JETS JOURNAL - #079
April 29, 2025
Hi All!
Here is your weekly round up of what I’m pondering and exploring. Feel free to forward along to a friend if you think they might enjoy.
Stardew Valley
I started playing Stardew Valley again, and aside from Skyrim, I think it has to be one of my favourite games of all time. And even though on the surface, it’s a simple farming simulator, it’s such a relaxing game.
I played it a few years back when I was going through a hard-time, and it really helped take my mind off things. You can read what I wrote on that moment here.
It’s also deeply inspiring seeing a game made by the hands, and mind of one person, go on to do half-a-billion dollars in revenue.
My third space
Recently, I discovered a practically private getaway, hidden below Sydney.
Hardly anyone comes here, and I often have the entire place to myself.
Its basically become my third space between my home, and work.
I come here almost every week to work on the things I’m passionate about.
It’s good knowing places like this still exist.
3 things I’ve enjoyed watching
Here’s three pieces of media I’ve recently enjoyed watching:
The Studio - I love how Seth Rogan’s latest TV show pokes fun at Hollywood, and the realities of running a film studio. It does a good job at revealing some of the deeper systematic reasons why all we see nowadays are remakes.
Robert Rodriguez interview with Lex Fridman - This was a fantastic interview with the man not only behind Spy Kids, but who also funded his first film by literally selling his body to science. Lot’s of great takes on creativity, limitations, and handling criticism.
Paprika - I loved this techno-surreal Japanese animated film that explores dreams and the unconscious. Fun fact, this was also one of the big inspirations behind Christopher Nolan’s Inception.
Always recording
Last night I found myself suspended between the dream world and reality.
In this dream state I was unable to see anything, but could weirdly hear entire songs by artists like Flume & Travis Scott, as if I was wearing a pair of headphones.
Don’t ask me why these were the artists my mind surfaced when I consciously shuffled to the next song in my internal playlist, but it was interesting how the lyrics, melodies, and instrumentals were able to be recalled, and recreated so accurately, since these were all old songs I hadn’t listened to in years.
Which made me think.
The brain is always recording, and even if I forget an experience, interaction, or an emotional response, it still gets stored somewhere inside of me.
Sounds kind of scary, right?
Knowing you can never forget, only accept and integrate.
However, I’m also unsure if the recreations my mind was producing for me were actually accurate, or if I just thought that they were in my hypnagogic daze.
I compare this to how cameras capture images, and much like how photographs of the same subject can differ depending on film stock, lens, shutter speed and aperture, I also think, our memories and recreations of them are subject to our emotions when we experience them, along with the emotional state we recall them from.
But hey, I love a grainy photo, it gives an image character, and at the end of the day, it’s all subjective to how you see the world.
How does it look behind your lens?
Fantasy coffins
Last week I learnt about a tradition in Ghana where they bury people in coffins unique to that persons life. I really appreciate how this slightly obscure practice actually honours death, and treats it as a celebration of life.
Bury me in a piece of banana bread lmao, and don’t forget the cinnamon.
Hope everyone enjoys their week.
Love,
Jet Williams