ava's blog

recent stuff [photo dump]

I feel super duper tired writing this, and I am spending most of today in bed or lazily on my desk; but I felt like uploading some images from recently and writing about it.

Firstly, I reorganized some of my desk area. I had purchased a tapestry from Karen Cheok ('daixykaren') in 2019 but had never hung it up. It was an impulsive purchase and I really loved the design, but had a hard time fitting it into my place's space and design. But now, the time had come: I just said fuck it and changed some things around to make it work, and let go of my very minimalistic and white design principles. I used to have a very blank, white, gray and empty space intentionally to not have so much visual clutter and to make cleaning very easy. I found that by finally getting diagnosed and treated for my chronic illnesses and the resulting wellness and energy, I do not have to rely as much on these roundabout coping mechanisms to conserve energy or make everything as easy as possible :) Also, having my wife around me a lot, who is a very clutter-y person with lots of possessions, desensitized me a little.

Now I wanted an inspiring space, a personal-feeling one, that also made it easier for me to create; all my markers and washi tape and stickers already on the desk instead of hidden away in a drawer, and showing off some of my new plushies that I'll get into later. I moved my magnetic board over to the other wall and made some other minor adjustments.

desk in L shape with laptop, external screen, crafting supplies, and a huge tapestry that shows a Paint95 interface with a big space jellyfish surrounded by clouds

This is the fullest my desk has ever been, and the busiest my walls have ever been. I will definitely iron that tapestry soon, but I wanted it up before that, as I had to wait for my wife to bring the iron from her place. She thankfully sewed some loops into the fabric so I could hang it without punching holes in.

As you can see, I have also recently tried out blind boxes and a mystery bag. I know what you’re probably thinking. Don’t worry, no Labubu ;)

There’s a lot to be said about blind boxes1. Consumerist trends. Overconsumption. Lootboxes in real life. Gambling for children, Gacha, Dopamine, Artificial Scarcity, Addiction, FOMO...
And it’s all true! I guess you could say the Kinder surprise chocolate eggs and Happy Meal surprise toys primed me for this as a child.

No, actually, while I did have those as a child, these are my first real blind boxes, or what’s meant with ā€˜blind boxes’ online right now. Of course this isn’t new. I used to spend money on Overwatch lootboxes and still open Magic the Gathering boosters sometimes…

I wanted more keychain/bag plushies, and these blind boxes had nice possible options. I made sure not to pick any that only had one possible item I like. That would just set me up for failure and an intense amount of spending. Instead, I liked all possible options. Probably not an equal amount in each case, but I knew I’d be happy either way. I’m not looking to get a specific one or to get a rare and I don’t want to start a collection - that’s how they get ya.

Honestly, sometimes I can’t decide what option I want, so random luck choosing for me is actually good. So I did it. Some of the loot:

various kuromis and my melodys

I was also at gamescom getting a Cinnamoroll mystery bag. I was lucky - the contents seem like it was made for me. Plushie that I like, toiletries bag that I have a good use for, and bandaids, which I need for my biweekly injections. Perfect! I saw so many plushies at gamescom and Main Matsuri but didn’t buy any because I couldn’t commit to a choice. Now I’m settled.

the mystery bag

the contents of the bag as described

Also, an unpictured cup I got separately.

I’m done purchasing any now; got enough to last me decades. I might change my mind if it’s Mocha, Poron, Piano or Big Challenges, because those never really get much or any merch, but I don’t hold out much hope for that anyway.

My wife and a friend recently discussed the best attitude around opening MtG boosters: Not opening them expecting a specific card or something expensive, but instead an experience akin to lifting a big log or stone to see what insects are underneath and being happy watching them. I feel the same way about these blind boxes and mystery bags - just casually checking out what’s under that big stone and thinking ā€œThat’s sweetā€ whatever it might be.

me wearing a bow

I've also splurged on some books lately. Felt lucky to find some things that were on my list to read!

books: algospeak, die philosophie des digitalen, doppelganger, careless people, the second sex

I'm already done with Algospeak and it's been an entertaining and in parts educational read. I had assumed it would dive a little deeper overall, but I still liked it a lot. Next up is Philosophie des Digitalen.

Other than that, some quick points:

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Published 08 Sep, 2025

  1. If you don’t know what they are, bless you. They are boxes you can’t see inside and the outside shows you the different options of what could be inside. Plushies, vinyl figurines, and more. There’s usually one mystery or rare one, too. Of course, they often have one amazing item and like 7 other trashy options and everyone buys boxes until they get the good one. Even if it’s more fairly designed, people still have favorites they chase, of course. People sell the contents for a high price, especially if it’s a rare or mystery item, and some go so far as to weigh boxes at the store with a food scale to have a better guess on what box holds their favorite. Blind box opening content is popular online for the excitement, similar to how PokĆ©mon booster opening is, or unboxing a new product, or presenting a huge haul. Having an expensive and rare edition is treated like a status symbol.

#2025 #status