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What I Watched
Simone Biles: Rising – Netflix
Simone Biles, the gymnastics superstar, withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns. After a hiatus, she embarked on a journey to rebuild her skills and mental fortitude, preparing for her triumphant return.
I watched this in preparation for the Paris Olympic Games. Simone is so brave for being so open about her mental health on a global stage. She received backlash but she kept to her truth and that’s the energy she should all learn.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool is offered a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the Time Variance Authority, but instead recruits a variant of Wolverine to save his universe from extinction.
I was really excited to watch Deadpool & Wolverine as I heard it was rated high and I enjoy Deadpool’s humor, however, I was slightly disappointed. I won’t spoil anything but I was just expecting much more X-Men because Wolverine is in this film. There were some golden nuggets and surprises that I wasn’t expecting. It’s also a lot better than the past couple of MCU films but I just wanted more. If you’ve watched Deadpool & Wolverine let me know your thoughts.
Paris 2024: XXXIII Olympic Summer Games
Broadcast television coverage of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, an international multi-sport competition taking place in and around Paris, France from 26 July 2024 through 11 August 2024.
I love the Olympics! I’ve been watching the Paris Summer Games since the beginning, I don’t even have to like the event, I’ll watch whatever is on! I especially love watching the games as I work out in the morning or stretch in the evening, it motivates me to work harder! I’m slightly bummed there are only a few days left until the end of the games but I’m going to make the most of it and enjoy the rest of the games.
What I Listened
FTISLAND – BURN IT
FTISLAND – Serious
IVE – SUMMER FESTA
TOMORROW X TOGETHER – We’ll Never Change
Dreamcatcher – JUSTICE
ENHYPEN – Moonstruck
ENHYPEN – XO (Only If You Say Yes)
NCT 127 – Walk
NCT 127 ~ WALK – The 6th Album
Stray Kids – Chk Chk Boom
Stray Kids ~ ATE
Things I Did
Celebrated my birthday
Your girl made it another year! I spent my birthday with my family going out to eat at a hot pot restaurant and then ate dessert at a nearby cafe. My first year into my 30s wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! I’m excited to see where the rest of my 30s take me.
Completed a Mermaid readathon
I feel like I’ve talked so much about this mermaid readathon this month so I won’t go into much detail. This readathon was hosted by Maci of TheBrightSideGirl. There were cute mermaid-themed Instagram challenges that went along with the readathon which I participated in. I even won a giveaway at the end of the challenge! It was such an enjoyable experience.
Made tofu Katsu Curry
I used this video and this recipe to make tofu Katsu curry. It was my first time attempting tofu Katsu and curry and it came out delicious! I used oil to deep fry my first tofu Katsu but later used an air fryer to make my second tofu Katsu. I prefer the taste of the deep-fried Katsu as it has a crisper taste but if you don’t like deep frying or want a healthier option then you can also use an air fryer to get a similar result.
Hit my reading challenge
I reached my Goodreads reading challenge in July! Doing the mermaid readathon helped me reach my goal as I managed to read 10 books in 2 weeks! My reading challenge goal this year was to read 36 books, 3 books per month. I’m so proud of myself to be able to smash this goal almost halfway in the year so now I don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the year. I read 60 books in 2023 so we’ll see how many I read by the end of 2024. Should reading 60 books be my next goal? haha
Went to the museum
We took a family trip to a science museum the last weekend of July. This museum had an extensive rock exhibit, you can see a mini vlog here. The museum was pretty small so it only had a few exhibits but the rock and gemstone was definitely the highlight fort me. I even came home with some rock goodies from the museum gift shop!
What I Read
Make sure to follow me on Goodreads to be updated on what I’m reading and on StoryGraph if you’re curious about my book statistics. Click here to read more about what I read this month.
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant ★★★/5
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield ★★★/5
All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter ★★★/5
Things I Love
Purito Deep Sea Serum
I got sent a pr package by Purito in July and was able to try out their new formulas, stay tuned for Purito product reviews coming soon! One product that I’ve fallen in love with is the new Purito Deep Sea serum it’s so hydrating and moisturizing! I’ll also review the Deep Sea line with more details but if you’re looking for a lightweight serum that quenches your skin’s thirst this is your serum!
