August Wrapped
Not Good, Not Bad, But a Secret Third Thing
My instinct with this intro is to start lamenting about how I’ve had a bad month and rant about humidity and mosquitos and everything else. And these feelings are not not valid, but I’ve realized the blanket statement of “bad month” discounts the good that has also happened.
Lately, I’ve been constantly reminded about how good things and bad things exist together. My mind instinctively thinks in black-and-white, categorizing occurrences and emotions into one or the other, forgetting that balance exists. That balance allows us to continue to exist actually.
Despite the unexpected negativity I’ve felt this month, I’ve been buoyed by the good, where sinking isn’t into the dark but into the light. As summer comes to a close (which still, thank god tbh!) and we welcome shorter days, I’ll remember that crisp air feels like a relief after being inside too long.
Music
The Loveliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen
My love of Carly Rae Jepsen, my pop girl of choice, is not a secret (see: my first ever Substack post), and her latest album is just impeccable. If the predecessor, The Loneliest Time, was about the complicated feeling of loneliness, this album is about giving into desire, fully and completely.
Everyone. I think it’s soooooo good. It’s so fun and versatile and different. Sure, I’m biased, but why would I lie about having taste?
(Also, I was, in fact, an attendee of the outdoor Carly Rae Jepsen concert that was canceled three and a half songs in due to the weather. Bit of a funny experience! Bowen Yang summarizes it in an ep of Las Culturistas.)
Favorite songs: Psychedelic Switch, After Last Night, Kollage
“'今 -明日 世界が終わっても-' (Ima -Even if the world ends tomorrow-)” by Seventeen
Sorry for being corny and predictable! I love Seventeen’s latest Japanese release that’s reminiscent of an anime OST! It has an overall nostalgic and sentimental feel to it, with lyrics that just drive that home: “If the last night of the world were to come / I just want to cherish what we have, our ‘now’”.
Eats
Mangosteens
Whenever my family has mangosteens, my dad tells me that this fruit was eaten by only kings in the past.
I’ve never fact checked him so I can’t say whether that’s true or not. But whenever it’s mangosteen season, it feels like a delicious luxury that comes and goes too quickly. So I’ll continue to believe him.
Games
TETR(.)IO
One of my pastimes as a teen was playing Tetris on Facebook Games, to the point where my dreams included visions of Tetris pieces.
Now I’m really into playing TETR(.)IO whenever I’m bored. It just makes sense.
Some recs:
“Psychedelic Switch” by Carly Rae Jepsen
“'今 -明日 世界が終わっても-' (Ima -Even if the world ends tomorrow-)” by Seventeen
Thank you for reading! You can read my previous post here: July Wrapped.
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I, too, used to play Tetris so much that I also dreamt about stacking pieces