oneinist

1. Have you ever watched illusion magic? Close-up, or in a stage show, or on television? Did it work for you?
Never close up or in any stage show, but I remember it being quite popular when I was little and seeing it on TV.

2. Have you ever wished on a star, or a lucky cat, or a coin in a wishing well? Did it work in some way?
I have shooting stars and coin wells, and multiple times. Funny I can't remember if I wished for anything or what, and if it ever came true.

3. Have you ever cast a spell, made a love charm, or tried a curse? Did it work in some way?
Sadly I have not.

4. Are there any other traditional superstitions you pay attention to? Do they work in some way?
Hmm, I think a lot of it stem from superstitions but have become either tradition, symbolic or a question of good manners? Especially in a secular culture.

5. Would you want major magical powers like in a fantasy story? Which powers, and how would you use them?
Oh god yes, healing and flight. One to save people and one for fun, but I suppose it can be used to save as well. I regularly dream that I can fly, but it's always very difficult lol.

From Friday Five. Thanks toelyusion who did it on their journal ✨

Today, March 3rd, is ひな祭り or Hinamatsuri (Girls Day; sometimes referred to as Dolls day too I think). I haven't been able to locate our decorative dolls after tidying the study (the box is buried somewhere in the closet I know at least), but I'm going to give it another go today.

For dinner, I'm making chirashizushi (it's like sushi in a box with mixed toppings) and for dessert Bavarian cream (since it's my partner's favorite and I didn't succeed as well as I had wanted to when I made it for Valentine's this year for the first time). I've already bought the festival rice crackers, but I'd like to try to make ichigodaifuku (a strawberry covered in sweet red bean paste and then wrapped in a sheet of mochi) or yukiichigo (which is like a miniature strawberry shortcake wrapped in a sheet mochi) as well, since these two are considered the more traditional festival desserts.
We still have some strawberries left over from the set of fruit my partner got me for my dad's 命日 so it would be a nice use for them. (My dictionary tells me I should call it death anniversary but that feels off to me, the use of anniversary. I'd rather go with the more neutral deathday, although it's not perfect either... but it goes better as a pair with birthday too.)

I'm going to try to look up some recipes and update my shopping list quickly before I leave for my doctor's appointment, get groceries on my way back, make the Bavarian cream and anything that needs additional resting/setting time, look for those dolls, and then soon enough it should be time to get dinner ready. It's raining today so I might take the bus to the station instead of walking, we'll see.

Going to try a self-care bingo!

Eat something delicious and/or healthy.	Take a minute and focus on your breath.	Make yourself a cup of tea / hot cocoa / coffee.	Call or text or IM a friend.	Read a favorite story.
Take a short walk.	Watch an inspiring TED talk.	Take any vitamins or medications you need to.	Spend 10-15 minutes writing about something you value.	Learn something new!
Do something you're good at! Write a drabble or bake brownies or get your outfit just right.	Make a list of things that excite you.	Get enough sleep! Nap if you need to.	Make a list of five things you like about yourself.	Find a noise generator you like.
Get up and stretch! Do some light exercise if you're up to it.	Give yourself a hand or head massage!	Take a warm bath or shower – especially if you have favorite bath/shower scents handy.	Google images of your favorite animal.	Read a new or favorite poem!
Perform a random act of kindness.	Watch a favorite episode or movie.	Journal about what you've learned and how you've improved from a recent failure.	Make a list of five things you've accomplished this week - no matter how small.	Take a 5-minute break!

From an.owomoyela.net and the prompt list 'Little actions for self-care'.

Today is the end of the 3-day holiday (三連休) in Japan - today, Monday, being the current emperor's birthday and a public holiday.

We didn't have any big plans for the weekend. We actually didn't have any at all. It started off with taco night on Friday, and we ended up watching the first Golden Kamuy live action movie on TV (金ロー　or 金曜ロードショー). The third movie in the series is apparently running in the theaters at the moment.

Saturday, we ended up going to a shopping mall, and ate both lunch and dinner out. We had sushi for lunch and fluffy pancakes for dinner - what a treat!. I bought some fun art supplies on Flying Tiger and we also got some other stuff. After that we ended up walking home instead of taking the bus like we usually do. I love taking long walks, but I prefer to not be alone on them. We took a different route than the bus, so that we'ce clear away more fog on Fog of World (世界の霧). For some reason I tried my luck with the Jungle gym in one of the parks we passed, and today I am paying for it with muscle cramps (but maybe some muscle growth too!). I managed more reps than I thought I would. According to the 前屈 thing (dictionary says "bend forward" - but like when you try to touch your toes, but it was on an elevated platform so you can go deeper) I'm 20 years younger than my actual age too, but I've had troubles with back pain since I was young due to being too flexible sooo it's two sides of the same coin.

Sunday we watched the last finals of the winter games. We're not really sports people but it's been entertaining to watch this year for sure. I've also tidied a bit more in my study (it's my current project with a capital P...). I was hoping to get further but I'm stuck on moving the 2by4 pillars across the wall where I want to put up my peg boards. Once that's done I need to rearrange my desktop desk (monitor layout and various wiring). When that's done I'd be almost finished so then I can go look for a foldable desk for my physical art/crafts project. Preferably something large/stable enough to handle a sewing machine.

Monday, today, we watched the Olympic closing ceremony and had a slow day at home. We also watched 逃げ上手の若君 (The Elusive Samurai) and started on the second season of 呪術廻戦 (Jujutsu Kaisen).

I've learned to drink black coffee. Thought it would be a good tolerance to have so I don't have to rely on milk all the time. so now I've had a cup with a winter game look back on the tv in the background.

I don't know how I want to write or if I should write in any specific way. My mind is a jumble of languages and I tend to write down the first word that comes to mind. But since this is a peek into my world, maybe I don't have to be too worried about a bit of language mixing?

 Challenge #7: List Three Things You Like About Yourself

LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.

1. I'm kind

2. I'm curious

3. I'm imperfect

I made some icons/pfps!!



EDIT: I'm messing around with the css/html to try to find a simple to make the image smaller without having to hard code pixels....... EDIT: Waait, just noticed the thumbnail embedd thing.......