Hello again, dear friends, I hope this past month treated you well. June seems to have fizzled away into the hazy summer air, as it does every year, and yet here I am once again startled at its loss. But, of course, every ending is a beginning and closing one door allows you to open a totally different portal to a magical new world. So, allow me to fondly reminisce on what this past month gave me that I'll be taking with me...

1. Rest. I am someone who is chronically on-the-go, much to the distaste of my constantly fraying nerves. I rarely give myself a break, be it physical, mental, or emotional, and if you're about to say that's just a form of trying to run away from my problems, lemme tell ya: that assumption is correct. Rest has always been something I've always had a bit of a contentious relationship with because rest typically brings time and time typically brings mental and emotional space and mental and emotional space typically brings contemplation and for me contemplation, unfortunately, brings The Anxieties™. But this June, after two months of mental health treatment...I just let myself rest. And you know what? I'm not gonna lie to you and tell you that my anxiety didn't creep in a bit, because it did. But I let those feelings and thoughts come and go and tried my best not to hang onto them for dear life. And that mentality? That mentality allowed me to rest a bit more than I usually do, and for that I am so grateful.
2. Motivation. With rest came a bit more mental clarity, which ultimatley allowed me to feel slightly more motivated than I have in recent times. I'm taking this summer and fall off from college, but, funnily enough, I feel more motivated than ever! I don't want to spend this down time just bed rotting. I want to make it meaningful. In addition to therapy, I'm thinking I'd love to volunteer and spend time getting out of the house with friends more often if possible.

I finally managed to finish a book and it feels so good!! Plus, it helps that I enjoyed the book too, haha! The book in question is Veronica Roth's latest release, a novella titled When Among Crows. I'll admit that I haven't read anything from Roth since I read The Divergent Trilogy (which was about a decade ago), so I was interested in checking out how she's grown as a writer. I was especially intrigued because despite The Divergent Trilogy holding a special place in my heart due to its themes, I can recognize that it was an objectively poorly written series. So color me surprised when I found that When Among Crows was incredibly well written!!! When Among Crows is an urban fantasy about monsters from Polish folklore and the people who hunt them. It's about the weight of carrying your wrongs with you, about forgiviness and atonement. And it's incredible in its whole. I won't go too deep into detail, because the synopsis already spoils a MAJOR twist and I think it's better to just go in pretty fresh, but what I will say is that this powerful novella is so worth the read!

First up, I loved Carley's absolutely latest hilarious, hour and a half long recap of Riverdale (part three)! Carley always has very humorous and on-point commentary about how ridiculous this particular TV series became as it progressed, and watching her videos on the topic gets me to quite literally laugh out loud! If you've yet to watch this YouTube video (or any of Carley's videos, for that matter) then you've definitely got to add it to your list!

I also really enjoy Rowan Ellis's video essays, and her latest one on the chronically online state of asexual discourse was very interesting. As someone who identifies as asexual herself, Rowan approaches the topic from a very knowledgeable and compassionate place. Whether or not you're asexual and/or see yourself as a member of the LGBT+ community, I think this video is an important watch!

Jack Edwards is one of my favorite booktubers despite our diverging taste in books, so I was eager to watch his video all about modern books he thinks will become classics. I think his picks and his reasoning for each were very thoughtful, and the video really got me thinking about which books I think will become classics. If you, like me, are a book lover, then this video is a must-watch!

• Practicing Active Gratitude

Well hello again, dear friends and fellow revolutionaries-in-training! ’Tis I, your friendly neighborhood Lila, returning from yet another trip around the sun and prepping for a new wild adventure! How y’all doing? Hopefully you are all safe, healthy, and happy and, if not, hopefully brighter days head your way soon!

So, recently I was watching this video from Seo at the channel tbhstudying that’s all about if we’re doing gratitude journaling wrong. It’s a really great video in which Seo shares her personal experience with gratitude journaling, alongside some scientific findings, and suggests a slight tweak to the practice. The modification she suggests is what I would call “active gratitude.” That is, instead of only writing down what we are grateful for, we should also engage in showing others and the world our gratitude through our words and actions. Suffice to say, I wholeheartedly agree with her!

