Being bored and not knowing what to do so here’s me rambling

(Another doodle, yay!)
My holiday is coming to an end soon and the new semester is looming over me. I finished class registration last week and I don’t know what kind of danger I’ve brought myself into by ramming most of the subjects into the first quarter of my semester. But in exchange, I have my second quarter looking quite heavenly considering if I still have any energy left after I finish my first one.

My parents told me not to come back home next holiday because they want me to stay in Japan and get some (if any) working experiences. I’ve personally never worked for a long term and only did one-time jobs given by the university. Compared to my friends, I’m really experience-lacking in almost every aspect. Kinda depressing, ugh.

I know experience is essential for my future but I got used to going back home twice a year so not going back is a little bit daunting for me who has nothing to do in Japan. Plus, going back might be difficult for me after I enter my 4th year because of job hunting or thesis writing so I really wanted to spend time at home when I can.

Life, why must you do this.

That aside, I did some online shopping from here and set it so that I could receive the things the day I arrived in Japan. It’s more like an encouragement for me to go back there. Lol. I got myself some books (Hygge and Kawaii Tarot) and the washi tapes I mentioned about in the previous post. I plunged my wallet into danger when I checked the Lush website because they finally have Rose Jam for sale and some Christmas-limited Snow Fairy goodies so I got them too in the smallest size because money.

I still can’t decide what to get for Hobonichi because honestly, it’s so hard to choose one cover. Maybe I’ll even skip the covers for this year and only get the planner? Who knows. Also, I decided not to get the blue Traveler’s Notebook for now and save up for something else. It’s not a limited edition so I could get it whenever I want to.

But seriously, I still feel dispirited to go back to Japan. I mean, who wants to go back to waking up at 7 in the morning for classes and suffering in the cold and also having to cook for yourself when you’re already so busy with everything.

That doesn’t sound appealing, does it.

Just a list of things I’m interested in lately

This is going to be the most random post about my bucket list I’ve every written, probably.

Nintendo Switch

A few days ago Nintendo announced that Animal Crossing will be coming to Switch in 2019 and I couldn’t resist the excitement! However, I’ve just purchased a 2DS recently so I guess I’ll have to resist purchasing a Switch for now lol. Who knows, they’ll be releasing a special Animal Crossing skin in the future?

Obviously, Hobonichi

I know I’ve made a post about the Hobonichi covers I’m interested in this year. If I’d been in Japan on the day of the release, I would’ve definitely purchased soda water, but since I’m still stuck in Indonesia, I ended up browsing more of the other covers I didn’t pay attention to in the first place. After looking at some Instagram photos from other users, I became attracted to this leather cover. I’m so tempted to get it but the price is too much!

Postcard with quotes from Tools to Liveby

There’s also this combination of cover that I came up with! I plan to stick this postcard to the black cover as a decoration to make the planner prettier! It will certainly cost less than purchasing the leather cover, but I’m still unsure. I’ve never seen a leather cover that beautiful, so I’m really torn! I would like to hear your opinion about which cover I should get so please leave your opinion in the comments!

Blue Traveler’s Notebook

The blue TN was actually released earlier this year but I’ve been holding myself back because I already have 3 TNs that are lying in my drawer unused. This is probably just one of my urges to purchase stationery, so hopefully it’ll subside soon. The blue color is so pretty, though!

Stationery bits

Washi tapes, fountain pen, fountain pen ink

Perhaps I’ve watched and seen too many aesthetic Youtube and Instagram feeds. I have a Pilot Kakuno fountain pen, but it ran out of ink so I’m debating whether I should buy the ink refill or the cartridge. People say the ink bottle lasts you longer than the cartridges, but it’s still expensive in a way so I’m still debating about it.

I’m also planning to get another fountain pen because I feel my current one is too light? It has no weight to it so I wanted to try out the heavier ones.

The washi tapes are self explanatory lol.

