This is an archive copy of a tinyletter from 2022, for the complete newsletter with images and links, please view the original archive.

Happy holidays and a happy new year! I hope you had a warm and safe December, cuddling up with loved ones and feeling cozy for the winter months. Sadly, it's not as cold as we would like it here in Hong Kong, with the fluctuating temperatures — you'd be shivering in chunky sweaters one day, and walking around in a tank top the next! Global warming, I tell ya.

Anyway, before I run off on another tangent...

Thank you for being here on my first Bananarolls delivery, my first newsletter (tiny letter) ever. It means a lot to know that you like my work enough to receive monthly emails about what I've been up to and the little thoughts I've had.

And on that note, I'd like to share with you a culmination of the little thoughts and reflections from the past year — because it’s the end of the year and it’s always nice to do a little reflection, no? Read about what I’ve been up to in the past year and things I’m hoping for in the coming year (it's self-indulgent and ranty, but I also really needed a semi-public space to do this because I crave attention in a very passive way). 

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I also rebooted my youtube account towards the end of December with a new video:
pick a card | what's in store for you in 2022. 

The reading includes four small piles of cards that you can pick using the time stamps to find out the little blessings, and vibes of what’s coming in the coming year. 

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Originally when I started this newsletter, I was hoping that I could email you snippets of short stories that I write (I had too much fun doing the Inktober challenge earlier in October) but then time doesn't let me write as fast or as much as I could, so I thought I could share little witchy recipes, painting tips and essentially, anything else I feel like writing about as well.

So for the first newsletter, I'd like to talk about a small, easy ritual I do every end of the year: Making Moon Water.

It's simple, really. Moon water is essentially water that has absorbed the power of the moon (usually the full moon). You make it by placing a container of water under the full moon overnight with intention. As the moon affects the ocean's tides, we expect it to affect and change the state of the water we leave out, potentially making it aligned and infused with the intention we set to it. 

For example, if you're looking to find a larger sense of freedom, you may choose to make moon water during a full moon in Sagittarius, and setting an intention of having freedom to it. If you use drinkable water and keep it covered, you can then use the water for drinking, or in your food as a way to consume that power. Or you could also use it to water plants (best for protection) or even use it in a bath.

In my case, I'm not the type to always have the time and energy to make moon water each month so instead I only choose to do it every end of the year, on the last full moon of the year as a way to cleanse myself of the bad luck and bring in the new luck when the new year hits.

Funny though, I accidentally broke the bottle I made this month (19 December 2021) a week after. So who knows what happens next year.

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While this is a place for me to update you with what’s going on me (project wise), I also thought it’d be fun to share things that I’ve loved and enjoyed over the past month!

• I’ve been a fan of Sohla El-Waylley since Bon Appetit and have been snooping through the internet for her recipes and videos — only recently did I learn that she had a NEWSLETTER! It introduces (Is it meta to be recommending a newsletter in a newsletter?)

• I love my Claddagh pendant necklace which my partner mailed me for our anniversary. The Claddagh, traditionally a ring, is a symbol made of a heart (for love), a crown on the hearty (for loyalty), and a pair of hands cradling it (for friendship). Legend goes that (yes this is obviously a brag about how much my partner loves me, please let me have this because long-distance relationships are hard).

• Maybe it’s the wintertime but I’ve been loving listening to songs that set an ethereal mood, hence Ghostly Kisses, the dream pop project of Canadian singer-songwriter Margaux Sauvé. My favourite is her cover of Indochine’s ‘J'ai demandé à la lune.’

• As a child I loved Degas’ ballerina paintings, then grew mortified (but still intrigued) when I found out the dark, adult stories behind the French ballet. One of this year’s graduation animated short films from Gobelin L’Ecole de L’Image, Louise, is a stunner in terms of storytelling and visuals, placing the sex work of ballerinas as it is — work.

• If you just want a cozy Christmas animation, Robin Robin is an adorable stop-motion animation that’s on Netflix. One of my favourite illustrators Matt Forsythe also did visual development on this!

• Finally, I was also on a Lin-Manuel Miranda binge and I loved all three movies he put out this year; In The Heights, the film adapted from the musical that put Miranda on the map and is a love letter to Washington Heights and finding yourself; Encanto, the beautifully rendered and designed Pixar film about a Columbian magical family, and to grow from societal (and family) expectations; and finally, Tick, Tick...BOOM!, a biopic of Rent's writer, Jonathan Larson in his struggle to survive as a creative in New York City. The songs from all these movies are the soundtracks to my 2021. 

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So again, thank you for being here and for reading, I’ll be sending a little Bananarolls delivery to your email inbox on the first of every month so I hope you’ll stick around.

Wishing you all the warmth for the end of the year, and a very happy new year up ahead.

Love,

Charlotte