First, an introduction - or why I wanted to do this:
I was talking to one of my best friends today about how time seems to pass us by both quickly and slowly. We went to Japan for my birthday in January (our last happy time) and then everything went to shit, how can that have been “JUST” seven months ago? Every month - sometimes every week - feels like an eternity, but also wasn’t April just yesterday? It’s strange to contemplate, and doing so reminded me of the Jeremy Bearimy episode of The Good Place. This article that I just found shows even more similarities with our current hellscape that are pretty interesting.
I’ve tried a few creative projects to keep myself motivated but also to help mark the days as they pass. My first project, started the day lockdown was announced, was a video series of one-minute reflections about whatever was going on that day. I reached a point at around the 100-day mark where it felt less organic, and as our situation became more dire in the Philippines, inappropriate. I continued to struggle with chronology in my head and still feel as if the days are melding together. There was a low point recently when I felt, like Andy Samberg’s character in the new Hulu movie Palm Springs, that we’re stuck in a time loop where nothing matters. But I know that isn’t true. These things matter to me, and I don’t want to lose them to pandemic blur. This newsletter is an attempt to put some structure in my own mind, for my own sake.
Thank you for being interested in reading it. I hope you’ll find something that’s useful to you. That would make me really happy, and I’d love to hear about it.
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Nawa PH, a brass jewelry brand started by Fatima and Jopie (who I went to high school with), make face masks that tie behind the neck instead of looping behind the ears. I don’t go out often but already get dull headaches from wearing masks inside the house. I’m convinced that this method of tying is what works for me, so I’m thinking about how to change the loops on my other (non-Nawa) masks into ties. Nawa’s masks are made by women weavers in Lake Sebu.
Currently…
Reminding myself that the only thing constant is change, and that whatever comes my way, I can always breathe through it.
Celebrating Chi and Tamma’s wedding on Zoom. I put my favorite party dress and a full face of makeup on, because we hang on to all the joy we can these days. I was really impressed with how they managed to pull off the logistics of a bilingual Zoom wedding. Congrats and best wishes!
Visiting Timmy and Maxinne (separately) for ayuda and chika. We stayed meters apart in their driveways and wore masks the whole time. I haven’t seen them in months and it was so good to be with each other in person, even for just a little while.
Making salad every weekday for lunch so my family can get our greens in. Trina sent me fresh dill for this Ukranian garden salad, and it is excellent. (It’s fine without the dill, but WOW with it.) In exchange, I sent her this recipe for honey mustard yogurt dressing that is also extremely tasty.
Grieving Chadwick Boseman. I’m brought to tears each time I read about the impact he’s made on little kids, who now have a Black superhero to emulate, who see themselves as royalty. What a gift he gave to them, to us. What a sacrifice he made to churn out such a body of work in his final years. What a legacy he leaves.
Longreads
The Consequences of Your Actions - Gabrielle Blair aka Design Mom.
She talks about what she wishes were the social costs of being a Trump follower, and it made me feel electrified.
COVID-19 is Transmitted Through Aerosols. We Have Enough Evidence, Now It is Time to Act - Jose-Luis Jimenez, Time.
“I propose the following: Avoid Crowding, Indoors, low Ventilation, Close proximity, long Duration, Unmasked, Talking/singing/Yelling (“A CIViC DUTY”). These are the important factors in mathematical models of aerosol transmission, and can also be simply understood as factors that impact how much ‘smoke’ we would inhale.”
I Won’t Drink Today, and I Won’t Get the Virus Today - Molly Jong-Fast, The Atlantic.
It aligns with the tweet I saw from Helen Rosner about living in the infinite present – that it doesn’t serve me to think too far ahead and get worked up about what may or may not happen. This way of thinking about life – very in-the-moment – has served me moderately well during the pandemic.
A Message to TikTok parents Who Use My Face to Make Their Kids Cry - Melissa Blake, Refinery29.
I’m not on TikTok and haven’t been very online the past few weeks, so I haven’t seen anything like this on my feeds. But reminders about empathy are always worth sharing, IMHO.
I was Into Bodybuilding – Until An Accident Left Me Paralyzed - Sophie Butler, Women’s Health Magazine.
“I am here, though, to empower able- and disabled-bodied people to reclaim what fitness is really all about—and to make it a welcoming, encouraging place. Because we all benefit from making fitness more inclusive. Only then will women no longer have to fight against harmful ideas about what their bodies should look like or be able to do—and that, to me, is where health really begins.”
“Do We Serve Water in this Bar?” An Oral History of ‘Coyote Ugly’ - Kate Lloyd, The Ringer.
Ugh, so good. It’s an old article that I didn’t have time for then, but I love a good oral history. Another one that I read months late: An Oral History of ‘Center Stage’ - Chloe Angyal, Vulture.
Until next week! Feel free to share this newsletter, it’s open to the public. I always get excited any time people engage with me about things that I post, so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts. Unless it’s mean or mansplainy: in that case, no thank you. <3 If this is your first time reading this, you can subscribe via the button below and then the next issues will land in your inbox.
Yours from afar,
Pinky