Don't take its name lightly — this habit could quite literally be our doom ˎˊ˗ 

08/25/25 

❛ The Doom in Doomscrolling ❜

I've been quite the habitual doomscroller since the creation of reels on Instagram. What's even worse is that I don't only stick to one platform — I alternate between TikTok and Instagram Reels. It's a combined screentime of over 5 hours, sometimes. However, I recently stumbled upon a TikTok. It talked about the dangers of doomscrolling and how it shapes our lifestyles and brains for the worse; now, I've seen my fair share of studies and content about phone addiction, and how social media is designed to keep us lured in. This time though was different. I felt an immense fear at every word the man in the TikTok video said. You may think, "yeah, that's how persuasion WORKS, Joanne", but let me elaborate. I was afraid because I felt his words in my bones. Every side effect he described was happening to me in full-time, and I had exactly experienced everything he said.

Allow me to share with you what he said, and how I experienced everything he said.

Firstly, he mentioned that frequent viewers will feel their prospective memory being destroyed, and the words used couldn't have been more accurate. I've been noticing this past half-year that my memory has been getting significantly more vague. What reel or TikTok I saw a second ago was nada to me; if I had a secondary task I assigned earlier in the day was soon nonexistent in my brain; I would have to run up and down the stairs 4 times before going out, realizing that I forgot one item before exiting the door. I started doing an activity awhile ago: every night, before I put my night contact lenses on, I would check if the lens I was holding are green or blue (green meant it was for my right eye, and blue for my left). Then, I would ask myself if I remember checking the lenses a minute before, as I put the lens in my respective eye. The thing is, I would always check, but the amount of times I would remember I checked would halve in the span of the half-year. I constantly berated myself out of fear at this realization. It seemed that there was always some other fluff clouding my brain. When I felt this extreme fear, or simply the lack of memory of what to do, I gravitated towards my frequent short-form media apps.

His second point was that the brain is atrophied after extensive scrolling. This essentially means that it wastes away. Grey matter, which is an essential part of your brain, contains neurons that store and process new information. It lets us control movement, memory, and emotions. Also, grey matter atrophy is famously linked with dementia. This was another point that really hit home. I've been feeling a lot more sluggish, not only in memory, but also in desire to move, my actual movement, and my emotional stability. I would often feel an extreme of an emotion, or be suddenly hit by a wave of sadness. I only fully realized with this TikTok that this wasn't a normal phenomenon. Wow. No wonder I've been feeling so limited.

Next up is negative info breaking into the mind. I just talked about that, but to expand, I definitely see how I felt a lot worse as a whole. Not only was I a lot more susceptible to feeling abnormally sad in a very short time span, but I also just very mundane usually as well. If I had nothing to do, I would often feel slightly unhappier than apathetic. One positive thing that I did notice, though, if there's anything, it's that I often felt happier during walks. I enjoy going on walks, and even when I was in my doomscrolling clouds, the urge to go outside would prevail. The negative emotions I felt while scrolling (and anytime, really) would gradually dissipate with the feel of the brisk air and scenery. That serene mood would stick for awhile after as well, until I would go back to scrolling by habit, of course. I would feel inevitable FOMO from missing out on a new trend, or brainrot words that made me seem "relatable" and "with the wave". The issue is also with the fact that everyone else seems to use Reels and Tiktoks, and I was not brave enough to counter the collective madness.

His next point was on stress reshaping the brain. Though I am not actually able to reach into my head and track my brain in real time, I agree with his point about stress. It's not the same high smellable amount of cortisol as my Grade 11 IB Exams, per se; rather, it's more consistent and constant. Instead of a spike in stress, it's a constant line above the norm. I felt myself more susceptible to paranoia from the Reels or TikToks, which aligned with the increase of brain activity I needed to process each video. Honestly, I really haven't been able to truly relax and sleep like a log in a long, long time. Moreover, he talked about a positive feedback loop, where this stress leads to even more doomscrolling to "calm down", just to not resolve the stress at all, but rather amplify it.

Lastly, he discussed the brain not cleaning itself during sleep. This magnitude of truth really metaphorically impaled me. I often found myself going to sleep with thoughts of social media and TikToks I saw, or simply just the vague fluff I mentioned before. I would wake up often in a groggy state, and in an overall grouchy mood, which would go back to his third point, about having a lower baseline of happiness. I would physically and mentally feel unfit and strained — I felt my lifespan getting shorter and shorter.

