MAY: Active Shooter Situation, Parents Visit, Wedding, Mother’s Day, MomoCon

Last month was all sorts of exciting. The good and the bad lol.

Near the beginning of the month. There was an active shooter situation near my office. It still feels surreal thinking about how it happened only a month ago.

That weekend, the parents came up to visit. They came early enough in the morning that they met up with us at the farmer’s market lol. Poor Luna was so tired, she passed out while we were chilling in the shade lol.

The next Saturday, Archana and her fiance got married! They had a Zoom link so we could watch her wedding online, since they planned on having a small ceremony in SF first. They plan to have a big wedding in India probably next year, so I’m excited for that! Especially since they gave us a week’s notice about this ceremony lol.

There were so many of us watching the livestream at home that Kyle set up his laptop in the theater room lol.

But yeah, Archana and Sarthak’s were so cute! They both looked great and happy! Their officiant was pretty verbose though lol. Can’t wait to see them in person again, especially since Archana keeps on saying that they’re definitely going to visit soon to see Luna in person.

The next day was Mother’s Day. The parents went to Florida to visit friends, so we kept it pretty simple celebrating Shelle as a new mother. She wanted to celebrate by going to Gibbs Garden and getting sushi, so that was the plan for the day!

We went to Gibbs Garden first. Apparently, a lot of families had the same idea of celebrating the day there lol. It was pretty packed. And hot and sunny. I kind of regretted that we left later than planned, but what can you do when you have to plan around a baby’s schedule lol. Either way, it was nice strolling through the different gardens. Luna was asleep for the first half, but she enjoyed the second half when she was awake lol.

Of course, she was extra cute all day in her spring fit lol!

Afterwards, we drove to Kura Revolving Sushi for a late lunch. All in all, a fun but draining day because Luna was upset almost the entire ride home. We later found out that she had pooped not long after she was back in the car lol.

The next week was MomoCon. We made plans as a whole group after Jackie’s wedding to go to MomoCon together, so this was in the works for at least half of a year lol. Since this was also Alec’s first time at an anime convention, we took Friday off to have at least one whole day to experience the convention since we would have to leave for half of the time on Saturday to go house hunting with our realtor. Everyone had different commitments, so it was actually hard to meet everyone on one day specifically, but it was still fun hanging out and getting meals together whenever we could.

Even though it’s been a couple years since I last went to MomoCon, I was still excited to explore Artist Alley and spend all of my money like usual lol. Alec was really good and only bought a couple of things. Meanwhile, I bought a lot of stickers and postcards/small prints to include in my scrapbook lol.

The real star of the day was Luna dressing up as Sailor Mars on Saturday. She was so stickin cute! And seeing someone cosplay the cabbages man from Avatar: The Last Airbender! Too accurate lol.

The other main highlight was when most of us went to get dim sum for dinner and boba afterwards before going to Shanice and Josh’s new house to hangout for the rest of the night. We played Lovers in a Dangerous Space for hours, and we were all surprised by how cooperative we were together lol. I think we got too used to yelling at each other playing Overcooked the last few times we played together lmao.

Alec and I were glad that we had Memorial Day off that following Monday to recover from the fun but tiring weekend.

So yeah, May was PACKED. It took a while to recover from all of it lol.

Mini Reviews: The Destroyer Fell in Love with Me, The Villainess Turns the Hourglass Season 2-3

Title: The Destroyer Fell in Love with Me
Author: DIAN, YounDal & Haring
Chapters: 85 chapters 
Publication: 2020
Summary from Tappytoon:

Out of one mistake erupts an exciting and intense romance story! The day after finally paying off all her student debts, Amelia wakes up to find that she has been teleported into a novel she loves… But as the daughter of a count who has the kind of debt that takes one’s whole life to pay off! She heads to a bar to drink away her sorrows, but ends up drunkenly spending the night with Duke Kyle, a man on the fast track to self-destruction. She tries to get away from the Duke and his notorious reputation… But will Amelia be able to change fate and give this love story a happy ending?

3.5 STARS - I LIKED IT

MY REVIEW: 

This is another isekai webtoon where a girl finds out that she's transmigrated into a novel and is trying to slowly change her destiny out of debt lol. The problem is that she was a little annoying in the beginning because she stubbornly thought that the main plot of the novel would stay the same even though she set off her own butterfly effect with the male lead. After she gets over that, the plot and characters really took off. 

