Monthly Wrap-Up: November 2023

December 4, 2023December 4, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

I don’t even know where November went because it passed in a literal blink. How are we already in the last month of 2023 and can someone tell me how I can make time slow down a little? It’s been a stressful month with my anxiety skyrocketing thanks to work activities and I know the feelings won’t let up until at least mid-December when projects end and accounts close. 😮‍💨 Wish it was here already! The highlights for November include:

My older (and only) brother got married! 🎊
We gained a new sister in the family! 🌸
I caved and finally bought Fae Farm and it was the best decision cos I’m obsessed with this cosy game! 🎮

Monthly Wrap-Up: October 2023

November 2, 2023November 2, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

As expected for the last few months of every year, October passed in a blur. I blinked and it was time for my two-week holiday with besties, then I blinked again and the holiday was over, I back to work feeling like I never had a break to begin with and it’s now November. How? I had a great time on my holiday that passed by too quickly and it was such a busy (but fun!) time that I felt like I needed a holiday post-holiday… I feel so spoiled saying that but it’s true, lol! 😂 I’m sharing three pictures here but you can find more in my Sunday post.

This holiday wasn’t all I did this month but the rest of it was just hectic work days and all of that regular jazz. So the holiday was my main highlight but TS also released her version of my favourite album of hers, 1989. I’ve been *thriving*. If you’re a fan, what’s your favourite re-recording and vault track?! I loved Wonderland’s re-recording and my favourite vault track has to be Say Don’t Go… And Is It Over Now? cos you can’t make me choose one! 🤭

#23for23: A Possibility Pile

October 12, 2023October 8, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

In last week’s TTT post, I shared a list of 20 recommendations for the #23for23 reading challenge. Today, I’m sharing a possibility pile for what I hope to read to fulfil the challenge by the end of the year! But before we dive into this long list of possibilities, what is this challenge that I speak of?

I first heard about it on the Fated Mates podcast episode that brought the author Nikki Payne on to talk about it. The goal here is simple: read 23 books by BIPOC authors with BIPOC characters before the end of 2023.

DID YOU KNOW?

MISSION: The 23for23 initiative amplifies and elevates marginalized voices in publishing by promoting, showcasing, and celebrating the works of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color dedicated to telling stories that center marginalized identities.

Monthly Wrap-Up: September 2023

October 2, 2023October 1, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

It kind of feels like I blinked and woke up when September ended. 😂 Most of the month was business as usual. The highlight was getting to leave Jakarta for a work retreat.

Another plus is that we’re one day closer to the upcoming “treat yourself, besties” holiday in mid-October! ☀️

But now that September is over, there are also so many things that I need to prepare for work-wise that have me sinking into my anxiety just a little bit more than usual. I signed a new contract that upped my pay, which is amazing, but it also really upped my responsibilities and I don’t know if I’m ready for that. My boss tells me it’s my lack of confidence that always gets in my way and I know she’s right, to an extent, but it’s still a lot. I’m incredibly thankful but also extremely nervous about living up to what the team needs and expects, too. Anyway, maybe I should focus on my holiday before thinking too hard about the rest of it, eh? 🫠🫣

Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2023

September 2, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads18 Comments

🎶August slipped away into a moment in time…🎶

August felt like it got over in the blink of an eye! Work started to pick up again this month but I also took a long weekend break to get away to Bali to visit my aunt and cousin and to hang out with the whole family. My sister also sent me some things from Japan through a friend of hers and that little package made my day a few weeks back! Overall, it was a pretty decent month 🙂

Monthly Wrap-Ups: June & July 2023

August 5, 2023August 5, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

June and July were… Months. 😂 Work took over my life—and not in the best way—in June and what should have been a month of decompressing and destressing in July, was filled with personal losses that really broke my heart. They weren’t the greatest months and have solidified the fact that 2023 is a year of utter chaos, confusion and change even more so than the previous years, at least for me personally! I’m hoping that the rest of the year will be significantly better but at this point I’m just trying to do what’s best for me by taking it one day at a time, losing myself in games, and slowly working my way back to books, reading and blogging.

Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2023

May 29, 2023May 29, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

There are still two more days until May ends but I don’t think I’ll be finishing more books this month so I’m wrapping it up early.

May was my birthday month but honestly, everything was so low-key this month that I don’t even know where the days went. I know I basically took one full week off to do nothing but read and (mostly) game but as for the rest of the days, things have blended into one big blur of long and busy work days and little else. 😂 My life is so riveting! If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that right now I’m pretty much obsessed with Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom which was released this month. Other than the game, I didn’t really splurge on books or treat myself to retail therapy—I mostly indulged in “me” time and I don’t regret it. I can’t believe I’m 35 though, lol.

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2023

May 4, 2023May 4, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads18 Comments

April was the quietest month so far this year. It almost felt like the calm before the storm because things are picking back up again and I’m starting to get a little nervous but we got this, right?! I indulged in a good bit of retail therapy in April and got myself new headphones, new glasses (boo, poorer eyesight but yay for snap-on sunnies), and books—lots and lots of books. Other than that, my days continued to be a monotonous cycle of work, eat, sleep(ish) and repeat. With my sister gone to Japan for uni and my parents continuously travelling, this big house has been pretty quiet with just me and the doggos! Looking forward to when my parents get back in the first week of May so the house will be livelier, at least for a little bit.

Monthly Wrap-Up: March 2023

April 6, 2023April 5, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads29 Comments

It’s April. What happened in March? I’m not quite sure 😂 My days continue to be a monotonous cycle of work, eat, sleep(ish) and repeat. The only significant thing that happened was that my sister left to go to school in Japan mid-month and I took a few days off work to spend time with her and decompress. I’ve been feeling perpetually tired these days and I know that has a lot to do with my mental health, which hasn’t been in the best state. So, while March was already better and less stressful than February, I’m still hoping that April will be significantly better all around!

Monthly Wrap-Up: February 2023

March 4, 2023March 4, 2023 Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

Where do I even start with February? I thought I was ready for what the month would bring but I definitely was not. At. All. Ready. 😭😂 I think I can begin glancing back at this experience now and have a slight chuckle at how overwhelmed and overworked and over everything I was. And although I’ve done my best to push the stress of the situation to the back of my mind, I know that once I reflect on the past month from a professional perspective, I will also realise that I’ve gained a lot from it and I’ll probably maybe be thankful for having gone through what I did. But as of right now, I’m not quite there yet and I’ll do anything in my power to ensure I never have to experience this again. Ever. Again. No more. 🫣

This is pretty much it for the life update front because nothing else but work happened this month and it’s sad that that’s not at all an exaggeration, lol.