Not here to talk about the romance, but I am here to talk about the colors in this scene: The deep green hues with the terracotta tablecloths, the pink flowers, it was such a pretty set design!
Some time ago, I used to find joy in atom-sized moments. I have personally shredded and pulled away any loose threads of myself that I deemed imperfect. I sanded away too much, and now what's left of me is a brittle foundation of the things I used to be and used to enjoy.
Perhaps I'm in a state of constant grief, continuously mourning the life I used to be in love with. Bit by bit, I've scrubbed myself clean and lost my color. The emotions I feel don't feel quite the same anymore. I know the feeling I feel is happiness, joy, gratitude, love, but I can't fully enjoy it.
How do I undo a decade of hollowing out? How do I continuously let joy and happiness take up space within? When will I stop being ashamed of feeling good? When will I let myself feel good?
There needs to be some kind of plan for me that exists where I can slowly regain who I am. I need to focus on the parts of life that feel good. I may have to force it upon myself.
I haven't listed out things I'm grateful for in a while. It's time I do it once again. This time, I'll try and pinpoint very specific sensations or feelings to remember.
Enjoying a London Fog while staying warm on a chilly day
Laying down and listening to a record, with ambient lighting and a candle burning in the background
Watching the sunset with clouds in the sky, as the colors turn yellow, orange, and pink
Rewatching a classic movie with friends, enjoying snacks and casually saying lines and making comments
Finding a restaurant or bar that doesn't play loud music, where conversations can actually be heard
Making a dish taste exactly the way I like it
Singing karaoke songs that other people want to sing along to
Feeling warm and comfortable by a campfire, eating toasted marshmallows or drinking a warm beverage(tea, mulled wine, mulled cider, sake)
Working on an ongoing art project without any deadline
Looking at flowers in a store or botanical garden
Getting a full day to look at a museum
Riding a bike through a scenic trail, not having to worry about colliding into anyone or anything
I'm going to take some time to see how I can cultivate more moments like this in life. I want to keep having these good memories.
I don't have much experience cooking eggs in fancy ways. I've previously only exclusively enjoyed them fully mixed and cooked through. Over the last couple years as I've enjoyed more and more ramen spots, I have come to appreciate ramen eggs a.k.a. ajitsuke tamago or ajitama for short. I decided to make these eggs from scratch, since the recipe I used was easy to follow.
I'll be walking you through my "Not Your Average Easy Ramen" process. It's a step up from cup noodles, but many steps away from a traditionally prepared bowl of ramen.
I went to Nijiya Market to buy a lot of my ingredients, but any Asian grocer will do. There are packages of ramen that you can buy that use higher quality noodles and soup base (I used Itsuki). All that's left to prepare are the toppings.
Here are some toppings that aren't difficult to prepare, but make a bowl of ramen tasty:
Green onions
Canned corn / canned baby corn
Spam
Dried Seaweed
Bean sprouts
Garlic
There are tons more options out there, but again, we're not looking for fancy. We're looking for easy. I am a tired woman so, with the exception of the eggs, everything else should be extremely simple. The only reason why we're putting more effort into the eggs is because the flavors and textures work better with ajitama than any other preparation method.
Try to prepare the eggs the night or two nights before, if you can. Apart from the egg prep, the ramen didn't take that long to assemble. Here's how it looks:
You might have noticed that there are tiny little Pikachus in the ramen. That is correct, and this topping was something I picked up from Nijiya as well! It's got seaweed, corn, and fish cake flavors inside the packet, and it's a cute way to dress up the ramen.
This isn't really a revolutionary recipe, but I am still very happy that I decided to make some improvements to my regular bowl of easy ramen. Now that I'm more confident in making ajitama, I might be making this frequently. It's extremely satisfying to see that perfect consistency, and eating the eggs are a highlight on its own!
When Gaku Kuze's "Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan" anime adaptation was announced back in 2019, we were all blissfully unaware of what 2020 had in store for us. After some production issues that prevented the series from airing as planned in 2020, Life Lessons... finally premiered in 2021. It's comedic how coincidental the themes of this series fit with our own world.
