1. Did you read any books?
I am finally getting into A Game of Thrones. I really want to watch the series on HBO but because I never saw it from Season 1, I'll probably get lost and miss out on a lot of the story. So, I decided to start reading the book! I'm borrowing it from my local library and I can tell it's really popular because when I went to reserve it, I was number 13 in the queue but somehow got a notice that it was available for me two or three days after putting in my reservation lol. Anyways, I'm loving the way this story is written out. Instead of chapters, it splits into different perspectives of the many characters in the story. It's written in the third person limited, which is great because it keeps me guessing as to what's going on and later confirming it under another's perspective. Even though there are 800+ pages, don't let the number intimidate you because it's a fast read that'll keep you entertained!
2. Did you watch any movies?
Surprisingly, I only saw one movie this month. Honestly, there were a lot of movies that I wanted to see, but the reviews were just awful. Like what Jason has said, movies are getting crappier while television shows are getting better, which I wholly agree on.
Elysium was an all right film. Definitely better than a lot of mainstream films that came out this month. Elysium is a post-apocalyptic story where the wealthy live on a huge luxurious spacecraft 20-30 minutes away from Earth while the poor continue to live on desolated, polluted Earth. Matt Damon stars as the main character who holds the codes to Elysium's system, which could be used to change the course of life for both Earth and Elysium. While the story was adequate, I felt that the movie seemed to drag in between. I understand it's necessary to develop the story line, but it just felt that it could have been a little more engaging. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the film. Nowadays, it seems that films need to have some sort of sci-fi/dystopian/post-apocalyptic story line in order to fair well at the box office...or be a comedy I suppose.
3. Which foods did you eat and love?
You'll see these two pics in my Monthly Gram post, but honestly these were the two food items that stood out for me this month. On the left is a homemade haupia sweet potato pie that my Aunty made and brought to my Aunty's 1 year passing picnic. I thought her pumpkin crunch pie was the best thing she's made, but this definitely tops my list. My Aunty is really good at baking desserts, so anything that she makes is bound to be delicious, but this pie was literally heaven AND it wasn't overly sweet!
To the right is a veggie tofu pho that I got at Pho My Lan this past Sunday. I've had limited pho experience since I've eaten it mostly at my college and a few random places in Kaneohe. I was really surprised that this pho was really flavorful, especially for a veggie pho. I ordered a small portion yet it felt like a big portion to me. Plus, they give you lots of basil, bean sprouts, some leaf I didn't recognize (it looked like it had little thorn-like edges) and jalapenos. Jason told me it was piman and so I ate one whole and a fire started in my mouth -_-
To be honest, it took me a long time to like this song. But, the more I heard it on the radio and listened to the lyrics, I began to fall in love. The chorus is my favorite part because of the sweet lyrics. I think the music video is great too. Even though I didn't watch the VMAs this past Sunday, I'm glad that JT won the most awards. I think he deserved it out of all the contenders.
Mirrors- Justin Timberlake
5. Which products did you like?
This is probably my favorite sunscreen (Nature Republic) to wear for my face because it isn't oily and heavy on my skin. It is SPF 50+ and PA+++ which is great because the sun is really strong right now. Also, it has whitening and anti-wrinkle elements, which is a plus for my skin for lightening blemishes and discouraging wrinkles from forming. A little bit of this sunscreen goes a long way since I find it easy to cover a little product over the surface of my face. I'm happy that Ala Moana will be having a Nature Republic store soon because it is a bit of a hassle to visit the Waikiki location :P.
6. What did you learn?
I thought about this for a while, but I learned that I really do appreciate my Dad's side of the family a lot. At least once a year, we have this family picnic at Kualoa Park and I would always dislike going because it fell on a Saturday all the time and that's when I liked to hang out with friends. It wasn't until this past picnic, which was for my Aunty's 1 year passing anniversary that I realized this. This realization probably came from a certain family member moving in with my Grandpa and I. The best way to describe this person without coming off blatantly mean is that she's a very unpleasant person all around (that actually sounds mean but I don't care). With all of her negativity and other members who feed into it, it really put into perspective at how different my two sides of the family are. I've always known it but it just seems like it's totally magnified now and that this blantantness (not a word, I know) made me realize how lucky I am to have my Dad's side of the family. I feel awful about my past feelings, but at least I've learned my lesson.
Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN
