halfcactus

1. You have the summer and plenty of money to travel abroad. Where all would you go?
Australia to visit a high school friend who recently got in touch with me after a decade of hearing nothing from e/o to tell me she's moved. :') Less realistically I'd like to go to the cool art/design museum countries (Amsterdam, Vienna, Prague). But really, I wish I had the money to see overseas online + offline friends (don't we all).

2. What foods would you be sure you got to eat?
Whatever has servings I can finish. And snacks! I don't really eat much when I travel bc I eat too slow and it stresses me out.

3. What landmarks would you be sure you got to see?
I'd watch at least one musical! And maybe find Gixi if she is accessible haha

4. What airline would you use?
A non-budget airline. :')

5. Would your knowledge of other languages influence where you went? (i.e., would you be more likely to go to France if you spoke French?)
Yes and no... Being able to speak Chinglish and understand the local accent makes Taiwan even more chill than it already is because I'm not panicking as much and can wander around more. The first time I went (2019—my Chinese would be at HSK1.5 level at best haha), I got myself and my brother on the wrong train and had to alight at the next station at a nice idyllic town just outside of Taipei where nobody spoke English. Managed to communicate enough to get back on track, which made the experience less scary, though I'd chalk most of that up to the platform uncle being very sweet and super invested in getting us on the right train. (He was more stressed than us when we missed the next train!)

That said, my travel list right now is Thailand and Vietnam (separately) and I'm not fussed about language barriers.

Current Mood: sleepy

thefridayfive:
https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/146738.html

1. What is one thing about you that you hate?
The self-loathing. :( I thought working on my weaknesses and improving myself would help, but my brain keeps pointing out reasons for why I'm not good enough which sometimes leads to depressive episodes. </3

2. What is one thing about you that you love?
A pretty strong sense of self. It protects my wallet from consumerist culture. And every now and then people ask me what I think about [piece of media], which is very validating haha.

3. If you had to change one thing about you what would it be and why?
I'd like to be better at speaking/expressing my thoughts IRL, to be honest. I don't speak very well and I'm even worse at trying to explain things or tell a story. I always feel so bad for anyone who's listening to me. :')

4. What is one word that you would use to define yourself?

Watch on YouTube

5. Imagine what you would look like in a perfect world...what do you look like?
Let us not reopen the door to dysmorphia. :')

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Fell ill right as I was hitting a precious two-day work lull. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Just did a quick grocery run for soup stuff, only to realize that what my body desires is not hot and savory soups, but cold and sweet treats. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Shows I've rotated in this time period:
百妖譜 Fairies Album S2
2 eps in: Still a nice bedtime watch that always feels worth it when you get to the emotional parts, and still one I can only watch 2 eps at a time of. I don't think I'll be able to finish it before it leaves Netflix. :(

Glass Heart
3 eps in: Jdrama about a drummer who gets kicked out of a band on the day of a big performance. Three years later, she gets invited to join a much Cooler band. Yay, fictional bands! The drummer is pretty much the only woman in the band scene (she does audition for an all-girls band but gets rejected), but one of the solo artists they meet is a woman. The intro was so good I was convinced I'd finally found a show I could get into, but it's fizzled out. I kind of want to soldier on because they introduce a new song for every episode which has been great and is obviously (or at least presumably) leading up to a spectacular finale. But the writing is thin and lacks the self-awareness to make the stupid parts work so I'm very unmotivated. I'm also surprised that the MC doesn't appear to have any lingering feelings about her previous band, but maybe that's something they'll address later on?

我的小确幸 My Little Happiness
6 eps in: A relatively bingeable modern-day romcom from 2021 set in Shenzhen. The romance is stupid-cute but hits the right emotional notes for the FL, an aspiring lawyer who has been assigned to a hospital for her internship and is trying to keep everything secret from her mother who disagrees with her career path. The ML is a neurosurgeon that the FL works with, so there's a hospital drama aspect to it. There's also an element of competition to the internship but they're all managing different clients so there's not much interaction and as snide as the other interns are there's no outright bullying (yet?). Am I going to finish it. Probably not. But finishing 6 eps is a pretty impressive record for 2025!me.

