Manga Reading: Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu

I can't remember the last time I read manga, it's been at least 2 years, I think. But, on my birthday I received this Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu manga and finally got to read it last month. In this house, we love Junji Ito, his horror stories are amazing and this manga, is completely different, in a good way.

"Master of Japanese horror manga Junji Ito presents a series of hissterical tales chronicling his real-life trials and tribulations of becoming a cat owner. Junji Ito, as J-kun, has recently built a new house and has invited his financée, A-ko, to live with him. Little did he know…his blushing bride-to-be has some unexpected company in tow—Yon, a ghastly-looking family cat, and Mu, an adorable Norwegian forest cat. Despite being a dog person, J-kun finds himself purrsuaded by their odd cuteness and thus begins his comedic struggle to gain the affection of his new feline friends."

This manga was publushed in March 13th, 2009 and it basically shares the adventures of J-kun and his cats. Fun and cute slice of life short stories. It was a fun easy read with great illustrations and even some photos of the real Yon & Mu. In between chapters, we have a mini interview with Junji Ito, where he shares the process of making this manga that is so different from what he usually does.

Sweet babies Yon & Mu

I finished it in a couple of days cuz it's not a thick manga and the chapters were short, so it was easy to read a couple of them during the day. To me, it's a great thing to have as a cat lover and a cat mom. You know I have two cats so, Idk, it was a special something haha.

Cat bookmark felt perfect for this one. My sister made it yeaaaars ago.

I don't really own any other Junji Ito manga now that I think about it. I'd love to get some since, again, I love his work.

I think that's it for this post. It was short but, I really wanted to share this manga. Defo recommend it if you love cats or, just want to read something from Junji Ito that is not horror but stil has his great art.

See you next time~!💋

Collective Skincare Haul

There are some skincare goodies I recently got and I thought it’d be a good idea to put a small post together to share them with you since there’s not too much to say about some of them to dedicate a whole post to them. It’s not a big haul tho, but I wanted to show you some of the products I’ve found and been trying lately.

I’m gonna start with some eye patches. I am a sucker for them! They are great to keep the under eye area hydrated and my makeup sets better when I use them. And even tho I know there are some that are better than others, I still like to try random ones I find at the supermarket. And those are the ones I’m including here today.

First we have this cute Stylesh Body Care Hydrogel Eye Patches. I’m not gonna lie, the fact that they had a star, was the thing that made me buy them. Can’t resist pretty things. The package comes with 3 pairs that help you hydrate the under eye area and improve its look and texture. They were very affordable and they did the job.

These are other hydrogel eye patches I bought, the Belskin 24k Gold with vitamin E, aloe, collagen and hyaluronic acid. This package comes with 2 pairs and all in all they did a good hydrating my skin, leaving it nice and soft.

I gotta say, my eyes in general are very sensitive and none of these patches irritated my skin or gave me any kind of reaction. 

Let’s move on to sheet masks, another favorite of mine.

My most recent purchase were these Orjena Natural Moisture Mask Sheet. They are Korean and came in a box of 10 sheet masks. They contain green tea extract that helps your skin to feel moisturized, smooth and healthy. These are great if you put them in the fridge for a little while before using them. Especially after a long day.

I’m super excited about this next item. It’s an ice roller I found at a dollar-like store. I had been looking for it for a while and I finally found it. It was the last one left and, surprisingly, it was pink. Haha. You can add water and other ingredients (depending on what you need) to depuff your face as you massage it in the morning, it also calms inflammation, and temporarily tightens pores. It's suggested not to use it for oner 10 minutes to avoid ice burns. 
It's become part of my skin care routine in the mornings and, I've been really liking it. I've only used water so far but I'm curious to use it with some tea or something else and see how my skin looks and feels. It's also a good way to help you wake up in the morning cuz of how cold it is.😜

Lastly, is this EELHOE Silk Peptide Intensive Ampoule my sister gave me last month. This product contains collagen, glycerin and hyaluronic acid and it’s for mature skin. I won’t go into many deets here cuz, I’ll share more about it in a separate post. I will say tho, it is a really good product.