To sum the show and overall premise up, Life Lessons... centers around Omota Uramichi (surname first), a 31 year-old ex-gymnast turned children's television show host. Each episode follows the life of Uramichi-Oniisan on set and outside of work, showcasing a duality that many adults find themselves mimicking.
At its core, this show is a painfully funny expression of how many adults feel as they reach their 30s, facing the soul-sucking abyss known as "reality". I think there's a tasteful and a tasteless way to approach morbid humor, and this show is definitely the former.
Uramichi-Oniisan's bleak outlook on life is often paired in contrast with curious and rambunctious children. He isn't completely transparent with his feelings about life in front of the kids, but sometimes, they pick up on his mindset and he grimly agrees with them. Despite his downtrodden work life, he cares deeply about the children and wants to preserve as much of their youthfulness as possible. The supporting cast on this show are great as well. Some characters induce Uramichi-Oniisan's bottled rage to show itself, and some make him realize that they too are also hiding a part of themselves.
I enjoy this show for a few reasons, but relatability is the biggest reason. I'm now a thirty-something year-old woman who shakes my fist at the cult of capitalism from my own rented porch, and I share the same sentiments as the main character. From jokes about back pain and hangovers to sucking up personal feelings in order to get through work, this show feels like it was written by a millennial for a millennial (though I have yet to confirm if this is true since my search turned up nothing on the author's age). Uramichi-Oniisan feels very human, and I feel a sense of hope for him. I hope he continuously finds happiness even when he's at his most cynical.
Another reason why I enjoy this show is for the art style. I think the studio did a great job helping bring the characters to life. Their unique characteristics are defined as well. My favorite character design has to be Kikaku Hanbee. You deserve your flowers for this character alone, Gaku Kuze. I see the outfits you draw these characters in.
I do want to call out that there is only one woman character in the main cast of this show, Tadano Utano. While I appreciate that she isn't being set up with any of the other introduced characters (ever, I hope), it would be nice to not see her as the only woman in this series, and also to have a character story that isn't centered around her love life.
I implore every millennial or older to watch this show, because it really does encapsulate the lived experience of someone who's been on this earth for a few decades and has gone through some shit. Dark humor doesn't take away the heaviness of emotions, but it's nice that each character perseveres through their hardship. In a time where we constantly experience misery, its important to recognize our negative feelings and not let them hold us back from living.
I'll end this with the best ending theme of 2021, "Dream On" by Mamoru Miyano. This song was a perfect ending to each episode because it felt like that breath of fresh air taken after it stops raining.
I remember during the LiveJournal days, I was a part of a community called "5 Gratitudes". I didn't post that often, but there was a time where I would list out five things that I was grateful for. I think I stopped doing it because it would feel repetitive and there would be days where I would feel like I'm just putting something down because it's what I've listed before, without being mindful and taking time to appreciate it.
I haven't really started it up again ever since. Maybe I can do this exercise once a month or something, with enough time to pass so that I can reflect on my life earnestly and thoughtfully. I'll contemplate everything that's happened in the last month, and come up with my list.
Here's my gratitude list from October:
Friends
No, not the show Friends. I think this is a "basic" gratitude, but I do think about my friends a lot and how they've positively impacted my life. I don't talk to people every day, I think I've grown less reliant on daily social relationships over time but I still check in with people once a week or once every month. It's a long period of time to some, but I like it personally. I appreciate that my friends understand my boundaries and can make it work. I hung out with a lot of people this month, talked a lot, cried a lot, laughed a lot.
2. Living Space (and my own room)
I think I take this for granted a lot. It's good to remember that not everyone has access to a house, much less a room just to themselves. I value my alone time, and it's nice to be able to go somewhere I can be to be comfortable by myself. I don't live alone, but I think that's a good thing. I don't think I could live completely alone anymore!
3. Music
I really do love listening to music. Whether it's when I'm showering, getting ready to sleep, cooking, or doing chores, I love being able to listen to something that brings me joy. I have different playlists depending on the mood that I'm in, so if I want to relax or calm down, I have a playlist for that. Alternatively, I also have playlists that I use when I wanna drive and sing loudly to relieve stress.
