close to finishing two more. If I keep up this kind of pace, I will have met my goal by midyear. We will see if that happens, but I am very well on track with this goal.

3) Get A Full Time Job

I have not done this yet. But I did work two jobs all month with a grand total of two days off. I applied for 24 different jobs this month. This doesn't quite equal out to one job per day, and I certainly didn't do this every day, but that's a fair amount of effort. I worked a lot and I worked on the job search a lot. I've also edited my resume, worked on making a brand new one, and designed my own business cards. I think I am making some progress on this but it is just so hard to tell. I am working on this goal, but I do not know if I am on track.

4) Move Out

Yeah obviously this hasn't happened yet. Kiel and Steph have offered to let me move in with them in Milwaukee if I need to or if I get something there. It's so tempting to take them up on it. I might if I have no leads on the job search by the end of March, but both Kiel and I agree that this winds up with the risk that I just get stuck working at Target again. It's so difficult. And yet today, when my parents were out of the house, I hooked up my Nintendo Switch to the television and just played some video games and I also took out my ukulele and sang some dumb songs and I just felt like myself for the first time in a while, and God I just miss that so damn much. I wanna move out so fucking badly it hurts. Ugh. I will get there. I just need the full time job first. I do not know if I am on track.

5) Drink Less Soda

Well, I drank less soda. I didn't cut out soda altogether, but at least half the days, or maybe even most of the days, I didn't have any soda at all. And the days I had soda, I'm pretty sure I limited it to one, except maybe once or twice when it was two. But by and large I am still cutting down on soda. So that's good. I'm not losing weight, but that's probably because I'm not working physically anymore like I was at Target. The last two days I lifted weights, maybe I'll work out more? Either way, I just needed to cut down on soda, and by gum, I have been doing that. I am on track with this goal.

6) Get Something Published

I am going to be published in Eclipse, a fanzine based on Problem Sleuth the Intermissions of Homestuck. I finished the first draft of my fic for it this year. I also found a zine I might want to send some stuff to tonight, and I still intend to send stuff into The Green Light and Red Cedar. I don't know if I have anything good enough for Steam Ticket, but who knows? I should also submit to more places, and I have been bookmarking pages that have promising listings. I am mildly on track with this goal, but I ought to put more into it.

7) Finish Writing A Legitimate Businessman

I have written 6,654 words on this fic in this month alone. This is the most frequently I have ever updated it. It is not finished, but with every update I near the ending. Some of the endings have been as short as two or three hundred words, most have been around six or seven hundred, but at least one was fifteen hundred words, making it the longest chapter written in years. I am on track with this goal.

8) Write More The Revelation of Takaya According to Jin

I have not written ANYTHING on this fic this month. I did listen to some Lovecraft on audiobook and I've been reading a lot of poetry, so I'm gaining fuel I suppose, but I am not on track.

MINOR GOALS

9) Finish Playthroughs Of:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild -- Success! I beat it on accident and started a new one. So this one is COMPLETED.

Persona 3 Portable 100%: I am on the last day or two. I tried fighting Margaret once this month and got royally scuppered up the barrelstopper. These sorts of super-hard turn-based battles are literally not fun. I also don't have any Armageddons and I don't know if it's possible to beat Margaret or Elizabeth without them. I don't know if it's worth it to try, but I also don't know if I shouldn't beat this and start a new game plus again. It's just……. I'm literally these two boss fights away from 100%, and I've NEVER gotten this close before. Guh. What I really need is Armageddon though. Sigh. Who knows.

Persona 1 Good Ending: Yeah I don't think I picked this up at all this month.

Pokemon Sword: I have beaten the main game and am partially through the post-game plot. It's just kinda boring at this point, but I will beat it I'm sure.

Pokemon Let's Go Eevee: I haven't picked this up this year, but I plan to. It's a fun little game. I'm at Cinnabar Island, so I'm pretty close to the end.

10) Record More Ukulele Videos

I played my ukulele a lot today?? I tried recording a song but didn't like it. I'm working on some stuff though, so I'm not doing this yet but I am at least getting started on practicing and planning

11) Record Let's Play Videos

Not even a little bit.

12) Duolingo?

I've done Spanish on Duolingo every day for 33 days straight. SUCK IT, Me from 2008.

GOALS I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD

13) Set up my turntable and listened to records on my own.

14) Added to my collections of books, amiibos, video games and movies, often in unexpected ways and sometimes at large amounts for little money. And sometimes not. Whoops. I cannot be trusted with money. Ugh.

15) Work out?? I have done so a little bit two days in a row. Maybe I can keep this up and do more. I ought to, since I'm not at Target anymore, and since I won't be at MATC for the time being I will have more free time to do so. It's worth a shot.

So I'm doing pretty well on the ones I can keep track of. I'm not doing PERFECT, but I do think I am doing really well.

This is 1250 words, by the way.

