Captain's Log: February 26

 

Happy February friends!

February has always been my favorite month. Maybe it's the love in the air of maybe it's the fact that my birthday is in 5 days. Either way, I love the transition from winter to Spring, the romance, the love, and the pink and red vibes everywhere.

I talked a little bit about my resolutions last month and how I've been doing. I'm really proud to say, I've actually been KILLING it on my resolutions and plan to go into February with this momentum and continue the all around productivity I have made.

Usually, I divide these logs into what I've been reading, watching, and playing, but because I've been focusing on utilizing screen time more productively, I'll be talking more about how I've spent my time overall this past month.

It's so strange seeing this photo I used to use for my reading sections. It was taken at my first apartment when I had one tiny bookshelf from Walmart. As I write this, I'm looking at the wall of bookshelves in my office in our now 3rd apartment.  I still have that bookshelf but it's smaller than my other two and definitely more packed then it used to be.  

Reminiscing aside, I read a total of 14 books in January, which was a really great start to the year.  Some of the most standout books I read were...

• Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgewick - A story enveloped in Norse mythology about souls transcending through time and what it truly means to love someone. 5/5 stars. I sobbed at work and the writing was absolutely incredible. I listened to the audiobook, which set the atmosphere and the interwoven mythology was fascinating.

• 11/22/63 by Stephen King - We all know I love Stephen King and this book was no different. 850 pages of time travel as our main character tries to stop the assassination of JFK and attempt to do as much good as he can in the process. 4/5 stars. I adored this book but I feel like some of the end was a little...mid. I had a theory on how it would end and honestly preferred my theory. Otherwise a fantastic read.

• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Read - A tale of two queer women training to be the first women in the program in the 1970's. 4.5/5 stars. I loved this book. I heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book but was pleasantly surprised. As a person who adores space and astronomy, and is queer myself, the setting and writing were fantastic and I definitely shed a tear.

• Don't Let The Forest In by C.G Drews - This book about two boys who have to deal with not only the monsters in their heads but the unknown in the forest. 5/5 stars. This book was hauntingly beautiful and I ADORED the writing. I'm so excited for C.G. Drews upcoming book just to experience the incredible atmospheric writing. 

• A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings - A memoir about a woman growing up and living in a fundamentalist Christian world, becoming subservient and oppressed under men. 2/5 stars. I wanted to like this book. The writing was raw and the story was heart-wrenching and I wanted to scream most of the time. However, I felt there were ties to the current political climate that were halfway explored and could have easily been expanded on and I felt the end was too abrupt. 

For more of my book thoughts, you can always follow me on Goodreads or Fable!

I haven't been watching a whole lot of TV or playing video games, though my hands are itching to go back to Stardew and try Sun Haven, as I see my fiancé playing it right now. However, I've definitely been working on my goals that I have set for myself.

Every day, I wake up and intentionally, slide my phone in my pocket, using it only as an alarm to keep me on track in the mornings. I have been doing Tagalog, Japanese, Spanish, and Klingon lessons daily, not only in various apps but with books and taking notes, studying on my own to improve my speech and grammar. I've even found myself thinking (more) in other languages and incorporating bits here and there into my daily vernacular.

I have started the process of joining a gym and telling myself that maybe walking around instead of eating Hot Cheetos might be better for me (much to my dismay) and my watch has definitely seen improvement in my step count.

Every day, I try to stick to a routine of self-care, healthy eating, journaling, reading, practicing languages, enjoying spending time talking to my family or my fiancé, and doing more hobbies instead of just scrolling on my phone. I will say it does feel somewhat easier since I have been off most social media for almost a year and I do still look at screens, though I have swapped my phone for my big iPad to make it a little more inconvenient for me to just scroll through it all day. I still love watching YouTube and movies, but as I have worked on building more of my hobbies, I realized something.

