What 2017 has meant to me

Hello my lost friend searching the internet for excitement, welcome to my blog.
In case you just wandered here and you think what the fuck is this, you're welcome to go away, be free, prosper and die.
In case you didn't, well... it's been a long time, glad you're still around to read some of the crazy stuff that goes through my mind. Hope you enjoy it!
So I have been quiet lately, I know. But trust me, I've been crazy busy, running like a tit from left to right, pardon my French.
In the last few weeks, however, I kinda got into this state of thinking about life, pondering things and ruminating around decisions. It just made me realize just how much I've grown since I last posted on my blog and this is what I want to share with you. It's what I've learned in the last few years, so not really all 2017, more like "how I got better at life by sucking at it for a very very long time"
So here goes, what 2017 has meant to me:

• Youtube dive for music is one of the best most rewarding activities I ever conducted. If you don't know what Youtube dive means, it's when you start listening to a song you like and look for recommendations in the right bar and go from one recommendation to another for about 100 times till you find PURE GOLD, MAN. I am not kidding, 50% of the good music I discovered in the last 2-3 years has been found this way. Totally worth it. And yes, I did notice commercial music like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift creeping out through the recommendations on a Cigarettes after Sex video. Don't think that I don't see you try to push crap music that sells to your users, Youtube. You're better than that.
• Next one, I fucking met a TON of nice, fun, amazing people. Some of them I stayed friends with, some of them I didn't, but it was fucking awesome. I actually think that your friends are like a box of chocolate. And let me explain to you why I say that: I am known for not craving or even liking chocolate at times. I know, it sounds like I'm a serial killer, but trust me on this one. There are only a few sortiments of chocolate I actually will not say no to, but I will not have more than one tiny piece. So, to me, friends literally are like a box of chocolate. Sometimes you get strawberry filling (ew!), sometimes you get dark chocolate (meh) and on occasions you get one small piece of caramelized pralines with a touch of pistachio (yeah, babyyyyy). You never know what you get till you try, so this takes me to the next point:
• Always try to have low expectations. Or none whatsoever. Why? It will save you from feeling disappointed or letting other people down. If you plan small, you will have the greatest time of your life when you get to do something that's even a tinsy bit extra. Trust me on this one. Like let me give you one concrete example: I just moved into a small country where everybody speaks a language that I don't. It makes it almost impossible to meet new people. So I plan to not meet people and do some alone time, I go to the swimming pool a lot and I cook almost every day, and I read and spend my time on the couch watching shows (for the hundredth time). And guess what? Every time I get the chance of having a drink with a colleague or see a friend or relative, or have my mom over, I fucking cherish that and I end up having THE BEST TIME. I don't know about them though :D
• Regardless of what it is, if you are good at something and you enjoy it, you go and do that. DO NOT let others tell you that video games are bullshit, that makeup is bad for you or that you should feel ashamed for watching Netflix. OK, if your passion is around drugs or drinking yourself into oblivion, you might need to take a step back and reconsider my advice here. But otherwise, do not listen to others and do not give up on the things that bring you pleasure. For example, I used to be (and still am) very conscious of my bad French. People that have known me for long enough know how afraid I am to speak in French. I'm just really obsessed with how beautiful this language is and how bad I am at it. And I've got a lot of criticism on it from French speakers too (shame on you). And you know what I did? I kept trying and trying and trying. I listened to French radio every day, I still do it. I bought books in French to force myself to read. I terrorized any French person I could find that had the boldness of saying they're ok with helping me out. They all regretted it, but you know what? I got better! Still have a lot to improve, but seeing how far I've come makes me really proud of myself. Shout out to me for being a total kickass at not giving up!
• Ok, last one because this post is getting a bit long. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT ever think you are completely lonely and that nobody loves you. Bullshit. Lots of people care about you, they just don't always have the time or energy to show it. And regardless of other people, YOU should be your own best friend. As long as you like you for you o_O you will always have somebody to rely on. And remember, people are like these amazing fun stops in your train ride through life, but your one and only companion through the entire journey is YOURSELF, so learn to have fun and amaze yourself, because you deserve it. Stop competing with others, stop thinking about the things you want to have or that society is telling you you should have. You go out there and be the best version of yourself every day. And when you don't feel like being your own superhero, don't feel bad. Just take a break, recompose and remember what matters to you.

So yeah. I guess this completes what 2017 has meant to me.
It sure was a fun interesting year and I absolutely loved every minute of it.
If you learned anything in 2017, please don't be afraid to share, we're all here to exchange opinions and spread the LOVE.

Wishing you a marvelous holiday time, don't get too drunk on New Year's Eve and if you do, hope you don't feel hungover the next day!

Hugs,
Alexandra