hiraeth, n.

here's my smaller-than-expected craftfest haul~ ദ്ദി๑>؂•̀๑) not that many items, but the total cost of everything might give someone goosebumps.

earthy button bracelet from @/??? - i left it on my wrist after trying it on so i didn't get the artist's info oof. ꒰ 𖦹 ·̫ 𖦹 ꒱ very cute rustic vibes!! i feel like it'll be quite nice to wear this on a tropical vacation. (the creator said it's supposed to fit snug, but it's quite loose on my wrists so i was lowkey scared that it'll slide off?? it stayed on throughout the entire event though, so that's a relief!)

shiopan beaded bracelet from @/julieonthebead - missed this during mercury fest. had to get it bc it's my namesake heheh.

cat sando beaded necklace from @/gim_neko - uMMm so i wanted to get a beaded necklace to match the bracelet..... and i came upon this one?? the little legs.... and the strawberries and cream pattern along the side...... too cute to pass?? it was the last piece too. another boother actually complimented me on it~ (yes i put on all the accessories i bought immediately LOL)

cereal eau de parfum from @/apricotandco - THEY ACTUALLY REPLICATED THE SMELL OF FROOT LOOPS??? what is this sorcery??? i don't need more fragrances but this was such an interesting find. (also if you like coffee/cafe scents, their "iced latte" scent is pretty accurate!!)

"touch grass" and "sweet tooth" sticker rolls from @/hueyos

sheep mug and socks from @/mehmehillus - MEEP MERCH!! my bank account is lucky i didn't buy out the booth. can't wait to drink my soy milk with the mug omg.

pokemon prints from @/mirainoko__ - i saw their art online and i had to get the breakfast print with maus....

froggy socks and print from @/byjolyn - sponsored by koko!! love me some relatable workplace/money memes.

wooper WAAAHH sticker from @/arubaita - went back for this one towards the end of the event. i really like their wooden charm of the exact same design but i can't justify buying that many keychains.

red bean butter toast magnet from @/wheatolabbb - bit on the pricey side ($25 help) but the details are amazing.

little clay pancake charms from @/pancakewitha_face - friendly boother who encouraged me to try clay art~ i thought the duck pancake with a little strawberry on its head charm would be perfect for christmas?? maybe it's the colours.

also not pictured but koko got me one of the smiski keychain series 4 blind gachaball aND WE GOT THE SECRET (TWIN ANGELS)!! shocked bc i know the staff at the store will choose the gachaballs for all customers, which means no trying to weigh the balls in your hands?? amazing luck~ now i own 2 secret smiskis yey~

⋆⸜ ℍ𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕪 𝔹𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕙𝕕𝕒𝕪 to me!! ⸝⋆

reached another milestone yey~ felt like any regular day though. because of a new project, i even had to work overtime on my actual birthday oof.

got a cosy weekend vacation and the switch 2 from koko!! now i can finally play pokopia aaAAAA nO MORE FOMO!!

went to public garden last weekend with luwi!! ꒰ ^. .^ ꒱ it's been a while since i did a haul post~

sticker sheet and bread octopus (!!! this aesthetic is my weakness fr) charm keychain from @/saintgrocery

avo and rat socks from @/avocag0h

lobster embroidery tag from @/rissaartt

maushold and espurr pins, and freebie stickers from @/o.mj_studio

maushold pin and freebie ditto card from @/nandecolle

not pictured but i got a rly cute cap from @/h7ddns

lots of stickers from @/apricotmayor

bonus: la tendo had a complete boxset of the frieren nendoroid surprises (blinds)!!! and i couldn't resist. we might have spent quite some time trying to weigh the boxes in our hands, but the effort was worth it!!! got himmel first (luwi's pick), then went back and pulled frieren (my pick using ✨logic and reasoning✨) yey~

awww coopa is celebrating chi day with chi!! they're so cute eughh. ｡( இ‸இﾟ+)ﾟ｡ i feel so maternal towards my chi mii euGHHHh my babeyyy!! that little 'phooo!' had me squealing bc it seemed like a sound effect chi would make. i love that little chi figure on the cake too.......

HAPPY 18TH CHI DAY!! ˚♡·˚₊˚ˑ (ෆ`꒳´ෆ)

my baby has finally reached adulthood waaaah!!! º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º he can now partake in the alcohol parties with me.......... we'll drink responsibly, of course.

this year's birthday 'cake' is a banana cream pie from wheathead bakery!! i know it looks kinda melty?? in the photos (tbh i wasn't sure if i should put it in the fridge or freezer), but it still tasted just as good!!

bonus:

when the clock struck midnight, a green helmet spawned on chi's head, and the national anthem that could be heard faintly from a distance seemed to be getting closer....

