Netflix has recently come out with a series that re-imagines the story that revolves around Excalibur and the legend of King Arthur. Titled Cursed, it revolves around the character Nimue, who, as the series insinuates, will eventually become the Lady of the Lake in the stories of King Arthur and Camelot. 

Based on an illustrated novel, the story from a different point of view. It is more about Nimue, who is given the sword Excalibur by her dying mother and instructed to deliver it to the wizard Merlin. Throughout the course of the series, the viewers meet the people with who she crosses paths along her journey, some are familiar names from the Arthurian legends, who are revealed straightforwardly. Some, the viewers get to know more before their true characters and roles in the legend are revealed. I really liked that about the show. The reveal for each character, particularly for someone like me who read the legends and have seen movies on the story, was exciting and, at times, gave me goosebumps. I do not want to spoil who is who in the show. I think that’s part of the magic of watching it!

One thing that I will spoil since it was revealed early on, was the character of Arthur. I am not too happy with the role. Not sure if it is about the actor himself or how Arthur is presented differently from what I imagined him to be (as a person, not in terms of physicality), but something just did not fit for me.  Could be the lack of chemistry he had with Nimue (played by Katherine Langford) …I just felt that it was a little awkward. Even when they were kissing, I did not feel a spark between them. 

I like that the series shows viewers the story before Arthur became King. Showing how these characters crossed paths and the journey that had before they became who they eventually were in the legends was exciting to watch. One thing that I wish they did was to pick up the pacing a bit because some parts of the series felt like they were either dragging too much or unnecessary to the story. It is an adventure; the pacing should feel the same way!

Another thing that I did not like about the show was how the characters did not seem to notice things that felt far too obvious to the viewers. When Sister Iris joined the Fey, none of the characters who knew her seems to notice she was there even though she was a human among the Fey and would obviously stand out. No one seemed to notice how she reacted during moments of Fey triumph where she was obviously mad and in tears. The same thing goes for when Morgana was bitten/possessed by the Cailleach. She was completely out of character and yet none of them seemed to notice that either. Considering how on edge they were it was a strange thing to go unnoticed.

There were some themes that I liked about the show that I think people can relate to today. It was a story of discrimination, about people fighting for their rights, about people who are drunk with power and will do anything to keep it, and the people who will sacrifice who they are and what they believe in to either be safe or be in power. I think these are stories that are still happening and are relevant today. 

Cursed was an interesting show to watch and there were actors who to me stood out even if they were not the main characters of the story. Merlin, for one, was played in a way I did not imagine but enjoyed watching by Gustaf Skarsgard (the Skarsgards seem to be an incredibly talented family, how many of them are out there?). Daniel Sharman (from The Originals and Medici) also stood out as The Weeping Monk. He hardly had any lines, but he just stood out whenever he was in the scene. Emily Coates, who played Sister Iris, that creepy young nun, was also a standout in this one.

A second season is still up in the air, but I am looking forward to seeing how they will move the story along if it does happen. There are already some changes to the legend in the show so I am not expecting it all to be the same so I am curious about how it will all play out with all the players on the board. Arthur is there and involved with Nimue, the future Lady of the Lake. But then Guinevere is also there. So is Lancelot. The love angle will make an interesting complication to their journey and I look forward to seeing it!

I was going through my newsfeed on Facebook this morning and I saw that people in Israel can now go mask-free when they are outdoors. People are basically back to normal now and have no worries about this pandemic. I envy them so much! At the rate things are going here in our country it will probably take a while to get to that level. Maybe a year – or more. I’m hoping it would not be as bad as I am thinking but these days, I’m more of the hope for the best but expect the worst kind of gal. 

Still, those photos from Israel made me think: what would I want to do when this is over? When people are allowed go out to see friends and family again and be able to go mask-free without worrying about a virus that can take your life? What would YOU want to do?

For me, the things I want are simple:

I want to see my friends and family. I want to share a meal with them. I want to hug and be able to see them smile when we are together. I have missed that so much!

