Hi angsty people,
It’s the end of February — almost a month too late to be reviewing the previous year. But we’re doing this anyway.
Before we dive into the year that was, Angst Alert now has a new look! (Shoutout to Nidhi Joshi for this - you can find her work at @thatnoviceartist on Instagram). And a newfound drive to be better and stick to a monthly schedule.
I’m trying out a new thing in addition to my usual long-form review newsletters. Inspired by Austin Kleon’s list-type newsletters, I will also be gushing about significant life events, well-written books, unusual films, and any hot takes I come across.
List No 1: Life Events
I can safely say that 2023 has been more eventful than the previous 3 years before that. You could blame this on the lack of lockdowns and a return to (somewhat of) a normal life. But I’d like to think there was some active agency involved on my part. So here’s a list of the most important events/updates in my life - in chronological order.
I curated events for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival! Would my 18-year-old college student self have ever imagined organizing and running literary events when I was attending the festival? Not even in my dreams. Doing this & attending the fancy Kala Gala ball before the festival began was overall a lovely start to the year. See a sneak peek here.
I became Creative Director — can’t leave the professional success brag out! I feel lucky every day that I LOVE my job and what I do. I’m able to pour so much creativity into everyday life and get paid for it.
I got bangs! This might seem like a small thing, but it’s been my dream since I was 10 years old. I was discouraged by all hairstylists, but now I’ve finally done it and I’m never going back! I found a song to commemorate that.
I took trips - Sri Lanka, Pondicherry, and Goa. Nice breaks planned for my restless soul.
I got into KDramas - I know. I never do these things on time.
I made something that I’m super proud of! This is the peak of my artistic ability. Please do not expect anything close to this ever again.
I got diagnosed with depression — this may not seem like happy news. I’ve been in therapy for 3.5 years now and it took immense courage to get a formal diagnosis. But I’m on antidepressants, life is much easier to navigate, and I feel a thousand times better than I did before.
List No 2: Recommendations
I spent 2023 reading, watching, listening, and learning new things. Here’s a list of things that I thought are worth sharing:
This was a year of dark stories.
Book: The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao - twisted, nuanced, Indonesian writing
Poetry: Girls Are Coming Out Of The Woods by Tishani Doshi - haunting, beautiful, feminist
Song: Music For a Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles - an upbeat fun song that makes you want to dance, with a hilariously dark music video
Series: It’s Okay To Not Be Okay - gothic, fairy tales and nuanced representation of mental health
Podcast: Sounds Like A Cult - about modern-day ‘cults’ we all follow - like Starbucks, reality TV, AI or Taylor Swift.
Resources: If you like discovering and learning about random things, try apps like Refind and Pocket, which give you random articles daily. For instance, I loved this take on why minimalism is boring and devoid of personality.
That’s it for my 2023 lists. Looking forward to what 2024 has to offer. What do you think about the new look? And this listicle style? Let me know!