Not a Newsletter: Jul25 Edition

I’m writing this on a deceptively sunny winter day, reflecting on how I’ve semi-planned my life, schedule, and calendar for the next six months. Is this normal? Am I okay?

Highlights

❤️ ━ Fafa and I revived our Singapore-era Wednesday date nights. We saw Wrong God at Arts Centre Melbourne after a quick Hunan meal in Chinatown (the three-chilli pork is my fave). I recognised two of the performers from the Counting and Cracking show we watched last year. Wrong God was also so good! Made us both a little emo at the end.

👫🏽 ━ We had cancelled our taco double date the following Wednesday because our friends couldn’t make it. The week after, we went to Anchovy, and this week, we watched Lizzy Ho: Déjà Hoo at Comedy Republic (I insist on watching a comedy show at least once a year – not too much for an asking, isn’t it?) after dinner at Pochana.

🫙 ━ I had to move my travel souvenir jar into a bigger jar, the one that used to be my gratitude jar, which also had to be moved into an even bigger jar. They are the tiny things in my home and life that serve as reminders that life is good.

🌨️ ━ We spotted the faintest drop of snow for a few seconds from the 20-something floor of our office, which obviously would have turned into water by the time it reached the ground. Still, it was fascinating and fun to see snow in Melbourne city (it usually just the horrible hail), and I got it on video.

Culture Chat

🌺 ━ Nikki is going to Bali next month, so there’s been a lot of random Bali chat in the office. The best one came from a colleague whose friend thought a five-star restaurant in Bali was being “sustainable” by serving leftovers for breakfast—because they served rice and noodles. Not realising that rice with noodles is one of Indonesia traditional breakfasts. A must-try!

Foodie Guide-Y

🥖 ━ If I had to pick a low-effort, high-yield meal for this month, it would be the Banh Mi stand on Flinders Lane. The banh mi costs $16, served by the main guy, with no smile—but who cares when it’s quick, five minutes from the office, and absolutely delicious. Speaking of the no-smile guy, he always asks, “Chilli?” to which I always reply, “Lots of chilli, please.” He never acknowledges it, nor does he ever actually add lots of chilli, for that matter.

🍈 ━ Another joyful discovery near the office: melon ice cream coffee and iced strawberry matcha at Zero Project Coffee. If you’re a tourist visiting Melbourne, I recommend stopping by to try their inventive coffee flavours.

🍘 ━ I’m in my truffle-eating season, which started with truffle wagyu beef skewers at the Sake Festival. Then I got a pack of truffle chips, which I’ve been rationing—five chips at a time. I also made truffle edamame at home, and it turned out way better than expected. The only truffle-related disappointment was the truffle fried rice at China Red. This was my second or third visit there, where I left dissatisfied—maybe China Red has lost its magic on me.

🥓 ━ Hot pot used to be another Winter season craving, but surprisingly, we haven’t gone for one in a while. Instead, it seems we’ve replaced it with k-bbq dinner, Bornga Korean Restaurant for celebration and K-Grill as a last-minute post Jurassic World Rebirth dinner. Other memorable date meals: Masak Masak, where I ate most of Fafa’s baked crab, and Xo Pipies at Anchovy.

🍵 ━ Though there was no hot pot, I did have ochazuke at Chiaki (I recommend going on the weekend), and Thunder Rice this month—it is soup season, after all. Speaking of which, Rassam made multiple appearances in our kitchen, together with Kadai chicken, Achari chicken, Jeera rice, and Chemmeen curry. I also tried to replicate my MIL’s puli uli recipe—but I misheard her instructions and ended up with a weird concoction for Fafa. Sorry Fa…

🍶 ━ We also went to the Sake Festival and tried many different types of sake. The tasting was fun—I tried Coconut and Green Tea sake and loved both of them. I brought home yuzu sake for when I am hosting and plum wine for my YouTuber cousin. But everything else—the program, venue, effort by the organiser, and Uber-expensive, tasteless food—was a complete letdown. We’re never ever going back.