The Little Book of Hygge

One of the Youtubers I like mentioned this book a long time ago and she just made a new video about traveling to Denmark, so she brought this up again. This time, luckily, Amazon had it on stock so I plan to get it once I get back to Japan. Isn’t the cover pretty? That being said, I’m never a fan of self-help books because I feel they don’t really help me, though. To be honest, the reviews are pretty mixed but I’m just a sucker for beautiful things so let’s see how this book is.

By the way, Amazon finally has the Kawaii Tarot book in stock! Aaah, my wallet!

Fujifilm Instax Printer

I was originally eyeing the camera version instead of the printer, but after watching some explanations about the camera and printer, I became convinced that the printer version is better since you can pick which photos you want to print and not waste films in the process. I think it would be a nice touch for journalling! The refills are not cheap so I’ll have to take that into account as well.

DSLR Camera

This camera was released last year and I think it’s called T7i or 800D outside Japan. It’s an entry-level camera which is great for both photo and video.

I’ve always wanted a DSLR camera but nowadays I begin to doubt the need of one since you can take both decent photo and video with your smartphone. I still like the idea of having at least one nice camera for trips and whatnots, though. No matter how advanced a smartphone camera can be, I still think it can’t beat an actual camera.

The problem is, of course, the price.

That will be the end of my current bucket list. I know this is too long and I feel like I want too many things lol.

Summer 2018 Anime Wrap-up

I haven’t posted about anime or manga for a long time because I didn’t have time to catch up during school days. But as I promised in my previous post, I’m going to share the series that I’ve followed for this season and what I’m looking forward to in the next season!

Steins;Gate 0

When the studio announced that they’d be adapting the second season for S;G, I was so hyped I couldn’t control my excitement. And now I’m still hyped even when this series is nearing its end because it was so intense and consuming. I find some episodes really devastating too, especially near the end. I can’t wait for the last three episodes to air. I hope it stays amazing until the end!

Gintama: Silver Soul Arc Pt. 2

I’ve been following Gintama since several years ago and these past few arcs are amazing and full of onion ninjas that you’d doubt if this was really a comedy anime. This arc is said to be the last so fans are excited but upset at the same time that this masterpiece would end soon. Gintama might not be as popular as other shonen animes like Naruto or One Piece but I still favor this series compared to the other famous titles.

Muhyo to Rouji no Mahouritsu Soudan Jimusho

Or in English, Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. Long title, yes. I gave this series a try because I liked the anime poster lol. It looked interesting and the PV gave off a Detective Conan vibe. Maybe partly because of the title. It was an okay anime and it’s more like a slice of life mixed with detective and supernaturals to me rather than action. Is it because I watch supernatural genres too much? Haha.

Banana Fish

I saw the announcement for Banana Fish, got interested, read the manga, cried a lot, and then got excited for the series to finally air but eventually decided to postpone watching it until all 24 episodes are aired. I’ve watched the first several episodes of this series and I must say the studio did a great job in adapting from the manga. The opening and ending songs are beautiful too. This series may look like a normal gangster anime but it’s so much more than that. It’s deeper and darker than what it looks. Some people dislike this series because they labeled this anime as BL and got scared of it. True, it might give off some BL vibes, but I personally don’t have problems with it. I mean, it’s not a real BL, it’s just the vibes and it’s not even that extreme. The story’s really beautifully written and if someone’s gonna skip it because of that then it’s just their loss.

Hataraku Saibou

A.k.a Cells at Work in English. This is like the most adorable anime made about how human cells work in our body, their roles, and their relations. The character designs are really well made and the story is educational. I bet this series will teach you more about biology than what you would learn in school. It’s a really entertaining series and I recommend it to almost everyone.

Fall 2018 Anime

I don’t know if I’ll pick up anime from this season as I’d probably be empty after Gintama ends and I’ll also revert to being buried by schoolwork once classes start. From the list of animes, I think only Tsurune caught my interest. I guess I’ll just have to wait until everything airs and see which one looks promising haha. You can check animes airing per season here.

Until then!

Why is September here already

I’m not that ready for my holiday to end soon. Or my classes to start soon.