Additionally, I was able to go to several concerts this year and it felt great to be in the concert setting again. I saw Seventeen a bunch of times and traveled across the country. Their concert is the type of event that you need to see more than once, and even still it wouldn't be enough. Each member is that important and impactful. Before I go off on a tangent on how much I adore this group, I'll stop here.
4. Family
This one is a personal subject. For my birthday this year, it was the first time that I got to celebrate with all members of my immediate family. I realize that this doesn't happen as often anymore, and I didn't express my gratitude properly. I had a moment alone with my sisters at a diner, where we talked casually and openly about subjects that were on our minds. That was the time where I expressed a lot of my feelings. Lots of tears were shed that night, and it was the perfect way to spend my birthday.
5. Knowing Better
This one is an odd gratitude. It feels self-aggrandizing, but there's a wave of relief I feel when I look upon past events and think to myself "I wouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior now" or "I know better than to involve myself in this". It's important to be truthful to my own feelings, which is something that I struggle with often. It's easy to doubt myself and deny myself, so I wanna keep doing the hard work and push myself further.
Despite being better than before, I know there's still a lot of inner work I need to do in order to improve more.
I've made a slow realization these past couple of years: I really enjoy Hong Kong style desserts! I should have known I would like it, since I really like Filipino taho and Japanese dango. For me, my sweet tooth doesn't crave sweets like candy or chocolate much. I prefer less sweet, more balanced tastes like matcha, red bean, black sesame, and almond. These desserts are commonly found at Hong Kong dessert cafes, or in dim sum restaurants. I figured it would serve me well to try to make these desserts at home.
Making pudding is quite simple, since most of the time, the recipe comes prepackaged in a box and requires water, milk, and a stove to make. I used to make mango pudding years ago which also came in a ready-to-make box. I think I made it so much in one point of my life that I got tired of it and took some time away from the pudding life. I'm happy to say that this interest has once again resurfaced, and I'm ready to take it to the next step.
I went to a Japanese market and bought the almond pudding mix. This mix may be known by other names, such as almond gelatin, almond tofu, or annin tofu. They are all the same thing. Back then, I wouldn't care much about presentation, but now I feel like I can focus on both presentation and flavor. I bought some silicon molds that look like flowers, and I thought this would be perfect for my test batch. I wanted to make sure of two things: how long I needed to leave the pudding in the fridge for, and how the flavor would match my preference.
The jelly didn't come out of the mold perfectly, but it's a start! Now that I knew that I could trust this mix, I wanted to take it a step further and combine different flavors. I wanted to do mixes of different puddings: black sesame and almond, almond and coffee, mango and almond, mango and matcha, black sesame and matcha, etc. I needed more pudding mix and a lot of patience.
A couple days later, I was able to find matcha, coffee, red bean, and mango. I don't think a black sesame pudding mix exists, so I'll have to create it from scratch.
I'll post another pudding update when I make it next time.
This will be my first, but definitely not my last post about Seventeen. Enough time has passed where I feel like I've fully digested and processed the group's first full English song, and now it's time to talk about it.
Seventeen songs can vary so much in instrumentation, genre, and tone, and it's one of the reasons why I am a fan. I forget which interview this was mentioned, but Woozi states that it's not about how the group can mold to fit the genre, but how the genre can be used to fit Seventeen. The members' unique voices and harmonies tend to indicate a "Seventeen-style" song more than any other component, though a common occurrence with Seventeen songs is the element of surprise: where a chorus is expected, another pre-chorus hits, or the beat drop happens when you don't expect it to. This element is evident in Darl+ing.
Darl+ing is a great introduction into Seventeen's sound without sacrificing too much to cater to western (read: American) audiences and formulas. The quieter mellow instruments and synths balance out the stronger pre-chorus, and everything is held together with pauses of bashful silence. Darl+ing on the surface feels like your typical song about blooming love and happy relationships. The concept photos and the music video teasers feel flowery and delicate too.