1. What were some of the smells and tastes of your childhood?

This question unlocked something inside me

General scents: Mosquito coils; the colorful chemical paste that you'd smear on a little stick and blow up into a plastic balloon; the smoke from the (now discontinued) toy revolvers that you "reloaded" with red plastic bullet rings; White Flower oil

Star margarine

Hometown dimsum, my beloved for life.

Hometown "street" food: grilled scallops, grilled pork, lemongrass-stuffed native chicken, puso (rice boiled in pouch of woven leaves). And ngohiong, a five-spice-based ('ngohiong' is just 五香) spring roll that never grew on me but is everywhereeeee in my hometown.

Mango tarts, which I just realized that I haven't seen in a decade, at least not in the exact way I remember. It's the kind that has a round shape, a crimped crust, a custard base, a layer of mango slices and a layer of colorless gelatin (I forget in what order), and they'd be sold in solo sizes.

Eucalyptus leaves, dampened to release a minty scent and cooling sensation (we had a tree).

Santol (cotton fruit) - I haven't had one since we moved to the capital. I only liked the pulp around the seeds anyway lol, I haaaated having to eat the sour outer rind to get to the sweet cottony center.

Kamunggay (moringa). My mom hasn't cooked with these since we moved to the capital. I guess because they're not leaves that are worth spending money on (we used to have a tree).

The whole sensory experience of inasal (roasted suckling pig, more commonly known as lechon outside my hometown) we'd have at Christmas/New Year parties. The meat was soft, succulent, and salty, the way only my hometown can do it. The skin was a glossy, deep red shell. It made a satisfying crackle when you broke off pieces with your fingers and shattered them with your teeth, a full ASMR experience. I am not a lechon enjoyer (I prefer them in leftover form), but adults were always putting cuts of it on my plate and telling me to tryyyy the skinnnnn because it was apparently just That Important to them. Is it any wonder that those relatives developed cholesterol and blood sugar issues over years.....

2. What did you have as a child that you do not think children today have?
Winamp skins and piracy skills!

3. What elementary grade was your favorite?
None, elementary and high school are a blur to me.

4. What summer do you remember the best as a child?
The summer my parents shipped my brother and me to different households in my hometown. During that period, I watched Prince of Tennis, got bundled into an overnight ferry for a beach trip (snorkeling) with my cousins' cousins (my relatives had plans and couldn't just leave me behind), and got yelled at and insulted a lot by my aunt who hated girls bc of generational trauma.

5. What one piece of advice would you give to your younger self, and at what age?
IDK, I guess do more extracurriculars, learn to network, and hang out/do things with other people more? But probably more extracurriculars, I didn't really have any.

Current Music: Jay Chou - 擱淺

https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/144268.html

Name five…

1. ... things you can't live without.
1) Phone 2) internet 3) A/C, 4) shower with heater and water pressure, 5) bug spray

2. ... of the best moments in your life.
Mm, I don't hold on to memories very well (which makes me worry about my mental health in the future) so I'll keep it to the last two years:

5 moments, with pictures

1) Decompressing with my friends in an AirBNB after a wedding. The weddings were great, of course, but I'm a textbook low-energy introvert so I remember the chill moments—or at least the feeling of relaxation—better lol.

