How’s your Thanksgiving? Even though we don’t celebrate it in Australia or Asia, I always try my best to celebrate It in my own way, like flying home to be with my parents and hanging out with loved ones. This year, I made a gratitude list and hung out with my best friends on the Thanksgiving weekend.
Highlights
I went to a long weekend in Gold Coast, another one in Adelaide and an impromptu trip to Singapore. Fafa and I had a much-needed beach vacation in Gold Coast, while the latter was time filled with happy selfies, drunken chats, and heart-to-hearts—more about these trips on separate posts.
Frida and I did our monthly catch-up at The Mind, Body, and Spirit Festival, where I scored some woo-woo apartment decorations for our not-so-new apartment. It has always been really nice to catch up with her, as I can talk about anything and everything, including magickal stuff, without being met with a raised eyebrow. Our next meeting will be in April next year, as she is leaving tonight on a four-month trip to South Africa.
Found and Love
Rachel painted Uluru as a gift for me. Apart from Japan, Uluru has taken over my heart geographically. Maybe that is why I am constantly attracting Uluru stuff and I am perfectly happy with it! Speaking of Rachel, she is moving back to Shanghai next week, which is the opposite of my favourite thing, but if this is what she wants, I am happy for her.
On the first night in the Gold Coast, we saw a red moon. Before, I thought the red moon was a myth. Oh, no. It was real, pretty, and majestic. This is why everyone needs to visit Australia—it’s filled with wonderful things!
I got this rainbow wishing band from a Crystal store in Byron Bay called Bay Gems. You are supposed to make a wish while tying the rope to the hand. When the band is broken, the wish will come true. Ha!
Foodie Guide-y
This month, I had a lot of delicious food, wine, and cheesecakes. I had the best ginger chicken congee in Byron Bay, spicy Indonesian food in Singapore, Do Dee Paidang in Melbourne, and Kilpatrick oysters in Adelaide. All were worth gaining my pre-depression kilos back.
I managed to meditate for 5 minutes the whole month. Gah!
I want to make some handmade ornaments to hang on our Christmas tree. I just need to find the time, skill, and motivation to do it before 25 December. Do you decorate Christmas trees?
I hosted a women-only party at our place earlier this month. A few of my colleagues, Liz, and her friend Summer came. We ate a little, talked a lot and drank too much. Soon after I put Sharknado, one by one they left. Still, I would like to think it was semi-successful. At least, my heart-o-meter was full. It felt like there was an illuminating light that warmed me up from the inside. I wish for this warmness and happy glow to stay with me for as long as possible. Amen.
We also had a women’s inner power session in Arbory with Shiv, Summer, and Pedro as the guest stars. I had too many glasses of wine, came home drunk, and passed out on the bed. It was not a proud moment.
Also, I have been cooking. Excessively. Every day. Like a dedicated housewife. Don’t ask me what happened because I don’t know why. Last month I was playing a make-believe adult who didn’t know how to cook rice and today I packed my Asian lunch to work and have an air-fryer in Christmas wish-list.
The Virgo moon on the 12th of the month felt off balance without my nighttime tea and fresh fruits. But on the other hand, I have started playing Stardew Valley again without pain in my heart. That’s good I guess.
Read, Watched, and Browsed
I just realized that I have not finished any books this month. I started Logam but still have more than halfway to go, and I haven’t touched Man at the Helm at all! And I am already excited about Ikigai. What have I been doing? Gah!
I almost abandoned my diary out of inconvenience. After all, it’s too heavy. Maybe I should stick with an online journal.
There has been no new movie or TV show this month. Both Broad City and HTGAWM have upped their game—good TV! Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Scandal. It has turned into garbage, but I still watch it because sometimes I like my TV trashy.
I have been spending some time working on old blog posts, giving them some attention and a facelift as needed, when I stumbled upon the article I wrote about living alone after moving out from my parents a couple of years ago. I also wrote a lot of foodie stuff this month. There was Cambodia’s happy pizza, Singapore food that I had been missing and a friendship moment in the Hong Kong coffee shop.
Thank You, Next!
My intention in December is to be awe-ed by Melbourne. I went through my pictures from last year and realized I used to unapologetically take photos of everything and anything in Melbourne just because it fascinated me. I used to say things like, “I am right off the boat; everything here is fascinating; excuse me for being new!” — I want that again! I want to see this beautiful city with the same fascination I had before.
Another thing that I, very hesitantly, want to admit is that I have to f-ing exercise. I need the additional energy to tick off more things I like to do each day. My plan is to start jogging over the weekend and incorporate yoga once a week. Let’s see.
I went to a Harry Potter pop-up in MYERS with Amanda, my fellow Slytherin, yesterday. It was a major disappointment. Meanwhile, a local friend told me that they have been doing the MYERS Christmas window displayfor 60+ years! And here I thought it was a commercial gimmick from recent years! Thankfully, Fafa managed to drag me to the last two years.
I have booked for another tarot reading sometime next month. Have you done it before? Would you? I will share the new year tarot reading outcome here!
Look at me, promising stuff to you! Even though I have like a hundred posts waiting in the draft folder. Alright, moving on —
This Sunday, Liz and I are going to a tea workshop. It’s a birthday gift from Jik. We have no clue what the workshop is all about, but we are keeping our minds open and excited about the endless possibility of tea. Speaking of Jik, we are celebrating her birthday in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, next weekend. We have scheduled the much-needed beach and bitching time. I also have a kutti gift for her.
We saved the best for the last, and we are going to Japan again this year. We are flying to Tokyo on Christmas Eve and back to Melbourne on the New Year. This time, I am rather chill with the itinerary, except for visiting Caretta Shidome, a trip to the Disney Sea, trekking the Suicide Forest (if I can convince Fafa), eating lots of Japanese cheesecake, haunting local coffee shops in Harajuku and searching for the Zojirushi mug. Okay, the itinerary isn’t that loose, to begin with…
I went whale watching on the Gold Coast early this month, the whole experience was pretty spiritual.
Time Machine
Read more about last year’s happenings.
Keep Kultured! ━ KK.
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