Eye-opening Storytime, Save The Date & TTPD Album Review

Addicted to the “if only”

In My “Winning” Era

Though I am totally winning right now because the content of both Rafa Nadal and Taylor Swift is peaking at the same time, I’m referring to a different kind of winning. Specifically, We Win(ning). Two stories about two recipients have been on my mind—one heartbreaking, one heartmaking (not really a word but it should be!)—and how you don’t get to choose the life you are born into.

First story—I recently received an email from a mother whose adorable son was born with a C1/C2 spinal cord injury. I had never fathomed that that was even a possibility. He was unable to breathe or move for the first several weeks of his life but he is improving slowly with therapy. I barely read the rest of the application because I just wanted to get as much help as I could to them as fast as I could.

While my heart was bleeding over this on Friday, I was also ravenously absorbing the new, emotionally charged TS album. She has a song on there about putting on a show to protect your children from seeing the harshness of this world. But what if your child is born into harshness? Sending him a lifetime of hugs, kisses, bubbles and butterflies.

Second story—I met a ten-year-old girl from Afghanistan about ten years ago at my local rehab gym. She had been flown to the US by herself for therapy because she had just sustained a spinal cord injury from being shot by the Taliban. She was staying in Charlotte for a few months and an incredible couple—they are the only proof you need to ever be reminded that there are still good people in this world—had volunteered to take her in and get her to all of her appointments. We both loved Bollywood, henna and Malala, so we hit it off well for the brief time she was here.

Fast forward to ten years later, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, her family decided to flee the country. I don’t even want to imagine how impossible it was for her to deal with accessibility at the various refugee camps. It took a few years but finally, a few months ago, she and her family were approved to move to the US as refugees. Now, she’s working alongside me as a thriving twenty-year-old at my rehab gym and We Win is supporting her journey. 🫶🏽

I love that We Win takes my mind off my own frivolous problems and slaps me in the face with some much-needed perspective. We live pretty sheltered, comfortable, first-world-problem filled lives. It’s like the show we put on to protect our children from the harshness of the world never really ends. But if you lift the curtain once in awhile, you will realize just how damn lucky you are to be exactly where you are.

Movies/TV/Book Talk

Movies:

The Idea of You (Amazon) - Rom-com based on Harry Styles fanfic starring Anne Hathaway. Not nearly as good as the book but still fun 🤩

TV:

Under the Bridge (Hulu) - true crime series about the murder of a South Asian teenage girl. Great acting and thankfully, not creepy enough to give me nightmares.

Shogun (Hulu) - slightly lighter version of Game of Thrones in Japan. Super engaging!

Books:

***Book club pick is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang!

On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - memoir about his traumatic childhood being raised by an abusive, mentally ill, loving single mother from Vietnam. It’s written as a letter to his mother and contains some of the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read in a novel and a heartbreaking love story I won’t soon forget.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - a story that begins with a few dozen women locked in an underground bunker with no clear idea of why they are there or how long they’ve been there. Short read with a unique premise but I found it a bit frustrating.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - second book in the fantasy series Fourth Wing about a dystopian society and a school that trains dragon riders. I actually liked this one better than the first and even got a bit teary-eyed at the end.

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - beautifully written novel set in Nigeria about the difficult coming-of-age of Vivek that tragically ends in a mysterious death. Explores identity, friendship, family, faith. There are some strange scenes and relationships but it’s an important, moving story.

The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - very strange story about a woman who writes Urdu subtitles for Bollywood movies and decides to attend a top-secret academy that manages to help you master a new language in under two weeks. Interesting premise but ended abruptly. A bit disturbing too 🫣

Almond by Won Pyung Sohn - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - a beautiful, heartwarming story set in Korea about a neurodivergent boy who befriends and manages to disarm a troubled bully at his school. I didn’t have any five star reads this month but this one was my favorite. Moving and memorable story about truly seeing one another.

We Win Update

SAVE THE DATE!! November 2nd in Secaucus, NJ for the We Win Diwali Gala! If you are unable to attend, you can help us secure silent auction items and sponsors.

Quote of the Moment

“Because the sunset, like survival, exists only on the verge of its own disappearing. To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.”

- Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

The Tortured Poets Department

That’s it for now! Back to sobbing my way through Rafa Nadal’s farewell tour and continuing my full-time job of streaming TS’s incredible new album: The Tortured Poets Department. I was a bit overwhelmed during my first listen because it’s lyrically dense but as I’ve listened more, I’ve quickly become impressed and obsessed. It’s not a pop album of bops—it’s emotional, fatalistic, unhinged and just dazzling. Her lyricism is phenomenal on this album—sometimes overdone at points—but overall, a stunning work of art. The production is understated but cleverly done to match the vibes of the lyrics.

Five favorite songs and a memorable lyric:

The Black Dog

“'Cause tail between your legs, you're leaving / I still can't believe it / 'Cause old habits die screaming”

Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me

“Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream / "Who's afraid of little old me?"

Down Bad

“How dare you think it’s romantic / To leave me safe and stranded”

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (The bridge! FYI - a Matty Healy diss track)

“I would’ve died for your sins / Instead, I just died inside”

loml

“A con man sells a fool a get-love-quick scheme / But I felt a hole like this / Never before, and ever since”

Honorable mentions: Fortnight, TTPD, So Long London, But Daddy I Love Him, Guilty As Sin, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart (the boppiest of sad bops), Thank You Aimee (everyone loves a Kim Kardashian diss track), Chloe Sam Sophia or Marcus, The Prophecy.

So…pretty much all of them…I’m the worst lol. I could go on forever but I’ll stop now and spare you guys more torture from this poet. 😉

Photo by Jovan Vasiljević on Unsplash

See ya’ll next month! ✌🏽

Yours,

Harshada