In My Own Symbols
Harlem Square in my headphones: soul-twist in the quite corners of August
I have never experienced unadulterated joy like my first listen to Sam “King of Soul” Cooke’s 1963 epic, his album Live at the Harlem Square Club. Hidden beneath a steadily strumming upright bassline and lightly up-tempo drum swing, Cooke’s masterful crowd work combines with a raucous, enraptured audience to create one of the most magical 36-minute sets I’ve ever heard.
My Spotify receipt: a list of the people I love
When I signed up to write an article about what my Spotify receipt reveals about me, I didn’t really think about how embarrassing it might look. When I saw what it looked like, I realized there was a lot in there: a lot about me, what I like, who I am.
To be (a bull) or not to be (a bull)?
“You’re a Taurus, right?”
I stared at my classmate as she guessed my Zodiac sign right on. I had always loved comparing my Zodiac sign with those of my friends for fun, though never seriously. In that moment, I was forced to confront myself as I thought, “Maybe this astrology thing is accurate for me after all.”
On being a russet potato
In a desperate attempt to procrastinate on my dreadfully boring report on the microstructure and nanostructure of 304L grade stainless steel (sorry, Dr. Gracias), I navigated to the promised land of BuzzFeed quizzes. Soon, a few holy pixels found their way to my eyes: a quiz promising to tell me what kind of a potato I was.
Designing my chamber
My favorite part of visiting someone’s house for the first time is seeing their bedroom because it’s often very personalized — a preview into who they are and what they like. For a long time, I was very curious how people curated their rooms in a way that felt so perfectly catered to them without unraveling into complete disarray.
Finding my signature scent
The moment I touch down at Istanbul Airport, my first stop will most likely be a duty-free shop. I search for the shiny red “DUTY FREE” sign right after passport control and drag my extra-large suitcases until I notice the fragrance section and eventually locate Yves Saint Laurent to acquire a new bottle of perfume.
The color at the eye of my storm
A tornado spins around me. The world moves fast, chaotic, unpredictable, loud, and I’m somewhere at the bottom of it, trying to hold still. Lately, I’ve been drawn to the idea of spirituality, not as a distant or abstract thing, but as a practice of living.