October Wrap-up + Journal Spread

“I used to think life was like a book: you turn the first page, and there’s the next, and as you go on turning page after page, eventually you reach the last one. But life is nothing like a story in a book. There may be words, and the pages may be numbered, but there is no plot. There may be an ending, but there is no end.”

Miri Yū, Tokyo Ueno Station

Hello! Sharing my October wrap-up a bit late as usual. I enjoyed quite a lot of stories last month 👻 ⁣The spooky season and cold weather just made me want to escape reality as often as possible. Looking back, my picks are diverse as usual– Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Western, fantasy, contemporary, and graphic novels.

BOOKS 📚 ⁣

Tokyo Ueno Station by Miri Yū, Morgan Giles ~4⭐⁣
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo, Jamie Chang ~4⭐⁣
A Deadly Education (The Scholomance # 1) by Naomi Novik ~4⭐⁣
Pangil (local indie zine) by Aaron Felizmenio ~4⭐⁣
7 Deadly Sins (local indie zine) by various artists ~3.5⭐ ⁣
Milkman by Anna Burns ~4⭐⁣
Strange Gatherings (local indie zine) by Catherine Flores ~4.5⭐⁣
Sheets (Sheets # 1) by Brenna Thummler ~4⭐⁣
Of Magpies and Men by Ode Ray ~3.5⭐⁣
Slade House by David Mitchell ~4⭐ ⁣

SHOWS 🎬 ⁣

With the exception of Son the Guest, I watched all of the below with the husband. Since we don’t go out for dates anymore, watching shows and food trips at home (thanks, Grab Food) is now our idea of quality time. I highly recommend you watch all of the titles rated 9-10. Those with 8 are entertaining but inconsistent in its quality.

Ratched (Netflix series) 10/10🍿⁣
The Devil All the Time (Netflix film) 9/10🍿⁣
The Haunting of Bly Manor (Netflix series) 9/10🍿⁣
Sharp Objects (HBO miniseries) 8/10🍿⁣
Son The Guest (Kdrama series) 8/10🍿⁣
Hotel Del Luna (Netflix Kdrama series) 10/10🍿⁣
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix series) 9/10🍿 ⁣

If you’re wondering how I was able to consume so many this month — well, I didn’t! Some of these I’ve started reading or watching in September, some even earlier than that. Milkman took me five months to finish. The zines are also very short reads that can be finished in one sitting. I just want to clarify that so you won’t feel you should be doing the same in a single month.

I also spent more effort to beautify our room and make it more comfortable since we refuse to go out still. This means I bought new scents, a new work desk, home organizers/storage, and pretty preserved flowers and vases.

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JOURNAL SPREAD

My recent monthly journal spread is filled with all the pretty colors to drive away the gloomy vibes 🌸 I honestly had a harder time composing this one because I used my son’s scrap watercolor art as background again and the bright colors turned out to be a bit difficult to coordinate with my usual vintage ephemera. Still, I’m happy with how it turned out and I hope it brings a bit of joy to you, too.

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Lastly, since you’re here I’d love to invite you to Fully Booked Fest 2020 where I am a part of “The Art of Storytelling: Studio Ghibli Round Table”.

It will be held online on Facebook Live and I’m really hoping you can join us this Friday as we share our love and insights on art, stories and Studio Ghibli! I know it’s a bit short notice but if you want to join us, you can confirm participation here.

See you there and enjoy the rest of the week! 💖