MY GREMLIN SON KING HORSE SMALL LUCK IS FINALLY HOME!! (ෆ`꒳´ෆ) super pleased with how his nendo turned out!! it perfectly captured his adorable lil shit energy heheh~ i absolutely adore his excited faceplate....... so cute ughhh (clutches chest). on that note, i'm so glad gsc chose his cuter expressions from the game and not the horrifying, nightmare fuel ones LMAO. i love ouma, but i don't know if i want a cursed item sitting in my room.

my only gripe is that he didn't come with any other accessories?? give my boi his panta grape!! his iconic ultimate supreme leader pose just doesn't feel the same without it. (ᯣ_ᯣ) grrr i don't wanna support gsc's cost-cutting schemes and let them get away with the bare minimum bUT I'M ALSO A SIMP??? help.

anyways, 67676767.

BALI DAY 5: BEACH, ACAI, AND GOING HOME 🌊

last trip to the beach before we check out!! felt so calming to be watching the waves roll onto the shore. let my guard down for a bit to take pictures and the next thing i knew, a strong wave hit me right at the hips, drenching my shorts (the very pair that i was planning to wear for the rest of the day!!) and the lower part of my jacket. 🤡 tried to dry myself off as much as i could with the hairdryer when we were back at the hotel, but i was still pretty soggy........ (spoiler: keeping the wet clothes on gave me a fever lmaooo)

brunch at kynd cafe was something i looked forward to the entire trip HAHAH. since it was the last day of our trip, we decided to yolo and get the raw acai bowls and iced drinks!! sooo good and refreshing. got the baked eggs to share with rin2. don't be deceived by the portion sizes!! the meal was very filling!!

dropped by 32do cafe for a quick coffee run before heading to the airport~

BALI DAY 4.1: MT. BATUR HIKE 🌳🥾🌳

aka the craziest touch grass session i've ever been to???

you might be wondering how i, a very unfit screen shrimp, ended up in this situation. on my supposedly chill vacation. honestly??? i don't even know. 🤡 the only thing that matters now is that i survived it and unlocked an achievement that i never would've thought i'd unlock.

tbh the hike was more of a test of my mental fortitude rather than physical abilities. my stamina was surprisingly ok?? we did take regular breaks along the way, but it wasn't super exhausting in a physical sense. i was just very mentally drained from trying to find The Right Path in complete darkness with just a torchlight and realising that That Path was a shitty one with a slight chance of ankle twists or death but there was no other (better) way available. my brain was cycling through the seven stages of grief at every step. (īī ^ īī) i also dreaded the idea of having to go through the same exact path on the way down....... how do the mountain goats do this..........

at some point, i just wanted to quit. but the idea of waiting on some random rocks in the darkness all by myself dissuaded me pretty quickly......... we didn't even know how much farther we had to go to reach the top (our guide was gaslighting us all the way up so i didn't trust him with our progress anymore), so i might be waiting a long time if i had decided to abandon the quest.......

the way down was eVEN MORE HORRIFYING!! i had some (unfounded) hopes that we'd take a different route down but nOPE!!! it was the same steep af path!!!! and to make matters worse, my left knee left the chatroom (prob didn't climb properly or something?? felt a sHARP pain when i put my weight on that knee :/ going downhill with an injury was not fun). luckily, our guide was nice enough to let me use his arm as a walking stick all the way down (had to decline the p2w motorbike ride down bc I THINK THAT'S SCARIER.......).

i don't think any of us could avoid the canon event of slipping on loose rocks and volcanic sand, and landing on our butts during the descent. protip: don't fight the fall!! just try to sit down if you feel that your footing is unstable.

chi made it to the summit with me!! took him out so he can see the view (risky move i know) ↓↓↓

you can actually see the difference in the way i hold chi lmao.............. regular soft babey grip vs. WRINKLY CHIN DEATH GRIP OF STEEL!!!

ok i know i complained a lot here, but this experience will definitely be an unforgettable core memory for me. ( ͡ᵔ ◟ ͡ᵔ )

(extra thoughts and details under the cut!!)