I’ve kinda alluded to this before, but one of the things I find really frustrating about American culture is the sense of individualism and the entitlement that comes with it. When we think of ourselves as only ourselves (as opposed to thinking of ourselves as part of a worldwide interconnected communal web of sorts) we tend to think of everything we receive in life as for us. We think less about the giving, and even less about how we could continue that giving. But what Seo suggests in her video is kinda the antithesis of that. Because if we are truly grateful for what we have, shouldn’t we want to share it with others? I certainly think so.

I’ve always had a hard time with gratitude journaling for similar reasons to Seo—it seems too…insular? So, I love the idea of making gratitude an act. Not just a simple “Thanks” and a hug, though, but rather a tradition of giving that may just start a chain reaction. That’s why I think from 2024 onward, I’d like to partake in the revolutionary act of active gratitude, and I hope you’ll join me!

Well, that’s all I got for ya today, friends. Stay colorful!

Well hello again, people of the internet! 'Tis I, your friendly neighborhood Lila, returning from yet another trip around the sun and prepping for a new wild adventure! How y’all doing? Hopefully you are all safe, healthy, and happy and if not, hopefully brighter days head your way soon!

We have gathered here today, dearly beloved people, to do something quite fun, that is: to gab about my personal favorite things of 2023! I'll be honest with y'all: 2023 was "meh" for Yours Truly, BUT (!!!) it was brightened in part by some fun thingamabobs a-plenty that I gathered up right now to share with you!! So, today I want to tell you all about them!! Let's get right to it!!!

The first book in an epic fantasy series for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal and Elizabeth Lim, set in an Arabian-inspired land. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, seventeen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother whose betrayal is now their greatest threat.

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, seventeen-year-old Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls, and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits.

Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother who tarnished the family name after he was discovered stealing their nation's coveted spice - a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, and leaving Imani reeling with both betrayal and grief.

But when Imani uncovers evidence her brother may be alive and spreading their nation's magic beyond the desert, she strikes a deal with the Council to find him and bring him back to Qalia before he can reveal the city's location. Accompanied by Qayn, a roguish but handsome djinni, and Taha, a powerful beastseer whose magical talents are matched only by his arrogance, they set out on their mission.

Imani will soon discover there are many secrets that lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes - and in her own heart - but will she find her brother before his betrayals endanger the fate of all of Qalia?

In this epic and action-packed fantasy, one young heroine navigates the treacherous road between protecting the ones you love and staying loyal to the place you call home.

Spice Road was my second read of this year (first pleasure read of the year, considering my first read of the year was a required college text), and lemme tell ya: it set the standard so high it's unbelieveable!! Now, y'all probably know I'm part Lebanese, so this Arab-inspired YA fantasy written by a Lebanese author was high up on my "Most Anticipated Books of 2023" list the moment I heard about it, and THANK. GOD. those high expectations were not only met but exceeded! Spice Road isn't just an action packed Arabian fantasy adventure, though. It tackled themes of racism, colonization, empire, classism, and being a bystander to these things, and it managed to do so with an extraordinary amount of grace (without coming off as preachy). If you're in the market for a new YA fantasy adventure, then I implore you to check out Spice Road!

A while back I discovered and fell absolutely in love with this post-apocalyptic fantasy audiodrama called Birds of Empire! The series follows members of four different post-apocalyptic "tribes" and the political machanations that each character is drawn into. The production of the show, the storytelling, and the voice acting are all absolutely EXCELLENT! It's truly an addicting audiodrama!! If you're a fan of audiodrama podcasts and/or audiobooks, or if you'd like to dip your toes into the format, definitely give Birds of Empire a listen!

Okay, I'm not even kidding when I tell you that just thinking about this TV series brings a giddy grin to my face!! I read Jenny Han's To All The Boys I've Loved Before and the sequel waaaaay back in 2015 and even then I just knew I wanted to know Kitty's eventual story—and that feeling got even stronger after I watched all three of Netflix's film adaptations of Han's trilogy. So you can imagine my excitement when Netflix announced they and Han would be behind a spin-off series all about the adventures of the youngest Song-Covey sister!!

