A few things I've consumed lately

Expect a number of links

Nov 27, 2022

I know, I haven’t been so regular with the updates (surprise: I’ve never been). But after realizing that my days have been devoid of a writing routine lately, it is nice to be back here, getting into a superficial state of flow, listening to the rhythmic tapping on my keyboard. (I say superficial because it will be disrupted at any time; my phone is not far and a certain family member might call at any moment for kwento.)

Let’s keep this simple and move on to a few things that I’ve consumed in the last few weeks, beginning with the things I’ve literally consumed: Reyna recently collaborated with Sarsa for a 2-day tasting menu which consisted of Filipino favorites, a new café called Mardi recently opened in the neighborhood (good coffee and pastries but it was their adorable dog that initially caught my attention!), and recently, I learned what a Kouign-amann was thanks to a colleague. I’m craving one now as I type this.

Reading has always proved to be a source of comfort. In the last month or so, I’ve gotten lost in the raw, stream-of-consciousness-type observations in Tilly Lawless’ Nothing But My Body, which was a good distraction while recovering from covid, learned to appreciate my neighbors more though Vivian Gornick’s The Odd Woman and the City, and just yesterday afternoon, finished Natasha Lunn’s Conversations on Love, which made me tear up because I felt love and sorrow and gratitude all at once (I’m also a water sign). Last week, someone lent me a French copy of The Fall by Albert Camus, telling me it was a good way to start reading in French because, in his words, it is “short and simply written.” Having just started it, my limited vocabulary begs to differ:

There was also one day I googled “Lisa Taddeo essay” as a podcast I was listening to had mentioned her, and found this short story on aging and societal pressures, which was a delight to read. Other things to read: an article on the circus that is Twitter after Elon Musk had bought it, a review of “Leonor Will Never Die,” which I have yet to see, a short article on a new EU law that pushes for gender equality, and an interesting take on writer’s block.

Speaking of podcasts, which I listen to sometimes while cleaning the apartment or when I take leisurely walks around the neighborhood, I’ve recently discovered Sounds Like A Cult (and as someone obsessed with consuming cult-related articles and films, I don’t know why it took my this long), listened to the first episode of The Dropout, an investigative series on the deception of Elizabeth Holmes, and was moved by this episode of Death, Sex & Money.

And lastly, a few things I’ve watched: season 5 of The Crown (not the best season but great performances. Also, I miss seeing Josh O’Connor.), Jonah Hill’s touching documentary with his therapist (so good!), an old episode of Sex and the City, which you can never go wrong with, and the first part of Icarus.

That’s all for now. I’ll leave you with an OOTD my grandmother sent me recently:

Any recent obsessions or interesting things you’ve read/listened to/watched lately? Link them below so we can chat about them! xx