When you think of it, the transition to a new year isn’t anything huge at all; after all, tomorrow is just another day. Just like how the end of a Mayan year didn’t bring on the apocalypse.
Nevertheless, it’s an excuse for many to “start over new” and develop into a better person, so in terms of that, many wouldn’t think it “isn’t anything huge at all”.
I spent the entire day of the last day of 2012 with my twin, Beneh and this is how it went: I woke up early today to return my textbooks since my (previous) school opened today. It was a school trip like no other because this time, I was actually reluctant to leave the school compound. Yes, a month after SPM, I’m already missing high school like mad, I bet no one (not even myself) saw this coming. Then, we (plus Qilah) went bowling and spent some time at the arcade centre before having lunch at Spring’s Leaf where we unsuccessfully made two prank calls, followed by a hardcore gaming session at Beneh’s, ending with me being introduced to the confusing animation series that is Adventure Time before I went home. All in all, a pretty splendid adventure to end the year with.
2012 isn’t (present tense because there’s still two and a half hours before it actually ends) the best year I’ve had, in fact it’s by far the most challenging year what with having to face what was perhaps the most important exam of my life coupled with the stress and fears that come with growing up because like it or not, I’m an adult now and it’s exactly like how they say it, when you’re a kid, you can’t wait to be an adult but when you’re an adult, you just want to be a kid again. However, 2012 has also seen many better moments, like falling in love with One Direction (sound effect: audience erupts into laughter), befriending two of my current closest friends, Mei and Sakina, creating what is arguably the best and most nostalgic (senior) year of high school et cetera, and for that, I am very thankful.
As we usher the new year in, I’ve decided to also use 2013 as an excuse to start over new, think good thoughts, be stronger and braver and generally become a better person.
I never thought the day would come when YouTube, yes YouTube, that dangerous ad-filled video uploading website full of things I don’t want or need to spend three minutes of my life watching, would be a huge part of my life. That was my initial opinion of YouTube back then, and preferred to frequent websites like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr etc where I can express opinions instead of listening to other people’s (it was a very narcissistic phase of mine…I think some might understand what I’m putting down here).
And then it started when I found a link to Alex Day’s (nerimon) Alex Reads Twilight video series on his channel, and then I found Charlie McDonnell (charlieissocoolllike), Ryan Higa (nigahiga), John and Hank Green (vlogbrothers), Jack Harries (JacksGap) and many, many other YouTubers who quite frankly, have managed to brighten my day with just a single video multiple times. There’s just something different about watching videos compared to reading blogs and books because besides the much larger impact the visualization element has on you, it’s also like striking a conversation with an interesting online persona and chances are, if you’re as much of an Internet parasite like I am, you will share very similar opinions with aforementioned persona that will send you into fits of laughter as you stare wide-eyed at the screen shouting, “YES YES YES!!!!!!” In the wise words of Dan Howell (danisnotonfire), we are after all, an Internet support group.
Another thing that makes all these YouTubers so enticing (enticing…mmm) is the fact that they are all this huge community of love and friendship. But seriously, some of the friendships made between YouTubers are friendships I can only dream of. And write fanfiction about. I remember when Beneh (my equally YouTuber-enthusiastic companion) and I found out about Jack Harries, and through him found Sam Pepper, and through him found Marcus and Alfie, and then Caspar, Zoella, BriBry and eventually Dan and Phil, who in turn also know Alex and Charlie (and also One Direction [!!!] but let’s not go there) and I SWEAR TO GOD ALL BRITISH YOUTUBERS KNOW ONE ANOTHER!!!!!!!!
Of course, on the other side of the world (in America, to be precise), there’s the YTF group of YouTubers, one of the earliest YouTubers I found and quite frankly, was one of the main reasons how I got so hooked on YouTube. And then of course there are the Green brothers, who created DFTBA and then the whole chain cycle thing commences again.
In a nutshell, everyone I’ve ever known (or rather, watched videos of) on YouTube have built really strong relationships with one another and that, in Tumblr talk, gives me so much feels I can’t even.
More to the main gist of the video above, it’s a shoutout to everyone who has ever wanted to be a YouTuber (or in Benjamin Cook’s words, crazy Internet famous) to go ahead and just do it. Now don’t laugh at me and scream “IT’S JUST A PHASE MICHELLE!!!” but I honestly have thought about it. In fact, several times, Beneh and I have considered doing a joint channel together and I even filmed my day by the lake celebrating Anum, Lela and Leea’s birthday party on my phone but sadly, those videos remain untouched in my phone, justified by my ultimate excuse which is I don’t know how to edit videos, coupled by who’s gonna watch them anyway, they’re most just crap, I’m just going to make a fool out of myself, isn’t blogging terrible enough in terms of ‘what will people think of me’ etc hence why this video had quite an impact on me because IS IT A SIGN????????
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to leave blogging for vlogging, but there’s just something very tempting (besides narcissism) about uploading videos of yourself expressing your own opinions on the Internet for millions to see. Writing isn’t the same as speaking, and it’s also something new I’ve never tried before. Besides, it’d be something better to do than to lie around the whole day lurking on the Internet during these six gap months before I go to college right?
I don’t know!!!!!! Show me the way, magic eight ball!!!!!!!
michelle teoh 