There was a lot of humor to set off the action and drama, which was amusing, especially the misunderstanding because of a book. I also think Vanessa was a really great OG!FL. She knew her priorities from the beginning lol. 

Title: The Villainess Turns the Hourglass Season 2
Author: Ant Studio & SANSOBEE
Chapters: 46-87
Publication: 2020
Summary from Tappytoon:

After her lowly mother married a count, Aria enjoyed a life full of luxury while harassing her gentle stepsister Mielle. Several years later, Aria is about to be executed when Mielle reveals that she wickedly tricked Aria into building the bad reputation that ultimately brought her to the scaffold. Just as Aria desparately wishes she could change her fate, she sees a curious hourglass that takes her back into the past. Now, Aria can destroy Mielle by using her own tactics against her like a true villainess. The power of the hourglass is on her side... Can Aria take everything from Mielle, or will her actions change the past in ways she couldn't have imagined? Based on the hit novel.

5 STARS - I LOVED IT

MY REVIEW: 

Cain is beyond disgusting, and I can't wait to see Mielle getting even more of what she deserved.

Loved Aria's growth in this season and how her and Asher's relationship is so supportive and funny. Also loved Aria and her mother's relationship. Happy that she'll have her own happy ending. 

Title: The Villainess Turns the Hourglass Season 3
Author: Ant Studio & SANSOBEE
Chapters: 88-104
Publication: 2020
Summary from Tappytoon:

After her lowly mother married a count, Aria enjoyed a life full of luxury while harassing her gentle stepsister Mielle. Several years later, Aria is about to be executed when Mielle reveals that she wickedly tricked Aria into building the bad reputation that ultimately brought her to the scaffold. Just as Aria desparately wishes she could change her fate, she sees a curious hourglass that takes her back into the past. Now, Aria can destroy Mielle by using her own tactics against her like a true villainess. The power of the hourglass is on her side... Can Aria take everything from Mielle, or will her actions change the past in ways she couldn't have imagined? Based on the hit novel.

3.5 STARS - I LIKED IT

MY REVIEW: 

I felt like this series could have ended with season 2. That climax was great! Season 3 felt more dragged out in the name of revenge and spent a long time on the side story, which could have been shortened in half. Glad that it tied up all of the loose ends, but it was going overboard at one point.

Weekly Haul 160

I saw that Right Stuf had a Yen Press sale a few weeks ago, so I caught up on some of my series and started a new one! Now, if I will actually read them soon lol.

Sasaki and Miyano vol. 5, 7, 8 by Shou Harusono

Cheeky Brat vol. 6 by Mitsubachi Miyuki

The Villainess Stans the Heroes: Playing the Antagonist to Support Her Faves! vol. 1 by Yamori Mitikusa & Kaoru Harugano

Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie vol. 2 by Hiroro Akizakura & illustrations by Dangmill

DNF Review: I Am A Killer, The Lady Likes a Nerd Over Princes

Title: I Am A Killer
Author: 病蛙
Chapters: 70 chapters 
Publication: 2011
Summary from Novel Updates:

Qin Ke Xuan, an elite assassin in a Xianxia-esque past world, was transmigrated into the body of a 15-year-old female student of our modern world. Upon transmigration, she meets her body’s childhood friend. Follow her adventure as Qin Xuan learns to adapt to her new environment.

—-

A certain frog: Now, may we have the following people to provide a description of Qin Ke Xuan below:

Person A: someone highly skilled in martial arts, an incredibly OP lolita

Person B: an expressionless person, with unbelievably high moe specs

Person C: ridiculously good at everything, is a reliable comrade

Person D: ruthless and cold-blooded, a demonic reincarnation

Qin Ke Xuan: Me? I’m a killer.

Persons ABCD: …

Note: the author’s pen name “病蛙” means “sick frog”. Hence the author’s opening “a certain frog” is referring to herself from a third person’s view.

MY REVIEW: 

Made it to chapter 25 and lost interest. Don't know if there's a language barrier or writing style, but the jokes weren't that funny, and I was expecting the premise to be pretty comedic since you've got a Xianxia assassin transmigrated to modern times. Qin Ke Xuan was just so boring as a protagonist.