I want to go out. I want to travel to places that I have always loved, and to places that I have never been to. I want to go out and be able to enjoy the places without being worried about getting sick and possibly dying from it. Nothing fancy, just being about to see different places because I have been just in two towns these past two years: the place where I live and the place where I work. Seeing someplace else would be really refreshing. 

I want to go to the grocery. Yes, it is weird I know since most people still do that now. But my family and I have been taking extra precautions since my mother is a senior citizen and I have a whole army of health conditions, so we try our best not to shop at crowded places. Once this is all over, I would love to go back to the monthly grocery routine I have with my sister, so that we can cook the food that we want to eat and not have to make do with what we could buy from the smaller stores near our home. Grocery shopping is one of my guilty pleasures, and I want to be able to enjoy that again. 

I want to take a vacation. A long one. I am so exhausted from the stress and pressures of working during a pandemic. Working at the office with a lot of people and working at home where even more is expected of me since most people assume working from home means we are not working. I want to go somewhere with my family where we can relax and not have to worry about anything and just enjoy the place and the food and the entire experience. I would love to have that happen when this is all over.

The thing about this whole experience is that I have discovered the things that truly matter to me. Some of the things that I thought were important are no longer as valuable as I thought they were. That is why the things that I want are not that glamorous or luxurious, but more about enjoying the company of friends and family and doing things that would be beneficial to my mental health. 

What about you? What do you want to do when this is all over? Who do you want to see? What do you want to experience? 

One of the things that I have a weakness for in terms of movies and TV is if the story revolves around dance. That is the reason why I decided to check out the Netflix series title Tiny Pretty Things, which is based on a book of the same name. Based on the lives of people involved in a Chicago ballet school, the series is jump-started by the literal fall of their top dancer, Cassie. Her incident triggers the arrival of a new dancer Neveah, who enters on a scholarship. 

The series is a quick watch at only ten episodes for the first season. I have no idea so far if there will be a second season. I guess it was not as big as Bridgerton to get an immediate renewal. There is no news that it was canceled or that it was a limited series so there is still a chance that this is a show that will still have more stories to tell. The way it ended gave it room to have a second season, but it was also satisfying enough to end with just one season.

Most of the characters in the show are dancers. There is Cassie, who is lying in a hospital bed for most of the series. It is what happened to her that becomes a curiosity for all the other dancers. Neveah is the new girl who takes Cassie’s place on a scholarship, much to the dismay of Bette, who thought she was good enough for the position as she is the younger sister of Delia, a graduate of the school and a ballet star.

There are also the boyfriends: Nabil — the French-Muslim boyfriend of Cassie, Oren — Bette’s boyfriend, Ramon — one of the top choreographers in the world and boyfriend of Delia, and Caleb — who is secretly sleeping with the school’s director, played by veteran actress Lauren Holly. 

Other main characters include June, the dancer who becomes Neveah’s roommate, Isabel, a detective who wants to find out what happened to Cassie, and Shane, a gay dancer who becomes Neveah’s confidante (and is in a friends-with-benefits secret relationship with Oren). 

The show features a lot of dancing, but for some reason, I cannot get myself interested in the dancing as much as I am with the complicated stories that each of the characters is involved in. There are a lot of stories in this series. Maybe a little too much for ten episodes.

There is so much about how big the loss of Cassie in the school was as she lies in a coma in the hospital, about the determined detective wanting to find answers about what happened to her and who and why she was pushed from the roof of the school. There is the fight to be the top girl in school, which Bette is determined to be no matter what it takes. There is also the complicated relationship between Oren and Shane, and the rift between Oren and Nabil, and the secret relationship of Caleb and the school director. Add to that the secretive background of the choreographer Ramon and you have this large mishmash of stories that sometimes makes it feel so hard to keep up with. 

I also have to say that there is a lot of sex scenes in this show. Way too much considering how old the kids in the show are supposed to be. Maybe I am being too conservative in that observation. I know that kids are having sex. It is just that there seems to be way too much in this show for me to wrap my head around. 

