Historically, January was a month that would go by fast for me because of my birthday being right in the middle of the month, but this year it draaaaaaaaaged on. It truly felt like an eight-week month somehow. I did my best to be active and creative as much as I could despite the urge to be a human burrito.

For my birthday, my sister took me to see Jamie xx at history and it was a great show. His concert visuals were interesting because his team set up multiple cameras pointing at the real crowd, so the projections behind him were a live feed of people dancing and singing along, paired with some basic mirror and repetition effects. It was compelling because it felt like a simple solution that relied on the crowd's energy and movement.

Another fun highlight was seeing Matilda (one of my all-time favourite childhood movies) at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra with narration by Danny Devito!!! I think I was slightly floating in my seat during the performance, and I just let the waves of nostalgia and sweetness come over me.

I also had a night out with my craft club buddies. This month, we went to the AGO to do some life drawing. I honestly haven't done life drawing since my time at school, so I was a little rusty. I appreciated the organic forms in the Henry Moore sculpture room, which allowed me to dip my toes into drawing from observation again.

Other than that, I've been primarily focused on work and rehabbing an injured shoulder with physio. Below are a few things that I enjoyed watching, listening, eating or listening to:

Movies

Drop Dead Gorgeous - An underrated classic! Shot in the style of a documentary, it follows the teen girls competing in a beauty pageant in a small town in Minnesota.

La Dolce Vita - I watched this at the Revue, and certain scenes and frames have been on my mind every day since seeing it. I recommend seeing it on a big screen if you can.

One of them Days - Man, I miss movies like this, just straight-up funny comedies that have charming leads. I need more Keke Palmer and SZA adventures!

American Psycho - Another class re-visited and an interesting watch in 2025. I'm not sure why they want to remake this already-perfect movie.

The Brutalist - There's a lot that I like about this movie and a lot that I don't. The ending didn't stick to the landing for me, but I think if you are interested in things like set design, costumes and design & architecture, I think it's worth the watch. The title credits are beautiful, and I hope that more movies will start making bold design choices like they did here.

Music

Albums:

I really am into the new FKA Twigs album, Eusexua. Over the years I have liked a few singles from her, but this is the first time where the album feels like a whole experience for me.

Songs:
the fruit is not yet ripe - Mei Ehara
Dream Bigger - Bob Vylan ft. Amy Taylor
Image - Magdalena Bay
GTFO - Doechii
Love Songs - Clairo

Books

This month, I read Big Swiss by Jen Beagin and Berlin by Bea Setton, which I recommend if you like imperfect characters who can't help but bring a little chaos into their lives despite their best judgment.

Food

I had a really good meal at B.B's Diner for my birthday; the standout was the Ahi Tuna Kinilaw.

In December, I also went to Alma, which has been on my list for a long time. Their pork wonton and noodles have been on my mind almost every day, and I can't wait to go back.

And if you like Detroit-style pizza, I highly recommend Slowhand in the east end. No surprise to anyone, but my favourite one is their pickle pizza. Bonus points for their cute snail logo!