Its been a year of this, send congrats in cash
Today, just like other days, we’re thinking out loud and reflecting on the year that was. June is kind of like December for us, a new beginning-ish.
If you’ve stuck around till now - what is wrong with you? Please find something better to do with your time.
Tango with Darshita
This time last year (nearly) we wrote one of our first newsletters (!) on the six letter word that keeps us up at night: growth. Phew, what a year—of course two to tango regs know since then I’ve moved, quit a job, started uni, met some very wholesome humans, gotten rejected from many jobs, also gotten published at some dream titles, dated a bunch and found the loml.
SO much has changed and shifted in the last year. Previously, I could never imagine keeping plants alive let alone be the *trusted* guardian for a friend’s baby greens. Hilarious that when I look back at the last year, this screams at me as a big, worthy achievement. Oh and also that I can make pretty good food now - want some lemon rice, fettuccine in red wine, thai curry or sambhar? I also have a slowly growing collection of cute plates ~ dreams really do come true.
But there’s also some stuff that hasn’t changed much in the last year, for better or for worse. I am still trying (and failing) to be regular with my work outs and eat healthy, it STILL bothers me that I’ve gained weight ugh. I’m mostly still Miss Type A with my many lists. Oh I still make more plans than I can handle, also still bail more than I intend to.
The one thing that has changed though—and I do think it’s the one that matters most, I deal with change and stagnancy better than before. I don’t always shut down, I manifest a lot more, I surround myself with more energy that makes me happy than unsure. I draw boundaries and manage my expectations; will report how the birthday goes to confirm.
Oh I’m also starting a podcast with a favourite friend in London to talk about all things pop culture. So yeah, I think it’s been a good year? Full of growth too, if I may say so myself. Maybe stop and think about what the last few months have been for you too? It’s gem szn and halfway through 2022, always a good time to reconsider <3
Tango with Avani
I write this after coming back from a one-month vacay in London so obviously be prepared as I rant about nostalgia. But real talk, I needed this break for more reasons than one and ngl, I was kind of apprehensive about going to a place I called home for so long and seeing it change. Ofc change is natural, I didn’t expect London to stay the same since 2019 but a part of me was naively hoping it did. Glad to report, it HAS changed (so many of my fav cafes shut, the streets look diff, there are more buildings and less people, and Oxford Circus is now unbearable) but I dealt with it because I’ve changed too.
Speaking of change, I’ve gone out of my comfort zone more times than I can count in the last 6 months - some paid off, some didn’t - but that’s not the point. My 24th birthday is right around the corner and now I can proudly say that I’ve most definitely grown in the last year - emotionally though, not physically (rip my height).
I still overthink, overfeel, overdo and will most likely continue to do so in all capacity. Not just in relationships, but in my career, with fam/friends and sometimes for no reason at all. If the last month has taught me anything, its that I still have a lot of unlearning to do when it comes to concepts of attachment, loneliness, anxiety and generally navigating moral baggage. This is about specific as I can get without giving TMI, but I hope you take the month of June to look inward and see if there are things you thought to be true/valid/right that actually aren’t or no longer serve purpose.
OOPS we did it again! (Random recommendations to tango with, curated 4U)
Read Haramacy, it’s an anthology by South Asian and Middle Eastern diaspora and forces us to rethink the immigrant experience.
Shoutout to Darshu for gifting me a copy of Poor Little Sick Girls by Ione Gamble because it’s right up my alley. Challenge your existing perceptions about wellness, illness, self-care and disability.
Okay buy rosemary crackers, slap on some fancy cheese, drizzle a little chilli oil and thank me after.
Yalla Yalla is a yummy Lebanese spot hidden in Soho, London and I kinda don’t want to tell everyone so that it stays underrated but oops.
Watch Everything I Know About Love so we can talk about it thx.
Is Marilyn Monroe all over your feed/timeline? Yeah, here’s why.