Title: The Lady Likes a Nerd Over Princes
Author: Yuma Tosaka & Noyama Carpaccio
Chapters: 16.5 chapters 
Publication: 2020
Summary from Manga Updates:

Cheerful and free-spirited Sharina first met the studious and somber Riol when he saved her from mortal danger, and she fell in love with him at first sight. Using the adage, “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” Sharina makes Riol homemade food in hopes it will get him to fall in love with her too. But instead, the delicious aroma catches the interest of the first prince of their country, Leonardo! Fascinated by how she’s unlike any other girl he’s met before, the prince claims Sharina as his own. Ever the arrogant narcissist, Leonardo can’t fathom how anyone could turn him down and his persistence crosses into the realm of harassment. Riol rescues Sharina, but at the cost of incurring the prince’s wrath! Can Sharina and Riol figure out a way to get the pompous prince to leave them alone?!

MY REVIEW: 

I made it to volume 2, but I couldn't stand the prince and his fiance candidate anymore. They're so annoying, self-righteous, and don't listen to anyone else. It's also annoying that homegirl can't speak her mind or else she'd get in trouble, so the misunderstandings keep on building for no reason. Super annoying writing trope.

Shows I'm Currently Watching: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X; I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too; My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999, Indian Matchmaking

I've been watching a mix of shows lately! Some good, some bad, some GREAT!

CURRENTLY WATCHING: 

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X

I finally got around to starting season two of this anime after LOVING season one when it first came out! Since it was a while since I watched the first season, I rewatched the entire season and absolutely loved it all over again. That's why I'm a bit disappointed with season two. Plotwise, it didn't feel as strong as the first season. This season felt more like filler arcs halfway through the season, which is why I haven't continued watching it for a few weeks. I think I'll continue watching once things calm down and I have time to watch tv by myself lol.

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too

This was just okay. I feel like the fight scene budget went all into the characters' eyes instead. Don't get me wrong, the eyes do look great, but the action scenes aren't interesting. This could also be because the main character is so OP that there's no suspense at all. This whole show felt like a self-insert, wish-fulfillment fanfic about a loser who suddenly became hot and powerful with a growing harem but still maintained his humble mentality because he's so used to looking ugly and being treated like less than a human. 

I'm in too far to stop watching though lol.

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

I was most excited about this anime even before it aired because I read a lot of reviews for the manga, and everyone loved Akane and Yamada's relationship, and they weren't wrong! I loved the slow burn friends to lover trope that's happening right now! And they're not awkward or cringey like the leads in Recovery of an MMO Junkie, which I watched a few months ago and couldn't stop having second hand embarrassment every time they interacted with each other. It was just SO PAINFUL to watch! Meanwhile, Akane and Yamada's friendship is so funny and cute and organic. I love it! 

Just look at this scene! This is from the first episode lol.

The side characters are also nuanced and hilarious and adds depth to the show. Also surprised by some of the animation/transitions in the show. Very interesting! Overall, I'm loving the show and don't want it to end lol.

Indian Matchmaking

I saw some hilarious parody skits of the show on IG, so Shelle and I finally started watching the first season a few days ago. It was SO ADDICTING. Some characters were so stubborn and with such high standards, no wonder the show got such a big response once it was aired! 

Anyway, Shelle and I were hooked from the first episode and finished the first season in a few days lol. We're a couple of episodes in season two now and are still addicted, especially because we were looking for closure for some of the couples mentioned in season one that weren't addressed at the end of the season. Also, we can't stop joking about comprising and adjusting now lmao.

Webnovel Review: My Groom Ran Away by 喝口雪碧

Title: My Groom Ran Away
Author: 喝口雪碧 
Chapters: 63 chapters + 8 extras
Publication: 2021
Summary from Novel Updates:

All the rich people in City B know how much Ruan ZhiYin likes Qin Jue. She had blindly followed behind Qin Jue for many years and watched as he matured from a youthful boy to a young man. Eventually, she had finally waited until a grand wedding was planned for them.

The Qin and Ruan families were to be connected by marriage. On the day of the wedding, the groom Qin Jue went missing. Ruan ZhiYin knew that Qin Jue had rushed to City C for his ex-girlfriend who had tried to commit suicide. The guests had completely filled the seats and she, who had been looking forward to this wedding for years, finally completely gave up on Qin Jue.

She was not willing to let the Ruan family become a laughingstock, so she gritted her teeth and dialed the number of her arch-enemy: “Cheng YueLin, come and marry me right now. We will divorce in one year and I will give you the BeiCheng project.”

On the other side, Cheng YueLin stood in front of a floor covered in cigarette butts and held his phone as he raised a brow: “Miss Ruan’s groom ran away? Okay. Just wait. This Lord will come marry you.”

