It’s been an eventful month, so buckle up, this is gonna be a long one! After such an emotionally and mentally strenuous September, October has shown me so much to be grateful for. I’ve had a few changes of scenery this past month, my friends and I have all continued to support each other during this transitional period (and thank YOU for your words of support in my last blog post), I got to see my family for the first time in months, and it’s the frickin festive season!! Here’s to hoping the good vibes keep on coming.
Books
Disclosure: I received some free copies.
I’m really getting back into the reading grind and I’m thinking that I might have to do my monthly book reviews separately! Is that too extra? Or is it fine the way it is now? What would you like to see?
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling // ★★★★★ // I’m finally rereading the series, for the first time! I remember the general story, but I’ve forgotten many details, so it’s been fun revisiting the series and remembering them. I forgot that the book started with wizards celebrating Voldemort’s death, that Hagrid’s motorbike was borrowed from Sirius Black, that nothing dramatic happened when Harry tried out ill-fitting (?) wands at Ollivander’s (unlike the film), that there were two more obstacles guarding the stone than in the film (the troll and potions), and that James’ most unforgivable act toward Snape was saving his life. Also, Dumbledore appeared on Privet Drive at the beginning of the book with a “put-outer?” But the next time the put-outer appears in the series is after Dumbledore’s death and it’s called a deluminator, which is what I remembered calling it. I’m not crazy, right?
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling // ★★★★★ // I remembered most of this one! Some minor things I forgot were that Lockhart made everyone celebrate Valentine’s Day, how infatuated Ginny was with Harry, and that Hermione wasn’t as affected by being called “mudblood” in the book as she was in the film. In fact, Ron was more riled up by it. I noticed that Ron was especially protective of Hermione. I see, so this is how it all started… I remember being very upset by how convenient those pairings were by the end of the series. Now I kinda see how they originated, but it’s still too convenient for my liking.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling // ★★★★★ // This was my favourite book of the series, and after rereading it, I think it still is! There’s Hogsmeade, there are electives, there’s mischief, there’s Harry’s squad, and we meet James’ too. Lupin is my favourite Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and I so wish he could have stayed. I love Sirius, and his reuniting with Harry warmed my heart; if only his name could have been cleared! After reading this book, I have a craving for chocolate frogs. It doesn’t help that the holiday season is coming up and I’m seeing Harry Potter books and chocolate frogs being used as props everywhere on Instagram! Some things I forgot about the book were that Harry didn’t like riding Buckbeak (unlike the film), James actually only saved Snape’s life when his squad was almost the cause of his death, and that the Whomping Willow was planted for Lupin.
Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda // ★★★★☆ // I took a UX class during my last semester of college, and in class, when giving examples of what was “good,” my professor would often reference Airbnb, Google, or Apple. However you feel about Apple, there’s no doubt that they have made some revolutionary products. As someone who’s interested in design and tech, I found this book very interesting. Though I have a technical background, I think this book is actually geared more toward non-technical people, as Kocienda makes an effort to use plain English, elaborating with accessible metaphors when necessary. In this book, Kocienda talks about his involvement in major projects such as Safari and the iPhone keyboard, but this book extends beyond even that, teaching valuable lessons that you can apply to life and other challenges beyond tech.
