Actually Surprising: 5 Unexpected Things That Gave Me Joy
Unexpected items and experiences that I enjoyed in 2022
Hello! I’m back. As 2022 draws to a close, allow me to look back at the things and experiences that I’ve immersed in this year.
To be honest, I hated this year. I felt like I returned my 2016 self, and that I’m still stuck in that “it gets worse before it gets better” phase of ADHD and depression treatment. Not to mention, the sociopolitical climate in the Philippines feels worse now—which possibly added to my mental health woes.
Anyway, for the year ahead, I don’t want to hyperfixate too much on the negative stuff anymore, since it can feel suffocating. I want to say that 2022 has some good stuff too, so here are the 5 unexpected things that gave me joy.
1. Living alone (in a part-time capacity)
My current job has led me to a bi-city life once again (I lived in Quezon City in college and spent my weekends at home)! Since August, I’ve been making regular trips between Paranaque (my hometown-slash-home city) and Pasig City. I spend 10-13 days out of every month in Pasig due to my workplace’s current hybrid set-up and stay at our extra apartment there by myself to cut back on commuting expenses.
It’s not easy to live alone, but I do enjoy the alone time that I have while I’m there. I can see a clear separation between work and home, since I get to work in an office. When I leave the office after work, I can just focus on resting, taking walks, or doing chores in my apartment. I also get to take myself out on dates more, since I live close to so many cafes and shopping centers.
What I like about living in a city like Pasig is that it strives to be a more commuter-friendly city. Compared to living in Paranaque, it’s easier for me to go around places in Ortigas, since I can walk, take an Angkas, or take the train if I want to go southbound to Makati or to north to Quezon City, just like how I used to do it in college. However, I don’t see myself completely moving out of my home in Paranaque just yet, since I still like staying in my hometown, seeing my family, supporting my friends’ businesses, and having time with Berry.
Tokyo Godfathers
My new favorite holiday movie! It reminds me a lot of Parasite, but a lot more hopeful and heartwarming. I haven’t watched the original version with Japanese audio and the older English dub yet, but I’ve read in a couple of articles that the latest dub of this film is much more respectful and human, especially towards Hana’s character. She’s actually my favorite character in the film. Watch it if you can find a copy!
Discovering my actual undertone, and switching up my approach to makeup.
For the longest time, I thought that I had a purely warm undertone for my skin. I relied on warm, peachy tones for my makeup, and stuck to base products that had yellow or orange undertones to flatter me. I was wrong. Using base products with those undertones made me feel like I looked straight out of Jersey Shore.
Yes, my skin’s undertone is still warm, but it’s actually leaning more towards the olive side. I discovered this with the help of various sources: the Olive MUA subreddit, and a visit to the MAC store at SM Makati.
As a medium, warm olive-toned girl (for reference, I am a MAC NW32 / NC37-42 in their concealer), I’ve come to realize a lot of things about my undertone: Gold and silver jewelry both look good on me (especially when mixed), I tend to look washed out without makeup, and makeup in muted tones look good on me (case in point: my perfect red lipsticks are MAC’s Powder Kiss in Marrakesh-mere, Bobbi Brown’s Crushed Lip in Cranberry, and Romand’s Blur Fudge Tint in Radwood).
Knowing my undertone has definitely shaped the way I consume makeup and clothing, and I hope it helps me curate my tastes more.Sneakers!
I was a ballet flats girl for so many years. From high school up until early 2020 pandemic, I mostly wore ballet flats to anything and everything. They’re versatile! You can wear them with dresses, jeans, skirts, whatever! Even though I’m mostly a flats girl, I liked sneakers and running shoes too. I wore my Converse Jack Purcells to trips in Guam, Taiwan, and New York, while my Nike Flex Run 2017s were reliable for long walks in Japan or Makati. The latter also had a lean and elegant silhouette that made it versatile to wear.
However, as the pandemic went on, my tastes in fashion gradually changed. I went from wanting to change my style into something that’s more accepted by my ex-bosses at a workplace that I hated (like showing up in dressy smart casual), to showing up in more comfortable pieces like sweaters, relaxed fit pants, and sneakers. At my current workplace, there’s little to no pressure to show up like your glamorous auntie with a jeweler on call. While looking like a rich aunt-slash-mom is perfectly fine, it’s something that I’m gradually shifting away from in my day-to-day fashion.
Speaking of sneakers, I acquired several pairs this year. Most of them were finds from Carousell, and they’ve held up pretty well. Some of my finds from the app include a Nike Cortez in the Forrest Gump colorway, and a pair of Nike Lunarepic Flyknit in an Oreo-like colorway. Earlier today though, I treated myself to a pair of New Balance 327s from the Grey Day collection—which I got for 40% off at Commonwealth. It also happened to be the last pair in my size!Drag Race Philippines
One of the shows that I surprisingly enjoyed this year was Drag Race Philippines. As someone who never watched the US franchise and just saw the memes, having a local version of this famous franchise meant being able to finally relate to the memes and the references that I didn’t know from the original franchise. Precious Paula Nicole’s win was well-deserved, and all the queens deserve to succeed and shine.
Also, Pop Off Ate is a bop. Both versions!
Anyway, 2022 was a bitch. I hope that 2023 and the years to come will be kinder to us. Take care, and always use your voice for good.
Until the next brain dump,
Lea