I want to connect this with one more thing: usage of AI. There was a particular low for me; when I doubled up using ChatGPT and doomscrolling. Now this might start to sound ridiculous; you might even be saying, "Joanne! Now you're just a paranoid boomer afraid of new technology". Don't get me wrong — I am amazed at humanity's advances; we went from digging rocks to creating wifi to creating phenomenal generative AI. But I noticed a fatal combination. Catching myself ask the most trivial questions on ChatGPT for schoolwork to lessen my brain's workload, and then going on TikTok or Reels to "calm" myself. It was unhealthy and I felt a genuinely blow to my brain and lifestyle. I was no longer relying on my brain. Tasks like mental math started to feel painful and tiresome to me, and I started slacking in conversations and socializing with friends, since I couldn't find the words and felt the overwhelming sensation of the vague fluff in my head. As an avid extrovert, I was shocked to hear my friends tell me I became more closed off; I hadn't noticed it at all, being too caught up in the lasting digital noise.

Doomscrolling is a silent danger. It's not a materialistic drug like metamphetamine or nicotine, but it's pretty damn bad. It may be arguably worse, since the risks are not as widely known, and since it is so absolutely normalized. I worry for myself, my family, and my friends. I worry that our generation is collectively falling into an awake slumber, and that we're witnessing each other's brains gradually enter decay. I'm left with one question: how will humanity solve this one — and even before that: how will I?

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Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 : ──────── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

So many people said to watch this if I enjoyed reading Strange Weather in Tokyo, and so here I finally did, but frankly — I'm utterly disappointed. ˎˊ˗ 

08/17/25

 ❛ Lost in Translation ❜ 

Dude. This movie played at about 5 frames per whenever it wanted when we watched this (do NOT stream movies on Discord), and I was sleepy, so that might have contributed to my negative perception of this film, but regardless, the plot just did not appeal to me much.

I see the vision, but I didn't enjoy the execution. The pensive soundtrack was good, and I really liked the colour grading at some scenes. Moreover, they captured those feelings of alienation and loneliness quite well on camera. But even so, it's not exceptional, it doesn't feel so organic, and it's rude. 

I think the main actors did a decent job with showing the subtleties in their relationship and with the unspoken part, but there were often scenes that felt exaggerated and stuck out like sore thumbs. Many of their interactions felt just like blocks, in the sense that the development of their relationship doesn't seem organic, and is instead just a series of isolated, escalating events between them. I did have high hopes though, after watching the first scenes of them; when they were lonely and isolated and all that. After that, though, it was just alright.

A note I really wanted to make: the casual making fun of Japanese accents also just rubs me the wrong way (the "l" and "r" pronunciation jokes); that in no way contributes to the actual storyline, and it just wasn't necessary. How are you making a movie in Tokyo and just so unappreciative of everything? It just screams superiority and privileged to me and it's dispiriting of them to make fun of Asian culture. It's just counts of microaggression everywhere. So yeah, those small details did make my overall perception of the movie worse.

And I feel like there were random points that were just padded in, like the random redhead he slept with near the end. Their relationship progression is just boring...other than the fleeting partying scene, it's not much except for bland mush with a side of forced intervals of intimate eye contact. Everything feels like it's for the sake of the plot, and not out of real chemistry. 

Overall, this movie is mediocre, and though it does have some strong points, it's also not the most conscious movie, and it definitely could have been executed a lot better. My five cents are: stick with Strange Weather in Tokyo instead.
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 Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 : ──────── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

My second Jordan Peele film! ˎˊ˗ 

07/21/25

❛ Get Out ❜ 

Contains mild spoilers.

Every single person who has told me about their experience with this film has always told me positive critique about it; I believed them wholeheartedly. After watching Us by Jordan Peele, I was blown away, and despite not being an avid fan of horror, I ended up rating the movie a whopping 5 stars. I felt terrified for days, but at the same time, I was left reflecting on the movie's themes for days afterwards. I expect a similar aftertaste on my psyche for the next few days. 

I actually did intend to watch several times in the past. I was either deflected by the mental effort to open the horror movie, or simply decided to move onto "lighter tasks" in all instances. The most recent occurrence was in Lisbon, Portugal. My friend and I figured out the TV system in our AirBnB, and finally opened the movie, only to both nearly fall asleep within the first five minutes. The jet lag was not so welcoming with us, and we ended up both going to bed with the paused film still illuminated on the TV in the living room.

Today, though, I was having a pleasant barbecue with my friends, and finally decided to watch the movie have ten minutes of scrolling through streaming platforms on my friend's TV. We had approximately 2 hours of free time, and I decided then that Get Out seemed the most ideal in our situation, and also that I had enough of deflecting the movie.

