I’ve been stressed out of my mind this summer trying to set myself up for post-graduate life, and it’s caused me to become a shell of who I am. The apartment search and the job search are still in the works, but I’m learning to accept this process, and I’m gradually feeling more human again. I’m breaking from my summer routine of hiding inside, oscillating between applying to jobs and looking for apartments, and lying on the ground in defeat. I’m getting out and enjoying the simple pleasures in life, like a warm cuppa coffee, finishing a book, arriving somewhere at exactly the same time as the person I’m meeting, cooking dinner with my roomie, switching out my summer wardrobe for autumn, listening to podcasts whilst folding laundry, bad puns, perfect partially clouded days, learning a new song on the guitar, mooncakes, when friends buy me bubble tea, a good back stretch, and the warmth of sunlight after stowing away in a heavily air conditioned cafe.
Books
Disclosure: I received some free copies.
Hits & Misses by Simon Rich // ★★★★☆ // “Growing up horse, I do not expect much from life. My ten older brothers all end up in stable. My sisters become glue.” Wait what? This collection is so absurd and I was along for the ride. This excerpt came from my favourite story of the collection, “Riding Solo: The Oatsy Story,” which I made my friend, who was sitting next to me, read (it was only two pages on my iPad!) (she needed a pick-me-up that day). The collection has a particular kind of humour, mainly nodding to themes regarding media, entertainment, and fame, some of which I got, some which I didn’t get so much. But it’s a quick collection, almost more like bits than short stories, so have a flip through yourself!
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen // ★★★★☆ // The blurb reminded me so much of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Just as with the Stanford Prison Experiment, the morality experiment conducted in this novel was flawed from the get go. There must have been something blinding the doctor and I was intrigued to know what that was. This was a solid psychological thriller, but I feel like it could have been even more compelling if the protagonist wasn’t prematurely paranoid and if the antagonist was portrayed more like a human than like an empty shell of a human/a machine. Full review on the blog closer to Jan 2019 publication.
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan W. Watts // ★★★★☆ // When I saw this book on the shelf at The Strand, it was as if the title was calling out to me. I read all but two chapters at the store whilst waiting for my bus back to Philly, and then finished the last two chapters when I got home (I found a copy online whoops). Although I was trying to speed through the book (in hopes of finishing it before I had to go), it’s a book that I would recommend reading slowly to digest. Even if you don’t agree with everything Watt says — I have a feeling people either find his message life-changing or pretentious — he makes you consider things you might not have before. For me, I understood some parts and didn’t quite get some others, but I think I got the overall message so I don’t plan on rereading it more slowly and thoroughly. Too many other books to be read!
Murder on Millionaires’ Row by Erin Lindsey // ★★★★☆ // Hint: Mr. Wiltshire’s disappearance is just the tip of the iceberg! This novel is a solid historical murder mystery involving NYC’s most elite with a touch of paranormal activity. The protagonist is a strong female lead, but my only qualm is that she has a weakness for a man. Full review on the blog!
In Paris with You by Clémentine Beauvais // ★★★★☆ // When the blurb said it was “written in gorgeous verse,” I thought it meant metaphorically, but In Paris with You is actually narrative poetry and it’s translated from French. If it were a plain old novel translated from French to English, I wouldn’t have any doubts, but I feel like poetry often has a special quality that can’t be accurately translated between languages. Of course, I can’t say for sure because I can’t read French, but I think that’s a pretty reasonable guess. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this story and it reminded me of One Day by David Nicholls. Full review on the blog closer to US publication in Jan 2019 (original published Aug 2016).
Podcasts
I am absolutely obsessed with My Favorite Murder, a true crime podcast hosted by two ladies who each share a murder per episode (so each episode you get two murders). I listen to it all the time and it has definitely cut into my reading time. I have plenty of episodes to catch up on, so there’s never a question about what podcast I should listen to. (I bet all podcast listeners can relate to being impatient for new episodes to come out!)
