AUGUST NOTES
The final month of summer went by, however it seems we will have a rather hot and sunny beginning of September. Happy to have that, as this year summer has been anything but warm and dry. I am not sure where time flies or how it can so easily slip through my fingers. It is somewhat scary to look back and see that another season passed.
With that being said, this month wasn’t as productive as I would have wished. I am still trying to figure out what works for me in order to learn new skills. It is a fine balance between a organised schedule and giving myself more flexibility, and let’s not forget to be kind to myself. This is rather difficult, as I tend to put a lot on my plate and force myself to push hard, but in the end I only psych myself out. This cycle continued for many years and it is not very helpful, thus I have to figure out a better plan.
In the meantime, I have been filling out my sketchbook and have added two spreads of which I am quite proud. Not only for how they ended up looking, but just by managing to fill in two spreads in a short time span. One goal for this year is to finally finish my current sketchbook.
I do not think I have ever finished a sketchbook. In my childhood, I used to draw on loose paper rather than in sketchbooks. Once I grew up, I found out about sketchbooks and started collecting them, drawing on the first few pages… and then forgetting about it by moving to another sketchbook. Nowadays, I do not buy any more sketchbooks and try to finish the ones I own already.
MISC.
BOOKS: I have had The Midnight Library on my TBR for ages, before actually making myself read it. I think I waited for the right moment and this summer was the right moment. It is a beautiful story that can give you hope and a new perspective on the world. We can see a scenario where someone can have a look at their parallel lives, for whichever other decision they would have made. What you can take from this story is that, yes, it can be hard in your current life, however do not think that in other lives everything would have been much better. You would just have had other ups and downs. It is hard to grasp this sometimes, but reading this book felt like a kind reminder to enjoy whatever you have and however you can.
I cannot even remember when I bought this book, that much time it has passed. I was tempted to add it to the pile of books I wanted to give away, but something kept it on my shelves. The Walled City shows the perspective of 3 separate characters, that each one of them has their own goals. The story is based in a real place that once existed, Kowloon Walled City. The first half of the book is amazing: packed with action, high stakes, tense situations, interesting setting and characters. Loved every bit of it and wasn't able to put the book down. Second half of the book dragged a bit too much, dwelling on details that didn't add value and character's development felt off. The ending itself was realistic and made sense, it's just that it felt forced somehow? Maybe I was on a high from the first half of the book and had better expectations. Nevertheless, a good book that deserves a try.
The Measure has a really intriguing plot and was really excited to get into it. Sadly, I was left disappointed by the execution. There were too many points of view, not that many likeable characters, the action went in all sorts of directions and sometimes I felt confused and lost.
MOVIES/SHOWS: After seeing Barbie, the next movie in line was, of course, Oppenheimer. I might be in the minority with this one, I was not mind-blown by this movie as with the other movies of this director. I did enjoy it, but 3 hours was a bit too long for what it was. It was interesting to see that side of the story, however I would have loved to not have the focus that much on the main character (especially the last part of the movie).
MUSIC: For this month I am sharing three songs that I have been quite enjoying and really soothe my soul:
Hope you all had a wonderful end of summer, although the heat might not be done, you can already think of the cozy autumn coming in fast. I am trying my best to take it easy and at the same time to bring my ideas to life. Take care and I will see you soon ✨🌿