Thankful, but Passing on the Thanksgiving Food

TIA HERE with an obligatory, cheesy Thanksgiving post. Because the truth is, I have a lot to be thankful for. A whole lot.

Central Park Chillin' | NYC Adventure

VICTORIA HERE to show you how to perfectly enjoy a solo day on your own in NYC. If you're anything like me, you get super anxious when you spend everyday indoors sulking over the fact you have no friends in the huge and busy city you've suddenly found yourself in... Well, maybe not that particular. BUT, I'm sure everyone gets the feeling sometimes that they have to get out every once in a while to feel sane! Over the summer, I only worked four days a week at my internship so I had Fridays completely to myself. I was determined to spend each and every one of those Fridays doing something new to familiarize myself with the city and to become more used to spending quality time alone. I spent my first adventure on a mission to find Central Park.

September & October | Favorites

TIA HERE with a slightly late duo-monthly favorites post. To excuse my lateness: I am currently in the craziest part of the semester in terms of papers/big projects/work/club activities, so finding a free hour for Duo Diaries has been a challenge. But you'll never find time if you don't make time! So here I am, making time.

MUSIC

Justin Bieber was never one of my favorites, but as of late, I've become a huge fan of his music, namely: "Sorry," "Where Are Ü Now," and "What Do You Mean." I'm seriously hooked. I've always thought the Biebs was a good singer, but I never cared much for his lyrics or sound. These new songs, though, tell a different story. I feel like his lyrics are more genuine now, and the embracing of the sorta unique electronic sound is doing him well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VICTORIA!

Guess what? Today is Victoria's 21st birthday!! Let's all wish her the very best!

Much love,

T.

Job + School + General Panic | Diary

TIA HERE and hoping to turn Duo Diaries a bit more personal from time to time. This is effort #1. Because here's the thing—as much as I love writing blog posts with a topical focus, sometimes I don't feel I have an adequate amount of time to create a post of the caliber I'm really hoping to achieve here. Currently, the DD drafts include "How to Listen to Lana Del Rey's 'Honeymoon' Album" à la this Taylor Swift 1989 post, several video tours of the Cornell University campus, and "How to Write a Query Letter," in the same vein as this post about reader's reports. So what's the holdup, right? Life, it seems, and all of the resulting anxiety.

How to Write a Reader's Report

TIA HERE with some advice for any editorial intern-wannabe who has been asked if they can write a sample reader's report as part of an application to a publishing industry-related company. If you haven't written one before, you probably aren't sure where to start. Based on my experience interning at three different places within the publishing industry (an ebook publishing company, literary agency, and publishing house), here is my outline, with examples, on how to write a killer reader's report that will get you hired:

Summer Favorites | Honeymoon, Broken Monsters, and Lemonade

TIA HERE with my summer favorites, covering everything I've been digging from May through August. Enjoy!

MUSIC

Hayley Kiyoko is a singer and songwriter who is best known for playing Velma in the live-action Scooby Doo movie (YES, that was her). But I've also found that I really dig her EP, This Side of Paradise. Her song "Girls Like Girls" has one of the most awesome music videos I've seen in a while, too, so I hope you check it out! Gotta support my fellow half-asians.