While the dancing is good – apparently all the actors are dancers themselves – I do not think that the acting was up to par. The acting seemed very cheesy and soap-opera-like for the most part, which was something that I did not expect from the show. 

If you are in it for the dancing like I was, I think that you would appreciate the show. But if you are looking for good material, this may not be the show you are looking for. 

I say watch it, but keep your expectations to a minimum. 

With the pandemic still going on, I still have this fear of going out in public and I would rather avoid the need to do so as much as possible. My family and I shop for everything online and get things delivered to us so we don’t have to go out. We cut our own hair or at least get someone to come over and do it for us so that we don’t have to be around many people in the salon. Same goes with mani-pedis. If possible, most of our health issues we consult with the doctor online first. If we absolutely need to go to the hospital, that is the only time we do so. 

One thing I do miss is getting spa treatments. One treatment that I have always wanted to do but would need a time commitment for is the IPL treatment to remove unwanted hair. These treatments require you to come back for follow ups and at this day and age I am not keen on going to the spa regularly. Last year I discovered that you can buy IPL (intense pulse light) devices that you can use at home for the same purpose. 

I bought my IPL device for around Php 2K (more or less, I don’t really remember anymore) from Lazada. The box came with the device, a power cord, a razor and a pair of sunglasses (you need it to protect your eyes when you use the device).  There was also an instruction manual for how to use it.

According to the manual, there are five levels of the treatment. It advised gradually going up to the fifth level by using the device regularly every week and going up a level each time. I have used it for my face (upper lip area), underarms and for my legs and while there was a slight sting when using it, I felt OK with the treatment. It said that it could be used for the bikini area as well but considering how it stings when I use it I opted not to try it just to be safe.

After some time I found that the hair on my face was not growing back anymore so I stopped using it there. With my legs there is still hair growing back, but it is not on the entire area anymore. There are spots that no longer have hair and in the spots that do, the hair is so light that it is hardly noticeable. After three months of using it regularly (more than once a week), I now use it only once every other week.

I think it is important to note that you need to shave the area that you are going to use the IPL on before use. The light needs to reach the follicle to stop it from growing so you need to shave it, not pluck it. At least that’s what I’ve read online. I also make sure to use it when my skin is clean: right after a shower and before putting on any lotions, creams or deodorants. I also try to give my skin a rest after the IPL use before putting on anything else on my skin because the treatment stings and it might be too sensitive for creams or lotions right after use. 

This device I’m using is probably not as effective or as powerful as the ones used in the spas but during these times, I’d rather take this treatment slowly at home than go out in public just for vanity’s sake. 

Again, as I have often said, devices like this I have tried at my own risk. If it had any adverse effects on my skin, I would have stopped immediately but luckily, it has been working for me. I still emphasize the need to do your own research before you try anything like this. Know the risks and decide for yourself if it is something you want to try at home or leave to the experts!

If there is anything that people close to me can attest to, it’s that I love coffee. I love caffeine in general, but coffee is my go-to for that fix. I’ve been drinking black coffee since I was in grade school because of my grandmother, and I have loved it that way ever since. I remember being a kid and my father’s friend was telling me he was so surprised to see me drinking black coffee in the morning. I’m aware now that it was unusual for a kid to do that, but back then it was what I knew as normal. I always liked my coffee black, and it always had to be hot. That is until I discovered the iced Americano. 

The black coffee I used to have as a kid was only instant coffee. My grandmother had a thing for coffee made from rice (non-caffeinated, obviously), but I still preferred real coffee, even if it was only instant. It had become such a staple for me growing up that I had never gotten used to drinking hot coffee with milk or creamer. Not that I can’t take it that way because I have, but more that I don’t consider it to be coffee unless it was pure and not mixed with anything else (other than some brown sugar or artificial sweetener, although most of the time it’s something I’d rather not add on). My doctor advised me to lay off the coffee, but it’s something I can’t seem to do without. It’s like my day isn’t complete without it. 

