February is the shortest month of the year; who knew it could fit in so many seasons and emotions? I’ve felt a bit all over the place, but right now I’m feeling good, and I’m ready to power through the next week and a half until I get let off for spring break. I’m definitely looking forward to a slower pace of life over spring break, but also plan to be productive and get around to all those things I said I’d do but haven’t yet (i.e. making real progress with the job search, putting together content for the blog, doing photoshoots, etc.).
Books
The Coincidence Makers by Yoav Blum // ★★★☆☆ // I was really intrigued by the blurb, but the story and the characters ended up falling flat for me. It’s rated highly on Goodreads though, so I’d say to give it a shot yourself if you’re intrigued by the blurb! Full review on the blog.
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage // DNF // What you expect from the blurb is pretty much what you get from the book. Unfortunately, I wasn’t interested in the book to begin with, but accidentally accepted the request from the publisher (whoops…) so I gave it a chance, as thrillers are usually easy reads for me. What I got from what I read was a subpar version of The Orphan (2009). (I still get creeped out by that film. It took me a lot of courage to type the title out here on the blog. *shiver*)
Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug // ★★★★★ // This book was assigned for my Art of the Web class, and I loved it! I love how Krug always got straight to the point and it was so easy to read. Academic papers and textbooks should take note; stop being so wordy and be more readable!
Music
I’ve been loving Lonepsi every since Laura mentioned it on her blog, particularly the three songs I included in my February playlist, and I got my friends loving him too! I’ve also been loving Jacob Banks, particularly the two songs included in my playlist. And of course, I’m psyched for Bruno Major, who I’m seeing in two days!
I Need It – Johnny Balik · Like I Used To – Killa Yan · Naked – James Arthur · Look Back – Diplo, DRAM · Chateau – Angus & Julia Stone
Cafes/Eats
Revisited the new United By Blue location for a work session with the PHLbloggers network! I got a latte and an everything bagel with goat cheese instead of buying a proper lunch because I wanted to save money, but almost everyone else got the Shepherd Sandwich (eggs, goat cheese, tomato, greens) or Redwood Sandwich (egg whites, turkey bacon, avocado spread, tomato, greens). Imma have to try those one day.
Also revisited Green Engine Coffee for Grace’s farewell breakfast. I got avocado toast and a latte. Pictured are avocado toast in the top left corner, peanut butter and jelly toast, a blue chai latte, and a bondi bowl (chia pudding, granola, goji berries, pickled concord grapes). A full blog post recapping the farewell breakfast will be on the blog eventually!
Shopping Haul
Cousins Collective crying heart charm necklace | I stumbled upon this small business on Instagram and stress bought the necklace whilst working on a problem set into the early morning. But I have no regrets; I love it! It’s very me, and it goes well with the rest of my jewelry collection (delicate gold). I think this is the first purchase I’ve ever made from Instagram.
Wishlist
The Apollo Box moon star planet earrings | I saw this pair of earrings from Safiya Nygaard’s Youtube video and subsequently hunted through The Apollo Box’s website for it, as it wasn’t linked in the description of the video. I love celestial themes.
Lately
Kicked the month off with a blogging work session with the PHLbloggers network at United By Blue. Tried to get posts drafted for the blog but ended up socialising too much to be productive. But hey, the point of these work sessions is to be together, right? // A rare group photo with the squad at Green Engine Coffee for Grace’s farewell. From left to right: Ami, Georgina, Grace, Victoria, me. // There was one week in which I only got four hours of sleep for two consecutive days, so for the rest of that week, I was focused on taking care of myself, which meant pretty, delicious, and healthy breakfasts, and lots of face masks. // Another week started off with snow. And a few days later that same week, we got beautiful sunshine. We got a break in the middle of a class, so my friends and I went outside to bask in the sun and also go to the playground to swing. A good way to use break time in class if you ask me! // Went to a blogging workshop about Google Analytics hosted by PHLbloggers at MakeOffices, a co-working space. Learned a lot about Google Analytics and my blog, and plan to go through my Google Analytics again over spring break in two weeks. Might blog about it! // Popped by a public outdoor skating rink. The ice had melted and was still in the process of refreezing, so we didn’t get to skate. But we still enjoyed the pretty lights! Then we went to Chinatown for bubble tea, because bubble tea always brings our mood (or at least my mood) right back up! From left to right: Ami, me, Bomi. // Had the strangest commuting experiences this month. I ride the train pretty regularly, so that’s saying something! // Photographed a proposal! I had this photoshoot scheduled two months prior, but wasn’t informed until the day of that there was going to be a surprise proposal. Was definitely special to be included in this moment.
How was your month?