Stocks To Watch: Tencent Music, Starbucks And Under Armour In Focus

New Post has been published on http://rentts.org/stocks-to-watch-tencent-music-starbucks-and-under-armour-in-focus/

Stocks To Watch: Tencent Music, Starbucks And Under Armour In Focus

Welcome to Seeking Alpha’s Stocks to Watch – a preview of key events scheduled for the next week. Follow this account and turn the e-mail alert on to receive this article in your inbox every Saturday morning.

Investors are prepping for another week of volatility as concerns over the China trade deal and the impact of the U.K. Brexit withdrawal bill are sure to linger. Add in the drama of a yield curve that inverted on the short end and it’s small wonder that the Santa Claus rally is having a hard time materializing. With major indexes having now erased their gains for the year, expect to hear some noise from value investors after seeing the one-month drops in names such as Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) -25%, Target (NYSE:TGT) -22%, Tiffany (NYSE:TIF) -22%, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) -19%, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) -18%, Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) -15% and Altria (NYSE:MO) -15%. On the economic front this week, new reads on producer prices, consumer prices and retail sales will be closely watched.

Notable earnings reports: It’s a very thin week for earnings reports, but companies due to spill numbers include Ascena Retail (NASDAQ:ASNA) and Stitch Fix (NASDAQ:SFIX) on December 10; American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) and Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) on December 11; Phototronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) and Oxford Industries (NYSE:OXM) on December 12; Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE), Costco (NASDAQ:COST) and Ciena (NASDAQ:CIEN) on December 13.

IPOs expected to price: Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) is pressing ahead with its IPO as the company looks to take advantage of the 90-day pause on tariffs between the U.S. and China. The music streaming service plans to sell 41M ADSs in the offering and selling shareholders will also unload just under 41M ADSs. Tencent Music owns three streaming music platforms in China – QQ Music, Kuguo, and Kuwo – with a count of over 700M monthly active users. Heading into the IPO, Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY) holds a 58.1% stake in Tencent Music and Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) owned a 9.1% stake.

IPO lockup expirations: Greenpro (OTCQB:GRNQ) on December 10; US Xpress Enterprises (NYSE:USX) and Charah Solutions (NYSE:CHRA) on December 11; Avalara (NYSE:AVLR), Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) and Puixin (NYSE:NEW) on December 12.

Analyst quiet period expirations: Vapotherm (NYSE:VAPO) and Eton Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ETON) on December 10; Weidai (NYSE:WEI) on December 11;

Projected dividend changes (quarterly): Abbott (NYSE:ABT) to $0.30 from $0.28, AES (NYSE:AES) to $0.14 from $0.13, Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) to $1.39 from $1.32, Boeing (NYSE:BA) to $2.08 from $1.71, Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) to $0.25 from $0.23, Lilly (NYSE:LLY) to $0.57 from $0.5625, Realty Income (NYSE:O) to $0.221 from $0.2205, AT&T (NYSE:T) to $0.51 from $0.50, Ventas (NYSE:VTR) to $0.81 from $0.79, ABM Industries (NYSE:ABM) to $0.18 from $0.175, Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC) to $0.46 from $0.42, SEI (NASDAQ:SEIC) to $0.32 from $0.30, Urstadt Biddle (NYSE:UBA) to $0.275 from $0.27, WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) to $0.59 from $0.54.

60 Minutes: Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk was interviewed by Leslie Stahl for the weekly news show. In a clip already released, Musk said “I don’t really want to try to adhere to some CEO template.” Musk also stated that the EV automaker would have interest in setting up shop in an old General Motors (NYSE:GM) plant if one is available.

Analyst/investor meetings: Arthur Gallagher (NYSE:AJG), Enbridge (NYSE:ENB), American Water Works (NYSE:AWK), ServiceMaster Global (NASDAQ:SERV), TreeHouse Foods (NYSE:THS) and Crown Holdings (NYSE:CCK) on December 11; Aimmune Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AIMT) and Hess (NYSE:HES) on December 12; ImmunoGen (NASDAQ:IMGN), Health Insurance (NASDAQ:HIIQ) and Danaher (NYSE:DHR) on December 13; Hartford Financial (NYSE:HIG) and Centene (NYSE:CNC) on December 14.

Spotlight on coffee: Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) hosts its biannual investor day event on December 13. The meeting will occur about a month after Starbucks announced a round of corporate-level job cuts. While the company isn’t directly in the line of fire of tariffs, an escalation of the U.S.-China trade battle could end up hurting its business if Beijing slows the regulatory process or a consumer backlash pops up.

Spotlight on Under Armour: Under Armour (UA, UAA) will hold an investor meeting on December 12. CEO Kevin Plank, President, COO Patrik Frisk, CFO David Bergman and other Under Armour execs will provide an overview of the company’s long-term strategy, financial outlook and key initiatives to deliver sustainable, profitable growth and shareholder value.

