Oh! Hey! Didn't see you there.
It's me, Anjali! Wait, what date is it?
*checks calendar*
Hmm...it says, 5th February...
Hold on...does this mean we're in February?!!
HUH?!! *freaks out*
EEEEEK! YAY! JANUARY IS OVER!!!!
Okay, so I know I am kinda late to do a January wrap up but oh well. Here's everything I did in January.
January dragged on forever. It feels like it is finally over after an eternity. Like literally, I barely remember what I did in January, so I am basically typing all this stuff after checking my journal entries which aren't many.
New Year's Day was quite fun. I finished watching Hellbound with my parents (Sorry, I can't tell which one's better. Hellbound or Squid Game lol).
I started writing entries with journal prompts.
The keyword here: Started. Journal prompts were just not fitting to me so I decided to move to daily entries instead.
Then I started obsessing over Encanto songs...*smirks* (the obsession is still not gone. Like a sEvEn fOoT fRaMe).
Then I realized I had a (not really) billion dues to get done before my holidays ended on 10 Jan and I got done with some dues by the end of the week which was fine. This week went by in a flash.
Ok, *clears throat* here comes the part which ACTUALLY made January feel like dragging on forever. I got covid-
Our whole family got it from my dad. My mom and dad got tested positive and then I and my brother started having symptoms, so we assumed we all had covid. I had a 102° fever.
I don't know why whenever I get a fever, I always get headaches which are as painful as hell. This time the headaches were worse. My parents put a wet cloth on my and my brother's heads. I genuinely can't recall what exactly happened because the days went by in a blur.
Let's skip to the good part:
WE WENT ON A MOVIE SPREE. EKKK! We watched TONS of movies that I will mention later in this post. My family became better on the last two days of the second week of January. Since I had covid, I couldn't get done with some of my dues, so I submitted them late and the teacher was okay with it (THANK GOD).
Also, I started my mailing list but I totally removed it later on because it was actually a burden getting out of control. And I almost forgot to mention, I became a part of Mel Torrefranca's beta team for her upcoming trilogy!!
Urgh. This week was boring. I completed reading Legend this week. IT WAS AMAZING. I procrastinated a lot this week. I also filmed a video where I shared all the books I read in 2021. I uploaded the video this week too I think.
Then I ranted in my journal about people who don't like hyped shows. LIKE WHY?! At the end of the week, I decided that whatever I had written in draft 1 of my book, I wanted to delete ALL of it because I did not like what I had written. Besides, I learned so many new ways that I wanted to try out while re-writing it. I chose to do a fresh start, so I created a document where I wrote a bit about my main character (Spoiler: Her name is Eva!!).
Boy! This is the week where I decided that I wanted to start journaling on Notion a.k.a. I wanted to type my journal entries on a digital platform instead of writing them down in my notebook. I only wrote like 3 days...then I just...umm stopped? Yes, that's right. But I hope to write more in February.
I got the Google Docs file of Mel's Book 1 in her Belladonna trilogy. I read a lot and loved it! Then I got this stupid-but-gave-me-an-awesome-idea-for-a-future-trilogy dream. It felt realistic. But obviously, it wasn't. And here I am ranting about something totally not related to January Wrap Up:
These days, the theory that says that humans are under simulation is intriguing me a lot.
Anyways, I wrote a young adult thriller short story some days later which you can check out here. I really can't remember what else I did in January. These are the signs that explain how much I need to pay attention to everything I do. Lol.
Perhaps, this is all I have for the life updates section.
*checks her YouTube history to check the music she listened to in January*
Ok, so after searching on literally every social media account I have, here are the songs that I remember I was obsessing over in January.
P.S. I am pretty sure I forgot some. But this is what I found, lol.
All these songs are sooooooo good. I can't even begin to explain.
Ooooh. I am positive I watched so many movies in January. So here they are:
Ok, I re-watched a ton of movies too but I didn't want to mention them.
So first of all, I didn't read much in January because I considered it as a break month from everything and I am quite sad to announce that I read only 3 books...
I am in the middle of 2-3 books right now that I couldn't finish by the end of January but here are the 3 books I read:
This book is so underrated. It's a contemporary mystery. It's awesome, you gotta read it. It's also hilarious.
Synopsis:
Here’s something you won’t believe: someone is doing TERRIBLE things to Mrs. Martin, Cymbeline Igloo’s favorite teacher of all time.
Cymbeline has to find the culprit (after he’s learned what ‘culprit’ means). He’s also got to help his friend Veronique, whose grandma is dangerously ill. It seems Nanai has a secret, connected to her arrival in the UK as a Boat Person from Vietnam, a traumatic journey in which she lost her twin sister. Can Cymbeline figure out the mystery in time?
One thing is for sure: even the most unexpected people can change your life in wonderful ways . . .
It's a great graphic novel. It was boring at times but it did make me laugh at good times, lol.
Synopsis:
Seventh-grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Yup, it's my new favorite dystopian thriller. I AM TELLING YOU GUYS, I CAN NOT GET ENOUGH OF DYSTOPIAN THRILLERS.
Synopsis:
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
A big fat no to this one. I just didn't seem to write anything in January. I wanted to take a break from everything. That's also the reason why I rejected my first draft and decided to start writing draft 1 again in February. Though, I know I wouldn't be able to write much since my exams will start at the end of February. But I am aiming to write 5k words in February. We'll see how it goes.
1. Write 5k words in my contemporary novel.
2. Write in my digital journal at least thrice a week.
3. Study for exams.
4. Read 5 books.
5. Don't announce hiatus on website.
The last one is pretty hard but I'll try my best.
And that's it for the January wrap up! I hope your month was far better than mine. If you would like this post and drop anything in the comments, it will make my day! <3
The Silent Sea is underrated.