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the best husband <3

I do ^^ Thank you so much <3 Yes, that little trip was so relaxing! I had the best time

Thank you so much <3 ahaha, yeah, it was such a pain, which also led to me procrastinating on editing this video. But it's all fixed now ^^ I'm working on a fantasy novel, but I'm a bit unsure about how much I can reveal about it (especially this early on), as the plan would be to try to get it published once it's finished (still a loooong long way to go XD ) - I should find a code name for this project though, so at least I have something to refer to it by. That mini retreat was THE BEST thing I've done for myself in a while. So excited to edit and post this vlog :)

@@Curious-Cat I’m glad it’s fixed! 😊 Oh wow I wouldn’t have guessed that! Cool! Of course you should probably keep the specifics a bit under wraps. Yes code name sounds good, although “my book” probably works too 😁 Yeah I can imagine! Look forward to it 😊

yeah, it's the worst... I recorded my last Asian Readathon video twice and still had to throw both recordings away because of that mic issue. I took a break from it and recorded it the 3rd time several days later. For this one, I threw so much away (it would have been 45 min long without this issue XD ), but couldn't bring myself to delete the whole thing... Thanks so much for sticking around though, really appreciate it <3 I looove this fountain pen so much! I actually got 2 because at some point, trying to lubricate it, I thought I broke it T_T so I purchased the exact same and managed to still fix the first one. I don't regret it though ^^ I'm in the rainiest part of France, which explains why it's so green. But it also gets really hot nowadays, unfortunately. 100F sounds awful :( Hang in there!

@@Curious-Cat Honestly! You can just remove the audio completely and just do a type on text kind of thing with relaxing bgm. I see some people do that too. That's something I'm keeping in mind for future 🥰 Of course! Like I said, it was something for me to listen and watch while I work 👀I love the fountain pen too! Can never have enough -- especially if you like the switch colors. It can be a hassle to clean every time :)

ahah you're most welcome ^^ Happy to be of service :D

Hi and welcome! So glad to have you here :) I also want to check your channel from Rochelle's video. I'm sick with covid right now, so I'm behind on everything, but will see you there too ^^

No worries, there's no deadline, take your time ^^ Looking forward to hearing your answers!

Lovely to see you here :) Thanks for watching and commenting, really appreciate it <3

@@Curious-Cat Of course! I always need something in the background during my work so this is perfect 🧡 Also I already know I agree with your opinions since I agree with your anti-tbr 😂😂

@@itsmimiduong Ahah, happy to support you during your work ^^ Would also love to hear your answers to this tag -- consider yourself tagged if need be :)

You got this 😊 looking forward to hearing your answers!

@@Curious-Cat Thank you! I'm still thinking through them, this tag is a bit harder for me! 😅

At least you tried reading Dune XD Looking forward to hearing your answers to the tag!

OK, I'm starting to feel the Jane Austen fans are taking all the spotlight but there is a need for a club of people who don't care about her books XD There's more of us than I thought!

@@Curious-Cat Haha well it would be weird if the spotlight was on people chanting “we don’t care!” 😂

@@ellenmadebookclub 😂 yeah well, maybe we don't need to chant, maybe we could just get t-shirts? 🤣

@@ellenmadebookclub Also, some people did really well chanting "I don't care" th-cam.com/video/UxxajLWwzqY/w-d-xo.html

@@Curious-Cat Could it say “I think Jane Austen is cool and all, I just want to read other things”? As if that’s all people are asking me and I’m tired of answering, like just read the tshirt 🙄

Oooow that's perfect then, can't wait to hear your answers to those prompts ^^

😘

You are right, how insensitive of me! 🤣 I'd be curious to hear your answers, you should do the tag too! Consider yourself tagged if need be ^^

For me, it’s Cassandra Clare 🙈

@@shedreamsinwords Maybe I live under a booktube rock somehow, cause I don't even know enough about her books for her to be on my TBR or anti-TBR ^^' I've definitely heard about her work, mainly her most recent release but I'd be clueless to say anything about what it's even about XD

Thanks for the wam welcome and feedback, Spike, glad to have you on board. I think the sound quality isn't the best because I was a bit far away from the phone mic, but by adjusting the volume on your device, it should still be ok -- at least it is for me, but I'll keep an eye on that.

Thanks for watching and welcome on board ^^ Glad to have you here!

Thank you for watching ^^ Yes, it really baffled me... There is so much I disliked about this book in general, I should have DNFed it :-/

@@Curious-Cat I'm so sorry that it wasn't fun to read. But also proud of you for not giving up and powering through ❤

Looking forward to watching that ^^

Oh really? What a fun coincidence :) The island/peninsula, you mean the Peñón de Ifach? We've hiked (part of) it during our holiday, it'll be in an upcoming video. This is where my husband used to go on vacation with his family every summer!

@@Curious-Cat I mean the tall and steep one to the left 😂 🤷‍♀️

This one? rb.gy/4ay3n4

@@Curious-Cat Haha yes I think so! 😂

@@ellenmadebookclub 😂😂😂 So yeah, that'd be the Peñón ^^ How fun that you have that picture in your kitchen! Small world.

