32 Things I loved this year! (inspired by Chris Cillizza)

This is for you guys after being MIA for a few months

(Credit: Toei Animation)

Good Morning, Afternoon, and Evening wherever you are,

I apologize for being gone a long time, I’ve been busy with a tough semester at university. Next semester is not proving to be better, so if i’m gone for a long time then you know why after this. I’ll be writing my end of the year reflections soon so you will see something regarding what’s going on in Israel and Gaza, as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Anyways, if you’re interested in American politics and specifically good analysis of it, then you probably have read

Chris Cillizza

‘s substack, if you haven’t definitely suggest many of you to subscribe to it because I find his analysis on the day to day of American politics be it elections, scandals, or the rumors and dramas that are happening to what’s going on down south always interesting and also he puts a lot of care into the articles he writes.

He posted on his substack a list of 32 things he loved this year. (Go check it out if you’re interested.)

32 things I loved this year

It sprung up the idea of doing a 32 list of my own. Think of it as a early christmas gift to you guys for ghosting you for these few months. I hope you like them and also give your own few things that you loved this year. I’ll stop wandering on and give you my list.

1. Sleep: I always value the few hours I have to just relax and wander in to the world of my dreams to escape from the realities of the real world.

2. Family: even if they can be annoying at times, as one person once said you can pick friends but not your family. They definitely times have helped me even during the most difficult moments of this year.

3. Friends: while I can pick them, the ones that I do pick, I’m glad I chose as I enjoy their company and the conversations and laughs that I have shared with them throughout this year.

4. Sweden: I’ve never been to the country before, but I’m glad that I got to do my exchange in this wonderful country and meet some amazing and friendly people from this country

5. Canada: Home is where the heart is, and even when I was gone from it for six months, I didn’t forget about it when I was gone.

6. Kannellbule: Favourite Pastry in Sweden, and If you ever go to Sweden, you should try it, basically just Swedish cinnamon rolls.

7. Stockholm: Such a wonderful city, loved the metro system and the nightlife in the city.

   

8. Copenhagen: While not as cool as Stockholm, I still enjoyed the few times I got experience the city as well as the many cool shops in Norrebro.

9. Berlin: For a cold war fanatic like me, Berlin was definitely on the top of the list. Just as great of a city like the ones mentioned before.

10. Foreign Exchanges: Encourage anyone in Uni or do have the opportunity to do them.

11. Tottenham Hotspur: This team has hurt me a lot and I just hope we can win an FA Cup at least to shut people up about the trophy drought, even so the moments especially under the new manager, Ange Postecoglou AKA Big Ange has given me some hope for the future.

    (This but it’s Tottenham fans, not Arsenal fans)

12. Toronto Maple Leafs: A team that’s trophy drought has caused sleepless nights for many and also a much bigger joke than Tottenham, whereas Tottenham have won a trophy 15 years ago, the Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967. It’s gotten so bad that my dad has started joking about it. Even then I and many others, still stick with this team and believe that this season like every other one, will be the one where we bring Lord Stanley back to Toronto. Also this year we finally got through the second round. Progress I guess.

    

    (This is how we look like. Credit: Lynne Sladky/AP)

13. Toronto Raptors: While no drought in terms of trophy as the last time the Raptors won the Larry O Brien trophy was in 2019. It’s still was a tough year for the Raps as the excitement of seeing Dame Lillard coming to Toronto was quickly evaporated with him going to the Milwaukee Bucks. Somehow we move on even with the mediocre results of the current season, only advice I have, bring back the old logo and the purple jerseys.

    

    (Raptors fans since 2019 Credit:Andrew Ryan/Reuters)

14. Toronto Blue Jays: Same thing like the Raptors, linked with a superstar, in this case, Shohei Ohtani, yet it ends off with him signing a world record contract of 700 million dollar contract over 10 years with the LA Dodgers, somehow we still move on as this team even with the good performance of last season is the biggest joke of all the Toronto teams, including Toronto FC.

    

    (We Suck but at least we get cheap tickets for games next season, Credit: Yahoo Sports)

15. Video Games: I’m a big Nintendo guy, It’s consoles and handheld products what I grew up playing with as a kid. but I’m grateful that I got to play my favourite game, Persona 5.

16. Chris Cillizza
    ’s substack

17. Samantha Childress
    ‘s substack

18. Louise Julig
    ‘s substack

19. Mike Leavy
    ‘s Substack

20. CStitt
    ‘s substack

21. Un-Diplomatic
    ’s substack and podcast

22. The New Statesman Magazine: Subscribed for over three years and haven’t looked back some of the best analysis you’ll find in Western Media.

23. Driving: An outlet to take the worries off the problems that I deal with.

24. Barbenheimer: The promotional events and themes of both movies was definitely a highlight for my summer.

25. The Beaches and their new album Blame My Ex: A short and well done album that was 10 songs and not a gigantic 36 song monstrosity of Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At A Time, or many of Drake’s albums.

26. Paul Kennedy’s piece The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers redux.

27. Anna Politkovskaya’s Book: A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya: Hoping to read this as soon as possible especially as it covers a war that is not talked about that much from a journalist who was killed for just doing her job.

28. Mountains: (Whether its the Rocky Mountains, the French Alps, The Caucuses Mountains, something about the scenery of mountains just gives this beautiful and calming effect of getting rid of the worries you have to deal with everyday.)

29. Pals Sandwiches: one of the best places to get a Ruben sandwich deli style in Edmonton.

30. One Piece: Still my favourite anime of all time

31. Hockey Night in Canada: nothing like hockey on a saturday night especially if the Leafs are playing.

32. Sane People: hard to find people who in crisis’s can discuss and analyze events for people to understand what is going on, but for me there are definitely people out there who are thinking through events better than most of us.

From wherever you are, Happy Holidays from me!