Celebrated my birthday in the midst of world chaos but what else is new? Thankfully, some good pop culture and entertainment during the month of May 2021 gave me some excitement.
The photo labeled “High Score” was taken by my photography assistant*
For my 27th birthday, my boyfriend decided to get me, an amateur nature/landscape photographer, the new Pokémon Snap game on Nintendo Switch. As someone who had played the older version with his brothers when he was younger, he knew I’d enjoy it since I love photography.
He was indeed correct. Pokémon Snap is so much fun!
The first few times I played it in his company so that he could help me decide on which photos to show Professor Mirror. I also let him play a few research rounds and he ended up scoring super high on a cute closeup of two Bidoofs which are displayed on my profile info until I manage to somehow beat that score of 4,938. So I guess he’s my photography assistant* now? 🤣
Every time I play Pokémon Snap, I feel like I’m on an interactive Disney ride, except instead of a ride I’m sitting on a couch living vicariously through my character in the game as she travels along the track via NEO-ONE through the park and jungle habitats.
The game is super chill and relaxing. I’ve played for about 6 hours at the time of writing this and it doesn’t even feel like it has been that long.
Every time I find a new Pokémon or catch them in new poses I swear I squeal aloud while attempting to snap photos before they move out of view.
See below for some of my favorite photos so far from Florio Nature Park and Belusylva Island!
(I’m not very good at night photography IRL or in this game so I will spare you the night research shots. I’m also not going to get into how many points I’ve gotten for each photo because the scoring system seems to care very little about aesthetics since these snaps are for research purposes.)
Grookey & Pichu are too cute. Seriously, how is it legal to be this freaking cute?!
Liepards are probably my favorite to photograph. They’re sassy and they know it.
Is it just me, or does Dodrio always appear to be screaming when it’s not asleep?
Wurmple getting ready to nom.
Taillow, Vivillon, and Florges 🤗
Bidoof cronching, Swanna and Ducklett swimming
Closeup of Taillow with its beady eyes ❤
Bonus Snaps of Meganium in the Florio Nature Park Illumina Spot
I directed these snaps while my photography assistant held the controller 😶🤭
Dreamy
Stopping to smell the Crystabloom
Have you played Pokémon Snap? Let me know your thoughts on the game in the comments!
As you can see from the new style of image for this post, Monthly Favorites will be taking on a new format. It might change again as I finagle with a few things later this summer, but for now, the posts will be shorter and will have two new categories! Enjoy my favorites in pop culture and entertainment for the month of April 2021, now including a favorite celeb tweet and TikTok!
Another year older soon, so here’s another wishlist for the blog! As always, do not feel obligated to buy me anything, your birthday wishes are sufficient for me 🥳
Alright, so here’s a compact version of what happened:
I procrastinated too long in March and never ended up posting February 2021 favorites because I then managed to eff up my right (dominant) wrist during a 40-some-odd-day yoga streak (a story for another post).
Since my hand is still healing, I present to you a very short combined February and March 2021 favorites!
During the beginning of the pandemic, I was having so much trouble with anxiety and not getting a full 7-8 hours or sleep. NYC was trigger-happy and bored in lockdown, resorting to loud fireworks at 10pm, and all I could think to do was plug in my headphone and drown out the noise with ASMR.
ASMR has become a popular way to relax and reduce stress in order to fall asleep or just simply decompress after a long day. I’m still learning about all the genres of ASMR that exist, but my current faves include roleplay, spa, whispering, and fuzzy/fluffy microphone scratching.
For 2021’s spring playlist, I thought it would be fun to round up some of my favorite Contemporary Christian songs.
Some of the songs on this playlist are by artists who identify as believers in the Christian faith and/or grew up in a religious household. Other songs on this playlist are purely rooted in holiness based on my personal interpretation of them.
Since it is Holy Week and COVID-19 is still lingering, I’m unable to go to church for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, or Easter for the second year in a row, so I will be blasting this playlist all week!
I chose 13 songs to represent the 12 disciples plus Jesus. I hope this playlist is enjoyable for my fellow Christians and non-Christians alike.
1. Dark Matter (Hushed), Andrew Belle. Let’s get those demons in the form of black bears out of the way first.
2. Constellate, Fleurie. Shine in His light.
3. Holy Ground, Taylor Swift. This is where we stand.
4. Stranger Ways, Anberlin. “A little bit closer for finding the truth.”
5. Come Into This Light, From Indian Lakes. Feel His love.
6. Brand New Day, 21:03, J Moss. Keeping the faith everyday. Even during these unprecedented times.
7. I just need U. – Capital Kings Remix, TobyMac. Truly all you need in life to get by.
8. joy., for KING & COUNTRY. “Let it move you.”
9. Blessed, Hawksburn. A blessed dance party waiting to happen.
10. Be a King, Capital Kings. It only makes sense to treat yourself as royally as your Father treats you.
11. In And Out of Time – PHENOMENON Remix, Colton Dixon, Solomon Olds. What is time these days?
12. Balconies – Jorgen Odegard Remix, Paper Route. “Raise your arms and hold balconies of grace.”
13. Peace Song, Kye Kye. The tranquil end we long for.
Hope you have time to enjoy Holy Week with family!
In the event that you decide to have Valentine’s Day dinner in the safety of your home, I’ve made the perfect playlist to serve as the soundtrack to your lovely quarantine feast.
You can play it while you’re cooking, put it on repeat as you set the table for you and your Valentine, or snuggle up with some wine and crank up the volume while you wait for your food to be delivered.
Whatever the situation may be, enjoy this winter’s flavorful Valentine’s Day Wine & Dine Playlist!
1.Hunger, Rhye. Let’s work up an appetite.
2. Yummy, Justin Bieber. The lyrics speak for themselves.
3.Buy You A Drank (Shawty Snappin’), T-Pain ft. Yung Joc. Good thing you’re already home 😉
4.I Got the Juice, Janelle Monáe ft. Pharrell Williams. 🍋🍑🍒🍓
5. Wasabi, Little Mix. She’s “sweet and salty.”
6. Cake by the Ocean, DNCE. Keep on hoping and maybe it might happen 🤞🏽
7. Chocolate, Maluma. A lil bit of Latin sweetness.
8. Cherry, Lana del Rey. “My cherries and wine, rosemary and thyme…”
9. Moon Sugar, Night Beds. Sweet tooth.
10. Simple & Sweet, Jon Bellion. One final serenade.
Well, now that we’re back to having competent human beings running the US government, news will be boring on the politics side of things (just the way I like it). There is no shortage of exciting pop culture news to recap for the month of January, though, and all of my favorite shows are back on TV, so let’s get to it!
Here are my faves in pop culture and entertainment for the first month of 2021!
If you know anything about me you probably know how much I ADORE the color yellow, so when I found out that Pantone’s 2021 Colors of the Year included a shade of yellow I was ecstatic!
Pantone’s 2021 Colors of the Year compliment each other so well. Illuminating and Ultimate Gray are a nice balance of sunshine and stormy, making it the perfect color combo to express the mix of emotions 2021 is making us all feel thus far.
I’ve compiled a few fun items worth acquiring for your quarantine/work from home situation. From DIY projects to activewear and computer accessories, there’s just about something to make anyone’s day a bit more bearable in this collection:
