The year 2020 will likely not be forgotten anytime soon. Bong Joon Ho rightfully won four Academy Awards for Parasite—and then there was chaos. We all faced struggles of various multitudes. For now, all that we can do is look back and try to pick out small moments to treasure.
Best album?
- “Dorian Electra’s My Agenda carried me through the first semester <3” –Yoon-Ji, Illustration Editor
- “Folklore by Taylor Swift” –Ellen Grace, Co-Editor-in-Chief
- “Sawayama by Rina Sawayama. Every song on it is incredible” –Katherine, Distributions Manager
- “Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple” –Elizabeth, Associate Stranded Editor
- “Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers” –Morgan, Photo Editor
- “No Harm Done by Josephine Foster” –Mena, Arts & Culture Editor
Best headline/cultural moment/event?
- “‘Second patient cured of HIV, say doctors’ – BBC – Michelle Roberts – Mar 10, 2020… some self-explanatory fantastic news for the medical community and the world” –Rion, Editorial Assistant
- “Guy Accidentally Ruins Plumbing in Entire Building After Filling His Tub With Orbeez” –Ellen Grace, Co-Editor-in-Chief
- “BTS smashing every record” –Katherine, Distributions Manager
- “TikTok teens buying out a Trump rally so all the seats would be empty” –Sarah, News Editor
- “Bold of you to assume I remember anything that happened during this hellish year. I’ve literally been thinking about this question for the past 15 mins and I can’t think of an answer…” –Janna, Editorial Assistant
- “Taylor Swift not releasing one, but two albums” –Morgan, Photo Editor
Best quarantine snack?
- “Not quite sure if this qualifies as a ‘snack,’ but I got really into making chicken parmesan over this quarantine period. Homemade tomato sauce, grilled chicken, and a generous sprinkling of parmesan and mozzarella cheese? Utterly delicious.” –Eden, Social Media Manager
- “Homemade sourdough…. I mean, if you hopped on the baking trend, can you really disagree?” –Rion, Editorial Assistant
- “I had the big brain move to start mixing goji berries into my trail mix and it’s a godsend.” –Elizabeth,Associate Stranded Editor
- “Salty: Cheez-it. Sweet: banana bread.” –Janna, Editorial Assistant
- “Oh my God… I’ve eaten so much bread.” –Mena, Arts & Culture Editor
Best good thing?
- “I got to credit/no credit a program requirement after seeing my grade, thanks for that one term accommodation UofT.” –Ellen Grace, Co-Editor-in-Chief
- “A lot of good music was produced and released this year.” –Rion, Editorial Assistant
- “Being able to spend more time with my cat!” –Yoon-Ji, Illustration Editor
- “I know I mocked everyone for downloading TikTok at the start of the pandemic but boy, was I wrong. This app is like taking a vodka shot of endorphins. I love it so much.” –Elizabeth, Editorial Assistant
- “No early morning commuting to campus!” –Morgan, Photo Editor
- “I painted my room pink and green and now it feels like home!” –Mena, Arts & Culture Editor
Best film?
- “Miss Americana. Just realized we got two Taylor Swift movies and two Taylor Swift albums in one year… Maybe 2020 wasn’t all that bad.” –Morgan, Photo Editor
- “My Octopus Teacher made me cry!” –Mena, Arts & Culture Editor
Best show?
- “Netflix/Shondaland’s Bridgerton. OH. MY. GOODNESS. The glamour! The drama! The royal intrigue! In a year of seemingly eternal darkness, Bridgerton was the perfect escape into a (gossip-filled) setting of bliss and light. The costumes are exquisite, the score is masterfully sweeping, the cinematography is stunning, and Julie Andrews’s voice-overs add the perfect glitz and shine. It truly is a masterpiece of epic—royal?—proportions.” –Eden, Social Media Manager
- “The Mandalorian. This season took the show from fun diversion to truly excellent TV.” –Katherine, Distribution Manager
- “The Haunting of Bly Manor” –Morgan, Photo Editor
Best meme?
- “Robert Pattinson” –Rion, Editorial Assistant
- “Anyone else remember places?” –Ellen Grace, Co-Editor-in-Chief
- “Meteor/meatier for sure” –Yoon-Ji, Illustration Editor
- “The Bernie meme, ‘I am once again asking you to…’” –Katherine, Distribution Manager
- “The bardcore TikToks where people dance to Renaissance music” –Sarah, News Editor
- “The Gossip Girl (Go Piss Girl) memes” –Janna, Editorial Assistant
