may '21
a monthly digest of ideas, opinions, and updates… accompanied by recommendations on things to listen to, things to watch, and things to read.
Is summer here yet? Can we relax yet? Can we play outside and do fun things with our friends and sip nice drinks by the water and hang our hammocks in the shade and tell stories by a bonfire…? Almost. We’re almost there. We seem to be inching towards a promising summer and I can’t be more excited.
i’m feeling lucky
Back again with the updated playlist for May! I promise there’s a song on this playlist that you’ll fall in love with. [Archive playlist can be found in my Spotify bio]
vive, et vivire
In other words, “live and let live.” Why does it sound better and more eloquent in Latin? No idea, but this is a phrase I’ve held near and dear to my social being as an adult in this world. I’ll explain.
We are often so caught up in each others’ lives - be it on social media or in reality - that we get entangled in extraterrestrial affairs. No, I do not mean affairs that take place on Mars, but rather the things that happen outside of our social/personal reach; The stubborn friend you can’t help, the societal trend that bothers you to death or the neighbor that just doesn’t do things your way. There’s so much of this world that we cannot control, and it’s important to recognize these parts of the world and take a backseat. I don’t mean to impose a passive, subservient outlook on the issues that face our society but rather a delicate choosing of what we can control and what we cannot.
Moreover, in the past few weeks, I’ve come to understand how diverse we are as a race. As the human race. We have funny people, dumb people, short people, tall people, gay people, straight people, happy people, angry people, talented people, lazy people, colored people, disabled people, rich people, poor people, and even robot people. This diversity has taught me that not everyone thinks or acts like me. And apparently, humans find this very hard to digest. We tend to over-impose our opinions on how others should act and think, and I think that’s crazy. Although I do it too. We’re all victim to assuming prejudices and defaulting to stereotypes, and we all have an inner-ego of how we think others should think, act, eat, speak, move, sleep and more. It takes a powerful destruction of ego to set these ideas aside and settle with the idea of letting people live how they live. Hence, “vive et vivire” (live, and let live). Live your life however you choose! And let others do so as well.
This may seem like a non-issue to some of you and to others it might be a wakeup call. I just mean to emphasize the individual power we have as humans to live as we please and to let others do so as well. Life is about more than trying to prove people wrong for the wrong reasons. Lift each other up, embrace the diversity we have been given.
The guy next door wants to wear skirts and paint his nails? Go for it.
My Indian cousin decides to marry a white guy? Or a Muslim girl? Fantastic.
Your friend hates one of your favorite musicians? Taste is subjective!
Roommate can’t stop making tik toks? Does it really affect you…?
Your mom thinks the Earth is flat? Well, shit.
travel
I just took a quick, fun trip to LA. (Yes, I’m vaccinated and I was safe and wore a mask pretty much all the time.) This LA trip really changed how I view the world. This LA trip made me question everything from societal heirarchy to life’s purpose. But most importantly, this LA trip reminded me of how much I love to travel and how much there is to gain from travelling. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have travelled around the world with family and friends, and gotten little bits of joy from everywhere I went. I quickly learned how fulfilling travel can be and how much of that fulfillment is in our control.
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
- Anthony Bourdain
Each adventure, each wandering drive into the hills without a GPS, each one-way flight allows us to hit that “escape” button and see what’s up in another part of the world. And each part of the world has something unique to offer. Sometimes it’s the delicious food and other times it’s the beautiful hairpin bends up a mountain. On occasion, you’ll meet a family from your hometown halfway across the globe, and other times you’ll accidentally crash a stick-shift car while it’s parked; …true story. It’s never perfect, and that’s the beautiful thing about travel and adventure. Expect the unexpected and embrace the journey.
learning never stops
In the last few weeks, I’ve been trudging through work in order to finish my semester and to make time to do things I love, with the people I love. This trudging results in copious amounts of desk-work time where I’m staring at my two monitors. Coincidentally, while working on my tasks, I’ve found a habit of watching different videos and masterclasses in an effort to keep poking my brain with information and ideas. I think it’s super important to take advantage of the digital resources in order to keep our minds engaged. Youtube is a easy place to start. Here’s what I’ve learned recently:
Cinematographers duplicate sets and actors to create mirror illusions on camera.
Networking can get you really far in life. Even if it doesn’t seem like it.
If you get to work with Mac Miller for a day, make the best out of it.
If someone easily accepts your pay-rate for a certain job, you didn’t ask for enough.
And obviously there are numerous other places to watch and read and listen to things, these are just the few I’ve watched on Youtube recently.
dear mind, nevermind
On May 1st, I also released my debut EP. I’m sure many of you have already heard it, but I wanted to reiterate how excited and proud I am. My sister and I worked on this project for a year, and it’s extremely fulfilling to be able to share it with the world. I’ve learned so much, grown so much, and I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. (Yes, that means more music coming this summer!)
link dump:
Wish I could add this to the Spotify playlist.
This spirited man shows us why details matter.
Good luck trying to find the TV remote inside this piece of magnificent art.
If soda cans existed thousands of years ago, they’d probably look like this.
Unpopular opinions from one of my favorite musicians in the world.
100 interesting facts. As simple as it can get.
It’s been a quick and busy April. But it’s been a good one. I’ve had the chance to spend it with some great people and in some great places. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and opinions here. If you have thoughts and opinions of your own, which you do, let’s chat!