Okay, I’m starting this post on Memorial Day (May 25, 2020) and it will probably receive some edits before it finally gets posted in June. (Currently contemplating if I should just post weekly or even bi-weekly, because what else do I have going on right now…and in a month’s time, though I’m stuck at home, apparently lots goes on…)

Current thoughts, and the reason I started typing is because COVID scored another point today. I woke up, after a 9-hour sleep…and sleeping in ’til almost noon (very rare for me) and decided on some retail therapy (LYM aka Love Your Melon came out with a Mandalorian collaboration and BABY YODA so, how could I not???). The retail therapy did not stop at 1 baby yoda item, but 2 and a lightweight beanie on top of that (3 things I don’t need). After that, I hopped over to Amazon (I’d had some things sitting in the cart for weeks now – added some things, deleted some things, and hit the purchase button). Such is life, but that’s okay. Now, I’m contemplating, after purchasing those things…do I need to purchase my Tock meal? Maybe I’ll save it for next week but, we’re on a roll…so why not?

And now, I’ve bought more things…some stuff from Old Navy, Innisfree…MeUndies (by accident, I think?). And being that it’s Birthday month, it’ll probably also include more Tock meals as there are still have a few more restaurants on my Bucket List…and as long as they are still doing To Go, why not enjoy delicious meals while staying safe. Back to the post… (thanks for hanging in there if you’ve made it this far).

After our May trip up to Minnesota, we came back to Memorial Day weekend (how did that come up so fast?). It was a 3-day weekend, but would it be noticeable? We were going to take a mini-road trip out to Galena, but ended up at Rock Cut State Park instead. It was an amazing and fun time (we’ve added two more people to our social bubble – Gizelle and Amit). We ended our hike with a crepe picnic and some bevvies near the lake and finished with some ice cream from Dairy Queen.

Right after the holidays was little AB’s (baby “nephew”) first birthday – so we celebrated and had a cake smash – COVID style, on the front lawn and in the driveway while practicing social distance and keeping the group gathering small. I also had the opportunity to consume some homemade pho (oh how I’ve missed that so much, and a shout to the best cousin ever for making it) and helping my cousin with her mask makin’.

Other things I’ve been watching besides the BLM education consumption (check out this post for more infomation):