However, this sunny disposition is a façade. Upon reading the lyrics and watching the music video, you start to see something that isn't as happy as it seems:
"I don't wanna let you go
I can't think of being alone
What am I supposed to do-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh?
And I gotta let you know
You got my heart like it's yours
Don't wanna say goodbye"
and the music video slowly progresses into a rougher environment:
Throughout the video, there is a lot of focus on a clock that has seemingly stopped time. There are many "theories" behind what this could mean, but my own interpretation is that it represents feeling stuck, unable to move on or move forward. This speculation fits with the overall meaning of the song.
The upbeat music and vocals disguise the true meaning of this song and music video. This is something that Seventeen has done before with previous songs like "I Wish" and "Still Lonely". I personally love when Seventeen is able to mask a sad song as a happy song, which is why those songs are up there in my favorites list.
At the end of the music video, it's clear that they are now deep into their feelings of sadness and fear. Perhaps they've accepted that they can't stop time, and that they must let go. This is the build-up to the new upcoming fourth studio album release, Face the Sun. The concept photos for Face the Sun feels similar to the ending of Darl+ing.
I am very curious to see how Darl+ing ties in to the new album, and what new genres we can expect Seventeen to try next. Please look forward to a post about Face the Sun when it comes out and I've processed it!
My favorite part about Darl+ing:
The pre-chorus is wonderful. With the gradual vocal build up to Dokyeom and Seungkwan's vocals, the "dialing you-u-u, sorry darling you" holds the feeling in place with the pause right before the chorus. On first listen, I was expecting the chorus to match that built-up energy, but was instead met with softness.
My least favorite part about Darl+ing:
The unexpected and immediately discontinued change of pace in the song towards the end. I was thrown in for another surprise as it returned to that same soft ending chorus.
I didn't comment on Seventeen's choreography much in this post, but I could go on and on about how I am bewitched by their performances. I'll pour these thoughts into another entry someday. Stay tuned!
This past weekend, my friend celebrated her birthday in San Francisco. Since we all live or used to live in the Bay Area, we made a lot of different food memories over the years. While we couldn't make a stop to every eatery we visited in the past, we had a good mix of favorites and new places.
I've decided to memorialize this trip by making a food diary of many things we ate that day. Going to Japantown is one of our favorite activities, so of course we had to hit up some places here!
Udon Mugizo - Salmon Spinach Cream Sauce Udon
This was a delicious start to our food adventure. If you are a fan of pasta and want to find a happy medium between Japanese and Italian food, this is the perfect fusion. The sauce was creamy and tasty, and there was plenty left over even after the udon was long gone. You could take that spinach sauce and dip some toasted bread in it, and it would make a great snack.
Jina Bakes - Assorted goods
This was my first time seeing Jina Bakes open! It was a welcome surprise, and the line to get in didn't take that long. We were too excited to try it that we didn’t mind waiting. Unfortunately, the cream puffs were sold out by the time we were called up to put in an order. I ordered the Muscovado sugar latte, injeolmi croissant, and garlic chive scone. My friend ordered the honeycomb toffee latte, mango panna cotta, and matcha butter mochi. Everything we ordered ended up being tasty!
I enjoyed the matcha butter mochi for its texture and flavor. I prefer less sweet sweets, so this is something that I would recommend for people who don't have a huge sweet tooth.
My top favorite of this bunch is the garlic chive scone. As a longtime garlic girl, I was expecting to savor a light garlic taste, but this pastry had chunks of baked garlic in it, and I fell in love. I wouldn’t mind ordering a whole box of these.
Sushi Shio - Sushi Tasting
I wanted to make my friend's birthday a special occasion, so I booked a reservation for Sushi Shio. It's a nice quiet place to have a meal, and the fish was tasty. My favorite fish to quality test a place is the tuna, so if the tuna can't be done right, then I can't really trust the place. Other people may have different ways of measuring quality, but this is mine. The tuna did not disappoint.
The staff was generous with the helpings of pickled ginger, which I appreciated. The green tea that I ordered also had free refills, so that was also an unexpected treat. As we were getting ready to pay, the staff brought out a cheesecake for my friend's birthday, and that was a lovely way to end the meal!
