HEARTC♡RE

Almost murdered Momo

beardie Wednesday, November 01, 2017

Ya'll, I honestly almost killed Momo around 4am last night. Or at least severely injured him.

The dumbest thing you can do, and I know this, is to sleep with them. Obviously it's recommended that they sleep in their tank. Momo is a little spoiled so he sleep in a blanket upstairs (where it's slightly warmer). He goes to sleep as soon as its dark and doesn't move during the night. I make sure to wake up at his wake up time so I can put him in his tank under his heat lamp no matter what.

Last night he fell asleep in a blanket at the corner of my bed. I should have moved him to the round chair or slept elsewhere. I was so drowsy though that I didn't really give it much thought. I just said I'll sleep as far from him as I can. One mistake was the fan was on and I didn't grab a blanket, even though I was cold. Again, super drowsy. So it's like the middle of the night. I wake up, I don't even know how or why, and I feel next to me and feel his tail. I'm like WTF. So I drowsily tell my sister that I can feel him. One thing about me is that I sleep talk. Before, I would wake up with no recollection, but now it's really vivid and in the moment I am sure of what I'm talking about. When I fully wake up I realize I am truly mumbling non sense. So my sister thinks I'm just being delusional when I tell her this. I wake up a little more and I realize I'M IN the blanket. I think I tried to touch him more and he like wakes up and does a quick run to the headboard. My sister comes too see and she is super rightfully pissed. & she puts him back to sleep.

Ya'll this means that during my sleep I PULLED the blanket from him, he is usually like in a little burrito or cave inside. So I pulled the blanket on to me, he somehow ended up sleeping RIGHT next to me for who knows how long. One turn over and I would have squashed him. If he didn't suffocate or die, he would have had some serious internal injuries. Or even when I unknowingly pulled the blanket, I'm not sure how many different ways that could have gone. Thankfully nothing happened. I was really irresponsible. Never trust a cold sleepy Melissa.

On a much better note, we finally upgraded him into a 40 gallon tank. He's not full grown, but he was outgrowing his 20 gallon. I definitely feel more at peace now that he has more space ALTHOUGH HE DOESNT EVEN MOVE. Maybe he just needs to get used to it. Once we finalize the set up and decor I will share it here. There are a few mistakes we are still making so we're really trying to resolve that in order for him to be as healthy as possible.

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Heian Era Realness

asia Friday, October 13, 2017

Hi!
I just read this short story from the Tsutsumi Chunagon Monogatari. It's a collection of short stories that were published in the late Heian period of Japan. This is right at the turn of the first millennium. The story is called "The Lady Who Loved Insects."

Here is the online link from where I read it and give the page number, but I will try to publish the excerpt here if possible. Click Here! It is page 160-167.
It is seriously a 10 minute read and it's really enjoyable. I think what I loved most about it is how the overall moral, as well as the events in the story are not that foreign. Japan in ~1000 ce is not all that different than Atlanta in 2017 (Which in the great scope of things what is 1000 years anyways, I guess for humanity it's something).

In short, there is a young noblewoman who has an interest in all types of insects and spends the majority of her time observing them, naming them, etc. As you can expect, her family, neighbors, and other members of the community find her odd and unattractive. Apart from her fascination with insects, she doesn't keep her appearance clean and to the contemporary standard of beauty. In this Heian period, the nobility are all about art, literature, poetry, beauty, and generally follow a certain aesthetic.

I really went out to look for a video to describe them more. The embedded link begins around minute eight, where he goes into the women of the era. I do recommend you start from minute one or six since it'll give you a more general idea about Heian culture.

But yeah! Some beauty norms we might find odd now are: hair as long as possible, shaved eyebrows replaced with high black smudges (hikimayo), white powder on the face (oshirio), and coloring their teeth black (ohaguro). Unfortunately it was banned in 1870 as Japan was exposed to more Western influences and it was deemed inappropriate.

Back to the story- some guy gets wind of her and as a joke writes her a poem and sends with it a toy snake he made. It was to make fun of her, but she wrote (a poem) back anyways. This poem was found by a certain Captain and he was fascinated enough that he went to look for her. At this time, women aren't really meant to be seen by men, but she was looking outside the window chatting with the boys who were picking insects for her. He watches her and decides she's not all that ugly, and would improve if she did the minimum to clean up her appearance.

His thoughts are as follow:

"She had pulled her mantle over her head, but her hair hung loose beneath it, and very lovely hair was it too, but rather untidy looking, and the captain thought it must have been a long time since she combed it. Her thick, very dark eyebrows gave her face a rather forbidding air. Her other features were by no means bad. But when she smiled her white teeth gleamed and flashed in a manner that rather disgusted him, for there was something wild and barbaric about it."

Isn't it amazing how beauty varies across time and cultures?

