Hi, hi!
It has been some time since I’ve sat down and written something for my blog. Last summer, I was sure I had revived my joy for writing, and I was really excited to come back to reviewing and making content for my blog. I’ve mentioned a few times before that since I graduated in 2020, and I’ve been looking for a full-time job. Since I was 17, I have worked mainly as a waitress as I went to college/university while also running this blog as a way to keep myself creative. Lockdown had a massive effect on me and my mental health as it caused many job interviews and internships to cease as companies tried to figure out COVID. I don’t blame them; 2020 was a tough time to figure out how to keep going.
I had thought that with all my free time while job searching, I was sure to keep my blog going, but instead, I faced a huge mental roadblock. I felt like I couldn’t write reviews because it took away from the time I could be job-searching. I even found myself reading less because I was consumed with the idea that I couldn’t allow myself the pleasure of reading if I still didn’t have a job. In all, I just felt defeated. I write this as I am 24, turning 25 this March and looking back at my early twenties feeling like I’ve done nothing remarkable.
Sorry for the gloomy post so far. I’m hoping from now on; it will be much more positive. People always say we shouldn’t have to wait for the new year to make a change, but I find it comforting and a lot easier on my brain to use the new year as a refresher and figure out what comes next.
So, what is next? I don’t know, and I think I’m okay with that. I’ve slowly been returning to reading more and finally sorting through my neglected TBR and ARC list. I began reading webtoons during lockdown, which I have been a great way of easing me back into reading. I do have some old reviews just sitting around that I didn’t feel 100% on posting but looking back at them, the reviews were fine; I just wasn’t in the best head space to share them. I’m excited to feel happy again about making reviews and sharing them with the world, but that isn’t the only thing I’ve been doing. I shared a few pieces of artwork here last year, but I’ve recently returned to drawing, especially digital art, which has been a blessing in disguise. It has helped me a lot whenever I was stressed, giving me another way to have the creative output that blogging usually gave me.
And not only do I draw, but I also stream! I’ve wanted to stream since 2019, but I never had the right equipment or confidence to start. Last year, I bought a new laptop (rip to my uni laptop, she worked fine, but couldn’t even handle Photoshop) and created a PNG model to use in lieu of my face! I stream over on Twitch @Zaheerah
When creating my model, I was juggling whether I should make a persona or just base the character on myself. I did decide on just using myself as the model. I even created little outfits based on specific characters from games and animes I like. Most of the outfits are based on Genshin Impact characters, but I recently created off based on Link from The Legend of Zelda. I have recently started a Master Mode run of Breath of the Wild, so I was inspired to create an outfit since I plan on streaming its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom when its released this May.
While this schedule isn’t set in stone, I’ll be streaming Monday, Wednesday and Friday 5:30 PM GMT. I usually stream Genshin Impact, Breath of the Wild and any new games that interest me!
So that’s what I’ve been doing primarily off the blog; I just wanted to let people know since I know my following here is different from other social media sites. I guess this is where I’ll sign off. I’m super excited to get back into reviewing and reminding myself why I made this site in the first place, which was to share my love for books!
Happy (belated) New Year, everyone; I’m excited to see where this new year will take us!
as told by zaheerah 