It was a wonderful month, July 2021.
So far you’ve been the hottest month of the year, yet ironically enough, as I’m typing this post, it’s actually raining – for the first time this month.
July, you brought a lot of new experiences, as well as challenges, into my life. You’ve focused on testing my ability to fully take on adult responsibilities, and as much as I still miss having my mom by my side during certain situations, I’m grateful to have overcome them with my own strength and perseverance.
Thank you.
Entertainment
Streaming service(s) might change from the time of writing this post due to the services’ contract with the movie/TV show networks.
ハンター×ハンター (HUNTER X HUNTER) (2011-2014) | 6 SEASONS, 148 EPISODES
The anime television series revolves around a 12-year-old boy named Gon, who sets out to become one of the greatest, if not the greatest, hunters of all time as he strives to find his father who has left him since he was a baby. Along his journey, he came across a couple of aspiring hunters, Kurapika and Leorio, Tagging along was a young boy his age Killua, who actually comes from a family of renowned assassins. The group has taken on the challenge of going through the hunter’s exam, and… I won’t be spoiling the rest.
I began watching Hunter X Hunter thanks to the suggestion of a friend, and although I’m only one season in, I greatly enjoy it. It’s only my third anime, but it’s like a second child to me, after Naruto, Gaara, and the rest of the gang. My favorite character so far is Kurapika. His strategic thinking and situational analysis astound me, and I can’t wait to see his and the rest of the gang’s character development throughout the series. I do have a love-hate relationship with Hisoka – if you’ve seen the anime or read the manga, you’d probably know why.
Maturity Rating: TV-14 • Genre: Action, Adventure • Original Language: Japanese • Streaming Service: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime
THE TOMORROW WAR (2021)
The human race is on the brink of extinction about 30 years into the future thanks to aliens. Why not. In this military science fiction movie, military personnel from the year 2051 time travel to the present year to warn the world of the impending doom that will have destroyed the planet and the majority of its inhabitants in 2048. The future travelers set up a device called a ‘jumplink,’ which transports humans to the designated year for seven days, in hopes of using those days to find ways to eliminate as much of the enemy as possible. At this point, no one is safe as civilians are being drafted as well, and many do not make it back.
The Tomorrow War was watched at random, but it is one of the few randoms that I’m glad to have experienced. The film was able to keep me on my toes and away from my phone the entire time, which is a lot considering that it’s been getting tougher to find and actually sit through movies without checking my phone halfway (unless I’m at the movie theatre). Another bonus? The film features Chris Pratt.
Maturity Rating: PG-13 • Genre: Action, Sci-Fi • Original Language: English• Streaming Service: Amazon Prime
JULY PLAYLIST
I thought I’d try something different for my music section here and simply include a playlist of my most played songs throughout the month. These are songs that just randomly pop up in my head even though I haven’t heard them in months (or years) or those that can’t seem to get out of my head for days on end. Some of the songs may be kept on the playlist, depending on whether they’ve still been stuck in my head, or I haven’t been addicted to any new songs.
Food
LAING
Laing is a Filipino vegetable dish typically consisting of dried taro leaves and coconut milk. I tried this dish for the first time ever this month, and boy did it give my mouth something to crave after my first bite. I’ve mostly been eating it with brown rice, but I do hear it tastes just as great with white rice.
POPSICLES
Another first for the month is a watermelon popsicle with chocolate-covered dip, and almond and chocolate sprinkled toppings from SnowPops. It took a while to get used to the watermelon flavor, but as I took my final bites, I actually liked it. Though I did love the chocolate dip the best.
Health
Updated Prescription Lenses
It took about another month before I was able to see an optometrist, and thankfully, this was accomplished this month. I’m so thankful that I finally updated my glasses and further relax with the health of my eyes. My visit to the optometrist was informative, and I felt relaxed, and the overall trip was lovely. The only downside is that I won’t get my hands on my new glasses for up to another month as they have to order and wait for them to arrive.
Products
Zebra Mildliner Double Ended Highlighters
I was super excited to have my very first double-ended highlighters, add that it’s a Zebra Mildliner… I was bouncing to the moon and back. I think I was just a bit more excited at the fact that I get to have more colors to doodle with for my bullet journal because I’ve practically used up all of my other current colors for the previous months. The drawbacks to these highlighters are that they do bleed through the pages, and the fibers of the tips have slowly been coming off a bit. Other than that, they’ve been working amazingly.
Gratitude
I AM GRATEFUL FOR...
- Being invited to attend an international trip (had to turn down the invite due to unforeseen circumstances);
- Sending my passport for renewal;
- Completing more adult-life errands;
- Focusing on self-care;
- Trying new foods & drinks.
A gratitude list does not have to include major life events (but include them when they do happen). Simple blessings, such as showering with clean water, are overlooked privileges to be grateful for.
Incorporate or reserve at least 10 minutes of your daily routine to write at least three (3) things you are grateful for.
We all need a good reminder to keep our feet on the ground.
“Great things take time.” –Unknown
