It’s officially 2023. I hope you had a great first week!
To start this year, I have spent a couple of days reflecting on all that happened last year and setting some goals and intentions for the next year. I haven’t been able to write as much as I wanted to last year, and again, that is one of my goals for 2023. In this letter, I am hoping to compensate by sharing some of the great stuff that I came across last year — books, articles, music, videos, movies, and websites. These are not meant to be resourceful, but more interesting things.
Firstly, thank you for being here, and know that I am grateful for you taking the time to read what I have to say.
Secondly, this is also my first letter I am writing from Seattle. I am grateful for being welcomed in this country that has already brought so many changes in my life, most of which seem for good.
Here are some interesting websites and projects:
The Female Gaze
Kunsthal Charlottenborg & Meta collaborated to create this immersive WebXR experience to raise awareness of how powerful perspective can be.
Blackout Poetry Generator
Ever wanted to leave everything and become a poet? Notion’s Ivan Zhao built this playground to create language and Markov models to explore your inner poet.
Philippine Cassette Archive
This is a nice collection of Pinoy tape culture curated by Chia Amisola. It looks like a nice website to get some graphic design inspiration, but it also has links to stream on Spotify and Youtube to get the full experience.
The Bob Ross Virtual Art Gallery
This is an interesting one if you are just bored and want to do something mellow, haha! Explore paintings made by Bob Ross and how they were made. The colors and the ways they were used to create these masterpieces have been described in a short and beautiful visual flow.
How to Build a Bird Kite
Feeling crafty? Laurel Schwulst’s beautiful hands-on tutorial on the NYTimes will satisfy your craving to build a fun kite. Maybe go out and play a little :)
These two, my designer friends might like these:
Font Explorer Plugin
Can’t find that perfect font that balances everything just right? This Figma plugin lets you test hundreds of fonts in just a few clicks.
LogoScale
Remember ESRGAN? Well, it’s not that old. Here’s a project using ESRGAN to scale your small pixelated logos.
And here’s a small list of nice things I read:
Reenvisioning the Internet: Decentralize the Web to Sidestep Corporate Control
How to Make Bio-Materials — and Create the Future from Your Kitchen
How Software Is Eating the Car
If you’re looking for books, I haven’t read much last year, but more than I used to previously. So, here’s a few good books:
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products (I’m still reading this)
Yeah, that’s a mixed bag. But it is what it is. I feel like, beyond reading about software, tech, and new products, I have found new interests in art, the developing internet, and a little bit of Stoicism. I like to explore, and I am trying to open myself up to wider content and thought processes, which makes it obvious that it is only going to be messier. I don’t think that is necessarily bad. You only become better when you can see it in more ways than others.
Well, the same goes for my music taste as well. It’s a mixed bag. Confirmed by Spotify, of course. I have some uniquely different genres this year that is quite different than last year where most of my music was constant within a few genres. I even got the Adventurer personality on Wrapped. However, I’m still primarily a pop person. Here are some of my top music picks:
I tried to pick songs, but there are just a lot of good ones and not one favorite artist. So, I am just going to leave my Top Songs 2022 playlist here. If you like pop, R&B, and a bit of Tropical, you will enjoy this playlist.
I have taken some time over the last two weeks revisiting the past, reflecting on how I am in the present, and thinking about what I want going ahead. I found the practice of reflection almost as a trend, but it has been truly rewarding. Being able to stare at the fun and unique, yet harsh past helps me be motivated. It helps me plan better, because now I have learned from all the mistakes I made and the ways I failed. Trust me, it’s much better than setting resolutions.
If you haven’t taken some time to reflect, it’s not too late. 2023 is just getting started. There’s only so much time in a year and if you want it to be efficient, not just for your work but also for your relationships and alone time, block some time to reflect. Here’s a short letter I wrote about reflection, you might find it helpful.
If you found this letter helpful, let me know. I don’t want to know what you plan for ahead, but what you learned from reflecting about your last week, last month, or last year. It would also be nice if you could share this newsletter to some of your friends.
Happy new year!