⌨️ 28/12/2023 Ramble Log: Microblogging ⌨️

Good morning angels! 💝 Totally taking advantage of the extra free time I have now to post more frequently. Lately, I've been thinking about how microblogging sites like Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram have replaced Livejournal, WordPress, and Blogger. Despite the personalization, character, and media sharing limitations, they're much easier to navigate and encourage users to interact with anyone. For example, Twitter obligates users to follow at least three profiles and three #topics of interest in hopes of keeping consumers on the app, even if they know no one on there. When I created this blog almost a year ago, the creation process of what this virtual space would look like was overwhelming, and I have yet to reach a point where I'm satisfied with it. Despite my experiences and small coding knowledge from my prominent Tumblr years, Blogger is much more abstract, and while it allows room for creativity, I understand how we've reached a point where the collective would rather be given at most five customization options and immediately tweet into the void. Plus it's difficult to find a community here. While I prefer to publish my thoughts without thinking about likes, retweets, or follows, I have to agree that those elements help you find a small network of users or posts that you might relate to. Had I not already been following a gal on Twitter who was promoting her blog, I would not have been encouraged to do the same and subsequently go through the list of her favorite blogs to then follow those blogs and repeat that process until I followed a decent amount of blogs where I could have something to look forward to regularly.

A few months ago, I wrote a rant post around Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part, and I still don't understand how another user who doesn't follow me was able to find it. I know that you can add "labels" to posts, but I'm still unsure if they act like hashtags and, if they do, how to search them up to come across posts belonging to unfamiliar users. I don't want to imply that Blogger should become like Twitter, but I believe that adopting similar features like an "explore more" page along with a mobile app that's not run by a third-party server would greatly benefit this site and its users.

Looking back, it's interesting to see how microblogging, which initially started off as a "status" on social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook, is now the go-to platform for everyone, including in publishing and marketing relations. Seeing how fast-paced life has become for all because technology and the Internet are so accessible now compared to before, it only makes sense that the way we communicate online reflects that. I wonder where we'll be in five or ten years, especially since there's a shared sentiment with young millennials and zoomers of nostalgia regarding blogging and pushback to the lack of privacy and safety issues within microblogging sites and how invasive it has become. If you missed the 

As I'm writing this post, a friend sent me this article from The Atlantic about how TikTok is changing the internet architecture around microblogging and how it's (possibly) all Emerald Aparthid's fault which is hilarious! However, I'm not sure how true that prediction is since not everyone is comfortable sharing footage or media of themselves which is the main form of posting on TikTok. I just hope that more of my mutuals from other platforms make the migration to Blogger so we can stay in touch without me needing to maintain my presence throughout different websites.

If you've made it this far, I'm really grateful you've taken the time to read through my musings ✨I hope to see you soon! 🍓

🎀 27/12/2023 Quick Life Update and The Batman Ramblings 🎀

Disclaimer: This post contains spoilers for The Batman (2022).

Happy Holidays Angels! 💫  It's been a while hasn't it? 💢 Happy Holidays 💕 

Despite wanting to blog more frequently, my work schedule has been hectic since the Thanksgiving break;; Plus my personal life got overwhelmed by the passing of a close relative. Needless to say, time kept escaping me while I was offline. I'm taking advantage of the time off from work to get back to normal. I've been hanging out with friends I haven't seen in a long time, baking and taking well-deserved naps in the afternoons 🌸

On Nochebuena my parents and I watched The Batman and I'm completely obsessed. I've spent the last three days watching video essays on it while listening to the official soundtrack! I'll admit that I never cared much for Bruce Wayne. I don't know much about him beyond the basic lore and fragments of what I remember from my dad watching the other Batman movies. When I thought about Batman beforehand I pictured some unapproachable man in his forties who reveled in being a playboy throughout the day and changed into black tights to use fancy gadgets against villains of the week at night. It's not that I hated his characterization, I just didn't care and honestly found his opponents or his adoptive children, especially Dick Grayson, more interesting than himself.  

I'm drawn to Matt Reeve's interpretation of The Caped Crusader because he is unsure of where he stands as a vigilante, only knowing that he feels compelled to be one out of guilt for the death of his parents. He's not elegant or suave. And I know there's a lot of commentary surrounding how Robert Pattinson doesn't emote much in the film but I think they don’t see how this Bruce Wayne is always fighting the urge to burst. We see him crack through his emotional frenzies when he almost kills a man for trying to strangle Selina Kyle or when he attempts to break a glass barrier to presumably charge at The Riddler towards the end of their confrontation. He has yet to heal his inner child and it's something I didn't expect for a Batman movie to elaborate on in this manner. Plus it is refreshing seeing Batman fail a landing, and get knocked off his feet multiple times when he's distressed. It humanizes him. Despite being the story's greatest detective even his deduction skills are imperfect and believably so. His judgment clouds as his temperament is agitated when he believes Selina Kyle has a sexual/romantic relationship with Carmine Falcone which costs him the mission at hand and Selina's alliance at that moment. 