🍄‍🟫 ━ One thing I didn’t cook at all this month: mushrooms. I’ve been craving mushroom goodness—risotto, soup, or a stir-fry with greens. Maybe next month?

🎂 ━ We went to my niece’s birthday lunch, and I had a Sudoku Platter and iced Black Sesame at OMI. The day continued with family gossip at Goldilocks’ rooftop bar, with copious amounts of mulled wine to keep us going.

🍚 ━ I—and half of Melbourne—were sick for more than a week (I tend to get them mid-year, which I affectionately welcome as mid-year SAD mini burnt out). I’ve been UberEats-ing what I thought were comfort foods: Kaki Lima’s Indonesian crazy rice (I’m over it), Lulu Char Kwetiau (way better when eaten on the spot and when not sickly), super spicy DBakmi (I ate it like Gollum) and my favourite was Martabak Manis for breakfast.

🍨 ━ I recently read an article about iconic Australian candies and got inspired to try Musk. It’s chalky, musky, and the kindest way I could describe it is a condensed version of stale fairy floss; it’s only slightly less bad than Big Boss Cigar. Meanwhile, my current snack of choice: roasted seaweed sheets on good days, fried meatballs when sick, and LeTAO ice cream on fancy date nights.

🍷 — It was our team’s turn to host the monthly work drinks, and I made Spicy Savvy B, which the adventurous drinkers more warmly received than I expected.

Read, Watched, And Browsed

📚 ━ Some books I’m glad are over. Some, I wish I could read again just to feel the same way I did the first time.

📗 ━ If I could recommend one book—and one book only—for you this year, let it be Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yuyun Li. I picked it up while looking for a thin book to read over the weekend and ended up finishing it within a few hours, sitting in Chestnut Tree Bookshop right after buying it.

📘 ━ Ever since I devoured Stanley Tucci’s Taste, I’ve been searching for something similar. I finally treated myself and started Serving Up: Essays on Food, Identity and Culture.

📕 ━ I had to read the award-winning Heart Lamp for book club, but I wholeheartedly struggled. I couldn’t grasp the words or writing style, and I felt completely disengaged from the stories. They felt harsh, and I even disliked the book’s format (the font was too small, and the line spacing too tight). I know this is entirely my personal issue, but I feel joy in admitting: I don’t like this kind of literature—and that’s okay. It’s not for me. I gave the book to Asmi and asked her to tell me what she thinks of it when she reads it.

🧟‍♀️ ━ In the spirit of recommending one thing, if I could suggest just one horror movie this year, it would be Sinners. It’s rich in story and symbolism. Both Fafa and I enjoyed it.

🗡️ ━ Dexter is back! It’s technically the second season of the revival but titled differently, and the storyline took a full 180. I’ve never been so happy with a revival of a cult TV show. Honestly, it might be the best ever. Also, Dexter as an Uber driver in New York? Definitely not on my 2025 binge-watching bingo card—but I love it.

👠 ━ Speaking of revivals, like every other geriatric millennial I know, I of course tuned in to And Just Like That. It’s… well, I’ll save my opinion for next month.

👮🏻 ━ Every winter, there’s one weekend where I stay in with the latest season of Law and Order, which I impulsively buy because I can’t wait another two years for it to stream. This is my fourth year doing it, and I have zero regrets. A small price to pay for lifetime access to Liv’s comforting voice. Also, something else not on my 2025 bingo card: seeing President Fitzgerald “Fitz” Grant III from Scandal interact with Olivia Benson as the DA (Carisi’s boss).

👻 ━ I discovered Tubi during my sick week and was overjoyed by the sheer number of horror movies—even if most are D-list. Still, here are a few worth a fraction of your attention if you’re into horror: Stay, Horror in the High Desert 2, Asylum Record, Cabin Girl, Final Project, and Crone Wood (which features Indonesian folk art as wall decor).

