What I consumed in September.

I needed this comfort food: Arroz Caldo c/o my Mom.

September is odd.

I just didn’t have the energy to consume as much books and movies as I usually do.

All I could handle this month were a bunch of [quasi-mindless] online series (lel).

Books

• People From My Neighborhood (Kawakami, 2020)
  [Fiction] I wasn’t very satisfied with this collection of interconnected hyper-short stories. The book takes us to a small nameless Japanese neighborhood, giving readers a glimpse of the seemingly mundane lives of its quirky residents. Some stories were funny and outright weird, some were a bit flat. I was in a pretty bad mood when I read this, so that probably affected my reading experience…
• Even Though We’re Adults Volumes 1 & 2 (Shimura, 2021)
  [Manga] I’m looking forward to Volume 3 in October! This yuri is about two women in love, with a few complications along the way. I especially appreciate how the characters are in their early-mid thirties.

Putting this on hold, for now.

• The Noontime Demon: An Atlas of Depression (Solomon, 2001)
  [Non-Fiction] I haven’t finished reading this yet, it’s been a painful trudge. I just can’t get into its writing style. And the structure is a mess, the author is just all over the place (sorry). I’m not really a big fan of memoirs, but I’m immensely interested in learning more about mental health. I found An Unquiet Mind (Redfield Jamison, 1995) to be much more engaging. I might have to park this for now.

What I really want to read is Detransition, Baby (Peters, 2021), sadly I just can’t find a copy (Fullybooked doesn’t have it).

Oh, I also read this yuri manga series online: Kakeochi Girl (Battan, 2018–2020). The story tackles domestic violence, homophobia, and sexism.

Series

• Work In Progress (S1, 2019)
• Chicago Party Aunt (S1, 2021)
• Squid Game (S1, 2021)
• Jailbirds: New Orleans (2021)
• Grey’s Anatomy (S1, 2005)
• The L Word (S1–5, 2004–2008)
• The L Word: Generation Q (S1–2, 2019–2021)

Okay, hear me out: September was bad, but at least I got to catch up on The L Word haha!

I first watched the original series when I was around 19, by that time the show has been off the air for about two years. I watched it using those online torrent thingies? It was a different time back then (lol). I only made it until the second season — yes, just right before Dana died and before Jenny turned evil (lol).

I was deep inside the closet at the time (some sort of self-denial stage), hence I never really made an effort with the show… Ten years later, this gay girl is finally wading through all six seasons, yay haha!

I’m still a season away from finishing the OG series, but I’m all caught up with the Gen Q reboot.

Movies

• In the Same Breath (Wang, 2021)
  An HBO documentary about the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Relasyon (Bernal, 1982)
  Saw my mom watching this on cable (CinemaOne) one evening and I joined her. It’s written by Ricky Lee and directed by the great Ishmael Bernal. It’s my 7th Bernal film following Nunal Sa Tubig (1976), Salawahan (1979), Manila by Night (1980), Himala (1982), Working Girls (1984), and Hinugot Sa Langit (1985).

• Old Enough (Silver, 1984)
  I loved it! This coming-of-age story is set in 1980s New York, following the newly formed friendship between two teenage girls — one is from a working class family and the other is from a well-off family in the Upper West Side. I just love stories about strong female friendships. The movie also introduced me to the actress, Rainbow Harvest. I got into a bit of a Google rabbit hole, trying to find out whatever happened to her.

Video games

• The Curse of Monkey Island (1997)
  Finally got the chance to play this point-and-click puzzle-adventure classic! I never had the chance as a kid, since my parents didn’t allow us to play games on our PC (they were afraid that their precious and humongous PC could get some sort of virus from games lel). Finished the Easy Mode, I plan on going through Difficult Mode (the puzzles are different) when I get the time and energy.
• Grim Fandango (1998)
  I had this sitting on my Steam Library for years, but never really got around to playing it. During one lazy Sunday, I finally gave it a try. It was fun just like the Monkey Island series; unfortunately, I just didn’t have the energy to go on.
• Firewatch (2016)
  I already finished this a few years back and I really enjoyed it. One weekend, I decided to revisit the first few hours of the game, but was unable to sit through the whole thing. September just really zapped the life out of me…

Pepper is obviously plotting on swindling my plate of ube.

Well, cheers to September finally ending!

I need to take an online test later today to qualify for the language elective course I signed up for in grad school. Wish me luck!

This exam should have been done in person (face-to-face), as it covers listening, reading, and writing tests. Alas, borders remain closed. Hence, I’m still stuck here in my home country — without a Student Visa — so I have to take the test online.

I’m really hoping for some good news in October. I need it.