This has been a long time coming. And by “this”, I don’t really mean this newsletter, but rather this little pocket of time where motivation, ideation and restlessness coincide in the perfect way to allow for some creative thinking and writing. The last couple months have been a whirlwind but it brings me a lot of comfort to see that the last newsletter was on July 1st. To me it feels like I haven’t written one all year but I think I can sit with a 2-month hiatus.
Thankfully, all hiatuses must come to an end. Last month, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) ended a 3-year hiatus of soft moon landings, as the Chandrayaan-3 module touched the moon’s surface for the first time in the country’s history. Arc De Soleil, one of my favorite musical artists currently, released new music after a year-long hiatus of silence. Baggy jeans and cargo pants have made a resurgence after a 3-4 decade hiatus, and I’m trying my best to keep up with the trend. Christopher Nolan dropped Oppenheimer, closing the loop on a 3-year hiatus since his last film (that I also didn’t watch), Tenet. I’ll get around to Oppenheimer and the Florence Pugh scene soon, give me some time. Most importantly, last night I slept for 10 hours - ending a month-long hiatus of sleepless nights and baggy eyes.
Let’s ride.
i’m feeling lucky
I’ve been listening to a lot of music this summer but haven’t done a great job of sharing or updating the playlist. But this set of 40 is special and I’m excited for y’all to give it a listen! Featuring Arc De Soleil, Berhana, Toro y Moi, and Sid Sriram - along with many unique and foreign artists. Happy listening!
[Archive playlist can be found here, and in my spotify bio]
learning how to wok
On a long flight home from Jordan, I found myself restlessly scrolling the tv and movie options while everyone around me snored away. Anthony Bourdain, thankfully, kept me company for as long as he could - exactly 4 episodes of Parts Unknown. Somewhere in the Bangkok episode, he was introduced to the concept of cooking with a wok, and what it meant to the flavors and style of the food in that region. On the work-fired technique, he says:
Hei means energy, life force, or breath. And that's what you're looking for — the vestigial flavor, the essence of a very old, carefully-seasoned cooking vessel.
I thought a lot about this concept over the next few weeks. Something about the way they described this simple iron vessel made perfect sense to me yet seemed to place a huge responsibility/power on my head. I think I began to view myself as a similar vessel - when sat dormant and untouched, isn’t special. But, with the right flavors, heat and continuous diligence, produces miraculous results. The wok hei is more than just an iron vessel, it’s a metaphor for passion, practice and success.
I’m sure you can start to draw parallels on your own but to me, as a creative [blank], I feel an immense amount of imposter syndrome when faced with the next big project. I try my best to acknowledge my diverse skillset and I know it builds over time but what about the endeavors that lie outside of my comfort zone? This metaphor encouraged me to rethink the work I currently find myself doing, why it matters, and why I’m meant to be doing it. It’s easy to discredit experiences and time periods as pieces that don’t matter in a larger puzzle but much like the Cantonese vessel, this Indian one needs all the seasoning it can get. Every little bit of salt and acid help with an eventual dish - they breathe a specific and pertinent flavor into the creativity that I embody. It may take years or even generations to develop that taste and identity but without each new coating, this vessel won’t operate at perfection.
Thousands of years after the invention of the wok hei, after its use has been adopted into many other cultures and cuisines, the underlying intent is still the same - carefully seasoning a vessel to produce a flavor that embodies time, passion, skill and creativity into one. Food for thought, right?
through my eyes
I still haven’t gone through all of my photos from the summer, but of the few that I have seen, I’ve really come to like this one. A simple-yet-complex self portrait, with multiple eyelines and subjects (or objects)? Let the eyes wander…
hi barbie
I’m not really one to write film reviews and I don’t intend on digging deep here but I do have opinions to dump after watching Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
Opinion: Art is meant to have meaning. Whether it’s a film or a painting or song, I believe that every piece of art is created with a message/emotion/symbol/etc in mind. Sometimes that meaning can be very simple - for example, most modern day rap lyrics serve no other purpose but to boast about wealth, fame and sex. Is it still considered art? Absolutely. But where I find issue with Barbie is that I usually prefer the meaning in art to be somewhat distilled and communicated to the viewer. I can understand that abstract paintings take a bit of introspection and are open to “whatevers” but films are different. Or maybe I expected too much from Barbie. (ironic, I know) The film hit so many relevant and important socio-cultural and standard notes but failed to deliver a coherent and concise message. In my opinion, the writers absolutely overloaded the double-entendres and quick little jabs to the point where the audiences was ooh-ing and aah-ing at every line but walked away with a “what just happened.” Audience = me, ofcourse. But I felt lost at the end of the movie, without a sense for cohesion. And I can already see folks countering my claim with other films like Interstellar, EEAAO, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbings Missouri. The difference is that I understood very little of those movies from start to finish and it prompted multiple rewatches. In Barbie’s case, I can confidently say I understood every minute dialogue but still felt incomplete at the end of the film. Maybe I have to rewatch it, who knows.