Capitol Hill watch: Google (GOOG, GOOGL) CEO Sundar Pichai is due to appear before a House panel on December 11 in a hearing rescheduled from last week. Height Capital Markets expects the tough questions to be asked to Pichai by lawmakers to be just the start, not the end. The firm thinks Big Tech companies will be exposed to regulatory headline risk into 2019, even as it predicts final legislation will be tough to pass both houses. The House is also slated to vote next week on a bi-partisan measure that would punish drugmakers trying to game Medicaid’s rebate system to garner bigger profits.

FCC watch: The FCC is due to start its quadrennial review of some media ownership rules, including the issue of owning multiple stations in a single market. Companies watching the developments include Entercom (NYSE:ETM), Emmis Communications (NASDAQ:EMMS), Cumulus (NASDAQ:CMLS), Cox Radio (CXR), Clear Channel, CBS, Disney (NYSE:DIS), Beasley Broadcasting (NASDAQ:BBGI), iHeartMedia (OTCPK:IHRTQ).

Short report: Nasdaq is due to issue a new short interest report on December 11 for positions settled by November 30. Stocks with the highest level of short interest as a percentage of total float at the time of the last Nasdaq report included GNC Holdings (NYSE:GNC), Lannett Company (NYSEMKT:LCI), J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP), Carbo Ceramics (NYSE:CRR), Carvana (NYSE:CVNA), Buckle (NYSE:BKE), Revlon (NYSE:REV), RH(NYSE:RH), Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS), Camping World (NYSE:CWH), B&G Foods (NYSE:BGS) and Pyxus International (NYSE:PYX).

M&A tidbits: Lumentum’s (NASDAQ:LITE) acquisition of Oclaro (NASDAQ:OCLR) is expected to close on December 10. Shareholders with Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) and Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KERX) vote on the merger between the two companies on December 11. A special meeting is scheduled on December 11 for shareholders of Dell Technologies (NYSE:DVMT) to vote on the Class V common stock exchange transaction. CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) has a deadline of December 14 to issue a briefing defending the Aetna (NYSE:AET) deal.

Sales updates: Franklin Resources (BEN) on December 10, TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ:AMTD) on December 11; E*Trade Financial (NASDAQ:ETFC) and Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) on December 14.

More Prime Time: It’s another notch on the belt for Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) as its streaming service launches on Comcast’s (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Xfinity X1 platform.

Cyberwatch: Zix (NASDAQ:ZIXI), Calix (NYSE:CALX) and GigCapital (NYSE:GIG.U) are scheduled for one-on-one meetings at the Cowen 5th Annual Networking & Cybersecurity Summit on December 12.

Barron’s mentions: The share price drop on Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) looks overdone, reasons Jack Hough. He notes that a midyear price increase by Caterpillar on machines helped offset higher costs related to steel and other tariffs, while booked orders are strong for 2019. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) is also seen as being on the cheap side, with shares trading at only 10X forward earnings. That’s despite the huge upside for Applied Materials in AI chips. There’s also a deep dive on Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) after the company’s bumpy road.

Sources: Nasdaq, EDGAR, Reuters, CNBC, Bloomberg

Editor’s Note: This article covers one or more microcap stocks. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/what-are-the-latest-updates-on-ski-team-usa-this-month/

What are the latest updates on Ski Team USA this month

The U.S. Free-form Ski Team comprises of aerials and magnates skiers, and each control is on snow in Scandinavia preparing for their FIS World Cup openers, booked for Dec. 4-five in Ruka, Finland. This season will seem unmistakable from what each individual is utilized to, so competitors and a gathering of laborers are focused on what they can oversee and what’s correct now at the timetable.

Accomplishments of freestyle team Daily news sports updates is that The Freestyle Team had accomplishment last season with thirteen World Cup platform, and our competitors are chosen to develop off of that, expressed U.S. Ski and Snowboard Freestyle Director Jeremy Forster. Regardless of a sudden stop to the 2019-20 seasons and a troublesome spring, those gatherings have kept up a great standpoint and for all intents and purposes took gain of the instruction to be needed to them this midyear.” Athletes named to the aerials team envelop Megan Nick, who finished the season positioned fourth inside side the worldwide after livelihoods second area World Cup results; 2017 worldwide victor and 3-time Olympian Ashley Caldwell, who finished last season beat U.S. countrywide hero; and Winter Vinecki, who finished the last season positioned 10th inside side the worldwide. Madison Vermette will commence her fifth season with the team.

As indicated by the everyday news sports refreshes, Megan Smallhouse and Kaila Kuhn will each return for or her second season and recently named tenderfoot part Dani Loeb appears to be ahead to her first prepare as a U.S. Ski Team part — and the essential ever from the realm of Alabama. Chris Lillis, the highest level American person in the sixth locale, returns for his seventh season with the team. He procured platform last season, which remembers a success for Kazakhstan.

