Volume 01 Issue 13 part 1
November 16 - 22, 2020
Aia and I have a running joke:
She covered up my face with Jungkook’s for her own newsletter, but I don’t mind revealing to you that that’s me. HAHAHA.
I took two days off from work this week for the BTS comeback (new music release) but enjoyed having so much free time to laze around the house, babysit my nephew, and generally chill out. I used to pressure myself on weekends to make the most of the days off from work so I’d schedule back-to-back meet-ups with friends and godchildren, with yoga classes and errands in between. Now that all of those things are off the table, there’s so much more free time to just… read or watch whatever I want whenever the mood strikes. (Perks of being single!)
A friend told me early in quarantine that he felt I was “made for this moment” because I’m good at keeping in touch with friends over chat; I have introverted hobbies and can entertain myself indoors. Even though I have been struggling on and off, on the whole, he wasn’t wrong. Now that it looks like there’s an end to this misery, even if that’s not for some time yet, I often wonder how much my social skills have atrophied. We’ll find out once it’s safe to interact with strangers again.
For the foreseeable future, it’s still just me and my family. I haven’t been meeting up with friends. I can’t risk the babies’ health, especially with the second one still in the NICU. (Please keep praying Clara’s infection clears up! We’re so excited to take her home…) Good luck nalang talaga to my social skills, and it’s a good thing I have so much experience being single and happy to be by myself. LOL.
Shop Small, Love Local
I’ve been a fan of Alexis Ventura-Dy for many years, and always dreamt about getting her as my wedding calligrapher. This week, my order of customized ornaments from her Ink Scribbler brand arrived and they are GORGEOUS. I also have a complete set of Ink Scribbler floral face masks; they are so pretty and comfortable. By far, my favorite purchase from her is from her other brand Shop Smart Kiddos: personalized days of the week baby books. I got one each for my three baby godchildren at the start of quarantine because I knew we would go for many months without seeing each other, and I didn’t want them to forget me. Syempre may picture si Ninang sa book, lolol. I love hearing stories about my inaanaks interacting with the books, which pages they are into at the moment. Ninang Pinky misses you, kids <3
Currently…
Listening to the new BTS album “BE” on repeat. Yes, I will have a part 2 all about this, but just give it a chance even if you’re not a K-pop fan! (I wasn’t, as recently as when I launched this newsletter.) Every song is a bop. There are fan translations that help give the songs a deeper meaning, but even before understanding the lyrics, the vibes are already so good. It’s short — 28 minutes — but they did so much with it. I am begging you: help me out by streaming it kahit one time lang on Spotify, ARMY’s trying to break our own records here!
Reading Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore. I don’t usually read historical romance, but so many writers I follow were raving about this so I gave it a try. It’s great! I’ll read the second book in the series too.
Eating lengua by Kusina (@kusina___ on Instagram). My office husband JP has been hyping the dishes made by his nephew so I wanted to try. OMG, 10/10, will order again!!! It’s a bit pricey so this is a special occasion order. I will be trying the kare kare next.
Following Ashley Spivey on Instagram. She was on the Bachelor (which I don’t watch) but I followed her because she talks about books a lot. She’s also unapologetic about herself and her politics, and I want to be like that too. I learn a lot from her stories. The other day, she had a Q&A and was asked about her guilty pleasure and this was her answer: “I don’t have any guilty pleasures - I only have pleasures. We never ask men what their guilty pleasures are - this is only a question directed towards women and I don’t think we should feel an ounce of guilt towards anything that makes us happy. Especially if it’s a dessert or a TV show. Who the hell came up with this?” I’ve had the same belief for a while and actively worked to stop referring to my pleasures as guilty. They are my pleasures, full stop.
Longreads
Ivanka Trump Was My Best Friend. Now She’s MAGA Royalty — Lysandra Ohrstrom, Vanity Fair.
I devoured this story. It gave me the same feelings as watching Gossip Girl did.
Masks Work. Really. We’ll Show You How. — Or Fleisher, Gabriel Gianordoli, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Karthik Patanjali, Miles Peyton and Bedel Saget, The New York Times.
I really enjoy these interactive graphic things that some of the bigger publications are doing. I don’t know what they’re called, but even when I don’t understand the topics, I like checking them out on mobile and desktop and appreciating the thought and effort that went into laying them out like that.
A German man's Nazi grandfather took over a Jewish man's store. He tracked down his descendants to apologize — Lianne Kolirin, CNN.
“I want [my son] to understand what history is, and what history means. Although he doesn't have anything to do with this story, it's our ancestor who has impacted the lives of a whole family who had a life in this country. I want him to learn and understand that whatever decisions he makes has an impact on someone else's life.”
Dolly Parton helped fund Moderna’s vaccine. It began with a car crash and an unlikely friendship. — Timothy Bella, The Washington Post.
“‘Her funding made the research toward the vaccine go 10 times faster than it would be without it,’ Doctor Naji Abumrad said of the star's $1 million donation to coronavirus research.”
Musicians on Musicians: Paul McCartney & Taylor Swift — Patrick Doyle, Rolling Stone.
I love her and dream about the day she and RM collaborate on a song that is sure to wreck me.
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Yours from afar,
Pinky