issue 25 - choosing to see the good all around you

finding growth in the FFOREST, objective observations on rejection, a special visit from OneRepublic, the low-down on Rings of Power and more

FRESH: events and happenings

FIELD GUIDE 43

i had the pleasure of writing a piece about my growth journey for the wonderful publication

FFOREST

, written by Skyler and Jeff! FFOREST is split into two genres of content: TREE is full of daily positive reminders and tidbits of helpful information, while FIELD GUIDE is an in-depth exploration of a different creative perspective each week.

here’s a little snippet from the piece:

“Growth is a universal part of all our stories. We grow from children to adults, from the unknown to the experienced. In my story, growth is not only a process, but a skill, and a wise teacher. Growth is teaching me that seeing the tangible results of growth is important, yet it is far more crucial to learn how to grow. For me, it's about respecting the process of growth, and giving growth the time and space it needs to bloom.”

click though to read the full post below!

🌱 FIELD GUIDE 43: Growth is a wise teacher

(the soundtrack was a pick by Skyler - it’s the perfect musical compliment to what i wrote about!)

• Daft Punk has announced a special 10th Anniversary Edition release for their legendary album Random Access Memories! here’s their announcement video for it - get excited for all those unreleased demos and outtakes on May 12th!

FRESH: self

Wing vs. Rejection

i’ve been extra aware of my tendency to interpret situations as rejection even when they could be interpreted otherwise, and feeling rejected as a knee-jerk response by taking things personally. i’m learning to not shame myself for feeling rejection, and to pause for a few seconds in the moment to zoom out and objectively look at the facts, instead of hyper-focusing on my programmed initial reactions.

i think my thought process goes something along the lines of feeling like i’m losing or being denied of having a good thing in my life, when i want to hold onto it as tight as i can from fear that nothing as good will show up again in the future. i know that isn’t true, yet it’s difficult to reprogram myself to believe it and act accordingly. truth is, there are endless wonderful opportunities and experiences out there - just because one isn’t meant for you right now doesn’t mean it won’t circle around again. there could be another different yet equally wonderful experience just around the corner, if you choose to let it happen and enjoy it.

a relevant song to these thoughts to close off:

FRESH: live sets

OneRepublic Live at Asia World Expo 2023

this felt very surreal

after the hype of last week’s big stadium MSG show by Pangbourne House Mafia, i got to experience a big stadium show myself this week! this felt like the perfect opportunity - i had never seen OneRepublic live even after over a decade of listening to their music, and this happened to be one of the first large-scale shows in Hong Kong after the (slight) easing of our pandemic restrictions (though we still had to wear masks, and venue staff were watching our every move to make sure we had ours on). i was able to snag a last minute ticket the day of - it was quite unplanned, and maybe for the best!

some highlights from the show: Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic’s frontman) did a special acoustic ‘concert within a concert’, featuring his own covers of songs he co-wrote with other big name artists; including Beyonce’s Halo and Adele’s Rumour Has It. do be forewarned that Tedder has a top-notch singing voice live, i was still surprised even knowing this already going in. we also did a very fun three part harmony with Tedder, splitting the crowd into guys and gals to sing a call-and-response version of Apologize - we have bragging rights of being the first city to nail it on the first try, from the words of Tedder himself!

i’ve collated the show setlist below for your listening pleasure:

(this will get updated with more songs as we get further along into the year - it will make another FRESH appearance or five for sure!)

FRESH: new music

Unity (salute Remix) - Röyskopp, Karen Harding

Manchester producer salute never misses on his remixes. this go around, he’s back with a hypnotic take on Röyskopp’s Unity. it leans further into euphoric trance and progressive more so than salute’s usual offerings - with how fantastic it is, perhaps he should consider doing this more often! the track got an immediate add to this playlist, and has been firmly stuck in my head this week.

FRESH: television

Notes on The Rings of Power

oh Numenor, oh Numenor, how lovely you are

i am a good five months late to the party, but i finally found time to sit down and properly enjoy all ten episodes of The Rings of Power! this was a no-brainer as a dedicated Tolkien fan (my parents snuck very, very underage me into the cinema to see Fellowship of the Ring, i became attached to Legolas and the rest was history). i was a tad weary of yet another franchise reboot, after seeing Harry Potter getting milked out of every single last drop of lore, but this left me floored and an incredibly satisfied Middle Earther.

here are some afterthoughts from my viewing - spoilers ahead for the show, do skip this if you plan to watch it in the future!

• finally, at long last - POC Elves, Dwarves and Harfoots on screen! let’s hope to see some Asian castings too for Season 2.

• that $715 million budget was put to good use - the production value is simply stunning, and more importantly, the show really feels like Real Middle Earth and not a knockoff version.

• it really shows through that the creators did their Tolkien lore research - this list of easter eggs from the show is blowing my mind, i caught some of these but clearly my lore knowledge could use a brush up!

• it’s so surreal to see new Middle Earth locations on screen. Númenor is so breathtaking (and the VFX so seamless you forget about it), Khazad-Dûm in its prime is something i never thought i’d see on screen (it’s BEAUTIFUL), same with Lindon!

• 14 year old Wing is still nerding out about getting to see Gil-Galad, Celebrimbor, Finrod, Elendil and Isildur.

• the Nori + Frodo, Halbrand + Aragorn visual similarities in casting are uncanny, but somehow it works.

• we see you, Bronwyn/Arondir, Aragorn/Arwen and Beren/Lúthien parallels!

• my squeal of delight when the Ents had a tiny cameo!!

• i love Elrond so much, and it was just pure joy getting to see him as his cheerier (and funnier!) younger self (with short hair!) and exploring his friendship with Durin IV, knowing that he crosses paths with his great x10 grandson Thorin, thousands of years later in The Hobbit.

• shoutout to Elrond for learning a few licks of Khuzdul!! and for almost learning Durin IV’s secret name.

• getting to see the dwarves discover Mithril is priceless.

• Aulë finally getting a namedrop, we love to see it!

• the show is SO good at showing not telling, and using poignant unspoken dialogue in scenes. that scene when Durin IV sees Elrond again after his father forbade him from mining more mithril to save Elrond and the entire Elven race - should be in a textbook under ‘face says it all’.

• Galadriel was never my favorite from LOTR nor The Hobbit, but seeing her trials and tribulations as a main character now in Rings of Power is incredibly illuminating and allowing me to appreciate her so much more. i’d gladly take an orc-slaying lesson from her.

whoops this got very long, but probably still not as long as Aulë’s beard.

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next week’s issue may or may not be delayed, as i have a very full weekend planned - it’s for something quite exciting, and it will definitely get the full FRESH coverage in time!

with love, mellon nin.

wing

alright, over to you now - hit up the comments section, or reply to this email with your thoughts! if you enjoy a little prompting:

• what has growth taught you?

• what is the last good thing that happened to you recently?

• who is your Tolkien favorite and why?

head over to freshbywing.com to catch up on past issues of FRESH, and find us on instagram!