Today is the kind of day where I feel like writing about nothing in particular. It was too windy, so I didn't feel like riding my bike after work. Finally finished my Splatoon catalog yesterday!! Now I'm free for... two days, until the next catalog arrives. I missed out on that coat last year, and now that I have it? It's kind of ugly... I don't like it on my Inkling as much, but I'll wear it anyway.

Yesterday was Pokémon day! I didn't draw anything... I didn't draw anything for cat day either (2/22) but I'm not going to be upset with myself for not "taking advantage" of days like that when I don't end up drawing or posting. But wow, 28 years old?! I wonder what they'll do for the 30th anniversary? I'm not sure what to think of the new Legends game since we didn't get a proper preview, but I did really enjoy Legends: Arceus even though I haven't finished it yet. Here's an old drawing I did for Pokémon day years ago, since Yellow was my first game:

It's wonky but I still like it for some reason? Maybe just because I was so nostalgic when I was drawing it. I should re-draw it soon. Even though I'm not huge on the mainline games anymore, Pokémon has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember and I'll always have a soft spot for it.

Angelic Pretty, you finally did it. You made a dress that broke me. Do I have 1500 dollars for this set? Absolutely not, but if I had the means, I absolutely would buy it... I was instantly in love since I saw it at the fashion show, and I naively thought maybe it would be a more affordable one. I love it so much... This is what I'd like as my wedding dress, truth be told. Since I can't have it, I'll just have to draw myself in it. I'm also glad they re-released Be My Valentine! The red JSK is my second most wanted dress right now. Hopefully another re-release means I can at least get it for retail on the secondhand market, but I don't know, the red seems to be really popular.

Mami-chan's Lumina star is up for pre-order!! I'm SO excited, previously there was a Lumina Star and compact set by Seidensha that was prohibitively expensive on the aftermarket, so I'm really happy I'll have all three Creamy Mami items after it releases. Actually, I just got my invoice for her wand! Next month the Ojamajo Doremi wand releases so I should probably get to watching it to decide if I really want it, oops... I feel like I will though? I mean, I've wanted one of those wands ever since the show aired as Magical Doremi on 4Kids. Oh, and I have someone very special arriving soon!! Let's hope she doesn't get stuck in the mail like my poor Travis keychains... Why is it always my husbando merch that gets stuck or lost in the mail?

It's been a while hasn't it? At least for me, since I usually update a little more frequently. Did you see that gorgeous full moon yesterday? Today was lovely. There was a meet today, but I didn't feel like dressing up and I wanted to finish my blog doodles. I spent my Sunday drawing, playing Splatoon (trying to make it to level 100 in the catalog, I'm close!), and cleaning. I was actually kind of bored? And I thought, what a blessing it is for me to be comfortable enough to be bored, so I got my bike out and rode for a little while. The trees are already blooming with their colorful, sweet smelling flowers and as much as I hate excessive sun exposure, it felt good to feel the wind and get some sunlight on my skin.

I had my first market of the year! It went well, my friend was the organizer so the atmosphere was very laid back and fun. Though my nightmare scenario finally came true: I forgot some of my important stickers! Luckily Bear was able to get them for me quickly, which I was really grateful for. I bought myself a beret and Bear an egg hat, because he is a good egg. Things died down about a couple of hours before closing, so we all just sat at a table and ended up chatting about Sanrio lore. Oh, and I had a strawberry horchata!! I didn't even know such a combination existed and it's pure heaven.

After the market, we split into our separate groups, a friend invited us to K-BBQ and we couldn't refuse... I got my beloved kimchi jigae again, and had lots of beef bulgogi and kimbap too. Shockingly, Bear tapped out of eating before me, but only because I was saving most of my soup to take home. Somehow we managed to finish all that meat?? J was determined, and I can't say I'm not impressed, but leftovers aren't a bad thing to have either. It was such a perfect day, and I really needed it.

I packed the essentials + a cake pop!! I was still setting up and the line for them got long... But then one of my artist alley friends bought me one before they sold out!! It was ube flavored and sooo delicious. Thank you so much S for doing that for me. I'll see you next month!

For Bear's birthday, we went to a museum, then to the arcade for a bit and had takoyaki to hold us over until we had dinner with his family in the evening. It was more of a lowkey celebration, I really wanted to make it a special day for him even though we didn't have the means to do something bigger, so I drew him a card and his gift was the Kamina Buzzmod. I was really impressed by his engineering and articulation! I'd like to own a Buzzmod one day too if they make one of a character I like.

I also got a Valentine's Day package from a friend!! It was so sweet and unexpected, she got me a Valentine's Day Sanrio tin box and tumbler, some nail polish and treats! The shade is called Pillow Talk The Talk and I was so excited I immediately put it on. This picture was taken just before disaster struck... I never paint my nails because I'm a very impatient person and glob too much on instead of doing thin coats. Even after 8 hours of sleep, they still smudged when wrapping Bear's present and there was no salvaging it, so I wiped it off. That's my fault though, and they're not kidding when they say it takes half a day to cure the polish completely!

On Valentine's Day I had to work in the morning, but I wanted to dress up a little. I usually wear only black at work, so it felt strange to be wearing pink, although I still incorporated black into my outfit anyway. Big thank you to my sparkly pink eyeshadow!! You're my favorite. Bear picked me up from work and we went shopping and had curry and beef bowls for dinner.

