STEEPED BY SAMIA #30 | 04.30.24 Scooping water into the ocean with a plastic shovel and pail. Feeling a ~ 11:59PM before the assignment is due ~ kind of vibe with this Steeped post I’m starting at 7PM on the last day of April, lol. But here we are; I hope you’re lounging somewhere cozyContinue reading “April showers and such”
Steep On This: What to read & watch in the transition to Spring
STEEPED BY SAMIA #29 | 03.28.24 Finding themes of Spring — recollection, re-imagination, and more. I love the transition to Spring season. More daylight, sunny days, and new flowers popping up. Trees half bare and half laden with green leaves. Ramadan, New Years in many cultures, the March Equinox. I am a Spring baby, andContinue reading “Steep On This: What to read & watch in the transition to Spring”
My mid-20’s renaissance with Shoujo manga
STEEPED BY SAMIA #28 | 02.20.24 Lovesick Alley, the joy of escapism, & falling in love (with life). During Christmas weekend, I spent many hours at the Stanford infusion center while my dad was getting a medicinal IV infusion. The lobby was usually filled with people but because of the holidays, it was pretty empty.Continue reading “My mid-20’s renaissance with Shoujo manga”
Steep On This: Creative media to read & watch for inspiration
STEEPED BY SAMIA #27 | 01.17.24 Zines, creative hubs, substacks, youtube series, & more. I’m a consumer of creative media, more than I’m a creator of creative media. Whether it’s zines, substacks, books, or youtube series, I’m always absorbing and looking for creative inspiration, especially during liminal moments these past 2-3 years and virtually dueContinue reading “Steep On This: Creative media to read & watch for inspiration”
Read this when you feel like: Life is happening around you, but not to you
STEEPED BY SAMIA #26 | 01.04.24 Will 2024 be my year of ‘Yes’?! Who knows, but that’d be cool. I’m sitting here at my desk, sipping ginger chai. The cats are sleeping cuddled against each other on my bed. I’m thinking about my New Year’s journaling practices throughout the years: some elaborate and promising andContinue reading “Read this when you feel like: Life is happening around you, but not to you”
On getting my driver’s license at age 25
STEEPED BY SAMIA #25 | 12.02.23 … And other thoughts & happenings from the past few months. It’s been a while since my last post. I took an unintentional hiatus from Steeped by Samia. I had writer’s block these past few months, but not the kind of writer’s block that made me frustrated or disappointed,Continue reading “On getting my driver’s license at age 25”
All in a midsummer’s evening
STEEPED BY SAMIA #24 | 08.31.23 Shakespeare in the Park, what Anne learns, & getting sh*t done. One Saturday in August at a local park, I awaited a midsummer night’s dream. Okay, not really, but it was still nice! My brother and I were watching Shakespeare in the Park: a performance of Cymbeline. I hadn’tContinue reading “All in a midsummer’s evening”
But what if it doesn’t go wrong?
FENNEL SEED CO. #1 | 08.04.23 in our rebirth era: samia on disbelief, pruning leaves, & reframing 🌀 My lovely friends Renuka, Farial, and I started a creative collective Fennel Seed Co. and a storytelling platform Fennel Seed River on Substack!! I hope to cross-post my Fennel Seed Substacks onto my blog, so you canContinue reading “But what if it doesn’t go wrong?”
Can we extract ourselves from the digital world?
STEEPED BY SAMIA #23 | 07.16.23 Doom-scrolling, the ‘like’ button, and me promising to write more about digital culture things. When Sufyan and I are in the car, I inevitably turn to him and say, “Did you hear about XYZ??” And Sufyan will reply with something like, “Whaaat?! No, I haven’t,” and I launch intoContinue reading “Can we extract ourselves from the digital world?”
Chasing a cat through town
STEEPED BY SAMIA #22 | 06.30.23 The world of Ghibli, a small town, and an elusive cat. A cat has been hanging around my neighborhood for the past few weeks. I call them Toddler Cat. I’m not sure if they’re a stray or lost, or just a very adventurous outdoor cat. They seem young, maybeContinue reading “Chasing a cat through town”
Find me among the star jasmine vines
STEEPED BY SAMIA #21 | 05.31.23 A life catch-up: May, movement, and musings. This is probably the first month, since starting Steeped, that I’ve waited till the last 3 days of the month to write and post something. Sure, it’d be fine if I skipped a month, but it would be kind of disappointing toContinue reading “Find me among the star jasmine vines”
Letters to my future self
STEEPED BY SAMIA #20 | 04.17.23 On 25, heartfelt letters, & a constellation-studded sky. In March, I was rummaging through “SAMIA’S BOX OF IMPORTANT THINGS”, and I came across two letters: one from 5th grade and one from 12th grade, both addressed to my future self. Approaching my 25th birthday and in a reflective mood,Continue reading “Letters to my future self”
On “Resting Anxious Face”
STEEPED BY SAMIA #19 | 03.19.23 If you have Resting Anxious Face, you may be entitled to compen— On a sunny day, I take BART into the city. I’m excited to stay over at my friend Renuka’s place (check out her amazing Substack warmly, renuka !!). I smile and think about how in this self-employedContinue reading “On “Resting Anxious Face””
Are you giving yourself enough credit?
STEEPED BY SAMIA #18 | 03.10.23 Sometimes you have to go uphill to go downhill again. “The yoga instructor on YouTube said that if you feel shaky during a pose, send your breath to that part of the body.” I said this to Sufyan and Abu while we were trudging up a fairly strenuous incline,Continue reading “Are you giving yourself enough credit?”
An ode to the little worlds we inhabit
STEEPED BY SAMIA #17 | 02.23.23 “What if we joined our wildernesses together?” Recently, I rewatched Fruits Basket (2019 ver.), and I was blown away by the heart-wrenching coming-of-age tidbits. In Fruits Basket, there are thirteen characters inhabited by the spirits of Chinese Zodiac animals and a god-like character at the center of them all,Continue reading “An ode to the little worlds we inhabit”
On losing & breaking things
STEEPED BY SAMIA #16 | 01.26.23 ‘My baby photos were lost in Solvang’ & other vignettes of objects well-loved. My mom’s super power is finding things. Whenever my siblings and I were looking for something, she’d find it and say, “See?? I’m a Finder Keeper!!” I think I inherited these powers — along with herContinue reading “On losing & breaking things”
A preoccupation with the strange-ness of time
STEEPED BY SAMIA #15 | 01.06.23 A tale for the time being, Majora’s mask, & the inexplicable pace of time. I’ve been preoccupied with the concept of time this week. Slipping from the end of one year, to the beginning of the next, life is literally the same — but with the freshness and promiseContinue reading “A preoccupation with the strange-ness of time”
Will I always be in a liminal space?
STEEPED BY SAMIA #14 | 12.29.22 A rainy morning, a wallower, & an interior monologue on in-betweenness. I wake up before my family and start making chai. Oatly full fat oat milk. Wagh Bakri black tea. Water. A splash of Kirkland evaporated milk. A scuffed metal pot, an old strainer, our designated chai spoon. IContinue reading “Will I always be in a liminal space?”
They don’t really know what to talk about
STEEPED BY SAMIA #13 | 12.26.22 On the growing pain of being perceived & when ‘idle conversation’ is not just idle. I’m getting the hint that our 20’s are filled with moments that teach us how to protect our peace. A subconscious guide, a thickening of the skin, that develops from all those uncomfortable andContinue reading “They don’t really know what to talk about”
The stories in my head have been quiet lately
STEEPED BY SAMIA #12 | 12.16.22 Intuition, daydreams, & the bizarre infatuation that keeps me showing up. Right about now, 6 months after restarting my blog, I thought I would start to feel less interested in it. In the back of my mind, I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop. But I’m happyContinue reading “The stories in my head have been quiet lately”
Steeped by Samia 