I suppose it’s only right that I finally post on the birthdays of Sade, Aaliyah, and FKA Twigs. All three artists I remain huge fans of, and the first I was named after. Although I spell it differently! (Slightly more phonetically).
2024 to me didn’t fly by until about September. And then suddenly, the year had somewhere to go.
The year wasn’t overall bad. But the year came with a ton of growing pains and sorrow. I didn’t really expect all that, or as much as I was forced to experienced, to be honest. This time around last year, in the nascent days of 2024, I felt okay and biggest activity I had done in the year was go see the Mean Girls musical movie on MLK Day.
By New Year’s Eve 2024, I had no choice but to end the year in acknowledging what felt like were major truths about myself, about others, what I so terribly allowed and tolerated, and what I could do to be better. It starts and ends with me sometimes.
Like, I did an Ins and Outs list last January, joining the trend that was sweeping Instagram and TikTok since that past December, and I flopped so hard on one Out and one Out only. Omigod when I tell you I flopped hard AF. (And heartbreak comes in all forms: familial, platonically, via employment, artistically, yada yada YADA).
But you heal your heart as best you can and forge ahead. Don’t we?
(It’s not right, but), it’ll be okay.
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“And though I sin the Lord blessing me still
Every saint got a past, every sinner got a future
Every loser gotta win and every winner gotta lose someday
They say it’s just a matter of time
And if I had my way then you would be mine, huh,”-“Deja Vu” by J. Cole
On the flip side, I did make a long-awaited return to one half of my Motherland heritage, Costa Rica, which at times had me in a pensive state (which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing! It had been over twenty years since I stepped on its grounds and thus, a ton of feelings to unpack. I wish it hadn’t been so long). Maybe for the one year anniversary of visiting, I’ll do a separate Costa Rica post.
And…I completed my reading challenge of reading/listening to 52 books total! The books took a lot out of me because at one point, your girl was stressed in making sure I stayed on track. And yet, sometime during the summer, I took like a two-week break from reading (not cute). But I was determined to finish this challenge for myself. I owed to myself in a way.
I owe myself a lot of things to be honest.
I’m really thankful that I was committed. There are so many books I want to read (2025 is already a hot mess trying to keep up and it’s certifiably my fault because I want to attend every other book club meeting); and it was not only a great way to finally get to those books, but to come across the array of characters and stories that while the settings certainly varied, all had universal wants, desires, dreams, despairs, and disappointments. I’m grateful to all the authors and their bravery in sharing their work and to the powers that be for publishing them. Some of the books were heavy too. No subject unturned!
They all mattered.
And audiobooks have grown on me! I still prefer a physical book, but sometimes I needed to get them stories in, so I was locked in with headphones! E-books too became a thing for me.
Below are some of my favorite reads of 2024, in no numerical order at all:
- Her Body and Other Parties: Stories
- The Guest
- My Body (by Emily Ratajkowski)
- We’re Going to Need More Wine
- Luster
- Listen for the Lie
- None of this is True
- Assembly
- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
- Remarkably Bright Creatures
- Shark Heart
- Yerba Buena
- Crying in H Mart
- Animal: A Novel
- Monstrilio
- My Sister, the Serial Killer
- From Here to the Great Unknown
- Long Way Down
- I Who Have Never Known Men
- Who Will Run the Frog Hospital
And then the graphic novels:
- The Magic Fish
- It Won’t Always Be Like This
I’m also going to do a Charli xcx Brat inspired booklist. I’ve seen a bunch online and I’ve got some suggestions or titles that I believe should be included!
I should do movies and shows I’ve been enjoying/enjoyed/thought were great in a future post too.
Lastly, no ins and outs list this year, but I got some things and goals to work on for 2025 and beyond.
I think that’s it! And the only thing that has kept me going during what has been some strange days since the apocalyptic wildfires in Southern California is the rise of Heidi Montag finally being recognized as a pop star! (Sadly, her and husband Spencer Pratt were one of many that tragically lost their homes and all the mementos within. Absolutely heartbreaking. My heart hurts for everyone that while I know were grateful to have survived. It’s another level of grief losing family heirlooms, photos, and all that are housed in what should be our sanctuaries. And I learned that Altadena, one of the neighborhoods impacted, was home to great African-American history and businesses, past and present. Then there was the beloved Bunny Museum that, aside from the live bunnies that were rescued, was completely destroyed. Talk about the things we lost in the fire).
So, it’s been Heidi’s track “I’ll Do It” that’s really taken of. And OMG, everyone that worked on that track really did the big one! It’s on her album Superficial, which is now fifteen years old (wow!) and there are some solid tracks on there. She wasn’t kidding when she said she hired pop notch producers and songwriters such as Cathy Dennis and Stacy Barthe to work on it. These are great talents!
I always thought it was cool she recorded an album and spent her own money to make it happen. It was just bad timing it seems with all the focus back then on her many plastic surgeries and the villain arc her and Spencer were attached to on The Hills. But the girlies are pop stars! I’m always here for that.
With all that written, Godspeed.
Happy 2025! Prayers up.
Lavish Rebellion [DOT COM] 
Leave a reply to Caleb Cheruiyot Cancel reply