My Current Favorites [March 2021]: Under the Oak Tree, reMarkable 2, Masterclass, Snowpiercer

I tend to be excessive, especially when I love something too much. In March, I reached the obsession stage, for several weeks. I couldn’t stop talking about it, non-stop. JB even asked me to change topics several times ahahah.

Note: In March 2021, even though I spent 10 days skiing, I can’t really say it’s my favorite sport 🙂 However, I had a crush on the Savin Kuk ski resort in Montenegro, the perfect place to learn how to ski <3 I still can’t believe I now know how to ski. It seems so incredible to me!

OK, let’s move on to my “obsessions” in March 2021

The web novel / webtoon Under the Oak Tree

I’m discovering Korean webtoons (online mangas) and web novels (online novels) 2 centuries late, but this one has caught all my attention. This web novel (adapted into a webtoon since) is a subtle blend of all my favorite themes: The Witcher, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Castle Waiting.

Synopsis: The daughter of a duke, Maximilian, a stutterer, married a humble knight, Riftan, under her father’s coercion.
After their first night, her husband left for an expedition without a word.
He returns three years later. He has become the most famous knight on the continent.
How would Maximilian react to his return?

Warning, this is a novel for ages 19 and up. The 19+ scenes are numerous, especially at the beginning, but the story is very interesting and the psychological development of the characters is believable. Reading the novel is a bit difficult because only a small part has been translated into English. There are then other “underground” sources to read bits and pieces here and there. If you don’t mind waiting a little, as the novel is still being written.

It’s also the community around the web novel that makes it even more interesting. There are very in-depth psychological analyses done by enthusiasts on various platforms. There’s also a significant base of artists, offering fan-art on Instagram and Twitter.

Detailed review on my other blog Mehach

The reMarkable 2 tablet

Sometimes, you have products that are created for needs that don’t exist yet. And then, when you use them, you wonder why they weren’t invented 50 years earlier. That’s the case with this e-ink tablet, which is only used for taking notes. I truly think it will revolutionize the way we take notes because it’s really not like an ordinary tablet.

I’ve had a lot of difficulties recently taking, organizing, and scanning my notes. That’s why, when I discovered the revolutionary technology behind this tablet, I thought: why not take notes digitally? and be more efficient?

What’s interesting is that this tablet is mainly used by geeks.The dedicated Reddit community is extremely kind and resourceful. Rhaaaa, I remember now why I’ve always loved hanging out with geeks, they’re passionate and can talk about their passions for hours, analyzing every micro-detail, I love it! Their enthusiasm for proposing hacks for everything and anything boosts me so much that I also reworked a script for the tablet hehe. Usually, I only code for work, or for the blog. It’s the first time I code to improve a tool I use in a personal context. Maybe, one day, I’ll start hacking my Kindle too 😀

You can read my detailed review here + a 40€ referral link.

Masterclass: Niki Nakayama Teaches Modern Japanese Cooking

I really like Masterclass in general (detailed review here) but it’s the first time a class appeals to me this much. This class teaches us how to prepare some Japanese-fusion dishes, which seem simple, but the micro-details are so numerous and well explained that I won’t taste traditional Japanese dishes the same way anymore. As my mother always advised me, you have to learn artisan trades, not to become an artisan, but to recognize and appreciate well-done work.

I’m “wow” at the why and how of using such and such a knife, why you should put grated radish with raw fish, etc. So many things we thought were normal, but they all have a meaning, especially in Japanese cuisine. A must-watch!

Snowpiercer

Season 2 of Snowpiercer on Netflix deserves your full attention because it is just too good. Sean Penn lights up the screen. We would love to see more villains like him, just as charismatic, just as unpredictable, and totally entertaining. We just wouldn’t want to come across them in real life 🙂 Jennifer Connelly is a great actress, and there is an episode where she is almost the only one on screen, yet we’d still want more because she is stunning. She carries the series, as fans would say.

That’s it for March! See you soon for more “current favorites”