The next day, young master Qin and his good friend returned to B City. The assistant who had come to pick them up looked a bit hesitant.

Good Friend: “Could it be that Ruan ZhiYin wants to terminate the marriage contract?”

Assistant: “No, that is not it. But…”

Qin Jue: “But what?”

Assistant: “Miss Ruan has switched to a new husband.”

Qin Jue: “?”

— Cheng YueLin who had returned home with a beauty: I’ve already received the certificate. You don’t need to call me. Thanks.

***

After the wedding.

Ruan ZhiYin realised: No matter what I do, I cannot leave this marriage.

Cheng YueLin was secretly overjoyed: This is a pie that I never would have thought would fall down from the heavens.

Qin Jue who was full of regrets: This is a wife that I can never get back even after she is cremated.

“You dare to run away from the wedding. I dare to change the groom.”

“Even after cremation, you will never be able to get this wife back.”

4 STARS - I REALLY LIKED IT

MY REVIEW: 

I really liked Ruan Zhiyin. I've rarely read a female lead who could so decisively break up and get over her ex. Instead of being wishy-washy or "understanding" about the situation, when her ex-fiance stood her up on the DAY OF THEIR WEDDING, she was like, "This is the final straw, I'm exhausted, and I don't want to do this anymore." Breaking up for her was a RELIEF. That's how much she had to put up with since they came back to China. Afterwards, she was introspective about their whole relationship and decisive about her decision to not get back together with Qin Jue, which was great!

Reading about Ruan Zhiyin slowly loosening up and lowering her barriers with Cheng Yuelin's (sometimes antagonizing) help was so satisfying. Ruan Zhiyin spent decades acting as a gentle, polite wallflower to avoid trouble after being found by her family. Only Cheng Yuelin saw that there was more to her and wanted to get her out of her shell. His arrogance and shamelessness was hilarious and made her so speechless that she forgot to feel down at times lol.

Cheng Yuelin was perfect for Ruan Zhiyin. He was unapologetically himself and wanted her to be the same. All of the little things he did for her finally came to light and all of his shameless little antics were also hilariously revealed. His friends were troopers for putting up with his "subtle" married life showoffs lol.

Watching Qin Jue suffer was also great. He really deserved it because of all of his actions. He kept on putting Ruan Zhiyin off like they would have more time later to solve their issues and get past barriers and ended up taking her for granted. Because they were together for eight years, and because she stood by him when he was at his lowest, he thought that she would love him forever, and so it was okay for him to take care of everyone else but her at times. Because of that, he spent so much time in pain and in denial after he found out that she married someone else. As he deserves!

APR: Cousin Visit, Easter Surprise, Baby Showers, Fernbank Date, Visiting Parents, Starting Home Buying Journey, Farmer’s Market Joy

Sorry for the unexpected hiatus for the past few weeks. I was sick and couldn’t focus on anything, so a lot of posts have been delayed. And now we’re in June! Halfway through the year! Can't believe how fast time flew by! But let's talk about what happened in April, since I'm behind lol.

Near the beginning of April, my cousin came to visit to see Luna. This visit was pushed back a month or two because her supervisor wouldn't approve her leave the last time she asked for it, so she was super excited to see the Moon when she arrived. 

As usual, Mei Mei is a huge foodie, so we went to a lot of places to try tasty food and desserts. On Saturday alone, we went out to The Nest Cafe for brunch, walked around the area and got coffee/tea at Valor Coffee, walked some more and bought popsicles to eat while waiting for a pie place to open up in 15 minutes to buy their mini pies, which looked super cute and delicious.

She's also a big fan of afternoon tea, so Alec and I went with her to experience it for the first time at the Waldorf Astoria later that day. It was very tasty and had a LOT more food than we expected, so we were all stuffed and full of liquids by the time we left and didn't eat much for dinner that night lol.

Not long after Mei Mei left was Easter weekend. Shelle's mommy group friend was hosting Easter for the babies at her house. However, when we got there, her friend just started her contractions for her second child, so she left not long after all the mommies and babies arrived to go to the hospital. It was so surreal.

Because Rachel's mom and mom-in-law were there to celebrate Easter with their grandson, they ended up hosting the egg hunt in the backyard instead of Rachel. Luna and the rest of the babies had a great time picking up eggs. Luna was the only baby who wasn't mobile yet, so we took turns holding her up and down like a claw machine so that she could pick up eggs off the ground lol.