Catwoman is a wonderful supporting character and a nice foil to Batman. Both are orphaned at a young age yet because of their different class statuses, Selina needed to become self-reliant and transform into Catwoman to survive. Meanwhile Bruce chooses to play dress up when he could turn to therapy instead. Selina calling Bruce out for growing up rich was a well-deserved reality check that helped his character grow.

In short, I have a lot to say but feel very disorganized in my thoughts. I've only seen the movie through its Latin American dub and might watch it again in English. I wish I had more people around me to talk about The Batman with but so far the only friend I've shared my thoughts with doesn't share my enthusiasm 😓

If you made it to the end, thank you so much for taking the time to read my fan ramble!🌺 Feel free to share your thoughts on the matter too! Did you like the movie? Did you hate it?! I would love to read your opinions! See you next time!! 💌⭐

📱 The Treachery of Digital Images, This is Not a Title, It's a Mid Art History Joke 📱

Good evening lovelies! 💗 I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! 💫 Like I promised, I'm trying to share my thoughts more on here no matter how unorganized or nonsensical I think they are 😖 It's Thanksgiving weekend and while I don't celebrate the holiday, I'm still thankful I was granted a federal excused break from work to recharge and spend time with my parents. We've gone on so many drives around town and watched a ton of movies. I even rocked the boat by watching the Spanish dub of LoveHard with them. It's an American rom-com, and while it doesn't have any sex scenes, sexual themes are generously sprinkled throughout the film. My parents are not very hip™ made their disapproval known whenever someone talked about penis along with the where a character pulls out a joint. But in the end, they laughed at the jokes and expressed that they enjoyed it nonetheless ✌

I just finished reading Molly Soda's newest blog post where she talks about her most recent LIVE on TikTok where she danced in front of the camera for thirty-eight minutes. I thought it was interesting how she initially described it as regressive as an aging millennial. If you didn't know - Molly Soda is an internet performance artist who garnered popularity mostly on Tumblr throughout the 2010s. Her work elaborates on themes of feminism, self-conception, the boundaries between reality and performance, etc which expands throughout digital platforms, GIFs, zines, and even a one-woman web series titled Tween Dreams. I was obsessed with her throughout high school and it hurt to read how insecure she felt about the LIVE, which was exacerbated by a mean comment one user left. Fortunately, the post ends on a high note with Molly stating that she accepts her role as "the professional fool" and the boldness that comes with creating contemporary art. Not only do I disagree with the snarky comment because I am biased (and have been following Molly Soda for literally over ten years and can guess her intentions behind a performance) but they also failed to consider how modes of communication on the internet have evolved along with how people present themselves and the objectives behind them. It's not just Molly "doing the same thing fifteen years later", it's Molly being a girl on the internet in 2023 when you don't need to take the SD card out of your digital camera into your PC/connect it to the USB slot with a cable, pray your Windows Server could handle the export before finally logging onto your favorite social media site to launch your pictures and videos online. While TikTok LIVES are commonplace now, curating an event to collect data through performance art will age into a wonderful time capsule that the new wave of kids will want to study and possibly replicate. And what's wrong with girls being silly on the internet anyways?

Molly also briefly touches upon John Berger's "Ways of Seeing" (1972) and Laura Mulvey’s seminal essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (1973) which reminded me of an excerpt I came across from Mulvey's other article "Fears, Fantasies and the Male Unconscious" (1973): Women are constantly confronted with their own image in one form or another . . . they are being turned all the time into objects of display, to be looked at . . ." and before the academics point out that Mulvey is specifically talking about The Male Gaze in media and film theory - I understand this but am also ignorant of not knowing of the word or phrase that describes those ideas and sentiments but applied in the modern day when the screen is no longer contained in a theater and spectators don't have to wait in line and find a seat to participate in the act of looking. We're at a point where we can expose ourselves to anyone from anywhere with a signal to watch us or read our thoughts. We now have more avenues to confront our reflection on how we are perceived and how we should be perceived, always being met with judgments even in the privacy of our rooms. Molly continues to share the joy, confusion, and discomfort that comes with maintaining an online presence, especially now when we can witness comments being made about our presentation in real-time that can be accompanied by emojis and "reactions" where people can pay to have a filter of tomatoes being thrown at your face play during a broadcast. Ice Cream So Good, Yes, Yes, Gang Gang.

