As mentioned in my previous blog post, 2021 felt like nothing happened to it, yet a lot of things did. Between the multiple periods of lull and #stayhome campaigns, I’m grateful that I was kept company by the various media I consume. So of course, I won’t miss out on sharing my own Best of 2021. As usual, this list is composed not necessarily of stuff created in 2021 but things that I discovered and loved during the year.
Movies
- Runner Up: Spiderman: No Way Home
Probably the only two movies I am rating a 5 this year. Promising Young Woman either pulls us to look ourselves in the mirror or becomes a source of a trigger of unpleasant memories. It is such a well-made movie that deserved its awards. On the other hand, If you are just looking for some fun, “don’t think too much” type of movie, Spiderman: No way home is surely a feast for everyone, especially Marvel fans.
Books
- Runner-Up: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
I thoroughly enjoyed reading these two books this year. I did notice the two protagonists are on the opposite ends of the spectrum of life. City of Girls did a great job in storytelling the colorful life of Vivian Moris while Eleanor Oliphant tells the story of a severely traumatized woman in the way that a severely traumatized woman would. These books taught me that a woman should be able to live her life the way she wants to and to be grateful even for the things we deem as “normal”
TV show
To be fair, I didn’t watch a lot of “TV” this year so my views on this are limited. But I concur with many people how much they loved this mini-series! I feel that the storytelling was pretty unique, the execution was great, the actors went above and beyond and I discovered / re-discovered Kathryn Hann! I can’t get over it until now actually, and I may even rewatch it, and I rarely rewatch stuff.
Pods
- Runner-Ups: Between us Queens, Fat Mascara
Pods are my constant company during WFH phases (and most of the year was spent WFH). I alternate between lo-fi sounds and pods. The above three are not the only ones I discovered this year, but probably the ones whose topics I enjoyed the most this year. Jim and Saab are my age and although I am not in the same season of life as theirs, I enjoy and relate to their takes on the different topics they talk about. Meanwhile, I appreciate Between us Queens not because I follow PH pageantry, (they don’t really discuss it much in the pod) but because I enjoy their topics and how they present it concisely. Plus these are the people in the same season of life as me. And Fat Mascara… I really needed another medium talking about make-up, huh? Haha, I like how fun Jess and Matt are and I like hearing thoughts from beauty editors themselves as I only ever hear beauty take from YT influencers for a long time.
Makeup
- Runner-Ups: Rare Beauty, Liquid Blush, and Lip Souffle
2021 is the year I decided to cross the other side of the bridge and start using cool-toned makeup. Love how this is an easy-to-use palette and the formulation is still as good as the other palettes of them that I have. I’ve not had alot of opportunities to use this but *hopefully,* I will be able to use it more in 2022. 2021 is also the year I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try liquid products. Rare Beauty is probably the only celebrity line that can match up to Fenty Beauty in terms of success and quality. The Liquid blush is quite pigmented (frighteningly so), lasts all day, and doesn’t disappear on my oily face. Meanwhile, Lip Souffle is so comfy on the lips, though not long-wearing, and the shade I got is a close dupe to the discontinued Colourpop x Iluvsarahii collab liquid lip that I loved. Honorable mentions here are Strokes Beauty blushes and highlighters though they don’t last as long as Rare Beauty liquids for me.
YT
- Runner-Up: Toni Sia
Make-up YT is still alive and well in my world. However, there were some vloggers that I’ve outgrown. The reason being, we are not in the same season of life and I can’t relate to them anymore, or the content just doesn’t seem interesting for me anymore. This year, I discovered Allana Davison (Canadian YT-er) and Toni Sia (PH YT-er). Yes, they are younger than me (Allana, maybe not so much), it’s just that I relate to their content so much more than other people my age. Also, some honorable mentions include Kelly Gooch and Charlotte Holdcroft, though I will say that it’s Allana’s and Toni’s videos that I look forward to the most, as they upload a little less frequently than Kelly and Charlotte.
Place to Walk / Hike in SG 2021
I made it a goal this year to go out for long walks/hikes. I managed to visit several nature reserves this year (and you’d think Singapore doesn’t have any). I loved my experience in Labrador Nature Reserved the most this year. It was a long and tiring walk but not to the point where I collapse (haha), and though it was a nature reserve, it was still very near the city so it doesn’t feel so remote. For those that want a longer journey, this reserve connects to the Southern Ridges Trail , which extends back to Henderson Waves. (10 km walk)
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Moving forward, I’m not sure when we will finally be able to live our lives “normally” again. It seems this pandemic doesn’t want to end. My hope for you dear reader is that instead of “waiting” for it to end and waste away another year, I hope you will have the courage and the initiative to step out of your comfort zone and make 2022 count, regardless of what is happening around you.
Manigong Bagong Taon!
Halfreformed 