U:Dessert Story - Dango Combo
This is probably our longest-standing tradition. I don't remember the first time we went to this place, but we always make sure to eat here whenever we can. Our group is self-proclaimed as "the foodie group", so one of the main ways we hang out is by eating out. We wrapped up the day with proper dessert from U:Dessert Story.
I wanted to get the dango combo. In my previous visits, the dango was sold out completely, so I was happy that I could try it this time. Only the mitarashi dango was sold out, so I opted for another black sesame. It was satisfying after a long day of eating. I’ll try you one day, mitarashi dango from U:Dessert Story 😤
I enjoyed my time and my meals on this day, and I hope this post gives some ideas about what to try in the future!
Can I really classify myself as a millennial blogger if I don't write about superheroes? I recommend this show to anyone who won't mind vulgar humor, foul language, and cartoon violence. This is not your average animated show.
Spoilers mentioned at the very end of the review. You have been warned!
Thanks to Batman Forever being one of the few VHS tapes I fondly remember watching, my partiality towards superhero movies only grew from there. Since then, I've grown up on media such as Powerpuff Girls, X-Men: The Animated Series, Teen Titans, and more. It's always been there, but oversaturation of such content has never been more apparent until now. Or maybe it has, but I've only just noticed it.
Like all popular things, the superhero franchise exploded and multiplied in the last decade. So many origin stories! So much action! So much heavily implied romance! It all gets so formulaic that you start to wonder, when are we gonna see them do other shit besides save people? Suicide Squad wasn't an exception either, despite its "villain" take. I do admit I enjoyed seeing Margot Robbie playing this playful, sexy, and violent character in this movie and Birds of Prey, so I wanted to know if the television series continued to explore this version of Harley Quinn. Short answer: it did.
I came across this series in 2020, a pivotal pandemic year for all of us. For me, it was also the first year being single after a decade of dating various partners. Perhaps I related and was drawn to Harley Quinn in this way, as someone who needed to focus on herself more than who she wanted to date. Am I projecting here? Possibly, but I'm right! Mostly.
I appreciate that this series is animated. Had this show been live action, I would have stopped in the first episode. 2D violence makes it a bit easier for me to watch, since it's not so gruesome and detailed. I don't get nightmares as easily because of that. Aside from the violence, this show is funny as hell, and it has a great cast of characters and actors. I like that it centers on their everyday life as well as the "I need to save the day!"-type episodes.
Harley Quinn isn't supposed to be looked at as a hero, and this show further drives that point home. She's still playful, sexy, and violent, but she's also still struggling with her own morals. It's very relatable, since she's still making decisions based on what others want, instead of what's best for her. The show does a great job at exploring her growth, and it reminds us that we don't have to be perfect people to deserve a mutually fulfilling love.
Lastly, this final remark will be considered a spoiler, so I'll warn you now to stop reading from here. I appreciate that this show built up a romance in a way that didn't go from point A to point B, as most superhero media does. It took its time, and while each character has made their fair share of mistakes, I still rooted for it. I hope Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn stick it out for the long run.
I read Spy x Family up until chapter 61 in three days. I wanted to catch up with the manga before the anime officially premiered, and I was pleasantly surprised by the story! It wasn't a task to read. There are many great comedic moments and it made me curious to see how the story would eventually end.
Here is the official summary from Viz:
Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath!
Note: This post will be talking generally about spoilers of events happening in the manga, up until the later chapters. I would recommend skipping this post if you want to consume this manga / anime without any type of awareness of what's going on.
I hold a personal belief that the way humans interact with each other creates a butterfly effect to change a politically charged scenario at a grand scale (e.g. war). Lots of small changes need to happen in order to cause a change of grand proportions. I like that this story's main goal resonates with this belief, so much to the point that even the person who is supposed to catalyze this change is small. The fate of the mission rests in Anya Forger.