I feel like I’m wasting my time doing nothing during my holiday, but then again, it’s my own fault for not doing anything productive. Haha. I spent my time catching up to anime and playing my 2DS. Man, holidays are the best. I even spent hours creating that 2DS banner above without feeling guilty, though it was a pain lol.

Today, my university just released a provisional class timetable for the coming semester, so I felt like I was being pulled back to the reality that classes will start in less than a month. The classes actually look promising this semester. All that’s left is that I have an excellent internet connection to grab those seats two weeks later.

Well, other that, I’ve been listening to some old and new music. Most of them are anime OSTs though.

Most of them are Gintama OP/EDs. I feel so sad that it’s going to end soon. I hate it that all great things must come to an end but I guess it can’t be helped. 😥 I will probably post an update on my anime watchlist soon.

Until then!

Hobonichi 2019 Lineup

Hobonichi just launched the preview website for the 2019 store. As usual, I’ll be talking about the covers that piqued my interest. So let’s start!

As I previously mentioned in my tweets, I find most of the covers this year a bit disappointing. The only cover that caught my eye (after surfing through the cover pages one by one) is soda water by mina perhonen.

This cover looks really simple at a glance but is actually packed with fine little details. I find the color combinations gorgeous and calming.

The A6 size ‘cover only’ costs ¥9,720 and ¥11,880 – 12,420 for the ‘book & cover set’. I plan to get the avec A6 size again for this year since I find that the most compatible with my journaling habit and style.

This cover is a zipper style cover. The zipper pull has a butterfly charm on it, which is a trademark of mina perhonen zipper covers. I’ve never purchased a zipper style cover so this will probably be my first one (if this thing does not go out of stock the day it gets released.)

I usually get a set of A6 and Weeks. The former for journaling and the latter for school and expense. However, I did not find any eye-catching covers for this year so I’m still not sure whether I’ll get one. For the meantime, I’m eyeing this ‘Gentle Navy‘ weeks planner.

This is probably the only neutral color that I like from the entire lineup because it matches beautifully with the 2019 cover on cover.

Hide and Seek in the Field cover, illustrated by Nao Sakamoto

Together with this cover and cover, it transforms the plain navy cover into a beautiful one in an instant. ‘Gentle Navy’ sells for ¥1,944 and the cover for ¥421.

That’s all for the covers that I plan to purchase for 2019! Which covers caught your interest? Do you plan on buying one?

New Nintendo 2DS XL Animal Crossing Edition

I’ve been wanting to get myself a new 2DS XL since I left my old DS back in my home country, but I resisted, thinking it wasn’t that necessary for now. But when Nintendo announced a limited edition design for Animal Crossing, I immediately thought that I couldn’t pass up on this offer! I mean, you get a gorgeous console and a preinstalled Animal Crossing for ¥16,463, why not?

I was too excited that I immediately put on the plastic cover and the screen protector on my DS when it arrived yesterday. If you’ve seen other unboxing videos you’ll notice the details put on the front cover of the DS. I especially love the embossed leaf as it adds a nice little touch. The color combinations are also beautiful. Purely aesthetic.

You get a preinstalled Animal Crossing Amiibo+ pack together with the console, so that’s what I’m running on the image above. Since I got mine in Japanese, everything is in Japanese … unfortunately. I’m pretty sure it’s got region lock just like all the previous DS consoles. So if you’re planning to get one, make sure to get one from your own region. So far I’ve seen it released in EU, Japan, and Korea. I’m not sure about other regions though.

The box also comes with AR cards (I don’t use them at all) and an Amiibo card of a random character in Animal Crossing. I got Pataya’s. I’ve never really used amiibo feature before so it doesn’t really matter to me haha.

The gap between the frame and the little icon lights

If there was one thing that I didn’t like about this DS, it’s the gap between the frames around the battery light. I don’t know if you can notice it from my poor quality picture, though. It bugged me a bit when I noticed it at first, but I guess I can’t really do anything about it. I’ve seen other Youtube unboxing videos mentioning this part as well, so I guess it’s not only my problem lol.

