Monthly roundup #1 - July 2024
Hello! Welcome to my newsletter :) If you’re reading this, you probably know me already, so we can skip past the intros and icebreakers.
This newsletter is essentially a collection of cool stuff I’ve seen and experienced over the last month. (It’s also a place to shill for all the events I organize lol.) I’m hoping to send new issues monthly. Stick around if you’d like, see what I get up to :)
What I’ve been reading
The Body Scout
by Lincoln Michel
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book caught my eye as I was perusing the small but mighty sci-fi collection at the library while hoping a new Novik or Pulley novel might materialize from the ether. Instead I found The Body Scout, which was nearly just as delightful.
Set in a dystopian future where genetic and cybernetic upgrades are the norm, the US has splintered into multiple smaller nation-states, and biopharma companies control everything from housing to sports, normal guy Kobo finds himself plunged into a world of espionage and corruption as he works to identify the murderer of his brother, baseball player JJ Zunz.
Despite its gritty backdrop and bleak depiction of the worst possible future, this was a fun read! I really enjoyed the worldbuilding; every mention of a pharma company I recognized gave me a good chuckle. The characters all have their own unique flavors of absurdity. I even enjoyed the baseball talk. This is a sci-fi murder mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously, making for a seriously fun read from start to finish.
What I’ve been watching
Pissing Out Cancer
Hank Green is many things: science educator, author, YouTuber, entrepreneur, brother of John Green, doer of things, and a man I simp for unabashedly. And now he’s added stand-up comedian to the list! This special documents his journey being diagnosed with and treated for cancer. It’s poignant, silly, and full of nerdery.
What I’ve been listening to
Niramekko - Tomonari Sora
I’ve been letting YouTube autoplay take me down rabbit holes recently, hoping to replicate the success I had when the algorithm put Heng in my queue. There have been more misses than hits lately, but then Niramekko came on, and I fell in love with Sora’s whole discography. Honorable mentions to Faregate for being an adorable bop and Demons Banquet for being unbearably catchy!
Listen to Niramekko on YouTube (and perhaps let autoplay take you somewhere new afterward 😉)
Events I have coming up
August 1 @ 6pm: SPLASH networking happy hour
📍 VERS, 714 9th Ave, NYC, 10019
🎫 Free to join! Just show up :)
📝 Come join me and the rest of NAAAP-NY PRIDE at a chill, low-key event where you can expand your LGBTQ+ AAPI professional network! SPLASH is held monthly, so no worries if you can’t make it this time around — we’ll see you at the next one :)
Creative shit I’ve been up to
I got a new tattoo! I’ve been wanting a paper crane for years, and my recent trip to Japan was a good impetus to finally get it. I keep showing it to people and squealing because I’m too excited to make proper words :D
And I guess I started a newsletter - making all the icons and doing the coding for this counts as creative shit, right?