Like The Tomato

So let me see? What has been happening the last few days? My hun and I really were not able to hang out. He was having some connection issues. That was fine. I was definitely feeling a bit antisocial lately. And for good reason. I have been feeling very so-so lately. I really did not want to deal with other people.

Regardless – I was able to squeeze in some watch times with Chris.

Shiriusu (Sirius the Jaeger). The story revolves around a young man named Yuliy and his journey to seek revenge against vampires who destroyed his home village. He joined a group called the Jaegers – basically a vampire hunter group. This is the first anime I watched that was not based on any manga, which was surprising. Chris and I did enjoy the anime. I mean, it has action sequences, it was about vampires and werewolves, it has mystery, and some sibling conflict. What’s not to like? My love said that there was something missing, I didn’t think so. I feel like the story was pretty solid and it was executed well. I really appreciated the fact that there was no love trope. It was very refreshing. I thought there was when they introduced Ryoko. I was pissed at the beginning because it was not needed. But alas, the anime surprised me! Anyway, I loved the back story of the Sirius, and the need to protect something that was called “The Ark of Sirius”. I appreciated the relationship between the brothers Mikhail and Yuliy. The last fight was poetic. The anime was good.

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022). 29 years after the first one came out, the sequel was finally here. It was enjoyable. And familiar. I loved the fact that it took this long to release a sequel. I appreciated the reaction of the Sanderson sisters’ first trip to Walgreens and their encounter with the roomba. That was a riot. The story was still a classic. We enjoyed it. Let’s just say that it was a good sendoff for the Sanderson Sisters.

Lou (2022). Well, what did we decide to top off our marathon? A thriller. This movie started with a kid being kidnapped during a powerful storm. The mother and their neighbor teamed up to pursue the kidnapper. I cannot disclose a lot since this is a thriller, but the thing that I enjoyed the most was the relationships in the movie. The twists were good as well. The movie was definitely a good watch. Why did we even watch this? Chris and I were watching some trailers and I was exclaimed “That’s Bren!” And that was the beginning of it. No regrets in picking this movie up. Story was solid, the acting was phenomenal. It was good ride!

My hun and I did hangout for a few hours today. We watched an episode of The Great British Baking Show, we started a couple of animes – Dorohedoro and finally given. Both my hun’s recommendations. I was surprised when he said given, to be honest. I mean, I wanted to watch it with him but I honestly was not pushing for it too much. But he suggested it! And I was so happy.

The Great British Baking Show. Pastry week. Mark L. had a rough showstopper. His cage broke so he presented his pastry tart without the cage. Peter was still awesome. Linda went home for this week. She presented samosas instead of pasties. She did not present eclairs for the technical, making her the bottom of the group. And like Mark L., her cage broke.

Dorohedoro. Not going to lie, the premise was interesting. And the plot definitely was intriguing. However, the anime was very violent for liking. I will continue watching it with my hun though. With the stipulation that, I would need a break every episode. Just because of the violence in it.

given. Well, I really loved this anime. Reason why I was so happy and excited when my hun suggested it. I mean granted he just suggested it because we have not been able to hangout recently. But that is okay. He loves the intro. Because what is not to love about that intro. He appreciated the fact that the main characters were introduced in the first episode and the BL was not forced down his throat. He did laugh during the interaction between Haruki and Akihiko. And I laugh at him and counter, you would not be laughing if Haruki’s internal monologue was directed towards a female character. But it seems like he is enjoying the anime currently. And that is really all I could ask for. I mean I would not even suggest it to him if the BL was front and center.

We have plans of hanging out again tomorrow. But we shall see, I think his internet is down again. I did listen to some lectures on Udemy today. Planning again on doing it before work tomorrow. We shall see though. I was having some anxiety and some laziness all weekend. Very unmotivated. I was glad that my hun and I were able to at least squeeze in time today. Kept my mind from getting lost in thought and the struggle I have when I know I have to go to work again.

Another exhausting day. I was in meetings for four hours. That is all I’m going to say about that. I have not been able to read the last few days since I’ve been busy trying to create my resume. I still need to finish some certification classes to put them on my resume.

