in my 🌏 and on my 🧠

gorgeous rugs, meet a hyperpolyglot, & matching plaid 🤠

my periodic collection of discoveries where i share the moments + things that made me feel, reflect, or smile —light the incense, brew the warmth, & ignite your curiosity [3/31/2025]

here's what's been on my mind

📝 🍽️ 👯‍♀️ artists' way magic spilled beyond the page as some of our cohort 3 creatives gathered in LA for a filipino pamilya style dinner. the faces that appear weekly (for 12 weeks) as squares on a screen transformed into embraces, laughter, and stories exchanged across passing plates —& this was only half of us. the meal was delicious and gorgeous! shoutout lasita in chinatown, los angeles. aren’t we cute? 💖

💭 a poem read by the author, gwendolyn brooks

my partner and i have been playing + learning to play pool recently (now in 3 countries) and this poem felt so sweet. then i found gwendolyn’s reflection and it made my discovery that much better. i hope you enjoy it.

“we real cool”

“I wrote it because I was passing by a pool hall in my community one afternoon during school time, and I saw a little bunch of boys— I say here in this poem, seven of them— shooting pool. But instead of asking myself, “Why aren’t they in school?” I asked myself, “I wonder how they feel about themselves? …and I represented the establishment with the month of June, which is a nice, gentle, non-controversial, enjoyable, pleasant, fragrant month that everybody loves.”

“This poem has been banned here and there because of the word "Jazz," which some people have considered a sexual reference. That was not my intention, though I have no objection if it helps anybody. But I was thinking of music.”

Gwendolyn Brooks 1917—2000



💭 these bauhaus rugs

these rugs are typically seen as a blend of art and function, often used to complement minimalist or modern interior decor

the bauhaus movement was a school of art, design, and architecture that originated in germany, founded in 1919

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💭 these albums

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🗣️ how long is too long for a voice note?

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💭 a friendly reminder

💭 meet a carpet cleaner, hyperpolyglot (wtf is that?)

vaughn smith, age 46, speaks 24 languages and has a basic understanding or some familiarity with 21 others. see what languages vaughn speaks here . perhaps the most incredible aspect of smith being able to speak 24 languages — his ability to connect with so many different people he otherwise never may have.

smith got a brain scan done by researchers at the massachusetts institute of technology (MIT). they found that the parts of his brain used for language are smaller and quieter than average, meaning he needs less oxygen to process languages in those areas. neat stuff!

i appreciate what motivates him to learn: “…he overheard a Russian woman in a grocery store. “Здравствуйте, как поживаете?” Vaughn asked. (Hello, how are you?) He explained that he was trying to learn Russian. He liked the look he put on that woman’s face. “Like she was hit with a splash of happiness.”

oh yeah, a hyperpolyglot is defined as a person who can speak at least 6 languages.

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