1. Game of Thrones (HBO Max) – we’re now on Season 6 – “Trouble is brewing in Westeros. For the inhabitants of this world, control of the Iron Throne holds the lure of great power. But in a land where seasons can last a lifetime, winter is coming…and beyond the Great Wall that protects them, a forgotten evil has returned. HBO presents this epic series bsed on the book series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ by George R.R. Martin.”
2. Big Bang Theory (HBO Max) – we’re now on Season 3 – “Mensa-fied best friends and roomates Leonard and Sheldon, physicists who work at the California Institute of Technology, may be able to tell everybody more than they want to know about quantum physics, but getting through most basic social situations, especially ones involving women, totally baffles them. How lucky [when], then waitress but aspring actress, Penny moves in next door. Frequently seen hanging out with Leonard and Sheldon are friends and fellow Caltech scientists, Wolowitz and Koothrappali. Will worlds collide? Does Einstein theorize in the woods?”
3. Downtown Abbey (HBO Max) – the movie – “The King and Queen are coming to Downton Abbey – and it’s all the Crawley family and their staff can do to keep the visit from going off the rails in this sweeping filmthat picks up where the TV series leaves off.”
4. Love Life (HBO Max) – “This romantic comedy series tracks Darby Carter across her twenties as she navigates work and romance in New York City, often with the insecurities of youth bubbling to the surface. We first meet Darby in 2012 as an NYU grad living with three roommates: impulsive best friend Sara, Sara’s easy-going boyfriend Jim, and brutally honest friend Mallory. Following Darby overthe next several years, Love Life shows how each of Darby’s encounters brings her closer to finding her “person”, evenif she doesn’t know it yet.”
5. Doctor Who (HBO Max) – Season 11 – “An eccentric yet compassionate extraterrestrial Time Lord zips through time and space to solve problems and battle injustice across the universe.”
6. Westworld (HBO Max) – Season 3 – “In this series set in a futuristic Wild West fantasy park, a grup of android ‘hosts’ deviate from their programmers’ carefully planned scripts in a disturbing pattern of aberant behavior. With an exceptional cast headed by Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright, ‘Westworld’ was inspired by Michael Crichton’s 1973 film.”
7. Gully Boy (Amazon Prime) – “India’s official entry to the 2019 Academy Awards. A coming-of-age story based on the lives of street rappers in Mumbai.”
8. Last Man Standing (Hulu) – “Mike Baxter is a happily married father of three daughters who finds himself the odd man out as he tries to maintain his manliness in a home surrounded by women. Mike tries to escape all the female drama at home in the warm, manly embrace of his job at the Outdoor Man store, a sporting goods emporium where he is marketing director. He also revels in his Outdoor Man vlog, which he uses as a pulpit for his opinions — which often have nothing to do with the store’s merchandise. When he’s supposed to be selling mountain bikes or kayaks, he somehow ends up spouting off about the environment, health care, international politics or any other topic occupying his mind.”
9. Queer Eye (Netflix) – Season 5 (Philadelphia) – “Grab some tissues! An all-new “Fab Five” serve up hip tips, emotionally charged makeovers and heartfelt reveals that bring out all the feels.”
10. Mystic Pop-Up Bar (Netflix, Korean) – “A young man with a unique ability begins working for a centuries-old bar owner who resolves her customers’ emotional troubles by entering their dreams.”
11. Love Now (Netflix, Mandarin) – rewatch – “When her loved ones cook up a morbid plan to make her take time off from work, Yang Yiru goes on a vacation, truly believing she has terminal cancer.”
12. Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix) – rewatch, on Season 1 – “The world is divided into four nations – the Water Tribe, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads – each represented by a natural element for which the nation is named. Benders have the ability to control and manipulate the element of their nation. Only the Avatar is the master of all four elements. The ruthless Fire Nation wants to conquer the world but the only bender who has enough power [to stop them], the Avatar, has disappeared…until now. His tribe soon discovers that Aang is the long-lost Avatar. Now, Katara and Sokka must safeguard Aang on his journey to master all four elements and save the world from the Fire Nation.”
13. My Shy Boss (Netflix, Korean) – “The isolated life of an extreme introvert is thrown out of order when his company hires a new employee: a cheery extrovert who’s not all she seems.”
14. The King: Eternal Monarch (Netflix, Korean) – “A modern-day Korean emperor passes through a mysterious portal and into a parallel world, where he encounters a feisty police detective.”
15. Space Force (Netflix) – “Four-star general Mark Naird – leader of the newly created Space Force – is pressured to launch a satellite despite dire warnings from scientists.”
