Seven Things I Enjoyed (January to February 2022)
Seven things that I enjoyed in January and February.
Hello! Welcome to a new-ish segment of my newsletter that’s aptly called, Seven Things I Enjoyed. In an attempt to document the fun bits of my life, allow me to share seven things (a show, a film, a video, a piece of clothing, an activity— anything goes, you name it) that I liked for the month. For the first installment, here are seven things that I enjoyed from January to February!
Content warning: Some of my picks may include triggering themes.
Christine Mai Nguyen’s Souped Up Ramen video tutorial
I love watching videos related to food and cooking, and it’s one of the things that help me relax during stressful days. This tutorial by Christine Mai Nguyen on elevating your instant ramen is a way to engage yourself to make more effort in basic meals. I used to be a hater of instant noodles, but my busy schedule and the overwhelm of daily life can hold me back from preparing proper meals. This tutorial taught me that my standard ramen can have more dimension and can taste much better. My instant ramen recipe now has added condiments like pepper, cheese, and sesame oil, which makes it more flavorful.
The Daily Scoop Cami by Recess
During the early days of the panini, I made a commitment to myself that I will never buy any wired bras moving forward. After all, I’m working mostly from home and I do not have a solid need for it. This commitment compelled me to gravitate towards sports bras of various shapes and colors. Recess’ Daily Scoop cami is the bra-tank hybrid that I never knew I needed (Entireworld, why did you have to go?). The fabric is buttery, silky, and forgiving (I got one of these tanks in a size that’s 2-3 sizes smaller than my actual size and it fits nicely), it comes in really cute colors, it has decent support, and it can be stealth enough to wear under tank tops or dresses.
I also like the Come At Me Bra for the same reasons.
Anyway, you can check out Recess here.
Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune
If you’re an avid watcher of Pinoy pop culture, you may know that GMA’s teleseryes can be a hit or miss. While Encantadia and Daisy Siete were cultural greats, a good chunk of these dramas fall on the spectrum of being cringeworthy or forgettable, or even both.
Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune, an offshoot of the Mano Po film franchise, is everything that these teleseryes wished for. It’s smartly written and paced, with each character possessing some semblance of depth. In addition, the show is relevant for the post-Me Too/girlboss culture generation.
The show also gives me Pinoy Succession vibes, and I’m here for it. Now the show is also on its last week, it has become my reason for finishing work on time, lol.
Nike Downshifter 11 in Black
Ever since my Nike Flex RN 2017 broke, I’ve been borrowing my dad’s Nike running/walking sneakers for long leisurely walks or casual outings (we share the same shoe size, and I have wide, flat feet that can easily slip into men’s pairs).
Last Christmas though, I ended up buying a pair of Nike Downshifter 11s in an all-black colorway, which looked (and felt) elegant, sleek, and versatile for everyday wear. I’ve worn it with loungewear and jeans, and it never looked chunky or off from my overall outfit. However, I would like to note that it takes a couple of wears to break it in. Once it’s broken in though, it feels really comfortable to walk using them.
As for its place in the dad/chunky shoe trend, I feel that the Downshifter 11s are on the sleeker and daintier end of the spectrum, which is what drew me to this pair in the first place.
Threaducation
If you’ve known me long enough, you know that I enjoy fashion. Even though my closet space says otherwise, I enjoy marveling about looks created by brands and designers, reading about personal style, and learning about the stories behind them.
The Threaducation YouTube channel is filled with video essays discussing the histories of fashion designers and contemporary style stars. The videos are informative and insightful, yet digestible for lunchtime ear candy. Out of all the essays produced by the channel, I enjoyed the episodes on Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Amiri, and Raf Simons the most. I do hope that they produce episodes on the Loewe-JW Anderson revival, Chloe, and Valentino in the future though!
Lagim: A Filipino True Crime Podcast
Back in January, the rise in COVID cases here in the country prompted me to spend more time at home and find things to occupy my free time. Apart from playing with Berry and doing home-related stuff, I found myself gravitating towards true crime podcasts as a form of break time entertainment during the big Omicron spike.
Lagim: A Filipino True Crime Podcast originally featured episodes of a crime or a tragedy that involved Filipinos within the country and abroad. Now on its third season, the podcast is now delving on topics such as cults and other suspicious organizations in the country.
The podcast reignited my love for anything mystery and true crime-related; while I haven’t dipped my feet yet in The Tinder Swindler or Inventing Anna, I watched the three-part documentary on the Burari deaths, which was equal parts gruesome and terrifying.
The SimplyRecipes pasta carbonara recipe
I grew up eating Pinoy-style pasta carbonara, where eggs are replaced by cooking cream as the primary base of the sauce. After watching this vlog by Dasha Kim, it actually inspired me to cook carbonara in a more traditional way, with the egg mixture as the sauce. I’ve done it a few times with a bunch of swaps, and they taste delicious. It was also easier than I expected it to be.
Speaking of food-related content, I’ve been enjoying Jimmy O. Yang’s recipe videos too!
I hope you enjoyed reading this little roundup of my favorite things. Let’s not gatekeep the things that we like, since it may inspire someone else.
Until the next brain dump,
Lea