And, that’s that guys, some things I recently got and tried. Let me know if you'd want me to talk about any of these in a separate post and feel free to share what’s your fav skincare product with me, I’d love to know!

See you next time~!💋

Not A Very Summery July Recap 🌞

Life should feel like Summer but it really doesn't haha. Which is ok because, I don't really like Summer anyway~ Even tho I don't have a break, I feel like work has slowed down a little this month. I was worried at first but, I decided to enjoy it and have some time to myself, spend that time doing some pendings cuz I know in August, life will go back to normal.

One of the things I was the most happy about was finally having Sarada (my car) back. And yeah, I know I can move around using public transport and, I was lucky that my sister lent me her car to go to work but, having it back gives me a lot more freedom to move around safely. It still needs some things but, those aren't urgent and, of course I'll do my best to get them fixed as soon as possible.

This month was my mom's birthday, we called it Mili Fest this year and we basically had small bday things throughout the month and the official celebrations on her birthday week. Since her bday was on a Wednesday and it's a busy day for everyone cuz of work, we turned wine night into a birthday dinner where we gave her part of her pressies and had cake. And on the weekend we took her out for lunch and had a game afternoon at home after that with some drinks, snacks and, more pressies.

I feel like, blogging wise, July was so slow. I wasn't inspired enough and didn't think I had a lot to share. I didn't want to push it and ended up sharing just one post a week instead of my usual 2 posts per week. Oh well, hopefully next month my motivation and inspiration will be back.

Somethings that made me happy on the most random days were some unexpected pressies I received, the first one was a end of the school year gift from one of my students, she gave me some chocolate, a hand cream and a sweet note. I love written notes! There's something super special about them. The other was from one of my neighbors. She wanted to thank me for picking her parking permit while she wasn't here and he gave me a cute pocket mirror and some figs. I've only had figs in syrup from stores before but, talking to my friends, they gave me the idea to try making them myself and, I did. They turned out better than expected. I'm proud of myself, hehe.

And, speaking of making food, this month I've been trying to make a bigger effort in the kitchen, whether it is only for me or to share with others. That includes making iced coffee as my second coffee of the day when I need an extra caffeine boost. I'm obsessed with banana milk coffee now, it's is fun and delish!

Fun fact about me, I don't like banana but, I love banana artificial flavor, so yeah, I'm a big fan of the korean banana milk. Although lately, I've been obsessed with their melon milk. SO GOOD.

Now, let's talk about some of the things I watched and read along with some favs.

When it comes to reading, I'm proud of myself for reading 2 things in a month, and I say things because one was a manga, which to me still counts as reading something but, I can't count it as a book. Can I?

The first one was The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo. I think I could've read it faster but there were weeks where I couldn't dedicate as much time to reading it as I wanted to. And the manga was Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu which I received as a birthday pressie back in June. In this house we love Junji Ito and cats so, it was perfect! So different from his other works but still really good! Especially as someone who loves and has cats.

Moving on to TV, I finally finished watching Sold Out On You, it was a fun watch and it's a short drama, idk what took me this long to finish it. It had a little bit of everything, romance, 2 people with trauma helping each other out of love, comedy and a little drama. As expected, it made me cry, hehe. 

I also finished my beloverd Full Metal Panic IV rewatch. Again, idk what took me this long~ Watching it again, I noticed animation isn't that great in this season. Which is weird cuz even Fumoffu had a better one and it was an older season. I guess I was just biased the first time I watched it. I enjoyed it nonetheless. After reading the FMP! Collectors Edition 3 novel, I realized SO many things were not showed in the anime, I'm glad I got to read it before rewatching it.

I've been watching Asian horror, including: Tales Of Terror From Tokyo And All Over Japan The Movie (and also the anthologies, which are also compilations of short stories), Stigmatized Properties, Ring of Curse and 3 Doors of Horror. I'm planning to make a shows and movies post so, I guess I'll talk about them a little bit more there but, they were good. Not super scary but, defo entertaining.

