58: I like people who call me by my name

Even though I see this newsletter as a sort of journal, I don’t do enough writing to practice writing, such as in a journal or diary. My brain always goes to the seriousness and organization of a post, and posts are things that I often labour over, either to get the ideas out or to make them read as intelligently as possible.

This post from Girl Insides was a reminder that writing small can still be writing with meaning. It came up in my Substack Reads, and I loved it. So I copied it shamelessly (as I am in a country that loves competition through facsimile).

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I like whipped cream on everything. I like when I hear nuns practicing their singing at the convent down the alley. I like the smell of car air fresheners. I like orange flowers. I like long, tight hugs. I like dogs that have no interest in coming up to people. I like nighttime. I like singing, badly. I like using my fork and knife Continental style. I like asking questions. I like when people think I’ll know the answer. I like saving the best for last. I like when red wine is served cold. I like wearing a jacket with the collar flipped up. I like 85 degrees with low humidity. I like when I don’t notice the air conditioning. I like red lipstick. I like grey hair. I like talking to the person next to me on a plane. I like the feeling of a hangnail catching on fabric when rubbed gently. I like wafer-style ice cream cones. I like writing in black ink. I like the smell of cilantro. I like reading menus. I like not being rich. I like when I walk along Lê Văn Tám park in the evenings and see the man who practices his saxophone in the parking lot. I like when things end badly. I like when people compliment my earrings. I like being unexpectedly correct. I like playing Wordle with my students. I like when I laugh out loud while listening to a podcast. I like inserting a ticket into a turnstile. I like Grab drivers who are able to ignore the majority of the GPS directions. I like the smell of bleach in the air right before Tết. I like watching men smoke. I like how alcohol makes life seem more enjoyable. I like how caffeine makes life seem more achievable. I like when I sleep like the dead. I like buying too much toilet paper. I like being the one who gets to sit along the banquette. I like people who aren't afraid to debate with me. I like matinées. I like when a front door is painted a striking colour. I like dipping crudités into ketchup.