My ultimate goal is to be the interesting person I want to be. I want to learn to play more instruments well, get back into playing the piano and flute and guitar and drums. I want to speak multiple languages, be well read, be knowledgeable about random topics like botany and astronomy and the Renaissance. The other day, I actually intelligently discussed the Cuban Missile crisis and just knowing what I was talking about made me feel...accomplished and like....this is what life is about. Being, living, doing, experiencing. 

I've always wanted to speak multiple languages, so why not now? I'm planning on ordering a flute and starting to play again and eventually, once we move to a bigger place, maybe getting a studio to draw and play the drums and guitar without annoying my neighbors. 

So, I guess all in all, this past month was definitely a beginning in the best way. A beginning into what I hope to will make the journey I've always wanted. 

How was your month? Tell me all about it!

Always, Raineedayze

First Week of 2026

Hey y'all!

It's been almost two weeks in the new year and I've see so many positive changes in my life lately from the simple goals I've been setting, which I feel have really set the tone for my life this year.

This year, I've managed to read a little every day! Between audiobooks at work and while I clean and reading a book instead of scrolling on my phone during lunch or before bed, I've noticed not only do I feel smarter and more knowledgeable, I also feel relaxed and accomplished instead of just feeling like I wasted my day. I've never been an audiobook person, but I've noticed I have an easier time with non-fiction and memoirs in that format more than things like fantasy or sci-fi.  It also reduces my need to scroll mindlessly since I don't want to be distracted during reading. 

My phone screen time has gone waaaaay down lately as well due to this. I'm ashamed to say that before the new year, I'd easily have 11 hours of screen time a day at least. WITH A FULL TIME JOB! This past week my screen time average was a little under 2 hours! Seeing that shift has motivated me to continue. 

I've began taking the time after work to try and do at least one productive thing around the house or something I've been putting off. I've decluttered my office, redid one of my bookshelves, deep cleaned my bathroom and my computer desk, and opened up packages that I've had sitting here forever. Things that I just "HAD TO HAVE" were just sitting in bags or on my couch and it's shown me a lot about my impulse buying and shopping. I've had little social media (No twitter, facebook, instagram, or tiktok) for over a year now and the amount of spending I was doing just because of being swayed by social media was insane. Not only the "trendy" stuff, but even ads for McDonalds or pizza would make me doordash a ton or feel fomo and make me leave the house to go shopping just for the dopamine. 

It turns out, I have a pretty cool home I live in, I have so much stuff to play and watch and read and listen to that I already own or already pay for and I have a cute cat and an amazing fiance who are all I really need. I've been calling my family more and actually staying present in the conversation instead of scrolling through shorts while I talk and I can feel my conversations holding more meaning.

Seeing this new chapter in my life start so well, I've really been inspired to keep this momentum going.

How has your year been going? Let's chat about it!

Always, Raineedayze

Welcome 2026

 

Happy New Year y'all!

I have always been a person who loves a new year and a time to reset. I'm a list maker to my core and when the new year rolls around, I get so excited to make a list of the new goals and visions for the new year. 

Even though I already started the year a little....delayed (I slept most of the day. Thanks chronic fatigue!) I still have high hopes for the year overall!

So with no further ado, here are my goals for the new year!

1. Read 100 books

This was probably my lowest reading year in recent history and I only read 40 books for the whole year. Obviously, reading any amount is a great accomplishment, however, I know I spent a lot of time procrastinating this year and didn't get a lot of the books read that I planned on reading. So this year, I plan to aim for 100 books and prioritize my library and currently owned books! I'll discuss more about this in an upcoming post ;) but overall, I think I can do it!

2. Plan my wedding!

One of the biggest priorities this year will be planning my wedding. Our tentative plans are to get married in early January 2027 so this year will be our time to plan like crazy. I've obviously never planned a wedding and this is a very daunting task but I'm just reminding myself that no matter what happens, at the end of the day, I get to marry my best friend! But expect a lot of wedding planning updates this year.

