Done with my grades, now what?
6 pages of June journal + the return of two favourite shows + this rare time that I attempted to read 5 books, all unfinished.
Truth be told, I waited for this moment to arrive. This is not to be confused with that Fantasia song but if your 9 to 5 is being a public senior high school teacher, you would know that being done with your grades means freedom from the paperworks and days ahead, all carefree and careless, just living life.
Wrong.
If anything, the voluminous work has just begun. That is why this brief instance that I can sit down and write this newsletter is a sort of reprieve. The next time that you’ll read my new post would probably be mid-July, when officially our vacation starts.
So let me just stop with the dramatics and start digging in my newest journal pages!
I thought this layout would slap but it turned out to be a messy way to start a new TN. But journaling is never about perfection. But it’s not about this mess either. Lol.
Confession: I never own a Zara. They are pricey at least to me but I was looking for a good alternative to a perfume that I can never afford so I finally went in the store and start sampling all the fragrances. What irks me is that this global, multibillion brand has their paper bags for sale! So what nothing better to do than tear it all up and paste it here in my journal pages.
The brand that I was talking about in the entry no. 1 above with the perfume that I can never afford is LUSH. I was just happy that I was given this free newsletter.
This Seoul/Seoul Summer perfume from Zara is so good it reminds me of that feeling when you get when the love of your life walks by and says hello to you. That good.
This Scent & Beaute strip is where I spritz the Versace perfume that I can’t get over with.
Not edited in the pic but this is the Zara sticker that I peeled off from the back of the box . When you journal, everything is a material.
Did you notice that I tried to be nautical with my presentation here? Example this shell from this Japanese washi brand that I forgot. Why? Because it’s Seoul Summer! Lol.
This anchor sticker is from Lizzie Lees Create Your Own Collage.
This washi is from Abbey Sy personal collection from many years back.
This round paper is taken from the pages of this delightful book called Once Upon a Piece of Paper by the artist Andrea D’ Aquino which I bought from the Big Bad Wolf online shop.
This McCafe sleeve has this brand of yellow that I liked splashing into anything.
I haven’t been to Enchanted Kingdom in Santa Rosa because admittedly I am not a rides person but when this chance happened during our school’s educational tour, I was in high spirits only to be dampened by the ceaseless rain. Good thing I was able to experience the Agila 2D show which was the highlight of this trip for me.
Another round sticker from For the Love of Paper: Botanicals: 160 Tear-off Pages for Creating, Crafting, and Sharing (Volume 3).
The Brunch O Lunch from Shakeys is a new favorite.
Don’t you just love this garlic bread sticker? It’s from Typo and it perfectly suited the idea that I wanted for this page.
We always pass by here but we never got the chance to sample the culinary delights of Bistro by Le Blanc up until the stamped date. It was good!
to 18, all of these stickers are from this exquisite sticker book called The Antiquarian.
Another washi strip from MT, clearly my favorite washi tape brand ever. MT, call me!
We went to Padre Pio Chapel in Eastwood to pray for someone who’s currently having health crisis and we are hopeful that whatever tests he’ll run will be favorable.
How come Daiso Japan carries the best stickers compared to their stores in the Philippines?
This stamp is a gift from Chuvaness.
Summer, at least in the streaming giants, means new seasons of my favorite shows both for Netflix and Amazon Prime! The Summer I Turned Pretty and Heartstopper and I can’t wait to gobble them up in just one sitting. Call me John Hughes recalcitrant child but teen drama/show is my thing and nostalgia isn’t even to blame.
The 5 books I am currently reading:
Book Lovers by Emily Henry- This is my 4th attempt and I just finished Chapter 7 last night and this is what I call progress. BookTok loves Emily Henry and I am really trying to like her.
Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen- I am a few pages in and I can already tell this is going to be saving me from the book slump that I am currently in at the moment. Ever since Flipped - which happens to be one of my favorites ever- I plan on reading of all of Miss Draanen books.
Little Pieces of Hope by Todd Doughty- I am savoring this book like a decadent chocolate because it is my choice not to finish it. There is something so comforting going through the lists in the book that will surely bring a smile, a flash of recognition, or burst of inspiration.
The Romantics by Galt Niederhoffer- There is a movie of the same title starring Josh Duhamel and Katie Holmes and even though it received a very low Letterboxd rate, I am still drawn to it especially because the last frame is something that I will not get over. So imagine when i finally found the book where it was based from amongst the stacks at Books for Less!
Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden- I started reading this January and I haven’t finished it yet. It is not to say that the book is not good. It is. It is even relatable because it is about a group of teachers in an urban high school. It’s just that I am having commitment issues with novels now and this explains why I read 5 books at the same time because I am really trying to find my cadence back.