july 2020 finds is here already!
BOOKS
1. i’ve finally managed to finish neuromancer by william gibson. it’s a sci-fi written in the 60s and published in the 1984. i’ve read a 2004 republication with an intro by the author. by then, 1 million copies had been sold. the book was very dense. i could hardly tell what happens in the book. i have 2 more books by gibson, let’s see when i get the courage to read those.
2. les vacances de nicolas by the duo sempe/goscinny. it’s a kids’s book in french that i enjoyed.
MAGAZINES
3. openhouse is a magazine about extraordinary houses made and decorated by mostly architects. each article is bilingual: english and a second language relevant for the content. i liked that. the highlights: axel vervoordt’s castle outside of antwerp, villa cavrois outside of lille, oscar niemeyer’s casa das canoas, etc. i may buy it again.
4. monocle 134 changed its formula and consisted of mainly pandemic-related content. i was slightly disappointed since most of the stuff was irrelevant when i got to read it. stay in your lane, monocle.
5. the august issue of british vogue whose key word was reset. i noticed that the trends go towards comfort and sportswear, which makes a lot of sense. the content was pandemic-influenced, but not outdated.
MUSIC
6. former skaters marius and petru, the diatcu brothers, collaborated on a track. i like!
7. i tried liking bts, but they are too pop for me. i did find this song as the soundtrack to an insta post and looked it up. i love it.
then youtube started recommending a thousand bts-related videos. it seems that they managed to get quite big in the states.
8. and, weirdly unrelated, i got into suga’s side project, agust-d, his darker alter ego. the new mixtape is called d-2. my favourites are daechwita and people. he writes his own music and lyrics. talented and introverted? definitely my bias.
i then listened to his first self titled agust d mixtape, too. my favourites are tony montana (the live version) and the title track.
9. i’ve started downloading albums on spotify and listening to them during my walks. trash yeye is benjamin biolay’s 2007 album. and it’s good. too many favourites to mention.
10. do you like idles’ new song?
TV SERIES
11. girls from ipanema aka coisa mais linda. in order to completely ruin my precarious portuguese, i watched the 2 seasons of this brazilian series. it’s a big production about the birth of bossa nova. but it’s really about how women had a very hard time living in men’s world. i loved it.
YOUTUBE
12. i am rarely envious of the high end real estate i see online. but take a look at this japanese-inspired house set in the hills of columbia. sigh.
13. axel vervoordt, again.
14. after it was available only on youtube premium, this full length documentary about g-dragon is available for free. it was heartbreaking to see him so obviously unwell, filmed at all times with or without his knowledge. he doesn’t seem to belong to himself. i think the military service he served in the meantime saved him. he looks healthier now.
15. you can visit portugal via this drone footage youtube channel called 360 portugal. very good.
16. in case you don’t know who vivian maier is.
17. i love this korean youtubber. she’s a freelancer who lives with her teacup poodle, bebe. very good soothing and minimalist content.
18. people living with dolls will leave you a wide range of tastes in your mouth.
19. cool futuristic homes in the netherlands.
20. i doubt i’ll ever have the patience to do it myself, but this pine needle basket looks great. and doable!
21. i’m a happily introverted person.
22. i like this architecture youtube channel called beka&lemoine.
23. i know i’ll never make these cakes, but they look mesmerizing!
ARTICLES
24. an interesting point of view: people do not have the monopoly on culture.
25. a major yoshitomo nara retrospective will open in la soon
FILMS
26. basquiat by julian schnabel. great cast, but boring, too literal, cleaned of all drug references. don’t bother, even if bowie is playing warhol. you’re better off watching the actual footage of basquiat out there.
GOING OUT
27. in my neighbourhood, boeira hotel opened recently. for the summer months, they had a pop-up restaurant in the garden. we went twice for their lunch. great value for money, delicious food, attentive service and wonderful location under the secular linden trees. we’ll go back.
28. we took a welcome day trip to braga.
29. went back to serralves again
30. and then again, for the opening of the annual ha luz na parque. my first social distanced concert.
30. we went to a book fair located in the beautiful palacio da bolsa.
31. we went for the first time to casa de sao roque. interesting.
32. i woke up early, a friend took me to a local market. i loved it!
33. this was my second social distanced concert, in the gallery of friends.
34. i took a lot of walks this month. i’m more motivated to walk if it is to discover new places.
how was your july?
photo and video credits: little aesthete, copyright holders
