Photolog 2020: Day 46 of 366

First BTS birthday of the year!


Met up with Ying this morning to head down to Cafe Bora for the J-Hope global birthday cafe event! Got a matcha latte for myself and a citrus tea for Ying to get the adorable cup sleeves created by Hope in My World. Also got a cute postcard and two photocards, plus I won a lucky number draw and got a pack of Polaroid-style photocards as my prize! Despite the small space, it was decorated beautifully with tons of posters, balloons, BTS streamers, and even an actual BTS-themed Ontario license plate. Thank you so much to the Toronto Army unnies for organizing this event, and being the most bright and cheerful hosts I've ever met. Perfectly reflective of our eternal sunshine, Jung Hoseok! Happy (early) J-Hope Day!

Photolog 2020: Day 45 of 366

That second pre-order I made for BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour merch last October finally arrived today.

BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — Zip-Up Hoodie
BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — Zip-Up Hoodie (Detail)
BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — Zip-Up Hoodie (Detail)
BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — Zip-Up Hoodie (Back)
BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — T-Shirt
BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — T-Shirt (Detail)
BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — T-Shirt (Detail)
BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — T-Shirt (Back)
BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — Image Pickets in RM, Suga, Jin, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook
BTS 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' [The Final] Tour — Image Picket (Detail)
It took about four months to arrive, but you know, this ended up being an awesome Valentine's Day present to myself.

BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 2

BigHit released the concept photo sketches for Version 2 of Map of the Soul: 7 today:

BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 2 — Group Shot
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 2 — RM / Kim Namjoon
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 2 — Suga / Min Yoongi
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 2 — Jin / Kim Seokjin
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 2 — J-Hope / Jung Hoseok
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 2 — Jimin / Park Jimin
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 2 — V / Kim Taehyung
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 2 — Jungkook / Jeon Jungkook
(Source: BTS Facebook)

BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 1

BigHit released the concept photo sketches for Version 1 of Map of the Soul: 7 today:

BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 1 — Group Shot
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 1 — RM / Kim Namjoon
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 1 — Suga / Min Yoongi
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 1 — Jin / Kim Seokjin
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 1 — J-Hope / Jung Hoseok
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 1 — Jimin / Park Jimin
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 1 — V / Kim Taehyung
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photo Sketch — Version 1 — Jungkook / Jeon Jungkook
(Source: BTS Facebook)

Photolog 2020: Day 44 of 366

Lancôme Skin Feels Good Hydrating Skin Tint Healthy Glow in 035W Fresh Almond
Say hello to my new obsession: Lancôme Skin Feels Good Hydrating Skin Tint Healthy Glow. I never thought I would see the day when I would actually like tinted moisturizer (or any liquid face makeup), but since quitting MAC in December, I've been in a no-makeup phase. I've worn full face makeup exactly twice in the past two months (once to go out for a celebratory dinner with some friends and the other for a job interview). Otherwise, I only wear mascara when I go out. But sometimes I want my skin to look a little more even and a little clearer since I have redness and freckles, especially since I'm starting my new job in a couple weeks (yes, I got it!). The obvious solution is tinted moisturizer or BB cream, which also comes with SPF (sunscreen has become essential). So I tried many different samples from many different brands, and almost all of them went on either too pink, too light, too sheer, too opaque, too matte, or too dewy. Some were just too damn expensive.

Enter Lancôme. Frankly, I never thought I would buy a Lancôme product again after I quit working for them back in 2009. Not because they don't make quality products, but because I just felt that there were cheaper, more effective, or more suitable options for myself in both skincare and makeup from other brands. But this skin tint is phenomenal. They make the perfect shade for me (this is super rare since Lancôme has never made a face makeup that was warm enough for my skintone), it totally evens out my redness, it fades out freckles without covering them up completely, and my skin looks realistically clear and fresh with just the right amount of luminosity. It's not so dewy that I look like I dipped my face in oil (super important since I have combo-oily skin to begin with), but it's not so matte that I look like I have makeup on. It just looks like I have naturally great skin.

The best part is I got my mom to grab it for me 'cause it's Thursday, which means Seniors' Day at Shoppers Drug Mart, and those who are 60+ get 20% off everything. THE BEST.

Thursday Threes: Vol. 10

So after nearly three years... I'm bringing back Thursday Threes.

The last 3 things I ate:

• Braised ribs with rice and broccoli for dinner
• Strawberries and popcorn for snacks
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich for lunch

The last 3 things I did:

• Had a smoke
• Played BTS World
• Folded some origami lilies for Chelsea

The last 3 purchases I made:

• Two packs of cigarettes
• A $50 Sephora gift card for Amanda's birthday
• A tube of Lancôme Skin Feels Good Hydrating Skin Tint Healthy Glow

The last 3 things I watched:

• The Joker — Joaquin Phoenix. Holy shit.
  