2) Sleeping like a baby for the first time in ages in Star Hostel Taipei Main. I had been carrying so much anxiety so it was nice being in a comfy bed with cool A/C in a quiet neighborhood, and not having to worry about wasting electricity or water. I was very anxious about water supply in 2024, among other things, and my insomnia was pretty bad.
my room: a bed by the window, and a writing desk by a bed

my room: a bed by the window, and a writing desk by a bed

3) The morning after an overnight birthday celebration (a joint one in the sense that my brother planned everything and we just split the costs), I spotted a lot of cats (that turned out to be a family!) and had a very good homey breakfast that I still remember the taste of (not pictured: the ensaymada we had instead of cake).
cat sleeping on a chair with one of its feet dangling off the edge

cat sleeping on a chair with one of its feet dangling off the edge

breakfast platter with rice, homemade sausages and bacon, fries, fried egg

a bowl of champorado (chocolate porridge)

4) Watching Six the Musical! It was a matinee show so I wasn't worried about getting home. I was by myself and therefore free of any considerations of other people and also free of any self-consciousness. AND the show was super fun. (I have zero energy for fun so this was a novel feeling for me.)

5) The time I followed the sound of a strange bird call to find a pied fantail perched on the terrace. When I approached, it turned around and yelled at me. It was so pretty!!! And looked so angy!!! Now every time I see a pied fantail in the sky and see the white markings of its beautiful tail I feel such a pang of admiration and a longing to see one visit again.

3. ... celebrities you can't stand.
All celebrities who became (past and present) senators. In ascending order of how much I can't stand them: Tito Sotto, the Tulfo brothers, Bong Revilla, and Robin Padilla.

4. ... books you enjoy(ed) reading.
Off the top of my head, including comics: 1) the Radch trilogy, 2) Witch Hat Atelier, 3) Semantic Error, 4) Run with the Wind, 5) Goodbye My Princess

5. ... items in your purse/backpack/on your desk.
BACKPACK: Laconic planner, pencil case, retractable correction tape, glue stick, foldable umbrella
DESK: water bottle, computer, cat-shaped coaster, washi tape that I'm too lazy to put away, pens I don't use but can't throw away because there's still ink in them.

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Random stuff:

exercise, journaling, and this year's mooncakes

I did end up finishing Yoga with Kassandra's 30-day challenge in September. I had to make up two skipped days in the first week of October, but now I'm freeeeeee. I also got a couple of Discord friends into it, which I wasn't expecting lol.

We're on the last quarter of the year and I've managed to keep my planner filled up, which I guess is also why I've been very bad at taking photos of it, even though I keep meaning to for documentation purposes. I got a Hobonichi for next year because it felt like time for a change and I figured I should try the daily format at least once in my life? I'm just so worried I'll hate it, especially since writing has been suuuch a chore for me lately. Just updating Dreamwidth/Letterboxd takes 200% of my energy and gives me zero satisfaction. (I do it because my memory and ability to put thoughts into words are worryingly precarious, and posting entries is my band-aid solution for that.)

Didn't celebrate Midautumn in any way this year (which is not unusual, though I usually like to take the opportunity to eat something nice), but I did get mooncakes that were advertised as ~artisan~. Tried a snowskin one for the first time (champagne chocolate filling) and decided that it's not for me, for reasons of "If I wanted a decadent chocolate dessert, I could just get myself cake". The traditional ones I got were white lotus, red bean, black sesame, and houjicha.

white lotus mooncake with double yolk

The white lotus was nice and very traditional, and the yolks were thankfully not chalky but curiously not salty, I guess because they make their own? The less-salty yolks worked well enough for the white lotus which had a more delicate profile anyway, but for the other flavors which were much sweeter I could have used the regular level of saltiness. The other flavors also tasted same-y, except that the houjicha had a grassy aftertaste. Which was a bummer because I really wanted a good black sesame flavor. ;__; AND I probably could have found red bean elsewhere at a cheaper price point.

https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/144035.html

1. Do you ever wonder if the way you see things visually aren't how other people see them?
When I'm making graphics or subtitles, all the time, yeah! And in real life, I've always felt that I have no eye for decor and fashion and often wish I was better at knowing what looks good/bad.

2. What kind of sounds are the most annoying?
Fingernails on canvas/rough fabric. I guess it's not so much an annoyance as it is a sensory issue...

3. When walking through a store, do you shop with your hands by touching/feeling the texture of things?
Sometimes. Just for fun and having something to do with my hands and pretending I know what I'm looking at.

4. If you could only smell three scents for the rest of your life, what would they be?
I can't think of any off the top of my head. From a practical standpoint, I would like to be able to smell when garlic is cooking, because it would be very disconcerting to not be able to. And also when anything is burning because it would be scary not to. And then I suppose one of my perfumes because it's comforting to smell yourself to sleep lol.

5. What sorts of things do you savor when eating them?
Most little snacks I can eat on my own time and just about anything my mom cooks. Just this morning I really savored the store-bought salmon onigiri I ate during today's groupwatch. Groupwatch is around 3 hours long so it was nice to take my time eating! The salmon flakes hit so good. But yeah, I usually just savor warm homey food with some level of nutritional value, especially at the end of the day or when I'm taking a break from work. Also, clean-tasting cold water.

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Recently watched (and wished I had the energy to write about):

Dear Evan Hansen (UK touring group)

青蛇 Green Snake (1993 movie starring Maggie Cheung and Joey Wong)

Gitling (Hyphen)

Recently read:

The Housekeeper of the Dungeon (manhwa), which I wrote about here

Shortbox Comics Fair is back which means I'm saving up to make strategic purchases again even though my reading brain is still dead... So far I've only gotten Hwei (lalage)'s White Snake comic Hero in the Serpent's Skin which I wrote about here.

thefridayfive 25.09.05
https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/143006.html

1. When did you "lose your innocence"?
The first time I got into an internet fight as a teenager, the clique of white American girls I was fighting with devolved into wildly racist remarks and threats. I was too unaware of the world to be hurt by this behavior, but it was certainly eye-opening for someone who didn't even know that racial stereotypes existed. I guess it's true that you never forget your first. XD

2. Would you say you have an accent?
Yes, and there isn't any single language where I pass for native. Schoolmates have pointed out oddities in my Tagalog pronunciation; parents have laughed at how I pronounce some Cebuano words (I think I don't pronounce vowels hard enough?);

superborb has ID'd my English as having a Filipino accent. This kind of thing used to bother me when I was younger because I have social anxiety and identity issues and people IRL are so weird about accents and languages... but now that I have a stronger sense of self, I've realized that... people are just stupid lol.

3. Do you hope to be married (married again if divorced)?
Every time I see my married/soon-to-be-married friends with their SOs, I think, awww, I might want they have. Marriage is conceptually hard for me to see myself in, though, especially since divorce is illegal where I am. I just want someone to take care of me haha.

4. If you could take one technology to a desert island (the obvious satellite phone excluded), what would it be?
My first thought was some kind of water filtration system and then I realized I am too dumb, lazy, and un-resilient for survival to be worth it.

5. What is the last activity you bought a ticket for?
A staged concert for Les Miserables in 2026. I'm not actually that hyped about it since I've already seen a full production and also ~outgrown~ my love for Les Mis (and all formative fandoms), but I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it when I'm there. The last FINISHED activity was a bus ride a couple days ago for an errand. And a few days before that, another musical.

This week:

Boosting

geraineon's post on how to support Indonesia through Grab.

Trying to do Yoga With Kassandra's latest 30-day challenge which is 10–15 mins of yoga and pilates. On one hand, it takes away any exercise-related decision-making. On the other, I'm NOT enjoying it. As a very un-fit person whose activity is mostly mobility work, I'm suffering lol. But I have an accountability buddy so I haven't fallen off. Yet.

Picked up I Am Setsuna again since I got a notification that Nine Sols is 40% off which reminded me that I have a Switch. It's been four months since I held my Switch so I have completely forgotten what I'm supposed to do and where anything else is, but thankfully the game is super linear and the world relatively small. I'm at the point where I have 15 Orichalcum and I am experiencing decision paralysis on what to spend them on (as if it matters with the casual way I game!). And I think I'm on my way to the last leg of the main story? But I'm worried there won't be any more item/spritnite shops from hereon out so I've just been procrastinating. XD Favorite combos for revisiting previous dungeons are Blowbeat (Endir / Nidr - physical attack VS all enemies with a chance of afflicting Stun/Paralysis) and Astral Bloom (Aeterna / Julienne - AOE damage with all elemental attributes)... There's also one with Endir, Nidr, and Kir that targets all enemies but I forgot what it's called.

Made a lyric video of Zhang Xincheng's new song, 喜劇 (Comedy), from his upcoming album, in which the narrator is a boyfailure. Once again thanks to

llonkrebboj for beta-reading my translation and being my CatGPT. 😆

Watch on YouTube

Both the curtain effect and the starry background are Resolve presets! Also the text effects. I had some playback issues when I was making the lyric video but it was nice to keep the effort minimal.

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thefridayfive:

1. Have you ever stayed in a hostel? If so, where? Did you like it? If you haven't stayed in a hostel, would you?
Yeah, very nice ones haha. Here's a picture of a local hostel my family stayed in *checks Tumblr timestamp* seven years ago on a road trip north. I don't have pics of the room but it was a cozy bunkbed situation where the cubby for your valuables was also your night light.
Coffee Heritage House

And here's a vlog of the hostel I stayed in in Taipei (and will gladly stay in again), though I technically got a private room with an private bathroom so the experience was more hotel-like. I'm definitely more of a hotel person. ^^;

2. What is your favo(u)rite airport that you've been to? Why?
Any airport that's not ours... The bar is in hell. I also don't travel much so I have no basis of comparison.

3. What is the best museum you have visited on vacation?
Taiwan's Pop Music Exhibit at the Taipei Pop Music Museum. (Also in the vlog above.) It was just really relevant to my personal interests, on top of being a well-designed experience.

4. Have you ever made friends while traveling whom you keep in touch with on a regular basis?
No.

5. Have you ever had a conversation with a seatmate on a plane?
Lol yes against my will. I once sat with a chatty, overly friendly, and seemingly affluent older lady on a flight back home who liked talking about herself/her family and asked me questions that are probably normal (my job, my school) but made me feel trapped. She was nice, though!

https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/141659.html

1. What is something you collect? Why?
Inadvertently, stickers. I have organizers/albums for them and all! I always mean to use them (for journaling), but I'm afraid of wasting them. /o\

2. If you could make one ice cream flavor, what would the ingredients be and what would be the name?
IDK, maybe seasalt chocolate chip cookie? With marshmallows and/or almond flakes? Black sesame with mochi bits so it's like reverse tangyuan? I'm a very basic person so I'm content with existing ice cream flavors.

3. What can't you go a day without?
Phone (with wifi), wireless earphones/speakers (either is fine, I just can't focus without background music), water bottle.

4. What position do you sleep in? *back, right side, left side, stomach . . . etc.*
Back or side. Lying on my side and wrapped around a bolster pillow like a horizontal koala is comfiest for me, but I usually wake up on my back (I think).

5. What is your typical morning routine before work/school?
Presently I WFH so it's pretty leisurely. I wake up, hit snooze on two alarms, brush my teeth, shower, and have instant coffee and something to eat while scrolling my phone. I keep meaning to wake up earlier to get some stretches in but I've been increasingly lazy and, as I would say in my heritage language, gluttonous for sleep.

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RECENT TV:

Murderbot: Overall, I liked the middle bits best. The last two eps felt extraneous and exceeded my stress + secondhand embarrassment threshold—I primarily put on this show as a light low-stress background watch while I'm doing something else, so I did not enjoy the stress and sudden dramatic escalation. Did enjoy the epilogue and Gurathin's crying!

淬火年代 (Created in China): Again, another background watch (usually while journaling). I suppose it's one of the better ZXC roles because he's not supposed to be a perfect protagonist—he's idealistic and the obvious savior of the local manufacturing industry but has a lot of privileged blind spots and is sometimes rash, stupid, and a jerk. (Only 7 eps through; from his livestream, it sounds like there's some Big Drama but it's going to be a HE for him and Song Zuer's character.)

Umamusume: Cinderella Gray: 2025 horsegirls spinoff. This was my "anxious because of neverending typhoons" watch. I only saw 4 eps but liked them a lot! The sports anime-ness was sports anime-ing and I REALLY loved the battle shounen animation style in the big Oguri Cap VS Fujimasa March showdown. I absolutely adore March, so cool and intense and aggressive. ♥

https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/141175.html

5 movies, 4 interests, 3 changes, 2 toys

5. Name five favorite movies.
1) Legend of Hei
2) Fast Girls
3) Infernal Affairs
4) Mulan (1998)
5) Uh... Vision of Escaflowne??? (well, the OST... and Hitomi...)

4. Name four areas of interest you became interested in after you were done with your formal education.
1) stretching / yoga / anything related to alleviating and avoiding back pain
2) birds
3) reading books in Chinese... I didn't think it was possible tbh
4) subtitling—I sometimes wish someone could pay me to add captions to Youtube videos (not even translations, just English transcriptions/captions) bc I can't stand auto-captions.

Things that didn't pan out:
1) yoga in a studio (having to leave the house is too anxiety-inducing and mentally exhausting and also expensive)
2) wall climbing (you have to leave the house + you can't really do it alone + I enjoy it but I'm not passionate about it)
3) running (it's just not for me)
4) learning Japanese

3. Name three things you would change about this world.
1) For my country to be livable lol. For everywhere to be livable, really. It's terrifying to be a tiny country who is at the mercy of large external powers when it's already so messed-up inside.
2) Climate change reversal. :') or should I say climate change responsibility from the industries and countries who are responsible for most of the emissions + waste. Again, this affects developing countries more directly than it does the richer ones.
3) For cockroaches to disappear forever.

2. Name two of your favorite childhood toys.
Uh... jackstones and pick-up sticks? Technically they're games but they are also objects you play with, so...

1. Name one person you could be handcuffed to for a full day.
No one. I can't even stay with the same person for a full day. 😂

https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/138441.html

1. What is your all time favorite book?
For the past decade, probably Ann Leckie's Radch trilogy--in particular Ancillary Justice. I remember reading it at my desk at my old job and getting assaulted with feelings. Also Goblin Emperor by Sarah Monette.

I feel like I keep waiting for my next reads to hit me the same way but I think I should reconcile myself with the fact that my reading brain is not what it was ten years ago, before the pandemic. ^^;

2. What is your all time favorite movie?
For the past decade, The Legend of Hei. Xiao Hei my baby!!!

3. What are you reading right now?
An assortment: the manhwa The Tale of Goldiluck the Black Kitten, which I adore fiercely; the manhwa As the Heart Leads, a fantasy/romance with pretty art, ongoing in its first season; The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman; The Invention of Darling, Li-Young Lee's latest anthology, which has a "plot" I can actually follow as it constructs (or reconstructs; I'm not very familiar with religious lore) a creation story. It feels less autobiographical and inward-facing than usual, an interesting experience.

I've also sampled the first chapters of the licensed translations of Run Wild (Saye) and The Imperial Uncle, though I'd hardly count that as reading.

4. What is your favorite show on TV?
For the past decade, the cdramas Nirvana in Fire, Qihun (Hikaru No Go cdrama), and The Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower. For anime, Chihayafuru, Silver Spoon, Run with the Wind, and Natsume's Book of Friends.

5. What is the last movie you saw in the theater?
Nezha 2, which I'm surprised they showed in our local theaters at all! A little sad that I missed Mickey 17 because I couldn't afford to watch two movies in the same week...

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Tech things, this month:

Finally learned to back up my computer without overwriting the backups from my previous computer! Next project would be trying to retrieve and back up my old music files and fanvids. Kinda sucks that because iTunes shifted to streaming, my mp3s (even the purchased ones!) disappeared from my folders in the process of all my reformats and migrations and I can't seem to download the files off the cloud.