First things first, this movie is fire. The actors are brilliant, the plotline was powerful, and the audio and visuals were marvelous. Upon seeing Allison Williams pop up on the screen, I was shocked. I was immediately worried that I would be biased about her character due to the fact that I watched — and loved — her role in A Series of Unfortunate Events. However, let me tell you: Rose Armitage is nothing like Kit Snicket. Kit is a intelligent and noble (pun intended!), and Rose is...unfortunately also intelligent, but also unfortunately a bitch! That is to say, Williams did splendid with her role, and it's insane how amazing her acting range is. If I hadn't been previously spoiled about the plotline, I almost guaranteed would have been fooled by her warm demeanor. Her sudden change to cold and calculating near the end — when she was researching more Black men — then the sudden 180 switch back to warm as a last attempt to live when Chris was straddling her; that was insane. My jaw dropped. Allison Williams I did not know you were chill like that! Same goes for all of the Black victims in the film. The acting was mindblowing flawless on their part. The small eye twitches, eerily mechanical smiles, and Logan's crashout, it was all phenomenal acting. The plot is undoubtedly risky; being heavily relying on hypnosis, which is obviously psychological, it would require actors to portray that inner turmoil and trance state very coherently, without overdoing it. All the actors did great in that aspect, I believe, and they evoked a strong emotion as I watched those scenes with them in it. Moreover, Daniel Kaluuya did great too. From the iconic scene with the single teardrop rolling down his cheeks, to sheer panic on his face at hearing the spoon clash against the teacup in the basement — Kaluuya was extraordinary at encapsulating the awakening of heavily buried past trauma. The Armitage family was also phenomenal at acting out the condescending White fake ass family. The small moments of tension, like the dinner table scene, with Jeremy (the brother) provoking Chris, were executed wonderfully. The small condescending smirk twitches, the pointed comments about deer being adjacent to infested rats and deserving to die, and even the awkward comments about Obama; there was a clear air of superiority from the Armitage family established. Those scenes were conveyed so thoroughly, especially with the brooding music in the background. I must give praise to the entire cast for their sublime subtle acting and microexpressions.

The cinematography was a masterpiece as well. I loved the unique angles, including the shot from within the forest as the couple was driving up to the house. The shaky handheld shots were also wonderful at conveying the turmoil within the characters, and I liked how camera distance was employed to show tension and built up suspense. Though it wasn't too out of the ordinary, I do appreciate these techniques used. Colourgrading was beautiful as well, with darker colours during heavier scenes, and lighter colours during the outside picnic generating an unsettling, fake picturesque atmosphere. 

I found the music, as I previously stated, well suited for the scenes in the movie. They weren't too complex or anything, but were crucial in building tension and fear in scenes.

Overall use of colour in set design; a lot of red used in the living room during the first experience with Missy's hypnosis, as well as again in the basement (I would presume the classic unsettling symbol for evil or satanic rituals). My friend also pointed out the omega sign on the door when the couple first arrived at the house. Omega symbolizes 'the end', which suggested a warning to unfamiliar guests. The deer on top of the basement was meaningful as well, connecting back to the father's comment about deer deserving to die. There were probably more symbols that I missed, and that is the beauty of a Peele film (though I am reluctant to watch it again, due to my general distaste for horror).

This film was phenomenal, and it's unfortunate that I'm not the target audience to appreciate it more. Regardless, I love the fact that the horror from this film stemmed from Black history and of systemic oppression and microaggression that Black people have faced on so many countless occasions (and still do continue to encounter). It brings out a whole other level of nuance and connection to history and makes the movie just so much more vivid and 3D. Jordan Peele, I love you for this. Overall, a 4.7/5 from me for this film! I will have trouble sleeping tonight, but it's worth it the experience.

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Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 : ──────── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

First exposure to Junji Ito ˎˊ˗ 

07/20/25

❛ Venus in the Blind Spot ❜ 

Includes mild spoilers

I've been wanting to read a Junji Ito manga for awhile now. Every time I pass by the manga section at my local Indigo, I always see a book by him, whether it's Uzumaki or Tomie. My classmate even once wrote a review on No Longer Human in my school press. As a fan of slice-of-life, and more milder books, horror is not quite my cup of tea, especially in reads. However, in case you haven't read my review on Kill Bill Vol. 1, I am someone who becomes increasingly inclined to consume media the more exposure I receive to it. Needless to say, I decided that I had to read something by him. Fortunately, a book caught my eye yesterday. Venus in the Blind Spot (Venus). Upon seeing its colourful cover, and "short stories" plastered on the cover, I was ecstatic. It seemed like an easy entry point to Junji Ito's works. The truth is, I had previously tried reading some of his works. However, No Longer Human seemed too heavy and overall too absurd for me to continue past 20 pages. Venus was a lot easier on the eyes, especially given that several chapters started with coloured pages (they were like little treats! Good encouragement...).

