Here are some of my favorite things from June 2022!
Entertainment
JUNE PLAYLIST
Food
MAJESTY CHINESE RESTAURANT
I was fortunate to try food from a restaurant I’ve never been to before. I apologize, I forgot the name of the dishes we ordered.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a good experience while at the restaurant because the food took over an hour to arrive and my hunger had already passed me. By the time the food had arrived, I could barely eat because I felt nauseous whenever I tried swallowing it.
But, we were able to bring our leftovers home, and when I was finally able to enjoy eating, I found them to be quite satisfying.
Mango and Avocado-Flavored Ice Candy
Ice candies are cold, sweet treats that are popular in the Philippines. They are often packaged in plastic tubes through the use of funnels and tied up.
My mom made some delicious mango and avocado-flavored ice candies that helped cool me down from the insane heatwave we’ve been experiencing. I apologize for the lack of photos. I thought I took some, but my camera roll says I didn’t.
Events
NMI PACIFIC MINI GAMES 2022
The Pacific Mini Games are a smaller version of the Pacific Games, where athletes from multiple countries and territories contest in the sport of their choice. In 2022, there were over 1,000 athletes from 20 countries, including the NMI, who contested in nine sports – Athletics, Badminton, Baseball, Beach Volleyball, Golf, Tennis, Triathlon, Va’a (Outrigger Canoeing), and Weightlifting. There are videos of most of the sports available to watch online on the NMPMG 2022 Youtube channel.
I wanted to try and watch all of the sports in person at least once, but I found that my introverted energy couldn’t handle more than one sport a day, and the sports that I committed to were baseball, va’a, weightlifting, and half of athletics (the sunset was burning us, even with our umbrellas, so we left early).
I never thought I would ever attend a sporting event in my life, but I did and I’m very grateful for the experience. 2022 was the first year that the mini-games were held in the NMI, and I think it was executed above and beyond anyone’s expectations, especially given the time frame that they had to work with.
I had a great time watching and learning about all of the sports that I watched, and it was fun experiencing this with some very close and new friends.
23RD ANNUAL TASTE OF THE MARIANAS
Taste of the Marianas is one of the island’s major events that traditionally occurs every Saturday in May. Due to the pandemic and the mini-games in 2022, the event was postponed to two weekends in June. The event features affordable dishes from local hotels and restaurants, live entertainment, and arts and crafts sales.
I love food, and if there’s an event that offered about 29 food vendors, the chances of me attending are very high. In 2022, I was happy to attend this cuisine event on two of the five days that it was happening.
I loved the venue. It was spacious and easy to walk around, plus the area where attendees can eat has clear views of the live entertainment. I also thought that the vendors did amazing in decorating their booths.
My only personal problem with the event was the number of food vendors available. There were so many that it took A WHILE to figure out which one my tummy craved the most. Eventually, I caved to getting food from Furusato Japanese Restaurant and BAB Korean Restaurant – a restaurant I’ve always ordered from before, and a restaurant I had yet to try until this event. Both meals were mouthwatering and delicious, and I would love to order from them again.
Products
SALVATORE FERRAGAMO GLASSES
I recently had my eyes checked again this month, and I’m happy that not much has changed since last year’s eye exam. After the exam, I was excited to get some new glasses from my favorite brand (not sponsored), Salvatore Ferragamo. The very first time I had a pair of their glasses, I was very much in love with them, and I still have them to this day. So I was excited to finally get another pair. They look different from my previous ones, but I still feel comfortable and confident when wearing them.
SULIRUN 1981 Dotted Journal
Normally, I do not start another journal until July, but my last journal ran out of space, so I had to quickly get myself a new one. None of the places on the island sold dotted journals, at least when I was looking, so I had to order online. I already knew I wanted to get this brand again since it worked really well for me in the past. I think it was a couple of days into June when I received it, so I was happy, but in a rush to fill it in with the content I needed. Nonetheless, this journal will be my best friend for the second half of the year, and I can’t wait to fill it up with anything and everything.
WOMEN'S ANKLE SOCKS
I have an obsession with collecting ankle socks with cute graphics on them. I’ve had these ones for years and only began using them because my prior socks are already reaching their final days. As much as possible, I want to reserve all of my cute ankle socks and just keep them for decoration. But, I’ve also been enjoying wearing these ones while I’m out. They’re comfortable on my feet, plus, look really cute.
Gratitude
I AM GRATEFUL FOR...
- Trying mango and avocado-flavored ice candy;
- Hanging out with friends and making new ones;
- Attending multiple events;
- Celebrating Father’s Day;
- Being in the present moment.
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.
“I think I found what writing means, at least to me.” –HENPAL