Of course, Anya is not solely responsible for making sure things align perfectly. Loid and Yor might be trained professionals, but their lack of education around parenting is clear in various scenes throughout the manga. They have their slip ups, but over time, both Loid and Yor become more adept at parenting.
There are a bunch of secrets between the Forger family, and it's hilarious to see them all try and hide their true selves from each other. Even the dog, Bond, is hiding something! Anya is probably the worst at keeping her secret, but that's expected since she's a child and has the least amount of experience with lying. It's comical that both Loid and Yor are so preoccupied with keeping up their own lies that Anya's exposures go unnoticed.
I really like the main characters, and their different motivations for staying in the family. I love Anya's mischievous yet careful demeanor. And have you seen Loid and Yor? Talk about an attractive pair. We start to see a potential romance bloom between Loid and Yor, and I will be happy either way if they do or don't fall in love with each other in the end.
Unfortunately, there is a glaring issue I have with the series, and it can be summed up in two words: Yuri Briar. That's it, really. I already had enough of that repulsive plot in other shows, and I don't need that here. There are people who genuinely don't see anything wrong with this relationship, but I am not one of them. I think this series would have been fine without his unwelcome obsession over Yor. I'd be fine seeing less of him.
As for what I would want to see in this manga, I'm interested in Yor's continued growth. As of the latest chapter, she's contemplating whether she should keep being an assassin or not. She seems to be motivated by her advancements as a parent and housekeeper. I can also see this in Loid too, but he still hasn't made that decision yet to leave behind his spy days for good. I am eager to find out what happens next.
Since the anime is releasing soon, I wanted to briefly express my praise for the voice actors chosen for Loid and Yor. I am excited to see the pages come to life! Action scenes are always better witnessed in anime to me because I don't have the spatial understanding to choreograph the action in my head.
This is also the first anime I'll watch where I read the manga first, so I am interested to see how my perspective will change.
I wanted to formally document my skincare routine and products I recommend. I recognize my privilege when I say that I have mild forms of acne and skin issues. I'm lucky to have been blessed with these abilities. That being said, I do tend to have dry skin, the occasional breakout (especially during my period), and an oily T-zone. I can't really complain.
I’ve been using a lot of these products for years. I rarely make time to research new products, so most of the time my exploration into new skincare products either come from trying it on in person, or hearing about it from advertisements featuring idols. Anyways, onward!
An oil cleanser that washes off easily? You bet! This Oil to Milk cleanser is easy-on, easy-off, and leaves our skin looking and feeling its
CocoKind Oil to Milk Cleanser - $18
This cleanser has a mild fragrance and is very gentle on the skin. I really like this cleanser for when my face feels more dry, which usually happens more during the winter. Glasses of water will only take me so far. I use it with a silicon exfoliant brush and try to use light circular motions on my face and neck. A quarter size amount is enough for my face. I hear it's great for sensitive skin.
Cleanse your way to clearer skin.
Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions Purifying Gel Cleanser - $10
Prior to finding out about Cocokind, I was using this cleanser as my primary face wash. I used this when I worked in a movie theater, which meant unsolicited popcorn steam facials and hot dog oil moisturizer. This stuff worked wonders!
I've been using this product for over a decade now and it's never failed me. I love using this toner because it does its job well; it's like a detail cleaner. I also think it lasts fairly long for the price.
Can you tell how much I adore this product line? It is what it is: a spot treatment. I don't need to use this every day, but it works well when I do need it. Like I mentioned previously, I tend to have more breakouts during my period. This product is perfect for that.
The Ordinary Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) 10% + Zinc 1% serum reduces the appearance of skin blemishes and congestion while also balancing visib
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% - $8
I use this serum a lot when I go out and I want to put on makeup. Since the pandemic, I haven't really been using it much, so my application of this product isn't as frequent. If you're looking for a serum that'll make your skin feel tight and taut, this is the one. There's a weird metallic smell, and this product tends to leave a lot of dry residue around the neck of the bottle. You don't need a lot. It's fun to apply because it comes with a pipette applicator as the lid.