Defo one of my highlights when it comes to TV was the premiere of Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Cour 4 which was my most anticipated show this year. If you've been around here for a while or know me, Bleach is one of my favorte anime and has a very special place in my heart. Sadly, apparently it'll be the last season and a part of me is just not ready. So far I've only watched 1 episode cuz they're releasing one each week but, it did not disappoint. It was defo worth the wait and the hype.

I'll close this post with some other favs of the month, that now that I think about it, it's mostly food, haha.

Not too long ago I saw an add showing Kopiko Coffee Candy and how popular it was in Korean drama, I got curious because they said, since it has caffeine, it can give you a small energy boost. At the end of last month, I randomly found them at the supermarket and, thay have become a favorite of mine. I keep them in my work bag, regular bag, in my office and even in the car for whenever I feel I can use some extra energy. They really taste like coffee since they are made with coffee bean extract grown on volcanic soil. I've tried the two versions, the cappuccino and black coffee. Both are great! I even gave my mom a bag of them as a part of her bday pressie, hehe.

This next one might be a little random but, I had my first pan de muerto of the year! In Summer. Cuz even tho it's a November traditional bread in my country, it's never too early to enjoy it. Haha. I love a little Autumn something in my summer so, no complaints. I love the traditional one but, I'm always happy to try new versions of it and, this time I found one covered in white chocolate with gummy bears on top. So fun! It was filled with cream cheese. It make my Autumn girl heart happy!

Lastly, is the Nescafé Espresso Concentrate which has been great when it comes to making my iced coffee at noon. It's made with a rich Arabica blend and it saves me some money cuz I can make many drinks with just one bottle since I only need 50ml of the concentrate and 250ml of cold liquid of choice. It's strong!

There's also a vanilla concentrate I haven't tried. Maybe I will since I really liked this one.

And, I think that's it for this monthly recap. Can't believe half of the year has already gone. We'll see what happens next month, all I know is, I can't wait for Fall to be here.

See you next time~!💋

Easy Meals I've Had For Lunch Lately Pt. 3 🍽

I didn't really think I'd put a 3rd easy meals post together so fast! I'm really trying to be a little bit more creative in the kitchen, include more veggies and just pamper myself with things I crave. And I'll admit, sometimes I even have some fun with it.

As I have mentioned before, these meals aren't the healthiest, most balanced and even not super attractive for everyone but, I liked them and they make me happy. Haha.

With that being said, let me share some of the meals I'va had lately~

Chicken bake and grape tomatoes. I recently found the chicken bake at the supermarket (because of course I didn't make it) and it's delish! It's filled with chicken, ham and cheese.
This is only half of it cuz it's too big for me so, I divide it and eat it in two separate days. I like grape tomatoes cuz they are easy and pretty cute. They were a great complement.

Cheese gnocchi with sausages. So, this might not be the ideal combo but, it worked for me, it was fast and easy to make considering the gnocchi was instant gnocchi. Despite being instant, it's still pretty good. I made both things separately and added extra cheese to the gnocchi. The sausages were cooked in the air fryer for about 10 minutes (cuz I like them to be extra cooked, hehe) and added them to the gnocchi once everything was ready.

Good old tuna mayo salad with veggies and a boiled egg. It's my go-to when I forget to take food out of the freezer the day before. I like to add some tajin to my tuna salad, it gives it an extra something, hehe.

Chicken popcorn with japanese white rice and vine-ripened tomatoes. I usually make chicken popcorn in the air fryer so they are not all greasy. I made too many tho, and ended up eating them for a few more days. Tomatoes have some tajin on them.

 

Let's take a moment to appreciate how pretty these vine-ripened tomatoes are~

Using the leftover chicken popcorn I made some bean noodles and broccoli with a bit of soy sauce and mixed everything. I love bean noodles cuz they go well with many things.

And with that, we'll close this foodie post. Let me know if you'd try making one of these, hehe. I'm curious!!

See you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: The Honjin Murders

It's time to share the last book I read, The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo. I started reading it last month a finally finished it last week. 