Visual design and art direction are so damn important. One thing that I feel Barbie’s production team nailed: the visuals. From the costumes to the sets to the colors to the lighting, I feel that the concept of Barbie and the visual representation from 3D to semi-2D was fantastic. I loved all the neon colors and rolling sets - especially the moments in which they bled into the “real world.”
Aside from the movie itself, I’d like to note that cargo pants are the best thing to wear to a movie theater. Easiest to sneak in goodies, comfiest when reclining, and keeps you warm in the cold-ass theater.
Still haven’t seen Oppenheimer, someone please take me.
affirmations
I recently wrapped up a month of hectic and crazy days as a Senior Production Designer at a creative agency. I was contracted to a “Cupertino-based tech giant” and co-managed a team of (what started as 4 designers) to sprint through an awesome interface and interactive design project. I loved every second of it, but it challenged the fuck out of me and my endurance. It’s not that I wasn’t fit for the job or didn’t have the skillset - rather, I wasn’t sure I had the diligence to keep up with the pace and stress of the deadlines + client needs. We ran into lots of issues and worked well beyond our allocated 40-hour weeks but as of today, we pushed all our work out the door and in the most pristine condition possible. But looking back at the last month, I’m keen on asking the question: “At what cost?”
Today, Anya applauded my ability to take care of myself and keep myself afloat while managing a overfull plate for the past month. It’s an applause that I very much appreciated but didn’t quite internalize while battling through the trenches. Eating/cooking consistenly, working out every week, sleeping a decent amount, staying social yet productive are all very important things but when stacked on top of each other, can be very scary. I’m not usually one to think of self-affirmations but I chalk that up to my secretly big ego. It felt amazing to be recognized by an external being that saw my hard work and dedication and grit in this last month.
I want to pass that sentiment onto you all and encourage you to do the same for your loved ones! Affirmations are a huge part of how we think of ourselves and how we approach the person in the mirror every morning. It’s important to believe that you’re doing the best you can and working towards a better version of yourself. If you’ve been working your ass off and staying healthy and eating consistently and just purely waking up every morning, pat yourselves on the back and do the same for someone else! I can’t help but be vague in this scenario but if you’ve noticed someone do something specific that stood out to you, let them know.
Respect and appreciate the work you’re putting in now to better the next iteration of the person you’ll be. And do the same for the folks around you.
Without getting repetitive and sappy, the last thing I’ll say is that I really appreciate those of you that have helped keep me afloat this past month. I’m really enjoying and embracing the speed of this chapter of my life but I wouldn’t be able to keep up with it if it weren’t you little boost pads along the way. As small as a text and as big as a shoulder to lean on at 7am, I appreciate so many of you for being my pillars of support and helping me fly through this month. I feel like I made leaps and strides forward in my career and adult life, and I’d be remiss not to give credit where it’s due.
link dump
how to build a playlist
producing amazing results using the wisdom of crowds
an article that might infuriate you: turmeric or toomeric
a debate over the physics of time
if you haven’t read about the voyager golden record, now’s the time
this man tried to fight mexican gangs with music
I’m currently writing to you from inside an aircraft, on my way to Phoenix for a couple days for a photoshoot. What used to be an act of looking cool on flights is now a necessary move in order to finish shit before deplaning. In this very moment I want (need) two things: a completed newsletter and sleep. I’ll sleep when I get to my hotel.
I’m looking forward to some much-needed cold fronts, a bit more of time spent cooking and drinking soju, and your comments under this post. It’s been two months since the last loaf and I expect some thoughts from these wandering minds of yours.
p.s.: the I’m Feeling Lucky has already been out for a few days and I’m absolutely loving it.
yessssss, I've been waiting awhile for this read ;)
*chef's kiss* - wonderfully seasoned, worth the wait, well done.
A few high-level comments/reactions:
- lol @ the TBOEM drop
- lulu pants + sweatshirt gang > cargos
- I clicked on a link !!! "flexible pronunciation" smh my head
Looking forward to a more in-depth debrief on Sunday.
ML,
Tony
Like always a lovely read Bru. Congrats on wrapping up the gig successfully. Love the cooking metaphor with wok hei; we all need a little seasoning to really shine ❤️