The story ends here, and although it says it will be continued in chapter two, there is no chapter two 😖.
But again, throughout the story although her parents accept her they let her know she will never be liked. Likewise, her servants are appalled and pity her for being the way she is. Her response to the remarks-

"And she (the maid) went on for some time lamenting over the girl's deplorable oddity. At last the insect-lover could bear it no longer and said, "If you looked a little more below the surface of things you would not mind so much what other people thought about you. The world in which we live has no reality, it is a mirage, a dream. Suppose someone is offended by what we do or, for the matter of that, is pleased by it, does his opinion make any difference to us in the end? Before long both he and we shall no longer even appear to exist." Several of the younger servants had by now fathered round. They found her argument hard to answer, but secretly felt that this was a very dismal view of life."

I guess it is a slightly depressing view of life (the end), but isn't life depressing?
Just kidding

Nonetheless, I found it like -wow- we are still saying this and will probably all say this. If a girl in medieval Japan can do it, surely can I. Then I thought this is the original modern woman. BUT, I'm sure that from the dawn of civilization there have been people rejecting society's expectations. Let's keep the train going- choo choo.

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Another Year: 23

mbirthday Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Hi.

It is 1AM and I must be up by 8AM (are you jealous of my wake up time?). I am having a terrible time trying to sleep, my heart is keeping me up 🌺.

I ate a spicy dinner and seriously for the first time in a long time, or ever, I can feel it burning my stomach.
It is time to change the age in my About Me. I am 23 as of Thursday October 5th, 2017. I think it is necessary to write about my birthday since I will look for this post in two or three years time. I had quite an eventful five day birthday- spent with all the people close to my heart. I don't know how to feel exactly about turning another year older. 23 is an awkward number, don't you think?

I will type out my birthday events for the sake of memory in writing:
1. birthday eve eve- home surprise with . . . thai tea and gourmet donuts
2. birthday eve- udon and . . . taro tea and a fruit tarte
3. birthday- class and mediterranean dinner and desert with my family
4. birthday weekend- south florida: room service and redd's.

Hm. . . 23. yikes. let's see, as of now i am obsessed with photo filters and my own versions of peachy unattainable looks. I like to responsibly drink on my own and eat shin ramyun noodles. I completed my pressing KPOP collection. I am currently looking for "real" work. I'm seriously into cutesy stuff and need to get my hands on a big rilakumma. My credit card balance keeps me up at night, worst part being it's relatively not that bad. My dragon momo is growing bigger by the day and I think I could care for him better. I have my three confidants, all of which I have never felt closer too. I feel guilty for not completing my goals (which you can see to the right if you please). Many of my past posts- especially my earlier ones- are no longer relevant to my current beliefs, but I won't delete them even though they don't represent me now. I can't eat as much as I used to which is quite a shame. My car is falling apart. I'm scared to sleep in public because I'm a snorer. I'm not responsible enough to eliminate the need to sleep in public. Sometimes I wonder if realists have it all figured out. As of now there's nothing more I love to eat than sashimi with a healthy amount of wasabi and soy sauce. I stan Monsta X and bias Yoo Kihyun. I have two phones. 5 years later I still need to lose like 50 pounds. I flew with a final domestic destination for the first time this weekend. & lastly, I am slowly losing my decency, enough that my internal monologue/voice has changed. Luckily, the rate is decelerating so I might be able to pick it back up before I hit rock bottom 🌝.

Let's see if I can keep it together until next year. 🍑

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KPOP TALK #4: BTS & EXO- Sales

bts Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Hear me out! I am not trying to start a fan war- the infamous Army vs Exo-L.

I am going to OBJECTIVELY compare Hanteo sales with statistics as reported by Soompi. I believe the numbers are accurate since they have their own sources from official Korean sites, but let me know if you have conflicting numbers.

It is ultimately BTS vs EXO, not because controversy is well. . . controversy, but because they are the two boy groups topping the charts and breaking records in our current generation, going head to head.

EXO broke sale records only earlier this summer with their 4th album- The War. The previous record was also held by none other than. . . EXO! done so with their 2016 3rd Album- Ex'act. As Soompi reports, they have sold over a million copies of their last three albums, possibly with this one too. Making them champion contenders that have undoubtedly earned their spot as legends.

Here are some numbers. As can be found on Soompi, here(EXO preorders), here(EXO 1Week), and here(BTS all sales).
*presales are purchases by store distributors

Ex'act Presale: 660,180 physical sales
Ex'act First Week: 522,300 physical sales

The War Presale: 807,325 physical sales
The War First week: 600,000 physical sales
#1 on itunes in 36 countries

With BTS' release of Love Yourself : Her, they have surpassed these records and with astonishing numbers.

Love Yourself Presale: 1,120,000 physical sales
Love Yourself First Week: 759,263 physical sales
#1 on itunes in 73 countries
& as I mentioned in my previous KPOP talk, their Love Yourself single, DNA, is ranked at 11 for most watched music video in 24hrs (knocked Taylor Swift off that spot).

It amazes me how these groups just keep beating each others records, with the hard work of their fandom of course. (ex. Blackpink beat BTS for highest watched kpop m/v in 24hrs in June only to be beaten again by DNA by almost double).
How far will the numbers go? Is it only up from here? They (BTS, EXO, TWICE, BP etc) are setting the bar so high. While it's a good thing, especially as a proud fan, I wonder what happens if at one point they're unable to reach those impressive records- will it be automatically seen as a failure? and will smaller groups feel inadequate although they are still successful in their own right? On the other hand international success of powerhouses like EXO and BTS give other smaller groups more exposure and thus more potential for success, and I say this as a Monbebe 💕.

