My Favorite Things of 2016

Let's be honest, 2016 was kind of a dumpster fire year. There was seemingly a lot of terrorist activity. In the United States, there were constant examples of racism and sexism. The greatest example probably was electing an unqualified candidate who is both sexist and a racist. Not to mention the countless great entertainers we lost this year. Yep. Dumpster Fire.

2016.

This year wasn't all that bad though, especially for me personally. I started 2016 by doing daily sub jobs after a long term subbing assignment ended. After that assignment ended, I was really questioning whether I wanted to continue teaching. The daily sub jobs allowed me to gain confidence in teaching. I could go into a classroom with students I didn't know and be seen as a teacher. Eventually this led me to another long term subbing job that also redeemed my faith in teaching. Then I moved to Taiwan. I have loved living abroad and being able to travel. I have also made some good friends and have strengthened the relationship with some of my friends back home. I love to reflect this time of year and think about all the changes in my life. I also love reading year end lists of best of and favorites, so I created one of my own. Here are some of my favorite things from 2016. Turns out, I listened to a lot of good music in 2016.

Song to listen to on repeat while writing

"Formation" by Beyonce
Beyonce is a national treasure. This year she slayed with Lemonade. I have listened to "Formation" probably over a hundred times. It was my go-to song to play on repeat while writing. Now, I need to listen to go it again. . .

MVP

Lin-Manuel Miranda
I was a little late to the Hamilton game. Once I got on the train, I did not get off. Lin-Maunel Miranda wrote the book, music, and starred in the title role of Hamilton. This year Hamilton won 11 Tony Awards. Miranda wrote a killer sonnet for one of his acceptance speeches. Who does that? He also co-wrote a book about Hamilton, released the Hamilton Mix Tape, and co-wrote the music for the movie Moana. All of which, is just so good! He is delightful on Twitter and always seems so kind and generous. Just give him all the things already!

Pump Up Song

"The Greatest" by Sia
This song is inspired by the shooting that took place in Orlando. With the repeated chorus of "don't give up, I won't give up" it is hard to give up with Sia telling you not to.

-ism

Feminism
Although there is still a long ways to go with gender equality, this year had some great steps in the right direction. For the first time a woman was female presidential candidate on a major party ticket. The Senate now has the highest number of women of color on record. Taiwan elected a single, female president. Women athletes continue to be impressive from Serena Williams to Simone Biles to Katie Ledecky. While I have always considered myself a feminist, this year I became much more outspoken in my feminism. My favorite podcast (see below) helped me with this.

Mode of Transportation

Scooter
After getting in my scooter accident, I didn't know if I wanted a scooter. I am so glad I eventually got one though. My drives to and from work are now (mostly) stressfree and enjoyable.

Podcast

Call Your Girlfriend
This podcast is two long-distance female friends having conversations. The conversations range from politics to pop culture to women's health. It is engaging and feminist. The first time I listened to it, I went on a walk that ended up being four hours because I did not want to stop listening. It is one of the podcasts that I listen to without fail.

Brother-Sister Duo

Alex and Maia Shibutani
Last January I went to some of the Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Paul. I haven't really followed ice skating since the Kristi Yamaguchi was big. I didn't have anyone I was really rooting for. That changed when I saw the Shibutanis skate. They are a brother/sister pair of ice dancers. They are phenomenal.

Meme

Biden: Ok here's the plan: have you seen Home Alone

Obama: Joe, no

Biden: Just one booby trap

Obama: Joe pic.twitter.com/IDTc2L1sKF

— Dean E. S. Richard (@deanfortythree) November 11, 2016

Barack Obama and Joe Biden Memes
Post-election was rough. These gave me a little bit of laughter in the time afterwards. I am really going to miss these two.

Song That Makes Me Want to Cry (in a good way)

This song is on the Hamilton Mixtape. This is a song that is also on the original broadway recording of Hamilton, but it is sung a little bit different here. Regina Spektor and Ben Folds sing this song in a way that is so sweet and hopeful.

Way to Work Out

The Fitness Marshall
My friend Tyler introduced me to the Fitness Marshall. He does dance workout videos to pop songs. Usually I like the songs better after we have danced to them. We rent out a fitness room in our apartment a couple of times a week to workout. The dances range in difficulty, but are always fun. His commentary is pretty funny too.

Athlete

Simon Biles
I did not know anything about Simone Biles until this year. Once I found out about her, I could not stop watching videos of all of her routines.

Sequel

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
I read about 40 books this year, which is not a lot for me. I keep track of the books I read through Goodreads. Looking at my list of books from this year, I noticed a lot of sequels. There were many good ones, particularly fantasy and/or YA. I enjoyed the finall books in the Every YA series by Ellie Marney. Another very good YA ending to the series was The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkowski.  My favorite though was A Court of Mist and Fury. It is a new adult fantasy series. The first one was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. This book diverged from the retelling into something of its own. Maas is very good at worldbuilding and having her characters constantly grow and change. With the way this book ended, I am really looking forward to reading the next one when it comes out in May.

TV Character

Dustin from Stranger Things
Frequently when watching a movie or TV show, I often have a problem with how kids are portrayed. The dialogue will frequently feel inauthentic and it is obvious that an adult wrote it. Kids act in a way that they probably wouldn't in real life. The actors who play the kids in Stranger Things are all great. More importantly, they act and behave in a way that kids would. It felt authentic. My favorite was Dustin, because he is goofy and loyal.

Food MVP

White Rice
So far this year I have eaten a lot of rice. It has really become a diet staple. I don't mind though.

90s Throwback

TLC
When my friends and I go to KTV (karaoke), the English songs that are available are mostly hits from the 90s and early 2000s. I don't really remember listening to TLC when I was younger, but thanks to KTV I have been reacquainted. They have several great songs that I have since revisited. My KTV standards is "No Scrubs."

Music Video

"Soy Yo" by Bomba Estereo
I posted about this music video in another post, but it is worth re-posting. I love everything about this music video. The song is very catchy, but the music video has good representation of people of color. The girl's dancing is also on-point.

New TV Show

Lady Dynamite
I didn't watch a whole lot of TV this year. I continued watching a couple shows, but very few new shows caught my attention. Netflix has been putting out some great series. Lady Dynamite is one of them. Maria Bamford is a Minnesota-based comedian known for destigmatizing mental illness. Her show is largely based on her life and follows her during three different parts of her life. Like her stand-up this show is very weird, but in the best possible way. Many comedians also make guest appearances, so it is fun to see who is going to show up next.

Go-To Karaoke Song

"It's All Coming Back to Me" by Celine Dion
We sing this at KTV every time without fail. It is long, but has so many different parts with lots of opportunity for dramatic flair.

Best Celebrity Memoir

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
I read quite a bit on non-fiction this year, mostly of which were essay collections and/or written by celebrities. Anna Kendrick's was my favorite of this year. She is very funny and relatedable in her writing about her time starring as a kid on Broadway to her career now.

New Routine

Sunday Night yoga
I started going to yoga to become more mindful. I have a hard time clearing my mind and thought yoga would be a good way to work on that. My balance and flexibility are also not great. Since moving to Taiwan, I now go to yoga class with my friends Michael and Jacob almost every Sunday. It has helped me with my mindfulness, flexibility, and balance and is a great way to start to week.