1. The heatwave has reached L.A., which means I only have a short window to run errands before the UV index peaks at solar noon. And while I couldn’t be happier as a homebody (but also because it means prolonging the lifespan of my favorite sunscreens), I haven’t been able to focus on my usual hobbies as a professional introvert. Reading has been capricious, which is alarming (for me). Researching outré topics, a favorite pastime, hasn’t been satiating. I’ve even been flighty with journaling (equally disquieting, as a lifelong diarist).
Perhaps the heat has managed to pervade my apartment walls—Los Angeles buildings are rather fragile things—and therefore, my brain. Or, I’ve been immobilized by the never-ending barrage of bad news. It’s part of the ploy in numbing us all, I’m sure of it. But right now, it’s too hot for me to rebel against the red wave. I’m coping with copious amounts of retail therapy instead.
2. A tiny, delicious joy: Plumcots are in season! Eating two per sitting is non-negotiable.
3. I could write a dissertation about how much I’ve always loved bag charms and the Sanrio universe—the cuter, the better—but have rarely had the fortitude to ornament my bags with them. Even when Fendi food charms and monster furballs were en vogue (and nearly two decades later, Labubus), I never dared to participate. As an Asian American woman, I’m constantly navigating how I’m perceived, and how my actions may or may not contribute to stereotypes. Even as a little girl in grade school, I was hyper-aware of what it meant to have my face and exist in a white, suburban town; there are implications of not seeming “American enough.” And even now, despite the things I love (finally) becoming mainstream, I’m cognizant of how something as harmless as a keychain feeds into the infantilization of Asian women. I want to be taken seriously, always.
Overthinking is a gift, but it impedes public displays of tiny delights and self-expression. For now, I adorn my bags at home. This tanned Hello Kitty dressed in leopard has brought immense fun, even in private.
4. I’m happy to report that the new Chanel Rouge Coco Hydra Gloss is, in fact, better than the original line of lip glosses. The texture is lovely (like a dense, jelly serum to seal in hydration), and the colors are exquisite. Chanel is one of few brands that excels in milky shades: Reflet, a milky lilac, is my favorite.
5. Insomnia has been plaguing me worse than usual. Is it the heat? A literal wake-up call to shake up my life? Time will tell; I’m waiting for the listlessness to form into a eureka moment.
. . .
xx
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