Before I got into My Favorite Murderer, I was listening to Potterless, which Kat introduced to me. The podcast is hosted by a guy in his mid-20s who has never read Harry Potter before and is now reading through the series for the first time. As he reads through the book, he comments on it on the podcast, and he invites one of his friends who are Harry Potter fans as well. When I listened through episode 10, which covered Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban chapters 13-16, compounded by Michelle x Daisy Butter including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in her autumnal reads post, I got the brilliant idea to reread the series along with the podcast. This is a big deal for me because I hardly ever reread books, and the Harry Potter series was no exception, until now. So, I put a pause on the podcast and I’m working on getting my hands on a physical copy of the book. (My local library has the series on reserve for Children’s Literary Research, which means I can’t check it out, so they’re requesting it for me from another branch. Still waitingg.)
Another podcast I listen to from time to time is Exposed. It’s hosted by Motoki Maxted, who I follow through Youtube (which led me to his podcast), and I think he initially intended to invite a different guest every episode, but has ended up hosting all his episodes except for the first few with his best friend Emmett Barnes. This podcast is a little bro-y, but I really enjoyed their “Would You Rather” episode. I actually listened to that episode the first time myself, and then listened to it again with Georgina (friend and roomie) and we played along. My favourite question was, “Would you rather be famous now but forgotten when you die, or be unknown now and famous after you die?” Georgina’s favourite question was, “Would you rather be a successful actor or director?” Let me know your answer to either question below! I’m v curious!! (My short answers are: I would rather be famous now, and would rather be a successful actor.)
Movies & TV shows
Georgina and I are still going strong with MasterChef Junior, but we’ve cooled off Kitchen Nightmares for a bit — that one is a bit too stressful. Added to our repertoire is Fresh Off the Boat, which we were reminded of after we watched Crazy Rich Asians last month.
The two of us also watched Oceans 8, which we rented off iTunes (I’ve never rented a movie off iTunes until now, and even then, it was Georgina who rented it, not me; I Venmoed her though!). It was pretty much what I expected. I don’t think that film would have amounted to much if it weren’t for the cast tbh… Still fun to watch when you’re bored though!
Music
Haven’t discovered too much new music, but that’s okay because I’ve dipped back into my autumnal mellow music, which I haven’t listened to for awhile, transitioning from the summery pop rock (peep my June playlist) I’ve been listening to these last few months. One discovery I did make was Joji, when his music video for “Slow Dancing in the Dark” trended on Youtube (song included in this month’s playlist). I was interested in learning more about him because he’s half-Japanese (Asian artist woohooo) and found out that he’s a “retired Youtube personality” previously known as Filthy Frank and Pink Guy, and he was the person who started the viral Harlem Shake. He sure is a multi-faceted person haha.
Cafes
I’ve been trying not to go out to cafes too often, but it’s resulted in the extreme of cooping myself in the apartment all day every day. Throughout this month, I’ve been learning how to balance my spendings and my enjoyment of food and life. I’m going out to cafes once in awhile, but I’ve also recently gotten a city library card, which opens up a free way for me to get out of the apartment. (I had a library card for my library in the suburbs of Philly, but I hadn’t gotten around to getting a library card for the libraries in the city of Philly until now. To be fair, I’ve only been living in the city for a month and a half.)
I visited my old stomping ground, Menagerie Coffee. It’s always a fight trying to nab the log tables by the windows! • Whilst in NYC, I stumbled upon Cafe Lalo. The cafe is famous for its role in You’ve Got Mail, which I’ve never watched but want to if only it were on Netflix. Full recap will be on the blog eventually! • Couldn’t get by summer without some gelati from Rita’s Water Ice! Recap of this summer day on the blog. • Had a lunch date with Georgina in the middle of her work week. We tried Hummus Republic and brought our hummus bowls out to the park. Their grand opening is today (Oct 1) 11AM-1PM EST and they’re doing $1 salads, $1 bowls, and $1 wraps! You can also get a free lemonade if you check in on Yelp or Facebook.
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Shopping haul
Madewell, why you do this to me?? I made two purchases this month, both from Madewell. All I have to say for myself is that they were both on sale and I also got my student discount on top of that (I’ve graduated but my student ID doesn’t expire until a year after graduation hohoho), which means that I got the $98 Remi bow mule in pinot noir for ~$62.50 and the $75 seamed button-down in pure white for ~$50.50.
