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 can getContinue 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”
Read this when you feel like: You’re back at Square One
STEEPED BY SAMIA #11 | 11.28.22 I’m in my flop era — but I mean that in the kindest way to myself. This time last year, you would have found me on my bed, under two blankets, and binge-watching TWICE videos on YouTube. The performances, the music videos, the interviews, their reality TV show TimeContinue reading “Read this when you feel like: You’re back at Square One”
On the resilience of skin
STEEPED BY SAMIA #10 | 11.10.22 I’m developing a cordial relationship of sorts with my skin, wbu?? When the weather gets colder (that’s, like, 45-50° F in the South Bay…), my toes participate in a mysterious ritual. Every year, without fail. It starts with a tingling in the nighttime, that gives way to a burningContinue reading “On the resilience of skin”
In defense of quiet, meandering books & TV shows
STEEPED BY SAMIA #9 | 11.05.22 Finding joy in slower media & wondering what it means when something is “worthy of attention.” The first days of November have ushered in cold weather in the South Bay with much-welcomed rain. As I write this, I’m sipping some lavender tea with oat milk and honey and listeningContinue reading “In defense of quiet, meandering books & TV shows”
Fiction: The carnival in the clearing
STEEPED BY SAMIA #8 | 10.29.22 I wrote this Halloween-themed short story for my Craft of Creative Writing class during my first year at Mills College (shout-out to Prof. Truong Tran!). I did some edits to condense it and spruce it up. Enjoy!! It’s Halloween night. When Samir was a child, his parents didn’t allowContinue reading “Fiction: The carnival in the clearing”