My colleague started a running challenge to be achieved as a team, inspiring me to run. The last time I ran as a form of exercise was never. So instead, I used the NikeRun app and clocked in 70km this month. I am targeting 100km next month.
I celebrated my first (and hopefully last in this lifetime!) ISO birthday with Fafa, Jik, and my parents on Zoom. It was a memorable birthday; it reminded me that I have infinite things to be grateful for.
I got a cookbook as a birthday gift from my friend, Liz. It was not a surprise gift. She had the cookbook and loved it. So she offered to get it for me for my birthday. I said “yes, I’d love to get something that you love” — of course after telling her a few times she really didn’t have to get me anything for me. I’d be happy just to be able to go on a coffee-walk with her on the day. The coffee-walk plan turned into bubble-tea walk (it’s my birthday after all) during which she passed me the book (I thought I’d get it much later — judging by the lateness of my own Book Depository orders — since we only talked about it a few days earlier). Alas, I walked home with a paperback filled with a cookbook, a card, bubble tea and my MJUii camera. Using which I took the picture I used for this entry. The roll inside was Ilford HP5 Plus 400 Black & White Negative Film. Only after I got the film developed I realised this particular roll takes great close up pictures — anything within an arm’s length. Anything longer? Trash! Ps. The book was Ottolenghi SIMPLE in case you are wondering.
Every Friday evening, I take out the watercolour set I got myself for my birthday, pour a generous amount of rose into my tea mug, and practice gouache for fun. It has been an excellent workweek stress-releasing outlet.
I also went to a Leo moon herbal workshop and was drawn to the Nature’s Wisdom deck. I have incorporated it into my weekly reading and drawn clear affirmations from it—an excellent addition to my rituals.
Love and Found
ISO September turned out to be my busiest month this year, so I had to put the cooking on the back burner (pun intended).
In the first couple of weeks, I resorted back between Uber Eats, sending Fafa to do Indonesian food pick-up, and going to Hecho Mehico to collect my triple order of $5 prawn chorizo tapas. Though I have been eating delicious food (definitely better than my home cooking), I can see the hit on both the weighing machine and ISO-savings acc, so I thought, why not try those ready-made meal subscriptions? I don’t believe the 20s-yo me had envisioned the 30s-yo me standing in front of a microwave waiting for my food to be done daily. But here we are. YouFoodz has been great ━ except for that one time when they rang the doorbell to deliver the food at 3.30 AM.
This month I also drank a copious amount of tea from Tea Tonic, shifted to oat milk, have been using Neutrogena body oil excessively,
Other new things I tried and loved this month: Oatmilk flat white, Chicken 65 biryani from Desi Dhaba and Scones from The Stables of Como.
Read
📚 ━ My read numbers have been running behind on Goodreads 2020 List, so I tried to catch up this month. At the start of the month, I read and loved the thriller His and Hers by Alice Feeney. I also finished my first-ever fiction audiobook, The Secret She Keeps (free to download), by an Australian author, Michael Robotham. It’s the Avid Reader online book club choice for October. “It started good but finished off meh” will be my feedback during the zoom sesh. In the nonfiction section, I read: Don’t Be a B*tch, Be an Alpha by Seo Kelleher (read and loved), I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron (currently reading), The New Diary (presently reading, loving and kicking myself for not reading it earlier – the book was published in 1978), The Power of Tarot by Liz Worth (currently reading), You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero (reading this almost immediately after You Are a Badass), Reading the Leaves (currently reading and savouring), Pilgrimage in Japan by Lauren Hines (read and mega loved because it was published in diary/blog format).
📺 ━ I watched a few horror movies this month. Starting with The Boy II, The Grudge, The Wretched The Pyramid (I liked this one), As Above So Below, and Room for Rent (the best!). These movies sent me into a rabbit hole of a horror-movies-explained rabbit hole on Youtube. There, I discovered FoundFlix. It’s a horror movie commentary channel. I also watched and loved Away, #Alive, Criminal UK season 2, and American Murder on Netflix.
🎙️ ━ my current favourite, which might surprise you since it’s not another true crime, is the Wildy Tarot Podcast. The girls in it recommended the Power of Tarot book above.
🎶 ━ I have been playing Brulera by Pomme on repeat on Spotify. I accidentally heard and immediately loved it when it’s played on an ending scene on one of the episodes in AWAY.
Browsing History
I published three posts. I must say, for someone who almost retires from the blog, it feels like a mini accomplishment. I wrote about food, obviously – stroopwafel and Tahu Gejrot and interviewed Neera, a blogger I met at a blogging conference last year.
I also resurrected my KodakKween IG account to post my side passion for film photography all willy-nilly without making it culture-y or artsy.
My google history this month includes whale vomit, what to do when I don’t feel like studying but must study Bee cult, Nora Ephron has a tattoo, Daylight Saving (is) stupid, jow to vibe high.
Tiny Joys
The Alo green yoga mat Fafa got me for my birthday. It’s one of the best gifts I have ever received. If you are looking for birthday gifts, do consider getting them a yoga mat.
Time Machine
Read more about last year’s happenings.
Last year this time, I was living my best life travelling around Scandanavia with my best friend. During this, I wrote about Rijsttafel-ing Indonesian Food in Amsterdam and said Hi from Bergen.
Thank You, Next!
The seven million Victorians look forward to being freed from lockdown in October. But, of course, if the 14-day average for the new cases continues to drop, etcetera.
Meanwhile, Fafa and I will celebrate our wedding anniversary with a dinner date at Yagiz and a staycation in Meletos.
I guess there are many good things to look forward to.
On the opposite side, I am sitting for the CPA exam mid-next month. All I can say about that is GAH!!!! But I will try to stay positive while still operating with a come-what-way attitude, which has been serving me well this month. I am also worried that I might experience a case of lockdown nostalgia.
But that’s for me to be worried about next month.
Follow me on Instagram @KultureKween for more recent updates.