Thank you! It definitely got me started again with writing, which feels great :)

Ahah, I still think 15k in 8 weeks isn't a whole lot -- it's good, but, especially looking at the scale of a whole book, I'd want to be faster than that ^^' Now, wait for the vlog where I write 15k words in 2 weeks... 😅🤫 Totally agree, those programs/challenges are great kickstarters, but one of the downsides is about keeping it up afterwards. I'll probably talk about that in a future video too. Yes, this place was just stunning. I love the mountains!

@@Curious-Cat Haha everything is relative I guess! I think you did good 😊 And that would be a fun vlog to watch! Omg kickstarter is the word, kick in the mind, what did I say… I’m glad you still understand what I’m trying to say haha!

@@ellenmadebookclub Ahah, yes, I understand, no worries ^^

Thanks so much and welcome on board :)

Thanks for creating such a rich, thought-provoking tag!

Glad you're enjoying your dip into memoirs ^^ There are surely some gems out there. And thanks for the recommendation.

One letter a day keeps the boredom away? XD Thanks for being such a consistent support here, really appreciate it <3

@@Curious-Cat Haha exaclty! Just imagine the excitement! 😂 Of course! You're great!

Thank you 😁

I swear, those books are creeping up on me and making babies while I'm not looking! I don't see any other explanation XD

Thank you! Ahah, I had fun filming from within the bookshelf I must say XD

I'm happy to report that challenge is going well so far! Thanks so much for your support <3

That's so interesting about losing face and how that might impact how/when we celebrate :) Also, I'm not saying throw a big party for a new job you haven't sign the contract for yet, of course XD Just don't go the complete opposite direction either of "they offered me the job but as long as it's not signed, it can still go wrong so I'm not going to even acknowledge that I did well getting to that point and that I'm happy about it". In a way, it'd be a good exercise to celebrate even just getting invited to interview: you don't know if you'll get the job, but you can still let yourself be happy about advancing to the next stage :) Let's make it more of a habit to celebrate milestones, not just finish lines!

@@Curious-Cat Absolutely! I don’t mean throw a bit party either, there are so many ways to celebrate, big and small! 😊 But it’s still like an external expression of what matters to you, and that makes you kind of vulnerable, or takes vulnerability… or both..? 😂 I think you get what I’m saying haha It’s like saying this is where you can hit me so it hurts. God that’s depressing! 😂 Of course we should celebrate! Milestones, finish lines, and just doing the thing! I get so pissed when people say that “young people these days get a medal for trying”. I don’t need a medal, but saying good job after giving it your best effort doesn’t cost anything. And saying that to yourself is just as important.

Yeah, I get it. I think it's definitely a valid point. And at the same time, it means we're killing our own joy so that others won't. I find that even more depressing ^^' It makes me think also of how nervous I was to talk about my writing on TH-cam, IN PUBLIC, because what if I drop this project, never finish it? What if it's just awful? The potential for embarrassment and huuuuuumiliation XD (I'm glad I have such a small channel - less visibility if you fail) But what then? I just hide it/part of myself? Isn't that even a surer way to fail? Totally with you on 'saying good job'! For some people, finishing the race, even if in last place, is already a win.

@@Curious-Cat Yes! Omg yes. Killing our joy so that others won't. That's so dumb. To do, I mean. And I can definitely relate that to youtube as well, and I don't want to grow too quickly either ^^ I'll get stage fright! That's why my goals are not numbers or performance, my goals are to grow as a person and have fun, and only I can control that. And having fun is then the same as winning. And I can never fail, as long as I keep trying to have fun :) And right now I'm having lots of fun, so yey for me! XD

@@ellenmadebookclub Yey you indeed :D

Ahah, I need a t-shirt which says Everyday I'm puzzlin' -- I sing that to myself to the beat of Party Rock Anthem XD Oh nooo, missing pieces are the worst! If it's a brand new puzzle, you can reach out to the brand or seller - some will refund you! I will try to be happy with my scattered interests, but I won't lie, it's not easy ^^' Thanks so much, I'm glad you liked it <3 It was fun to make!

@@Curious-Cat Please make the shirt! Instant hit, there has got to be market for that 😂 I probably thought about a refund, but receipts? Where I bought it? Could not be bothered. Just shoved it back into a drawer! You like novelty, so that’s a constant! You’re REALLY REALLY GOOD at trying lots of stuff! 😊

I'm sure that t-shirt must already exist somewhere - I can't be the first to think of this XD Ah, yeah, receipts... Well, maybe you could make an art project out of it or something. Like using the individual pieces to decorate something? Ahaha, that's a nice reframe <3

@@Curious-Cat Haha unfortunately you are right, there are plenty of those tshirts! XD I think I will just keep it in mind for when I'm being too perfectionist about something and it's stressing me out. I can just think about that person (yes, it's of course a person) who sorts out all the puzzle pieces and they left one out. They had one job. And they didn't get fired. Probably ^^

@@ellenmadebookclub Ahah whether they deserve to get fired for all the distress they've caused puzzle-enthusiasts remains an open question XD

