From the Desk of Roanna #65

From the Desk of Roanna #65

Jun 28, 2022

Dear friend,

It has been a while... Hello 💛

I do not want to stall on writing this anymore so here I go...

I am in rainy Mumbai writing this. The weather is cool and my head feels slightly heavy because of a little headache. It is not uncomfortable but it persists, steadily. While I am a fan of good endurance, generally, I do hope this headache of mine subsides soon.

So... Cancer season feels! 🐚

They are something, innit?

I am not sure how to describe the season the way it is playing out for me, but I will paste here what I wrote about the season via Twitter. It is something I do, every month.

• Beaches, bonfires, books... Shy girl summer for the win!

• Dream journal for days

• Healing = not forgetting

• There are no small roles

• Diamond white, Ethiopian Opal, Mother of Pearl

• Release the love, forget the rest (Thx, Big Freedia... QB)

Summer Soulstice and The Summer I Turned Pretty

I remember Summer Solstice being a nice day. Quiet, soft yet ice-creamy if that makes sense. I started watching The Summer I Turned Pretty on this day. The first episode was kinda fun, it got me excited and looking forward to how the series would unfold. I haven’t read the books and I am a fan of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys series (the books and movies - especially the 1st) so it seemed like a good idea to watch this too. However, it wasn’t the greatest. I did not love Belly, the lead character, she did not seem like her beliefs were sound or that she had any conviction. Something about her or the way she has been written didn’t sit right with me. The other characters were ok too. I only kind of liked Belly’s Mum throughout the season. The last two episodes were much nicer than all of it combined but largely, this show was a miss for me. I am sorry, Jenny.

The Planets Aligning

This was the so-called moment of the week! One I was looking forward to, eagerly. I made sure to clock in early, the night before June 24. There was no mindless/mindful scrolling to be indulged in. I set my alarms, woke up on time, got dressed and headed out. While I believe I got to a good enough vantage point, alas, I didn’t see the planets with my bare eyes. I saw the moon, and through a planetary app on my phone, I could see that Mercury and Venus (on the left of the Moon) and Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (on the right of the Moon) were right there except tough luck for my eyes as I didn’t see any of them in the clear. But it was a moment for me! That I woke up to catch it. That I knew what was meaningful to me and committed to it. I knew I would regret more not going out at all than not seeing the Great Luminaries. I was present, I showed up!!!! And I love that for myself. Showing up is special. :-)

Next up, is a song that fills me upppp!

Beyoncé’s BREAK MY SOUL is catchy and makes me think of nights past with my Homies in clubs dancing and spending time together. It is reminiscent of those times for me. The lyrics are powerful, and I love the Big Freedia verse the most!!!! It’s made me wanna write mini-odes aplenty to what this song has done for me. When I hear it, it makes me feel fully free in my body, experience, rhythm and voice, and I think a lot of people can relate to that. Plus... All the affirmations in the song! I have been using each of them for my Daily Affirmations. I’m on a new vibration... Yeahhhh... I’m building my own foundation 🎶

The Big Freedia verse I’m crazy about:

Release ya anger, release ya mind

Release ya job, release the time

Release ya trade, release the stress

Release the love, forget the rest

Love & Gelato

This is a movie I caught on Netflix, over the weekend. It was cute, not bad. Good for a one-time watch and if you like travelling vicariously as a viewer through the material you consume and immerse yourself in. The movie made me think about how much I enjoy cooking yummy meals for myself and for the people I love. Especially elaborate spreads. It also made me miss eating gelato which I did plenty of (plenty, enough) in Rome when I visited in 2016 with my fam. I do not know how making gelato at home works out, especially without an ice-cream-making machine but I certainly want to try my hand at it.

Speaking of food, one other thing came to mind. I love feta cheese and not too long ago, I discovered that D’lecta sells it for Rs. 100 which is fairly affordable for me. I thought it might be cool if they considered selling mini versions of one-time-use tubs of feta cheese. Like a little cake of butter that you get on aeroplanes or in restaurants. It can be affordable too, and there would be less wastage if you are one person cooking for yourself. A bite-sized fine thing for us folk who like little luxuries too.

Before I finish this update... The girl in the movie (Lina) reminded me so much of Rebecca Hall. Seriously!!!! The resemblance is uncanny. I don’t just mean looks-wise.

Masaba Masaba

I randomly decided to watch this, yesterday, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The show is light, fun, and seemingly real without being cringey or over-the-top. There was hardly anything to fault about it. Masaba is a natural. I didn’t know she acted let alone about her having a passion for it. She aced the part so well. Kudos!!!!

Stranger Things 4

I watched this almost a month ago - I think it was the start of June only, and now I am rewatching it before the last few bits come out. I loved this season so much! Dear Billy is right up there with my favourite TV episodes of all time including the last few climactic moments. Brilliant things, more like it!!!! What I enjoyed most about this season were the horror and mystery elements, combined. It made me think back to the kind of thrillers we enjoyed in the late 90s and early 00s, as well as the Fear Street books I love so much. Max was so good in this. Dustin is one of my favourites and I love his character the most. Wholesome, bright with a heart of gold. Murray is dear to me too. ♥ Eagerly awaiting the rest of the season! [Shout-out to some of the new characters: Eddie Munson, in particular, who is a delightful little strange endearing bloke! (Hellfirrrre! 🔥)]

That’s it from me!

Roanna

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