Crave: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Christine O’Brien // ★★★☆☆ // I was initially intrigued by this memoir because the blurb kicked off with how O’Brien grew up in The Dakota. When I was apartment hunting in NYC, I was considering an apartment across The Dakota. At the time, I didn’t know what The Dakota was, but I noticed the beautiful architecture and my agent explained that The Dakota was a famous landmark with a long history of notable residents, including John Lennon (who was shot there) and Yoko Ono (who still lives there). Since then, I’ve been curious about The Dakota, its history, and the kind of people who can afford to live in a building as exclusive as that. However, the memoir turned out to be different from what I expected, which, I would say, is at no fault with the novel, but at fault with the blurb. What I got from the blurb was that it would be about O’Brien, her family growing up in The Dakota, and O’Brien’s and/or her family’s relationship with food. What I got from the book was O’Brien’s mother’s life story, her relationship with food, and the affect of forcing that relationship upon her family. Besides that, I was hoping for a more personal account. Her parents seemed very eccentric, described like characters rather than people she had personal relationships with. Surprisingly, I looked more forward to the parts about food rather than family, probably because of that disconnect (surprising because I was initially intrigued by reading about a family growing up in The Dakota). Furthermore, the memoir seemed a bit unfocused, which confused the pacing for me. I kept waiting for a revelational moment that I didn’t get (I like this Goodreads review), but that I think could have been reached if the memoir was more focused, perhaps on the food parts, giving it a little more purpose. Overall, I think that if I had a more accurate expectation for the book, I would have had more context for what I was reading and would have better appreciated it. Maybe this mini review can provide you with that expectation.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata // ★★★☆☆ // Anyone who visits a Japanese convenience store will always comment on how efficient and “next level” they are, so I found the subject of this novel charming. In a way, the novel was charming; it was short and the writing was plain. We followed Keiko, who I thought was sociopathic at first, but then figured was more likely to simply be on the spectrum. In the same vein, the novel reminded me of the show End of the F***cking World at first, and then reminded me of the show Atypical. The novel is definitely more like Atypical than End of the F***cking World though, except Atypical has a little more humour and is a bit more punchy than the novel. Some might find Convenience Store Woman a little slow or boring, but I think some of that can be forgiven if you consider that this novel is about conformity. This novel provides an opportunity for social commentary about what is considered “normal,” but the novel itself is a bit too plain to contain the discussion within its pages. From the novel, we simply take Keiko’s observations. Like her, to some extent, many of us want to fit in, so we take social cues from other people and learn proper reactions. What better place to learn these rules than at the convenience store? Now, does this novel provide an accurate representation of how famed Japanese convenience stores are managed? I’m thinking probably not, as not all employees’ lives revolve around the convenience store as closely as Keiko’s does, and not all employees follow the rules as precisely as Keiko does, but Murata does work part time at a convenience store herself, so who knows?
Movies & TV shows
I finally watched Incredibles 2!! I watched it on my plane ride back from Vancouver. Yup, I went to Vancouver. (If you follow me on Instagram, you would know!) I’m hoping to get a blog post up on it next week, but we’ll see how that goes. Anyways, back to Incredibles 2. I frickin love Jack Jack and Edna!! I visibly smiled so much on the plane :’)
Another film I watched was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I really enjoyed. I love a good period drama. The Society is composed of such interesting characters, and their origin story at the beginning of the film gave me so much joy, even though it was a tense situation — they really made the best of it!
Georgina and I have added Nikita to our repertoire of shows to watch over dinner, joining MasterChef Junior. Admittedly, we usually go for MasterChef Junior over Nikita because Nikita is too stressful for Georgina after work LOL. I don’t mind since this is my second time watching, so the suspense doesn’t get to me as much as before, but I’m still enjoying it! (Edit: Oh, I forgot that Fresh Off the Boat was also part of our repertoire. I forgot we were watching that until I looked back to my September recap whilst writing this post. Now that I remember, we’ll probably add it back to our repertoire for November heh.)
A new show I’ve been watching is Atypical. I find the show hilarious. But I also almost teared up a few times in the first episode alone. The only thing I don’t like about the show is the mom lol. I’m on season 2 and still don’t have sympathy for her — logically, I have sympathy for her, but emotionally, nah. Thanks Julia for the rec!
I tried Making a Murderer because I’ve been on a true crime podcast binge, but I stopped part way through the second episode because I found it too repetitive. It was kinda annoying actually. Does anybody feel similarly?? Making a Murderer is so popular though. Am I missing something? Maybe I’m too used to the pacing of my true crime podcast My Favorite Murder, in which two hosts each share a murder every 1.5hr episode (so two murders per 1.5hr episode).