Even as I'm typing these silly thoughts for all to see, I am also self-conscious and how it will influence how others will see me. As #raw as I wish I could be, I still dedicated time to deleting and rewriting paragraphs in hopes I don't sound like a complete bobo - even though it's almost 4AM and this is just a blog. It's not like this will be turned in for a grade or be presented to a jury - which further intrigues my curiosity about how the relationship we have with ourselves will evolve as technology continues to advance. How will it affect those being born into it? Some of the first sets of children who were raised behind cameras in 2000s reality shows have spoken up about how it negatively impacted their relationships with their family, including their parents, and their self-perception. Some even experience agoraphobia and opt to delete their digital footprint altogether. Where will we go from here? 

🪃 We're So Back 🪃

Hi angels! 👋😎 It's been too long since my last entry;; I am going to try to blog more! 💢 Despite being busy, I still want to take time and write down my thoughts in a space like this, with no character limits, where anyone can chime in if they want to. And to be honest, I've been hesitant to post anything since I get discouraged by the thought of being too boring or mundane but that's just me overthinking what a potential reader would think about my silly little blog. I just read other gals' blog posts on the matter and their sincerity about their own blog insecurities and agreed we should embrace the carefree attitude that many bloggers had throughout the earlier years of the internet. I want to be more genuine about how I express my thoughts without trying to worry about how my feed will look on my Instagram account or feel anxious about being dogpiled like on the social media site formerly known as Twitter 😰 

🍂 16/09/2023 Life Update 🍂

Good evening angels! ⭐ I hope you all have been well and in good spirits!! 💗 It's incredible how it's almost been a month since my last entry;; As you can probably guess, since the academic school year started a lot of my attention has been focused on work. The free time I do have is spent either resting or hanging out with friends so I haven't had the energy to blog like before 😖 Unfortunately, I spent the last four nights and three days recovering from acute bronchitis. I underwent tests to determine whether I had either COVID or the flu and luckily both came out negative. My primary doctor prescribed antibiotics that made me feel like a sack of kicked potatoes throughout Thursday and Friday. Luckily I felt significantly better this morning and by the evening my symptoms had waned. 

Since I've been homebound these past few days I've been able to have a direct and vulnerable conversation with my dad about something that's been on my mind and it ended well with him buying me a small fruit tart as a treat 🍓While the gesture was incredibly sweet (🥁*ba tum tss*🥁) the tart itself was a bit too sweet and the crust was bland, which got me thinking about when I'd be able to bake one myself. Last week I was able to find a set of three tart pans with removable bottoms at a discounted price! Like I mentioned earlier, I haven't had the time to even look at the ingredients I'll need, let alone have time to actually bake it 😞 Hoping that by this time next week, I'll instead be sharing my experience baking a fruit tart 🍰

Isn't the presentation lovely? ✨

After dinner and dessert, my parents and I binge-watched the final three episodes of Under the Queen's Umbrella (슈룹.) The entire story from start to finish was captivating and had the emotional grip I had been craving for a long time plus more. Before this show, I had watched Mask Girl (마스크걸) and while it was remarkable, it was also an exhausting K-drama to experience. Not to imply that UtQU is an easy watch either but despite it all it ended with a happy ending that was very rewarding and believable. 

Thanks for reading! 💓 Let's all have sweet dreams 🌙💗 See you all later!! Byeeee!!! 💞

🍰 Previous Bakes, A Baking Entry 🍰

Good evening lovelies! 💕 How is everyone today?! I came across a lovely s'more cookie recipe on Instagram and have wanted to bake something again but haven't made the time for it as I should 💢 To motivate myself I'll be looking back on my previous bakes! ⭐

Growing up I didn't have access to an oven. My parents and I used to live in an efficiency apartment and despite us living there for almost eighteen years, our landlord never bothered to purchase a replacement since the stovetop still worked. When my parents were finally able to acquire a home of their own, the oven that came with it was busted along with many other major appliances and plumbing so we couldn't afford a new one until 2021. I had made brownies and other simple bakes with friends at their houses but to have an oven of my own was definitely a huge moment in my life. Needless to say, I was over the moon 💞

