Long time no see, blog! After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, content trends, and overall life changes — particularly a new job — I've decided to try to get back into writing and blogging. I miss writing and not all of my content ideas are best or easiest with short-form video. So without further ado, I'm returning with what I love to do most: share what I love and enjoy! Here are my favorites from the month of June.
Media and Entertainment
The Little Mermaid (2023)
I wasn't expecting to love the new, live action Little Mermaid, but now I want to watch it at least once a week. Halle Bailey was perfectly cast as Ariel and has an impeccable combination of wonder, youthfulness, and talent that make her Ariel one of a kind and a performance to remember. The new scenes and songs — most of them — added a entertaining and valuable depth to the stories, characters, and relationships that I really enjoyed.
Ariel and Prince Eric have never had more chemistry. Eric's motivations are so much clearer, and he has an actual backstory. Plus I loved seeing all of Ariel's sisters. It makes total sense that the king of the sea has daughters who represent all of the different oceans of the world.
At this point in time, we're closer to June than April, so this post is definitely delayed but oh well! Again, I didn't discover enough favorites in March or April alone to dedicate a whole post for those months on their own. In March and April I added a bunch of new music to my go-to playlist, wore new fashion trends, and tried new beauty products that have now become staples in my routine.
I've also tried to group similar things in my monthly favorites posts (music and movies together, clothes with accessories, all makeup together, etc.), but this is the first time I've actually labeled the groups with headers. So if you only care about what music I'm listening to or what new clothes I've found, you can easily scroll to that section!
As usual, click the link in the subhead if you're interested in learning more about or buying a certain product I've included.
Music
"Leave the Door Open" - Silk Sonic
Simply put, this song is Blasian excellence. A Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak collaboration is something I never knew I needed in my life. The song and its sound are so smooth and suave, and the vocals are incredible. It's certainly be a while since Bruno Mars has released a single, and this was totally worth the wait.
Too Young to be Sad EP - Tate McRae
As a dance fan, I've been a fan of Tate's before she started seriously making music. I can't believe it's been six years since I was watching her slay on So You Think You Can Dance, and now she's all grown up, performing at awards shows and having songs on the Billboard charts. I've enjoyed listening to the songs on her latest EP for the past few months now and particularly like how although they're all pretty "sad" songs, they aren't all ballads and do contrast in sound.
"deja vu" - Olivia Rodrigo
I wasn't expecting Olivia to release another single until maybe after the second season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premiered, so "deja vu" was a pleasant surprise! It has a more chill vibe and sound to it than "drivers license" that always makes me want to blast it with the windows down while I'm driving (which I do when it's nice out) but still has a bit of angst to it. "deja vu" also has some synthetic pop/electronic moments that make it easy to jam to. So I think the music video having scenes in a convertible driving down the Pacific Coast Highway fit the song perfectly, and I can't want for the entire sour EP to be released next week!
I've wanted to do resume my monthly favorites posts this year, but all I had down from January was a few songs, and I didn't think that was enough for an entire post. So I'm combining January and February, because February was a lot more exciting and had more going on for me.
I feel like all I did in January was listen to "drivers license" on repeat. (I'm 100% serious.) But I actually gave my attention to other things in February, so here we go!
drivers license - Olivia Rodrigo
Do you know how much I love "drivers license"? I love it so much that it's the song that finally got me to stop listening to Taron Egerton and/or Aaron Tveit on repeat for the first time since late spring of 2019! When it first came out, I listened to it on repeat for at least a few days straight.
Olivia is a genius and a star, and I've been so proud of my fellow Filipina because of her monumental success since releasing her first single. "drivers license" is truly something else. I mean, it's got to be if it finally got to me to stop listening to Taron Egerton every day! I'm 100% one of those people who cannot and do not relate to any of the lyrics in the song, but that's how good it is. It just hits you in the feels regardless. And the bridge? It's a dramatic burst of musical fireworks.
Skin - Sabrina Carpenter
Yes, I am a fan of both Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter. I listen to both "drivers license" and "Skin." We exist. I would like to never see or hear of any supposed drama relating to this ever again. Pitting women against each other isn't cool. Thanks.
Now that's out of the way, if you've followed my blog for a little while, you may know I've been a fan of Sabrina Carpenter for a while now and have loved her since she was on Girl Meets World. It has been so wonderful hearing and witnessing Sabrina's musical journey and growth, and "Skin" is a great example of that. Plus, it has an A+ message and reminds us that we do not need to give or pay attention to those who don't deserve it. It's not easy, but if people are trying to hurt you or tear you down in any way, you can choose to not let their words or actions hurt you.
