Sunday, September 14, 2025

★ CALLING: Advent Children 20th Anniversary ★



Hello again my fellow mercenaries! Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the Japanese release of Advent Children! To celebrate, my friends and I had a small watch party!! We watched the re-release that came out last year. The quality of the graphics was unbelievable, it was so much fun!  

Twenty-five years later, Aerith is still best girl in my heart!

Final Fantasy VII is my favorite game of all time and the original release of Advent Children cemented the awe and love I hold for the story and all the characters in it. I can’t believe I have the honor to be watching this movie t-w-e-n-t-y years later in HD with friends who are just as invested in the series. Can’t wait to cherish more moments surrounding Final Fantasy VII! See you guys later 


Sunday, August 24, 2025

★ Be Sweet ★



Hiiii!  Summer might be over but the wet season hasn’t ended yet. It’s been raining so much these past few weeks, going to beach or on hikes hasn’t been possible lately (◞‸◟,) 

Today we visited a mall up north. It’s much bigger than the ones in my area and I’ve only been there a handful of times so it was a real treat to visit! 


We walked around and visited the GAP to see the Katseye campaign. It was cool to watch other people stop to look at the clips of them outside the store! The girls look gorgeous, I think Lara Raj’s photo stood out the most. I was hoping to come across a denim skirt like the one Megan wears in the commercial but I wasn’t lucky (๑•́ -•̀) Maybe it’ll be in stock next time?


I was craving a tasty treat after window shopping so we stopped by for a crepe. There were so many options to choose from but ultimately I stuck by my usual choice: Strawberries and Nutella!  It might not translate immediately from the picture, but it was HUGE!! It was perfect for sharing ♡ The whipped cream tasted like it was from a fancy brand or something because it had sugar crystals that gave it an interesting texture while not overpowering my palette with the sweetness.



Overall, the mall trip was a success! I hope we can come back soon. I really wanted to watch a movie but we got lost so many times we just ended up looking in different stores. We’ll definitely be more prepared next time (๑•̀ ᴗ•́)૭✧ 


Saturday, August 23, 2025

★ Strawberry Sunscreen ★

 


Hello again!  It’s been a while hasn’t it? The sun is setting before 9pm, traffic is picking back up in the mornings and late afternoons. You know what that means . . .


Now that the new school year is settled in, I finally have enough energy to write an update! 


During my summer break I picked up my Final Fantasy VII obsession again. I was so focused on work and the day-to-day that I totally missed the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth release! Not only did it come out last year - it came out during my birthday week! I can’t believe I missed an important date like this and for this long!!  

The more I dive into forums, I realize that there are a lot of questionable interpretations of what’s going on in the story to the point where I might write my own thoughts here another day. But until then, I’ll see you all later! Thanks again for reading ദ്ദി(。•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊



Thursday, July 3, 2025

★ 水面に、アイス ★

 


Hi again angels!  There’s a new Korean beauty store in my hometown with a proper self photo booth. Even though Miami is known for being a tourist destination with many establishments curating instagramable photo-ops - the set-ups are abysmal at worse and basic at best. I’m stoked we finally have a nice booth to take pictures with!



The booth also provides a QR code that you can scan to receive a digital copy of your pictures along with the BTS video of yourself and your friends getting into the poses which is so cute! I hope the popularity this booth is generating influences other businesses to get one of their own! 


 I’m excited to take more pictures as the summer goes on! See you all next time! 


Wednesday, July 2, 2025

★ Giddy Up ★


Hello again angels! How are you all doing?  I have a long post for y’all today! A little over week ago,  I went to see Ginger Root with friends down south for their first Florida tour ‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊

If you haven’t heard, Ginger Root is a band from SoCal who describe their sound as “aggressive elevator music.” They’re heavily inspired by Japanese Pop and American Indie/Bedroom Pop alongside many other genres like disco and artists like The Beatles - specifically Paul McCarthy.

I’ve been listening to their songs for years but only really became a fan in the past few months. I was supposed to see them at an earlier date and then again when they opened for Japanese Breakfast but unfortunately something stopped me from doing so both times! Can you believe that?;; 

So you can imagine how excited I was to finally see them! (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ )

The concert was held at The Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale which is a small and intimate venue. I had only been there once before to see Marina and the Diamonds for her Lonely Hearts tour back in 2012 (geez I’m getting old!) I knew we had to get there early to secure a nice spot so we headed out after lunchtime. When we finally arrived, we were met with a decent sized line gathering outside the venue.

Concert ready ⸜(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

When the doors finally opened I was nervous. I was sure enough people were in front of us to place us at a considerable distance away from the stage and . . . .

. . .

. .

We got front row babyyyyy ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
The band didn’t have an opener so we all jammed out to a great playlist until they arrived. At one point another friend of mine called to let me know that groups of people were still lining around the block to get inside!

Just before the show started a band member named Jimmy appeared on stage to make sure everything was ready for the show. The crowd started to get excited and cheered him on. He noticed us closely observing him and when I gave him a little hello, he waved and smiled at me which made realize how present I was. I can’t explain it, and I know it sounds silly, but I didn’t think I would go noticed. Not too long after - cameraman David popped up and greeted the front row. Being further perceived made me shy (𖦹ᯅ𖦹)

Shortly after the main trio showed up! The crowd went wild as they opened up with Better Than Mondays. 


The stage production was wonderful and the venue’s lighting systems engulfed the show under neon lights which enhanced the city pop vibe the band goes for. I was so mesmerized that I didn’t take as many videos or pictures like I intended but I guess I was having too much fun to remember ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )

Sensational (。•̀ᴗ-)✧
Throughout the show Mr. Root engaged with the audience through witty and fun crowd interactions. It looked like him and the others were having as much fun as were! One of best parts is how the cameraman captured everything through dynamic zoom-ins. At some points it looked like he was dancing to the music as he sways back and forth trying to get a shot of the boys and the show goers. 

There was a brief moment where Mr. Root was literally in front of me ヽ(°〇°)ノ 
I got so flustered, I didn’t react on time to take a picture! I know he was on a platform but I didn’t expect him to be so tall?!
Mr. Root commented how he noticed that there is a cultural shift in the Fort Lauderdale crowd compared to audiences back in his home state. He pointed out how it was the way “we sparked joy when we danced.” Glad to be part of an enthusiastic group! 

The trio immediately retreated backstage once the final song was over. As David was leaving behind them, my best friend and I were able to get his attention to ask him if he could gift me the setlist AND HE DID!

PARTY! (>ᴗ•) !

After a quick visit to the merch table we ran to get the present I wanted to gift to Mr. Root from my friend’s car. By then, the rest of my friends were outside the venue and showed me where I could meet the band. 

I could feel myself tensing up as we were getting closer to Dylan and Cameron.

 I’m so grateful ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´- 
There was bigger pool of people in front of Cameron. It was a little hectic, he seemed overstimulated but I was able to meet him and give him his present!

Success! ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)
My nerves were getting to me, I don’t remember much. When it was my turn, I shouted “I have a present for you!”  before immediately lifting it up towards him. He asked if I was sure but I was stuck saying “it’s for you” like a broken record even when he was saying his thank yous.

At the end of every show Cameron takes a short video of the crowd before exiting the stage. For a split second you can see me waving at the camera ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜ 


Overall I had a fantastic time! I’m glad I was able to go!! Even if you’re unfamiliar with Ginger Root, I recommend anyone to go see them. Everyone in the band is clearly passionate about what they do and their enthusiasm is contagious. I can’t wait to see them again!