• Parasite — I'd been meaning to watch this for months. After it won Best Picture last week, I was like, "I can't put this off any longer." I honestly didn't know what it was about going into it because I didn't read any synopses or plot summaries or spoilers, but this film honestly blew me away. It was like nothing I would have expected. So, so well-written, with a fantastically twisted plot, and supremely-well acted by a very talented ensemble cast. It's smart, it's funny, and it's dark as hell.
• Itaewon Class — Just finished Episode 4. It is excellent. The last two K-dramas I watched were pretty fucking awful, so I really needed one with a good storyline and great acting that wasn't comically predictable or cliché. I pretty much watch all the K-dramas that Park Seo Joon is in, but this might be my favourite one so far. I was literally sobbing during the first episode.

The last 3 songs I played:

• BTS - Black Swan
• BTS - Interlude: Shadow
• BTS - Outro: Ego

The last 3 apps I used on my phone:

• Twitter
• BTS World
• The Weather Network

3 items of clothing I wore today:

• A white BT21 tee
• Dark grey Roots sweatpants
• TNA Golden parka

3 things I want to accomplish tomorrow:

• Intermittent fasting (I'm trying 18:6)
• Watch Episode 5 of Itaewon Class
• Receive my Weply order (BTS Speak Yourself: The Final Tour merch) from Canada Post

Photolog 2020: Day 43 of 366

And we're right back into noodle soup season with this year's first pack of instant ramen (Shin Ramyeon!), served with a hard-boiled egg and some pork dumplings. Does this one bowl contain my entire day's worth of sodium and fat? Yes, yes it does. But I'll have you know I had an ultra-healthy salad for lunch, okay?

BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 4

BigHit released Version 4 of BTS' concept photos for Map of the Soul: 7 today:

BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 4 — Group Shot
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 4 — RM / Kim Namjoon
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 4 — Suga / Min Yoongi
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 4 — Jin / Kim Seokjin
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 4 — J-Hope / Jung Hoseok
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 4 — Jimin / Park Jimin
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 4 — V / Kim Taehyung
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 4 — Jungkook / Jeon Jungkook
(Source: BigHit Entertainment)
I will say, I wasn't expecting this concept given the previous three versions, which all had a very dark, moody, painted-on-canvas aesthetic. In contrast, the boys look naturally adorable and effortlessly casual here, all in clear focus against a white background, perhaps showing us that their true selves are the best versions of themselves. Have they finally accepted all parts of themselves? The Persona, the Ego, and the Shadow?

Photolog 2020: Day 42 of 366

Since indulgence is the theme of the day (thanks, BTS!), Chelsea and I went to Slice of Fire and had ourselves a little pizza party. We were feeling ambitious so we got an XL Hot Capicola, which has hot capocollo, beef sausage, button mushrooms, banana peppers, and mozzarella. Okay, first of all, HOLY SHIT, IT IS HUGE. Like, one slice here is the equivalent to two slices at any other pizza place. Secondly, I have never in my 33 years of life had pizza with this much topping. You could even say overflowing with topping. As in, there's more topping than crust, and this is NOT thin crust. And it's not shitty, cheap toppings, either. I'm talking massive slices of capocollo, huge chunks of sausage, full on mushroom halves, a plethora of banana peppers, and tons of cheese (like, I can't believe I'm saying this, but double cheese would be overdoing it). It's on the pricier side ($35 after tax for an XL, about $4 a slice), but it's totally worth it in my opinion. (And I still have two slices for tomorrow's lunch!)

BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 3

BigHit released Version 3 of BTS' concept photos for Map of the Soul: 7 today:

BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 3 — Group Shot
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 3 — RM / Kim Namjoon
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 3 — Suga / Min Yoongi
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 3 — Jin / Kim Seokjin
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 3 — J-Hope / Jung Hoseok
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 3 — Jimin / Park Jimin
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 3 — V / Kim Taehyung
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 Concept Photos — Version 3 — Jungkook / Jeon Jungkook
(Source: BigHit Entertainment)
There's a lot of theories surrounding this concept, with ties to The Last Supper, Greek mythology, and their own "Blood Sweat & Tears" MV. Regardless of references, what I see in this concept is the darkness of indulgence. But their facial expressions remain stoic, even confident, leading me to believe that they've accepted the evil that comes with temptation. Tying it back to what we know about this album, being based on the archetypes from Jungian's Theory of the Unconscious, I can only theorize that they have finally embraced the Shadow and realized that the only way to accept the darkness is to yield to it.