Reflections on the Year 2020

First of all, I know I had a collage for last year’s post reflecting on 2019, but I didn’t do that for 2020 because I didn’t do much other than write on my blog, watch a lot of YouTube, and listen to bands such as Def Leppard, AC/DC, Metallica, and Iron Maiden. So nothing special, to be honest. I know that 2020 has been difficult for all of us; many people lost their jobs, concerts got rescheduled, students started doing online school, and the Disney Parks had to shut down. But I want to think of the positives as I look back on the year 2020, even if it’s just for a little bit!

The beginning of 2020 was great, I applied for the Disney College Program for Fall 2020 (that program got canceled due to the pandemic), and I met some friends through the DCP Facebook page. In February, the Disney Ohana Club had a Disney Bounding Mixer, so everyone dressed up as Disney characters using human clothes. I also visited Aulani on Valentine’s Day, which was cool! March came, and I was listening to a lot of Bon Jovi, with Richie Sambora, of course! Then right before COVID-19 hit, I saw Onward (2020) with the Disney Ohana Club. Lockdown began shortly afterward, and for the first two months of the pandemic, I spent my nights watching Bon Jovi and Def Leppard concerts, courtesy of YouTube. 

This year was a big year for music. Like I said before, I never would’ve dove into AC/DC’s catalog if it weren’t for the pandemic. When I got into Queen back in 2018, I made my first rock playlist, and I thought it’d be appropriate to include a few AC/DC songs, so I picked and chose which ones I liked. During summer 2020, I took the time to research the band, their history, and discover albums such as Flick of the Switch (1983) and Fly on the Wall (1985). I was no longer a “typical” fan anymore, meaning I liked more than their hits. 

Not only did I have good music to keep me company throughout the pandemic, but in July, I also landed my first internship as a writer with Ka Leo, the student newspaper at UH Manoa. I was so excited to learn about promoting articles on social media, interviewing skills, collaborating with other writers, adding quotes, and making my stories exciting and informative for readers. I’ve written seven articles for Ka Leo so far, including one about why Hawaii doesn’t get many concerts. Even if I don’t get promoted to a staff writer, my feelings won’t change!

In August, I started chatting with another blogger named Kevin, he’s a massive AC/DC fan, and he started reading my stuff. My blog was getting more recognition, partially due to adding tags to my WordPress blog posts. Since then, I’ve met other bloggers that share the same love for rock music as me; I followed their blogs, they followed mine, and now, people know I exist, haha! When I started my blog in October 2019, I made it through Wix, and I wrote about music and Disney, but I had to be careful because of copyright images. Now, I’m on WordPress, and I started adding YouTube videos to my posts, giving me the advantage to create music playlist themed posts, which are fun to do!

In all honesty, YouTube and music have been my stress relievers this year. Taking college courses online is stressful, but my classes were asynchronous, so I had flexibility in my schedule. I did one assignment per day, stopped doing work at 6:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m., and spent the rest of my night watching YouTube; so that I wouldn’t get stressed out. I binged-watched season 10 of American Idol for the first two months of Fall 2020; it was one of my highlights for the year. In terms of music, I bought eight AC/DC CDs (including a 2-CD live album), two Backstreet Boys CDs, three Metallica CDs, ten Def Leppard CDs (including a 7-CD Volume 2 Boxset), two Bon Jovi CDs, and two Iron Maiden CDs in seven months. And it won’t stop there!

Despite not seeing or speaking to my friends since March, I’m ok with that because let’s be real; I’m a loner! All I need is YouTube, music, and Disney. Right now, I want to focus on my blog, perfecting my writing skills with Ka Leo, and graduating from college. I graduate in May 2021, but still, I’ve got a “long, long way to go” (see the Def Leppard reference, no? Ok). My hopes for 2021 is that I’ll maintain a healthy lifestyle (exercising three to four times a week and eating right), continue writing on my blog, expand my CD collection, but also that concerts and Disneyland make a safe return. Let’s end the year 2020 with a bang!

Let me know in the comments below one positive thing that came out of 2020!

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana