cool stuff i found #15
little stories from NYC, left arm chipotle bag, Mom! the browns are back at it again!
hey hey! first off, i just got back from grabbing coffee with 3Dx2y reader and a good friend of my Uzair who was a bit taken aback by not seeing any recent work on here. ive been experimenting with launching CSIF on different days, but moving forward i’ll probably be sticking with thursday as my publishing date. secondly, i’ve been living at my friend’s spot in Brooklyn, NYC for the past few days to get creatively inspired and a change of scenery. I’m forever thankful to my friends like Yung Niz (alias) and Uzair for allowing me to stay with them.
also hey listen, i’m writing this up at like 2am EST rn so there’s probably gonna be hella typos and odd sentences in this edition especially. but that’s ok, because we move.
today’s newsletter’s gonna be a bit different. the last 2 sections are gonna be the usual, but the articles + essays section will include 1-2 paragraph short stories and reflections from my time in NYC thus far.
“Cool Stuff I Found” is a series where I create a highlight reel of cool stuff I’ve come across in the past week or just in general. I hope that this newsletter will inspire meaningful conversations and connections. As always, thanks for joining me on this journey of exploration and self-discovery.’
This newsletter is broken up into the following:
I. Articles + Essays I’ve read/written
II. Visual Art + Media
III. Music I’ve been listening to
I. Articles + Essays I’ve read
im rohingya too, kind of(?) by me
i’m leaving harlem friday night with a couple fellas from a birthday party heading into another birthday party in brooklyn. we hop in an uber, and, halfway through the drive, the older Sudanese homie sitting in shotgun asks,
“so haroon, where you from ethnically?”
and just as im about to answer, we hear
“me from Bangladesh!”
chimes in our Uber driver. i mean we’re sitting there like “oh dope, new player has entered the lobby i guess.” so i do what do best, i chop it up with him using the maximum 6 words i know in bangla:
“oh wow! you’re from Bangladesh! Kamon haso [ how are you]?!”
“haha bahlo achi!”
boom another wholesome uber moment back in the books. but to answer buddy in shotgun’s question, i respond
“but yeah, i’m actually half-Burmese half-Rohingya”
“Wow many Rohingya in Bangladesh!”
“Yes, yup! Very grateful for our Bangladeshi family for welcoming us!”
“Yes, many in Cox Bazaar!”
“Yep yep!”
“And the Bangladeshi government really help the Rohingyas!”
“Yes! Alhamdulilah, very thankful! Bangladeshi government has been very kind to let us stay”
“Yes and I put Rohingya on my asylum application! My hearing is next month on the 23rd”
the whole car: “…”
this is kind of one of those moments that make ya’ react like “idk he’s so transparent about it, i… i kind of respect it.” and as it turns out, his name was Haroon also! so best of luck to Haroon, who’s Rohingya — kind of.
when traveling the sites are the people for me by me
when you’re in a city this big like New York, it’s impossible to not be overcome with an overwhelming sense of sonder (idk if im using this world correctly, but this def what i felt). millions of very human experiences all happening concurrently, no one experience more or less valid than the other. we’re all existing in the same space.
i’m in a not so unique position as another traveller passing through the city. i dig deep into my soul to recognize a hubris that i’ve quietly cultivated, yes, quietly cultivated because to liken the hubris to something like a fungus would possible absolve me in a way that i don’t think is quite honest. this hubris i speak of is that i think my way of traveling is superior.
spoiler alert: its not. if you’re visiting somewhere, you get to do what you want to do and you have a good time? your experience is valid. didn’t have a good time? you still traveled and experienced something different. even if what you and i are into aren’t the same, i gotta respect your lived experience at some level even if it aint my cup of tea — once again.
but what is my way of traveling? its not unique, but ima be real: traveling to me is about meeting and learning from new and different people. i find people so much more interesting. because, while yes all things change, times square is times square, the statue of liberty is the statue of liberty, and there’s a thousands of restaurants you can take vibey pictures at all through the big apple. but within a single person contains multitudes (i want to throw up with how tumblr-y this entire short reflection sounds, but i digress). we’re constantly changing people. with each passing moment, each second, we’re literally a different person than we were before by at least a quantitative measure. that’s what fascinates me! people are always changing, and, even if some seem like a bore, there are many people in the world out there for you to meet!
Love is Friendship on Hard Mode by Ava
Ava from “bookbear express” interviews writer Henrik Karlsson, someone whose work i’ve previously shared on this newsletter. i really respect henrik’s works on relationships in general, and the following is a small excerpt from his essay that Ava interviews him about and includes in their highlights:
II. Visual Art + Media
crenerit
god, i love everything about this! first off i f88king love the font, i love the balance in the text underneath, i love the color grade on this mfer, i love the scribble masking over the model’s head, god i love everything about this!!
quotes on me
recently i tweeted out:
well i had been working through “the creative act: way of being” by rick rubin (lol is going to be some cliche), and i really messed with some quotes from the book. and it wasn’t enough for me to jot down in a journal to remember, so i started treating my arm as a canvas/journal to help some concepts stick with me:
playstation poster by Devendra
i love the use of the playstation button patterns here, bravo!
III. Music I’ve Listened To
Maad Da Visionary - Jaded
i discovered Maad Da Visionary through an instagram story of a videographer we’ve worked with. what immediately caught my eyes was the stunning cinematography of this whole piece. nothing short of mezmerizing.
Wegz - كدا كدا
Wegz is a major artist in the MENA region. tbh i found out about Wegz through a MENA top 100 list a while back, but i never truly paid attention until every other Egyptian i know was essentially breathing down my f88king neck about how dope he is — and they were right all along (shoutout to Karim). i found this song on a playlist, and thought it was a banger. bon apple pie or however the french in france would say.
Ali Sethi, Shae Gill, Abdullah Siddiqui & Maanu - Left Right
im not gonna front, i have no idea who the f88k everyone after Ali Sethi is, but boy do they work well together. i discovered this song via ig reels and it immediately captivated me. hope it grabs a hold of you in the same way!
Thanks for reading this edition. Share this with your friends, your grandma, or your neighbor. And if you made it to the end of this essay and you didn’t just scroll, dm me a ✌️ on either twitter or instagram. or leave a comment! As always,
Sincerely,
Haroon
P.S. Check out my previous newsletter if you’re curious: Cool Stuff I Found #14