The Sunday Currently began as a writing prompt by siddathornton where on Sundays, you write a low-effort, high volume post that tackles what’s happening in your life. For more details, check out my previous issue here.
To whom it may concern,
It’s been so long since I took the time to sit down and open a blank Substack draft from my dashboard. It feels like I have forgotten how to write to you. Yet I know you’re patiently waiting for something new from me, or maybe not. Maybe I’m just another notification for you, gracing your inbox with my presence.
—and so, I continue writing anyway. I try to weave thoughts with cohesion into braids of paragraphs; coming into life the moment my fingers hit the keyboard. I try to make sense of my inner world and convey it to your reading pleasure.
Either way, the letter makes its arrival to your inbox. Due to unpopular demand, I am here with you.
Welcome to the fifth edition of The Sunday Currently.
reading
By some miracle, I started reading again. I managed to make an immaculate book haul sometime in November, stocking my shelves with paperbacks that I will swear I will read when I find time. The other half of my book haul are Penguin Classics I will send to my partner overseas.
Currently, my nose is buried under the pages of This is How You Lose the Time War, the one I mentioned few TSC issues back. While my sister had her copy months ago, I secured my own so I can read it at my own pace. A line struck me from the book—“When I was a girl, I loved reading. An archaic pastime, I know.” This, coupled by my partner’s avid endeavors to consume various forms of media, made me think of rekindling that lost love with reading.
Back to Time War. It’s refreshing to explore a new genre; science fiction isn’t really my cup of tea. However, there’s benefits in exploring outside one’s comfort zone. Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone went real hard with the creative writing in this one—the sci-fi setting and the story becomes an afterthought as I progress in reading. I get too engrossed with the exchange between the two protagonists, and the differing writing style of the authors.
I look forward by the time I put down this book and marvel at its wonder.
writing / learning
Speaking of rekindling, I am trying to get that creative spark working once more.
Occasionally I dabble in poetry exercises and free-writing courtesy of Healing Through Words by Rupi Kaur. It is something I recommend to space explorers who wants to give writing a try through guided methods. No wonder the hardbound was so thick, it doubles as a workbook for your writing exercises to take place. It tackles four different themes where you can write about trauma, love, heartbreak, and healing (pretty spicy topics there, I know). No skill or expertise required, all it needs is for you to write your feelings away.
Of course, not everything is an easy topic to work on so pace yourselves with the exercises. Here’s some of the things I wrote.
listening
No Christmas is complete without our yearly listening analytics, courtesy of Spotify Wrapped. As I am drafting this TSC issue, I am listening to my Top 100 Songs for 2023, which had a surprising dash of K-Pop1 and Taylor Swift. Then again, 1989 was the only TS album I had a connection with my past. I still remember heading to my classmate’s crib as we had a listening party the day it was released.
I am a little embarrassed with how my Wrapped turned out, because there’s fucking Elevate making up my top list. Listening to Kalye Rap is a guilty pleasure, y’all—this is almost the same as having Ex Battalion in your top artists. Imagine that, bro.
Moving forward, I would be featuring SIAMES for today’s issue. My partner introduced this to my playlist along with IDKHOW and Sea Power, but I guess I liked SIAMES’s vibe more. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re a Lat-Am indie band that makes fire ass animated music videos.
Mr. Fear was my top song for Spotify Wrapped, and the dystopian setting their music videos have in common is just—[chefs kiss].
However, the song they’re most famous for is The Wolf, which is coupled by stunning animated visuals. The song took me a while to get accustomed to, but I loved it, anyway.
watching
Due to a recommendation by a space explorer, I managed to get my partner to watch Jawan - Extended Cut on a spontaneous weekend. It’s nice to bond with him on Bollywood films, and I owe it to the two of them that I discovered the great DILF: Shah Rukh Khan. Imagine having that rizz despite nearing my mother’s age. Thirsting aside, I am surprised with myself that I had the attention span to finish a Bollywood movie—normally I don’t watch series with hour-long episodes, what more a three-hour extended cut? The societal ills discussed in Jawan are too real, at least that’s what my partner has assessed2.
—and this marks the beginning of our soon-to-be Bollywood binge. I have a list of movies with Shah Rukh Khan in it, and I look forward on watching Raees on Netflix next.
googling
dinner date stock image
more passion more energy more footwork
hanoi local government
xinqiu build
paimon moe pity counter
hoping
—that I could get to write again. I mean, I already am; but I meant the next time around. I want to be able to get into my writing groove again after a couple weeks. Who would’ve thought that I have been writing to you for a year, my space explorers? Hopefully I would get the inspiration to write a year-end message, and be on my groove before we welcome another year.
wanting/needing
I need to work on my report on the West Philippine Sea issue for my Philippine National Development class. I have an outline of what slides I need to work on and the research I need to do, but I have to get this out of my system first.
feeling
I’ve been feeling a bit hermit-y these days, only interacting with other people when deemed necessary. I feel like this moment is the calm before the storm. 2023 was such a chaotic shitfest, and the peace that I have been experiencing is just temporary. However, I am trying to make the most out of that momentary reprieve, just like how I am writing to you right now.
remembering
Sometime in October-November, I got active in cosplaying again.
One thought followed another, and I found myself renting a costume and curating my cosplay. I thoroughly enjoyed the preparations that came with my cosplay, as well as the interactions that I got from it. I did experience a little bit of burnout, maybe because I realized that cosplay is a fucking luxury that I cannot afford. I don’t have the physique nor the constant influx of funds to maintain such hobby. Maybe when the spark comes again I will cosplay again. Hopefully by then, I have a stable source of income.
looking forward
I will be attending a cupsleeve event for Kaeya’s birthday celebration later. Recently there’s news on an upcoming cupsleeve events for my favorite Genshin ship—one is accepting pre-order payments for the valentine’s “wedding”, then a new CSE coming up for a summer celebration for Diluc’s birthday.
I look forward on meeting new people this 2024. Here’s to chasing passions and what we love.
Final Thoughts.
Not much is left for today’s postscript. Just do your best, and love well.
<3, Aud
I blame NCT for this.
He knows Desi culture more than I do, so I trust his word on it.