A couple of hours after we got home that night, we received the news that Rachel had given birth! It was an Easter surprise!

The next day, we dressed up and went to Alex and Dam's baby shower. A lot of friends were pregnant around this time of year lol. Very exciting times, especially since most of them were first-time parents. Baby James is already a few weeks old by the time of this post, so it was very exciting and happy to see the parents' joy of being parents and awaiting his arrival!

The next Saturday, Alec and I went out for half of the day for a date! I was really craving sushi for the past few weeks, so we went to Kura Revolving Sushi Bar for lunch. We tried so many new seasonal sushi offerings and ate until we were ready to pop lol. 

Then, we drove over to the Fernbank Museum to explore their WildWoods and Fernbank Forest, which was bigger than I expected. Should have looked at the map more closely to see that it's more than two miles of forest! It was also more of a hike than I thought it would be, so it wasn't the best idea to wear a dress at the time lol. I mean, I wasn't overheating too much because my dress was short, but I kept on feeling like bugs were touching me at times.

After we did a lap around the forest, we went back inside to cool off and explore the indoor installations. There were a lot of cool, different exhibits to choose from! My favorite was probably the Color exhibit. I don't think it's available at Fernbank anymore, since I can't find it on the website. Too bad!

The next weekend, we drove down to visit the parents. This was the first time we had taken Luna down to Warner Robins and staying the night, so we had to pack A LOT of stuff. We also drove halfway down to Alec's house to make a pit stop to feed the Moon and change her diaper and to pick up Alec as well.

The trip down was pretty long, but the parents were super excited to have her in their home instead of driving up through Atlanta traffic to see her. 

Alec and I officially started our home buying journey together. We've talked about buying a home together near Woodstock to stay close to the Moon and fam, and had talks with our financial advisor about combining our assets to figure out a preliminary budget, but it wasn't until that weekend that we started talking to a relator and mortgage loan officer (both referred) that we started doing initial calls and starting paperwork. Everything started feeling real at that moment. This is also my first time buying a home, so everything was new and interesting lol.

The next weekend was the second weekend the Woodstock Farmer's Market was open, so we went out in the morning and went overboard on buying food and snacks lol. Also was surprised to find out that Luna really liked French baguettes lol. Luckily, we brought her stroller, so it could hold all of our purchases. 

All in all, April was a very fun and busy month!

Books I Want to Read This Month

I'm going to REALLY try to read at least one of the books off of this list this month! Believe it!

1. Wotakoi Love Is Hard for Otaku vol. 1 by Fujita
2. Wotakoi Love Is Hard for Otaku vol. 2 by Fujita
3. I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki by Baek Se-hee
4. All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman
5. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
6. Scum Villain's Self-Saving System vol. 1 Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
7. Scum Villain's Self-Saving System vol. 2 Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
8. The Reaper and the Waiting by Jayessart
9. Bailin and Li Yun by Jayessart
10. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle Novel vol. 1 by Fujino Omori
11. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle Novel vol. 2 by Fujino Omori 
12. I Name Him Me by Ma Yan, translated by Stephen Nashef
13. The Anatomy of Being by Shinji Moon
14. Home Body by Rupi Kaur
15. The Sun Will Rise & So Will We by Jennae Cecelia

May in Retrospect

Wasn't really feeling like reading much this month. Probably because I've been sick for the past two weeks. That's also why I ended up accidentally going on a hiatus for the past few weeks lol. But I'm feeling better, so more posts to come!

I read: 

• Dressed as the Younger Sister of the Male Protagonist of Shuangwen in the Entertainment Industry by 顾无痕
• She is Coquettish and Poisonous [Quick Travel] by 顾无痕
• Little Mermaid Dressed as a Scientist by 顾无痕
• Don’t Think About Hindering My Studies by 池多鱼
• Soushikikan to Watashi no Jijou by Roa Fuduki & Natsume Miya
• Iincho to Furyou-kun vol. 1 by Maruno Ise
• Iincho to Furyou-kun vol. 2 by Maruno Ise 
• Let’s Hide My Younger Brother First by Jihoo Chae & Chen Li
• Small and Soft Girl A and Overbearing President Man O by 涮脑花儿
• I’m So Weak by 帝辞
• Shura Field Every Day by 涮脑花儿

I watched: 

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!  [rewatched]