from the journal: a catching up series
life updates, recent experiences, thoughts, inspirations and more.
‘from the journal’— a small space dedicated to my life updates, a personal reflection on my life, thoughts, and experiences, offering an intimate glimpse into the moments and musings that shape my days.
Welcome back!
The Coffe Table has been on a break for a couple of weeks. This August has felt like riding a rollercoaster—literally. In the past few weeks, I’ve experienced a lot—both positive and negative—felt intense emotions, and visited new places. I can consider it a somewhat eventful month for many reasons, which I will explain now.
This break has made me reflect a lot, both on my life and on what I intend to bring to this space. It was necessary to have a little detox from all those influences that for years have trapped me in a never-ending whirlpool. But now I’m back on track and super excited for what September will bring.
Mindscape
In a few weeks, I will begin my Master's Degree in Media Communication, and it still doesn’t feel real. I’ve just completed my bachelor’s degree in Communication, and it feels like I just graduated from high school yesterday (how’s that possible?!). Time is flying by so quickly, and this both excites and scares me at the same time. I’ll be starting this new journey, which will surely be more challenging, but I will have a friend who will be with me on this adventure, and I can’t wait to get back into the study routine.
I’ve just returned from my trip to the Black Forest with my boyfriend, and I’ve fallen in love with it. If I had to choose a place where I would live for most of the year, I would definitely pick this: the cool forests full of wonderful creatures, the peace and quiet of nature. We decided to visit this part of Germany by car to be more independent and comfortable with our travels. I have several posts planned to share here, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it and show you the road trip, step by step, that filled our journey.
On September 1st, I will be going to the Venice Film Festival for the first time! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get tickets in time for the major films, but I will still attend two screenings and I can’t wait to experience this magical environment firsthand. For years, I’ve followed the festival online as a spectator, and being there in person is incredibly exciting—plus: september 1st will be the premiere day for 'The Brutalist' and 'Wolfs,' and I’m so thrilled.
This month has not been easy for me. At the beginning of August, I had to say goodbye to my best friend, my kitty who had been by my side for 16 years. I was really devastated and I’m still slowly trying to recover. It’s not easy and it never will be, but we have to move forward, even though it's tough and not seeing her scamper around anymore breaks my heart.
August has been a month full of things and, after the loss I experienced, I tried in every way to keep my mind busy to avoid suffering too much. I went to the beach with some friends, where I swam in the sea for the first time this summer—yes, that’s funny. From the beach, I then went to the mountains, specifically the Apennines, where I celebrated August 15th (a public holiday here in Italy) with friends. We had a barbecue and in the evening, we roasted marshmallows around the fire and watched the stars all together: it was a magical moments.
Screen Rewind
This month, I haven’t watched much in terms of TV series—although I do want to mention The Bear S3 that came out on Disney+.
However, I did go to the cinema to stay updated on new film releases, and I also caught up on a saga I had missed.
—I’ll talk about it more in-depth in my August Media-Digest!
The Bear - season 3
The third season of The Bear didn’t fully convince me. Some episodes, from a directorial standpoint, were true masterpieces, but overall it didn’t give me much. Unlike the second season—which, for me, will remain the superior one—this latest season didn’t provide much development for the characters, and there’s still a lot to be said about it. I’ll be eagerly awaiting Season 4.
Deadpool & Wolverine
As a big fan of the X-Men saga, this film had me really hyped. I saw it in the cinema, and if you haven’t caught it yet, I highly recommend going to see it because it’s a movie that NEEDS to be seen on the big screen. A light movie to watch with friends. I won’t say more because I want to discuss it in more detail in the month’s recap.
Borderlands
This movie didn’t fully convince me, especially because, given the cast of the film, I was expecting a higher-quality product. It’s a film based on a video game I’ve never played, so I don’t have opinions from that perspective, but the film does stay true to the game, which is a plus. There hasn’t been much promotional advertising in the media, and this might be partly why it’s flopping, but it’s still a good, light movie to watch with friends.
Planet of the Apes— remake
I’m slowly catching up on the Planet of the Apes saga (the remake) and I have to say I’m enjoying it. It’s a saga I missed out on, and given the latest release a couple of months ago, I decided to catch up. The films are very well made, especially in terms of CGI and the realism of the apes. I still need to see the latest film, which I’ll catch up on soon.
Media Platforms
Pinterest — one of my go-to social platforms. I use it almost every day and, in my opinion, it’s one of the best places to find inspiration for any theme or topic. I’ve considered myself a ‘Pinterest girl’ for years now, and one of the things I enjoy most is creating themed boards where I can concentrate my moods, inspirations, and interests. These are two of my boards that I’m particularly proud of.
https://it.pinterest.com/michelaswatching/girls-hood/
https://it.pinterest.com/michelaswatching/al-caff%C3%A8/
Fable — a brand new platform that brings together books and TV shows, all in one place. I just downloaded it yesterday and admit that I still need to get used to it, but so far it seems like a brilliant and super organized platform.
Essential Needs
One thing that must not be missing from my bag is lip balm, and with the cold season approaching, everyone needs one to keep their lips hydrated—especially me, as I’ve always had dry skin. For years now, I’ve been using ONLY one lip balm, the only one that, in my opinion, works 100% against the cold and dryness, easy to find at the supermarket and affordable. I’m talking about ‘Neutrogena Lip Moisturizer Stick’, a real blessing for the lips.
I’ve been experimenting with an amazing lip combo for a couple of weeks. If you’re wondering what it is, I’ll just say NYX Lip Liners (color: Mauve 831) + Clinique Almost Lipstick in the 'Black Honey' shade. Together they create a WOW effect—try it to see for yourself.
That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed this new column and found some new inspiration. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts and new recommendations with me; I'm always curious to discover new things! Thank you for sticking around until the end, and see you next time xx
— Michela.
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i completely agree about the bear. the second season was perfect, leading us to the opening of the restaurant and somehow the third season was eerily quiet, never expending on character moments that accused during the finale of s2 and we never reached the catharsis we’ve come to expect from the show