lemon tea café

i've recently been getting sucked back into the world of k-pop and i just want to say that the songs that have been dropping recently are so good


i'm glad that loona has been going back to more colorful and bright stuff (as opposed to their edgy title tracks from the past) and this song is so catchy. flip that. that that that that that that


fromis never misses and they're here again with a fun summer song. i saw some people saying that the set is cheap, but idk to me, it's just nice and refreshing and not overly complex...


absolute slayage, AS EXPECTED OF MY QUEENS. yeonjung is my favorite and she looks so stunning and radiant. sad this release didn't have more songs in it but oh well


i'm still really surprised gfriend just up and imploded, but at least we still have these 3 in a group together and this is another fun summer song. i'll definitely continue to keep an eye out for them

Pretty sure that when I wake up tomorrow, I'm going to have to go back into the office physically for work as opposed to just working from home. Well, it was a nice run of being in the comfort of my own home, but now unfortunately, I will have to see people and people will have to see me. Horrific, to be honest.

Apparently we're going to get at least 2 days of telework a week, which is definitely better than 0.
Thing is that I don't really feel like I truly get anything beneficial out of going to the office.

For starters, it's a considerable drive away, and also I think my coworkers are just as socially awkward as I am, so... please don't make us be near each other! LOL

At least it'll make me value the time I spend at home even more. I'll try and think of it that way. Silver linings and all.

I'm almost done with the second season of 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi (99.9 Criminal Lawyer), where Matsumoto Jun is the starring lead as a charming oddball~

I love it so much omg, it's funny and even if I don't understand all the Japan-specific jokes, there are usually translation notes included in the subs to help me out :D helps me learn some things I didn't know before!

And I really love how Miyama goes about solving cases, it's quite unique and interesting to watch things unfold!

Definitely recommend to anyone who's a fan of mysteries and crime stuff 👍

After I finish the last episode of the second season, I'll have the 2021 SP episode to watch for about 2 more hours of fun. And then the wait begins for the BD/DVD release of the movie 👀

Some Miyama gifs because Miyama Jun is Good Jun:

last week, i finally got the opportunity to visit Daiso again for the first time in a couple of years, super exciting 🥳
the inside of the store was so sterile and clean, definitely appreciated that
there was so much cute stuff in there that it should have been criminal

 

( haul under the cut )

 

it feels weird to officially be in 2022. as in, that number is so high. how did we get here. it feels wrong. are you sure we didn't miscalculate.

lately, i've been in my head a lot mulling over my past, which is honestly annoying... because why am i even bothering. i can't return to the last decade and undo my actions, fix my wrongs, stop my dumb younger self. i just need to take my numerous Ls, accept what happened, and move on. alas, the brain says, no, i don't think i will. at least i actually have therapy scheduled to start up soon so hopefully i can actually Do Something About It and start to cope better if i'm lucky.

on a more lighthearted note, we got our first snowfall of the year and it's beautiful, serene, peaceful. i really do love snow - when i'm not obligated to go anywhere, that is. i hope it's not the only snowfall we'll get this year. maybe i'm misremembering, but i feel like my area has been lacking in snowfall in the more recent years, so i'm happy that there is some progress towards my personal snowfall quota. ramp those numbers up, please.

So recently, I watched both Alice in Borderland and Squid Game to completion...
Pretty heavy stuff back to back... definitely lots of gore and other very distressing material to be aware of...

Honestly, I think Alice in Borderland had a higher shock factor that affected me more than Squid Game did.
Like, more scenes in Alice in Borderland made me actually physically cringe.
Both were good in their own right and I enjoyed watching them.

I hope Alice in Borderland gets a second season because... with that ending, it definitely needs one.
I think this is the first drama starring Yamazaki Kento I've ever seen, now that I think about it.
Also, it was interesting seeing Machida Keita play his role considering I've only ever seen his acting in Cherry Magic LOL
(Speaking of Cherry Magic, I've been tempted to pick up the Blu-Ray box because it has English subtitles included and I want to support however possible in hopes for a second season, but also that would involve spending more money than I should be spending at the moment...)

On the other hand, I think Squid Game would be fine with or without a second season.
I think something like a prequel would be good for that.

Not sure what to start next, I have a number of J-dramas in my backlog to get through.
Was considering watching Shitsuren Chocolatier to see the pitiful ChocoJun in action, but also I still need to finish Nemesis, so...
In terms of Western shows, I keep hearing a lot about Succession, so that has me intrigued as well...

Too much to watch, too little time

 

this work project i'm currently working on has been absolutely killing me...
i just want the deadline to roll by so i can be done with it already!
there's so much to do and i'm overwhelmed <_______>

but also the days are going by too fast...
it feels like there aren't enough hours to get everything done by the time i'm zoned in and focused...
SIGH well in about 2 weeks time, it'll be OVER and then hopefully the days will be not as stressful...

in other news, lately i've been remembering just how much nogizaka46 used to mean to me!
first idol group i ever got properly super invested in!
(before that, i had lightly dabbled in hello!project groups such as berryz, momusu, and buono!)

a bunch of my faves have graduated already by now though...
i only really knew 1st gen and a bit of 2nd gen well (and of course miona is gone too, rip)
i keep telling myself i should dive back in and get to know the newer generations, but...
is it really the same anymore? i'm not sure...
well, at least if i ever decide to take a dip back into the waters, there's plenty of content for me to peruse

Lately, I've been passing the time by going on evening bike rides and backing up my files. Super exciting, I know. But I can feel myself getting stronger as time goes on. I do laps in a medium-sized parking lot that's built on an incline. At first, I could only do 10 laps in a day before being beat, but then that number increased to 15. Then I started doing 2 separate rounds of 15 laps with a small break in between, so I got up to 30 laps total. Now, I'm up to 35 laps in a day. It's been ideal exercise considering that the weather has been so nice lately and the breeze is refreshing :D Definitely better than just using a bike machine in a stuffy indoor gym 🎶