Music
Been keeping my playlist mellow, but when I’m in the mood for something more upbeat but still autumnal, I’ve been playing Spotify’s Alt Good playlist. In other musical news, have y’all seen clips from Wicked‘s 15th anniversary show? Kristin Chenoweth’s “Popular” was amazing, and Idina Menzel has got me wanting to rewatch Frozen for her voice lel. Haven’t watched that in forever. I’ve also been enjoying performances from The Voice, particularly SandyRedd’s cover of Bishop Briggs’ “River” and Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman,” and Tyshawn Colquitt and Zaxai’s cover of “Love Lies” by Khalid and Normani.
Cafes
At Jessica x By Jessica Yang‘s recommendation, I checked out Miucha, which opened at Philly’s Chinatown in October 2017. Probably 60%+ of my time spent in Philly is at Chinatown, so I’m really surprised that I didn’t know about this place. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been all that adventurous with bubble tea since I’m more than satisfied with Kungfu Tea (my one tru luv). Miucha’s interior is gorgeous and my photos don’t do justice in showing its vibrance and brightness. When I revisited in late October, they were decked out with Halloween decorations too. I was surprised that such an Instagram friendly place was so empty. They have a unique menu including cheese cream foam, sea salt cream foam, matcha cream foam, and more. Admittedly I don’t really like their tapioca, but if you just get a tea or milk tea and top it off with a cream foam (or not), you’ll be good to go. The coolest thing about Miucha is that you can pay with Venmo!!!
I stumbled upon Lombard Cafe when I got tired from a rare occasion of strolling around Philly (if you’re not up to date, I’ve been spending a lot of time indoors since graduation because I feel poor LOL). That day I had meant to bring out my new camera (Panasonic Lumix GX9 — thanks for the birthday present Dad!), but accidentally brought out my old camera (Panasonic Lumix GX1), which didn’t have a memory card in it because I had already switched it over to my new camera. So, alas, I could not do the full photoshoot this cafe deserved. Otherwise, this cafe would have totally got its own blog post! Anyways, I’m obsessed with the lights, the framed chalkboard, and the gallery wall of framed mirrors. There was also a hook rack of chargers for customers to borrow. And when I ordered my cappuccino, the barista asked me if I wanted him to put the sugar in for me. Nobody has ever asked me that before, but since he did, I was like, sure why not. He mixed the sugar in before adding the frothed milk. Perhaps to preserve the coffee art. Not that I saw it because it was capped in a to-go cup.
I had the best cappuccino of my life at The Teahouse in Stanley Park — the best by a long shot. I’m far from a coffee snob, but this cappuccino was so obviously the best I’ve ever had. The texture was SO SMOOTH — I don’t know how else to explain it. I don’t know how they did it, and I don’t know why everyone doesn’t make their cappuccinos like this. My dad also had a cappuccino at The Teahouse and I asked for his opinion on the cappuccino to confirm my own. We reached the same conclusion. (Also, yes, this cafe was in Stanley Park, as in Vancouver. I will definitely be raving more about The Teahouse in my Vancouver blog post.) I ate every meal out in Vancouver, so I hit up quite a few new cafes and restaurants, but you’re gonna have to wait for my Vancouver recap posts for those! I just couldn’t hold myself back from sharing The Teahouse. Their cappuccinos changed my life, so I needed to include them in this little life update ʚ♡♥ɞ(ू•ᴗ•ू❁)
A few days back from Vancouver, I made a day trip to NYC, and during that trip, I tailed my friend Bridget to Ground Central. I love the punny name, and I love the punny Broadway show titles chalked on the wall. I didn’t get a chance to fully analyse all the wall art because the cafe was so crowded (what place in NYC isn’t crowded??), so I don’t know if there were more hidden puns, but it would be so satisfying if there were! Bridget and I both had matcha lattes.
