It’s been a while on my blog so I thought I’d have a little catch-up with you on what I’ve been up to this year so far. I have lacked the energy and motivation to blog for a while since 2020, but as things are slowly starting to look up, I’ve managed to hop back on here and hopefully get my blogging mojo back! Slowly but surely.
So, here are some things that have been keeping me occupied during Part 2 of the 2020 Saga (aka 2021):
Watching anime:
I’ve been really into watching anime recently, with all this extra time at home. I’ve actually got a long list of to-be-watched and have been ticking them off as I go! Kdramas has gone out the window and anime has taken its place for now. Some of my favs are Fruits Basket, Nana, Death Note, Sword Art Online, Kimi Ni Todoke, The Promised Neverland, Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, I want to eat your Pancreas, Weathering with You and Your Name.
Gaming:
For a bit of escapism, I’ve recently dived into the world of games, so here are a few that I’ve been playing!
Genshin Impact
In March I discovered this new anime-style open-world RPG game called Genshin Impact, and am totally addicted. It’s a free-to-play gacha game by Mihoyo, and is reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The cute characters, storyline and graphics had me hooked and the mechanics are easy to pick up for new gamers like me. You can play with friends in co-op mode and is available be played across 3 platforms – PC, mobile and PS4, and it should also be coming out soon on the Switch!
Guildwars 2
Last year my friend had introduced this game to me as I caught her playing on it one day! It’s also an open-world RPG game with lots to explore and has a medieval vibe to it.
The Sims
Yes, I do still play this now and then, on PC and mobile! I have a thing for creating characters and designing and decorating mansions that I can’t afford IRL.
Clubhouse app:
A friend of mine had added me to this social app, and it’s been a great little space to meet and connect with others online! So many of us feel the impact of loneliness and stress during this pandemic, and just chatting and hearing other people’s voices can be comforting. I have joined in some casual conversations about daily life, working from home, topics about Asian representation and the BIPOC community, music and live piano jam sessions!
Astrology:
I’ve always had an interest in Astrology, but it has since soared during the pandemic. I came to realise how little I knew about this subject and it’s been fascinating to learn more about it. I’m someone who always loves to learn, so when I’m interested in a particular subject, I go all in! Bought the books, watched the videos, repped my star sign, everythang. One reason why I love Astrology is that it can help you to understand and discover more about yourself, your tendencies and the way you think and view the world. It is more complex than just your sun sign. I think it’s great for self-discovery and self-improvement. I might make a separate post about this topic another time as I could go on!
Podcasts:
I was never really into podcasts as I prefer to watch and read things, and have a poor attention span when it comes to listening to people just talking. But I have discovered a few interesting ones on Spotify that I sometimes listen to, often about important/current issues and things to do with my own ethnicity and culture. I also enjoy listening to Hong Kong podcasts as I like to keep up with my Chinese (Cantonese) language skills (as a British-Chinese, my first language is English). I’ve listed them below:
- 生活小領悟| Iced milk tea & chill
- ALOHAGWA 西瓜平衡時空
- 不浪漫故事 Not A Romantic Story
- Kalyn’s Coffee Talk
- But Where Are You From?
- Yellow Bee Pod
- BAM & Beyond: The Podcast
Acrylic painting:
I started a new hobby at the beginning of this year and dabbled a bit in acrylic painting – something I wanted to try out but never seemed to have the time to. I had a class on acrylic painting ages ago when I visited Hong Kong as a kid, and really enjoyed it but never picked up the paintbrush again when I returned home back to the UK. So now I thought, why not give it another go! It’s really relaxing and is another great creative outlet.
What things have you been into lately? Have you picked up any new or old hobbies during this time?