Anyway, I’ve just been watching YT vods. I watched this video by Emirichu. Nothing exciting. It was about her visiting some popup and permanent anime themed cafes in Japan. It was really good. Yesterday, my hun and I squeezed one episode of The Greatest British Baking Show. Chocolate Week! Peter did well this week as well as Mark L (I mean he got star baker). And I was so glad that Sura went home. Not that she was not a good baker, she just had a bad week. The reason why I was glad that she got eliminated was because of that accident that happened during that first week. It was just too careless for me. And I will not apologize for that.

My hun and I were able to hang out a little bit today. We just watched one random episode of Bob’s Burgers. And also watched a couple of episodes of Futurama. I would say they were random episodes as well, but not technically. My hun specifically picked them. One episode was titled The Day the Earth Stood Stupid. I enjoyed that Nibbler episode. Everyone on earth became stupid because of evil brains. The only one who can save them? Fry. The other episode was Leela’s Homeworld. That episode was really good. Definitely something heartwarming Leela episode. It was about Leela finally knowing the truth about her parents and identity. My hun got “allergies” during the episode. 

I would have enjoyed it a little bit more if I were not having a mini anxiety attack on top of my back and my wrist hurting. I am just out of it. Stressed. And just over it. 

So I’ve been back at work for a couple of days, and did realize? I didn’t want to be there anymore. I want to leave now. I set a deadline for myself. Wait for this huge project that I am a part of to go live in production then I can look seriously for another job. But now that they kept on pushing the live date later and later, I am just tempted to leave and not look back. I mean at this point, I just really need to think of myself. I don’t really care about the job anymore.

I’ve been really neglecting posting. This was supposed a daily log and I’ve been posting weekly at the most. It’s been really difficult for me. Let’s just say that I’ve been having some difficulty getting the motivation to get things done. Yeah. Rough.

Let me see, the last time I posted was Thursday. What happened since then?

I went to a karaoke on Friday. I had fun. I haven’t done that in a while. A long while. So that was a welcomed break. But since they decided to do it a little bit later than we normally do happy hour, Chris and I decided to kill time in the International District. We had some poke for dinner and went to Japanese bookstore. We were there for a few hours. Got lost in the ailes for pens and notebooks, and mangas. I spent quite a few $$ because you know, I have no discipline when it comes to books. But I had fun so I am not complaining too much.

Saturday was chore day. This is what it really means to be an adult. Go to work five days a week, and weekends are spent catching up on chores. I did laundry, cooked, and washed dishes. My hun and I didn’t get to hang out, he wasn’t feeling well and I was sporting a headache the whole day. I think it was hangover for having only two beers the night before. But my hun said it could be a combo of beig sleep deprived and lack of food. I still think that it was because of hangover.

Today, let me see. I had to ran errands. Why? Because again, being an adult sucks. Did some groceries, got a car wash, went to the pet store to grab some treats and a new bed for my 18 yr old dog, and then went to Costco. Washed dishes again today, and threw away the trash.

I did get to hang out with my love which was nice and always welcome. Keeps me out of my head for a little bit. What did we do? Of course, video chatted and watched some episodes of The Great British Baking Show, we finally decided to continue with The Dropout, watched an episode of Ugly Americans, and watched a live action movie of Bleach (2018).

The Great British Baking Show (Season 11 or Collection 8). We watched three episodes today. First episode – Cake Week. We got introduced to a new set of bakers during the first year of the pandemic. There some bakers that we liked off the bat. We both like Peter. He said that he is more accustomed to baking gluten-free bakes compared to regular ones because of his brother who is gluten-intolerant. I instantly like Mark L. HIs laugh is just contagious. I instantly did not like Sura. I just did not the carelessness resulting to Dan’s bake for the technical round to fall on the ground. Like seriously. Peter got the Star Baker for this week. Second episode – Biscuits Week. Still enjoyed Peter’s bakes. I am personally rooting for him to win. Dave – the soon to be dad – did really well during this week. He won Star Baker. Still on defense on him though. I might end up liking him in the later episodes. We were kind of surprised that Rowan was not eliminated during this second episode. Third week – Bread Week, Paul’s favorite week. Peter struggled and so did Dan. Star Baker curse? Mark L and Marc E did well for this week. But there was no surprise that Marc E got Star Baker. He excelled with his bread bakes. I also started liking Hermine on this episode. The wing-it attitude was so refreshing. Rowan went home, not surprised. He struggled the first two episodes too. 

