My Spotify 2018 Wrapped Explained

Who's ready to say goodbye to 2018? Just a couple more weeks left for this year and we'll be saying hello to 2019! How has 2018 been for you? Me? Well I have what has become a sort of tradition of looking back at the year that was just before it comes to a close and I've even blogged about them (see 2011; 2013; 2015 and 2016).

Last year, Spotify did this thing where they collated people's music streaming data and gave us, their users a peek into the kinds of music we listened to for the year which is pretty interesting! Now that 2018's about to end, Spotify is once again giving us listeners a view of how our year went based on the kind of music we streamed on their site with Spotify Wrapped. 

I listened to Spotify more this year. It comes as no surprise since it's become a morning habit to listen to music while I'm taking a bath and getting ready for work. But here's where my Spotify 2018 Wrapped becomes more interesting. 

Robyn's Dancing On My Own became my most listened to song this year. According to Spotify's data, I spent 13 hours with Robyn on repeat. What a sad sad song I listened to. Actually, last year, my top song was Too Good at Goodbyes by Sam Smith. Also a sad song but that one was more about someone who finally learned how to protect his/her heart from getting hurt by the person they love. Robyn's Dancing On My Own is a truly heartbreaking song, about losing the love of one's life to someone else. 

Somebody said you got a new friend

Does she love you better than I can?

And she knows that it's stupid that she's still holding on to him but still there she was hoping she was the girl for him. 

I'm in the corner watching you kiss her oh, oh, oh

I'm right over here, why can't you see me? Oh, oh, oh

And I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooh

I keep dancing on my own

But she also knew that there was really nothing else she could do so... 

But you don't see me, standing here

I just came to say goodbye

While I didn't just come from a break up, it took me back to the time earlier this year when I was heartbroken. Just as the song goes, even though I gave it my all, in the end I wasn't the girl he chose. There was longing. And there was a feeling of hopelessness. That's why I loved this song so much. 

So basically, the earlier part of 2018 for me sucked big time. But the latter part of my 2018 already told a different story with Carly Rae Jepsen's Cut to the Feeling coming in a close second on my Top 2018 songs. It is such an upbeat song about that wonderful feeling of falling in love and embracing it. No holding back and just being bold.

I wanna cut through the clouds, break the ceiling

I wanna dance on the roof, you and me alone

I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah

I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah

I wanna play where you play with the angels

I wanna wake up with you all in tangles, oh

I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah

I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah

I long to feel that way about someone and have that feeling reciprocated.

My top 1 and 2 songs for 2018 bare a resemblance to my Top 1 and 2 songs from last year (2017). Top song was Sam Smith's Too Good at Goodbyes and Gwen Stefani's Make Me Like You was my second most streamed song in 2017. The latter was because around the same time last year, I was floating on cloud nine most of the time because of C, my used to be happy at nakakakilig crush from the gym. We don't talk anymore hence the heart breaking songs of 2018. Ha! Ha!  

I was pleasantly surprised to know that my favorite musical subgenre for this year is Dance Pop. When I looked at my Top 100 songs for 2018, some of the songs included are tracks from Body Jam. Dance is honestly not my cup of tea (and my two left feet would agree to this) but this year, I've been religiously attending Body Jam class. I now have a Jam playlist on my Spotify which gets updated every so often. It's the one I play every morning these days before I go to work. It used to be a 90's to early 2000 playlist. I prefer my Jam playlist now though as the music are fun to listen to and every time I play it, a certain guy who sets the stage on fire when he dances comes to mind.   

My Top 100 2018 Songs is a mix of heartbreak (Taylor Swift's Red; Moonstar 88's Migraine and Lisa Loeb's Fools Like Me), having a crush/in love/wanting to love someone (Lady Gaga's The Cure;  DJ Snake and Lauv's A Different Way and Carly Rae Jepsen's I Really Like You) and some of the my favorite Jam tracks (Demi Lovato's Sorry Not Sorry even rounds up my Top 5 songs for 2018. I love how he dances to this song).  

