the indefinite return // 2023 comeback?

It’s me. Hi. Happy New Year! (a bit belated oops)

So it’s been a year since I last posted on Wishing Upon a Star. (The WordPress font is lowk pretty omg?!) This is a very impromptu post—I’m writing it as I procrastinate on other work haha. But I’ve been meaning to come back for a while, and miss having an outlet to express myself in ways that’s harder to IRL.

Even though it seems like I’ve disappeared from the blogosphere, I’ve returned every now and then to check on posts and stay in touch. For instance, I’ve been loving posts from Abby @ Beyond the Read. For the most part though, I feel like the people I follow haven’t been updating as much as, say, 1-2 years ago—but I suppose it’s inevitable. Everyone has things going on in their lives. It’s a bit sad and nostalgic, but I still want to have an online space to come back to whenever I feel like I want to share. Even if no one sees this, it’ll be a nice time capsule for me to return to in the future!

There are a lot of reasons I ended up putting a hold on blogging. One reason was viewership and declining interaction. Even though I didn’t care much for stats, I still wanted to feel like my posts were read and enjoyed by a certain number of people. Another reason was of course, school, extracurriculars, etc. But I truly miss writing about the things that make me happy—good books, music, and movies/TV shows.

So, I’m tentatively back. I think my posts will be very periodic, with no rhyme or reasoning to the scheduling. Maybe I’ll try for monthly updates. One of my goals for 2023 is to be more mindful of my physical and mental state, and while working towards my goals, carving out the time to relax and take it easy. Having a monthly check in with myself and with y’all sounds doable and fun!

Without further ado, here are a bunch of updates (on reading, music, TV shows, life, etc.)! Enjoy :))

Recent Reads

I started my reading year with Dream of the Red Chamber: Vol 1 by Cao Xueqin. My mom got me it for my last birthday, and I’m so glad she did. Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the four Chinese classics, and follows the domestic life of the powerful Jia family. Everything and nothing happens, but the story is captivating and the characters feel so real. The complex family dynamics, the symbolism, and of course the vibes ✨ are immaculate.

Next, I read The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth was one of my favorite reads of 2022 and I was excited to start this one. While I enjoyed it less than The House of Mirth, the main character’s struggle between duty and passion against the backdrop of Old New York was an interesting one, and Wharton’s prose remains as gorgeous as ever.

During break, I went to my local bookstore for the sole purpose to read the 7th volume of Spy x Family. I find it difficult to read manga online (zooming in and out can be troublesome) so I thought I might as well just read it physically. Last year, I entered a bit of an anime era—my mom and I watched and loved Hunter x Hunter and we also watched Spy x Family. I’m excited for Season 2 of Spy x Family. I literally need more Eden Academy scenes!

The most recent book I read was Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price. It’s a Pride and Prejudice retelling but a murder mystery. The plot was fantastic and engaging, and I enjoyed seeing all these familiar characters. I did feel that the characters and historical setting were watered down, but it’s still a wonderful plot-driven story.

Current Reads

I’m currently reading 3 different books that are very different from each other. I’m almost finished with The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham. Loosely modeled after Paul Gauguin’s life, we follow Charles Strickland through the eyes of an unnamed narrator as he abandons everything to pursue art in Paris and Tahiti. This book is not what I was expecting at all, and offers a quiet meditation on creativity, art, love, and passion.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a small indie bookstore with one of my best friends and bought a gorgeous book—Acts for Violet by Margarita Montimore. When I tell you it was love at first sight, I mEaN it. I’m planning to take my time reading this one, as it follows the disappearance of magician Violet Volk in a variety of formats—podcast, journal article, traditional prose, etc. I’m around 30 pages in, and so far, it’s an actual vibe!

The last book I’ll be talking about in today’s post is A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. This book has been on my TBR since 2020, so I’m more than ready to dive right into this sci-fi world following an ambassador investigating what happened to her predecessor.

Current Listens

I’ve been exploring more music genres outside of pop. It’s so fun finding more niche songs. Here are a few of the songs I’ve been listening to a lot lately!

• Star City Cafe by hevel and Evito
• Autumn breeze by Dept and Milky Day
• Trouble by Troye Sivan and Jay Som
• Hard on Yourself by Charlie Puth and blackbear 
• Midnight Rain by Taylor Swift

Life

Over the Christmas break, I got to go to New York and see my cousin! I had such a wonderful time—I just wish it was longer haha. Something fun we did was bake red velvet cookies and enter our Jenny Han era. We binged The Summer I Turned Pretty, and while it was pretty corny and sometimes cringe, it was still lots of fun. The tracklist is actually insane—whoever was in charge of that deserves a raise.

I also watched Everything Everywhere All at Once and it was such a ride. The genre-mash, heavy themes, and scope was honestly overwhelming, so I’ll probably be processing it in the back of my mind for the next few weeks haha. We love to see Michelle Yeoh finally getting her moment!

We went back to school recently, and while it’s not the most fun time, I’m determined to balance everything and still make more time for myself. So far, even though it’s been busy, it’s still manageable—I hope I can keep that up!

2023 Goals

One of my goals for 2023 is to be more physically active, whether it’s doing those 20-30 minute workouts on YouTube or Yoga with Adriene. Last year, I really neglected my body so this year, I want to be less of a couch potato haha.

A few other goals include passing my AP exams, entering a few piano and writing competitions, and making more time for self care :))

I think I’m going to end here—I forgot how easy it is to get carried away when writing a post! Hopefully you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free to comment your recent reads, music and movie recs, and 2023 resolutions! I look forward to chatting, and see you next time. ✨

Advertisement