Monster Hunter World Beta Impressions

12 / 23 / 1712 / 26 / 17

The second Monster Hunter World beta is currently underway for PlayStation 4, so I jumped on the chance to spend some time with it. As a relatively new but very avid Monster Hunter fan (I started with the Japanese version of Monster Hunter 4 in 2013), I’ve been apprehensive about the footage I’ve seen of Monster Hunter World so far.

The monster, armor, and environments look really drab! The game shows you how much damage you’re dealing! These may seem like minor nitpicks, but when it’s the little details that got me into the series in the first place, I was worried so many changes might indicate that Monster Hunter World might not be for me. Luckily, the game still feels like the Monster Hunter I know and love!

Visiting Tokyo DisneySea at Christmas Time!

12 / 21 / 1712 / 21 / 17

I’m thrilled to kick of my Tokyo 2017 series with one of my favorite days of the trip – Tokyo DisneySea! I’d never been to Tokyo DisneySea before, so when I started planning this trip, it was very high on my to-do list. Disney parks are especially magical during the holiday season with the special decorations and shows they put on, and DisneySea was no different!

Tokyo Travel Journal Prep Video

12 / 16 / 17

This past year, I’ve really gotten into journaling for all kinds of things, from daily to do lists to miniature diary-like entries to record certain events. I’ve also started keeping a travel journal when I travel – you can see my entries from my October USA travel journal here. In that video, I asked if anyone would like to see a video about how I prep my journal for a trip, and the response was an overwhelming yes! So today’s video is exactly that – I share how I prep my journal for my Tokyo trip, and also provide tips for making your own travel journal. Give it a watch below!

One thing that I don’t really make clear in the video that I want to here: I don’t actually fill out every journal page when I’m traveling. For this recent Tokyo trip, I only did 4 days in my hotel room when I was there! I think there’s often an assumption that people put a lot of time and effort into making cute journals, which may be true to an extent, but I firmly believe that you should only do it when it makes you feel good, and not feel guilted into making your journal look a certain way. Now that I’m back in Australia, I’m enjoying playing catch-up in my travel journal because it helps me remember the fun times I had when I was in Japan. So if you want to try journaling, do whatever is most enjoyable for you!

December 2017 Community Game-Along: Michiru Yamane

12 / 1 / 17

Happy December! The final Community Game-Along theme of 2017 is centered on a composer, rather than a video game genre or developer. Game music composers are generally pretty under-appreciated, despite the fact that they contribute heavily to the atmosphere of games. Well, one such composer is Michiru Yamane, who is known for her work on many of the Castlevania games, among other titles!

What’s in My Kanken? Japan Trip Edition

11 / 30 / 1712 / 1 / 17

Hello from Japan! If you follow my Instagram or Twitter accounts, you’ll know I’ve been in Tokyo since this past Saturday, and I’m having a wonderful time! Before I left, I filmed a video of what I packed in my Kanken bag for my flight from Brisbane to Tokyo. If you want to know what kinds of things I bring when I travel internationally, check it out!

I’ll admit that I bought the pink neck pillow just for this trip and it turned out to be way to firm to actually be comfortable to sleep with! When I put it on on the plane, it pushed my head so far forward that I had to take it off and just use it like a regular pillow to lean against the window. Whoops!

Do you have anything you always have to take when you travel? Let me know in the comments!

Etude House Bubble Tea Sleeping Pack Review

11 / 21 / 17

A couple months ago I mentioned on Instagram that I was trying out the Etude House Bubble Tea Sleeping Pack, and someone asked for a review! Well, I’ve never delved into the world of skincare reviews before, but why not? I know navigating the world of skincare can be pretty hit-or-miss, so if my impressions of a product can help someone out, then I’m happy to oblige!