Last month was pretty eventful throughout, but some events (like my cousin's wedding) were more enjoyable than others (like getting my wisdom teeth removed). But my wisdom teeth removal wasn't terrible, and I still got to try some new food once I was back to (mostly) normal. Plus, last month I discovered even more new music ― right after my latest "What I'm Listening To" post, of course!
Jeni's Ice Cream
I love ice cream and most things sweet, so I'm always down to try new ice cream, places. I've known about Jeni's Ice Cream for a few years now. But I haven't had the chance to try any of Jeni's flavors that aren't sold in pints in stores because I don't often go to the areas of Chicago where they have shops. Luckily for me, a shop opened at one of my mom's favorite malls that I go to often, so I finally got to try some!
I got the trio, which is three half scoops. The flavors I got were milkiest chocolate, Texas sheet cake, and Boston cream pie. All three were delicious, but I think my favorite was probably Boston cream pie. The combination of vanilla custard, dark chocolate fudge, and yellow cake pieces is a nice and decadent treat. Texas sheet cake is unlike anything I've ever had before as it's chocolate ice cream with cake crumbles and fudge and is also dairy free and vegan, so it's not as creamy as ice cream normally is, but it was still good.
Desert Moon - Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud
If you didn't already know, Alan Menken and Pasek and Paul are musical geniuses. While all of the original Aladdin songs are great, they've done an outstanding job with the new ones for the live action remake, and "Desert Moon" is no exception. "Desert Moon" is a song that was cut from the live action film, but Disney has released it ahead of the DVD/Blu-ray release.
This duet from Jasmine and Aladdin is short, sweet, and simply beautiful. The song itself is supposed to be a song both Jasmine and Aladdin's moms taught them, which just adds some more beauty and emotion to the song. Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud also just sound really great together.
Rain - Ben Platt
I feel like it was just yesterday that Ben Platt released his debut album, and now he's out here with a brand new single just a few months later. It's more upbeat than most of the songs from his album, which is a nice change and shows he can sing more than just emotional ballads (and showtunes but those aren't on his albums).
It's been nearly two years since I've done one of these posts. I stopped doing them because I just ended up putting 99% of the music I'd been listening to in my monthly favorites posts, so doing one of these would seem repetitive. But this summer there have been quite a few songs that I've been listening to a lot that haven't been featured in any of my monthly favorites posts, so I thought now would be a good time to do another music post.
My playlist for this summer is probably the most diverse my go-to playlist has ever been, including music from three different movie soundtracks, covers, Broadway show tunes, and pop music. So I've definitely been influenced by the movies and entertainment news from this summer. I've embedded some of the music from YouTube below since some of these songs aren't on Spotify or any streaming services, but my full playlist can be found at the end of this post.
Rocketman (Music From the Motion Picture)
I've basically been listening to the Rocketman soundtrack on repeat since it was released last May, because Taron Egerton's voice is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard, and I cannot get enough of it. Like honestly, I didn't really listen to Elton John songs before Rocketman (other than Taron's cover of "I'm Still Standing" from Sing of course), but this movie and soundtrack has blessed the world with an entire album of Taron's singing, so there was no way I wasn't going to listen to it.
Plus, it's given a new generation an appreciation and love for Elton John and Bernie Taupin's music, which is amazing (even if I prefer Taron's version of literally every song). This soundtrack has been in my go-to playlist for four months and counting, and I don't see it leaving my go-to playlist ever. I like all of the songs, so I couldn't even give you my top three songs.
All I know is my favorite is "Your Song", so you should definitely listen to that one. Oh, and the credits song, "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" is sung by both Egerton and John, and it is a bop! It's the only song new to the film and the only song with John's vocals. Plus, the music video is fantastic (pun intended). And one more thing: the Target version of the soundtrack has two exclusive tracks, one of which is a Taron only version of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", and it is hauntingly beautiful.
July was a more chill month for me, so I didn't discover too many new things. However, I added a bunch of new music to my current summer playlist and found my new favorite workout shorts!
Bike shorts have been one of my favorite recent trends, and I've especially wanted ones to run in. I've gotten into a good rhythm with running this summer, but I've discovered that I don't like running in normal running shorts. Actually, I've discovered that I don't like running in non-high-waisted bottoms of any kind because they often just fall down at the top if they don't have a drawstring. And it's quite annoying to be pulling up your pants every minute while you're running.
