Newsletter Issue #17
The end of the semester, christmas movies, bouldering, and more content to come.
Newsletter Issue #17: 29th November to 5th December 2021
1. What happened this week
It is officially the end of the semester! I completed my last finals paper on Tuesday and went out to celebrate with Mr Bao. We had lunch at Genki and did some shopping. For the rest of the week, I hung out at home and caught up on some shows and movies. We also celebrated my mother’s birthday and I got to spend more time with my family. 😊
On Saturday, I went out to Boulder World with Mr Bao’s friends. I wanted to vlog but was feeling pretty shy as the gym was at full capacity. It also made me really shy to try some of the boulder problems out but Mr Bao and his friends were all super encouraging. I feel like I definitely pushed myself more during this session. 💪 We had lunch at Carl’s Jr together afterwards and that was such a fun time! I don’t consider myself a highly social person but it was great to meet new people and just chat about life, school, and work.
For the rest of the month, I hope to put out some more content on this blog and the YouTube channel. I also have plans to create another brand that aims to provide educational content for anyone who want to learn about accounting, business, and how these concepts can be applied in real life. As usual, I’m stuck at the planning stage but I hope that by declaring my intention here I will push myself to deliver. 😅
2. For the Record
📚 What I’m reading (Books, Articles)
Books
This Is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo Yeo Yenn — I finished this book the day after my last finals paper. It is an insightful look into the lives of people living with low income in Singapore. It introduces the idea of looking at poverty in Singapore not as a problem with the low income, but as a problem of inequality. The essays in this book try to reframe the perspectives we often regard as fact. It invited me to question my beliefs and how they have been shaped.
I felt that it was a bit too “cheem” (i.e. complicated) for me at times. It definitely also left me with more questions than answers, though the author herself admits that she feels the same way. I don’t necessarily agree with some of the outlines of the solutions suggested but at the same time I don’t think what we’re doing now is right either. Overall though, it was worth the read. I appreciated the years of ground work and research that went into this book. Since these are essentially academic essays, there are also many references provided which can guide readers to explore further if they so wish.
🎞️ What I’m watching (Movies, Shows, Videos)
Movies
I’ve been on a Christmas movie binge this week and I figured that I could make a video reviewing all the Christmas movies I’ve watched this year and ranking them on a Christmas tree. 🎄
Love Hard (2021) – Natalie is a writer experiencing bad luck from online dating until she finally swipes right on the perfect guy. In a spur of the moment decision, she decides to fly to his home to surprise him for Christmas. But not everything was as it seems. This is a lighthearted romantic comedy about the perils of modern dating and seeing beyond appearances. While highly predictable, it was a fun watch and I thoroughly enjoyed Jimmy O Yang’s performance as the romantic lead. (Watch on Netflix)
Single All the Way (2021) – Peter persuades his roommate Nick to go home with him for the holidays and pretend that they’re dating so they can avoid Peter’s family’s prying. This is a lighthearted Christmas movie with wholesome characters. While the story was very cute, there were no emotional peaks and troughs which made it feel quite meh overall. I wouldn’t watch it again but it’s a decent movie. (Watch on Netflix)
Love, Simon (2018) – Simon is a high school senior with a huge secret. He leads an otherwise ordinary life until an anonymous post on the school gossip site reveals that someone else in school shares the same secret. This film was based on a 2015 YA novel “Simon vs The Homosapiens Agenda”. The book received a lot of hype when it was released and I’ve wanted to read it since. But till today, it’s not available in my local library’s collection. Instead, I’ll have to settle for the film adaptation which was a lovely coming-of-age story that portrayed the struggles of being a teenager and the process of coming out. (Watch on Disney+)
Happiest Season (2020) – After more than a year of dating, Abby plans to propose to Harper when they visit Harper’s family for the holidays. However, the plan goes awry when Harper reveals that she hasn’t come out to her parents yet. I actually really enjoyed this movie! It’s a heartwarming film with a quirky cast that had me laughing out loud. (Watch on Netflix)
YouTube
withcindy merchandise and Thailand 2022 group trip announcement – I have followed this BookTuber for a while and found her content very entertaining. While I haven’t kept up with the videos lately, this recent one caught my eye. Her merch was reasonably priced and she made it clear that it was not for profit but because followers had asked about it over the years. She’s able to do this as she does YouTube as a hobby and holds a traditional full-time job at the same time. She was selling hoodies for USD26 (cost to her is USD 25.95). In comparison, another YouTuber released some merchandise shortly after where a hoodie was priced at USD 70.
The group trip was an open invitation to her viewers to join her on an organised trip to Thailand. The location and activities were selected after a survey was sent to her viewers. This was intriguing because I didn’t even know that there were companies who could help people organise group trips like this. Overall, I enjoyed learning about the different ways in which content creators can create value for their audience. Click here to watch the video.
3. Content Round-up
✏️ Posts this week
Genki Sushi Review (1st Dec 2021)
Paris Baguette Sandwich Review (2nd Dec 2021)
📹 Videos you might have missed
snippets of uni life in singapore | vlog 14 (3rd Dec 2021)
Thanks so much for reading! Lots of love 😊
💜 jy
Credits for assets used in the header image
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