According to current sports trends he is joined through method of methods for Justin Schoenefeld, who finished the American dry spell on aerials wins a last season and changed into positioned 10th inside side the worldwide. Eric Loughran, 2020 U.S. countrywide boss, is again for his sixth season, and Quinn Dehlinger returns for his second season. The group at the rear of this team returns for what will be their second season together. Aerials Head Coach Vladimir “Vlad” Lebedev is joined through method of methods for World Cup mentors Eric Bergoust and J.C. Andre, Athletic Development Coach Houston Deck, and real specialist Peter Toohey. Competitors named to the magnate’s group incorporate what the U.S. Ski Team claims are the deepest subject of lady tycoon snowboarding abilities inside side the worldwide alluded to as the #PowHERHouse, which is among the current games patterns.

Latest updates on the performing athletes

Daily news sports trends says 2018 Olympian Jaelin Kauf drives the gathering, joined through method of means by Hannah Soar, who had a breakout last season, and 2018 Olympian Tess Johnson. The women are stirred to have Avital Carroll again from hurt for her 1/3 season. Olivia Giaccio returns for her fifth season. Kai Owens returns for her second season, as does Sabrina Cass. New people and sisters Madison and Kasey Hogg keep awake for their first season with the team. Morgan Schild, Nessa Dziemian, and Kenzie Radway are totally named to the current year’s list also.

On the men’s side,time Olympian Brad Wilson returns for his 10th season. He is joined through method of methods for Jesse Andringa, who’s again from hurt; Alex Lewis and Nick Page, who each return for their second seasons; and new part Landon Wendler. The day by day news sports patterns delivered that this season marks Joel Hedrick’s sixth with the team. Casey Andringa is referred to as this season too, despite the fact that will now not, at this point be contending a result of mischief. Tycoons Head Coach Matt Gnoza drives the knock gathering and is joined through method of means by World Cup mentors Riley Campbell and Joe Discoe, Athletic Development Coach Josh Bullock, and substantial advisor Chuck Williams.

here i am. i will just write. I will just write this to me, as I always do.

I have to confess some fears

Of being heard, of hiding, hiding behind others

And then I felt this built up over the year, where its been hard to give, been hard to make space, been hard to hear of others, started losing that

i forget I have something worth saying, not because i’m credible

I realize its because I’ve been neglecting myself, what I have to say

I think as women, especially filipino women, we have such a collective mentality, we forget to be our individual voice

so in the mission of rising up...

I want you to know, that you have the answers inside of you. you have everything you need to know, already inside of you. the key is to get really still, and silent, and to learn how to listen to that voice, that is your intuition. find her. the higher self, as some would call it. in order to be able to tune into that voice clearer, you have to tune into "her” frequently. this is by getting in touch with yourself, through journaling, learning about yourself, talking with others. but a very unfrequented way of doing this is by getting still and silent. silent and stillness is one of the most powerful things we can do, and yet it is so underutilized. un-tapped into. we’re in a world where when we need answers, when we need understanding, we consume. we stream. we read info, we subscribe, we talk talk talk. we turn go on social media, on the news or videos, even books and podcasts. 

honestly, I am one to stream and consume a lot of content and information. I stream a lot of things. but lately, i just haven’t been able to carry it, all the noise. is anyone here with me on this? something I’ve been really craving lately, is silence, and getting quiet. It’s funny when I see the evolution of the pandemic, the beginning was a lot of “what’s going on with the world” attached with consuming a lot of news, updates, etc to “what’s going on with our lives, jobs, careers, norm” consumed with social media, seeing how people are dealing, what companies are doing, etc and then it just kept going longer more than we expected, and it became “what’s going on with me.” I see this year, has been so much change, so unprecedented as we said. and i mentioned this in a previous podcast, mid2020 reflections and intentions setting, how it’s allowed things hidden at the bottom of the pool to rise up to the surface. and for many of us who allowed that to rise up, we started to see things in ourselves that have been buried deep, from the distractions, from routine, from noise, from the humdrum of life, rise up. for better or for worse, this year has made us confront that which was needing confrontation all along. whether it was related to the economy, to our systems, to racial injustice, to poverty, to our home life, to our relationship, to our jobs, to our priorities, to what really matters, to most importantly, ourselves.

