Happy halfway through the year whoo!!! Looking back, second quarter was not as eventful or busy as I felt it was in the midst of it. There were definitely a lot of things going on but I also got some breathing spaces in between, which was great.

Life lately

April was spent mostly keeping to the house. It was the peak of summer season here and, having decided to buy air conditioning until after we settle in our new home, everyone had their own little fan with them at all times. Someone in our close extended family also got hospitalized and had major surgery around this time and we pooled in some funds to help them out. Plus the house projects that were already under way, staying in for most of this month was simply the most practical decision.

May was the month we finally moved to our new house! The whole month was hectic. A lot of hooks and curtain rods and organizers and shelves were bought. At time of writing, we’re only needing to figure out how to store my electric oven and my sister’s ever growing book collection but the place is finally livable and we’re finally settling in. ♡

June was absolutely jam-packed and I had no one to blame but myself. I decided to join a friend and her partner at a LARPing event — my first ever! It was fairy-themed and I decided to crochet a piece for my outfit. (More on that below.) It was super fun to build up my outfit but I wished I participated on more of the side quests. Next time for sure! As it was also my brother’s summer break this month, we decided to go visit my grandparents in our childhood town. We rode a ferry for the first time in years and splurged on a business class room haha! While there, I checked in with the extended family member who recently had surgery, as well as other older family members. It was only for two weeks, as I had a huge trip the first week of July (also why this recap is going out a tad later than planned) but I had a relaxing time!

Media lately

Once again, I had only finished two ✌️books this quarter, none of which were the books that I was already currently reading from last quarter (at glacial pace, mind). They were in fact the first two books in a series I learned and bookmarked from booktok and… I don’t know if I want to finish the series. It was fun and the tension is palpable at first but… it’s been two books and there’s less plot and character development than in a 5k one-shot fanfic. I did read somewhere that this pacing likely has to do with the series being released initially in Kindle Unlimited and I once again want to buy a curse from an Etsy witch for the big corporations ruining media.

Anyways that’s about all I have to say about those books.

The good news is, as of writing, one of my Libby holds is finally available to borrow. I’ve heard good things about this book and I’m hoping the borrowing deadline motivates me to actually finish something good this year.

Had a lot of fun with the films and TV shows, though, so onto those!

TV series

• The Pitt. Let me be clear, I’m not usually into medical drama. I only know about Grey’s Anatomy from numerous points of osmosis with friends and that one time many years ago I decided to watch a compilation of a couple in the show that ended on a plane crash (? helicopter crash? I can’t recall.) The Pitt, though?? Absolutely heartbreaking and stressful and so so good. Every single one of the casts members were wonderfully fleshed out, even the supporting/minor cast. I can’t wait to watch the second season when it comes out next year.
• A Court of Fey and Flowers. It hasn’t been a year since I started watching D20 and subscribing to Dropout but, like I do with anime, I always have a couple campaign in mind to recommend for people who are just starting to dip their toes in DND actual play shows. ACOFAF easily became part of that lineup after I watched it. It’s SOOO good, you guys! The romance and social mechanics are absolutely great. Surena Marie’s character in the campaign was a big inspiration to my character for the aforementioned LARP event I attended last June. Absolutely must-watch for people new to DND but love a good character-oriented story!!
• North & South. Once again shoutout to Tubi for this one. Tubi is great, you guys!! I’ve heard so many good things about this from my friends over on Tumblr and I’m so happy I decided to finally watch it. John Thornton is right there with Mr Darcy as the yearning character of all time. And Richard Armitage’s acting, especially the final train scene?? The heart eyes is so clear from him. Daniela Deny-Ashe is phenomenal as Margaret Hale also.

Movies

• Sinners. Watched this in the cinemas with my sister and it was SO SO GOOD. The cinematography, the story, the soundtrack??? Chefs kiss all around. It’s an absolutely amazing film to watch, especially in the cinema. The discourse that I mostly see on Tumblr immediately after were pretty heated, to say the least. But I also enjoyed all the meta analyses and fanworks that was inspired from the movie. One thing’s for sure: If neither Ryan Coogler nor his team become part of any possible sequel, that sequel doesn’t exist to me.
• Past Lives. I decided to watch Past Lives in preparation for watching Celine Song’s sophomore film, The Materialists… only to learn it won’t be showing in our country until sometime in August. -_- It’s fine though because Past Lives was beautiful and left me at an introspective state throughout the credits rolling. It has a grounded narrative to it that I feel is lacking in a lot of recent romcoms and romance films. Personally though, Plus One is still my top recent rom film.
• Kpop Demon Hunters. I, in fact, was not able to ignore the hype and I’m so happy for it. This is one of the best original animated musical film to come out in recent years and that’s saying something! *side eyes Disney* The soundtrack is so catchy but also follows the story and characters’ arcs really well. The story itself is so earnest and heartwarming. Surprisingly, I did not care that much for the romance aspect of the film, nor any of the shipping. I understood the dynamic between Rumi and Jinu and what they inspire from each other but my heart melted more on the Huntrix’s friendship. Highly recommend watching this if you haven’t already!

Creating lately

I made more art than I did last quarter, yey!! It kinda died down by mid-June because I started getting ready for my various trips but a win is a win!

• The Bad Kids six fanarts (3/6). I had this idea of making a six fanarts challenge and I started with drawing Adaine Abernant from Dimension 20: Fantasy High, because I couldn’t stop thinking about her in “The Last Stand” episode of Junior Year. Then I was like, “Hmm… Six fanarts. Six Bad Kids…” and here we are! I finished the first half of the Bad Kids (Adaine, Riz and Gorgug) last May and then I’m taking a break before I work on the last three (Fabian, Fig and Kristen). Hopefully, I’ll finish them all before September. I have their rough sketches done though so crossing fingers! I haven’t caught up with it yet, but if you’re curious about this series, they also adapted the First Year campaign as a webtoon!!
• Daily sketches. In an effort to be more loose and do less project-y art session, I also started doing daily* sketches. With an asterisk because I’ve yet to do sketches everyday for a week, oops! It’s fine though, as the goal for now isn’t to do sketches everyday per se but to open up my sketchbook or iPad more often whilst removing the mindset of needing to make a complete, fully rendered illustration every time I do so. And it’s working bit by bit. It’s also making me fall in love with some of my art supplies again <3
• Crochet. Speaking of the project-y mindset, I honestly only ever finish crochet projects when there’s a set deadline. For instance, the fairy shrug I decided I was going to make and wear for the aforementioned Fairy LARP. (This was the tutorial I followed by the way, which was so well done and easy to follow.) I used a fine cotton yarn for this project, and that’s a first for me since I’ve only ever used acrylics or milk cotton (which are really the same thing but anywayysss). I knew those latter yarns were not going to cut it because this was going to be a wearable thing that I will specifically don in local events where places are crowded and humid. Benguet and Baguio have some of the best yarn colorways in the country and I’ve been eyeing a specific store from Benguet since I got into crochet last year. The yarn I ended up using from them is sooo soft and I loved the result! I don’t have a proper photo of my outfit back then but here’s a self portrait doodle I did last month of it:

I hope your second quarter of 2025 passed by with so many great memories. Here’s to an even better and more joy-filled second half of the year for all of us! ☆