I throughly liked his art. I loved the fact that he established a balance of "conventional" and uncanny and bizarre art. For example, in "Master Umezz and Me", he used an unusually large amount of bizarre art, with the bug-out eyes and all-too-wide grin on himself. I found this usage intentional — I interpreted it as a way to show the absurdly and insatiable passion Ito held in Umezz's works and in kyōfu manga. His passion grew way beyond a hobby, and it almost seemed as though it was fetish-like, in the sense that it was portrayed so unsettling, beyond our comfort zone. I thought that was pretty dope!

To expand on that "grotesque" style that Ito seems to use so much in Venus (and also in the first 20 pages of No Longer Human, which was what pushed me away), he seems to do the same with the concepts of his stories as well. With the story of the man cheating with the doll, "An Unearthly Love", it reminded me of the fact that so many people have childhood toys and blankets that they cherish dearly. This applies to me as well. When these people grow up, they often find it difficult to let go of their plushies and dolls, not only because of the built up emotional significance over the years (and the feeling of having grown up with those items), but also because of underlying fact that it would mean having to let go of their childhoods and youth (since those items are significant symbols that become so deeply integrated in those idyllic memories. Ito takes this idea to an extreme — the human inability to let go of the past. The man naturally grew up with his awakened libido, but was unable to let go of the creepy ass doll, and thus...yeah. I kid you not, I had a live jaw drop at that scene, in the public book store, and that's what really drawn me deeper into the book. Ito goes out of the norm, and really puts the societal boundaries of comfortable topics to the test. It's quite insane and brilliant; the fact that his mind could come up with this. I had a visceral reaction to this, and this story really stuck in my brain (unfortunately).

the wife's (also my) reaction to the man and his doll.

All in all, I really enjoyed this new experience. Ito touched upon some very interesting topics, and some very real phenomena in real life. I both hate and love his style; but one thing for sure is that I definitely learned from this manga, and that it expanded my reading palette. Though some of his stories, like the very first one, seem to be extreme and utterly dystopian, I found that many of them were (on a milder extent) applicable to real life scenarios. The shut-in losing societal mannerisms, the unfortunate stockholm syndrome in the human chair story (also the fact that the handsome chair vendor was revealed to be a complete freak), and...yeah, I can't think of anything for the gross lady with the ginormous tongue; idk pop off I guess...just not anywhere near me. But overall, I give this book a 4.3/5. It's definitely quite the read, and I'm inclined to read another Ito book sometime, after some mental prep!

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 Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 : ──────── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

Kill Bill Vol. 1

This is my first exposure to a Quentin Tarantino film, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. ˎˊ˗ 

07/18/25 

 ❛ Kill Bill Vol. 1 Review ❜ 

Alright so I've heard way too much about Quentin Tarantino, and particularly the Kill Bill franchise. As I got more interested in watching movies, it was a consistent reminder in the background in every conversation other cinematic spheres of discussion. Thus, I naturally decided to watch this film; it was somewhat inevitable — an urge to get rid of a ringing mosquito.

every cinephile I know hardcore glazing this film.

So the first thing I have to point out is that Tarantino, as far as I know from this movie, has a very distinct style from anything I've watched before. He has a succinct, get-to-the-point style, and this is evident in the dialogue, pace, and plot. As someone who enjoys build-up and wrung out moody scenes, this was a bit awkward for me to adjust to. I could see how some may enjoy this style, but I was unfortunately not a part of this target group. I found myself often confused and left with questions (where did the Bride get her ID and money for the flights, for one? And her updated knowledge, for two?) and hanging thoughts due to the short scenes, which led me to not be as engaged in the film itself, overall.