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Shopping haul
Remember this BB Dakota Holly Golightly gingham dress on my August wish list? Well, it went on sale so I bought it. The fabric feels a bit thin and cheap, but it’s still comfortable and easy to wear. I love how the dress fits my body, and although it’s short and sleeveless, I can’t wait to wear it this autumn with black tights underneath!
Wish list
I stumbled upon a blog post recommending cosy throw blankets for autumn, and my two favourites were the Lane & Mae merino wool blanket in silver grey and the Calhoun & Co “good at naps” woven throw blanket. The Lane & Mae blanket comes in a normal size and as a throw, but if I’m gonna spend $500 on a blanket, I might as well get the full size for $600. I mean, hypothetically, because I would never spend that much on a blanket. But I would gladly accept the blanket in either size as a gift. This is a goal blanket for sure — the ultimate luxury. If I get to a point in my life where I can afford a $600 blanket, I’ll be set. The Calhoun & Co blanket is much more affordable at $100 and seems easier to maintain. It’s the perfect throw to snuggle up in on a couch, or on a rug in front of the fireplace, with cookies, hot chocolate, and all other indulgent treats that make autumn the best season. Furthermore, the design is very versatile and seems like it would fit in easily with a variety of interior styles. I’m very tempted by this one…
Julia recently showed me Alex & Ani‘s Harry Potter collection, and I’m loving this owl post ring in gold. With all my Harry Potter media consumption (I’m rereading the series and listening along to the Potterless podcast), this is very hard to resist. It’s on sale toooooo. I may very well buy this tomorrow. We shall see. (Edit: I almost bought it but shipping+tax was ~$10 so… it’s a no from me.)
Another blog find is the Petar Petrov striped turtleneck bodysuit via this blog post about printed turtlenecks. I just love how the fabric wraps around the neck. Though I admire this top, I’m not the slightest bit tempted to purchase it because it’s expensive and a little bold for me, but let’s all just appreciate it.
But you know what I am tempted to buy? A Burberry trench (in honey). I know, I know it’s sooo expensive, but it’s so classic! I’m more likely to buy this trench than that turtleneck LOL. This is on my wish list every month so I never include it in my monthly wish lists because it’s a given, but I’m lusting over it even more than usual now that it’s autumn.
Lately
The first week of October was a busy one! It started off with a senior photoshoot gig, which took me back to campus, and ended with a photo booth gig at a wedding. I felt so honoured to have been hired for Leah’s senior photos, especially when she told me she had set her mind to it since last year when she saw my senior photoshoot with Azalia. Mid-week, I had a meeting with Laura at a coffee shop across the street from the Eastern State Penitentiary to talk about the photo booth gig she was hiring me to assist her with. Two days after that, we were off to New Jersey together. I wrote a little about my experience in this blog post, and also wrote an event recap for her business’ website. There were some things about that experience I want to remember but were too crass to say in either of those posts, so I’m saying them here: We were tipped, which I wasn’t expecting, and Laura told me that that was the most she’s ever been tipped at an event! The staff at the event were so kind and made sure to come around to the vendors (including me and Laura!) with hor d’oeuvres. I wanted to gobble down all the lobster rolls, but reined myself in. Another favourite was the raspberry macarons. So good! Better than the ones I had last month at Cafe Lalo in NYC for sure (snapshots in my September recap). At the end of the event, one server came over to us a few times and told us to take one of every dessert (there were seven different minis) and also to take some home — you bet I did!
After that gig, I decided that I’m staying in Philly (not moving to NYC anymore!). If you haven’t caught up on that, you might want to read this blog post.
That weekend Georgina had gone up to NYC for a family thing and she was back by Sunday. She came down by car with her mom Barbara. On Monday, whilst Georgina was out for work, Barbara and I made full use of her car and did some major grocery shopping. Bless.
