Recent Loves In September

I remember when September came, I immediately thought, Christmas is near! What a comforting thought it was. It's one that made me smile because it's that time of the year when there's lots to look forward to. There's just something about the Ber months that feels so light and cheery.

Aside from Christmas lingering in my thoughts, I've just been busy collecting moments and experiences, making the most out of the present moment without feeling the need to share it right away online. I just feel like I'm able to preserve it more in this way, and I also realized I can articulate my thoughts better after some time has passed. 

It was also in September when I've started craving some kind of change. I think it's only natural, given the pandemic situation, so I've been actively seeking out ways to change things up a bit. It's not particularly grand; perhaps more of like a shift in my habits, or asking for new tasks at work. It all sounds so grown up... I sometimes feel like I'm in an age where I ought to explore more! But this can do for now, while still staying home. : - )

Moving on now, I'd like to share with you a bit of the small but certain happiness, the moments I've cherished in the month of September:

I finally painted on canvas

I became more confident with painting on canvas last year. It's a funny thing because I've had the canvas for over ten plus years already. I received it as a prize together with a set of painting materials when I won an art contest back in grade school. It took such a long time for me to finally paint on it mainly because I was always thinking of the right 'masterpiece' and I didn't want to make a mistake. I've been doing my best to stray farther away from this thinking though. I thought that the best way to get over it was just to keep doing it repeatedly until it becomes second nature. 

After this reflection, I ended up going to the art store and buying lots of canvasses. They're now stored here in my room, and whenever I feel like painting, I'd bring one out and paint what I like. Lately, it's been the sky. It's simple to create; I just use broad strokes across the canvas and watch as the colors blend together. I use gouache paint which I enjoy using because it's like the in-between of watercolor and acrylic.  

Went out for a drive 

My first ever drive outside of Manila since the pandemic struck! It was a drive out to Tagaytay. I remember telling my parents how I've been so bored and tired of being in Tagaytay every month during the previous years, but then now I'm so grateful to have spent a whole afternoon here. We just drove around and bought lots of fruits and vegetables. It rained while we were there, so I didn't get to take a photo of the volcano. I did get to see a glimpse of it though, and all the greenery around it has disappeared since it erupted last year. 

It was a lovely time of just seeing the sky and greenery. I needed this so much, because all I've been seeing is my laptop and phone screen. It was a healing weekend for my soul.. 

Bought a book online

bought online from @fullybooked

It was my first time to purchase a book online, and it had to be the Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. I've loved reading Sylvy's novel, The Bell Jar, back when I was in college. Her writing style was captivating and clearly gave me a picture of her innermost thoughts and perspectives despite it being a fictional piece for the most part. 

I then saw from Chia's IG story that she bought this book and I was intrigued. I also needed a slow read, since I tend to devour books within a couple of days, and I felt this was the perfect book to read. It's the kind of book you can't rush; every passage is well-written, detailed, and so thoroughly reflective. It's like I've intruded into Sylvy's mind without meaning to! Please forgive my intrusion!

I'm now past 100 pages (there's 700+ in total), and I am just in awe with the author's writing prowess. How could someone bring life to such a mundane activity, such as babysitting children? How could someone be so utterly honest about their thoughts on love, dating, and expressing affection? And how could I forget, and perhaps my most favorite entries of hers would be the existential ones. Sylvy would mention from time to time about her desire to experience many lives, about the weight of deciding just one path in life. How are we to know, if this is our first life on this earth?? She has captured these thoughts so well many times, and I'm all for it. 

Ate sushi bake

cali salmon sushi bake from @kitchenofliz

I'm late to this trend, but I only got to eat this now. I remember when everyone was raving about it last year. Actually, there were so many food trends that I haven't really tried such as the dalgona coffee, ube cheese pandesal.. (am I missing anything else) but it's okay. I don't care so much if I'm the first or the last person on earth to experience a trend or hype-- I'll get to try it out eventually. 

This one was really good though, and this probably won't be the only time I'm eating this!

Visited my grandma after the looooongest time

featuring my grandma's v v old mirror

We were supposed to visit my grandma in July, but it rained almost every day during that month and it would make it difficult to drive there due to the floods. We then planned to visit in August, but then covid cases started soaring in the neighborhood where she lives. We tried again in September, and I'm happy to share that it was a successful visit! 

We simply cooked seafood and had good long conversations. I also painted my nails red with one of her nail polishes, which is something like a ritual that I do every time I visit so I would match with her. Just for funsies!

Shows and Films I loved:

Vincenzo (2021)

I enjoyed watching this Kdrama a lot! Although each episode was so long.. it felt like a movie. I missed seeing Song Joongki on screen; I think he was perfect at being Vincenzo. The story was great, although I think I would've been satisfied either way if it was just 15 episodes long. There was that sort of thrill with anticipating what Vincenzo would do next, or how he would get back at the villains. I also noticed the use of classical and operatic music! It made me revisit and curate my classical playlist on Spotify. 

Nevertheless (2021)

I have mixed feelings about this one. In the end, all I could say was: what did I just watch?? From the start of the story, we see that the heroine came out from an already toxic relationship, then we see her hop into the next one. On her second one, both she and the guy consent to their relationship and they kept it going. The ending was not what I expected, but then again, this happens in real life.. it's not always about breakthroughs, and I guess for this story, it's about committing to one's choice and dealing with the consequences after. 

What I did like about this Kdrama though would be the aesthetic, the filter, the fashion, the art school vibe, the hanging out after school shenanigans, and overall youthful feel. The friends though, I realized, were also lost within their own personal matters and could not offer mature advice to one another...

Tokyo Story (1953)

I felt like I had to cleanse myself after Nevertheless, so I watched Tokyo Story right after. This one had a much simpler storyline, wherein it was about grandparents visiting their children in Tokyo and ended up being neglected. I liked observing the family dynamics all throughout, and while it was such a bittersweet realization of growing old and growing up, it was still such a calm, peaceful, and warm film to watch. :") I may have a soft spot for old people, seeing them makes me cry sometimes.

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And so that was a bit of my September! How was yours? : - ) I'd love to know.

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