3. Get fitter

I know, I know. It's the ever evasive resolution, but this past year has really definitely shown me I need to get fitter and in better shape. Between the daunting task of clothes shopping, general discomfort in public spaces, and my body developing new fun aches and pains, I know that once I prioritize my body, I will be happier. I want to take care of myself to feel more comfortable, not only because of physical changes, but because I shouldn't feel this old this early in my life. 

4. Increase my fluency in Spanish and Tagalog

Ever since I moved, I've been able to really immerse myself in both my Mexican and Filipino heritage due to having more opportunities to surround myself in both cultures. I've always had a basic knowledge of Spanish, grew up in a Spanglish household with family members who only spoke Spanish, but over that last year, my Spanish has grown significantly.  I want to continue that this year and improve both my Spanish and Tagalog, which is rudimentary at best.

5. Get out of my comfort zone

One of the biggest things I've struggled with my entire life has been my anxiety and this past year I pushed myself to leave a job I was very comfortable at for a job that was more beneficial financially and pushed me out of my comfort zone and after seeing how much that has helped me, I wanted to continue that momentum and push myself to do things that help me become more independent and more of the person that I want to be. Whether it's driving more, saying yes to more opportunities, or doing things that I tend to overthink, I want to push myself.

6. Stop Doom-Procrastinating

I know that a lot of this year, I spent a lot of my time procrastinating. I would often spend my free time wanting to read a book or play a game or watch a show and spending all my time trying to decide what to do instead of actually doing anything. So this year, I'm going to try to make myself just DO IT. I want to stop overthinking "what should I do" and just actually do something. There's so many things I want to read, games I want to play, stories I want to write, movies I want to watch, and the constant overthinking and indecisiveness robs me of my little free time and makes any time off seem like not enough.

7. Romanticize my life

One thing I love is watching people who find beauty in simplicity. In a calm morning, a cup of coffee, and a simple meal. I want to spend more time romanticizing the little things, the simple acts of having a morning routine, of cleaning my space, and making my home a happy place to be. In that same vein...

8. Reducing unproductive screen time

Since deleting Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, and Facebook, you would think that my screen time would go waaaay down. But I replaced that with youtube shorts, reddit posts, and just general mind numbing on my phone. So i want to spend more time living in the simple silence. Obviously, I love to read a lot on my phone or iPad so I'm not counting that as screen time or counting the games or movies/television that I have on my never ending backlog, but more of the just....useless nonsense that I use to fill the silence, especially during moments where I can just....be.

9. CREATE MORE

One of the biggest things I want to do this year is create. Whether it's blog posts, short stories, journal entries, videos, vlogs, drawings, paintings, crafts...I just want to create. I want to make things from my own brain, from my own hands, and do something. I have so many crafts that are undone, hobbies I want to try, drawing supplies I never use...and I want to spend this year using them!

10. Save money

Of course, with the wedding coming up, I will be having to be a lot tighter with my money, but I also want to be more conscious with my spending (especially as I see the amount of stuff I have to put in storage just because it's taking up so much space) and use my money for more productive things like a new running car or an actual home, where I don't have to use a mini washing machine that sits in my bathtub.

What are some of your goals for the new year? I'd love to hear them!

Always, Raineedayze

Christmas Haul!

 

Happy Holidays Friends!

Today is the day after Christmas and I had to work, which really sucked, but I wanted to make a post showing the goodies I got this year. I love seeing what people give and get during the holiday season, and this year I was absolutely blessed to have so many people gift me so many amazing things! 

Jonathan gifted me a Harry Potter Lego set and a Lego Mineral set, which are the first official Lego sets I've ever had! I did have the Overwatch Reinhardt and Dva from my dad a few years ago, but this is my first actual set and I'm so excited! 

Jonathan also got me a Hello Kitty Lite Brite, a Butthead block figure (from Beavis and Butthead, which we have been binging a lot lately), a Pennywise lamp, and the whole Belcher family in figures! He also got me some candies, which are not pictured, because I literally devoured them.

My dad got me a Ravenclaw purse, which is STUNNING and keeping with the Harry Potter theme, my sister got me a Harry Potter bookmark with a 3D Hedwig and a golden snitch lamp.  

