The Transformation of Soda Paapi
[16 June 2024]
-----------------------
‘It’s hard when your fans are so used to a certain kind of way, a certain persona. You be afraid to change.’
(Future, 2019 AD)
During the past weeks, I’ve often thought about the interview in which Future talked about how he was hesitant to admit that he quit drinking lean (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can watch the iconic interview here). Why have I thought about it, even though I’ve never drunk lean in my entire life?
Well, Soda Paapi hasn’t consumed any soda ever since coming back to Toronto over a month ago. Except for one time, and that was by mistake. How? Why? Let me explain.
When I decided to return to Toronto, it was essential for me to find a place to stay just for myself. And, as you may know, if you've been following my recent updates, accommodation in Toronto is quite expensive.
So, I spent a significant amount of money on my Airbnb apartment and therefore, I’ve had to pay attention to not overspend on other things while I’m here. I was initially skeptical about needing to restrict myself too much to fully enjoy, but it turned out to be a blessing. Since I returned to Toronto, I've only bought and consumed what's truly necessary and beneficial for me - and soda is neither. I’m not eating out, I’m not eating fast food, I don’t eat any sweets, haven’t drunk any alcohol nor smoked any weed. And I can't remember the last time I felt this good, both physically and mentally.
Okay, there is one tiny exception - my all-time favorite cereal, French Toast Crunch. Since you can hardly get it outside of Canada and the US, I indulge myself in a bowl with almond milk every time I watch an NBA playoff game.
And, one night, I had a soda by accident. How did that happen? I was craving a sparkling drink when I passed by a 7-Eleven on one of my night walks. I remembered that a few days ago, I saw an ad for tropically flavored sparkling water during an NBA playoff game, and I thought ‘Well, let’s see if they have that’. They didn’t have this exact drink, but I found another appealing drink labeled Sparkling Water Beverage, flavor Mountain Blackberry, in the water section. I opened it, took a sip, and it turned out it just had as much sugar as your average soda. It was delicious, but, my stomach felt bad almost right after finishing it, until the next day’s morning - lesson learned.
Will I never ever drink soda again? Hell no, I love it too much. I can't think of many things that taste better than a Japanese Golden Grape Fanta straight out of the fridge. Will I go back to drinking soda pretty much every day and consuming excessive amounts of sugar regularly? Hell no, I love feeling great too much. I’m very happy that almost by accident, I managed to free myself from old behaviors and ways of thinking that are not beneficial for me.
And, what did I do besides living healthily and feeling great for the last few weeks?
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel great all the time. Even though I’ve been living on a budget, I wanted to do some fun activities at least occasionally. I randomly found a cinema that shows old movies for $5, and I ended up watching The Matrix, which I’ve never seen before. Now, I understand why it’s one of the most popular movies of all time - the movie was so sick that I got sick for one week the day after watching it.
I spent almost an entire week at home, mostly in bed, due to a pretty strong cold. It wasn’t the end of the world though, because sometimes, I enjoy being sick, having to rest, and being able to lay in bed without feeling unproductive.
And, luckily, I’m never too sick to make art. I’ve been continuously working on my upcoming project, 40 Nights in Toronto. Being unable to go out much due to feeling weak from the cold gave me time to further refine my vision for this project and I am so excited to see where this aesthetic experiment will lead me.
While experimenting to achieve the sound I have in mind, I have already completed a couple of songs. I will send every song right after finishing it to a few people because I am interested in hearing what you think. If you’re as interested in hearing new, unreleased music as I am in hearing your thoughts on it, let me know and I’ll add you to my feedback list!
This isn’t the only reason why I am so excited about 40 Nights in Toronto though. This project will consist of more than music. I won’t reveal all the details yet, but as you may remember, I hinted in my recent newsletters about filming visuals in downtown Toronto for it. And a few days ago, I filmed an amazing one-take walking video through the PATH network and the streets of the financial district at night - sudden lightning and rainfall included. Even though I’m only at the very beginning of this project and will take all the time I need to get it where I want it to be, I’m already so much looking forward to the moment when it will be finished and to presenting it to you.
I started this newsletter with a quote from a very influential and inspiring person and will end it with another one from someone just as influential and inspiring:
’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Jesus, ca. 33 AD)
After you shared your current favorite songs with me not too long ago, I want to share mine with you.
Here’s a playlist full of my current favorite music. Enjoy!
glg Soda Paapi
PS: If you have any feedback about this newsletter or my music, I am always happy to hear it!
