Happy New Year everyone! I’ve just recovered from a viral infection, after resting & being a “eepy girl” for a couple weeks, I can finally work on my blog post.
There was a lot of ups & downs in my 2023. In this blog post, I’m going to share the things & moments that brought me joy last year and my last year’s New Year resolutions!
1. Got back into doll hobby & bought my first ball jointed doll
I was so excited to get my first parabox doll! She is such a cutie and it was really fun to dress her up in different styles of outfit and wig. I wish I could bring her out to do more photoshoots, but it was kind of a hassle when I had to carry her and while wearing a full lolita coord. Perhaps this year goal for me would be do more photoshoots for Miss Starlight?
2. Got back into cosplay & conventions
Yes, 2023 was the year that I got back into cosplay and going to conventions, who would’ve thought a fps game would reignite me into cosplaying again.
Toronto March Comic Con: I remember my work bestie Mina & I wanted to do something for fun before she flew back to her country, so I asked if she wanted to go to Comic Con with me. She was thrilled to go & we even planned a last minute cosplay for her, which was Misa from Death Note! We were basically Mercy & Misa, and we represented Life & Death 😉 It was actually so sweet to see someone attend a con for the first time, to quote Mina, “Wow! It’s like I’m entering a world with anime characters in real life!”
Anime North: What can I say? The con crunch for attempting to finish my Atlantic Mercy cosplay before the masquerade. Walking around in the Anime North parking lot under the scalding sun. Performing on a stage despite I was super nervous. Eating Congee Queen takeout & drinking powdery bubble tea like a weeb with Julia in the hotel room. It was definitely a memorable experience. 🙂
Fan Expo: I have got to say, my Black cat Dva cosplay is the cosplay that I most proud of for 2023. I still love Atlantic Mercy, but I really enjoyed the experience of making my Black Cat Dva cosplay, from picking out the fabric & trims, sewing the dress, to making the cute accessories. Especially I knew I didn’t make major mistakes when sewing the costume haha. For the con itself, it was a bit overwhelming for me and I’m pretty sure a lot of attendees would agree. I still had fun hanging out with my friends though!
3. My birthday at Laduree, Barbie Movie & Collingwood Trip
I’ve gotten another year older in the summer! Some cool things happened in the summer, such as going to see the Barbie movie with mama dearie, witnessing an empowering movement of the Barbie era (reclaiming femininity, self love & dismantling toxic masculinity), had a small gathering at Laduree to celebrate my birthday, visited Collingwood with my cousins and spent some time in the nature (which I found it’s actually quite enjoyable & meditating).
4. Went to 4 Concerts in 2023 (100 gecs, Hannah Diamond, Kim Petras & Slayyyter)
I felt like the college dearie would be so excited for me, it was a dream to watch my favs perform and interact with them at the front row! I enjoyed every show in 2023, it was a year filled with great concerts.
100 gecs – 10,000 gecs Tour: I loved the energy from 100 gecs & it was so magical to see them perform live. I was so shocked when I appeared on the stage’s camera during “Fallen 4 U”, it was a really cute & cool moment.
Hannah Diamond: Affirmations/Perfect Picture Tour: My second time travelling out of my province for a concert. It was definitely worth it! I loved Hannah Diamond’s show, it was like seeing a digital ballerina come to life & it was so surreal! She also complimented on the merch tights I was wearing when I said goodbye to her as she was leaving the venue, which was such a sweet moment. ❤
Kim Petras – Feed The Beast Tour: A complete different vibe from Miss HD show 3 days ago. Kim was serving fantasy glam & medieval princess knight in her performance. I loved her outfits, choreography and props, for those who’ve seen clips or photos of her encore, if you know, you know.
Slayyyter – Club Valentine Tour: It was such a fun & memorable show on Halloween night! I met Slayyyter again & she signed our polaroid photo from her last tour. She also talked about her favourite places in Toronto when I asked her during the Q & A session. She was serving spooky hollywood glam in her performance, it was so mesmerizing. It really reminded me of the anime “Oshi No Ko” in a way.
I made some new friends at the Miss HD show, which are Garry from Toronto & David from Montreal! It’s always so excited to connect with hyperpop fans irl! I also reunited with Witchell at the Slayyyter show! I first met him at SOPHIE’s show in 2019, after that we always tried to meet each other at other concerts, but one of us either ended up having to go home early or the crowd was so chaotic that we couldn’t find each other. This time though, we made a plan and we were able to meet up successfully!
5. Kei Con Tea Party
Kei Con tea party would be the biggest lolita event I attended in 2023! I enjoyed meeting new lolitas from the US & chatted with Mahou Queen from the BAK bibliotheca blogging circle. The spooky & haunted doll theme afternoon tea was scarily delicious! I also couldn’t believe I won the best sweet coordinate at the tea party!
6. Montreal trip with Joyce
I have so many fond memories throughout this Montreal trip. Having delicious ramen after we got off of the Megabus. Seeing Hannah Diamond live & singing our hearts out with Joyce. Meeting up with my discord friend Winter. Going shopping in my jirai kei coord in Montreal. Visiting cute cafes & gift shops. Eating an authentic poutine (I felt like I’ve fulfilled my goal!).
Honestly I feel like this trip actually inspires me to go out of my comfort zone and travel more, I also feel like this mini vacation has helped me to recharge & relax. I rarely travel outside of my province, so I wish I can travel to some major US cities for fun in 2024 (this was one of my goals in 2023! I will talk about it more in the conclusion.)
7. Christmas Market with Lona
This was probably my last outing of 2023, I’m glad I got to spend Christmas Eve with Lona! We had some delicious meals at Sakawa Coffee, I had omurice & Lona had katsu sando. I was so excited to try it out because I was craving for omurice that week! We took a uber to the Christmas market at the distillery district afterward, we had so much fun browsing at the shops, looked at cute puppies and had sanrio characters inspired cotton candy! I was laughing at myself that because I felt like Lona and I were the only adult in the line for the cotton candy, but there was a pair of young adult couple in front of us heheh!
I still have many other favourite moments in 2023 which are very hard for me to include all in this blog post!
I felt like 2023 was the year for me to rediscover my hobbies & learn how to take better care of my mental health, which really helped me to fulfill my 2023 goals. My goals for last year was to travel more, work on more creative projects and work on my resilience.
I did plan to visit NYC in February of last year, I remember browsing for airbnbs and plane tickets, but I dipped out at the end. I did explore different areas in Montreal last year, so I would say I still completed this goal. ✅
For my goals of working on more creative projects and work on my resilience, I would say these were like killing two birds with one stone! ✅ ✅ I started drawing for zines again when I joined my friend Jordan @endlessfret ‘s Still Zine project. Not only I found the motivation to draw again, it also helped me to cope with my mental health. It was actually pretty therapeutic to draw while listening to my favourite music. It also reminded me when my cousin has suggested to me to do journalling because it helped her to clear her mind, I guess it also helped me to process my emotions as well.
My main resolution for 2024 is simply to learn how to be kind, but assertive. I realized sometimes I still struggled with being firm and confident, which can get me into troubles especially at work. I believe by learning how to assert my boundaries, it will improve my mental well-being.
I hope you all have a great start in 2024! Until next time. 🙂
dearie_dawn 