You can listen to my Top 100 songs for 2018 below.   

   

I wonder how my 2019 will turn out to be. Guess I'll find out next year. But my hope is that next year, my Spotify Wrapped will be filled with more happy kinds of songs especially my top song.

What does your Spotify Wrapped 2018 say about how your year went? 

Top 5 Things I Loved About Netflix's The Christmas Chronicles

Can you believe November's almost coming to an end? Soon, we'll really feel the Christmas season with all the parties, gift shopping and bonuses being given out! Netflix started early with their Christmas specials! Did you guys see any of it yet?

Well here's one film I'm recommending - The Christmas Chronicles! It is such a cute and feel good movie that I think will be worth adding to your list of  movies to watch every Christmas season like  Home Alone. 

The plot as written on IMDB: 

Siblings Kate and Teddy Pierce hatch a scheme to capture Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When the plan goes awry, the kids join forces with a somewhat jolly Saint Nick and his loyal elves to save the holiday before it's too late.

Here's the teaser video:

    

What I loved about The Christmas Chronicles

1. Kurt Russell as Santa Claus

When I was a kid, my image of Santa Claus was always an old, fat and white man with white hair and beard and glasses wearing a red suit, black belt and boots. He also goes around saying "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!". 

This Santa? He's very different! For instance, he's fit, not fat! 

  

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He doesn't go around saying "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

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And this Santa has an inner rock star!

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2. Kate and Teddy Pierce's relationship

When I was a kid, I was like Kate Pierce. A true believer of Santa Claus. I remember how my parents would make me go to bed on Christmas eve and wake me up at the stroke of midnight, saying Santa Claus has arrived and I would go to the living room to find all the socks of my Dad which I hanged at the bar would be filled with lots of goodies and the Christmas tree would have my presents! It was such a magical time of the year for me. I think at one point, my Dad might have attempted to dress up as Santa Claus but it failed because I refused to wake up and get up from the bed. Ha! Ha! I would never know because they really never told me if they actually tried that bit. 

But I did meet Santa Claus once. Well, a department store Santa Claus. It was back in the 90s when Gift Gate store was still thriving. If you weren't born yet, that was the go-to store of the kids for all their Sanrio staples like Hello Kitty, My Melody and Little Twin Stars. Anyway, I think I may have been around 8 or 9 years old by then and my parents had me line up with all the other kids to sit on Santa's lap for a photo opp. I remember that picture! I wasn't smiling in that photo! My eyes were rolling as though I was trying to say "Oh please! You're not fooling me!"  I think that was the time my parents had finally told me that Santa Claus doesn't really exist. Boo! 

Now I don't have a sibling. But I do have an older male cousin who used to stay with us during summer and/or Christmas breaks. Like Teddy, my Kuya Neil was a non believer of Santa Claus. He was the one who told me Santa isn't real and how I remember insisting to him that he is! When I told my parents about it, that's when they told me that it's true, Santa's not real. 

But you know what? It's fun to believe that there's a magical being somewhere out there like Santa Claus on Christmas time that's really making a list and checking it twice to find out who's naughty or nice. And if you fall on the nice list, he's gonna grant you your wish or give you a present on Christmas day. Sometimes, I still make a Christmas wish to Santa. He hasn't really granted any of my recent wishes yet though! Hmph! 

3. Santa's little helpers 

Those elves are soooo cute and cuddly to look at. Also very different from the elves I had imagined when I was younger. 

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Don't make 'em mad though. They can be scary! LOL!

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4. It is such a heart warming story about family! 

I cried watching this film, mainly because I remembered my own Dad and how I wish he was still around to celebrate Christmas with us. Missing a loved one especially on special occasions - that never gets easy. 

5. The plot to save Christmas

I highly enjoyed watching the kids joining Santa Claus on a mission to save Christmas and all the shenanigans they had to go through just to do so! Anyone want to ride a flying reindeer?

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Even if you're already way past your childhood age, you'll still love The Christmas Chronicles! It's really for the whole family - the kids and the kids at heart. Once you do watch this, tell me what you thought of it at the comments section too!