an ending california summer

(summer nostalgia, recommendations, and more)

hello.

recently, i’ve been hit with a case of summer blues, as i watch the neighbors haul out pumpkins and target fill up with decorations. it seems as if it was just the first of june. i haven’t even gotten over april, let alone august.

but woes aside, i do have to admit that where i live in southern california doesn’t have a very traditional autumn. it’s more of a subdued, colder, less bugs fall than a color-changing leaves, crisp air, new york kind of fall.

i’m not really saying that it’s a bad thing here, but personally i prefer the subtle vibes of california summer, because at least then i feel as if we’re on the same page as the rest of america. but in fall, while everyone else is putting on scarves and drinking warm lattes, its too hot here to even put on a nice crochet jacket without dying.

i know that others love fall endlessly and they love all the aesthetics and colors. but for me, i love the simplicity and the heat of summer, the contrast between day and night, how the night air is just the right amount of cool and crickets. i love the laziness, the breath of relaxation, even the california heat. i love lemonade and cold noodle dishes and eating ice.

summer will still be around next year, i suppose. but for me, i like to make a couple new fall “resolutions,” to commemorate the end of summer as well to celebrate the beautiful california fall, (which is really just a more subdued summer everywhere else.)

this year, i want to waste less time being my usual self and want to just do more, especially since i’m on substack more. i want to practice more piano and develop my hobbies, like random crafts and various nerd activities (anime, ancient history, collecting, etc) . i want to genuinely love life and love my surroundings, and i want to have a good time with my friends.

a big problem with me is that i’m really uptight, especially with strangers. usually i’m very friendly and funny (i like to think), but internally i’m contemplating every move. part of my move towards that is to stop capitalizing words in my blog posts, because i want this to be a fun blog and capitals aren’t that fun. i want to relax and let go and be a person and i’ll be slowly moving towards that.

i also want to write on substack on a daily basis. i don’t know when that dream will be achieved, but hey, a girl can hope, can’t she?

with fall, the harvest comes in and since we have a land of agriculture, we always get lots of produce. i’m looking forward to mangosteen, a purple fruit with white flesh. the outside is extremely hard to open and the inside resembles a mandarin, with a pit for each slice. it’s hard to open and harder to eat, but the taste and texture is well worth it.

recently i discovered the zesty lemon talenti gelato, and i honestly didn’t think it would be good. but it’s really smooth, with a great mix of sour and sweet, and it just tastes like frozen lemonade, which i love. it gives off such amazing summer vibes that i regret not eating it sooner. this is helping me deal with my summer nostalgia and what not.

another recommendation i have is classical music, preferably lang lang. classical music is something i was never in love with, because it was what i was forced to listen to as a child, and now i find myself yearning for that simplicity, without all the sound effects and lyrics that pop music has. it’s just relaxing, and i really need that.

competitions will be starting, and as a competitive speaker, i’ll be looking forward to plenty of tournaments, big and small. hopefully, i’ll win something, but right now i just look at them as a learning experience. maybe the experience and constantly going to tournaments will make me, too, someday, a champion.

i want to win a writing competition sometime this year, but it might be impossible for me. who knows? there’s always a place to try.

i hope that you, too, are experiencing the little joys in life and looking forward to your next destination.

Goodbye and 再见

(sources, in order of appearance from top to bottom: it’s the great pumpkin, charlie brown, reader’s digest, demon slayer, piano keying (youtube)