BALI DAY 3: YOGA, (MORE) CAFES, AND THE MARKET 🧺

joga yoga

is it just me or is yoga more challenging compared to pilates?? (´ཀ` ) at some point, the move sequences got more complicated and faster, and i couldn't keep up anymore....... prob looked like i was flailing around like a fish out of water even though the instructor didn't say anything LOL. the doggo there was cute though.

milk & madu cafe

wanted to eat everything on the menu bc i love breakfast foods!! but my stomach can only fit so much.........

la brisa sunday market

it was a lot more crowded than i'd expected?? there were quite a number of nice things, but nothing in particular caught my eye. did cop a cute cropped tee featuring dancing bunnies in a circle though~

blacklist coffee roasters

absolutely had to take a break after touring the market, bc i was so tired from the crowd and the heat. a nice cold drink was a much-needed treat!!

i think i might've been inflicted with a heat exhaustion (and/or dehydration) debuff or something, bc i was feeling very lightheaded and ill after visiting the market. it later developed into my usual nausea attack in the evening, and i couldn't keep my dinner (a very simple rice and chicken soup) down.......... big oof. i felt better after reverse snacking though. still sad that i couldn't have more of the martabak!!! ｡( இ‸இﾟ+)ﾟ｡ i love minjiangkueh so that was very much right up my alley......... the pancake was so fat too.......

BALI DAY 2: PILATES, CAFE, WELLNESS CLUB, NIGHTCLUB 🍹

luna & sol pilates

first exercise class of this trip, and i enjoyed it!! very beginner-friendly imo. the studio was really nice too.

copenhagen cafe

had brunch at this super aesthetic cafe with a fun DIY breakfast concept!! they had a very impressive selection of breakfast-y foods to choose from. i got the 3-piece set meal with a banana bread, an acai bowl, and smoked salmon with herb cream cheese. everything was delicious. ლ(´ڡ`ლ) tried some of alfur's sauteed mushrooms too. the savoury, somewhat homely flavour was very addictive~

omni wellness club

EDIT LATER

shishi nightclub

we were initially quite hyped to try out this all-you-can-eat izakaya place, but after reading a number of google reviews claiming to have gotten food poisoning from eating the raw food there, we got kinda scared, and pretty much avoided anything uncooked (rip sashimi dreams). (´ཀ` ) didn't even give the iced water a chance (except alfur bc she forgot LOL). the food was not bad tbh!! i was trying as many dishes as i could, so i was very full by the end of the meal. ( ˙罒˙ )

my alcohol of choice was pretty good too, but no one else had the same sentiments about their own drinks oof.

oH and apparently, this bar has a dress code (according to the reviews)?? we didn't know before we paid the deposit for the reservation...... so none of us packed for it...... somehow,, we still survived against the outfit police phew. would've rly sucked if we got turned away at the door just because our fits didn't match their vibes.

bonus: we brought matching chiikawa/nagano charas pjs for the trip!!

BALI DAY 1: FLIGHT, BEACH CLUB 🏝️

yey another short tropical getaway!! ꒰◍ ´꒳` ◍꒱

don't know what happened to the let's-not-get-iced-drinks-to-minimise-food-poisoning plan bc the moment we landed in bali, we ordered bbt to our hotel LMAO. ٩(の̀ᴗの́)و nothing happened to us and the bbt was good!!

dinner at naughty nuri's!! the prawn skewers were so smokey and juicy omg. my lychee drink was super sweet though.

ended the day with alcohols and calamari at potato head~ the tiki drink that i ordered there was the strongest one out of all the other drinks i had in bali. (ᴗ ᵔ _ ᵔ) enough to knock me out soundly for the first night HAHAH.

we stayed at mokko suites batubelig for our 5D4N trip, and it was so big and spacious!! i like the overall layout of the hotel too. it seemed like all the rooms would get a view of the outdoor swimming pool. our room was on the ground floor, right at the corner, and i was a bit worried about security at first bc the entry curtains couldn't be fully shut, but it was alright. didn't see any sus strangers trying to peek in or anything like that.

i also really like it when hotels allow food deliveries!! it's so convenient when we're too lazy/tired to go out for a meal. ꒰ ᵔ ་།་ ᵔ ꒱

goodbye kindle!!! (´꒦꒳꒦`) it's been a good two?? years since i've had it, and it's finally returning back to its owner. ngl having an e-reader rekindled (pun intended heeho) my passion for reading. the e-ink screen really does help to reduce eye strain, and the portable size makes it so easy to bring around. perfect for offline reading in cafes or on my daily commute to work (bc sometimes my data just doesn't work on the mrt).