Retrieved my Evernote files, mostly fic and poetry saved from the internet... One day I will go through them.

I can now (kind of! I mean I’ve only tried it on one site so who knows) rip streams through Stacher, which is yt-dlp for dummies (a.k.a. ME). Still using Cobalt and Wechat for everything else, which I hope never stop working bc they’ve been so reliable I don’t know any other good alternatives.

1. Do you like soup?
100%.

2. What is your favorite soup?
Corn egg drop, halaan (clams), pretty much anything pork rib, bulalo (beef), chicken mami, potato... Idk I just like soup. I find clear soups more comforting and everyday than creamy ones, but both are great! Not so much into bean-based soups because as delicious as they are, they give me stomachaches.

3. What kind of soup would you like to try, but never have?
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall because it's so pricey and I've always been curious but I'm not sure someone as basic as me can justify the expense.

4. Is stew just a soup with extra ingredients?
Stews are thicker and chunkier and considered a viand. I would put rice in soup to soak up the liquid, and stews over rice as a topping.

5. If you were a soup, what soup would you be and why?
A basic veggie one, like spinach and tofu soup.

1. What's a song you'd enjoy screaming along to as you drove down the highway?
Last Dance by Wu Bai & China Blue—perfect, regardless of weather or traffic situation, though transmigrating is always a risk. And if I had the vocal range, Don't Stop Me Now by Queen and the Florence + the Machine version of Stand By Me (for the FFXV road trip feels, though I'm likely just to emote quietly for this ajksd;jafa).

2. What is your favorite place/type of environment to relax?
Quiet, familiar, introvert-friendly places that are not too small or big or crowded, with chairs and enough space to walk around in + free wifi. XD I recently watched a matinee showing of Six the Musical and had a blast just walking around the fancy theater and finding a quiet nook to sit in before it started. Also had a blast watching the actual musical, of course, where the audience, including me, was satisfyingly loud—it was the most joyful and present I've felt in a while, except that it ended with a traffic-ridden cab ride home and the driver fleeced an extra 15.00 out of me. >:(

3. What are the best kind of dreams?
Unbroken ones (unless it's a nightmare). Ones with a little bit of plot or music.

4. What do you look for in a mate?
Whether this means "friend" or "partner", this is something I've been thinking about a lot lately because I've been reassessing all my relationships and wondering if I'm truly friends with anyone, and how I can move forward. Communication + having a similar communication style top the list, as well as showing up for people. More recently I've added "safe/comfy enough for me to be myself in" which I've learned I'm not, a lot of the time—something I'm trying to figure out how to work on, because it's weird to feel like I'm always holding myself back when I'm around people who should know me well.

5. If you were a crayon color, what color would you be and why?
Oooh I like this question! I think Apricot—a low-key but warm shade.

1. Have you gotten everything done that you had hoped to do during the first half of 2024?
I guess! I sorted out my Philhealth so I could get a cyst out of my body (years overdue) and not have to pay for all of it. Did both of these in February! And I finally finished 我五行缺你... Also in February.

2. Did anything exciting or unexpected happen to you during the first half of 2024?
Good: A number of college friends came back briefly to visit so we had a couple of reunions.
Bad: One of places we reunited in was a wake (a friend lost a family member).

3. What big plans do you have for the second half of 2024?
Going to the dentist at least two more times. :(

4. Have you taken, or are you planning, a vacation this year?
Yeah, but I don't like talking about WiPs, so...

5. Have you ever wanted to be one of the people writing and posting these questions?
Haha no.

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TV/Books:

橋頭樓上: Finished chapter 4, which I regretted starting at night. I had to stop halfway and continue in the morning because it spooked me so badly even though nothing bad was happening onscreen. Excellent thriller/horror so far, as much as I'm really distressed and afraid for the child character.

