Quickfire Round ⚡️

• Our favourite PM Najib Razak is officially in jail after what feels like the most delayed verdict in the history of verdicts. Still, I’m jaded with this country’s track record of actually having people in power lay in the beds they make, so I’ll believe once he’s done serving his full 12 years. If you’re wondering what’s next for Jibby, Reuters has a pretty thorough explainer.
• I went to Peszta this weekend, an all-day arts event at the newly-artsy Kampung Attap. One highlight was Si Anu Bah, a curated collection of documentaries, music videos and digital art from Sabahan creatives. Check out Burung-Burung by Anwar Johari Ho and The Sunken Graves (2018) by Nizam Andan.
• I’d heard of Where The Crawdad’s Sing, but I hadn’t heard of author Delia Owens’ deeply racist past until I read this article. Warning: it’s pretty brutal.

Watch This 📺

House of the Dragon 🐲

House of the Dragon is the brand-new Game of Thrones prequel series from HBO that’s set 200-ish years before the events of Game of Thrones and I’m very happy to say that its first episode is miles better than the final season.

Everything is familiar but different enough to feel fresh. We see the same locations and some recognisable family names, but its events are set just far away enough from the original that it truly does give it its own identity.

And, yes—there is a game of thrones in this.

Listen to This 🎧

Beyonce – RENAISSANCE 🏇

An ode to house music that celebrates its queer black roots. Drake is crying in the corner. Listen to it front to back, while you’re working or while you’re eating. Put it on anywhere and it’ll get you feeling all sorts of ways.

Here are just some of the icons who appear on this album, whether it be via collaboration or sample:

• Honey Dijon
• Kevin Aviance
• A.G. Cook
• The Clark Sisters
• Labrinth
• Moi Renee
• Tems
• Grace Jones
• Raphael Saadiq
• Donna Summer

How to Start Over – The Misgivings of Friend Making 👯

In the post-social-distancing era, some of us can’t remember how to make a new friend. But for many, making friends has always been a challenge—left as an unfulfilled desire without any clear course of action.

It’s a realisation that all but the most extroverted of us have had: making friends as an adult is hard. Like, we spend the first quarter of our lives in spaces where it’s easy to meet other people who also want to become friends.

Here’s the scariest part—after 30, we start losing friends faster than we make new ones. People get married, have kids, lose time to their careers. Shit happens.

This episode of How to Start Over tries to answer the question, how do I make new friends and keep my old ones?

I’ve never been great at doing this, but the one thing I’m taking from this episode? Reach out, more than once, have no shame, and make an effort.

Read This 📖

Detransition, Baby 🤰

She knew that no matter how you self-identify ultimately, chances are that you succumb to becoming what the world treats you as.

I’m late to the party, but Detransition, Baby is a stunning book that explores gender, trans life and motherhood. The three characters at the center of the story are fleshed-out, imperfect people who are dealing with what I’d call “a very weird situation”.

It’s rich with feeling, not afraid to be messy, and offers three insightful perspectives into womanhood. Check it out.