the reason for this theme, is because.. it came from a realization, from a moment. basically, over the past few months, i was finally letting go of a relationship, and it was really difficult. it was a person i was with for 3 years, and towards the end it just got so unaligned. . but we stayed together during the quarantine. and the problems that were always there really just got amplified. things got really rocky, and i had to get out. all of a sudden, in the midst of all the pandemic craziness going on, on top of having lost my job, i was moving out and trying to find a new home to live, and transitioning out of a 3 year relationship. It was one of those moments i felt all the plugs had been pulled. i was talking to one of my spiritual mentors, because i was anticipating this next chapter, and not really knowing how to get through. the thing is in the past, whenever there is something I’m trying to figure out, hard decision-making, i’ve tended to look at all resources around me, my community, externally, and start trying to make sense of things. i talk with my friends, mentors, i look up next steps, i research, i collect as much advice, and look at all the pieces in front of me, and make a plan. so this was quite natural to do. i don’t remember quite what I said, i was fretting “denise, i just don’t know how i’m going to get through this next part. I’m not sure where I’m moving to next. I don’t want to go back home to family, but I also need to look for a job. I’m also scared of being heartbroken, or that I’m gonna take the wrong step. I’m not sure how to make the most informed decision right now.” and she replies “you know everything you need to know already inside of you to get you through this.”

and that really just hit me. why? because, it made me stop and ask, “I do?” and then that flipped to, “well, yes don’t i? why wouldn’t i?” the fact that i was so surprised to hear that, made me realize, how soon I was to look at all the external things around me, to plan y next move, to make me feel secure, to look for the answers, to look for clarity, how much i leaned on people as sound boards, and outside advice, to feel equipped. and there is nothing with that. i think it is so so important to use people and resources around you. but why is it that often the first place we go to make sense of what’s happening, is everyone and everything around us, and the last place we consult with is ourselves. 

since hearing that, this past few months, something i have been practicing that has been so profound is stillness. it is one of the most powerful tools we can use to get grounded and get clarity, and it is the most underutilzied. why? i  believe it is because often we don’t trust oursevles or we have been so conditioned to empower ourselve snad decisions with extenral things, and noise. we have discounted the voice within, when all along, there are answers deep inside of us, just waiting to be heard, whether it is a pointed answer or just a way of being that we don’t know yet until we tune into ourselves.

somme of the most profound realizations i have gotten in 2020 during the pandemic, was not when i talke diwth enough people, listened to enough podcasts, read enough stuff, but when it was when i got alone, got in silence, and listened to myself. really listened to myself. and when I say these moments, i mean that it literally changed me. 

for example, in the beginning of quarantine, i heard “you’re not here for us” and that was journey into love and acceptance of my body, of listening to it, of giving it love instead of making it someting to be improved.

another one was with Christy, “who are you without your productivity, and timelines” and i got silent and still and just let somethign come up, and that’s when i realized i was putting so much of my worth on my plans, and i almost didn’t know my identity without it. that realization when getting still was so profound, that’s when we began the 21 day jouranlign journey to embrace stillness. it was also a way to counter the chaos, that called people to plan, that was the beginning of my relationship to stillness.

did midyear 2020 reflections, “what is your soul trying to tell you” this has been the most powerful question for everyone

“you have been becoming all along”

“you are carried”

Becoming still and silent, has so much to offer.

In turn, this has made me really wonder 2 things:

1) why is it that the first places we turn to is everywhere but ourselves

- we haven’t been told there’s an inner knowing

- we don’t trust ourselves enough

2) what are ways we have been taught to not trust in ourselves, to disregard our intuition, and why?

How we’ve been taught to trust everything, but ourselves

And pull from every where but within

History

Before the Spanish colonized the Philippines, there existed a 500-year long tradition of indigenous feminism that predated women’s liberation in the West. Babaylan refers to the pre-colonial Philippine tradition of female mystical healers whose spiritual connectedness was a source of political and social power. Babaylan women serve as intermediaries between spiritual and material worlds in their communities. Their leadership roles are multi-fold: warrior, healer, priestess and sage. Babaylans listen to the community and lead through a deep understanding of the inter-connectedness of all life forms.

our authority, taken away. made dependent. 

Religion

I am christian, I am a follower of God, I believe he is the almighty and that we all have a piece of the divine in us

i believe that religion and the church, back in the day it was set up as an entity of power

catholicism, you confess to the priest

and they were able to control people, to listen to the priest, how things were translated 

and some of those structures, i think mistakenly and unfortunately are still permeating the way that religion and certain churches are made and teaching today

you’re taught the concept of die to the self, go to Christ

i don’t think that ever meant neglecting ourselves

if you’re a person of faith, don’t think i’m dethroning God and his authority in any way. i think there’s something very accurate about God as the ultimate omniscient source of truth. 

i feel like religion has taught us to go every where but ourselves: go to God of course, go to the church, the pastors, open up to the community group or bear each other’s burdens, but none of that about getting still and hearing what our own souls have to say. it’s almost like it blasphemous to do so. which is frustrating because i do feel that God, the Divine, communicates to us through our soul. hello

1st John 4No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

another way we have been conditioned societally to neglect our own personal knowing, voice, is through identity constructs and norms. whether its gender norms women of being non-disruptive, non- as a woman, we have been made to question our credibility. that we have to build that up first before we have the right to take up space.

studies show: job descriptions

While both genders browse jobs similarly, they apply to them differently. Research shows that in order to apply for a job women feel they need to meet 100% of the criteria while men usually apply after meeting about 60%.LinkedIn behavioral data backs this up — women tend to screen themselves out of the conversation and end up applying to 20% fewer jobs than men. What’s more, women are more hesitant to ask for a referral from somebody they know at the company.