The Dropout. My hun finally decided that it was time to pick up again. We watched two episodes (episodes 5 and 6). This show just annoys the heck out of me. Not because the show sucked but because of what happened with Theranos. Fraud all the way through. I did not like the Mark, the Lab Director, was portrayed. I read Bad Blood and I felt like the book was bit better on how he was described and how he acted. Sure he ended up as a sort of source on both mediums but I did not like how the show just showed him as just a follower. Turning the blind eye to pretty much what was happening. We also got introduced to the two whistle blowers – Tyler Schultz and Erika Cheung. And of course John Carreyrou. I mean I was also not happy with how Tyler Schultz’s character was portrayed. I felt like the book showed having a bit more balls than the show did. But I mean, maybe that was how it really happened. He has a bit more of a blind adoration going on on the show. But again who knows what really happened before he became a whistleblower. The death of Ian Gibbons brought tears to my eyes. Why? Because of how he got fucked by this company. My hun and I have two episodes left on this mini-series. 

Ugly Americans. This is a cartoon from Comedy Central. And it was weird. I mean, it was definitely interesting. I would be down to continue with it. My hun was laughing at my facial expressions. Let me see if I can make a concise description of what the show is based on the first episode. Hmmm…The animated was about a social worker, Mark Lilly, based in an alternative New York City – a city inhabited by monsters and the other variety of creatures and characters. For example, Mark’s roommate is a zombie, he is dating his boss – who I think is a devil, well she has horns anyway and has devilish voice at times, he also works with newly migrated “people” – like a brain with the brainstem and spine (yes, just a brain that makes squishy sounds). You get the idea.

Bleach (2018). A live action film adaptation of one of my favorite anime. My hun wanted to watch it so he recommended for us to try it. He enjoyed the movie. He said he would give it a 6 rating. But did I think about it? It was a really decent adaptation. I appreciated the fact that it did not stray too much from the anime. Of course, there were some creative liberties taken but that was understandable. It was a movie afterall. The CGI for the three hollows were good. I liked Ishida’s bow. I had some issues though. I mean, I really think that they could’ve worked more on the costume. It translated as a cheap cosplay costume – especially Kuchiki Byakuya’s costume. At least for me. I couldn’t get over of how short Abarai Renji was in the movie. Don’t even get me started with Chad. I still enjoyed it enough, and I understand that film adaptations of anime will never truly capture the full essence of the anime. I am glad that my hun suggested this but I think this is where a draw a line on live action anime adaptations. 

Anyway, going to end it here. I want to read a bit before sleeping. I started reading one of mangas that I got on Friday, Fangs. I started reading this yesterday but I want to ration it for myself. Mangas are not cheap! So I want to read an episode tonight or maybe just finish volume one. And then pick up given.

Like I said in my previous post, my hun and I did not really get to go anywhere during my visit. Not that we did not want to, there were a few places that we wanted to check out, places that we wanted to visit, and things that we wanted to do. However, they were not really a priority. The main thing that we wanted to do was be together. That and the weather really did not permit us too much of anything. It was raining every day since I got here. All good though, like I said the main thing that was important to us is that we are together. So we were happy just to being home and cuddling.

What did we end up watching?

Escape Room (2019). This movie is a psychological thriller about six strangers who got invited to participate in an escape room challenge. These strangers found themselves in a maze of deadly rooms and they need to use their wits to survive. So essentially a survival of the fittest movie. My hun enjoyed this movie the first time he saw it, so this was definitely his suggestion. And I enjoyed it as well. Sure there were some intense moments, I mean again, this is a survival of the fittest kind of thing so there were definitely some scenes that made me say, WTF. But other than that, I love the premise of the movie. I think the movie was executed well. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021) is also available on Hulu right now, so that is on our list to watch movies.