Only in my college years did I learn more about coffee of the non-instant variety. We were doing a paper on coffee shops in the country, and we interviewed some experts on it, and I was so fascinated by what I learned. By the time I was working, I had started to buy coffee beans/grinds of my own and enjoyed making coffee from in different ways: from a coffee maker, French Press, or a Moka pot. I can still drink instant coffee, but I also know how much better it tastes if you make your own. 

I was already an adult when I found out about iced Americano. It blew my mind that the black coffee that I loved was something that I could take cold and that it also tasted good that way. I can’t remember where I first tried it, just that I got it from a coffee place somewhere (not Starbucks, that much I remember). I enjoyed it so much that I have been drinking iced Americanos more than I have been drinking my regular hot black coffee. It’s better to drink it cold these days since the hot weather lately has turned me off from drinking hot beverages (unless I’m in an air-conditioned place).

Ice Americanos are made using shots of espresso that are diluted with cold water and served with ice. Some people prepare it as shots of espresso poured over ice instead of diluted with water, which is what I prefer. Usually, this is not served with any sweeteners (again, my preference) but I know that when you buy this from coffee shops, they ask you about how much sugar you want in it (again, for me, that would be zero). 

Not all iced Americanos are made equal. I can’t say that I love all of them, because I have had bad ones. With all the coffee places that have popped up since the pandemic, I have tried a lot of iced Americanos and it wasn’t always a pleasant experience. Some are too bitter; some have this odd flavor and with some I need a lot of sugar with just so I can drink it. I’d love to say that I prepare a good, iced Americano on my own but sadly, I have been too lazy to bring out the Moka pot and grind some beans for the espresso. I’ve taken to using a lot of instant coffee melted over a bit of hot water and then poured over ice as my version of it when I rush to work in the morning. It’s not that bad. Besides, if I want a nice one, I could always buy it from the nearest coffee place, which does make a good version of it, thank goodness.

I’ve read that iced Americanos are very popular in Korea, and that fact just upped my interest in visiting the country one day. This has been my go-to drink these days and I just can’t get enough of it!

Here’s the thing about me and writing: people seem to think that it’s easy, that it just flows out naturally when a lot of times, it’s not. Yes, there are moments when you get that moment of inspiration and you can write on and on and it will just keep going but for the most part, if it’s not part of your creative process or if you are not moved to do so, you don’t. You’re stumped. You have writer’s block and there isn’t anything you can do about it. That has been my problem for the past few weeks. I’ve been wanting to blog, and I’ve been meaning to, but the words just would not come out.

When I write about things that I am interested in, it can be easy to write. Will it be good? Maybe, maybe not…but it will not be a struggle (OK, maybe a little). But if I’m writing for work, if it’s about something technical or for business, I can get stumped. Maybe because it’s not really something I enjoy doing (even if I have to), maybe it’s because there is too much pressure placed on me by people who expect that I can do a quick and easy job of these things.

One of my biggest frustrations is not being naturally good in the kitchen. The thing with me and food is that I appreciate it better than I can cook it. Do not get me wrong, I can cook. It is just that I am not as good at it as my sisters, who can make a meal from scratch and do not rely on recipe books to do anything.  I, on the other hand, prefer to do my cooking via an online search on YouTube, Facebook, or even Instagram for any easy recipe with ingredients that are not hard to find. I pick a dish, follow instructions from a printed recipe or watch a video and then I come up with a finished product. I think I take longer than most to finish since I tend to be a bit on the obsessive-compulsive side, but most of the time things turn out well. 

One of the people who I love to watch and turn to for tips and recipes that I would love to try out is Marion Grasby. She is a chef, blogger, and former contestant of MasterChef Australia, a TV competition that searches for the best home cooks in Australia. She was one of the frontrunners in her season but did not go all the way. Despite that, she was able to use her time at the show to diversify into other fields: she became a TV presenter, a cookbook author, and is the owner of her own food company called Marion’s Kitchen. Apart from all that, she is also active on social media. Apart from her website, she has her own Facebook Page, YouTube channel, and Instagram where she shares recipes for people to try out.

Being part Thai because of her mom, most of the food that is presented on her social media is Asian Food. While she does post other types of recipes from time to time you will still be able to notice that there are some influences from Asia with the way she prepares them or uses some ingredients. 