I also think it is fair to ask if BTS will be able to prove themselves as a consistent force in the coming years the way EXO has. Though they debuted in 2013, two years after EXO, they are still fairly new to this level of success.

For now, the numbers don't lie, their popularity is undeniable, and I think they have passed the grey area of the one hit/one year wonder. Not only that, the very pioneers of the KPOP/Korean music industry have noticed and advised BTS to take the bull by the horns. The future is bright and it doesn't look like Armys will leave their side anytime soon.

I am looking forward to BTS' journey to the top, as well as EXO's knack for innovation in the industry.
Melissa 🐝

*Spanish coming soon?*

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KPOP Talk #3: BTS Comeback

bts Friday, September 22, 2017

Would I call myself an Army? When you live with an Army it's a little hard to do that. I love BTS, but I wouldn't call myself one. . . well not until a couple days ago. The turning point? Release of their latest comeback: Love Yourself: Her. The album is so good ya'll!! I was totally blown away. I'm not a stranger to all things Bangtan, but this comeback made a much bigger space in my heart. (Jin was SHINING 🌟)

Their title track m/v, DNA, accumulated a total of 22.9 million views in 24hrs. Making it the 11th highest watched MV in 24hrs. It's amazing, they broke that record in the KPOP realm only earlier this year, but with a third of the views. Well deserved! I was streaming myself. Seriously, ALL DAY. I even had a cramp on my hand at bedtime. In the bathroom and in silence I would hear the whistle tune, it was wild and a little discomforting haha.

They had a comeback show yesterday and it was amazingly done. They went back to their roots, their audition and debut experiences. Their first win and string of impressive accomplishments in the last year. It was recorded in their dorms and studios, so it was a very intimate and personal experience. Very thankful that they've shared that with us. It was a tear jerker.

I have only listened religiously to five out of the eight song tracks.

Intro: Serendipity: ah, the Jimin solo song we all needed. I've linked it in my last post. One word: Angel.

MIC DROP: a shout out the haters. In an industry where three entertainment companies dominate the scene, debuting from a small, relatively unknown company can be more than tough. In this track they expressed their emotions on being underestimated and treated unfairly. I loved the lyrics. And although its totally a diss, it's a peaceful one. As rapmon said in their comeback show, the anger and resentment is gone so it's just like "i'm good- you (the haters) do you boo."

Pied Piper: boy, an Army diss track as they say. Haha. I'll let you read the lyrics yourself:

"Stop
Now stop watching and study for your test
Your parents and director hate me
Video clips, pictures, tweets
V app, Bon Voyage
I know, you can’t help what you like
But stop, interpret the music video later
You have so many pictures of me in your room anyway
It’s not just one hour, it’s a whole year that’ll disappear
So this song is an award I’m giving to you
Good

Maybe I’m a bit dangerous
Like the pied piper
I’m testing you
Like the fruit from the tree of good and evil

My pipe awakens everything
That sound burns you up even more
You’re pulled by it, you react
I’m endlessly blowing
I’m your guilty pleasure
You can’t escape
Never

Follow the sound of the pipe, follow this song
It’s a bit dangerous but I’m so sweet
I’m here to save you, I’m here to ruin you
You called me, see? I’m so sweet"

This is like #the anthem, not to mention the melody is addicitng. They know what's up.

Go Go: Ah, for me this is the best song out of the album (although Mic Drop is my favorite, don't know how that works either).

It's all about spending that 💰 and having no regrets. But honestly, I think it might be a bit of satire on that mentality. Regardless, their comeback show performance for it was sooo lit. The outfits were on point. The dance. . . . THE DANCE. They did the infamous backpack boy dance, and if you blinked then you missed another iconic dance. The white people rocking it out (min 2:59). (read: Goth Underpass Rave).

Now on the physical album release. . . 1. It is a beautiful album. Could they have done a little more? I think so. I wasn't disappointed, but I feel like they missed a good chance to make it impressive, especially given the size of the current fandom. Their are four versions, L, O, V, & E. My sister has preordered all four and they are waiting for us at the KPOP store. I am still contemplating whether or not I should get my own copy. I've still to purchase Jung Sewoon so it might have to wait. I watched a couple unboxings and there is this one Jin photocard, so cute I need it!

I really wasn't going to post the photo, but I couldn't help it.

Hate them or love them, you can't deny this is BTS' era. I won't speak on their domestic trends, but their international influence, popularity, and stats are unmatchable. Cheers!
EDIT: my phone alerted me today that not only did they hit the Billboard 200, but were ranked 85 on the Billboard Hot 100! Congrats BTS, another goal achieved. "Team work makes the dream work" - Namjoon
Melissa 🐝

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HEARTC♡RE

Almost murdered Momo

Heian Era Realness

Another Year: 23

KPOP TALK #4: BTS & EXO- Sales

KPOP Talk #3: BTS Comeback

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