turning the page on april 2024
Life Lately & Other Oddities
Hello again, dear friends! Well, April has come and gone but spring is here to stay (at least for now)! I can’t even express how happy I am to see the days getting longer and to feel them getting warmer as well!! This past winter was more difficult for me than usual, but it feels like my heart is starting to wake up litte by little, thawing slightly day by day.
Life & Its Lessons
April was a strange month for me, as I finally decided to take care of my mental health. Since about 2020, I’ve struggled a lot with clinical levels of depression and anxiety, largely surrounding my academic life. For a long time, I denied that my mental health was suffering, but this semester it finally got so bad that I couldn’t ignore it anymore and something had to be done. So, here I am now, in therapy and at the beginning of a new mental health “glow up” journey.
I suppose, as always, there’s a lesson (or several) to take from this. Probably something like “if you don’t choose to take care of your physical and/or mental health of your own volition, your body and brain will eventually force you to.” Or maybe “you can’t outrun your issues, so it’s best to face them.” Honestly, it feels like I’ve spent so much time running that I’ve become utterly lost within myself. I’m tired, I’m confused, and I just want to go home now. So, I think it’s time to do just that…
Currently Reading…
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson I’m about 30% of the way through this book and so far I love it! I always forget how much I enjoy mystery novels until I randomly pick one up to read, and this instance has been no different in that way. I’ve never read a Holly Jackson novel before, although I know about her massively hyped debut series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Despite the fact that that series (so far) is arguably more popular than this latest release from Jackson, I just felt more drawn to the plot of The Reappearance of Rachel Price, and I think I made a good decision. The eerie and mysterious atmosphere in this book is immaculate, and the mystery is super intriguing, so I’m really satisfied with my choice so far!
Currently Watching…
Mr. & Mrs. Smith Season 1 I knew that a series reboot of the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith was in the works, but I didn’t realize it released recently nor that it was on Amazon’s Prime Video service. I watched the original film version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith for my Film Theory course about a year and a half ago and enjoyed it decently, so when I came across the series reboot on Prime Video and saw it starred Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, I was intrigued. The series is less of a “reboot” and more of an origin story, without the framing device of the marriage counselor. I’ve only watched two episodes of the show, but so far it’s alright. It’s a tad less witty, charming, and action-packed than the film, and I think the series suffers for it. What humor there is in the series is very dry, which doesn’t always land for me personally. I’m interested to see how the series deveops, but I’m also not on-the-edge-of-my-seat levels of engaged with it either, so I’ll probably only watch it every once in a while.
Currently Listening To…
Woledto by Elyanna Whether or not you’re already a fan of Arab pop (if you’ve ever even listened to it—which you should btw), Elyanna is an artist you just have to add to your playlists! I discovered the Palestinian-Chilean singer several years ago and instantly fell in love with her incredible voice. So, naturally, when I saw that she released a new album this past April you can bet your bottom dollar I was immediately on top of that shit! And fortunately I wasn’t disappointed! Elyanna always does a decent job of mixing a Arab sound with a Western pop sound, but with Woledto she particularly leans into a more traditional Levantine Arab sound, and I love it! The entire album is amazing and I encourage you to take a listen!
“HEADHIGH” by Doja Cat I love Doja Cat’s old era but I also love this new era of hers as well, and “HEADHIGH” is a perfect addition to her new repertoire. It’s a bit of a determination and self confidence centered bop, and I love that.
“Murder on the Dance Floor - triple j like A Version” by Royel Otis I had heard snippets of this song on TikTok, but didn’t know the name until I formally discovered it in therapy this April, weirdly enough. Regardless, it became an instant addition to my playlist and I’ve been obsessed with it since!
Current Miscellaineous Favorites…
Yara’s (A Ray of Reading on YouTube) Recommendations for Books by Arab Authors As someone who’s part Arab (Lebanese) myself, I’m always overjoyed to see media by Arab creators get some attention. Yara’s video recommending books by specifically Arab (not just Muslim authors and not non-Arab authors from the MENA region, fyi) authors is a great resource for readers looking to add some diversity to their TBR!
Creators for Palestine I’m a vocal supporter of Palestinian liberation, so I was so happy to see many of my favorite YouTubers join this initiative! If you’re able to, definitely donate to and/or share about “Creators for Palestine.”