I enjoy watching Marion Grasby’s videos because she has this calm presence when she prepares food. I tend to be the stressed-out one when I cook so seeing how she does it makes me wish I could be the same. It all seems so easy when she does it! It seems like you can do it yourself because it is not that big a deal to do so (how I wish that were true for me).

A recipe that I have made a version of (because I love steamed fish) is this one. I was not this Zen when I was preparing steamed fish. How does she do it? 

Another thing I enjoy about her videos is when she has her mother, known as Mama Noi, joining her when she cooks. She seems so sweet and adorable and you cannot help but feel like you are listening to your mom as she patiently teaches you to cook. I know that is not the case for all mothers (in my case, my father is the cook in the family), so watching her is an enjoyable experience for me. There are always some cute or funny moments between her and Marion too so that is cute to see. It reminds me of Chrissy Teigen and her mom (who is, coincidentally, also Thai). 

Here is a video featuring Mama Noi herself from Marion Grasby’s YouTube Channel:

Once the whole pandemic situation is over (will it ever be over?), I would love to try cooking again. It is not easy to do these days because it’s so hard to find the right ingredients these days with us having to make do with whatever is available in stores but when things get back to normal (?) I’d want to get into the kitchen again and, preferably, try one of Marion Grasby’s recipes. 

Until then, I will keep watching her videos and craving for that future that seems so far away.

In an earlier episode of The Fandesals Podcast (currently on Google, Apple and Spotify and also on YouTube), we discussed the topic of TV shows we binge-watched. I decided to recycle an old post from an earlier version of my blog related to this because I forgot to mention this show! The episode on Spotify is embedded at the end of this post. Enjoy!

One of the TV shows that I’ve found myself becoming a fan of is Chasing Life. The story of a young woman and her journey with cancer, it is something that I find myself relating to after my recent thyroid scare.

I love that the TV show inspires people who have the disease to “chase life” even if they have cancer. I love that they give cancer patients a face and help viewers understand what they go through. There are some things in life you cannot relate to or understand unless it happens to you — this show gives you the opportunity to look at what life could be like if you had cancer.

It’s difficult not to root for April Carver. She is so determined to make the best out of her life even if she had cancer. I love how realistic the show portrays her aspirations, her fears and her frustrations as she lives life with cancer.

I remember crying when I watched her come to terms with her cancer coming back much stronger even after chemotherapy. She had just gotten her life back and there it was taking it all away again. My heart just swelled at the declaration of love from Leo and when he asked her to marry him (as the younger ones say these days. “Oh the feels!”). There are so many moving moments, it is so hard to pick out just one!

Season two of Chasing Life feels so far away. I’m excited but at the same time I’m worried because I know that Scott Michael Foster’s new show was picked up so he might not have as much screen time as he did last season. I can’t imagine the show without Leo Hendrie, I just can’t!

With April’s cancer back and stronger than ever, she needs to live each day like it’s the last. The stakes are higher and I think it will make viewers like me ask this question:

What is more important in our lives if we knew the days we were living would be our last?

What would be your answer to that?

Photo Source: ABC Family All Access

Picture this: you are going home to your parents because your mom has planned your wedding – to a fiancée that you have already broken up with. You could not find the words to tell your parents about because they have already spent so much on the wedding, so you go home on the date agreed anyway. What are you going to do? If you are Megan Vandemeer, you could get lucky and meet someone like Josh McMillan on your flight home. This is the story of the book The Substitute by Denise Grover Swank. 

In this story, Megan gets drunk on the flight and Josh tries to help her off the plane to her family. They mistake him for her fiancée, and he goes along with it because he found out that one of the people that he planned to investigate during his trip was Megan’s father. 

I thought that the premise of this book was hilarious because for one thing, how could you get engaged and have your mother plan your wedding even if they have never seen or met the guy? Still, the way the characters were presented and the complicated family dynamic they had I think it made a bit of sense.  It was also a stroke of luck that the purpose of Josh’s trip, which was to find out who stole their company’s idea and applied for the patent ahead of them, was made easier by becoming an insider in the Vandemeer family.  