Seasons of the Witch – Litha Oracle
As a birthday gift to myself, I bought the Seasons of the Witch Litha Oracle deck. It’s such a gorgeous deck with stunning illustrations! Funny enough, I gifted this deck to my older sister for her birthday but after seeing it in her videos I decided to treat myself to it as well. The deck has a very romantic artstyle with the color palette, visuals, brush strokes, descriptions, and hazy summer vibes, it’s such a stunning oracle deck that I’m obsessed with at the moment.
Calico Critter Fennec Fox
Another gift to myself was finally getting a Calico Critter baby after eyeing them on social media for so long! The Fennec fox was my first choice as it reminds me of my pomeranian. haha
ASICS Japan S PF
This was a birthday gift from my mother. I wanted a new pair of cute white platform sneakers and somehow I came across the ASICS Japan S PF, I’m not a sneaker person so I’m not sure if this is a trendy sneaker brand or whatever but I thought they looked cute and comfy (spoiler: they are!). I love the iridescent ASICS logo on the sides that pops when hit by the sun.
Favorite Blog Posts
Books from June & July / 2024
Mid-Year Reading Reflections
a calm, grounded summer
Desk Diaries 03: A Much-Needed Refresh
Finding Joy in Missing Out
Posts From The Month
WHAT I READ ♥ JUNE 2024
THIS JUNE ♡ 2024
MUNDANE MAGIC ☆ 79
MID-YEAR BULLET JOURNAL SETUP ♥ JUL-DEC 2024
CURLY HAIR CHECK-IN ♥ APRIL-JUNE 2024
CONVERSATIONS OVER COFFEE #2
MUNDANE MAGIC ☆ 80
MAGICAL MOMENTS #31 (BIRTHDAY EDITION)
MERMAID READATHON WRAP UP
MOONELLA STUDIO DELUXE KAWAII UNBOXING
MUNDANE MAGIC ☆ 81
MY FAVORITE K-POP SONGS OF 2024 (Part 1)
AN INTROVERT’S GUIDE TO BECOMING A MERMAID
MUNDANE MAGIC ☆ 82
SUMMER MOOD BOARD 2024
MUNDANE MAGIC ☆ 83
What were some of your favorites from the month?
I watched wolverine and deadpool about two weeks ago, and I definitely have some thoughts. I think it’s probably one of the best MCU movies since end game (not including no way home, or guardians of the galaxy vol. 3). It was just entertaining, and gave me a renewed energy for the mcu.
While saying this, I also think that this very much felt like an intro movie? like I know it’s not an origin story, but it kinda felt like an intro of deadpool and wolverine into the mcu (which it was), but it was a lot of fluff plot? A lot of things won’t be used in future mcu movies, which I feel like other mcu movies always do. Buildup to this multiverse phase or add to the story that will be important in future movies. I think the two main things that happened this movie is the intro to the characters, and also finding out that each universe has an “anchor”. Okay, that’s enough of me blabbing on. Hope you’re having a great august! (also don’t mind me binging all your youtube videos) xx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Yeah, I felt the plot was very fluffy, haha! I hope you have a lovely August as well!
Thank you for binging my videos! ♥
Happy belated birthday Michelle!
I watched Simone Biles Rising ahead of the Olympics too, and I’ve been fully immersed in the games for the whole fortnight. I actually visited Paris the weekend before the Olympics started and it was amazing to see everything getting set up (:
My boyfriend and I saw Deadpool & Wolverine last weekend. It was enjoyable and fun, but definitely felt like an intro to the next phase of the MCU. All the Wolverine scenes felt so cheesy to me hahah, but it was nice seeing so many fun MCU Easter eggs nonetheless.
Hope you’ve been well! x
I saw your Instagram posts! So jealous! I love Paris! It must have been so cool to see the city setup for the games.
I thought the same about Wolverine’s scenes! It felt kind of out of character for him,. Maybe they’re trying to reinvent his character? It’s been a minute since I’ve seen Wolverine in a film but I don’t remember him being so emotional yet comical. haha ♥