16. Fuller House (Netflix) – Season 5 – “The Tanner family’s adventures continue as DJ Tanner-Fuller shares a home with her sister Stephanie and friend Kimmy who help raise her three boys.”
17. Revolutionary Love (Netflix, Korean) – “A third-generation chaebol falls in love with a woman who opens his eyes to the struggles of the working class and inspires him to make a difference.”
18. Best Lover (Netflix, Korean/Mandarin) – “Two young stars with different backgrounds and agendas enter into a fake marriage to advance their careers, until the fake starts turning real.”
19. High Strung Free Dance (Netflix) – “A choreographer casts a contemporary dancer and a gifted pianist for a highly anticipated Broadway show as internal drama tries to steal the spotlight.”
20. A Korean Odyssey (Netflix, Korean) – “A self-serving mythical creature’s bid for invincibility backfires when he finds himself at the mercy of a woman who can see otherworldly beings.”
21. Hospital Playlist (Netflix, Korean) – “Friends since undergrad, five doctors remain close friends and share a love for music while working at the same hopsital.”
22. Alexa & Katie (Netflix, English) – “Alexa is battling cancer. But with her best friend, Katie, by her side, she’s also starting high school — and ready for whatever comes next.”
23. Go Go Squid! (Viki, Mandarin) – “At 19, Tong Nian (Yang Zi) has the whole world at her feet. A brilliant IT programming student, with stellar grades and an equally impressive social media following built around her covers of Japanese songs, Tong Nian never has a problem meeting new people or making friends. But that all changes the day Han Shang Yan (Li Xian) walks into her life. A genius in his own right, Han Shang Yan is one of the world’s top professional gamers. A legend in the world of esports, Shang Yan is used to living in the spotlight but never once has he let it his position get in the way of his profession. Always working towards that next win, he has never let himself be distracted by the people around him, especially when it comes to women.Smitten by Hang Shang Yan the moment she first lays eyes on him, Tong Nian tries to find a way to approach her new crush, but can never seem to find the words. Every attempt she makes ends up failing miserably. Cold and uninterested, Shang Yan barely even recognizes Tong Nian’s existence, or so it sees. Could Tong Nian’s persistence catch the eye of a man who sees no one? To Tong Nian it may seem impossible but everyone knows, anything’s possible when it comes to love.”
24. My ID is Gangnam Beauty (Viki, Korean) – “This is a story of Kang Mi Rae (Im Soo Hyang), a girl once bullied for her looks. Mi Rae decides she wants a fresh start and gets plastic surgery to transform her face. When she becomes a college student, she meets Do Kyung Suk (Cha Eun Woo) from their middle school days, who sees people for what they are on the inside and not on the outside; he then becomes attracted to Kang Mi Rae. As Mi Rae begins to get teased once more and labeled as a “Gangnam Beauty” for getting plastic surgery, Kyung Suk becomes the one person that stands up for her. In the process, Mi Rae begins to recover her lost confidence and discovers that true beauty is not about what’s on the outside.”
25. Ok Keub Hak Ab Ruk Khun Samee aka My Husband in Law (YouTube, Thai) – “Muey is a young girl who lived with her mother, who has a very close friend. Muey also has a crush on Thien who is the son of her mother’s close friend. Although Muey loves him, Thien never seems to love Muey. Instead, he always teases her, messes with her and sometimes bullies her. Muey never got angry or responded to Thien when she got bullied because she loved him too much. One day, Thien was forced to marry Muey to get rid of the wife of a powerful man. As Thien never looked at Muey as his life partner, he was not really okay with the marriage. In addition, Thien wanted a perfect woman as his wife, but Muey was never perfect in his eye. Will Thien fall in love with Muey in the end? Will Muey be the perfect wife for him?”
26. Tur Keu Prom Likit aka You’re My Destiny (YouTube, Thai) – rewatch – “Pawut is the successor to a large company. Wanida is a secretary in at a law firm. They both go on the same cruise, with Pawut planning on propose to KaeKai, his girlfried, and Wanida planning to lose her viriginity to her boyfriend. However, Wanida ended up taking some cold medicine, which made her drowsy and accidently went to Pawut’s room, while he was drugged. They spent the night together. Three months later, Wanida finds out that she is pregnant.”
27. Boy For Rent (YouTube, Thai) – “When love is not as expected…Smile has a crush on her handsome senior, Kyro, but when she confesses, he refuses, telling her he doesn’t like childish girls. Smile decides to hire a “boy for rent” to learn how to make a man’s heart eat. Liz believes her boyfriend Badz is cheating on her and decides to use the Boy For Rent service to get back at him without feeling guilty. Neither knows that renting a man will change their lives forever.”
28. Kao Waan Hai Noo Pen Sai Lub aka My Secret Bride (YouTube, Thai) – rewatch – “Suam is a mischievous girl who grew up in the slums. She develops a crush on Danurut, a good cop, the first time she meets him due to his good looks and kindness. They met previously at the police station when Danurut helped Suam get out of some trouble due to a false accusation. Suam is then asked to become a spy for the police by an undercover deputy commander named Tuan. His mission is to spy and gather evidence on an influential criminal named Sia Ha. Tuan believes Danurut’s uncle is part of Sia Ha’s gang and suspects Danurut as well. Suam gets involved with Danurut again when he misunderstands that she is Aek’s mistress who is his cousin’s fiance. He hires Suam to be his fake wife to keep her away from Aek and to also help him avoid his ex-girlfriend, Suchada, who is also Sia Ha’s daughter. Tuan believes this is the perfect opportunity to spy on Danurut so Suam accepts his offer. Suam and Danurut bicker and fight all the time. She moves into his house pretending to be his wife because he needs her to follow his orders while she must spy on him.”
29. LiKhitRakKhamDuangDao aka My Love From Another Star (YouTube, Thai) – the Thai version of My Love From The Star (which I watched last month…I think) – “An alien named Achira, who comes to Earth for research, sees a woman in trouble and decides to save her. His heroic action gets him stranded on Earth for 300 years as he was late returning to the spaceship and it left without him. With only three months left before his long-awaited departure, he meets actress Falada and realizes that she is the woman he saved all those years ago. Will Achira choose to return to his planet or stay on Earth after finding himself developing feelings for the famous actress?”
30. PanyachonKonKrua aka The Kitchen Scholar (YouTube, Thai) – “Cha-aim wants to win the prize to New York so she decided to do a script on being a maid, in order to get it right, she must take a job as a maid to get the prize. She works as a maid at a rich [family’s] house and takes notes while writing her script, but as she works as a maid, she secretly falls in love with the owner’s nephew. The owner’s nephew, Tam, wants to know what she is up to and tries to find out the truth. She tries every way to dodge him. When both go through incidents and meet each other every time, they secretly fall in love with one another.”
31. Payakorn Sorn Ruk aka Prophecy of Love (YouTube, Thai) – “Rosita gets into a car accident and suddenly gets a talent where she sees the future when she touches a rose. She becomes a famous fortune teller. One day, she makes a prediction in public to reporters that Theeruth, a famous actor, will make a woman pregnant and have a secret child. That prediction gets Theeruth into trouble and their relationship becomes antagonistic from that day. A few years later, there is a charity event and the host invites Theeruth and four celebrities as special guests, and also invites Rosita to tell their fortunes. Five celebrities choose different roses and give them to her to read. Once Rosita touches those roses, she sees sweet scenes of Theeruth and herself hugging, kissing and loving each other very much. She is so shocked. Her reaction is so strange and the five celebrities are very curious about what she saw. Rosita does not tell anyone and claims that she saw nothing. But all the guests do not believe her. After that day, something strange happens to her. She is attacked by someone and the suspect is one of the five celebrities whose fortunes she had read. The biggest suspect is Theeruth who had always been her opponent. But one day, he coincidentally saves her from the criminal and also offers to let her live with him as it is the safest place for her since everyone thinks that they are opponents. Their relationship improves little by little from that day through many dangerous situations to find the real criminal who wants to kill Rosita.”
32. Ruk Laek Pop aka The Passbook (YouTube, Thai) – “A modern day reckless influencer gets transported back into the past where he meets his look-alike great grandfather. To somehow get back to the present, he needs his great grandfather’s help. Matters get chaotic when he gets involved in his great grandfather’s love life. If he alters who his great grandmother is he would cease to exist. What valuable lessons will he learn and how will he return to the present?”

*FYI: The Korean and Mandarin series have English subtitles whereas most of the Thai ones do not except for Boy for Rent. I consume a stupid amount of media.

Foods over the past month has becoming less interesting. We’ve lost it…I think. We are sometimes merely eating for substenance. We are definitely not as excited about it nor do we “crave” things anymore. We’ve been eating a lot of “easy” meals aka…eggs. (Nutella crepes – Gizelle, eggs and rice, cheese quesadilla, mac & cheese with crab, garlic lemon shrimp with basmati rice and curry, fried shrimp, oysters, scallops, clam strips and fries – Goose Island Shrimp House, rice & chicken red curry – Silom 12, Maxwell polish & bone-in pork chop – Maxwell Street, frittata – Gizelle, homemade spicy mayo tuna onigiri, 2 eggs sunny side up with rice, chicken wings, shrimp fried rice and orange chicken – Golden Chef, homemade baked salmon, charred brussel sprouts and roasted potatoes, breakfast tapioca, crab legs).