Women have an intuition, that is so powerful. we were made to carry life so our intuition is bestowed. i’ve read somewhere that men have gut feeling and women have intuiotion, 

Women are said to posses a superior intuition (women's intuition), an almost psychic — and somewhat frightening — knack for knowing what others are feeling and thinking. Experts say this intuition is based on an ability to read facial expressions and body language.

Society is set up (credibility) to not come to the table without backing it up

what school did you go to, what are your accolades, what’s the data, what are the studies, how does your experience back it up

and in no way am i discrediting the importance of this, i am a huge proponent of if you’re coming with a view, an opinion, back it up

but what i mean is that this emphasis sometimes makes us question how much more we can go internally for answers

that we see ourselves as a person less of an authority with answers for our life than the professional therapist

but that’s why, even in therapy, they let you talk, they’re not trying to give you the answers, but the TOOLS to MINE the answers outside of yourself

that’s what i mean, we are a walking gold mine, of our own desires, next steps, of what we need to hear.

take a quick reflection of the past year of the global pandemic. lots of us were turned on our heels, lots of changes, i know for me.

audit, how many times you went externally for answers, to “make sense” and then how many times, you went internally. and i get it. it can be non-instinctive to go internally. what does that even mean. but i know you felt it, when the world was just getting too much. news alert here, covid update, numbers. you know it when social media just got too much. can you relate? there was a time, i would go on social media and it seemed like during the pandemic, everyone was making a statement, was making moves, releasing this webinar, this offering, this class, this opinion about the protest, this stance, wow they’re all making moves! i should too! and if i don’t, i’m not being worthy of this time. like i felt that. this need to “fill in” also. filipina on the rise as a platform wasn’t as engaged in this current event, we’re not making enough posts, we’re not doing virtual events

and i actually took a step back, and was like, “I don’t need to. there’s enough. there’s really no point in saying something, posting something, offering something, to be a part of it

otherwise you’re just adding to the noise!

so where it cam authentically for me, was when i felt something true from my heart to talk about, then i would. such as making the starting a podcast webinar because a lot of people in this time started getting creative and wanting to start a podcast which is awesome! and then on a random day, something stirred in my heart that i felt i needed to write about. and i would write about it. it’s so much better that way, more authentic, and more valuable to the collective conscious then just posting because you feel you *need* to.

and honestly, i don’t post now unless it’s really coming from me. not as a branding or growth technique, i know a lot of people do that and that’s cool! but I want to come of authentic and sincere, like people feel connected, not more content in their face

but it relates to what we’re talking to, if the goal is to channel something impactful, authentic and sincere out there, that comes from within and being so in touch with what it is you truly believe in and how you want to show up for the word, and guess what, that comes from diving deeper, not distractions, this is why in our last podcast we talked about personal activism, and how its so much more effective to find personal clarity and understanding of your stance before debating with the collective and adding on to the noise

when the world goes loud, get silent. when everyone goes outwards, go inwards. when the world is moving, get still.

We forget we have this inner knowing.

this is your power. this is also how you get back in touch and start cultivating that relationship with yourself, buidling that trust back up with yourself. we want to build trust within ourselves, but we need to start by giving her a voice, and saying, “hey, you’re worth it, to be heard. i know i’ve been runnign around to everything else around me first, but i’m going to give you a listen.

and this is in no way, devaluing the power of wisdom around us. from family, friends, research, teachings, education, from our community, from God, etc. 

in fact, it is counting its value, because our inner guide, is not based off of anything. our inner knowing, has been formed by these beautiful things. you have a whole voice and guide inside of you, that has lived through your life, even though you don’t remember every single thing, think of that inner wisdom as having remembered and integrated, all your experiences, all your memories and lessons learned, as having the ingredients of all the wisdom and knowledge you’ve ever received.

Intuition, or a sixth sense, is something many of us rely on for snap judgments and often life-altering decisions. But what exactly is it? A 2008 study in the British Journal of Psychology defined intuition as what happens when the brain draws on past experiences and external cues to make a decision -- but it happens so fast that the reaction is at an unconscious level.

our soul is speaking to us, and we silence it, the very thing that makes us who we are. we discount its credibility. we discredit our own selves when we turn to everything but ourselves.

get still when you can, and listen to what you have to say. it’s not going to be like “plan this, then that.” it’s not about these material details. the soul counts that second to what its trying to tell you about your being, your value, the love that you are. when I heard “you need to be here for us” that was the most powerful thing to hear from my soul, because it allowed me to take care and give love for my body. and i wouldn’t have heard that.

so i just encourage you for a moment every day, to get still and embrace the silence. when you’re tempted to look for answers first everywhere, don’t forget to see what’s already lying within. it’s like you’re sitting on a gold mine, and you just need to tap into it. you will find so much beauty and love, in what your inner, higher self is trying to tell you. you will find she has so much love and grace and kindness and high hopes for you. 

it doesn’t mean you’re ignoring God. it just means that you are allowing yourself to love yourself by giving her trust.it

A Message to our Applicants

Thank you for the time and effort you put forth in your application to UChicago! This year, once again, we’ve found that UChicago continues to attract incredible students, and we genuinely enjoyed reading the many applications we received.

