‘Alien: Romulus’, drink-free dating, U-K-pop, and bronze is best

We’re shaking things up in the coming months!

Becks and the City will be undergoing a remix era for a while, starting next week when there will be no newsletter. Tuesday in a fortnight’s time, it’ll be back – with a surprise!

I hope you’ll stay tuned for what I have in mind. It promises to be jam-packed with joy. It’ll still be tinged with a writerly essence, just different. And don’t worry, the regular format will be back after that – it’s simply having a siesta for a spell.

See you in a fortnight. : )

P.S. For those with the eagle eyes: yes, this newsletter is a day late. Apologies, a bit on my plate at the moment!

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News

1.     Researchers have found evidence suggesting bronze medallists are happier than those who take home silver. It stands to reason, right? Silver medallists would often be left ruing what could have been, while those on the bronze podium spot are just thanking their lucky stars they weren’t fourth. Next time I miss top spot, I’ll console myself that I might be left happier than those who finished above me. Turns out, it really is nice to be nominated.

2.     I’m someone who grew up with western boy bands (NKOTB, Take That, and Backstreet Boys being the ones whose mugs graced my walls). Since mid-2020, I’ve hugely fallen down the rabbit hole of male K-pop groups. Their dedication to throwing handsome fellas with perfect pitch together knows no bounds. They’re on a whole other level, honestly. Competition is HOT, and the training is long, rigourous and comprehensive. So I was more than a tad curious when I heard about the BBC One talent show, Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience. Can we take five British lads and create a top-selling boy band by running them through the K-pop training gauntlet? I wasn’t sure whether we’d get it here in Aus, but it looks like Channel 9 will be releasing episodes here.

3.     Came across this post on Threads this week about an experiment in signing up to dating apps as someone who’s sober. Now, I’m not on the dating market and I’m not sober (although I’m only a very occasional drinker). I thought it raised an intriguing dilemma, though. I can understand a drink or two to steady the nerves when you’re nervous, but how do you get along when you need to state your (non-)drinking preferences in a dating app? I imagine many potential partners would filter you out if you’re not much into the hard stuff. Apparently, dry dating is a rising phenomenon. I suspect there’d be a combination of factors at play – health consciousness, safety concerns, and expense, among others. It’s a useful topic to explore and provide tips on for people looking to do more dry dating: What can you do on a date other than meet at a bar or pub? How do you quell nerves when alcohol is off the table? How do you navigate questions asking you to explain why you’re not drinking? Seems fertile ground for further articles.

Reviews

1.     Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Hue Drops is exy at $58 for 40ml (MECCA). It’s darn good stuff, though. It came out as a runny, bronze-hued liquid and I panicked a little when I put it on my forehead, thinking I’d turn out like an Oompa-Loompa. Once I smoothed it over the rest of my face, though, the bronze mellowed and blended nicely with my face, giving it a subtle sun-kissed vibe. If you worried about emerging from winter looking super-pale compared to your usual complexion, this might be just the ticket. You can use it all over your face or save it for highlighting. Based on Korean skincare thinking, this serum contains hyaluronic acid and watermelon for a hydration and vitamin boost. I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did.

2.     I wouldn’t quite say I’m an Aliens franchise superfan, but I’m only a notch or two below that level. Ripley is the bessssssst, man. My favourite of the series is, of course, Aliens, with the original being almost as good. The third and fourth films don’t stack up – they’re okay at a pinch, I guess – and of the newer sequels, Prometheus was a huge let-down for me and Covenant was only slightly better. This is all to say: I’ve been waiting a good while for a new, quality instalment in the franchise. As soon as I heard about it, I was praying to the movie gods that Alien: Romulus would be that movie.  Thankfully, for me, it was. While it wasn’t perfect (I can see why they included it, but I didn’t appreciate the clumsy, gratuitous use of one of the best-known catchphrases from past movies), though it was darn close. All of the cast did a bang-up job, however, I’d like to single out David Jonsson in his role as Andy. His expressions! The amount of empathy you felt for him! The way your eyes were drawn to him in every shot in which he appeared! Just superb. The writers found some inventive ways to inject new life into the action scenes and the characters that gave the movie a fresh feel. On the other hand, the filmmakers did an incredible job of giving the scenes a retro touch. The perfect mix of nostalgic and modern. I’m giving this four stars.

3.     Speaking of the Aliens movies, this amble through James Cameron’s mind in article form delighted me in several ways – a discussion of the franchise, plus Terminator, deep-see exploration, and how the current world we live in (a state of flux with respect to AI) is making it harder to write sci-fi right now. I’d agree with that – part of the reason I’ve turned to my other genre infatuation of crime fiction rather than choosing dystopian YA for the novel I’m working on. With the P-word taking over our consciousness since 2020 and us not even fully having wrested it back yet, dystopia feels not as far away in fiction as you’d hope.

What I’m Feelin’ Right Now

• Tinted lip balm

• Adding four-bean mix, red onion, and capsicum to pasta salad to made it healthy

• Blue and navy checkered socks

• ‘PINKBERRY’ by MAX

• Patent toffee-coloured leather

• A sharp black-and-white striped shirt

• Bedazzling a book cover

• Vinegar to accompany fried savoury snacks

• Pairing light blue with red

Giveaway

Last week’s giveaway, Between Husbands and Wives by Susannah Glenn, was won by Ashleigh Roser. Good stuff! Ashleigh, I’ve sent you an email.

Giveaways are taking a break for a bit.

Playlist of the Week

On the shortlist to be my personal theme song: