Like The Tomato
Nothing here but my musings about daily life, books, anime, and food.
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Roma
Okay. I spent reading for a bit and made more dent on Lord of the Flies. And I must say, this little book was getting more interesting the longer I read it. Although, I am still limiting myself to two chapters each time. Why? Because the book was aggravating me. However, I knew things would end up happening the way they did. I mean, the tension between Ralph and Jack was palpable from the beginning. The jealousy and hatred that Jack has for Ralph were obvious. It was only a little time before a mutiny would follow. I had fun reading their “my d*** is bigger than yours” confrontation. Although, Ralph was only doing it as a retort because Jack liked to taunt him. Entitled little shit that one was.
My boyfriend and I decided to take a raincheck again today. So no hangout. He was not feeling well, like yesterday. I was not feeling good yesterday as well. So I just decided to read. And I decided to watch Heaven Official’s Blessing. I found out yesterday that it was now available on Crunchyroll. I know, I already watched this anime so many times but now, I decided to watch it in English dub! Since that version was not available on Netflix. So far, so good. I’m enjoying it. But then again, I would enjoy this anime regardless. Biased much? Who me?
Short post today. I’m just going to continue watching Heaven Official’s Blessing. I might read some more later but we shall see.
I was not sure what was happening to me, but I have been restless for the past few days. Well, I should say that it’s more pronounced somehow. I was having issues sitting still. I often found myself rocking my chair, I kept on switching from sitting to standing, and I kept on aimlessly browsing the internet. I kept on browsing YouTube for videos. Let’s just say, that it has been interesting. Sure, I drink coffee, but I have caffeine daily, so I found it hard to believe that could be the reason for my restlessness. I mean, it probably doesn’t help it. I just wonder what triggered it.
I am also getting annoyed that my reading progress for Lord of the Flies is slow. My focus kept on wavering. And I had to actively pull it back so that I could actually focus on reading. But also, I find myself getting aggravated by these kids. Not their fault, they were kids after all. But damn, reading about these kids trying to survive and govern themselves was both interesting and painful. The tension between Ralph and Jack. The disrespect Piggy gets from the other kids. The ever-growing fear among the younger kids. And the missed opportunity. I did love the character development that I saw in Ralph. And I just found myself getting more annoyed with Jack. Despite the fact that I am somehow intrigued by the book, I find myself having to take extended breaks each chapter. Hence, the slow progress in my reading this book.
Anyway, I’ve been craving for bread lately. Now, I prefer rice, no surprise there. But lately, I just want to eat bread. So what did I do? I’ve been eating bagels and sandwiches this week. Bread and quinoa salad. I need to find different quinoa salad recipes. For some reason, I always see the same thing. So I need to find some variation because apparently, I am in a quinoa kick.
Plans tonight? Probably read some more. I’ve been on an extended break for maybe an hour now. Well, I guess it will all depend if my tablet has a decent amount of charge at this point. But other than that, I have nothing else planned. I also need to figure out how I can journal comfortably without enough space available to me for writing.
Honestly, I was not sure what I was expecting this morning, but a lot of people awake was not it. I do my outside chores early in the morning, I go to stores when they just opened because I do not tolerate crowds well. So when I go out on Saturday mornings for these errands, I have these stops timed well. The first stop for me this morning was the grocery store next to my apartment complex. That was not bad. There were people, but not a lot to trigger my anxiety. I was out of there in less than 30 minutes. Next stop? Starbucks. That was quick because I did a mobile order and I just stopped there to pick the order up.
Next stop? Carwash. For timewise, let’s just say it was a few minutes after 8 AM. So the carwash place just opened. I drove to the location and holy shit. The line was so long that, it was about to encroach the main street. I was just baffled by that. Normally, that location was not that bad at this hour. So, I had no choice but to skip the carwash and go to the next stop, which was Costco. Yes, I complained in my head why there were a lot more people at the carwash place than I anticipated. I really did not think that a lot of people would be awake. It’s a Saturday for crying out loud. I might try again to go get a carwash tomorrow. Keyword: TRY. I was never a fan of going out if I don’t need to.
I got to Costco a lot earlier than planned. And it was expected. It was always crowded regardless of what time I go there. Anyway, I got some quinoa salad which I was excited about because for some reason I was craving it since the other day. And I was right, it was good and it was satisfying when I had some a few hours ago.
I did not do anything crazy today really. I attempted to trim some of Paco’s matted fur because his grooming appointment isn’t until next month. But he was too stubborn and won’t sit still for me. I got some trimmed but not as much as I wanted. Regardless, I did give him a quick bath since it was getting too hot here. He looked so sad while he was in the tub and looked at me with such betrayal in his beautiful hazel doggy eyes. Blow-drying him was tedious since this dog does not like sitting still. But that task was successful and he had some zoomies for a bit right after. And I did give him a treat.
I finished another webtoon today. And added some more to my list to read. I also planned to finish reading Lord of the Flies tonight. Keyword: PLANNED. I am not saying that it would happen. But I would read it for sure. I mean, I dislike abandoning a book after finally being able to focus on reading it.
No date night. Boyfriend decided to do a boys’ night. I decided to just chill in my roommate’s live stream while also listening to some reading vlogs on YouTube. I also watched Mean Girls because that movie is a classic. And because of Karen, I now want some Taco Bell.
- Anime Title: Horimiya
- Episodes: 13
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll and Hulu
- Publisher: Aniplex of America
Who does not want a good cute slice-of-life romance anime? Well, to be honest, my boyfriend would not watch this anime on his own. He most likely would not even give this one a second glance. And that was fine, I was just glad that he has been open to watching some anime that he would normally ignore himself.
Anyway, what made me watch this? Because of this clip. One day, I just saw it on my YT feed and I was like, what the heck is this? And I was glad, I took the time to look it up. This anime was golden.
What is this about really? Sure, it’s easy to just say that this is a rom-com about young love. But ultimately, this is about people having part of themselves that they hide from other people. When it all comes down to it, you only let people see what you want them to see. And this is about finding that one person who will accept that part of yourself that you hide from the world.
I really appreciated how this anime did not make mundane things over the top as other anime had done. The storyline was solid. Nothing to complain about that. It was seamless. The natural progression of Hori and Miyamura’s relationship was great. There was nothing more amazing than finding someone who can accept and also love that hidden part of you.
The way this anime dealt with conflict was pretty good too. There were definitely some misunderstandings among the characters and you know what? They talked about it. It was so easy to just let these characters wallow in doubt and let them jump to conclusions, but no, the anime let the characters talk about these things. We as viewers were not waiting for the resolutions until the last episode. I say that was pretty healthy way to resolve some conflicts.
The anime did not shy away from heavy topics either – from separation anxiety, bullying, isolation, suicide even. They were presented perfectly and dealt with healthily.
What made this anime for me though was Miyamura. I just love his inner monologues. Also, I felt like he had the most visible character development. I mean, his experiences in season one shaped him to be this person by the end and I loved it. He started as this shy high school loner kid and by the end, he was this confident person with friends.
I also liked the fact that after Hori and Miyamura got together, the anime shifted to the characters around them. It would have been so easy to just keep these characters as background and just focus on the main love storyline. I really loved Tooru Ishikawa. Sure, he was not the main character but he was so fleshed out. It was impossible not to love him. He was friendly, supportive, and just an awesome guy.
Overall, this anime was really good. I loved the story. I loved the pacing. I loved how real the anime was. I loved the characters. This anime was pretty up there for me. I gave this a 9/10. My boyfriend gave this an 8/10. This would be one of the anime that I rewatch from time to time.
I hated naps when I was a kid. My brother and I grew up playing outside the house with the neighborhood kids (cousins and actual neighbors). Around noon-ish, I remember my mom would call us back to the house to eat lunch and take a nap. Of course, the other kids continued playing outside regardless of the time. I remember that I had to pretend to be taking a nap until 3 PM. I pretended to be taking a nap, meaning I was just lying in bed with my eyes closed, doing absolutely nothing. I hated the whole ordeal. Once I became an adult though, naps became my absolute best friend. I was even annoyed why companies do not have a “paid one-hour nap” thingy. Adults would be happier being at work and more recharged during the other half of the shift. I mean, I knew a lot of people who would love this. Of course, this would never happen. Ever. At least here. Cause why would it?
Anyway, just because I am an adult (as my age suggests), I appreciate naps a lot more. Granted, there is no rhyme or reason why I should be feeling tired considering I have not been doing any strenuous activity. But I took a nap today because apparently, I was too tired and falling asleep on my chair. What was that? Regardless, I appreciated it since I felt so much more energized after waking up. So that was good.
My boyfriend and I watched a movie today. We decided on Scream (2022). I actually got annoyed that Scream 4 wasn’t available on Paramount+. Which was fine really, I was just annoyed that that was the only movie not available on there for this franchise. Anyway, the movie was okay. We have some “how in the hell was this person able to do that” moments. But for the most part, it was fun. I still think the first one was the best of them because I think that was the most original. But then again, people can only recreate and continue this franchise so much. This movie was definitely a lot more stab happy compared to the other three that we watched. I liked it.
I was able to read a bit more last night. So I would like to continue that tonight. I mean sure, I did not manage to make a dent with Lord of the Flies, but I am hoping tonight would be better considering that I had a nap. We shall see though. I would like to finish a book soon. I mean, I’ve been reading a lot of webtoons again. And for the most part, I enjoy it, but I am also itching to just read a book now. Hopefully, my focus does not waver at all tonight.
Wow, I hate a lot of things. I’m pretty sure I am not the only one who does not like to make a phone to make an appointment. Why do you not have an online appointment portal set up? I know, it’s not a big deal. But damn, I really just don’t like talking to someone. I’m one of those who would always prefer email to a meeting or a phone call. Anyway, the appointment was for Paco’s grooming, cause this boy is in massive need of a shave since it’s summer. I usually set this up before summer, but dog grooming does not come cheap.
I did wake up earlier today and it was nice. I was able to eat breakfast. I was able to do that phone call. I was able to take care of a couple of personal things that I needed to do. I went for a walk with Paco because it was early enough and it was not too hot. We enjoyed it. I cooked chicken in bbq sauce. I also cooked some rice. I was also able to give my senior babe, Phoebe, a bath. She was not happy with me. Oh! And I also baked them a peanut butter and banana cake. No, not my recipe, I am not a baker and not confident that I can actually bake anything I make from scratch.
All in all my day was pretty productive. Or at least more productive compared to the last few days for sure. I was able to hang out with my boyfriend to watch some anime. Since I gave up on Inuyasha, he needed to find a replacement since Inuyasha was his pick.
High Card. This was the replacement for Inuyasha. Three episodes in and so far, we liked the anime. Very fast-paced. And the premise with the playing cards was pretty interesting. Pretty interested in where this anime goes. So far, we’re having fun.
Naruto. Well, my hun got annoyed with Sakura. He said that she should have been the one to “ambush” the sound ninjas following them. What annoyed me about it was the fact that she did not even volunteer. Why? Because she knew she would not be able to delay those ninjas. And she had the audacity to talk shit about Shikamaru. You know what, it would be better if she had stayed behind and died during that episode. But Shikamaru was really amazing. And Asuma showing to help him out just in time. That was pretty cool. The fight between the Hokages was pretty good too. I wonder what would happen now that he decided to use the 4th Hokage’s hidden jutsu. Well, I have a recollection of what would happen.
Bungo Stray Dogs. Well, this one is just enjoyable. We were watching this in dubbed but decided to switch to the subbed version. Both were good, don’t get me wrong. I just needed a break from similar voice actors that you can easily tell from dubbed versions. Normally, I wouldn’t mind but dude, some of them for some reason have the same voices for different characters from different anime. My hun found a character he likes! Ranpo Edogawa with his ability of super deduction. Well, it was easy to like after his ability was explained by Dasai. I mean, it would be easy to say WOW with that ability.
No big plans tonight. Like any other night. I was able to read a little bit of Lord of the Flies this afternoon, which was good. But I want to read more tonight. I am tempted to just read this all night, not going to lie. It’s such a tiny book, I have no reason to procrastinate on it!