Apparently is one of Japan's greatest classic murder mysteries and it was originally published in 1946.

I love crime stories, especially murder ones and, the fact that this one was set in Japan, gave it an extra something.

"In the winter of 1937, the village of Okamura is abuzz with excitement over the forthcoming wedding of a son of the grand Ichiyanagi family. But amid the gossip over the approaching festivities, there is also a worrying rumour - it seems a sinister masked man has been asking questions around the village.

Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi household are woken by a terrible scream, followed by the sound of eerie music. Death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace but a bloody samurai sword, thrust into the pristine snow outside the house. Soon, amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the scene to investigate what will become a legendary murder case, but can this scruffy sleuth solve a seemingly impossible crime?"

I'm not gonna lie, at the beginning the story felt a little slow, since we were getting to know the characters and, at some point, I kinda thought the case would be predictable but, I was wrong! As the story progressed there were many different plot twists and things I didn't see coming. I won't spoil the case here but, it became very interesting.

Sometimes reading it felt like watching something from Detective Conan, especially cuz it was a locked-room murder case and the way they were connecting the clues with what and how things really happened so, it was fun. I also thought this book would've been something my grandpa would enjoy reading.

I loved the old Japan setting and the way they described things, plus, even toh the book dones't have any illustrations, they included a map of the house in which the murder happened and, that was kinda cool to me, know how the layout was, helped me understand some things better.

It is a fast read since it's not a thick book, I just couldn't dedicate enough time to reading it because of work and other things but, I think if you like mysteries and murder cases that aren't too graphic or gory, it is a great option.

There are other novels by this author that I'd defo like to check in the future.

That's it for this short book post~

I'll see you next time~!💋

🍓Ozeki Strawberry Nigori 🍶

"With every pour of sake, let's celebrate the now, the new, and the next. For in this liquid poetry, I find the essence of joy"

 Long time no alcohol post! I dunno why or when I just stopped sharing them. Especially because I have tried so many fun and yummy drinks and, somehow I just never shared them around here. Boo!

Nihonshu is defo one of my all-time favorite things to drink, no matter the presentation. There is something so nostalgic and comforting about it and, since not long ago I received this beautiful Ozeki Strawberry Nigori, I thought it'd be the perfect way to bring back these drink posts. Hehe.

Let's start with, what's Nigori. I'm no expert here but I did some reading and, I'm love with the whole process. Nigori is sake that is only coarsely filtered, so there's a little bit of fine rice solids still left in there, that's why it's slightly sweet, cloudy and creamy. It comes in different types, from lightly cloudy to thicker ones.

It goes well with spicy Asian food, creamy desserts, and citrusy flavors. It's suggested to drink chilled and shake before serving.

Until now, I've had only tried the classic, unflavored one and, I love, love, love it. This one, was a very pleasant surprise.

It perfectly combines the creamy and subtle texture of nigori sake with the sweet strawberry flavor. It's funny cuz it has a bit of a sour after taste that makes you feel as if you were really eating strawberries with your sake. 

Look at that beautiful strawberry color!

It contains 9% alcohol, so it is very light, defo lighter than traditional sake and, 4.0 acidity. I loved it cold and paired with some snacks at night. Great way to end my day, honestly.

I think, this (or the natural one) are perfect for those who haven't tried sake yet and kinda want to get started, especially cuz most people feel sake is strong. 

All in all, it is delish! Now I wonder if there are other falvored nigori out there cuz I defo wanna try.

I'll try to share more of my fav drinks or just fun finds in the future. But, that's it for now~

See you next time and, 乾杯~!💋

Time To Catch Up! June Recap 🎂

It's time to say goodbye to June, my birthday month. It was busy, eventful, with its up & downs but, I can say it was a good one even if it was an emotional month for me, it was defo better than May~ 

I started the month with some birthday celebrations, I won't really go into it too much cuz there's already a bday post where I share a little bit more of that. It was fun and great and I'm really thankful to everyone who took the time to make it a special one.