Moisturizer
Amazon.com: COSRX Daily Acne Facial Moisturizer with Birch Sap, 3.38 fl.oz / 100ml, Hydrating moisturizer for all skin types, Korean skincar
COSRX Ultra Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap - $25
How sad that this product isn't being sold on the COSRX website anymore! This has been my longest used moisturizer product. It's worth the price because I don't really need to use a lot of it, maybe a quarter sized amount or two pumps is all that's needed. It's best on skin that is more naturally oily.
Buy THESAEM Urban Eco Harakeke Cream 1.69oz. – Vegan Face Moisturizer with Harakeke Extracts and Hyaluronic Acid - Soft Melting Texture Faci
The Saem Urban Eco Harakeke Cream - $20
Remember how I said I'd buy a product if an idol promoted it? If you haven't seen the Harakeke dance that Seventeen created for this promotion, you're missing out. This terrifying jingle and dance has never left my brain. My friend Sharlene bought this product for me and it's been an amazing replacement as a moisturizer! A little bit goes a long way, and it leaves my skin hydrated.
NOTE: None of these products have SPF in them, so I'll toss in a recommendation for SPF as well.
This isn't the best SPF facial lotion I've tried, but it's the only one I have, and it's SPF 32. It does have a sunscreen smell, but it isn't as bad as putting actual sunscreen on your face. When you apply it, it feels like a heavy moisturizer. It works, but I would recommend the next product more over this one.
This is the real deal. Known as a Supergoop dupe, this product is the best in my opinion. Not only is it SPF 40, but it feels light and doesn't smell like a sunscreen at all. If only I actually lived near a Kroger...
Pre-Makeup
No creasing. More vibrant color. Smoother application. Shop our legendary Eyeshadow Primer Potion, the #1 primer for indestructible, all-day
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - $25
I don't use foundation when I put on makeup, so I don't really need a face primer. I do, however, use eye makeup a lot, and this really helps. I actually didn't know that this primer came in more than one shade until I wrote this post. I thought that it was supposed to be a light shade. The more you know, the less you know, it seems.
Award winning vegan innovation. Scrub and nourish is multipurpose at its finest.
Dr. PAWPAW Scrub & Nourish Lip Scrub & Lip Balm Duo - $11
The newest addition to my collection. I tend to bite and peel the skin off my lips more often than I admit, so I was looking for a product that would serve as a scrub and a treatment. Who knew that a two-in-one existed? I've used it for a few months now and I really like it. The scrub feels great, and the balm reminds me of a less sticky Vaseline.
Makeup Removal
Amazon.com: [THEFACESHOP] Oil-Free Liquid Eye Makeup Remover, Natural Rice Water Lipstick, Waterproof Mascara & Eyeliner Removal - 120 mL /
The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Makeup Remover - $15
I really like this product! I like how easily it takes off makeup, and I like the smell, too. The best way I could describe it is like fragrant rice.
One last thing I wanted to recommend for makeup removal was the Burt's Bees Sensitive Facial Cleansing Towelettes. If you're on the go or you're too inebriated to do a whole skincare routine, this product will clean off your makeup and your face. They are wipes, so they're also convenient for travel.
That just about wraps it up for the product recommendations at this time! I might do an additional post in the future, but for now, this is what I have to offer.
I did want to see how much everything I listed costs (excluding shipping & fees), so let's see..
$185 for everything. Not bad, considering a lot of these products will last me more than a month. Some are also listed as alternatives, so that price is actually a lot lower.
Before I sign off, I recommend doing your skincare activities to "Skincare Tutorial 2020" by Tobi Lou
I adored Richard Ayoade so much in The IT Crowd that I sought to watch the other shows and movies that he was part of. Back in the early 2010s, the YouTube algorithm was already working its magic. It successfully probed my mind (and watch history) because I came across this video:
It was then and there that I had to watch this show immediately.
Darkplace itself is a mere six episodes long, totaling about 150 minutes (not including the additional commentary specials) which made it easy to binge. It's a well-executed mockumentary and parody and is worth re-watching again.