☠️ ━ I finally watched Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, also on Tubi, though it was so scary I had to watch it in four instalments, with Fafa protecting me each time. Another horror saga I loved: Khauf on Prime. An absolute gem of Indian horror. I’m looking forward to season 2.

😱 ━ Other non-Tubi horror films: Don’t Hang Up, Raw File, the Hell Motel series on Shudder, and Mine Games (a rewatch—an all-time fave).

📺 ━ Non-horror binge: Ballard.

🎙️ ━ All I could do was eye-roll every time I got a targeted ad for AI Diary—a diary that writes back to you. Has no one read Harry Potter?? Ginny writes to Tom Riddle (aka Lord Voldemort) and ends up being controlled by him. Gah! One of my worst nightmares!! Then I listened to Flesh and Code (also thanks to a targeted ad) and got hit with that cold-water realisation that life really does imitate art. If you keep a diary, have watched Harry Potter, and love podcasts, listen to them. It’s so good. Also: it’s narrated by my fave RedHanded podcasters.

Found and Love

🌙 ━ The Stardew Valley–inspired tarot deck, Stardrop Spirits, which I funded on Kickstarter last year, has finally arrived—and I love it!! It’s such a beautiful reminder of my childhood (well, youth). I also love that the Roman numeral on the Moon card was printed incorrectly, making this batch truly one of a kind.

Meanwhile, on Kulture Kween:

This month, I wrote about Ogoh Ogoh the Heart of Balinese Culture at Dark Mofo Tasmania and My Spiritual Snack Journey at Dark Mofo Winter Feast.

Tiny Joys

Mini apple ❤ Finding a heart shape on the platform near the office ❤ Titled my journal entries with stickers and weather icons ❤ New green sprouts on an old plant ❤ Wearing a matching hoodie with Fafa ❤ The girls in the bookstore ❤ Finishing a book in a day ❤ Fried Halumi ❤ A rainbow in the Jurassic World movie ❤ Fafa rushing to show me a rainbow in real life ❤ Scrolling through Kickstarter Tarot decks ❤ Cute tiny clouds ❤ Salt-sprinkled ice cream ❤ A couple of pigeons in our backyard always sit close together and form the shape of a heart ❤ Hot jam donut and flowers ❤ Reading a book at a café with chai ❤ A good night’s sleep with flu meds ❤ Rain while in bed ❤ Onesie comfort ❤ Stickers ❤ Hot jam donut ❤ Bell’s Kitchen and mac and cheese slice ❤ Salt-sprinkled ice cream (again!) ❤ Sogeum-ppang ❤ Lisa got the team matchy puffer jackets ❤

Time Machine

🌴 ━ The happenings of this time last year and last decade.

Things In My Mind

🦥 ━ After a hectic WFH day, I popped into my local bookshop for a quick recharge. I ended up sitting there journaling for over an hour. I loved it so much, I wish it could be a regular routine.

🪴 ━ Asmi and I agree that Bunnings’ plant doesn’t last long; they just don’t survive, and it’s not at all our fault.

Thank You, Next!

💍 ━ My bestie, Liz, is getting married this weekend, and I’m so chuffed. The wedding is happening on a beautiful property about an hour away from Melbourne. I can’t wait for the day.

🎈 ━ The following weekends are already booked: a dinner date with Shiv, then one with Sonal, and—if all goes to plan—a wellness way too early birthday weekend celebration with Jik.

☕ ━ This month’s tarot card is the Hermit. Well, isn’t that on point for August, which is what I always consider the most miserable winter month in Melbourne. By now, it’s been two full months of cold, bleak darkness, and I’ve usually used up all my stored happiness muscle. I end up battling seasonal depression with an empty joy tank. So I guess the Hermit is telling me to stay in more (aside from the plans mentioned above), and honestly—I’m okay with that.

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