That’s it for the brief post. What do you think of the new Animal Crossing edition DS? Are you planning to get one if it gets released in your region?

Art and reflections

I drew a cup of ramen because that was my dinner. Haha. It’s been really long since I drew something. I mean, I drew a lot but I’ve never finished something I started completely. Last time I did that was when I’m still active at deviantART. Not anymore. I quit because I don’t believe that what I draw is good enough lol. Heck, I can’t even bring myself to access my old account anymore. It gives me nightmares.

To be honest, I kinda quit art at one point after I found out my dad didn’t support me to go to an art school. I was just super upset at that time because I feel that I couldn’t pursue what I love. He told me that careers for art school graduates are not that good and that he wants me to focus on something else. At the beginning of my third year in high school, everyone was already applying to the universities they wanted to get in, while I was stuck, not knowing what major I should even pursue. My parents didn’t talk to me about it at all, so I just secretly applied to a local university where my friends are planning to enroll. They had visual communication design but I didn’t apply for that and applied for programming major instead. I took the test, got a 90% scholarship, and then my dad told me to drop that university and apply to a university abroad at the last minute.

Why didn’t I try reasoning with my dad? First, because it’s just impossible to reason with him. Second, I know I suck in both art (compared to my friends) and programming (my maths ain’t that good) so when he told me to apply for business, I just complied. That being said, I hated myself for just giving up that easily. I actually prayed to not get accepted to the university abroad so I could just stay home. But I got accepted, and now here I am, majoring in business in a university in Japan.

I love Japan. I love living here since it’s so convenient and safe. But I don’t know if I feel the same way with my studies right now. I feel lost most of the time because most people here know what they want to do and I don’t. They’re so active in so many organizations while I’m not even in one (even now). Sometimes I feel like I’m in the wrong place, like a fish on land. I don’t really struggle with my studies, but socializing and planning for the future, all those things, I don’t even want to think about it. The number of close friends I have can be counted by hand lol. I get a bit depressed when I think about it and what I do to forget them is gaming, reading, or … drawing (actually I don’t really do it often). All I do is splurge on things, which is why you see a lot of haul posts.

I know hauls only give you momentary ‘happiness’. So now I’m trying to stop myself from buying so many things. I try to keep myself busy with the things I love like manga and art. Currently, I’m doing summaries of raw mangas on Tumblr and I’m trying to regain my sense of creativity by getting back to art. I just purchased an app named Procreate on my iPad pro and that’s what I used to create that cup ramen image lol. It’s far from perfect but I had fun creating it. Getting an art done is satisfying it makes me feel that I accomplished something. I hope I can keep this positive vibe about art and keep it going.

Thank you for reading this long wall of text. ♥

Spring/Summer Skincare Favorites Update

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted about skincare and makeup. I’ve been switching from one product to another to find the one that complements my skin fully. Since it’s transitioning to summer now, I had to change my moisturizers as my previous ones are not just makes my skin feel so greasy. 😥

Cleanser: I’m still using my COSRX Good Morning Low PH Cleanser. I think it suits most skin types as this one doesn’t leave your skin feeling super squeaky clean (which is usually bad), but still leaves a refreshing and clean sensation. Doesn’t dry me out either!

Oil cleanser: My current oil cleanser is the Heimsh All Clean Balm. I think I like this one better than the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil that I once used because the application is easier and less messy. This one cleans thoroughly as well and is easier to bring around when traveling.

Toner: I’m trying out Klairs Supple Preparation Toner ever since my old Beauty Water expired lol. To be honest, I can’t tell if my skins improve by incorporating this toner into my routine. At first, I was a bit worried because it contains essential oils, but so far it didn’t break me out so I guess it’s good?

Essence: Usually cream moisturizers don’t suit me as I’m a bit of combination type. This time I’m trying out Huxley’s Oil Essence. It’s a best selling product and I’m pretty sure most skincare addicts know what this product is. It has a grass-like fragrance. It might smell strange but I actually got used to the smell after several uses. It actually makes my skin feel super moisturized (but not overly) throughout the day! My sebum production is undeniably lesser when I use this essence. Definitely my new holy grail!