I did enjoy Tarantino's sprinkling of creative techniques, though. The sudden back-and-forth between animation and real action, the black and white, the blinking into the blue scene with the glitching sound effect (speaking of sound effects, the "aaAAOW!!" sound effect when some of the fighters died was uncannily familiar...I may have to look into that). The cinematography is also not to be ignored. Gorgeous angles, colour grading, and quality. My issue, though, was the inconsistencies. It seemed to me that Tarantino was experimenting throughout the film, without actually sticking to one technique. Colour grading shifted between a Mexican dusty hue, moisturized orange-teal, futuristic neon blue, etc. Same with the techniques; the animation-real life technique only applied to O-ren Ishii's origin story, and B&W only occured once respectively. I also enjoy when films have a signature style; something that serves as a mark of identification. Technique-wise, I did not see this, and it gave me a sense of inadequacy.

I feel like characters had sufficient quirks that set them apart from each other. I must laud Tarantino for this. His concise style ended up covering all character design, for the most part — the Bride being determined and also funny, O-ren Ishii with her haughty but commanding air (also her American accent! Iconic; glad they didn't voiceover that), Bill with his strange fetish-y nature, and even Gogo, who had (I'd guess) less than 15 minutes of screentime, with her mischievous and impish personality, were all clearly conveyed. I ended up rooting for the Bride as the movie went on, despite having a bias from the start after watching one-too-many edits of O-ren Ishii.

Music could've been better. I did not enjoy certain scenes as much. The one portion of the movie I was most intrigued about, in terms of music, is the scene where the restaurant/lounge was introduced. The music that was playing sounded like the stereotypical rock n roll / country music that I hear at Rib Fest, or near a farm. Okay, I'll just say it: White people music. It was in Japanese, though, so it was cool to hear this fusion of genres. Otherwise, I found the music banal, unsuitable, and overall utterly underwhelming. I was disappointed to see a final-boss-level-adjacent scene covered by such boring and dry music. Did they get this out of a royalty-free cartoon music platform? I believe that music is such an integral aspect in building scenes, so the fact that the played this chewing-on-hay-and-bubblegum music disappointed me a lot. I wish for a remake of the Bride and O-ren Ishii fighting scene, with music from Joe Hisaishi or Ludwig Göransson. Whoever was in charge of music? NEVER COOK AGAIN. 

Costume design was pretty solid. Notable bright yellow suit for the Bride, white dress for O-ren Ishii (cool for the blood seeping through scene), etc. They all suited each character as well, building up individual character profiles in spite of the brevity in features, like Gogo with her spunky wrecking ball chain thingymabob. 

Yeah overall this film was not really my style, and I was often left confused. I'd give it a 3.7/10, for the creative techniques, but not 4 or above because of the inconsistencies and that bugging me a lot. I'm tired now; it's 12:30 AM. Catch you later for Vol. 2, or not.

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Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 : ──────── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

Season 3 was not quite what I thought ˎˊ˗ 

07/06/25  

❛ Squid Game S3 Review ❜ 

Contains spoilers

Squid game season 2 topped off season 1 quite nicely, raising many fans' expectations higher. The fact that season 3 was mostly a plateau in quality and plot to season 2 led to overall disappointment. However, I didn't find the season particularly unpleasant. It may not have been the over-the-top masterpiece to further top off the previous season, but it was doable, and aligned quite well with the franchise overall.

I would give the 3rd season itself about a 3.5/5 rating. The cinematography, angles, colour grading, and general quality was quite pleasing to the eye; nearly on par with the previous season (though I definitely enjoyed the subtle play on colour and visual elements more S2). The notorious CGI baby was not the best, and the dubbing for the VIP was not the best either, though. Speaking of the VIPs, I enjoyed the extra screen time on them. The acting was excellent overall, albeit a bit more awkward for the VIPs. I especially liked the last scene, when 456 made his statement to the VIPs, and the lighting dawning on them as they stood in silence. That was quite cool. The ending of the season was pretty on point with the show's identity as well; implying that Squid Game is never quite over — in fact the ideology spreads on forever. 

I do think the plot, though consistent with season 2, played it a bit safe, though. The season was expected to exceed the same content as season 2. From the start of season 3, with the failed coup d'état, I already felt myself gradually drifting from the show. It wasn't as engaging, for sure, and failed to immediately capture my attention. I kept watching solely due to the fact that I enjoyed the last two seasons. 

The rebel had a lot of potential to grow into something more significant. The extensive screen time on the boats also had humongous potential to be used in a larger scheme. A lot of factors could have been fleshed out, but weren't. 

A lot of characters seemed to have died for the sake of the plot, and this was especially unhelpful considering the underwhelming screen time in season 2 to develop emotional connections to the new set of players. If this season was going to be the same as the previous, then I believe the players should have been a lot more nuanced and took up more screen time. For example, with the trans girl, her character was given these super cool military skills and athleticism. I don't think the death she got was fitting of her. As such a powerful character, she could have definitely contributed to the plot further. I also felt like they just got rid of the old lady. This was already a previous problem when they got rid of Thanos so early in season 2 as well, I think (and the bee girl, I half-jest). 