The Transformation of Soda Paapi
[16 June 2024]
-----------------------
‘It’s hard when your fans are so used to a certain kind of way, a certain persona. You be afraid to change.’
(Future, 2019 AD)
During the past weeks, I’ve often thought about the interview in which Future talked about how he was hesitant to admit that he quit drinking lean (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can watch the iconic interview here). Why have I thought about it, even though I’ve never drunk lean in my entire life?
Well, Soda Paapi hasn’t consumed any soda ever since coming back to Toronto over a month ago. Except for one time, and that was by mistake. How? Why? Let me explain.
When I decided to return to Toronto, it was essential for me to find a place to stay just for myself. And, as you may know, if you've been following my recent updates, accommodation in Toronto is quite expensive.
So, I spent a significant amount of money on my Airbnb apartment and therefore, I’ve had to pay attention to not overspend on other things while I’m here. I was initially skeptical about needing to restrict myself too much to fully enjoy, but it turned out to be a blessing. Since I returned to Toronto, I've only bought and consumed what's truly necessary and beneficial for me - and soda is neither. I’m not eating out, I’m not eating fast food, I don’t eat any sweets, haven’t drunk any alcohol nor smoked any weed. And I can't remember the last time I felt this good, both physically and mentally.
Okay, there is one tiny exception - my all-time favorite cereal, French Toast Crunch. Since you can hardly get it outside of Canada and the US, I indulge myself in a bowl with almond milk every time I watch an NBA playoff game.
And, one night, I had a soda by accident. How did that happen? I was craving a sparkling drink when I passed by a 7-Eleven on one of my night walks. I remembered that a few days ago, I saw an ad for tropically flavored sparkling water during an NBA playoff game, and I thought ‘Well, let’s see if they have that’. They didn’t have this exact drink, but I found another appealing drink labeled Sparkling Water Beverage, flavor Mountain Blackberry, in the water section. I opened it, took a sip, and it turned out it just had as much sugar as your average soda. It was delicious, but, my stomach felt bad almost right after finishing it, until the next day’s morning - lesson learned.
Will I never ever drink soda again? Hell no, I love it too much. I can't think of many things that taste better than a Japanese Golden Grape Fanta straight out of the fridge. Will I go back to drinking soda pretty much every day and consuming excessive amounts of sugar regularly? Hell no, I love feeling great too much. I’m very happy that almost by accident, I managed to free myself from old behaviors and ways of thinking that are not beneficial for me.
And, what did I do besides living healthily and feeling great for the last few weeks?
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel great all the time. Even though I’ve been living on a budget, I wanted to do some fun activities at least occasionally. I randomly found a cinema that shows old movies for $5, and I ended up watching The Matrix, which I’ve never seen before. Now, I understand why it’s one of the most popular movies of all time - the movie was so sick that I got sick for one week the day after watching it.
I spent almost an entire week at home, mostly in bed, due to a pretty strong cold. It wasn’t the end of the world though, because sometimes, I enjoy being sick, having to rest, and being able to lay in bed without feeling unproductive.
And, luckily, I’m never too sick to make art. I’ve been continuously working on my upcoming project, 40 Nights in Toronto. Being unable to go out much due to feeling weak from the cold gave me time to further refine my vision for this project and I am so excited to see where this aesthetic experiment will lead me.
While experimenting to achieve the sound I have in mind, I have already completed a couple of songs. I will send every song right after finishing it to a few people because I am interested in hearing what you think. If you’re as interested in hearing new, unreleased music as I am in hearing your thoughts on it, let me know and I’ll add you to my feedback list!
This isn’t the only reason why I am so excited about 40 Nights in Toronto though. This project will consist of more than music. I won’t reveal all the details yet, but as you may remember, I hinted in my recent newsletters about filming visuals in downtown Toronto for it. And a few days ago, I filmed an amazing one-take walking video through the PATH network and the streets of the financial district at night - sudden lightning and rainfall included. Even though I’m only at the very beginning of this project and will take all the time I need to get it where I want it to be, I’m already so much looking forward to the moment when it will be finished and to presenting it to you.
I started this newsletter with a quote from a very influential and inspiring person and will end it with another one from someone just as influential and inspiring:
’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Jesus, ca. 33 AD)
After you shared your current favorite songs with me not too long ago, I want to share mine with you.
Here’s a playlist full of my current favorite music. Enjoy!
glg Soda Paapi