꒰ Tuesday 08.15.23 ꒱

Hello diary and diary readers...Here’s what I’ve been up to!

Summer is coming to an end. I’m in disbelief at how quickly summer break passed, and that’s the thought that’s been at the forefront of my mind. I’ve been more perceptive of the passage of time and how different it feels to me as I get older. I’ve been fixated on age, how aging feels... how weird it is to have so many memories stuffed in my brain, with more accumulating with every moment. It’s a bit unpleasant to mull over. More often than not my thoughts take me to a conclusion that scares me. But it’s also difficult to brush past these thoughts, so I hope they will eventually carry me to more pleasant revelations...

It feels as though summer passed by in a flash. I keep thinking back to my first few days back at home at the beginning of summer break, almost 4 months ago, and as I compare it to where I am presently, it feels as though only a month or so has passed. It makes me feel a bit uneasy… I remember my last summer break felt long and fun and fulfilling. I ruminated on what factors changed my perception of time in regards to this summers break. It may have been because I was very busy this summer (with summer classes), so the lack of free time I had could’ve contributed to feeling as though summer slipped by. I made it a goal to not waste any days of my break just sitting around doing nothing, as I’m often prone to doing during my breaks. I think I accomplished it. I was busy every day, but a lot of those days were entirely dedicated to doing schoolwork...it would’ve felt more fulfilling, maybe, if I had a better schedule. If I had several activities to do throughout the day, rather than dedicating the entire day to just one activity. I had a lot of days where all I did was sit at home and work on my website. It was a blast, so I don’t regret it, but it would be nice if i could disperse my activities more. Anyways! I’m going to hope summer felt like a flash because I had a lot of fun. Yknow, time flies when you’re having fun and all. And I did have a lot of fun… I’ll write a more thorough reflection on what I did this summer later, and I’ll try not to ramble as much as I did just now lol.

My best friend, figure drawing teacher, and I went to see Princess Mononoke in theaters. I first watched it when I was 3 (it scared the shit out of me) and haven’t seen it since until now! It was awesome! it was such a delight to see on the big screen.

I got a haircut for the first time in a year. It looks kinda....Weird ..... but I’ve been styling my hair in creative ways to make sure I still look presentable. I’m happy with how adept I’ve become at braiding my hair in different ways!

Today I accompanied my little cousins to their open houses at their schools. They just moved here, so I wanted to help them familiarize themselves with the schools and faculty, since I attended the same schools as a kid. Revisiting the intermediate school (5-6 grade) that I used to attend made me so nostalgic. So many memories of being a weird kid doodling anime characters in the margins of all my notebooks! Pretty much all the faculty from when I attended have left the school or retired. It’s been a decade after all...I can hardly believe it. The middle school my other younger cousin attends still has plenty of teachers from my time, though. I was surprised that many of them recognized me. It was nice catching up with them, they were happy to know that I followed my dreams and found success in art and animation. I was always doodling in class after all. My old English teacher even told me she still has my drawings from back then...As I mentioned before, contemplating the passage of time unsettles me. And lately things that make me recall my childhood have contributed to that unease. But revisiting my old schools today and catching up with my teachers left me feeling contented. The setting helped me visualize memories of my awkward younger self.. and catching up with my teachers made me realize how much I’ve blossomed. It made it easier to recognize all the progress I’ve made, and I’m proud of the person I’ve grown into.