So these Aerie bike shorts are great because they stay up and are nice and high-waisted. They don't budge when I run. They're super comfy and pretty durable and thick. These are a bit stretchy but not too much where it's like I'm running in compression shorts that move and bunch up at the leg whenever you move. I want like 10 more pairs of these for running and doing nothing at all.
"Something's Coming" from West Side Story - Aaron Tveit (The Radio in My Head)
I've actually known who Aaron Tveit is for probably like 10 years now since I know him and first watched him as Tripp van der Bilt on Gossip Girl. I didn't know he was a theater/Broadway actor for I don't even know how many years. But I found out he could sing and was on Broadway sometime in between him being on GG and him being cast in Grease Live, so I wasn't surprised or anything that he could sing. Anyway, because of the recent Broadway transfer of Moulin Rouge the Musical!, my interest in Tveit has piqued. So I've been watching a lot of videos of him on YouTube, watching and listening to all of this old content and music that I missed out on before. And if you know me, you'll know that West Side Story is one of my favorite ― actually, it is my favorite ― musical, and his cover of "Something's Coming" is one of the best I've ever heard.
May was the most eventful month I've had in a while. There were a lot of things I wanted to go and see, like movies and shows, and I discovered a lot of new music that I'll be listening to on repeat for the entire summer probably.
West Side Story at the Lyric Opera of Chicago
I could go on and on about how much I love Lyric Opera's production of West Side Story, but I already raved about it in a previous blog post about my experience as a WSS Insider and on the blog I share with my sister. So I'll try not to write too much. West Side Story is one of my top two favorite musicals of all time, but I'd never seen a live stage production of it until this year. I've watched the movie several times, but it simply cannot compare to live theater, especially Lyric Opera's production. Corey Cott and Mikaela Bennett were amazingly outstanding as Tony and Maria. The supporting characters and ensemble were also just as talented. I've simply never loved live theatre more than I have during the four times (yes, I saw it four times) I watched Lyric Opera's WSS.
"Exhale" by Sabrina Carpenter
If you've seen any of my recent monthly favorites posts, you're probably familiar with Sabrina Carpenter and know she's one of my favorite musical artists. She released another song from her upcoming album, Singular: Act II, and I love it. "Exhale" is kind of short at only 2:50, but it has such a clear and strong message. It's a great reminder that we all need to take a break every now and then, and it's quite calming and relaxing to listen to, which goes along with the message of the song perfectly.
Apparently last month was all about the "M's": March, music, magazines, and more. I discovered a lot of awesome new music last month that I've been listening to on repeat for nearly a whole month and got to read some great magazine features on a few of my favorite actors. In addition, there's typically some sort of new food or clothing item I try or wear for the first time, and that certainly applies here.
Sing to Me Instead EP - Ben Platt
Ben Platt's debut album was released just before the month ended, and I've been playing it nearly nonstop since. The first four songs he released were so beautiful and passionate that I knew I would enjoy the rest of them, and I do. From ballads about love and breakups to songs for and about his parents to a song about the wise words of an old man, there's a variety of content in the songs themselves while still telling an overall narrative. Plus, there isn't a single song I dislike.
Being the shortest month of the year, it's not a surprise I didn't have much going on in and didn't discover a lot of new things I loved in February. But I did find a few, including some beautiful music, Target finds, and custom tech decor!
"Bad Habit" and "Ease My Mind" by Ben Platt
You may or may not recognize the name Ben Platt, but most people probably know him as one of two characters: Benjamin Applebaum from Pitch Perfect or Evan Hansen in the Tony Award-winning best musical Dear Evan Hansen. Either way, you probably know he's a great singer, but it wasn't until last month that I felt I truly got to hear him sing as he released his first two original songs from his upcoming album. "Bad Habit" and "Ease My Mind" are two of the most beautiful and vulnerable songs I've ever heard. Of course I enjoyed hearing him sing in Pitch Perfect and listening to him in the DEH cast recording, but I feel his original music does him more justice.
November was a pretty eventful month as I saw new musical productions, tried new restaurants, heard new music, and read new books. I even put together a lot of new outfits with some new clothes, which was evident in my November OOTD post titled "New November". So I had some favorites from all over the place last month.
Blush pink Gap bomber jacket from TJ Maxx
If you saw my October Shopping Roundup or November OOTD post, this jacket should be familiar. I won't say too much about this since it's already been in two of my blog posts, but this has easily become one of my favorite coats. Also, I always feel the need to mention how it reminds me of Regina George's jacket.