I enjoyed this show more than The IT Crowd itself, and I would consider it one of my favorites. I am not a fan of horror at all, but this was more laughable than frightening, as intended. It fits my sense of humor more, especially since there isn't a laugh track involved. The parody of 80s horror is perfect, from the music to the obvious special effects. Dr. Liz Asher / Madeleine Wool (played by Alice Lowe) is very obviously mistreated in the show, and I believe that this was a deliberate mockery of the very real and relatable problem of misogyny then and today.
This show made me appreciate Richard Ayoade more as an actor and writer, and it introduced me to more talented individuals like Matthew Holness and Julian Barratt. It's one thing to be a great actor known from great acting, but it's another thing to be a great actor known from terrible acting. That's the kind of character that Richard Ayoade plays when channeling Thornton Reed through his actual character, Dean Lerner. One of my favorite lines of his is "I beg your pudding?"
If Darkplace is a great example of British humor (or should I say, humour) then consider me a fan of it. This series was part of my brief obsessive phase over British media, which lasted roughly from 2009-2014. My knowledge of British comedy is specific to those years, so additional comedy recommendations are welcomed. I'll be doing more posts about shows that I enjoyed from that phase in the future.
You can watch Garth Marenghi's Darkplace for free on YouTube. It's also available on Peacock, if you're looking for slightly better video quality.
Note: This post contains content relating to the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie, but no spoilers for the film itself.
(photo from IMDb.com)
From the moment I first heard of the announcement of the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 film release date for Japan, my excitement and interest had been piqued. The release date for Japan was December 24, a date that played a key role in the film itself. I love little coincidences like these.
Fast forward to this week, on the premiere date of the film in US theaters. I wanted to see the movie more than once, and the group of people I went with on the first day wanted to check out the dubbed version. I watched the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen in both English and Japanese (way too many times for each), so I was already familiar with the voice actors for both versions. I'll save my thoughts on the dub vs. sub argument for another day.
I thought that the performances were well done. I think out of all the performances, I really enjoyed Maki, Rika, and Yuta's voices for the dub. Allegra Clark, voice of Maki Zenin, also voices Beidou in my current favorite game, Genshin Impact, so I smiled because I was able to hear them both. You can also start to hear Yuta's confidence in himself grow during the movie through his voice.
Watching the dub allowed me to take in more of the visual spectacles in the film, which is something that I tend to struggle with when watching subtitled anime. This is the main reason why I often need to re-watch the series. The backgrounds were rich, the action scenes were thrilling, and the character designs were great. I think one of my favorite scenes to watch in this movie was the end battle. The movie had a great pace to build up all the action to the very end. It left me wanting more.
I watched the subtitled version the following day. There were some bits of dialogue that I was able to understand better after reading it instead of listening to it in the dub. I also found the Japanese voice of Rika to be a lot creepier and sinister! She sounded like a terrifying character out of a horror film.
Unfortunately, during the subtitled showing, there was a couple a few seats over talking and conversing the entire time of the movie, and I let my anger distract me during the middle of the film. Eventually, I calmed down and tried my best to ignore them. I felt upset because my friend was watching it for the first time and her movie-watching experience was affected by them. Some people need an etiquette reminder.
During the credits, I got to hear the amazing end credit music by King Gnu, who made two songs, "一途 (Ichizu)" and "逆夢 (Sakayume)" for the film. "Ichizu" is my favorite of the two. I get goosebumps listening to that song.
Those who, like me, are caught up with the latest chapter of the manga, will understand the end credit scene and how crucial it is for the next installment of the series. I hope this film is released to streaming services soon, so I can have additional content to tide me over until the next season comes out in 2023.
Hey! So, it's been years since I made a blog post. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I figure it's time to start documenting the important moments of my life again, as well as small parts of my life that make me happy. I used to be really active on blogs 10-15 years ago, so I thought I'd go back on here and try this out. I'll be posting snippets of my life, what's taking up my time nowadays, and other types of content! I think blogging remains the best way for me to get my ideas out.
I think about other platforms that I'm active on, like Instagram or Twitter, and neither really satisfy me for writing more thoughtful content. I hope that this goes well, and that I continue to post every now and then.
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