🫶

We did! We walked 25k steps on one of those days 😅 exhausting, but worth it

@@Curious-Cat omg! 🥵 good job 😅

Thanks for your comment and sharing your own thoughts :) I also have difficulties with making time for fun. I like Gretchen Rubin's distinction about different kinds of fun: relaxing fun (the easiest one, requires no effort, like watching TV), accommodating fun (mainly about spending time with other people) and challenging fun (which requires some planning and/or effort, like learning a new skill - it's the most difficult one, but also the most rewarding). I feel like I have too much relaxing fun and definitely not enough of the challenging one ^^' The distinction helps to identify the problem, but I need to put more effort into solving it XD

@@Curious-Cat Omg honestly, when I'm writing comments sometimes, I think it's a couple of sentences and then I see it again later and it's a whole essay. Especially when I relate, which I did to what you were talking about! I really like that distinction, I've never heard that before, but makes sense. I also easily get stuck in relaxing fun (tv), but rarely properly enjoy it, just end up feeling guilty. So then I go all in on the challenging fun, like planning for a million videos and then getting overwhelmed and got no rest XD Isn't there a middle ground where you're doing something so it's active but not learning? Like the miniatures you did or other crafty things? I feel like life should feel easier than this! 💜

@@ellenmadebookclub Ahah SAME with the comments XD Also, I see you're up late too ^^' For me, the crafty things would fall more on the challenging fun side, because you need to get the materials, set things up, and even the actual doing might require some learning. It'd be a different kind of challenging for me than "practicing a language" where I basically could just have to pick up a book from my shelf - it's challenging intellectually, but not as much in terms of planning or set-up. But with my burnout, even reading a physical book (vs an audiobook) feels like challenging fun nowadays (which makes me a bit sad). I think it's probably not entirely separate categories, but definitely more like a spectrum. My favorite relaxing fun is doing a jigsaw puzzle while listening to an audiobook, but it requires a bit more effort than just watching TH-cam. Maybe that's your middle ground? :)

@@Curious-Cat Thank you, that makes me feel a lot better! 💜I get so self-conscious about it it's not even funny! I mean it is funny, and then it's anxiety XD Oh, I am never up late, I go to sleep at a decent hour every night! 👀 I see what you mean with the setup, that is a whole thing. And I get it, how things are suddenly challenging. I'm in the process of figuring out how I'm doing too (not great) and I have trouble reading simple instructions and things like that, or planning things which is usually what I'm good at. I think a puzzle and an audiobook at the same time would make my head spin 😅 But it's probably a good idea to find those things that keep you/me/us entertained enough without taking to much energy. I like walking and listening to an audiobook, that's simple enough :)

Oooh, glad if this helps! Honestly, I think most TH-camrs are just glad to get comments, so there is no reason for you to get self-conscious about it - the vast majority of people would just be grateful for your comments, and the ones that aren't just don't deserve them. Ahah right, me neither - I haven't seen you, you haven't seen me XD I'm sorry to hear things aren't going great for you at the moment. I don't know what the situation is, but if that's helpful, I'd happy to discuss my experience with burnout with you or just listen to what's going on with you. Take care!

The insect one, I really need to read ^^ Thanks for creating the second part of the tag, it was fun to do it!

Ahah, I have quite a bit of catch-up to do! I still have the This or That tag in the pipeline too XD Glad you enjoyed the video and absolutely, we don't have to love everything -- thankfully!!!

Thank you <3 Glad you like it!

I try to make more time for crafts like pottery, painting, etc. But damn, this miniature is IN-TENSE ^^' I've been building roughly one piece of furniture per month, and it takes a big half a day each time (which is also why I don't get to it more often). The only miniature I had built before that one is the book nook that appears in my Booktube Newbie Tag video and that one was super easy to build. This one feels much more advanced. But I'll finish it... at some point XD

@@Curious-Cat Haha I can imagine, it looked very detailed! Don’t worry about finishing though, just enjoy the many many MANY hours you’ll get in you own little bubble 😊😂

Audiobooks are amazing for reading slumps (and in general) -- I'm so glad they're helping you get back into reading :) Let me know what else you pick up for the Asian Readathon! Tajfuny is such a great bookshop, I loved it! <3

Welcome on board :) I can definitely relate to the motivation and consistency struggles. While this book is definitely not perfect, it's been quite helpful (for me at least).

Oh, thank you! I'm so happy you liked it \o/

Thanks! Totally makes sense, and I agree with you. Also, no matter how much I struggle with writing, it's still something I'm choosing to do, so I'm totally fine with it. Overall, it's a good problem to have ^^

Oh nice, are you a writer too?

¡Muchas gracias! Me alegro de que te guste.

Yes! I want to find more like this one :)

Ahah, I don't know how spread out it is, but I didn't come up with it myself (I wish I had! It's so good!). I saw it on a sticker once and it suck with me (pun intended 😂)

@@Curious-Cat Hahaha puns all around 😅

That is probably wise ^^ Definitely wiser than my current situation! I have some vacations planned in May, so I'm hoping this will allow me to get to some of those at least, but yeah, it seems unlikely I'll complete the list. I just like to have many options to choose from XD

Thanks so much for the kind words, it means a lot <3 (and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one ^^')