June was also my dad's birthday and father's day. We celebrated birthdays a couple of days apart so, it's always bittersweet cuz we used to celebrate our birthdays together at some point. Not being able to do that, is still pretty hard. And, let's not talk about father's day, talking about dads with my students always makes me feel emotional. It's something I just can't seem to get used to. I cried, yeah, but I also remembered him (and grandpa) with lots of love.

I was very lucky life gave me these amazing men. I love them so much and miss them everyday.

And, even tho I did go out and stuff, I think those were the highlights "socially wise". Work is still busy but I think it might slow down a little during the Summer because some of my students will take a break before the school year begins. We'll see what happens.

Oh! Speaking of going out, this month we went to this fruit shop and lunch counter that recently opened in a mortuary (I know it's a weird combination but, that's what made it attractive, hehe) that is SO GOOD! It's called  Lima Limón Frutería y Lonchería. Food was delish, they use natural ingredients and, portions are pretty big. Loved it.

I don't think I've mentioned it a lot in here but, I have a scrapbook/junk journal that I kinda neglected for a while this year until this month, I wanted to make time to work on it at least once a week cuz, it's fun and relaxing and... the junk was already piling up so, it was needed. And so, I kinda got caught up with what I had saved for the last couple of months (I still have to work on this month's) but, Idk, I like it, it feels like a cozy hobby.

My scrapbook/journal is a thick one, I've had it for years. I know at some point I'll have to start a new one.
Here are some of the pages I worked on this month.

Moving on let's talk about what I've been watching, reading and some favs this month.

I'm not gonna mention the ones I still haven't finished cuz, they keep coming back every month, haha. I finally watched the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie. It took me forever, yeah. But I honestly didn't watch it before because none of my favorites at that moment where part of the movie. Now, I have a lot more love for my boys, Gojo and Geto so, it felt like the right time to watch it. I liked it, yeah. Didn't love it but, it was a fun watch.

The second season of Lethally Blonde premiered this month, so I'm currently watching it every monday when they release a new episode. You know I love my true crime and since it is hosted by Holly Madison, it's a must watch for me.

Lastly. I'm rewatching (cuz I love to rewatch things instead of watching new ones...) Oruchuban Ebichu which is such an old, adult anime I watched many years ago. I've only found season 1 so far but, it's very entertaining to watch.

In my head I was going to read 2 books this month cuz they were not thick but, my work had other plans, hehe. So, I only finished one: Cadaver Exquisito by Agustina Basterrica. My students recommended it and, it was a great book in the worst way possible. Defo my type of reading, hehe.

The other one I'm reading is The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo. I'm halfway through it, I'm hoping to finish it next month.

And, since I don't think I have any favorites to share, cuz I recently shared some of my fav skincare products atm and I don't want to make things repetitive, I'll just end the post with some fun yummies I tried this month.

This is something I actually tried at the end of last month, my mom and sister bought them cuz they know how much I love this combo. They are the Sabritas Maple Honey and Bacon flavored chips. I could care less about soccer but, I believe they are a World Cup special edition. Which is sad because I really liked them. They do taste like maple with a slight smoked taste, they are sweet and savory. So yummy.  

Next we have watermelon gummies called Sandita. I love everything watermelon and these are not the exception. They are covered with (non spicy) chili powder. They're addictive.

One of my favorite finds was the Choco Banana Fanta that, I believe, it's a Chinese, limited edition flavor. It such a fun drink! cuz it's like drinking a choco banana milk, but fizzy. I loved it!

Lastly, I have to include the buzzballz drinks I received on my birthday. I already drank the 2 of them and, they are very sweet, but reaaaally good. The ones I've tried were the Watermelon Smash & the Strawberry Rita. It's kinda difficult to choose wich one I liked the most and, now I want to try other flavors. I think they'd be great with some sparkling water just to tone down the sweetness a little bit.

I think that's it for this month guys, I'm looking forward to the new Bleach cour next month. My mom's birthday is also coming so, I believe it'll be a fun month.

See you next time~!💋