Hi! xx@@!!ooxXo

In an attempt to revive my creativity, I revisited my favorite hobbies from elementary/middle school. This week I crafted, wrote, listened, played, and ate (a lot).

Crocheting

I was inspired by Bowerbirdcollected’s scarf of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, so I decided to crochet one. She has a pattern on Etsy, but I hate reading patterns because I don’t like following instructions and I like figuring out how the final product will look on my terms. The scarf isn’t perfect (the back of the caterpillar’s head is a jumbled mess of yarn), but there’s no need to nitpick. It was a fun puzzle and I am fond of my rendition—the caterpillar’s head is removable; the strings on the side can be re-tied into a bow. Two-in-one! I finished the scarf after watching season four of Only Murders in the Building (one of my favorite shows) and too many episodes of Abbott Elementary.

There’s a lot of arguments online as to whether knitting or crocheting is better. I’ve learned both, and I find crochet to be more rewarding. Knitting is more dependent on other factors such as the length of the hooks, coordination, and more. It also doesn’t leave much room for mistakes or finding another way towards the result. If I continued to knit, I would have to read patterns—that would not be ideal.

Shrinky-dinks

I found a sheet of leftover shrinky-dink from a craft project in, presumably, sixth grade. Tucked inside my closet, I also discovered boxes of colored pencils, markers, and crayons. I made five designs and heated them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I took them out after 34 seconds and flattened them with the bottom of a mug. They turned out way smaller than I expected, but these charms looked adorable on a string attached to my Owala.

Haircut

I initially wanted my hair trimmed two inches. Somehow, I was convinced by the hairdresser and my mom, and 4.25 inches of hair was gone. This took me by surprise. I haven’t had this hair length since May and was slightly disappointed by the change. But to be fair, I was really considering getting a bob and bangs last week to satisfy my desire for change. Nonetheless, this is a good substitute: my hair dries in seven minutes, my head feels extremely light, and I think it looks awesome with a scarf/tucked inside a hood. A win?

FutureMe

Dear Future Nghi,

I wrote myself a letter that I addressed to my 17th birthday. I forgot to write one for my 18th and 19th birthday, but I wrote one for my 20th. I have another letter that I dated to be open on May 1st, 2027. I’m not sure what I wrote in that letter, but I know a bit about myself. And if I know myself at all, I’m 95% sure the letter contains at least six questions. Perhaps I will answer those questions on Substack.

Biking

It rained pretty much all week, but there were pockets of sunshine on Saturday so I took the chance to re-explore my neighborhood. The wind was breezy and for once, my mind felt empty. I liked it. I try to bike whenever I can.

Video Games

I used to play a lot of video games, so this break I replayed a few of the Cube Escape games by Rusty Lake and some newer ones. Below are some of my favorite games and ones I hope to play soon:

1. Cube Escape Series

2. Assemble With Care

3. Fragile

4. Unpacking

5. A Little to the Left

6. Birth

Soooooon:

1. Tiny Glade

2. Omori

3. Underground Blossom

4. Townscaper

If you couldn’t already tell, I love organization and assembly games even though I keep my room in a state of clutter the majority of the time—I like to think that a chaotic room cultivates more creativity.

Food, Drinks, Snacks

I drank matcha every single day this week. Since it was break, I had the luxury of waking up at noon and rolling out of bed to whisk a cup of matcha. My sister pulled out a scale to measure the amount of powder and water, but I find eyeballing to be way more exciting. That’s probably why my first matcha turned out watery—I got better on my third try.

Songs I’ve enjoyed:

1. Why Are Sundays So Depressing, The Strokes

2. Hey! Get Out Of My Way, The Cardigans

3. Quiero Ver, Café Tacvba

4. We Find Love, Daniel Caesar

5. Golden Slumber, The Beatles

6. No One Noticed (Extended), The Marías

7. Rilkean Heart, Cocteau Twins

8. Like Him (ft. Lola Yung), Tyler The Creator, Lola Yung

Moonrise Kingdom, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro

Sticking to the theme of childhood, I rewatched Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Moonrise Kingdom. I have a love-hate relationship with nostalgia because it sometimes digs up memories I wish would never resurface. A part of nostalgia also reminds me of my mortality; while I don’t ever wish to be immortal, that reality is both horrifying and healing. Anyways. My twenty-year plan includes retiring to either raise sheep on a farm or be a skydiving instructor/landscaper. Either way, I’ll figure it out.

These are a few of my hobbies, but my favorite hobby of all time is exploring new hobbies. A non-exhaustive list of other hobbies I enjoy includes:

1. Rock climbing

2. Embroidery

3. Bird-watching

4. Cooking (for pleasure and not survival)

5. Archery

6. Card tricks

7. Spotify Playlist Curations

8. Origami

I think this is my longest letter yet, but it’s full of things I love! What do you think I should try next? See you whenever!