Oh, Georgina also brought back a few items from home, including her Harry Potter collection for me!! I had intended to borrow the books from the nearby library, but the nearby library didn’t have Harry Potter available for checkout, which meant they had to request it for me from another branch, but it was taking sooo long. I’ve been making good progress rereading the series for the first time (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و
I bought myself a kids toothbrush. I like the smaller head. I had been using an electric toothbrush (which have small heads woohoo), but I somehow misplaced the charger (boohoo). Do places sell just electric toothbrush chargers/holders? Doesn’t seem like it to me, but maybe you know more about that and can point me in the right direction…
As the month carried on, I eyed the weather forecast very closely, anticipating the first day it would finally actually feel like autumn. I had it all planned out. I would wear my mustard Madewell sweater with my multi-coloured Uniqlo skirt, and I would spend as much of the day outside as I could. I popped by Philly Aids Thrift and left with a set of silver boxes for $2 and a tote bag for $5; I’ll have to polish the silver somehow. Following that, I took a long walk to Rittenhouse Square to meet up with Georgina after work (along the way is when I had a pit stop at Lombard Cafe). I caught a view of the city from the park in a warm glow. There also happened to be a bazaar at the park that day, where I discovered Three Wheel Studio (gorgeous handcrafted ceramics uniquely painted with flora) and Kim Schalk (fashion designer with unique asymmetrical construction). From Three Wheel Studio, I’m obsessed with the wildflower serving dish, maple small serving bowl, and ginkgo teabowl; they would make for great Christmas presents! From Kim Schalk, I love this asymmetrically knotted dress; I’m picturing it for work and formal events.
Out of the blue, my dad messaged our family group chat saying that he was about to set off for his business trip in Seattle, after which he would stop by Vancouver to visit my brother Ken. When I saw this, I was like, what, why is everyone going to Vancouver but me? (My mom had visited Ken some time ago.) I mean, I’m currently unemployed, so if anyone has time to travel, wouldn’t that be me? I casually joked that I wanted to tag along — wink wink nudge nudge — and before I knew it, my mom had booked me a flight with her miles. As I said earlier, I’m hoping to get a blog post up on it next week, but if you want some sneak peeks, check out my Instagram.
Whilst in Vancouver, my iPhone 6’s dying battery became unignorable (“unignorable” should be a word…). I was complaining about it so much that my dad ordered me a new phone — an iPhone XS! — which I received when I got back to Philly. I’m so psyched about having portrait mode!! I spent the first night setting my phone up, and the next day I was off for a day trip to NYC, where I took a lil pic of my Nuts 4 Nuts packet. As you can see, the blurriness is a bit off between my fingers, but I’ll let it slide. Now, back to my day trip to NYC. I made the trip because I had left some of my stuff at my friend Bridget’s apartment. At the time, I thought I was moving to NYC, so I thought it would be clever to slowly move some of my things to NYC, but since I’ve decided to stay in Philly, I needed to go get all those things back.
It seems that I’ve been running around New Jersey, Vancouver, and NYC. Hm, no wonder I feel like I haven’t yet settled even though I decided to stay in Philly pretty early on in the month. This is why I like writing these monthly recaps ★~(◡ω◡✿) Anywho, at the end of the month I finally had some down time in Philly. I always love staying in, but it’s especially satisfying on cool autumn evenings. I made porridge for the first time, and I paired it with bottled soybean milk from Chinatown. During one trip to Chinatown with Georgina, we saw someone take a whole carton of these, so we decided to try it for ourselves. That bottled soybean milk has my seal of approval, but Georgina is still getting used to Asian soybean milk. I’m also slowly introducing her to thousand year eggs. Props to her — I know they look ghastly to people unfamiliar with them, but oh, they taste good.
To close the month, Georgina and I spent a night baking witches fingers, adapted from this recipe, decor inspired by this recipe. Contrary to how they look, they’re quite delicious!
And with that, MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Just kidding. Georgina won’t let me celebrate until Thanksgiving. SHE’S THE GRINCH! I will have to keep my Christmas spirit on the DL (੭ ˃̣̣̥ ω˂̣̣̥)੭ु⁾⁾
How was your month?