experience, oregon

Best of June, 2026

Milena Alien

summer, summer, summer charm

i would love this mood to stay,

stay to cherish and disarm

BERJAYA
Wallowa Lake camping near Joseph, Oregon

Camping at Wallowas,

saoking in the sun

early in the season

having lots of fun

BERJAYA
Ivan Kupala celebration

celebrating summer solstice,

traditional song and dance by the river,

no fire this time, good vibes remain

creating warm and friendly

memories together

BERJAYA

oldest rose garden in Portland,

has been there since 1912 in Peninsular Park.

featuring the fountain and the music pavilion.

BERJAYA

The book and art fair was a ball

easy to get there, honey latte for all,

fun conversations, new inspirations

BERJAYA

the movie we have seen, Chungking Express (1994) is a blast

it takes you straight to the future without omitting the past

BERJAYA

The book of the month is

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel,

pretty entertaining and fun read,

timeless lessons on wealth, happiness and greed.

  • How was your month of June? anything exciting happened?

art, movie

chinese art

Milena Alien
Daily writing prompt
What’s a lesson you’ve learned recently that shifted your perspective?
View all responses
BERJAYA
Chinese brush

recently I watched a movie produced in China in the nineties, it made a lasting impression on me. not sure why but I find the characters highly relatable, it’s probably the mood you catch that I was in for a number of years. now looking back I’m surprised and also relived not to be in that mood any more, it’s kind of odd that someone could capture it so well. Possibly it’s the 90s mood that we all shared without knowing it, consciously I mean. Maybe it’s just my coming of age formative years or something else I can’t put my finger on. Those were the days when I played Mortal Combat with my brother and chose to be Milena after one of the fighters. Anyways, let me share the Google review here, i hope you watch it as well, it’s a dark comedy so I enjoyed it a lot due to Instagram ads.

Chungking Express is a 1994 Hong Kong film by Wong Kar-wai, known for its Chungking Express is a 1994 Hong Kong film by Wong Kar-wai, known for its stylish, impressionistic take on loneliness and love, split into two interconnected stories about lovesick policemen in Hong Kong. The first story follows Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and his obsession with expired pineapple cans after a breakup, leading to an encounter with a mysterious drug smuggler (Brigitte Lin). The second story features Cop 663 (Tony Leung) and his infatuation with a quirky snack bar worker (Faye Wong) who secretly redecorates his apartment. The film is celebrated for its unique visuals, energetic pacing, and exploration of fleeting connections, becoming a cult classic and a major influence on American filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. 

Key aspects

  • Director: Wong Kar-wai 
  • Structure: Two separate, but thematically linked, stories 
  • Themes: Loneliness, heartbreak, missed connections, and the search for love 
  • Visual Style: Hyperfluid cinematography, use of slow motion (step printing), neon lights, and framing through windows and reflections 
  • Music: Features the song “California Dreamin'” by The Mamas & the Papas 
  • Cultural Impact: A breakthrough for Wong Kar-wai, it became a defining film of the 90s and a cult hit, partly due to its US distribution by Quentin Tarantino. 

before this fortunate Instagram suggestion, I was in the mood to paint, so I got my Chinese brush painting book to help me start and finish this step by step lesson. I think I wanna do more of this art, it’s very satisfying and kind of easy to follow. I’m hoping to get more movie suggestions as well. Please let me know what you think about Chungking Express and Chinese brush painting.

Uncategorized

beliefs

Milena Alien
BERJAYA
Daily writing prompt
What’s something you used to believe as a kid that seems ridiculous now?
View all responses

i used to believe in so many different things, man, I don’t even know where to start. I started very young, a believer to this day actually, I believed in creation and the power of a prayer. I also believed that people are good deep inside even if they don’t show it sometimes. being good means causing no harm to others, so yes this is what I believed that if you are treating others well, they will never stab you in the back. turns out this is not true. backstabbing is a thing I discovered for many folks who just do it because they can. I was truly surprised to find out that jealousy is one of the reasons people do it, boredom is the other. morbid curiosity is another motivation for evil doings, literally nothing else. this awakening happened not long ago, I’m still not sure why I have never noticed that before. seems like I was delirious or delusional, ignorance is bliss and I liked it that way. I wish I was better at holding on to my perfect world where people are humane and life is transparent. Multiple books tell us about the state of things, and funny enough I have read them as fiction. I have also watched the news and learned some history at school, apparently to no avail.

loss of innocence is the proper term for it. it’s sort of hilarious to think that someone can loose innocence in the ripe old age of 43, people usually refer to teen years in this context. i remember teaching the short story called Marigolds by Eugenia Collier in high school, one of the themes is the loss of innocence. the students in the class were a bit confused, as they heard it as the loss of virginity. at the time i didn’t know that i was right there with them having no idea about what i was preaching to them. coincidentally i was doing some breathwork with Sandy today, and he was focusing on grief. grieving your past love, a failed relationship or a loss of innocence. i was like wait, do you have to grieve it too? apparently you do.

i used to believe i already know what i need to know, and felt confident most of the time. now i am convinced that there is so much to learn about life, about death, about war and about peace…