The issue with this is that at the very end, we're stuck with 6 finalists who are — I'm going to be brutally honest — just a bunch of randos. This does not help with the retention of viewers. It would have been so much more intriguing if characters we developed stronger attachment to were finalists, like in season 1. In this season, we're left with a group of unfamiliar players whom we unconsciously wish to be eliminated en lieu of the three familiar characters we know within the finalists; it's just not ideal. 

On the topic of this wasted potential on certain characters' screen time, let's talk about where it went in the plot. I'll give you a hint: two boats. Two nuisance boats that genuinely did not ultimately contribute anything meaningful. I wonder: was this just a way to give Wi Hajoon more screen time? They ended up mostly dying too, for nothing. This side mission was futile and took away from more important scenes in the main plot. Why donate screen time to another branch of the story when the trunk of the story so far is not thick? I really do wonder.

Squid game was never optimistic. We knew this from the start, when 067 died. Similarly, when Jung Bae died in season 2. When fans had hope for several characters surviving in season 3 (the trans player, the mother and son, 222 and 333 and their baby, and 456), it was already doomed from the start. Having such positive expectations set for season 3 ultimately made the reality seem a lot harsher, which contributed to a general negative reception of that new season, I believe (it was unlikely for the show's core identity). 

There actually was a possibility for several characters to have survived, but it was a risky move for the plot, and honestly, I think the writers decided to play it safe this round (no pun intended!!), much to my (and many others') disappointment.

The season plateaued, in my opinion. It wasn't the best, but I guess it wasn't a total flop either.

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 Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 : ──────── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

Expansion of my music taste! ˎˊ˗ 

07/03/25 

❛ Reggaeton ❜ 

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I've experienced several music transitions in my music taste; a lot quite drastic. I went from a major K-pop fan (this automatically includes mandopop and J-pop by association) to RnB, shoegaze, and k-indie, to rap, rage rap (opium), and hip-hop, to slightly more milder alternative and indie songs, and recently Reggaeton.

The seed of interest was planted in my mind throughout and after my trip to Lisbon mid-June. I was trying to make some neat Instagram stories with my friend, and we really wanted to choose Portuguese and Latin music for the background music, but neither of us were personally accustomated with the genre. After browsing on social media for other Portugal and Spanish content, I discovered a song by Cris MJ and Kali Uchis that I enjoyed quite a lot: SI NO ES CONTIGO (remix). From this one starting point, I experimented with listening to more songs on Spotify, including the famous Rauw Alejandro. I also listened to premade Reggaeton Viejo (old school Reggaeton) playlists on Spotify, and went into the "similar artists" category for the artists I found myself liking more. 

Up to today's date, I have 82 songs in my playlist, and my songs are all quite mainstream/big songs (to be fair, they're big for a reason!). I've attached my playlist below.

Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 : ──────── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

Babe wake up; squid game season 2 just dropped! ˎˊ˗ 

12/28/24  

❛ Squid Game S2 Review ❜ 

*some minor spoilers!

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Chat we are SOO back. I just finished the second season of Squid Game – like just now. And boy was it a FEAST! 

When I started this season (literally yesterday), I had very high expectations. I thought of Season 1 as a masterpiece, so I expected nothing less, and I have to say: nothing less I got!

I see many comments online stating that they didn't like the ending of season 2, and that it ends in an irritating cliffhanger. Typically, I'm also a major hater of cliffhangers as well, but surprisingly – this particular instance – I wasn't too disappointed. The continuous build up in this season and the faster pacing already suggested a sense of "this is so much bigger than just the usual," so I subliminally sensed that Seong Gi-hun would not be just doing a round 2 of the game. 

First off, I just want to say that the cinematography of this film is phenomenal. It added a lot to the trademark elements of suspense and anticipation in this show. Every time the players have to vote to stay in or leave the game – and even sometimes otherwise – the blue and red lighting hint on the players' faces, and that was definitely made the show more immersive and layered. Subtle but powerful!