I had tried the mules on a whim when I was browsing Madewell because they were right by the changing rooms and I did not expect to fall in love with them. If I knew I would fall in love with them, maybe I wouldn’t have tried them on as not to tempt myself. The deep red suede was so soft and rich, the bows masked the wideness of my feet, and the pointed toes elongated them. They’d dress up a casual outfit, they’d fit right in with a fancier outfit, and they’d be work appropriate as well. Although the mules are suuuuper comfy, I don’t plan on wearing them to walk because I have a terrible way of wearing through the bottoms of my shoes, but they’d be great for an office and for special events. LIKE CHRISTMAS!
Ever since graduating, any time I look at new clothes, I always consider how they’d translate in an office setting, but I also want them to be clothes that I’d wear on my off time as well. It’s become apparent that my current wardrobe doesn’t have too many items that’d work if the office dress code was any fancier than smart casual. At the same time, although I’m looking for professional clothes, I also want clothes that have personality and a youthfulness reflective of myself; I don’t want to look like a middle school kid trying to look grown up. Although this white button-down might not seem like the most personality-infused top, I think that for a white button-down it certainly has character with an elegant subtlety. I like that it’s feminine without looking too frilly.
Wishlist
The culprit for sending me into this Madewell wormhole was the Caldwell double-breasted blazer, thanks to Crystalin x Crystalin Marie’s post. This item is much pricier than the Madewell items I did buy, which is why I never considered actually buying this, but another reason was that even the XS was oversized on little ol’ me, which meant that it fit me more like a coat than a blazer, and I definitely don’t need more coats (I don’t have any blazers though). That said, I wouldn’t be opposed to receive this as a gift…
That blazer also got me looking at other grey plaid, including this Halogen mixed plaid A-line dress and this Treasure & Bond check minidress. I would say that the Halogen one is more fashion forward and more trendy — I don’t usually go for trendy, but I’m into this one right now — and the Treasure & Bond one is more cute.
Another item found through a blogger is this Neely & Chloe leather pyramid bag in brown, thanks to Carly x Carly the Prepster’s post. What can I say, I’m a sucker for bags. But I definitely don’t need another bag, because I always use the same three bags.
Lately
I was hesitant about sharing this first picture on the blog because I thought people might pity me, but it’s really not that bad. It’s kinda funny actually. This is my current sleeping situation in Philly. Since rooming with Georgina in Philly is a temporary situation before I move to NYC, I haven’t moved in. I think I’ll appreciate having this picture looking back. I mean, I’ve documented my first apartment on the blog (empty tour, furnished update, updated bed), so this is a nice continuation of the story.
My birthday was in August, but I got a few lovely gifts delivered at the beginning of September! Pictured is an extremely generous gift box from Mei x Ice Pandora, filled with goodies from Japan and the Netherlands, as well as a crocheted soft serve from her shop! Thank you Mei! I also want to thank Georgina for the picnic basket, Kat for the green beret, and my dad for my new Panasonic Lumix G9!
I’ve been having a bit of an obsession with egg tarts. My favourite bakery in Chinatown sells them for $1.10! I’ve considered replacing my bubble tea habit with egg tarts because egg tarts are cheaper, but snacks and beverages are two different things!
Closing summer, Victoria, Georgina, and I checked out the Art Star Craft Bazaar at the North Front Street Festival (on the blog), and there’s a picture of a cool mural we spied along the way too.
I made another trip to NYC to look at apartments. Found some good contenders but no winner yet! Ever since starting my apartment search in NYC, I’ve been engrossed by NYC apartment tour videos on Youtube.
There’s a behind the scenes look of lunch in the park with Georgina. You can see our lunch from Hummus Republic at one end of the bench, sat nice and pretty for a flatlay, and Georgina on the other end, patiently waiting for me to be done with my shenanigans.
At the end of the month, Kat visited Philly. She booked a hotel for a night and I stayed over as well. On our way to the hotel, we popped by Insomnia Cookies. Honestly, sitting on a fluffy hotel bed and munching on freshly baked cookies is the life. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a box of pizza too. And maybe milkshakes. And bathrobes.
How was your month?