You can now view your admissions decision through your UChicago Account.

What Decisions Mean

Admit: Congratulations! If you were admitted through the Early Decision I round, you have until January 18, 2018 to confirm your enrollment. If you were admitted through the Early Action round, you have until May 1, 2018 to reply to the University of Chicago. Just a friendly reminder: you will be placed into our housing assignment queue based on the date you pay your enrollment deposit.

Defer: We are not able to offer you a place in the Class of 2022 at this time, but we will reconsider your application and give you a final decision during the Regular Decision round. Please complete our defer response form available in your UChicago Account, preferably before January 5, 2018.

Deferred Early Action applicants may elect to move into our binding Early Decision II application pool by completing the defer response form and submitting the Early Decision II Agreement by uploading it to their UChicago Account. This option is not available for deferred Early Decision I applicants.

If you’ve been deferred and UChicago remains your top choice, here is some advice on what to do next:

Do:

     - Complete the defer response form on your UChicago Account, preferably before January 5, 2018.

     - Have your school send us a midyear transcript. It’s helpful for us to be able to see your senior year grades when we reconsider your application; your midyear transcript will be the best way for us to do so. If you have new test scores, you’re welcome to send them as well.

     - Send an email to your regional counselor. If UChicago remains your first choice, don’t hesitate to let us know! We don’t need a novel, but a thoughtful note of one to two paragraphs sent by email can help us understand and consider your continued interest.

     - Continue your college search. UChicago is just one school among many incredible higher education options. We know you carefully arrived at your decision to consider UChicago, and we hope you will apply the same level of thought to your ongoing college search. At the end of this process, you’re going to end up with a great place to call home. We encourage you to keep your college search open and to work with your school counselor to identify other schools that you’d be happy to attend should UChicago not become an option.

     - Optional: You can continue to upload supplemental materials directly to your UChicago Account through the Portfolio and Upload Materials sections. This is not necessary, but if you do have additional materials you’d like to share, please feel free to upload them.

     - Optional: After consulting with your family and school counselor to determine if this is a good fit for you, deferred Early Action applicants may also elect to move into our binding Early Decision II application pool by completing the defer response form and submitting the Early Decision II Agreement by uploading it to their UChicago Account. We understand that the Early Decision II commitment may not be the right choice for every applicant, and we will continue to give our full consideration to deferred students who remain in our Regular Decision applicant pool.

Don’t:

     - Book an overnight flight to Chicago. While we always enjoy welcoming students to campus, we do not make decisions based on whether or not a student has visited. Besides, there’s nothing we can tell you in person that we couldn’t tell you over phone or email.

     - Start writing all-new essays. We have determined that the application you sent us originally is a strong one—we just need a little more time and context to make a final decision. We re-evaluate applicants’ original application materials after they are deferred, considering the small new additions we suggest above. We do not require or recommend that students spend time updating essays.

     - Panic. An admissions decision is not an evaluation of you as a person. Decisions are made over a long period of time by a number of people and take into account the entire applicant pool. Please keep in mind that we cannot give reasons for decisions over the phone or via email, as it really is impossible to condense the conversations behind our decisions in a way that would be adequate or helpful to the applicant.

Deny:  After much consideration, we are unable to offer you a place in the Class of 2022. There is no process for appealing admissions decisions. We wish you the best as you pursue your educational goals.

Looking Forward

This year’s applicants have come from around the globe and are united by a compelling interest in learning and the power of ideas. No matter your admissions decision, you have a bright future ahead of you.

YOUR FLIGHT SHALL LAND

I haven't updated my blog in such a long time typically because I've been busy, also just happy - life's been good. Today I realized that I update my blog when I'm going through overwhelming emotions & want to let it out LOLz..

This year has not been easy for many people - on the same breath there have been blossoming flowers through concrete for others. It would be an exaggeration for me to say it's been difficult for me, it hasn’t I have just been going through emotions, lots of emotions - emotions of defeat to be exact well academically. I have been studying the same degree for the past three years. I have been submitting the same thesis for three consecutive years & I never get the opportunity to defend it. I have been paying school fees out of my pocket for the past three years which goes down the drain not because I'm failing but because "someone is disorganized, don't check emails on time, don't provide feedback on time, don't book time to defend my work on time" the list of excuses is endless until an academic year ends and I have to re-register. The cost of all of it is my time and money invested that goes to waste. 