didn't know i'd have to say goodbye so soon!! i know i just got my kobo for christmas last year so i'm not gonna be missing out on much, but still!! it's a matter of sentimentality. (இ‸இﾟ)ﾟ

still can't believe that aniplus decided to do a themed collab cafe of one of my fav games??? finally, some good food!!! ヽ(愛´∀｀愛)ノ

it's my first time checking out their new location since they moved, and it definitely looks a lot more spacious. the lighting inside is pretty good for photos too. i rly like the mirror wall with the combat UI!! a great idea for solo visitors!!

i reserved a 7:15 pm slot in advance bc i was afraid that it'd be packed on a friday evening, and i felt like going for their last slot might mean more leeway for staying overtime....... lowkey ptsd from being rushed to finish my meal to make way for the next slot LOL. to our surprise, there were so many vacant tables when we reached at around 6.40 pm, and the staff even let us get a table (can choose!!) before our designated timeslot?? nice!! the akechi table was taken, so we picked the futaba table in the corner next to the big glass windows with the scenic view~

we tried:

cafe leblanc's curry rice 🍛

it had beef!! i tried a bit of the curry and it was nice, in a normal way. i'd order it if they could do a version without the beef.

futaba's yakisoba 🍜

this was basically just ee-fu (伊麵) noodles with yakisoba ingredients i.e., chicken chunks (donated to koko), carrots, cabbage, mushroom, pickled ginger, seaweed, and bonito flakes LMAO. tasted nothing like yakisoba, but the wokhei flavour was not bad (biased bc i love ee-fu noodles.......)

crow's genius detective toast 🥞

DESSERT!!! might be the best one so far?? can't go wrong with peanut butter toast topped with vanilla ice cream, biscoff crumbs, and banana slices. i wasn't sure if i could do a dessert after mains, but i think they shrank down the portion sizes of the mains bc dessert was totally doable. ☆ (๑´༥`๑)

the palace for everyone's hearts 🖤

a hibiscus pomegranate margarita mocktail. not sure if you're meant to stir it or what, but i enjoyed the tart pomegranate juice at the bottom. the top layer was a grass jelly drink, which i'm meh about. :/// kinda difficult to slurp up the jelly noodles with the thin straw though.

justice served ❤️

black sugar milk tea with strawberry, but koko said it just tasted like strawberry milk?? i guess it's not that sweet??

╭︵‿୨✧₊⊹☆⊹₊✧୧‿︵╮

we did not win the freebie rng bc i got ZERO akechi. not even with my cafe exclusive merch preorder (what do u mean i had to spend $30 to get one rANDOM postcard 🥀). was i crying on the inside? maybe. ｡(இ‸இﾟ+)ﾟ｡ i guess,,, the only akechi i'd be getting is the acrylic stand that i preordered....... (inhales copium)

strange that the p5r collab has been running for a week already, but most of their merch weren't available in the store?? well, that just means that i'll have to go back to collect my stuff and go for another round of menu freebie rng. ᕕ( ⊙ ⊙ )ᕗ

this is my updated weekly bossing run video for 2025!! ( ੭ ˙ᗜ˙ )੭ kinda cheated a little bc i really wanted to include an easy will solo but i only started learning the mechanics (they were absolutely disgusting) in the last few days of dec?? so yeah. that's why i'm only uploading this now in 2026 LMAO.

journeyed to lentor (?? never been there before) to try this newly opened pasta place (nolita by omote) with alfur, luwi, and shoron!! （๑ ᷇ 𖥦 ᷆๑) i was rly looking forward to the rosé lobster pasta bc it looked so good in the videos i've seen?? but oof,, it was too spicy...... even though i asked for a lower spice level....... i could only taste pain.

the octopus fritti with white truffle cream was addictive though!! would recommend it!!

had a belated christmas/year-end lunch at fico @ east coast park with my lunch buddies yesterday!! (๑ᵔ⌔ᵔ๑) my bank account surely isn't happy with the way i've been treating myself this month (mostly food), but ah wells!! that's a problem for tomorrow's me!! let's end this year with a delicious italian feast~

we ordered the seasonal lobster pasta (it was $98 for one serving...... bruh), the charcoal grilled octopus, and the eggplant parmigiana to share. my colleagues rly liked the lobster pasta, but i felt like the sauce wasn't tomato-y enough for me?? ꒰๑ ᷄ω ᷅꒱ the mild tartness of the eggplant parmigiana was more appetising imo. aND THE OCTOPUS?? super good. especially with the green sauce (idk what it was) and the yellow mustard!! it would definitely appear in my hunger dreams.

for dessert, we uhhh raided the restaurant's dessert cart. for real. partly bc J said the desserts would be his treat LMAO. my personal favs would be the lemon tart, and the panettone?? but you can't rly go wrong with sweet treats.