My Mom gifted me rainbow socks, a Rocky Horror themed cookbook, a Fenty lip gloss, Victoria's Secret body sprays, a lip tint kit, Rocky Horror earrings, an Edogawa Ranpo book, and an ArnieTex cookbook! (Sidenote, if you haven't seen his videos, definitely check them out here.)

My niece and nephew surprised me with a new dress, body sprays, lotions, soaps, lipsticks, glosses, a cute mushroom blanket, a scalp massager, notebooks, pens, and some super cozy socks!

I ended up treating myself to a complete bindup of Lord of the Rings with illustrations BY TOLKEIN as well as a complete works of William Shakespeare set and a book by an indie author from Dallas. I also won a giveaway for signing up for her newsletter which had some more bookish goodies!

But the best thing about this year was I got to spend time with my family, my fiance, my cat, and my friends. I heard from friends all over and I know that this year has been really hard for all of us but sharing these moments with my loved ones was truly what made the holiday magical.

So tell me what you got, what you gave, what you did! I wanna know all the things!

Always, Raineedayze

San Japan Haul and Recap

 

This is a SUPER LATE San Japan haul and recap, but I spent WAY too much to not show you guys.

Day 1 of the Convention Badge Progress

Day 3 Badge Progress

If you didn't know, San Japan is a local anime convention that occurs every year on Labor day weekend and is three days of fun, games, cosplay, concerts, and the greatest merch ever. This year I had plans to go with three friends (and Jonathan of course) but things fell apart so all my friends backed out. Luckily, one of them gave me her ticket and I was able to take one of my new friends local to the area. :)

My friend, Pilar, wasn't super well versed in anime so we took the previous weekend to watch some good movies and get her caught up. We started with Spirited Away, moved on to Ponyo, and watched a few episodes of Ghost Stories before we watched Kpop Demon Hunters because I had a feeling that would be huge this year at the convention.

The day of the convention, it was HECKING hot so we decided to just do our hair like Zoey and Mira from Kpop Demon Hunters in the most casual cosplay ever. 

A Cool KPDH keychain with a  pullout Rumi

The first day was a lot more relaxed since it was on a Friday and a lot of people only go for the Saturday and Sunday. We had a slightly late start, but we went to artist alley, ate some overpriced convention food, and I got to meet Miura Ayme from Obey Me! 

Not Obey Me but I think it's from another series he voiced

He was signing at a booth away from the usual signatures and it took forever to find him but I was able to find it with the help of Jonathan and my friend and we made some lovely friends with the girls next to us in line. Miura Ayme was sweet and I was super happy to meet him since I adore Obey Me!

That night, we went to the "Night Market" which was the adult's only section and I ran into my old tattoo artist, who was super sweet and gave me a discount on my next tattoo. She even took a photo since my tattoo was one of the ones she did when she was still apprenticing so it was a really cool moment!

A much needed sticker book for all my new stickers

Kyo and Tohru 4Ever

A whole DRESS I got

In the pocket, there's a message :)

Earrings inspired by Escape by Bang Chan and Hyunjin

I got the Sero print for free because of my Sero tattoo!

The RM stickers were such a cool find!

I may have indulged in a few....NSFW goodies at the market, but what's a girl to do when she's at a convention?

also came in a keychain form

sexy Cthulhu is too powerful

The next day, we continued exploring Artist Alley and the Dealer's room as well as the arcade machines and the video game museum. I ran into another coworker there and was able to talk to her and her partner, who were both cosplaying as Final Fantasy characters! 

The last day, we rushed around to try and soak up the last bit of convention goodness and luckily for us, we ended up scoring free food towards the end of the convention. We left and because we clearly did not spend enough money, we actually headed to a local kpop store and picked up a few albums and merchandise before coming home.

Overall, we had an absolute blast at the convention and as you can tell from the haul, I have to definitely be on a budget for the rest of the year 😅

That's all for now!

Always, Raineedayze