When I first began thinking of what to include for this post, I only had two things on my list. Then I found one more to include but still felt like it wasn't enough. Two things didn't feel like enough content for a post, and it all related to one person, so it was kind of weird. Plus I didn't want to leave it at that. Eventually I found something else to include to diversify it a bit, which is partially why this post is happening so late into the next month. The first few weeks of October have been pretty busy, so although this installment of my monthly favorites series is still a short one, it's a great one for anyone who likes dance or performing arts or even just art in general.
Michael Dameski's routine to "Madness" by Ruelle on World of Dance
If you've seen any of my monthly favorites post from this past summer, you know I love Michael Dameski and his dancing, so it really should come as no surprise more of his dances are in the latest installment of my monthly favorites.
What I loved about this dance was that it was different and much more theatrical and dramatic than the preceding ones. The ninja concept was awesome and wasn't overplayed or too gimmicky. Dameski literally put on a show with this routine by taking advantage of everything he could, from the costume to the graphics and the video board to the lighting effects. His performance was amazing here, and I don't know what you were watching if you didn't believe he was an actual mad ninja in this dance.
Ten minutes ago, I joined the Broadway Princess Party and was in a whole new world. Just kidding.
The Broadway Princess Party was actually a few days ago on Sunday, but "ten minutes ago" is a reference to Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, a Broadway show whose songs are featured in the Broadway Princess Party. I just wanted to make a reference.
Anyway, the BPP is a cabaret concert series tour created by musical director Benjamin Rauhala and Broadway's original Cinderella, Laura Osnes. Basically, it's a bunch of talented, awesome Broadway stars singing songs from Disney princess movies and musicals and other movies and musicals that feature princesses. Joining Osnes in song on tour are Broadway's original Jasmine (Disney's Aladdin), Courtney Reed, and Broadway's original Belle (Disney's Beauty and the Beast), Susan Egan, who also voiced Megara in Disney's Hercules.
I've never witnessed so much Broadway greatness in one week than I have this past week. Last Monday, August 13, I went to my first Broadway in Chicago summer concert in Millennium Park. Yesterday, I went to my first Broadway Princess Party in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg. Both events were exciting firsts for me that I will never forget, but today, I'm focusing on the BIC concert.
The Broadway in Chicago concert has been on my calendar for nearly the entire summer. My sister and I immediately clicked "Interested" once we found the Facebook event for it and decided we would go as long as work wouldn't stand in our way. Luckily for us, we ended up having no plans or things that had to be taken care of that day, so we planned to spend the day in the city.
Nearly a year has gone by since I first began my monthly favorites blog series, and I've definitely enjoyed sharing what I've really enjoyed each month since then. This edition is full of music and dance, so it's definitely a fun post to go through if you like the arts but also includes some fashion (as always).
Almost Love - Sabrina Carpenter
This lead single for her new album has reminded me how much she's grown in her music and just as a person since I started watching her in Girl Meets World a few years ago. "Almost Love" is such a perfect summer song and just makes you want to get up and dance or at least sing along while blasting it in the car. This is like the definition of a bop.
I know I probably say this a lot, but I really mean it this time. How is it already June?! I can hardly believe it because I don't really feel like I've been out of school for over a year. Anyway, I got caught up and a bit busy last week, but I finally got around to working on my May favorites.
Steve Madden purse from Marshalls
Sometime in the past six months or so, I've realized that most of the purses I have and use often are either quite big or quite small. I don't own a lot of medium sized purses, which is a problem when I don't have a lot of stuff I want to or need to carry but it doesn't fit in my small crossbody bags. I also don't have a brown purse, so this bag solved both of those problems.
It's Steve Madden, which I love. Most of my purses are either Steve Madden or Kate Spade. It has a little pocket in the front, as you can see it the picture as well as a zipper compartment at the front. The inside is lined with hot pink fabric, which I adore, and then there's a leather divider so everything inside doesn't get jumbled around.
Youth feat. Khalid - Shawn Mendes
This song and this performance are so moving and so powerful. I love the lyrics and the message and find it so inspiring.
Smallcakes chocolate cookie cheesecake cupcake
Doesn't a chocolate cookie cheesecake cupcake just sound delicious? Well it was. This cupcake was nice and decadent with nice chocolate flavor and a touch of cheesecake. Nothing was too sweet, and the Oreos on top added a nice crunch.