Sunscreen: I’m still on my eternal journey in searching the perfect sunscreen. I used Biore’s Watery Essence previously and switched to Apieu’s Madecassoside Sun Cream through a recommendation on a Youtube video (yes, I’m a viral marketing victim). It’s not amazing but not meh either, just in the middle. But at least it doesn’t break me out and the white cast is minimal.

Spot treatment: I alternate two spot treatments. One is the Centella Blemish Cream from COSRX and the other one is Avene’s Cicalfate Repair Cream. Let me focus on the latter. This is my first time trying a skincare product from the French pharmacy and I must say it’s working amazingly so far! I use it more for hyperpigmentations, actually, but it’s great for acne too!

I had fun testing out these products and I’ll hopefully post another update on this soon! Also, if anyone has recommendations for a good spot treatment and sunscreen products, do let me know!

A 3CE Haul

Yay for another haul! (I should really stop buying things.) This time it’s from a brand named 3 Concept Eyes or 3CE for short. It’s a sub-brand for the Korean fashion brand Stylenanda. I actually bought some of the products a few months ago and just added some to the collection recently. Here we go!

Blush, eyeshadow, and lipstick from the Mood Recipe collection

I got their blush in #rosebeige, eyeshadow palette in #smoother, and lipstick #218 Mirrorlike. These are from their Mood Recipe collection and it received a huge attention for quite some time. I don’t really put on makeup much but their colors are so beautiful I couldn’t resist to get myself one. The eyeshadow colors are also subtle so it’s not that obvious if you apply their lighter shades. The blush is also pigmented and has a nice shade as well. The lipstick is a ‘my lips but better’ color but it could accentuate chapped lips so I always moisturize before applying. To be honest, they’re not cheap but their quality compensates for the price.

3CE’s White Milk collection has been popular for quite some time. I got their Pack to Foam which is supposed to be a clay mask for your face. I’ve tried this out once and the clay gives a cooling sensation upon application, which is really nice. The product claims to help reduce blackheads and minimize pores but I still have to test it out more to see the visible results.

Next, I got their hand cream in #baby. As the name proposes, it smells like baby powder which I find kind of soothing lol. I have to say this one’s really pricey since you only get 30ml for 800ish yen but the fragrance is divine and I found it to be more long lasting compared to the Muji hand cream that I have.

Lastly, I got their treatment hair tint in #natural ash. This is another type of tinting hair dye so it doesn’t ruin your hair. It’s supposed to last for one week. I’ve tried out a similar type of tinting hair dye previously and obviously didn’t work because I didn’t bleach my dark hair beforehand lol. I’m planning to bleach my hair but I guess I’ll have the professionals do it because I don’t wanna destroy my already fragile hair. 😥 I’ll probably use this when I go back to my country since hairdressers are way cheaper there.

That ends this haul post! I hope you enjoy reading it as much I enjoy writing about it.

Daily Monday is here!

After hours of coding and staying up till 3 AM just because I couldn’t leave my work undone, finally, I finished this new layout! I named it Instalike cus it looks like the Instagram profile page. Haha. It’s been awhile since I’ve actually coded something from scratch, to be honest (well not really, some of the codes were recycled from my old themes). I was confused and stressed because I forgot how things worked in WordPress. God bless the creator of Google Search for always helping me out when I don’t know what to do.

Also, I changed my blog name just because! I just felt like changing it haha. I don’t know why I came up with Daily Monday but it just feels fresh? Something like starting a new week, starting anew. I don’t know how long I’ll stick with this name, but it’ll probably change again soon lol.

The layout is not 100% bug-free yet, and some of my pages haven’t been updated to suit the current changes so you might discover some errors. I’m also still working on the mobile version of this theme. Please do let me know if you found one so I can (hopefully) fix it. If there are any suggestions, I’d be happy to take them as well!

Until then!