Nonetheless with all that going on: when this year started I decided I was gonna pursue another degree regardless at a different university which I was accepted for midyear intake - then the pandemic happened. I asked to be moved to January 2021, today they called to say I have to go through their tedious lengthy process re-apply & sit for another exam in order to qualify and be accepted again. I hung up the phone, packed my bags & drove home with a lump in my throat - I couldn't explain the defeat in my spirit.

Then while sitting in traffic repeatedly listening to Amanda Black's song... I remembered...

When this pandemic started someone wrote: 

"To everyone who was about to begin a new exciting journey, sign a new contract, awaiting a check to clear now delayed or cancelled, move to a new country or start a new job but now cannot. In aviation, holding (or flying on hold) is a maneuver designed to delay an aircraft already in flight within a specified airspace. This is done for a number of reasons; too many planes on the runway, high winds, too many flights landing or taking off. Irrespective of the reason for holding the flight - eventually it will land. Now don't be the passenger that rants & complains about things they can't control. Instead be the passenger that puts on their shoes, folds their blanket & adjust their seat upright preparing for landing even though the time of landing is unknown" This is a reminder not only for me with my studies but for everybody else who's flight hasn't landed, stop ranting & adjust your seat, that flight shall land too. We will land all the degrees we want accompanied with merit.

Love and Light.

Goodnight - dream the dreams you wish to live tomorrow!

Signed: MaZuma♥️

Let's Talk | Top 5 Books I Have Read So Far This Year

Let’s Talk | Top 5 Books I Have Read So Far This Year

I was watching youtube, as one does and I recently subscribed to a booktuber called Katie Wismer. Her newest video, at the time of writing this, popped up into my feed and I loved this little addition to a midyear check in. Last month I went over all of my goal. updates and such in my post called Reading & Blog Goals | 2019 Mid-Year Check In, but after watching her video I thought it would be…

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It’s midway through the year and I know a lot of people on BookTube are making their “midyear reading goals update”. I did set a lot of challenging goals for myself, just because I wanted to force myself to read more. 

For my sanity, I’m going to not talk about the reading BINGO challenge that I’m doing because that is chaos and I’m really not focused on it as much as I’d like to be. 

The following were my other reading goals:

read more Russian classics and science/medical nonfiction

stay away from contemporary YA

read more feminist science fiction

read more Black American classics

subscribe to a science fiction magazine

read more LGBT/queer lit that isn’t YA

read 30 books

So in terms of the “read mores”, I don’t think I’ve done a lot of this except for the feminist science fiction and LGBT/queer lit. Most of the stuff I’ve read this year have been either rereads, feminist scifi, or queer related. I haven’t read much, if any, contemporary YA. I’ve also been reading a lot more visual novels (i.e. manga, comics, manhwa), only because that was what time allowed for me between moving and work. I haven’t subscribed to a science fiction magazine yet. My birthday is coming up, so maybe I’ll treat myself to that. I’ve also read sixteen books so far. Which leads me into my next thing...

I’m currently reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and I’m really enjoying it. I think I’ve learned that when it comes to young adult, I prefer genre fiction rather than contemporary works. I just find most young adult contemporary to be boring? But I just may have an allergy to contemporary? Anyways, I may not read the rest of the trilogy and companion duology right away, even though I’m enjoying it, because I already have a lot to read on my TBR list and from the pile of purchased books I’ve had sitting around for a year and a half.

I think a lot of what keep me from reading is my television watching. I watch too much television, foreign dramas, and anime to be honest and play too many video games. Like I spend most of my free leisure time catching up on anime and dramas. Mostly because sometimes it becomes a chore for me to read, especially when I set unrealistic, overachieving goals.

The moral of that story is read for pleasure rather than challenging yourself constantly or you’ll end up like me... binge-watching Tokyo Ghoul, Voltron, and Star Trek for hours.  

Details of the Midyear Mayhem

Hearken to the heart of Tamriel - the faithful of St. Alessia have returned!

Our Imperial blood runs true, yet we have seen the tide turn in favour of your Alliance. Please accept our supplication, and our blessings, at your gate to Cyrodiil or in any battleground camp in Tamriel!

~ Follow for more books, journals, and notes from the Elder Scrolls series ~ Updates daily ~

Sunshine's Goals for 2020 - Midyear Update

Sunshine's Goals for 2020 - Midyear Update.

Well, I don’t think I have to tell you this, but it’s been quite a year. Now that we’re halfway through, it’s time to revisit my Goals for 2020 and see what kind of progress I’ve made. Not going to lie, I avoided writing this for as long as I could. After Red published his own progress report, I couldn’t put it off any longer.

Let’s get it over with.

#1: Read a Book a Month, Every Month

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