Are cherry blossoms better IRL or in Animal Crossing?
Picnic Journal Issue #19
Hi! Hello! Here are three things I spent a lot of time thinking about recently even though you didn’t ask:
1. Cherry Blossoms
I’m not sure if I was more excited about the cherry blossoms outside in the real world or the cherry blossoms on my Animal Crossing Island. Regardless, I was excited about cherry blossoms. We went to Seokchon lake (at night) in Jamsil and Namsan (during the day) to see the blossoms this year. Both were equally beautiful but equally packed full of too many people which made me all kinds of anxious. I’m not ready for a maskless society, I don’t know who I am without a mask. I’ll be like Bruce Wayne trying to defend Batman’s vigilante antics at a rich people gala. ‘Oh, come on now Harrington, Batman isn’t all bad, hahaha sorry excuse me I need to go to the bathroom for the next 5 hours, I smell trouble, totally unrelated to anything you’re going to see on the news tonight about Batman though’.
2. I don’t like working so I guess my only option is to live in a van and promote VPN companies on the internet.
This is not a new one for me. I just really don’t like working (does anyone?). I have finally transformed into a person who works for a paycheck but spends each hour of their spare time doing the things they’d rather be doing, but for free.
3. I had to explain what an influencer was to my dad and I don’t think he got it.
I don’t blame him but also, he does exclusively use the ‘delete’ button when typing instead of ‘backspace’ so I don’t think he is the right audience for influencers anyway.
Recent Doodles
I drew some pictures this week in my sketchbook and when I compared them to pictures I did last year, I honestly felt like Picasso. Maybe I should keep drawing to see how good I can get at drawing the same thing over and over again.
What I’ve been watching
On Becoming a God in Central Florida (2019)
This show is weird and dark and not normally the kind of show that I’d go for but it’s about a pyramid scheme so, of course, I’m on board. If you’ve read my newsletter before, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of pyramid schemes and Ponzi schemes so this is what drew me to the show. However, I really love how this show focuses less on the products and brands people are selling in the pyramid schemes but more on how the people in them bring down and destroy the lives of everyone they know and love. It’s an interesting take on some of the documentaries and shows I’ve watched. It’s also just super outrageous and hilarious in a really dark way. Also, the acting is outstanding. But, and I cannot stress this enough, it is one hell of a whacky ride watching it.
Get Organized with the Home Edit Season 2
Joanna and Clea are the best internet couple since Chuck and Blair. I don’t feel like I need to explain the premise of the show because the title is pretty self-explanatory. Some of the children in this season literally made me cry, I don’t know what it is about little humans saying literally anything but it gets me every time. Weston was definitely my favourite child. I also love how Joanna and Clea make ultra-rich and famous celebrities seem like normal people. Like, move out of the way Chris Pratt and show me those perfectly organised tiny boxes full of nuts and bolts in your garage. I am also glad that The Container Store does not exist in Korea because if it did, I’d be broke or I’d be an employee. Either way, I’d be living in a house made of plastic storage solutions. Sorry, I should say storage systems.
Love Island Australia Season 1
My husband was watching Love Island recently and got hooked. I had already seen it but I got re-hooked and we started watching it on our lunch breaks. We both worked at home together and didn’t leave the house last week so Love Island helped us navigate the 25/7 cohabitating situation. Watching Love Island with your partner is so much more fun than watching it alone, you get to yell at the screen in disgust and act like your relationship is far superior. It was also really funny to hear my husband’s Australian accent. He tried to mock the contestants but I feel like his default accent in English is this weird cockney British vibe but it’s still hilarious.
What I’m reading
Lean UX by Jeff Gothelf, Josh Seiden
I started reading Lean UX this week and it is such a great book for anyone out there aspiring to be a UX designer or who hasn’t read it yet. I genuinely feel like the biggest imposter when it comes to my career and reading this book is making me feel a lot more confident in my work and what I do. I kind of feel like ‘oh yeah, I get it, I can apply this to my work’. I think it’s scary to feel like you don’t know anything but it’s scarier to not do anything about it and become complacent with what you already know. I want to keep trying to learn and study my own industry because it changes daily. Being able to build a strong foundation of knowledge and experience will help me to continue to adapt. Even when new UX spring chickens come and steal my job and flaunt their crypto in front of me, at least I’ll have my books and a few TikTok references. If you feel like you’re not good at your job like me, think about what steps you are taking or can take to get closer to where you think you should be. Ultimately, I don’t think anyone really knows what they’re doing, but actively trying to figure that out and better yourself will make it all seem a little less foggy out there.
Recent YouTube Videos
Want to see what I get up to as a foreigner living in Seoul, South Korea? Check out my YouTube channel. I post videos every so often on there! These are old ones, new videos coming this week!
Getting ready for spring in South Korea / Wardrobe Cleaning
Working remotely as a UX designer in Seoul ~ Day in the life vlog
Goals for this week
My goal this week is to get it together… again.
A new week is a new beginning for me to try and get my life together. I feel like my brain was 10 steps behind me last week and I really need to get ahead of it. I was forgetting things, neglecting my health and spending way too long daydreaming and panicking about nothing. Now that the weather is warmer, I have no excuse but to start my mornings outside or by getting some exercise. Yay for a fresh new week!
