June Heat: Words, Strawberry Milk, and “Memoir of a Murderer”
I am writing this all down in the midst of drilling sounds and after finishing reading “Standing Firmly at 24” by Zhang Yixing/Lay Zhang of EXO. It’s been a weekend of waking up earlier than usual and running errands, but also of unwinding and finding more time doing what I love. The little things surprise me and I am grateful for it.
Consuming Words, Lessons Learned
“The day of the summer solstice, the longest day, the shortest night. Cicadas that have been restless all summer will never know the changes in temperature, only because they have completely released all the brightness they can with their lives, during the most magnificent days of summer.
In the midst of the hubbub, the final delusional dream will remain the shortest of nights. People run out of time to dream, with only enough time to lose themselves in that precious and magnificent sound.”
I have made it a habit to read something everyday, be it a book or an article. In my habit tracker, I call it “brain grain.” The past few days, I have been reading this book, “Standing Firmly At 24”, written by Zhang Yixing. He is also known as Lay from the popular kpop group, EXO. The book is a memoir, letting me glimpse tidbits of his life from childhood to being an idol trainee to debuting with EXO to establishing his own company. I didn’t know what I was expecting when I started reading it, but I was glad I did. The tone of the book was pensive but also humorous at some places. I was always curious about what it was like to be a kpop idol trainee (especially the business side). Lay’s insights and recounting of his days as one gave me more idea on what actually goes on. They start out so young and work their asses off. The passion, dedication, and hard work are truly commendable and inspiring. Lay talked about working hard to achieve his dreams and that talent isn’t the main thing to get you results. It’s hard work and more hard work.
Someone asked me what color was those two years of living in Korea? I thought about it for a long time. There was no color. I don’t know what color hard work is.
It’s a short book (91 pages) but packed with such meaningful insights. I love how it managed to be sentimental yet fun to read. I also love how each chapter was named and written with accompanying texts that are metaphors for whatever he is talking about during that chapter. It conjures such beautiful, even wistful, mental images. Huge, huge applause to Lay Zhang and his team of editors and publishers. I would’ve enjoyed this book even if I wasn’t a fan. It’s definitely worth it reading this short book. This is something I see myself re-reading again and again.
The week that was saw me at a Korean/Japanese grocery store and when I saw that they had Binggrae strawberry milk, I immediately bought a handful. I thought the banana milk was already awesome, but ever since I had the strawberry one there was no going back. 😆 And then when we went to another grocery store that same week, I saw that the drink was on sale. ON SALE. You know the drill by now: Buy some more strawberry milk like it wouldn’t exist tomorrow.
I’ve been going at it slowly, though. My sister reminded me of its sugar content. There are days, however, when I can’t help but drink two or three cartons in one day. Such great stuff is just too good to drink only once a day. 😅
“Memoir of a Murderer”: A showdown between two serial killers
I am all caught up on my kdramas and this movie, “Memoir of a Murderer” have been in my watch list forever. I decided to watch it and oh wow. It was SO GOOD. Add one fragility to a serial killer, let the story revolve around it, and you’ve got a cat and mouse game between two serial killers. This movie was done brilliantly! It tells the story of Byeong Soo, an aging man who was a serial killer back during his younger years. Now suffering from Alzheimer’s, he crosses paths with a serial killer, who also happens to be his daughter’s boyfriend, Min Tae Joo. In order to protect his daughter, Byeong Soo goes after Tae Joo. This whole serial killer going after another serial killer storyline was interesting. I was also on the edge of my seat while watching, wanting to know if Tae Joo really was the serial killer Byeong Soo claim him to be or if the old man is suffering from his disease. It was an awesome watch and the ending was *chef’s kiss*.
The weekend in image:
The weekend is about to end and we’re off to start another brand new work week. How do you feel about that? 😆 I find that the older I get, the quicker time passes. Days mostly are a blur. Its speed frightens me sometimes, but I know that this feeling is subjective. Time neither slows nor quickens for anyone. It’s all about perception. Whether you find the days passing by slowly or swiftly, I hope you are all doing well. And if life isn’t exactly rainbows and unicorns, I hope you still find the strength and courage to get up each day and face whatever waits. As they say in kdramas, “Hwaiting!” 💪🏼