My first home-baked dessert was a strawberry tart 🍓I used a pre-made dough for the crust and remember hating the taste but luckily my parents enjoyed it anyway. Unfortunately, I also disliked how ugly it looked so I didn't take additional photos;; 

After the tart, I started my pie era™ starting with apple pies. I'm very unfamiliar with pies, not just baking them but eating them. They're not part of my culture or the local culture of my hometown but at the time I was nostalgic and fixated on that scene from Snow White where she's making a gooseberry pie for Grumpy 🥧

So far, pies are my favorite dessert to bake, I like how creative you can be with the dough! ✨I also made two pumpkin pies but unfortunately when I switched phones earlier in the year, a lot of the HEIC photo files from my old iPhone became corrupted so I lost many pictures 😔

From November to December last year, I experimented with basic cookie recipes and found that I thoroughly enjoy brown sugar cookies with chocolate chips the most! 🍪⭐ I found cookies unusually difficult to bake. The majority of my first batches ended up getting charred and were completely unedible 😓 There was a bit of a learning curve but in the end, I was able to get the hang of it 🎉 

In case you missed out, I spoke in-depth earlier in the year about my experience baking strawberry cheesecakes as well! That's it for now!! Thanks again for reading 💘 See y'all next time 💟

🫧 A Very Informal Skincare Review 🫧

Hey lovelies! 🐰 I hope y'all are having a peaceful Tuesday ⭐ Yesterday I received items I purchased from Herb'N Eden in the mail!! Founded by Quinton and Terran Lewis, the brand was created to bring natural skincare products to the forefront of the market. What started off as an appreciation of gardening and a love for herbs later transformed into a fast-growing holistic business. Herb'N Eden prides itself in being plant-based, and cruelty-free while using its business to give jobs to members of its community, especially their local youth in Georgia, USA. Additionally, their dedication to creating products that abstain from harsh chemicals typically used in other brands like phthalates & parabens or synthetic fragrances was what caught my attention, particularly since I've developed eczema in the past few years. 

Mind you I'm not a chemist, I'm not a dermatologist or an esthetician so please don't take my enthusiasm or recommendations as law. Please keep in mind everyone's skin is different and even if we share similar concerns, our bodies can react differently to the same product or ingredients. If you have specific conditions or questions I highly recommend scheduling a visit to a dermatologist! 

I currently have a really lax skincare routine ever since I had a series of awful eczema flare-ups that were on and off for almost six months. I used to be in a position where I could use anything and everything and was in the middle of following a strict regimen but since January I've been religiously using E.L.F's Pure Skin line instead. It's oatmeal-based which felt incredibly soothing on my skin when it was at its angriest. Plus the toner from that line used aloe-juice and oat milk instead of alcohol which was also tremendously relieving. But despite the products being reliable, I did want to start alternating between products to see if there were other items that were more compatible with my skin. 

My entire purchase! 😈

Browsing through the Herb'N Eden site was overwhelming due to the amount of products they had to offer but luckily they have different curated kits for specific skin concerns. I'm currently experiencing small breakouts on my cheek and chin areas so this acne facial kit is perfect! It comes with an activated charcoal cleanser, rosewater & aloe toner, a tea tree & lavender serum, an exfoliating cleansing pad, and a Moroccan red clay mask. They also offer a hyperpigmentation kit along with a sensitive skin kit to anyone who's interested🎉 What I thought was cool too is how the site also offers a quiz to anyone interested in purchasing something from them but might not know which ingredients or products they want to check out.

When using the activated charcoal cleanser I immediately felt the peppermint oil. I guess I have some leftover fears from using other products because I mistook the light sensation as my skin reacting negatively to the product but it was just me being unfamiliar with the ingredient and how it's supposed to feel on contact. The smell isn't overpowering either which was deeply appreciated by me! My skin felt refreshed and after waiting around for fifteen minutes my trouble zones were significantly less irritated.

In the past, I've used other aloe and rosewater toners but none that had the two ingredients combined. Not too much to add other than it felt as moisturizing as expected and that the elongated dropper was a pleasant feature.

I wasn't expecting the serum to be as thick as it is and immediately regretted how much product I used since it made my skin feel heavy and sticky. 

Pictured: Herb'N Eden's Tumeric Power Clay Mask, a free sample of their Cedarwood & Sage Body oil, and their Rosewater Hydrating Facial Mist

When browsing the site I noticed they offered a Turmeric Powder Clay Mask meant to target dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Since I have the terrible habit of picking at my blemishes I wanted to do some damage control before any scarring became visible, so I'll be using this product instead of the Moroccan Red Clay Mask that came with the Acne Facial Kit I got. 