This water bottle is part of Disney and Target's new collab collection, which is full of fun stuff for Disney fans of all ages. This is a smaller water bottle since it only holds 12 oz, but it's great for when I don't want to carry a lot of stuff with me. I love the mermaid Minnie graphic! It's so cute and perfect for summer. The pink and sea foamy green are an adorable color combo, and the gradient background is a nice touch. The best part of this water bottle is that it keeps my water cold since it's stainless steel.
Last month was probably the most eventful month of 2018 for me. I went to multiple sporting events, tried lots of new food, and discovered some great music. Here are the things I discovered/initially tried and really enjoyed in March:
I got this quarterzip from the GK Elite booth at the Nastia Liukin Cup meet I went to at the start of March. I originally wasn't going to buy anything from its booth but saw this and thought it was too cool to pass up. The Marvel movies are my favorite superhero movies, and I could use more activewear, so I splurged.
Full Tilt mesh inset leggings from Tillys
If you saw my Tilly's shopping haul post, then these leggings should look familiar. These are really comfy, and I love the cool mesh and faux leather inset details. I'm a sucker for leggings with mesh insets and cutouts like these.
January was a pretty chill month (literally and figuratively) as I spent most of it watching TV, reading, listening to music, eating, or job searching. That gave me a lot of time to find and try some new things that I really enjoyed, which I've listed below:
Supernova - Ansel Elgort
Actor and musician Ansel Elgort released his latest song last month, and it's so fun! It's definitely unlike anything I've heard before with the electronic beats and jazz flute combination. His voice sounds amazing and really stands out against the electronic-sounding music, creating a cool juxtaposition of sounds and vibes.
Happy New Year's Eve! To end 2017, I'm sharing my favorite things and places from December from food to clothes to music.
Superdry
I visited my first Superdry store at the start of the month and was a fan of the store right away. Superdry is a British brand with some Japanese influence and inspiration. It has such a wide variety of clothes, from sweatshirts and activewear to sweaters to dresses and polos. However, its big category is jackets and outerwear. Its merchandise is on the pricier side, but based on the quality I saw and felt when I was in the store, it seems to be worth it.
In addition, Superdry has tons of accessories like hats and backpacks. I looked at their winter accessories, and many of them were lined with soft fleece, which is such a good idea. If you can afford it and are in need of some winter accessories to keep you warm and cozy this winter, I'd definitely consider a Superdry beanie or scarf.
The store had a sale when I was there, so I took advantage of it and bought myself this hoodie. It doesn't look like it based on the picture, but it is a cropped hoodie, so it doesn't go past my waist, which I actually like. Anyway, it's super soft and warm on the inside, and I love the bold colors and graphics. The drawstring is also great quality, as its much thicker than any other sweatshirt drawstring I've seen and has metal ends that are sure to keep it together.
November wasn't too eventful of a month for me, even with Thanksgiving happening, so this monthly favorites post won't be as long as others. However, I did find and wear some new things I really enjoyed.
Although I consider myself to be a girly girl, I don't actually own that many beauty/makeup or hair products or am that into that stuff. However, I highly recommend this lip exfoliator. Whether you wear lipstick or just lip balm, it's an easy-to-use and wallet-friendly product.
You just apply it to your lips in a circular motion and then wait a bit for it to do its magic. Then you wipe it off, and any dry, chapped, and/or dead layers of your lips come off with it. Put some lip balm on top afterwards, and you're good to go! This makes your lips a clean and smooth canvas to apply lipstick. With winter coming, this is a good product to have and use regularly so your lips don't get chapped.
Before Thanksgiving comes and it doesn't even feel remotely like fall anymore, I thought it'd be good to finally get this post up. This fall has been interesting in terms of the music I've had on repeat. Some of it consists of new music that I've recently added to my iTunes and Spotify while the rest of it is music I've had for a while now and went back to for whatever reason.
To easily listen to my complete fall 2017 playlist, use the embedded playlist at the bottom of the post. Otherwise, you can listen to each song/artist individually under each subhead.
Jeremy Jordan in Smash
Last month, my sister and I watched the old NBC show Smash in its entirety during our Jeremy Jordan marathon. I was an instant fan of the songs his character Jimmy sang, especially his solos. While they are songs that are supposed to be in a Broadway musical, they have a different sound and feel to them that I enjoy. They do feel like normal songs you would hear on an artist's album. They all tell a story but it doesn't necessarily feel like they're part of an entire soundtrack telling a big story.
