#juststuff11
Happy post thanksgiving and it's almost the most wonderful time of the year!!!
Every end of the month-ish, I wrap up the month with some #juststuff with no thoughts. These are all the things I read, watched and bought (or want) over the month that I fully endorse, because hey, what is a rec without a Megumi endorsement.
Well, the year is coming to an end. I’m actually sort of excited about the next year and I this is new to me. Surprise! I hate endings! It’s not in my nature to be like, Welp! that was fun! on to the next. Endings are my nemesis. When I used to go to Disneyland with my parents, I hated when the songs started to play in the evening, a cue for the customers to leave the park. I started to prepare myself by 3pm giving myself a pep talk, “Ok, a couple more hours Megumi.” Movie endings, concert endings, dinner endings, party endings, relationship endings… I hate them all. But it feels a little different now even knowing that a whole year is about to end. As Maggie Smith said recently on a podcast, I’m finding myself with “Greater peace.”
I had dinner with an old friend last night (more on this soon!), and it reminded me that people don’t change fundamentally, and we will keep making mistakes as we always do but people can be radicalized for the better. She has always worked towards a better world and is doing so much activism work and it was aspirational to witness. The women I gravitate towards the most are the ones who are willing ー willing to do better and grow. When I see her, I am always reminded of that willingness and for that I’m thankful x
Reads
-I finally finished Wow, no thank you by
. I don’t think I’ve ever read a memoir loling the whole time ever. I mean the amount of honesty she puts in there is so encouraging to see and it was relatable and not at equal measures which I enjoyed.-Light in Gaza, currently free to download as an Ebook, is a collection of essays from Palestinians who live in and out of Gaza. I’m going to a bookclub this Saturday hosted by Koenbookclub if anyone is interested!
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on Who is allowed to have an opinion online? You can have an opinion, but it’s interesting how companies are regulating employees social media posting now and ask them to refrain from posting anything ‘political’.-
on When War Sells Serum was such a fascinating read as always! Who knew that we often use battle words or war related words for beauty campaigns! This take by Michelle Lee on Social issues was interesting as well.- by
, I loved this reading on what it means to age and see the changes of your body. The woman I used to be...-how cute is this Bonn appetite’s 2023 new resto list website? Love. Also NewYork, we love you but $175 course for Yakitori is insane!
-From NYT, Is Reading the Hottest Thing You Can Do as a Single Person? Yes it is! Also, can’t agree more with “There’s something flirty and magnetic about a physical bookー” It’s true! A physical book is giving, intellect and romance!
-mom’s arranging playdates for their college kids…
-by
She wrote about A Writer's Guide to Writing Resolutions ー I resolve to this especially next year to find my writing community. “Find, build, and nurture connections and community”-I really enjoyed this advice column by Phillipa Perry, I feel like I’ve wasted my 20s. What is holding me back?
Life is not a race. Some people manage to buy homes, lose them, get married and divorced again by the time they are 30; some people don’t find meaningful work until after retirement age. It is not useful to think of life as milestones that must be met by certain ages. Life is not a boardgame and, even if it was, we do not all have the same starting point.
-Another advice stack from
'I Hate Myself and I'm Miserable Every Day!', a very long response but necessary affirmations to FORGIVE yourself and self teach yourself that you deserve everything that you have now, if you feel any guilt.Listen
-From Family secrets, Baby on the boat was a enthralling story that I needed to pay attention to while listening. Stories matter for this exact reason! (recommended by
)-by
, she was on the Rethinking pod and made me want to re-read her poem, Good Bones again.-The weird book club had
as a guest talking about Still Born - and this is now on my next reading list.-The Great Women Artist is such a great pod, with excellent women legendary guests, and a recent episode with Elif Shafak was interesting on too much information and not being able to think on our own anymore. Then this NYT article on reading more women writers.
Watch
-Saw this rec from The Hyphen by Emma Gannonand eeee! Loved. This Nora Ephron 40 minute interview. My favorite part? Asked, “Domestically skilled? Or domestically challenged?”“Gifted…domestically. Except when it comes to housework.” She’s a ball and we love her.
-on BBC iplayer… there’s this most unhinged comedy show I have ever watched and it’s fucking brilliant. Such Brave Girls. A fucking self indulgent single mom with one mentally depressed teen who is always the ‘downer’ in the club, and another who is truly so unhinged, she starts foaming from her mouth because the bleach dye for her hair was too strong… It is really funny and the reason why when I need a easy 25 minute pick me up show, I always turn to Brit humor.
Black Friday Things
Ok, fine. I wasn’t going to show off my disgusting capitalist behavior, but I do want to share a few things that I’m really happy/excited to get from my Black Friday spree. Source Unknown is a brand I knew of but never owned so I thought I wanted to indulge. I got a pair of white shorts for summer and this beautiful shirt that seems versatile enough that can be worn with a sweater as well. I wanted some new pillow cases, bathmat, sheets so got some from Bedthreads. I’m really into this Pink Clay color? This was a
rec months ago, but it has been on mind. I own a pair of AGOLDE jeans and it’s true, they are really one of the best jeans I own, pricey but worth every coin. I can’t wait to get these GenZ-esque form ones soon. I also snatched someone of these fishnet socks and I wanna wear them with some heels. This has to be a rec, but The Sage Vintage always drops fun and cute vintage pieces that are affordable. I got a cute coin necklace that I’m sure going to wear one too many times! Also another, Harling Ross Anton-sama rec, (literally anything that she says!) J-crew apparently has the best gold hoops and from reading this article months ago, I was waiting for a sale to come and snatched one. Oh and the verdict is ….it is the best one. (Actually still on sale and 30$ for us is 6,000yen so get that 3,000 yen hoops when you can!) One thing that I really regret not moving quicker… was the Reformation Sam cashmere oversized sweater I mean…it was everywhere and I was like, ok cute but I’ll still look around. Now I’m on the freakin waitlist +++++ more expensive but hey probably for the best.Next Reading List
-After reading
recent favorite novella collection, I want to read Bonjour Tristesse for my next summer read!-Yellowface by Rebecca Kuang has been on my list for ages!
-The Beauty Myth (Short Vintage version) by Naomi Wolf. This book is nostalgic to me for one because it was my first English books I bought in Seattle. I don’t know where it went but I was just thinking of wanting to re-read it and apparently short version of it so I might have a go at that.
-Crying in H mart by Michelle Zauner
-Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel
Welp! I hope that was enough. I feel like overdosed on links here but I also hope that some of this was as always inspirational or brought you some joy to the life we ought to live with some skip and hop! I hope you had a wonderful November, and I’ll see you next week :) Thank you as always for reading and supporting my work! Bisous x Megumi