Tiny Thoughts: It's more than the homemade hummus.

Tiny Thoughts is dedicated to sharing books, movies, food, and podcasts that might make your day go a bit better.

Welcome to issue #1.

On reading

This year, I am determined to read and learn more, so I started making my way through multiple books at the same time, one fiction, one non-fiction, and a few audiobooks to satisfy different moods and occasions. Reading multiple books simultaneously is a piece of advice offered by numerous people, including some of my most voracious reader friends and this rent NPR life kit episode.

I found this method to be MAGIC, as I am not always feeling up to reading a hard-to-digest book, and it would frustrate me when I am making slow progress on one book. Having multiple books at hand gives me the option to pick a book that matches my mood at the moment and it ensures that I always read. When I want to cozy up on a couch to escape from the endless news cycle, I could pick up the fiction that I've been reading instead of Netflixing my time away.

Currently, I'm reading A Promised Land by Barack Obama and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. For audiobooks, I am slowly making my way through Hell and Other Destinations, the newest memoir written and narrated by Madeleine Albright, and Shit, Actually, written and read by Lindy West. For Albright's memoir, I found myself not enjoying it for its intended use, because I discovered that it's surprisingly easy to fall asleep with her soothing and calming voice in the background, which resulted in me having to always go back and re-listen to some of the parts that I missed the next day. Sorry, Madam Secretary!

Audiobooks are sometimes a hit-or-miss for me, but Shit, Actually is definitely a hit and maybe even better than reading the physical copy because of West's funny narration. It's like enjoying a stand-up comedy on audio. The title mocks the movie Love, Actually (2003), one of the most-beloved holiday films of all time. If you love this film, she WILL ruin it for you. She will also ruin Forest Gump, The Notebook, Harry Potter, and other classics for you. Proceed with caution. However, do not worry. It's totally worth it. I love how she happily points out the funny flaws and the plot holes in these movies and talks about the problematic sexism and racist plots and character-building in those movies that might be "acceptable" or "tolerable" at the time when the films were being produced but could not stand the test of times.

I love criticizing and commenting on tv shows/movies while watching them, which my partner could NOT stand. And hearing Lindy West doing the same feels like re-watching and laughing at old movies during a girls' night sleepover. This audiobook's 10 out of 10 a pandemic escape.

I also recommend her memoir: Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman. It was funny and poignant at the same time. She is always so real, honest, and cut to the chase in her writing. I feel like she is already my best friend, except that she doesn't know yet.

tiny things that made me happy this week:

We got into HBO Max over the holidays after feeling like Netflix could no longer satisfy our pandemic binge-watching needs anymore, but mainly to re-start binge-watching The Big Bang Theory all over again. This show brings us so much pure joy.

I turned 27 this past Sunday, and I had a cozy celebration within my four-person quarantine group. We ate a chocolate cake from Whole Foods and played real Chinese mahjong (If you don't know why I bolded this, go read this) and Settlers of Catan. It was actually one of the best birthdays I have ever had - sweet, intimate, and full of joy.  Pro-Tip: Whole Foods is my favorite place to get desserts when I do not feel like making one. Their cakes are not too big, and very delicious. 

I found a simple hummus recipe after I finally got a food processor. It was relatively easy to make and tasted delicious. I ate lots of celery with it - a more delightful way to increase your veggie and fiber intake! A shameless plug: you can follow my cooking Instagram @homemadecomida to see other things that I made once I feel up for it.

Last but not the least, I went to my university's library to pick up some books, and they gave me a very cute and heart-warming tote bag. 

Yes, I am taking the library with me when I can't be at the library. 

Til next time.