2O13 Favorites

2O13 Favorites

12.31.2013

My 2 favorite moments this year, because I just can't pick one, had to be rope swinging in Truckee and my private tour at Pixar Animation Studios.
When we went to Truckee, we were invited to stay at a private "beach" by a very nice man who rented out the house we were staying in at the time. There he had a rope swing that we couldn't use to jump in the water, but we could swing back and forth on it until we got rope burns or until we had to go back home. I met a guy there who I had gotten close to during the trip, and it was really nice because he wanted to do animation like I wanted to, so we got to talk about our different lifestyles and our same career paths. When it got near night time, he told me to go on the rope swing at the highest knot and, when I got to the highest point during the swing, to just look at the sky. So I did. And it was the most beautiful and amazing sight that I have ever seen in my life. The sky was littered with twinkling starts. It was like someone had dumped a bucket of glitter onto the sky. It was truly something that I would never forget.
My second favorite moment of '13 was the tour at Pixar. My dad knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who worked at Pixar and was able to give me a tour of the studio. When my dad told me that we were going there in a couple of days, I almost cried. It's funny because a lot of people go and tour there daily, so it's not a huge deal to get a tour, but the fact that I got to WALK and SEE the place where I've been fantasizing about since my freshman year of high school was such a big deal to me. When we arrived, we saw that the whole studio was decked out in Monster's University props; it was spectacular. I got to see everything and learn so much more about the studio. I also saw John Lasseter (!!!!!!!!)! It was so inspiring to see everyone working together and having so much fun while working. Now, I pass by Pixar everyday whenever I go to school, so when I'm down, I just have to remember how close I am to accomplishing my goals and bringing me one step closer to my dreams. The cheese is overflowing from that sentence!
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(please ignore the ad you hear before you play the song. the song will play right after.)
Music is, I believe, one of the most beautiful things in life. It's amazing how artists can put so much emotion while telling a story into something that people can almost relate to at any time of the day. It also brings out memories, both the good and the bad. These songs in my playlist are both the most relatable songs of 2013, as well as my favorites. 
Favorite Song of the Year: At Your Touch - Joe Hertz "I want to know, baby will you give me all your love? But don't tell me that you love me, baby." Favorite Artist/Band of the Year: Two Door Cinema Club "And I can tell you what you want, you don't want to be alone. You don't want to be alone."
 Favorite Album of the Year: Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys  Brianstorm, D is for Dangerous, Balaclava, Fluorescent Adolescent, Old Yellow Bricks
Let me know what your favorite songs are of this year! Or recommend me your favorite song/album/artist! I'd love to hear them (:
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Reading is something that I very much enjoy doing during my free time. Sometimes when I'm having a rough day, I like to read to become someone else and live their adventure. My life can get extremely dull at times, so I love pretending that I'm off solving mysteries or falling in love with vampires (lol not).  While on an Alaskan cruise during the summer, I found that I was rather bored by the ship's events, so I wandered the ship until I found the library. 
"One night, after the first snowfall of the year, a boy named Jonas wakes up and discovers that his mother has disappeared. Only one trace of her remains: a pink scarf, his Christmas gift to her, now worn by the snowman that inexplicably appeared in their yard earlier that day.  Inspector Harry Hole suspects a link between the missing woman and a suspicious letter he’s received. The case deepens when a pattern emerges: over the past decade, eleven women have vanished—all on the day of the first snow. But this is a killer who makes his own rules . . . and he’ll break his pattern just to keep the game interesting, as he draws Harry ever closer into his twisted web. With brilliantly realized characters and hair-raising suspense, international bestselling author Jo Nesbø presents his most chilling case yet—one that will test Harry Hole to the very limits of his sanity."

I stumbled upon The Snowman, written by Jo Nesbø, on the shelf. I was intrigued because when I saw it because it was on the best seller's shelf, and typically, books about snowmen are fun and whimsical, but I was totally off; this book had the most detailed descriptions on the way people were killed and what they looked like in the environment they were in as well as the time between when they were killed to the present time. Even though this wasn't the first book to the Harry Hole series, I felt like I could still follow with what was going on in the story.  I highly recommend this book, and the series, to anyone who loves a good police/crime genre, or anybody who's tired of reading their same genre over and over and wants to try something different. I promise that this won't disappoint.
And, again, let me know your favorite book! Or if you've read this book, tell me what you think about it! I didn't want to include any spoilers with this.
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I honestly don't know what more to say or write about, so I'd like to give a huge shout out to everyone I've encountered, smiled at, and befriended this year. I truly wouldn't be the person I am today without any of you. Even though most of you don't read my blog, I'll be thanking you in spirit LOL. But much love to my family, my friends (both new and old), and the IG family I've made this year. I'm not too cheesy and sentimental, but I love you all!
Have a fantastic new year, everyone!