My yume friends and I also had a small Valentine's Day card exchange! Thank you so much W!! I scribbled something to celebrate, heh. He needs more fiber in his diet.

Lately, I've really been enjoying drawing on my iPad. It feels so freeing being able to draw digitally wherever I want, and I've even been able to catch up on my art to-do list at work during my downtime! I feel so grateful, because before I had to pick between investing in an iPad or a new desktop computer and now I'm free to start saving for a new build. It feels like when I got my Cricut, it was a gift that really changed my life. I don't miss cutting all those stickers by hand and the pain that came with it. I have a big project I want to work on when I get my new computer, so I'm excited to start saving for it!! The preparations can start now, but it won't come to fruition until I'm settled in with Tsubaki Mk. II~

Our latest haul! Astro Korilakkuma and Brown are mine, the rest are Bear's. We really got lucky that day, it's kind of insane! It probably means we'll never win anything again.

Cleaning has been a slow but steady process. Geez, I've really accumulated a lot of junk since we moved in, haven't I? Wiping down everything in the living room reminded me of when I was younger, when I had time to meticulously take down all of my glass and ceramic animals, all of my games and movies and toys and dust them all individually every single season. I want to ask myself what happened, but I know it's just adult life (that and I don't only clean up after myself now). The dust accumulates, mysterious stains pop up out of nowhere, and yellowing is the bane of my existence. My Hamtaro backpack desperately needs an OxiClean bath (I guess it shouldn't be a surprise considering he's older than most of the users on this site), both my DS and 3DS suffer from yellowed top screens, my fan from Club Nintendo got eaten by moths!! And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Now I see why owning less is more appealing to so many, the work of maintaining your possessions is a lot! And even if it just sits in your room, an object can decay from neglect. I never thought of my collection as being huge, but even so I'm going to have to trim it down. To start with, these Nendoroids are on the chopping block:

I think I'm going to keep Hanako-Kun after all, but the rest will most likely go. I'm finding Nendoroids less fun lately? They're just not as fun to pose as an articulated figure and I hate how the more complicated ones have so many tiny, easily breakable parts that you have to juggle with when posing.

And that reason is exactly why I didn't bother getting the 15th anniversary Miku, I already knew she was going to just be a headache despite how cute she is. Still, I wouldn't complain if I got her as a gift, heheh...

The beginning of the year has really flown by! Whereas the second half of last year really dragged on, everything is going way too fast now. Slow down please, I have short legs! February is my favorite month of the year, still nice and cool but my allergies don't flare up as much, the Valentine's Day decor is always so cheerful, plus I have two very special birthdays coming up. Last year the three of us took a tour of a cave to celebrate, but money's a little tighter this year so it's still up in the air. We'll make it work!

Yesterday Bear and I went on a museum date, I wore my long sleeve IW OP before it gets too warm to wear it again. I forgot how big the museum was and will definitely need a second trip to go back and see everything we missed. Right before we hit the Asian art section, we bumped into my sister who was also on a date! It was a funny coincidence that we both happened to be there on our day off. My favorite sections of the museum were definitely the American oil paintings and the Egyptian section... Is it time for me to enter my Egyptian era?

I think I accidentally cursed myself by looking directly into those eyes.

For dinner, we went to a longtime favorite Chinese restaurant. It's a nostalgic place for the both of us, I used to go eat there with my grandma and mom and he used to go eat there with his family too. They definitely have the best sesame chicken in town! Everything was still intact, the decor and the bamboo section and the shelf filled with knick-knacks waiting to be purchased and go home with you.

Baby Kumya holding our souvenir bag! I think she enjoyed the art just as much as us, but you wouldn't know it. I really need to trim her fur, she looks so angry all the time!

Our tiny spoils! Bear got a wooden croaking frog and the Big Foot, Buddha, and one of the teddies. The other teddy and the tiger are mine.

Recently I deactivated another social media account and deleted Twitter from my phone. It does make me harder to reach (or so I've been told), but it was very much needed for my sanity. I've noticed this trend lately, I think everyone is very burnt out on social media in general and I don't blame them for wanting to take a step back. The more I limit where I am online, the more free I feel. Let's go back to writing letters to each other!! Really, I wanted to do this sooner, but I guess I felt I had to be present in order to make online sales, though this kind of backfired on me because it's obvious I don't have the stamina and discipline to maintain a "successful" art account let alone a brand. Still, despite everything I don't think I can give up on it altogether... That twinge I feel when I see my work appreciated by my loved ones or in the wild (You liked my drawings enough to buy them? And use them? That's so sweet!) is unmatched, and no one has ever believed in me like Bear has. I think I just want to work hard on making things I like, and if others appreciate it too, that's a bonus. I want to try to be more confident in my work instead of tearing it down all the time.

Ah, speaking of drawing, Bear told me he wants to get back into it!! I'm so happy, he has always been good at drawing (I still have a doodle he drew of Travis from when we were in high school, rescued from almost being thrown in the trash) but it was always just something he did for fun. Maybe it's time for that Bob Ross painting party I've been wanting to do for years? I'll have to look up figure drawing classes for us too...