I currently have a combination of both oily and dry skin so I opted to skip out on the apple cider vinegar and instead used a teaspoon of honey with equal parts of the power and water. My skin was noticeably brighter after washing the mask off with cold water but I'll write an updated review along the way to see if it helped with any long-lasting results. 

I'm looking forward to seeing how effectively these products work with my skin in the long run! So far I have a great first impression of both the items themselves and the customer service from Herb'N Eden 🌺 If anyone else is ready to try out something new I highly recommend them to check out the shop as well ✨ I would love to hear your thoughts and if anyone ended up getting something as well!! Thanks again for visiting 💕 I hope y'all have a fantastic day!!! 💌

🧿 About Tarot and My Latest Tarot Deck Additions 🧿

Disclaimer: In the following post I'll be discussing tarot cards. Due to the religious controversies the cards hold and the strong feelings they can stimulate - I urge all readers who might feel uncomfortable, angered, or frightened by the topic to please refrain from proceeding further. All readers assume sole responsibility for any decisions that they may make after this warning. All hate comments and any form of harassment will be reported.

Good evening lovelies! 💗 I wanted to show off new additions to my growing tarot deck collection ✨ I'm a tarot reader and have been doing so for the past five years ⭐ As I'm typing this post I've been gifted over fifteen decks and have purchased some of my own along with a few Oracle decks as well. I enjoy reading and helping others reflect while offering guidance through the messages I receive from the cards.

If you're unfamiliar with tarot, it is (usually) a deck of seventy-eight cards. Each card contains its own imagery and symbolism. Additionally, the deck is divided into major and minor arcanas - the latter being further categorized into four classic elements: water, fire, earth, and air which are traditionally represented as cups, wands, pentacles, and swords respectively. 

There are many different ways people can interact with tarot, I personally don't incorporate numerology, astrology, or the Kabbalah into my readings nor do I focus on fortune-telling. 

I do not represent all readers (or anyone else. I can only speak for myself) nor am I a spiritual leader, a witch, or the ultimate source of knowledge on the matter. I'm just an ordinary person who deeply appreciates tarot. My spirituality/religious beliefs are complex, evolving, and deeply personal and they inspire how I interact with my decks and in doing so it strengthens my connection with myself, to others, and to the world we share (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ🌺

Additional disclaimer: Before moving forward, I want to further emphasize tarot is no substitute for medical advice either physical or mental nor should it be sought out as an alternative solution for legal or financial guidance. Tarot is merely a tool to decipher surrounding energies at the time it is being used which is best for planning, goal setting, or entertainment purposes. All potential querents should think responsibly and critically for themselves and refrain from basing major life decisions on the outcome of a tarot reading. Additionally, it is not wise or safe for tarot to be used in exchange for crisis counseling or any similar services.

Newest additions! I found the Everyday Tarot after stumbling and knocking it down from the table it was displayed on. And it was on sale! 🌷Trungles' Star Spinner Tarot was gifted to me by a lovely friend 🥰

Trungles' Star Spinner Tarot features eighty-one cards and a wonderfully descriptive guidebook that's great for beginners and more experienced readers alike. Trungles has emphasized that he wanted to create a deck that was more diverse and inclusive towards non-white and LGBTQ+ people. This deck comes with four different versions of The Lovers card which include portrayals of MLM, and WLW couples.Not only are the illustrations gorgeous but the friend who gave it to me knew I was a fan of Trungles making this present more precious to me. I look forward to working with this deck and finding out what lessons it has in store for me 💞

The Mini Everyday Tarot deck is great for doing readings on the go. This deck was created by Brigit Esselmont, the creator of Biddy Tarot, a self-proclaimed "intuitive entrepreneur." Her site, Biddy Tarot provides wonderful resources on tarot, especially for people who are completely unfamiliar with the subject yet want to learn and eventually do readings themselves. This deck was also seemingly created for newbies since the illustrations and color palette are more simplistic than most decks. Furthermore, the deck also comes with two additional cards to further help beginners settle into the deck. 

Thanks again for reading! Please feel free to leave a question in the comments if you have any tarot questions! Like I mentioned before, I don't want to be treated as the only reliable source but I'll gladly answer any questions those who are well-intentioned and interested in learning more. I am currently not offering personal readings to others outside my friend group at this current time but will post an update when I can do so!! I might do more in-depth reviews on the decks I have later so look forward to those as well 😎 Thanks so much for stopping by today, I'll see you soon 💌