To Spring! (March Favorites)
Welcome April! I consider April more of a spring month, more representative of spring and its oddly cold but promising qualities, and that's likely because I associate spring with Weeding Day in Animal Crossing. Not to mention the cherry blossoms are in bloom in April, which makes Animal Crossing all the more playful and dear to a weary heart like mine.
I'm currently suffering from a cold, but I'm trying not to let that stop me! It's a harsh life, battling the common cold during week one of the new spring quarter, but it's my last quarter and I'm going to make the most of it.
Top Ten for March 2017:
Get OutMoonlightCrazy Rich Asians- Angela Carter's Book of Fairytales --> substituted with The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
PeritaleSnotgirl- Einstein's Dreams --> substituted with Burning Sands
The Good PlaceTimelessDesignated Survivor
March Favorites: Apps
I'm not going to lie, I'm still using the Egg, Inc. app. It's great, it's mindless entertainment, I love feeling like a blatant capitalist.
Fortune City, as mentioned offhandedly in a previous post, is an app that stems from the same company responsible for Plant Nanny & Walkr. Known for characteristically colorful styles & vividly cute animations, these apps generally serve healthier purposes, and in Fortune City's case, it's learning how to budget.
March Favorites: Healthy Beauty
- Benefit Cosmetic's Porefessional primer--I received it as the birthday gift as part of Ulta's Beauty Rewards. I have used Dr. Brandt's Pores No More primer, but I had difficulty applying it without a cream-based moisturizer (re: oily face; I use gel-based moisturizers). Benefit's product was much less of a hassle to apply, and matched my skin more, which was really nice. It didn't feel caked on, and settled into my skin like it was no one's business.
- Shoutout to the staff at Sephora for supplying me with a sample of the Atelier Clémentine California Cologne, like really. It's $130 and I don't want to pay that so I got a free sample and boy, do I love smelling like I'm in the citrus section of a grocery shop.
- John Frieda's Dream Curls conditioner. Holy chipotle it's changed my life for the better. It detangles. I wish I could buy this in bulk. Bought it at Ulta and haven't looked back since.
March Favorites: Media
- Train to Busan had really nice cinematic sequences regarding the zombies, and as a plus, it broke my heart at the end as it showcased humanity at its finest! It was recently added to Netflix, please check it out.
- For finals week I had the pleasure of marathoning the second half of Fresh Off the Boat season three, and I really enjoyed Constance Wu. The whole family is delightful, and while there are occasionally cringy moments in the show, I honestly feel much better watching it. The family dynamic is really great.
- On a Constance Wu note, I super enjoyed reading Kevin Hwang's Crazy Rich Asians this month. I marathoned it and am excited to see Constance Wu as Rachel in the movie. Also, Astrid's been cast! I can't believe this!
- Speaking of things that broke my heart and fixed it at the same time, Benjamin Alire Sáenz's The Inexplicable Logic of My Life made me feel so at home. I felt a nostalgia I never had reading this in three sittings, and stayed up to one a.m. Friday night feeling hurt over leaves. That's right, I was really emotional about leaves and honestly it'd happen again. Sáenz has this gift of translating visual warm tones into his fictional worlds, and there's this genuine link to a Latinx identity I didn't realize I wanted. It was sentimental in all the right places, tactile in all the right ways, and has this way of letting you read these works at the right moment. He does that. He really does.
- In sound-related terms, I treasured St Vincent's music during finals week, and absolutely blasted Lorde's Green Light for ages, not to mention her feature in Disclosure's Magnets.
- And did I mention the Moana soundtrack? Still listening to it. Still love it. I was just singing it on the hike I had with my family on Sunday.
March Favorites: Social Personalities
- I discovered Cheyenne Barton through her March Plan with Me video, and she's pulled me into a world filled with earnest passion, sweet doodles, and sheer excitement regarding her upcoming move to Seattle. I genuinely enjoy the way she likes to fill up the page; it's far from the minimalist aesthetic, and I rather like it.
- Krist Yu has been phenomenal in the way she edits her videos. I love watching the different techniques she uses, the colorful content contrasted by minimalist backgrounds, and her personality is incredibly captivating. Right now she's vlogging from Japan on her vlog channel, and I keep watching her videos the most.
- Also, people on instagram (esp. overseas) have an incredible hold on how to use their washi. Take tigertree133 for example. It's inspirational, since I never really know what to do with the collection I've gathered.
March Favorites: Words
- I've been reading book 1 of my friend's series in progress! SD is a great story filled with an unforgettable cast. I'm really adoring the character dynamics (I always have)!
- Something about what I feel when I see the orange wave of Californian poppies, though. Ethereal, each and every bloom.
- the words stirring in my throat when i see poppies alongside the freeways. these words are the ones i treasure the most, even if they linger in my throat.
Top Ten for April 2017:
- Einstein's Dreams
- Mob Psycho 100
- Into the Badlands
- The Foxhole Court
- Deidra & Laney Rob a Train
- The Get Down
- Bill Nye Saves the World
- Angela Carter's Book of Fairytales
- Welcome to Night Vale
See you later! Besos.
Take in a lot of Vitamin C, please. Between post-final immune system breakdowns and spring allergies (which is way more potent this year), you're all going to need it.
Yours Sincerely,
Dianne