XO, Kitty follows Kitty Song-Covey as she jets off to Korea in search of love. When Kitty discovers her long distance crush, Dae, attends KISS, the exact same Korean boarding school which her mom attended, Kitty just knows she only one choice: she HAS to attend KISS too! But life and love in South Korea aren't quite as simple as Kitty imagined. Between navigating her different cultures, popular girls, rocky friendships, and, of course, LOTS of angsty romance, Kitty has her work cut out for her when it comes to finding happiness at KISS.

Now, lissen. Ya girl ain't usually a planner girly. As a matter of fact, ya girl has a genuinely severe diagnosed case of ADHD. In other words, I usually have a lot of difficultly with executive function skills including planning, time management, and organization. Like, it's...really bad...Anyhoo, all this to say I have struggled for my entire life to find a planner and/or planning system that works for me and that I'm able to stick to. Until this past half a year, that is, because in July of 2023, I purchased a Hobonichi Weeks planner. There are two things I love about this planner:

1. first off, it's condensed enough that it forces me to prioritize tasks because there's only room to write the essenetial BUT if necessary, I can write more on the blank pages next to the weekly spread and/or in the back of the planner.
2. second off, it's decorate-able!!! And who doesn't love to decorate? (don't answer that)

Now, you might be wondering what the Hobonichi Weeks has that bullet journaling doesn't, and for me the answer to that is: preordained structure See, one of the biggest problems for me when it comes to bullet journaling is that it's created by you and based on your internal sense of structure...which, as a certified ADHD Girly™, I do not have. So, if you give me a blank notebook and tell me to create my own planning system from scratch, I start to panic. But the great thing about Hobonichi Weeks is that it's organized for me but I can still decorate it myself and make it my own! *cue tears of joy overflowing*

Are you a Girl™? Do you like to rage (possibly against the machine)?? If so, and you haven't yet listened to SOUR and GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo then I have one question for you...What is it like to live under a rock??? Lol, I'm joking, obvioiusly, but for real, if you are a girly (of any age, really) and you want to rage of about the unfairness of how the world treats women—especially when it comes to romance— then Rodrigo's music is for you!

So, I'm an extroverted girly in her 20s who often feels a little lonely and lost (because, ya know, life as a girly in her 20s is chaotic to say the least) and I've struggled to find a lot of content creators who I fully identify with because many content creators are comfy introverts. But this year I discovered the YouTube channel Katherout and felt so seen! Katherine (the creator of Katherout) is an extroverted creator who also often feels a little lonely and lost and makes videos surrounding advice about that phenomenon. Watching Katherine's videos have made me feel so much less alone!!

So, dear friends, that's all I got for ya today! 2023 may not have been "my year," but hey, it also wasn't a bad year either, and the above gems provided some bright spots! I hope you enjoyed and maybe found something new to check out! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some adventures calling my name! Until next time and stay colorful, friends!

Bad days, a.k.a. the plague of consciousness, are something we've all experience more than a couple of time in our lives. But you know what never fails to pick me up when I'm feeling funky? Music. Maybe this is because I'm a musician (Hiiiiii! If you're unaware, I'm a classically trained jazz, blues, and soul singer!), but music is my go to pick-me-up because it literally always does the trick. But, of course, it has to be the right kind of music! No sob-inducing ballads for me when I'm in a funk, lest it lead me down a path of wailing and wallowing for days!

Whenever I'm feeling sad, I turn to pop and dance hits to get me up and dancing and feeling at least a little lighter. As a matter of fact, I've always said that if I could institute one required daily ritual for everyone, it would be to have at least one "emergency dork dance party" per day, just for sanity's sake! Which might leave you wondering, "But, Lila, what exactly is an 'emergency dork dance party'??" Well, never you worry, my friends, because I am here to explain: An emergency dork dance party is where, wherever and whenever you are, you drop everything, turn up some good ol' dancin' music, and start dancing. There's only one rule: you have to show off your worst dance moves. That's right: no cool dancing allowed here—that way no one can worm their way out of the ritual with the excuse of "being a bad dancer."

Anyhoo, today I figured I'd give you a taste of what I'm talking about by sharing my Emergency Dance Party playlist. It's got pop/dance hits from around the world that make it absolutely impossible to not get up and move your body! Take a listen, and definitely share your own "emergency dance party" song choices in the comments!