This week we have Carmina Santos taking over Out of Hours. Carmina is a Filipino Chef (and an absolute angel) who was raised in Brighton and is now based in Dubai. I really hope you all enjoy this one. Thank you so much to Carmina for dedicating your time to writing this letter and being a part of Out of Hours 💋
Fancy taking over Out of Hours? Once a month-ish, a friend (or stranger) will send a letter via Out of Hours. All you need to do is reply to this email 🤝🏼
Hi guys, it’s me Carmina 🤭 I’m giving Iman a break and I’ll be taking over Out of Hours this week. For those who don’t know me - I’m a Chef by day (and night) but I’m currently on a break and DND is activated.
I’m in the process of leaving Dubai (after nearly 2 years of being here) to move to London. Being unemployed and moving city is quite daunting, so writing this letter is quite a nice way to take my mind off things.
I know I just said I’m a Chef, so you’re probably expecting me to mostly talk about food, but this will not be the case (sorry to disappoint). Although who knows, I might just drop in a recipe 😉 This letter will include: the playlist that got me through 2023, what TV I’ve been bingeing, highlights from my FYP and my obsession with survival shows.
What I’ve been listening to
God knows how many times I’ve cried in the last year, but alas, 2024 is good so far. But, the one thing that has got me through is my playlist (plus my mates in Dubai, they have really been great. The good ones anyway, there are some mother f**** out here, but that’s another story. This city is wild). You might be thinking ‘wow, so cliché’ but music did really get me through. The last part of the year was tough, but as the French say Soo La Voo.🤪
2023 was peak for music IMO. So many incredible artists brought out albums, singles and EPs. For example: Yussef Dayes, Sampha, Jorja Smith, Ama Lou, No Name, Kaytraminé, Bakar, Cleo Sol and Solomon. There’s also a bunch of jazz artists I’ve been loving: Berlioz, Terrace Martin, Whatitdo Archive Group, The Circling Sun and Psyché
Last but not least, there’s James Blake, who I’ve always been a huge fan of for years. But actually, I wasn’t so keen on his latest album Playing Robots into Heaven, when I first listened to it. But after replaying it (big up to Lou to telling me to give it another go, lol) I ended up falling absolutely in love with it - especially his cover of Snoop and Pharell’s Beautiful.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had “I just want you to know that you are really special….”. stuck in my head on repeat. I actually came across a TikTok which explains exactly what I’ve been experiencing. Apparently having ‘earworms’ is when a catchy song, tune, or phrase runs continually through your mind. According to #ADHDTok, it’s a relatively common experience among people with ADHD (disclaimer: this isn’t exclusively experienced by neurodivergent people and hasn’t been scientifically proven yet). I found it really interesting to understand why this happens, and I think as humans we always want to gain a better understanding of how and why we experience the world the way we do.
“So there are networks in the brain that support these functions of music — and memory, and attention, and keeping something in your head, and working memory. And then there’s the connection to the emotional regions of the brain, like the amygdala, which is involved in salience and negative emotion, and the ventral striatum, or nucleus accumbens, which is involved with positive emotion and reward. These are all elements that are thought to be involved in earworms.” (Harvard Gazette)
This really shows how music can affect us and help us through anxiety and depression. We form an emotional connection to a certain song, and we’ll always come back to it (whether it’s good or bad). It’s just nice, innit? It’s a universal experience - none of us could live without it.
If you want, you can check out my playlist 23 heaven below.
I also think you should give this one a listen. Teen Angst (a playlist your Out of Hours Mother Iman created) which really takes me back to my 15 year old self.🤘
Thoughts from my Notes app
I know I said I wasn’t going to talk about food, but… here is my very own Yuzu Basque Burnt Cheesecake for you to try at home. Enjoy 😋
ICYMI
Who is ready to fight for Britain? 🫡
I’m sorry, but no thank you. These comments made me laugh.
The Traitors
Right, anyone else obsessed with The Traitors recently? I know I am. But given some thought would I really make a good one? I once asked a friend if they think I could ever be in the MI5 or the police force and they laughed and said no, so I asked why and they said:
I can’t keep my mouth shut
That I’d definitely be a corrupt one, which I didn’t really argue with because they’re right
I would be the most bait person in there. Also, I would completely out everyone else If I got caught.
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
What to watch this week
Over the last few weeks I’ve been bingeing a lot of anime. Here’s a few I’ve been loving/re-watching recently:
Nana (2006-2007)
“Two ostensibly opposite women, both named Nana, become roommates in Tokyo and grow inseparable. However, their relationship is jeopardized as the harsh realities of adult life take shape.”
I’ve been bingeing Nana pretty much all week. I really resonate with some of the characters and it’s just so real. It covers everything we go through during our 20s and 30s - trying to find ourselves, going through breakups, job hopping and trying to pay rent on time whilst pursuing a career we truly love. 10/10 recommend.
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
“In a futuristic world where brain hacking has become rampant, a cyborg policewoman and her partner set out to find the main culprit behind the crime, the Puppet Master.”
I watched this ages ago but I decided to re-watch it recently. It’s an anime that will forever be timeless in my eyes. I hate Scarlett Johansson’s adaption (gross). I still can’t believe they used a white woman to play Motoko, and the acting was terrible. If you haven’t already definitely worth the watch.
Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997)
“Utena is a tomboyish school girl who attends the prestigious Ohtori Academy. Her strong sense of chivalry pulls her into a series of duels with other members of the Student Council for the possession of the Rose Bride.”
I just started watching Revolutionary Girl Utena this week, after finding it in an article about the best LGBTQ+ anime. The fact it was released in the 90s and explores queer issues and feminist themes, just sold it for me. I will have to wait and see with this one but so far so good.
Growing up I would always have History Channel or Discovery Channel playing on the TV. I would always watch Deadliest Catch, Alaska’s Last Frontier, Gold Rush and Swamp People. I LOVE anything to do with survival. These days, I mostly get my survival TV fix from YouTube. Here’s some of my recent favourites:
Luke goes hunting in the wild, fishing and solo camps. He lives in Alaska with his wife and three boys and explores the wild all-year round. He’s hands down one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to being in the wilderness. If you’re in to ASMR this episode is a good one.
Another one is Nick Fry. He mainly goes on fishing trips and solo camps in Australia and often eats his catch of the day.
Andrew is an English guy who focuses on survival, reviews camping equipment and also cooks some mean grub over wood fire.
Thank you for listening to my inner thoughts. I hope this year brings you more lols, money and mental stability. If not we live and we learn babbyyyy. Big love signing off… SEEE YAAA. Carmina x
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
FYI, you can read last week’s newsletter here.
Fancy taking over Out of Hours? Once a month, a friend (or stranger) will take over Out of Hours. All you need to do is reply to this email 💋