Hey there, !

It's been a while since I've posted a life update, so let's dive in:

1. Guys, it's over, it's done. CELEBRANCY PRACTICE CEREMONIES: 12/12 COMPLETE. CERT IV IN CELEBRANCY ACHIEVED. This has been a freakin' long journey and it's finally over - I've now put in my application to the Attorney Generals Department so I have to wait another 3 - 6 months to actually get my license, but SOON I'll be able to use my powers for good and marry anyone and everyone! The most heartfelt of thanks to anyone who helped be an actor in my interviews and ceremonies - I owe you all majorly!

   
   _{Thank you Nick for the photos}

2. Many feasts and gatherings were had over the Christmas break - too much food and too many good times to recall them all, but they were had, nonetheless. I tried making some desserts for the first time (baking is so hard I screw up so much), I forced my friends to roleplay in wedding scenarios for me, I hung out with a lot of babies, and played a lot of games. A genuinely fun, restful break.

   _{A BIG CREME BRULEE which I did not really do a good brulee for but first time so it was still pretty yum!}
   _{Surprisingly had never tackled a tiramisu before but it worked out! Kind of? The coffee kind of leaked for some reason (maybe I dunked a bit too much?) but still very delicious.}
   _{I saw Josh Johnson and he was in tip top form! Looking forward to the comedy festival (as I do every year)!!}
   _{A worthy contest, every week, fighting the Battle of Sekigahara ⚔️}

3. I went to Vietnam for a week and was insufferable for the two weeks after about the food and the climate and BA NA HILLS so here's a selection of photos from Vietnam. I'll do a more in depth post another time about observations and food etc. but for now have some morsels, some tidbits, some little fun things to whet the appetite. Some Potentially Interesting things to ask about when we see each other in person :D

   _{You catch live seafood from their tanks, and then you cook them on the grill. Confronting, but what an experience!}
   _{In comparison, this place offers to SHELL YOUR PRAWNS for you which is TOP TIER service imo. Literally no other place I have ever been would do this for you. LUXURY.}
   _{hehehe cat}
   _{hehehe cat}
   _KOI
   _{They say never go to the second location. I nearly died here.}
   _{They also say to face your fears. I nearly died here.}
   _{Reminded me of Hong Kong}
   _{Ba Na Hills fun times}
   _{Night views of Hoi An}

4. Oh, things I'm looking forward to? Catching up with life, really. Now that celebrancy's done I have so many other things I have put on the sidelines to get through. I smashed through The Way of Kings of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson just because I felt the lightness of time. I watched a bunch of old movies I had queued up (see Recommendations). I started going through Succession (and then it's Breaking Bad. then The Wire. Any other recommendations are far back on the backburner unless I have some other reason I need to watch them soz).

5. I do need to find a new hobby though (or perhaps go deeper into the ones I already have), and I'm hoping it'll be woodworking or something with my hands. A conscious effort to balance all the brain things I do already with hand things. Instagram is already showing me all the woodworking boys and girls who make cool stuff - I just gotta start somewhere, y'know?

6. Okay you just wanted photos of Gandalf anyway - HERE YOU GO.

   
   
   
   

Chat soon :)

(P.S. If you've got any feedback for the newsletter, just hit the reply button!)

✔️Real Life Recommendations

1. Playtime - 4 stars - directed by Jacques Tati, who literally went bankrupt from doing this film because he wanted to keep his artistic vision as perfect as possible. He built a city for the production, and hired HUNDREDS of extras - each of whom he would talk to about their backstory and how they should act and what they're doing. Why? Because though there's a subtle through line of a protagonist and story, EVERY FRAME is bustling with people going about their lives living in the city. It's so full of humans! There's just so much to look at, and it has so many critiques of the modern era even though it was shot in 1967!! Highly recommended.

2. The Way of Kings - I know I love sci-fi and fantasy novels, but for some reason I never just sat down to read one of these monster books because I didn't think I had the time. Turns out, you just make time. A beautifully written and paced epic fantasy novel - the first of the Stormlight Archive - with some great characters, great introspective writing, cool gadgets, amazing world-building, and so many mysteries to come. Very excited to read the rest of the series!

🚌 Adventures on the Information Super-Highway

1. How I Taught My Neighbor to Keep the Volume Down - r/pettyrevenge

2. Animated Knots by Grog - ever want to know how to tie a particular knot? Here you go.

3. Poems Can Trick AI Into Helping You Make a Nuclear Weapon - I mean, okay, but they'll just patch it out. The meta continues to change with AI - as long as there's AI, there'll be people trying to hack AI. Who's going to write the first AI Anarchist Cookbook? :D