I thought that the relationship between Megan and Josh was cute, particularly since they had chemistry and they had to pretend that they had been in a relationship for a long time. All the almost-but-not-quite-caught moments added to the feels of this story. Of course, it would not be a good romance if it did not have its share of villains, who try to stop whatever it was that was going on between the two of them.  

There are so many characters in this book, some of whom have spinoff books of their own that I plan on reading in the future because I enjoyed this one. It was a sure sign that I loved this when I could picture certain actors as the characters in the story. One character, however, that I could not imagine any actor for was also one of my favorites: Megan’s grandmother. She was this old lady who wore what she wanted, did, and said what she wanted – often with hilarious results. There was never a dull moment when she was around! I loved how she did naked yoga and wanted to sketch Josh’s butt! That was so funny! 

While some of the events in this book seem too unrealistic, I opted to enjoy reading them unfold instead of picking on what was too much or what did not make sense. It was a fun ride that led to two people falling in love and having their issues with their families work out in the end. It was a whirlwind romance that both did not expect when they were on the flight to Kansas, but it ended up being a happily-ever-after for them anyway. 

If you like a feel-good romance with the pretend-relationship trope, this is a good and quick read. There are some funny moments, some romantic ones, and some notable moments of friendship. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books on this series. Will try to write reviews on them when I am done. 

If you ever decide to read the book after seeing this review, please let me know. I would love to know what you think! 

If there is one thing that I have been (slightly) obsessed with these days, it’s trying to detox. I know that most people say that our bodies can naturally detoxify themselves but I feel that it doesn’t hurt if I can help move things along, right? I’ve been reading a lot on this on Pinterest and one thing that got my attention was the use of Epsom salt. 

One thing I’ve read and tried recently was to use Epsom salt as part of a foot soak. I mixed one cup of it with one cup of apple cider vinegar and warm water. I soaked my feet in for 30 minutes.  I have to admit that I did not feel anything detoxifying about the process, plus the whole mixture smelled bad because of the apple cider vinegar. I did not know how to feel about that. Luckily, the soak helped with the foot scrub I gave myself after. The soles of my feet felt so soft and smooth. I may not have felt any detox effects right then and there but at least I got something good out of it. 

According to the sites I found on this soak, the Epsom salt is supposed to help the body to relax, helping with pain from sore muscles, and helps to restore magnesium balance in the body. The apple cider vinegar, on the other hand, supposedly helps to treat fatigue, aches, and pains and with cracked skin on heels. Since I did not feel any of the anti-stress/relaxation effects that I was supposed to get from my foot soak, I decided to try something else: an Epsom salt body spray. I mixed equal parts of warm water and Epsom salt and placed it in a spray bottle. I then used this to spray my body with the mixture, letting it stay on for 30 minutes. I read that it was optional to rinse it off but the spray left a powdery substance on my body so I had to rinse it off once I was done. This was, while inconvenient, more effective than the foot soak. I did the spray before going to bed and I slept very well that night. I felt very relaxed when I woke up the next morning (or should I say, when I OVERSLEPT the next morning). I usually find it difficult to sleep early and to keep myself asleep through the night but with the spray, I managed to get a good night’s sleep. I’ve read that it is more effective to use magnesium chloride instead of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) for the salt spray but the former seems a bit more difficult to find than the latter. I’ve seen some magnesium products that can be bought as an alternative to the spray. They are apparently less messy since they don’t leave residue after you put it on your skin. These magnesium products such as oils and gels (made from magnesium chloride) can be bought online but they are more expensive compared to using the Epsom salt variety.Epsom salt can also be used as a soak in the bath, that’s one thing that I haven’t tried yet. Maybe one of these days if I get to staycation in a hotel room with a tub, I’ll give that one a shot. I can soak in a tub of it and put it on my hair since it’s good for the scalp too. Maybe one of these days I can do this.

Have any of you ever tried Epsom salt? How has it been for you?