Life Update: February 2024

It's finally starting to rain since December. The last quarter of 2023 felt like hellfire simulation. Also, January doesn't count, it feels like free trial of 2024.

Decluttering, again

Due to holiday spirit, perhaps? Decluttering is part of my monthly routine. Last month I managed to re-count and re-assess things I own, organized my notes (both digital and physical, YouTube watch later, to-read list (books, comics, articles). I think I got better with sunk cost fallacy in terms of consuming contents, I can let go of many contents that doesn't serve my curiosity or entertaining.

Happiness in the smallest things

And I thought I'm emotionally complex, duh 🙄 

• Figured out that the music genre I can accept the most is called Sunshine Pop, thanks to Spotify Wrapped 2023 (not that anyone care). I used to describe it as "cheerful music, sad lyrics" songs to my friends 😂
  
• Used up a notebook. Been using it since June 2023 and I managed to fill it up down to the last sheet.
  
• Used up a journal. This one contains personal stories for the last 10 years of my life. First entry: 2 July 2023. Last entry: 13 November 2023. I was moved when I got to write the first entry in a brand new journal.
• Got my first Legendary items in Eatventure game after playing like a month. Honestly this sure feels like an achievement. This is the second game I play and kept on Android (after Spider Solitaire) because it reminds me of the enjoyment of old GameHouse like Pizza Frenzy and Insaniquarium. You don't really have to spend money to make progress. Even the ads are there to support your game progress so it doesn't feel interrupting because you got to decide to watch the ads. I'm in City 15. The global first-ranked is in City 5707. Crazy. And the community is amazing, they managed to craft such elaborated game Handbook. No I don't get paid to endorse this game, I just like it.
  
• Finished the Cherrypicks (blogroll) page. I've been wanting to showcase websites and articles I like and enjoyed reading. Inspired by Mark Baer.
• Finished shifting my comic reading list from handwritten to Anime-Planet for easier tracking. My current finished-reading list is 613 via official version + via 655 fan-translations (you know what I mean). I felt emotional to part with this particular handwritten reading tracker that I've been using 2009 - 2023:

 

I've been Slam Dunk fan since I was in middle school.

I even wrote down my favorite character in each comic 😳

Orange and green highlights = I like it, recommended. If you need recommendation on seinen, josei, and BL, ask me anything.

People come and go, people got hurt, people deceive, people love

• The presidential election campaigns are starting to get more polarized. It's unnerving to think there are people who can go to sleep at night after deceiving, spreading hate and fake news, bending the laws, empty campaign promises.
  
• One war isn't over, another war is boiling, children getting killed, losing families, losing friends. It's devastating. It's dissociating.
• A friend went abroad to pursue master degree for two years 👋
  
• A friend freed from previous isolated and toxic work environment, welcomed new career journey in the capital city, closer with friends than ever 🍾
  
• A friend scored promotion.
• A friend received their second bachelor degree and have a new date 🫶
• Two friends got married to each other.
• Another two friends got engaged to each other.

Adulting much?

The jobhunting field is like a warfare 🏹

I'm surviving through freelance works, though dang it, ain't the current job market tougher than ever. Thanks to this I've never been more updated on the jobseeking topic:

• That the number of educated but unemployed are increasing, more supplies than demands?
• The stigma
• An opinion
  
• In Indonesia
  
• That internship seems to be the new entry-level?
• That ageism is real and incredibly harmful. Freshgrads with zero experience is not preferred; but 40, 50, 60somethings with 20+ years experiences, all healthy and willing to work are also being avoided. Recruiters and companies that still do this need to watch The Intern then interview their own empathy.
  

On comics

As always, all hail Giant Killing

It's volume 60! Even though the story progressed in a positive note, I'm starting to worry of the shadowing issue on Tatsumi leaving ETU after they won the championship. Please don't leave so soon :(

My new hype

ST✰R: Strike it Rich. Never thought I'd see the day when a mangaka doesn't hold back on drawing violent girls vs girls, where they don't look unnecessarily flawless in fighting scenes even after getting punched. Set in the same universe with Kengan series—crossover please! Need more like this.

Killer Vamp. To say I'm hooked is an understatement. MC goes weak-to-strong with baptism by fire. It's a different take on vampire trope, gets better as it progress. Domino Sutherland best queen.

Finished my first manhua webtoon Unable to Confess to Chang Le. I thought it was a light-hearted romcom, but it builds up for deeper feelings and personality complex later on. Really good.

Akemi Yoshimura-sensei resigned

As much as I feel touched to read her resignation message, I was also saddened. Just The Two of Us is her last work. Volume 4 was published on 2017 in Japan, released on November 2023 in Indonesia and it contains Yoshimura-sensei's personal farewell (in Bahasa Indonesia):

 

She's been fighting an illness for years, and decided to resign on her 40th years career anniversary.

Personal collection of Yoshimura-sensei's works, Indonesian release. On frame: Beyond the Sea (1-10), For the Rose (1-9), Just the Two of Us (1-4)

Thank you for the positive influence of your works to my youth, Yoshimura-sensei. One of the best josei mangaka ever. I've been collecting her works since college. There's no reprints so I gotta hunt from ex-rental comics.

Failed 2023 reading challenge. Starting a new one 📚

I've read tons of manga like gulping water, but my book reading target (12 books) was a definite. It's weird. I used to be able finishing 150-page books in one-sitting. It's hard to see myself losing this reading ability, I need fresh start. I've finished I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokpokki 2 in January, now I'm picking up Focus.