Almost done with Time Concert: Old Friends—am really enjoying the cover choices in ep 12, mostly because a number of them are actually familiar to me + are duets. IDK what I'll be putting on as background noise next... I've finished the Little Mushroom audio drama too so I have nothing lined up. ;__;

Started The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House and so far really enjoying it!!! Ensemble cast + girls + homey food. ♥ It's always funny watching these chill little slice-of-life jdramas because I keep bracing myself for, like, character deaths or life-altering disasters. Also the main girls' relationship this made me want to continue the Haikyuu anime because everything is a sports anime trope to me hahaha.

Twitter things:

This is technically a Tiktok, I just found it through Twitter: Out-of-touch wizard influencer shows you her loot

This

kyuruZ comic about force-feeding your pets medicine. Literally me everyday with our dog!!!!! (RIP)

1. Rice or potatoes?
I love potatoes! But I can't live without rice.

2. Fish or red meat?
Fish.

3. Salad or cooked vegetables?
Cooked veggies 100%. Salad is for fruit. XD

4. Cake or ice cream?
In this summer? Ice cream. But not until after I see my dentist. /o\

5. Water, soft drink, wine, beer, or hard alcohol?
Water. (My drink of choice is Arizona iced tea though...)

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1. What is your ~~native~~ heritage language?
Cebuano + a few basic phrases in Hokkien ("Have you eaten?" "What time are you coming home?") which I otherwise do not speak or understand. *laughs in biracial + diaspora + not really feeling like I fit in with any community*

Neither of which I can read or write in.

2. Do you speak any other languages? Which ones?
English, Tagalog, and a limited amount of Mandarin......... I have a broader vocabulary in these languages, as well as the capacity to read in them, but no fluency. Recently I realized that I can now understand a tiiiiny bit of Hiligaynon because I'm a serial eavesdropper and comment-reader.

3. How difficult is it for you to learn or understand new languages?
I don't really process things like difficulty because my learning processes have been so long and chaotic it's impossible to have any gauge for them, but speaking and constructing sentences are always hard. Even now I can't express myself in any language.

I have to say that in a lot of cases, language-learning is SO MUCH EASIER if you know English or any major languages... it's practically easy mode because of the amount of resources you can tap into. I often talk about this but learning Mandarin has been making Hokkien more accessible to me! And Mandarin, in turn, has been easier to learn since I know English.

Internet, smartphones and digital apps/dictionaries have also made language-learning so much more accessible than before! My Mandarin learning skyrocketed in the pandemic lololol. Ten years ago this would not have been possible for me.

4. If you were going to study a new foreign language, which would you want to learn?
I was studying Japanese a few years back, would love to get back into that.

5. How are you at reading subtitles in foreign films?
As someone who grew up on videogames and anime, I love subtitles in general. ♥ And I really like reading translations even for films in languages I know. It's fun and useful, especially since I'm not native-level in anything!

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1. What's a skill you'd like to learn?
I deeply want a sense of direction and the ability to process information and numbers.

2. What's a hobby you'd like to try?
Cycling, but I guess it's less of a hobby and more of a thing I wish was safe enough to try here. Maybe when I travel and am under the supervision of a friend haha.

3. What's the best compliment you've ever received?
Not really a compliment because I can't think of any off the cuff, just a recent thing that moved me - during our last get-together, a friend asked me if I still keep a blog or write reviews of things I watch because she liked reading my Livejournal... Which was how I found out that at some point Livejournal started sending e-mail notifications for friend updates!? I had terrible flashbacks of the entries I used to write lmfao like I'm so moved!!! But this is really embarrassing!

4. What's one way in which you are awesome?
I'm pretty good at visual communication! And I like learning how to use new graphics/editing apps, which helps me ~grow~. I fear the day I stop.

5. What's a gift you would like to receive (in case anyone asks)?
Money haha. A Kindle gift card (idk if that's a thing). The Herlock Sholmes game on the Switch. A lifetime Photoshop subscription so I don't ever have to stress about having my apps stop working. A bag of mini Cloud9s or Snickers. A Clickart set I can borrow for a week so I can decide whether I want it or not. Similarly, the full Affinity suite. XD

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