This week was chaos. Not the life-on-fire kind, but the soft spiral kind. The kind where you do brave things while mildly dissociating, realize your taste in movies is better than Hollywood’s, and discover new ways to embarrass yourself in public.
Let’s spiral.
🌟 I Finally Went to the Dermatologist
I’d been putting this off for months—maybe years. I didn’t want to face the weird skin issue. I didn’t want to feel judged. I definitely didn’t want to sit under fluorescent lights while someone poked at my face.
But this week, I did it.
The place was pristine and professional. The doctor actually listened, showed me the prices before doing anything, explained each option clearly, and didn’t treat me like a walking diagnosis. It was the kind of care that makes you realize how much gaslighting you’ve tolerated in other offices (yes, I’m still side-eyeing my former dentist).
My only hesitation? They probably don’t have much experience with my skin type. I didn’t ask—yet—but I could feel the slight unfamiliarity. Still, it was a huge step forward, and I’m glad I went.
📚 Korean Study: Sogang Era Has Begun
I studied a lot of Korean this week. Like, pages-on-the-floor, pen-in-mouth, mumbling-dialogues-to-myself type of studying. And I have one thing to say:
Why didn’t I find the Sogang textbooks sooner?
These books are actually structured. They make you practice. They reinforce what you learned in ten different ways. There’s no fluff, no passive “just read this and magically learn” energy. It’s work—but it works.
Compared to Talk To Me In Korean (which is fine for beginners, but a bit shallow), this is next-level. I finally feel like I’m studying real Korean, not just vibes and wishful memorization.
🎬 Cine de Chef: Fancy Theater, Trash Film
One of my new rituals is going to the movies alone. And this week I went full main-character mode at Cine de Chef, which is basically what would happen if a luxury hotel and a film studio had a baby.
Golden doors. Velvet signage. Complimentary Perrier and dark chocolate. Recliner seats. A blanket and slippers. I was truly not prepared. I felt like I’d walked into a K-drama date scene—but alone, and in running shoes haha.
And then the movie started.
Jurassic World: Rebirth.
That’s when the dream died.
How do you get that many talented actors and still end up with a film that feels like it was stitched together by an AI with commitment issues? Too many plotlines. Terrible dialogue. Zero emotional stakes. Like watching dinosaurs try to escape from a bad script. Lol,I kept waiting for something to happen, and it started happening then they changed gears for like 2 1/2 hours. I kept asking why am I freezing here in this cinema for this movie.
The only good thing? Jonathan Bailey.
He carried every scene he was in. They should give him his own spinoff where he just smolders while dinosaurs roar in the background.
🐉 How to train your dragon & The Hotdog Debacle
After that I went to see the live action how to train your dragon movie. I was pumped. But—classic me—I was 15 minutes late. And then I had to leave 15 minutes early. So yeah, I missed the beginning and the end.
But in those middle 90 minutes? Pure magic.
Except… I also had a popcorn and hotdog order. And because I was late, they threw it out.
So I bought it again. Because I was hungry and slightly panicked. Which means I ended up eating a hotdog inside the theater.
And look—I know it’s allowed. No one yelled at me. But something about unwrapping a wrapped hotdog in a silent cinema felt deeply illegal. Like I broke some unspoken cultural rule.
Still. I survived. The movie was gorgeous. I’ll probably rewatch the beginning and ending another time.
✨ The Bigger Stuff Underneath
Somewhere between the derm visit, Korean grammar drills, and that rogue hotdog moment, I realized something:
I’m slowly rewriting my life.
- I’m not waiting for things to happen.
- I’m not putting things off until I feel ready.
- I’m not romanticizing the past or freezing in place.
I’m building something—even if it’s awkward, late, or slightly embarrassing.
And that feels like progress.
If you’re spiraling too or if you’re starting new habits, eating weird meals at weird times, or wondering whether your dermatologist “gets” your skin...I just want to say: You’re not alone.
The spiral is messy. But it’s still movement.
← Read Spiral #5: Sweating, Streaming, and Soft Resets