Now for the actual plot, I love it. It connects well with season 1, and it is just generally really entertaining. I was, much like for season 1, leaning in for every scene. There really is no fluff, and every scene is purposeful to the plot. I also loved the character design for all the characters, as all the personalities are nuanced and rock solid (the planning and writing left nothing out!). One of the critical factors of Squid Game's success, in my opinion, is the amount of substance and purpose there is for every character in the show. Even many supporting characters have distinct motives and backstories, and that's what really draws viewers like me to continue watching the show. I got attached to a lot of characters in the show, like Seong Gi-hun's buddy, Park Jung-bae; the trans woman, Cho Hyun-ju; and the mom and the son. Also, unpopular opinion, but I like Thanos too. He is an excellent comedic relief character, and without him, I truly believe a lot of this season's appeal would be gone. 

And let's not forget the acting. I heard a quote once that went along the lines of, "acting is bad when you start thinking about the production and the behind the scenes portion" (obviously this is not applicable everywhere, and it's a huge generalization). I guess the opposite of this would be the acting flying right over your head, and that's how I felt watching many of the scenes this season. In the Russian Roulette scene with the Recruiter and Seong Gi-hun, I literally felt chills. Everything in that scene is so intense. The dark and ambiguous lighting captures the uncertainty in the atmosphere perfectly. The setting in the Pink Motel adds to that too. Gong Yoo (Recruiter) and Lee Jung-Jae's (Seong Gi-hun) micro-expressions are excellently executed; their progressive expressions as they take turns loading the gun and shooting are crazy. When the Recruiter realizes that the only bullet left would be for himself, we as the viewer can really see his thought process. The whole scene seems so real; my eyes were practically glued to the screen watching that.

I hope we get more of the pink soldiers' perspective next season, since the part of the plot with Kang No-eul lowkey just pauses halfway the season (I like to believe this is meaningful). Also, without a doubt, I'm anticipating more of the Hwang brothers next season. 

Overall, I just looove how the sharp focus of the series and story is still very much alive in season 2, and how the spirit of the plot thrives! I'm the type of person who will easily drop a series if it's even a pint boring, but I binge-watched this in practically a day. I recommend this season (and entire show) to everyone who is of age to watch it, including those with short attention spans – like me. I am SOO excited for season 3 in 2025, omg!! 

P.s. excellent choice from the production team in setting the release date for s3 for early 2025. Great way to keep the hype up.

Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 : 

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Crumbl Cookies are everywhere on TikTok! It's quite likely that you've heard of them, but do they actually taste good? ˎˊ˗ 

11/18/2024

❛ Crumbl Cookie Review ❜ 

This past weekend, I went out with a friend to downtown in a venture to try out the infamous Crumbl Cookie! For the last few months, I've been seeing so many reviews on Crumbl Cookies on TikTok, YouTube, and from word-of-mouth. For awhile now, I've been curious as to whether they actually tasted good, so naturally, I had to go check it out in-person. Before I had visited the store, I had a wary impression of Crumbl, since the general consensus online was that their cookies had an excessive amount of calories and sugar, and that they were overall not worth their priceyness either.

When we got to Crumbl - The Well, we waited in line for about 30 minutes, which was surprisingly short, considering how long the line was. Everyone shuffled down quite efficiently and quickly, so that was good, since the weather was rather chilly. There were lots of Swifties in line as well, likely planning to go to the Eras tour which happened as well later that evening.

Anyhow, when we got in the store, we decided that the prices (around $6 after tax for ONE cookie – the larger one, and around $25 for the box) were too expensive for our broke student wallets, and split the money for ONE cookie. We chose the maple glaze cookie, after long consideration.

It looked like this (pictured below is the iconic pink packaging and the maple glazed cookie inside):

Honestly, speaking, it really wasn't that sweet for my taste. In fact, I loved it! I was quite surprised by my reaction, since my bar for the cookie was set to nearly the floor (my expectations were low after watching all the Crumbl Cookie Review TikToks). However, the cookie ended up tasting like a pancake, and as a pancake lover (particularly the pancakes in McDonalds Happy Meals, but that's irrelevant), this cookie was scrumpdiddlyumptious! The edges were crisp, but the center was chewy and soft (but not overly crumbly – pun intended), with a smooth texture. The texture also reminded me of cookie dough, because of its pliable quality, without overdoing it. 

I think I'll definitely come back next time, especially for the maple glaze cookie again! This was generally a positive experience for me, to my shock. Hopefully, I won't encounter such a long line though next time. 

Here are my overall ratings:

Sweetness - 4.5/5 (not too sweet!) 

Taste - 5/5 (this was so yummers actually)

Texture - 4/5 (loved the edges, but I've had crispier edges before)

Appearance - 3/5 (not particularly appealing; normal-looking)

Price - 3/5 (lowkey expensive; $6 after tax for ONE cookie?)