Deddoman Wandarando (Deadman Wonderland). My hun had watched this anime before and he was very hesitant on suggesting this anime for us to watch. This anime is about a nine grader named Ganta and him trying to survive the Deadman Wonderland prison when he was framed for a crime he did not commit. Anyway, I would not say anymore, since I would spoil a lot of things if I did. But I actually recommend this anime. I just wish there’s another season. A heads up though, the last few episodes were dark and intense. I loved it.

The Great British Bake Off. I am not going to give a recap of all the episodes that we watched while I was there. I’m glad that my hun’s bet won the season. We were sad when Helena got eliminated during Episode 5: The Roaring Twenties. We really think her ideas were so uniquely her that we were disappointed when her showstopper Vampire’s Kiss Rasperry Vodka Cake did not deliver. I was also sad when Henry went home during the quarter finals. His showstopper Chanderlier Picnic Pie did not save him. And I cannot blame the judges. Episode 9: Patisserie week pissed me off. I really hated how judges made comments on David’s showstopper – how it was a cake during patisserie week. And I keep telling my hun, Alice and Steph made cakes as well. And I didn’t hear them say jack shit about it. Whatever. We were glad David won. He definitely came into the finals as the underdog. Never won a star baker at all. Always a second but he was never considered for a star baker. But you know what, he won when it mattered. 

Tokyo Guru (Tokyo Ghoul). After the ending of season 1, we were really interested on what will happen to Kaneki. This anime is dark…and intense. And I’m okay with that. With the subject matter, I don’t mind the blood everywhere. But Kaneki’s character growth…or rather character shift was definitely interesting. His constant battle with his mind and control was heartbreaking to watch. You can feel his pain when he told Amon that he does not want to eat anymore. He got a taste of what eating a fellow ghoul can do, and he couldn’t stop. I really am very interested on how his story goes. Right now he seems to be struggling to control his ghoul. My hun’s favorite character at the moment is Juuzou Suzuya. That one is definitely an unhinged character. Understandable for sure consider how he was raised by a ghoul. He was definitely one to watch out for.  

Pleasantville (1998). This was definitely a rewatch for me. I’ve seen this movie so many times already. It’s fantasy comedy-drama movie that centered around two siblings who ended up trapped in a 1950s TV show. It seemed like such a light hearted movie at the beginning. But the tone speaks volumes. From personal repression to a bigger political conflict. From being afraid of change and afraid of something different. It’s definitely a deeper look at a societal construct. My hun liked it, that I’m sure of.

Vampires Suck (2010). It’s a parody film of Twilight and New Moon. I mean, I am not about to dissect a parody movie. My hun and I went into it knowing that it will be a silly movie. We were not expecting anything else from it. And because of that we enjoyed it.

New Moon (2019). Well, I cannot let our vacation pass without squeezing a Twilight Saga movie in there. Since we already watched Twilight months ago, it was for the sequel. And all I can say is my hun hates Bella. And that is fair. I really have nothing to say about the movie. I have been impartial to the series for a long time. I have issues of course. The relationship between Bella and Edward was just problematic from the beginning. Edward was a dick. And Bella was just annoying. 

Crime Scene Kitchen. We watched the first episode on season 1. Interesting premise. Weekly, the teams will guess what was dessert was baked using the clues left on the crime scene kitchen. Nothing much to say really, I think I just wish that the tone of the show was a bit darker. Comedy doesn’t reall fit in a “crime scene” fake or otherwise.

I feel like I missed some things that we watched. But this is a good summarization of the things that we spent time on during our vacation. So we will be watching more Tokyo Ghoul, The Great British Bake Off, might consider continuing on with SpyxFamily. We’ll see. I’m still trying to convince him to give given a chance. We also have some movies we want to watch as well. Just waiting on when they will be streaming on our subscription platforms.