Hello, my internet friends (many of whom are near and dear to me irl).
It has obviously been a while because life catches on but I have been well. With the Lion’s Gate Portal opening up tomorrow, I wanted to hop on here unedited to recap what has been happening in life and invite everyone for a little manifestation exercise. I can’t promise it won’t get cheesy.
New Job!
I got a new job managing communications for an artist-run center in my city. And so far it has been fulfilling and invigorating my love for design and storytelling. My work requires me to work with art administrators, artists, artmakers/members, people interested in the arts, other non-profit organizations, and potentially corporate bodies.
I am thankful for my amazing boss who is a Chinese Candian of Cantonese descent (like myself) and I am forever grateful for the trust, respect, and admiration we both lend each other in and out of work. They have opened up a new world of friendships, connections, and what “community” means.
Trip to Portugal with Sibling
After 4 years of living apart, I finally got to see my sister! In early June, I flew halfway to meet my sister N in Portugal for a nice week getaway. She flew from Germany where she resides now (she is pursuing her Master’s degree) and we picked it up like we have never spent time apart and it felt long overdue. It is nice to have your family around.
What is also nice is the fact that as “veteran” travelers we are so used to planning a trip on excel sheets, and knowing exactly how to read each other’s cues by just an eye twitch, or the fact we know each other’s push-and-pulls between having fun and the practicalities of “let’s fucking go and catch this bus.”
Without stuffing it in your face, here is a quick inventory list of the trip: a lot of americanos (N couldn’t drink espressos), sunscreen, grilled meats and squid, port wine, a lot of noisy English gents eloping in Portugal, piri piri chicken, sweet vermouth on ice with a slice of orange, not enough sunscreen, overpriced shades, tram rides. I will leave the rest for your imagination.
I love my sister even though she is the more controlling sibling and I have gotten to appreciate her more through the years, especially having been away from home for four years. I also have to remind myself to not associate her up-tightness with nostalgia — that is just who she is and I can still actively appreciate that and openly communicate with her. We are adults now (with matching sibling tattoos).
On the second last night in Porto, N was not up for a night out dancing so I ventured out into downtown Porto in all white around eleven o’clock only to find myself the first one in the bar like the perfect student that I was. I anticipated a lineup by eleven but I was surely mistaken. I chatted with the bouncer briefly before he offer me a shot of gin. I hopped on a tram that meandered through the Porto slopes filled with drunken shouts and high heels clicking on the perturbing cobblestones. People watching.
I returned to said bar around one o’clock — the bouncer waved me in as I snaked through the dancefloor. I remember feeling anxious about going out by myself let alone dancing but then reminded myself to not take things so literal and serious. Everyone hides behind a smile and is probably scared shitless anyway. All I could do is looking up the group of disco balls levitating and dance to the beat.
I departed one day early back to Canada before N returns to Germany. There wasn’t enough time for tears (unverified, but we are probably ugly criers) when we both know there is so much living to do.
Half-Assed Projects
In true Pisces-Sun Taurus-Moon fashion, I have yet again started something new. Since the trip back from Portugal (that night out by myself particularly), I started teaching myself DJ-ing! I am officially joining the SoundCloud DJ cliche. Check out this mix I did (“no presh”):
I have gotten around during this hiatus to learn that it is okay or better to learn some than learn none. The debate of being a specialist better than a generalist is not only antiquated and binary but neglects the fact that people are fluid in time and multiplicity. Or this might just look like I am making a long-winded excuse for my new venture.
In retrospect, there are things I like and dislike about my writing. I liked writing because thematically it goes to a “discoursive” space but had a hard time riding between the incredibility of pop culture and the journalistic voice. Writing about pop culture in a journalistic tone feels doubly unnecessary. But yet the flip side of that same coin would be: why not put two seemingly contradictory things together and see things from new angles/angels?
What do you think?
So… What Now?
I can’t make any grandiose promises but please anticipate more writing here and there. I would love to write more of me and treat this as a space for combing and resetting life, maybe with some kind of pop cultural recap/storytelling.
How have you all been? Please tell me!
x
Jeff
Welcome back! And sounds like it was a great trip! I've been keeping busy in the garden here in Pittsburgh and have had a chance to visit some other gardens around the state too.