Overall - 3.9/5

TLDR; The taste and texture were near immaculate, but price is a turn-off. :(

 

Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 :

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I'm back!

I'm back! ˎˊ˗ 

November 17, 2024 

Hello to my two viewers!! I went down a nostalgic rabbit hole recently and found Blogspot (now Blogger) again. I decided, why not use this again? I wouldn't necessarily gain anything of substance, moneywise, but this definitely feels like soul food. Sentimental value, I guess you could say. Coincidentally, I've been thinking about a website to use to connect to my Pinterest, so this is great; hooray! ^^

I'm not too sure what to post for my Blog posts, but whatever will just do lol. Maybe more rare finds and random shenanigans, I'm thinking.

Thanks for reading! ࣪ 𖦹 ˖彡 ₊˚ 🫧 :

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Drive & Listen + More!

Let's say...you're bored! What do you do?

A) Do homework

B) Play video games

C) Doodle

D) Pester others

E) Look for fun websites

If you chose E, continue; if not, shoo shoo shoo.

Drive and Listen

https://driveandlisten.herokuapp.com/ 

Drive virtually at a certain location while listening to their local radio! I like to "visit" Tokyo, because it feels so neat there! You can also adjust the car speed and the volume. If you'd like, turn on street noises. I initially saw this website from an Instagram Reel, but Daisy (nickname) reminded me of this website recently, and I'm glad she did (Thanks!!)

Drive & Listen

https://drivenlisten.com/#

Don't get fooled! This website is similar to the previous one, but they're different!! This website doesn't have the local radio feature, but it has more modes. I actually found this website by mistake. I was searching for the previous website, but got here instead! For example, you can choose nature or cycling! Here is me "walking" in Shanghai!

Thru.page

https://www.thru.page/

This website is found via the "more" button from the previous website! I haven't fully explored this one, but so far, it gives a good impression to me. The modes are all very...interesting. Try using the dog, cat, and horse mode; I feel so giddy and excited every time the dog (and camera) shakes! I want to pet the German Shepherd so bad. :((

Welp, that's all! See you the next time I find something cool, or the next time I feel an extreme urge to share something. :D

3 Studying Must-have's

 Are you having trouble concentrating on your homework or focussing on studying? No worries! Here are three of my personal favourite things that help me focus and be productive:

1. A Computer Stand

Computer stands might seem useless, but they can be a game-changer if used properly. I find it easier to focus when I have a good posture, and adjusting a computer stand can really help do that. Instead of looking down at your screen, start looking up!

Here's a bestselling computer stand from Amazon:

FURNINXS Laptop Stand for Desk, Adjustable Laptop Holder Ergonomic Portable Computer Stand for Laptop, Support Up to 22 lbs Compatible with 11" to 17.3" MacBook Pro Air, Dell, Chromebook, Thinkpad

2. A To-do List or a Planner

It's crucial to know what you're doing when you study and do your homework and assignments, so that you can ensure you're not simply wasting time. Buy a planner or to-do list from your local stationery store and set it near your computer; somewhere you can easily see. Or, you can download an app or an extension for that on your browser!

3. A Timer

"Haha, a timer!?" Yes, a timer is an excellent method to use as well. It's like having a deadline for an assignment vs. not having one at all. Timers encourage people to work more efficiently, and it triggers a sense that they must finish a certain task in _ minutes or hours. Using a timer can also discourage you from procrastinating and having thoughts like "oh it won't be due soon" over and over again. Buy a timer or download an app or extension, trust me.

    

Hope these items change the way you study for the better!

I Miss My Cafe

Inspired by Daisy's Best Whitenoises post!!!

Studying Resource

If you're having trouble studying in a quiet environment, and you want to listen to cafe noises while studying or doing homework, go to imissmycafe.com

A few days ago, I saw an Instagram Reel that talked about this amazing website!

Here are my personal preferences:

Mango sundae!!!

 Mango Sundae!!!

Try making this on a Sunday~

Ingredients and materials: Ice cream (preferably vanilla-flavoured), mango juice/nectar (can be from the fruit or the juice jugs from the store), a bowl or cup, and a spoon! 

Optional items: ice cubes, milk, and fresh diced mango.

Steps:

1. Scoop out any amount of ice cream with your spoon into the bowl or cup!

2. Quickly drizzle some mango juice/nectar (your preferred amount)

3. You may mix it if you wish; your choice

4. Add any toppings if you'd like (some suggestions in the optional items section)

5. Enjoy!

Made NEW!

October 3, 2019 this was made, yay!