THIS JANUARY ♡ 2024

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What I Watched
Saltburn – Amazon Prime
A student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family’s sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten.

I decided to watch Saltburn after hearing so much about it online. To be honest, I was underwhelmed! The first half of the film was slow and felt like a lovesick romance and I kept waiting for things to pick up. The scenes everyone seemed to talk about were disturbing but I watched this after reading Earthlings so nothing much phased me. haha

The Flash – Amazon Prime
Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without super heroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.

I enjoyed The Flash! The first half started off rocky but things got better from then on. Despite Ezra Miller’s problematic behavior, I think he did a phenomenal job playing both parts to the point I forget it was the same actor! I also enjoyed all the cameos. Did we really need another superhero film about time jumps? Not really but this was a good movie despite that. I am also confused about what is going on with DC (I heard they’re trying to recast everyone, again!) so who knows when or IF we will see the return of the Flash or any of the charaters in The Flash again.

Pokemon Concierge – Netflix
Follow the adventures of Haru, a concierge at the Pokémon Resort as she interacts with the Pokémon and their visiting owners.

This was a cute watch! I wish there were more episodes! I had actually thought it was 10 episodes so I was surprised when it ended at episode 4. I hope they make more episodes in the future. My favorite episode was the one about the introverted Pikachu. haha

Maestro – Netflix
This love story chronicles the lifelong relationship of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.

What intrigued me about this film was that it was in black and white but only the first half is in black and white and then it switches back to color, to imply a time jump. Besides that, this film was pretty dull to the point that I had to watch it in three different sittings because it was so long! Why 2-hour movies? Why!

What I Listened
RIIZE – Love 119
ITZY – Mr. Vampire
SISTAR19 – NO MORE (MA BOY)
(G)I-DLE – Wife
OnlyOneOf – dOpamine
B1A4 – REWIND
B1A4 ~ CONNECT – EP
ALL(H)OURS – GOTCHA
WAKER – ATLANTIS
IU – Love wins all
WOOZI – What kind of future
(G)I-DLE – Super Lady
(G)I-DLE ~ 2

Things I Did
Completed another yoga journey
Every January I start the New Year off with Yoga with Adriene’s 30-Day yoga journey. It’s a fantastic way to recharge and detox my body even though I do yoga almost daily I haven’t done a video by Yoga with Adriene in a while and it’s interesting to see how much stronger my body has gotten and what positions I can now perform that I couldn’t do before.

Commented more on social media
One of my goals this year is to engage more with creators whom I admire on social media. The first few weeks were great and I felt like I found more creators to befriend online. However, I will admit I started doomscrolling searching for posts to comment so I started setting a time limit and only really commenting on posts if I have something to contribute.

Practiced piano and electric guitar
Music has always been very healing for me, I love listening to music but I wanted to take things up a notch and play actual musical instruments. I was practicing piano but stopped after a few months. This year, I want to relearn the piano and start learning the electric guitar, which I did in January! I want to spend at least 5-10 minutes a day on either instrument every other day until I start craving more practice time.

Tried a new recipe each week
This wasn’t intentional but somehow I managed to make a new recipe every week in January! I made coffee cake banana bread, some protein bars, vegan sausage rolls, and tofu fries. Out of all the recipes I recommend the banana loaf and the sausage rolls.

Doubled my step count
Since last year, one of my fitness goals has been to lean out so I’ve been focusing on yoga, cardio, and evening stretches to help lean my figure. I already have enough muscle so I’m focusing on losing weight. I normally walk 5-7K steps a day but I want to double my step count 2-3x times a week, so far I’ve been successfully keeping up with this habit and have already noticed a change in my body!

What I Read
Follow me on Goodreads to be updated on what I’m reading and on StoryGraph if you’re curious about my book statistics. I’ll publish a post on my monthly reads later but you can read my previous monthly reads here in the meantime.

The Stranger Upstairs by Rachel Harrison ★★★★/5
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King ★★★★/5
Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Women by Lucy Worsley ★★★★/5
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio ★★★/5
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama ★★★★★/5

Things I Love
Crispy Potato Corn Dogs
This was a Costco find! These corn dogs are filled with mozzarella cheese and covered with bits of potato, deep fried in a delicious corn dog coating, and are incredible! Pop them in the air fryer for a few minutes to get them extra crispy!

Tupelo Tea – Lavender Sunset
My older sister went on a trip with her boyfriend earlier this month and she brought me back a few treats, including this Lavender tea by this place called Tupelo Tea. It’s a loose-leaf tea that contains a soothing blend of lavender flowers, raspberry leaves, lemon peel, hibiscus, and natural flavors. It’s been my go-to tea to drink before bed.

Aussie Instant FreeZe Sculpting Gel
This is my NEW FAVORITE GEL! I have heard of the Instant Freeze Gel by Aussie being a favorite affordable gel in the curly hair community but I always neglected it because I thought it would be similar to the LA Looks Sports Gel. Whenever I’ve tried this gel I would have a good hair day! Less frizz, defined curls that held up well the next day, and even when I did reapply this gel on refresh days it didn’t weigh down my fine curls. I highly recommend this gel to curly-haired girlies!

My 2024 Bullet Journal
I’ve been loving my bullet journal! I recently shared a few pages from my journal which you should check out if you haven’t. Every Sunday evening I sit down with my journal and draw in my weekly spread for the week ahead. To be honest, I didn’t have much faith in myself to keep up with the weekly calendar setup but I am still up to date with my bujo (as of the release of this post) so things are going well!

Favorite Blog Posts
Retrogrades, Eclipses, and More: These Are the Most Important Astrological Dates This Year
How to Put More Gentle in Your January
The 23 Books I Enjoyed Reading the Most in 2023
13 Small Things That Can Uplift Any Day for Look On The Bright Side Day
A Beginners Guide To Using Crystals
Journalling Prompts for the New Year Start
January in Japanese literature
Creamy Mayan Mocha (Caffeine-Free Option!)
I’m In A Reading Rut – Here’s How I’m Breaking Free
thinking of 42 at 32
Vegan Bouillon (Easy-to-Use and Sustainable)
Welcome to The Daisybutter Book Café
Definition + Root Volume, Ringlets that Last
Free, Downloadable Tech Backgrounds for February 2024!

Posts From The Month
This December ♡ 2023
MUNDANE MAGIC ☆ 53
My Favorite K-pop Songs of 2023 ♥ July-December 2023
What I Read ♥ December 2023
MUNDANE MAGIC ☆ 54
Winter Mood Board ♥ January 2024
My Favorite Books I Read in 2023
MUNDANE MAGIC ☆ 55
MAGICAL MOMENTS #25
The Mythic Goddess Tarot ♥ Review
MUNDANE MAGIC ☆ 56
My Creative Bullet Journal SetUp ♥ Jan 2024

What were some of your favorites from the month?