Was November?? Even a month??? I swear, it was Halloween and now it’s Christmas. It’s now cold enough that I can pull out my winter coat without feeling like a weakling and wondering how I’ll survive the dead of winter if I already need to pull out my winter coat.
(Y’all, it’s been so long since I’ve promoted a blog post on social media that I forgot how to get the WP shortlink for a blog post… I still haven’t figured it out, so I’d appreciate any pointers. I feel like such a n00b. I swear there used to be an obvious button for the shortlink toward the top of the dashboard, but I don’t see anything anymore. Maybe I imagined it.)
I read Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino last month and I’m still not over it. (I know I said I’d devote a full post to it! I still intend to; I just need to get around to it. Hopefully in December!) I creeped Jia Tolentino’s Instagram and she posted about seeing The 1975 at Pitchfork Paris, particularly their performance of “Love It If We Made It” (as in, she captioned the first lyric). The lyrics are kinda woke and kinda bleak, but also hopeful and the tune is so catchy. Matty Healy breaks down the lyrics with Genius on their Verified series.
I started off the month filming my Ninth House reading vlog. I usually read in bed in the evening, but I didn’t want to subject y’all to the janky lighting, so I jazzed up my reading spots for the vlog.
Le Pain Quotidien: I sat there for four hours (not just reading). When I was ready to leave and pay my bill, the waiter said my table didn’t have a ticket so I was free to go. He even asked me what I ordered (a cappuccino and apple turnover), so I thought he was gonna put in a new ticket for me and charge me for that, but all he did was double check that there wasn’t an existing ticket, and wished me on my merry way. Bless him. Honestly I should have tipped him the full amount, but I was too in shock and zombied my way outta there.
J’aime French Bakery: I always get the heart-shaped French Napoleon because 1) it’s delicious (I could eat a whole bowl of that creme, and the pastry is perfectly flaky), and 2) it’s very, very photogenic. I should probably try a different pastry the next time I visit though!
One Shot Coffee: I love their regular menu, but I also especially love their seasonal menu! I had their pumpkin pie cream cheese pancakes the first time I visited this season, and the second time I was tempted to try their carrot cake pancakes, but I went for their loaded salad instead, since my body felt overloaded on carbs (that’s what happens when you have coffee and pastries at cafes every day of the week!). The salad was loaded with curried mushroom, barley, roasted butternut squash, pickled red onion, tahini vinaigrette, and a side of avocado, and it was soooo good. I paired it with a pumpkin pie chai.
The Book Trader: My second favourite secondhand bookstore in my city! I made sure to pop by when they had their 50% off sale and left with two books for $5 total: short story collections by Roald Dahl and Edgar Allan Poe. I’ve been meaning to read Dahl’s short stories for ages, and a collection of his best ones seems like a good place to start. I couldn’t resist the vintage classic edition of Poe’s. I remember reading his “The Tell-Tale Heart” in high school English and it was pretty intense. Definitely interested in reading more.
DC: More on my day trip to DC in the next set of photos!
Rodin Museum garden: A hot spot for my summer evenings and autumn afternoons. I can’t believe I didn’t take any photos of the garden during golden hour for two seasons, but you can see its beauty in the vlog. Whilst the museum requires an admission fee, the garden is free. In the warmer months, the fountain runs into the reflecting pool and patio seating is laid out around it, but those were stowed away for the season mid-month.
Bomi and I took a day trip to visit our friend Julia in DC. Julia visits us quite often in Philly, so we thought it was about time we returned the favour. I have no idea how Julia makes the trek. I could probably manage that trip once a year; it’s a weird in between distance from Philly that’s not close enough to make a day trip comfortably but also not far enough to make a whole trip out of, ya know?
We were starving once we got off the Megabus, so we headed straight to Nando’s. Their fries were pretty good. After that we meant to check out a museum at the National Mall, but upon arriving we realised that DC was celebrating Nationals winning the World Series, so the National Mall was quite hectic. We fought our way through the throng only to end up on the wrong side of the street to the museum, and we couldn’t cross the street because it was blocked off for a parade. Ah well, at least we got to soak up the energy of the celebrations. A highlight was passing by the Canadian embassy and seeing their red and white flags flowing gloriously, joining the red and white colours of the Nationals. They also had a huge staircase at their entryway, and it was filled with fans wearing red and white.
Seeking a more peaceful setting, we headed to Georgetown. We got ourselves Georgetown Cupcakes (I got a coffee toffee and a pumpkin pie cream cheese; the pumpkin pie cream cheese was sooo good) and walked along the Waterfront. There were so many pretty trees. The east coast does autumn right!
Related: 5 hours in DC
Saw Abhi the Nomad live with Bomi! Abhi is her favourite artist, so I loved that she shared this experience with me! The only song I really knew going in was “Sex n’ Drugs,” which I like and which is his most popular song. We made sure to arrive on time to the party (what nerds) and weaved our way to the front of the stage.
To our right was a group of people who were really feeling it. They livened up the whole concert with their impressive aerobics, inspiring me to bob more vigorously in place. Those people really knew how to get lit on a Thursday night!
Spent an afternoon at the Italian Market to check out a cafe and wander around the neighbourhood. The cafe was pretty epic, so I think I’ll share about it in a separate post. Another highlight of the neighbourhood was discovering Molly Books & Records, where I thrifted Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote for $14 and a first edition of A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway for $15, within which I found two film negatives.
I thought the Breakfast at Tiffany’s I thrifted was a first edition as well, though I had my doubts because it was in too good of a condition. After some research, I have concluded that my edition is a “book club edition” with a dust cover in the style of the first edition–which a website told me was worthless for true book collectors (savage) (but hey, I’m happy with it regardless)–and with black boards, unlike the first edition’s yellow cloth boards. Though not true vintage, my edition has that new vintage aesthetic under the covers.
I had an appointment in the neighbourhood, so I decided to pop by early to revisit House of Our Own Books. They specialise in books on cultural studies, history, literary criticism, politics, radicalism, and social sciences, but they have a selection of contemporary fiction as well. I swiped a vintage paperback of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath for $3. I haven’t read any Sylvia Plath yet, but I always intended for The Bell Jar to be my first.
When I gave my card to pay for the book, the shopkeeper asked me whether I knew about the history of the house. I told her that she had told me about it the last time I visited months ago! Apparently the house used to be a residential house, in which influential Chinese architect Lin Huiyin resided. As such, Chinese tourists visit from time to time, and online I learned that the shopkeeper keeps a box of documents at the front desk proving Lin Huiyin’s residency. The shopkeeper thought to share this piece of history with me (twice LOL) when she saw the last name on my card was Lin as well.
Another catch up with Louise and her grey scottish fold Earl. I also met his biological brother–Schrodie, named after Schrodinger’s cat–who was adopted by Louise’s friend, and Louise’s roomie’s cat Taro.
After three hours of playing with three cats, we headed out for lunch/dinner at Bubblefish, a tradition for us! She got Taiwanese minced pork rice, I got a salmon poke bowl, and we shared popcorn chicken. After that, we got hot bubble tea and went to get Louise’s ears pierced. Casual.
Bomi took me to a new (to us) restaurant called Chu Shang Spicy. We shared this massive platter for $15. They specialise in Sichuan-style hot pot–both wet and dry. It was delicious, filling, and affordable.
Afternoon-coffee-turned-lunch-turned-dinner with Jennifer at Parc Bistro & Cafe! It was beautiful day with just the right amount of chill. We sat outside on the sidewalk overlooking the park and were briefly joined by Buddy the golden retriever. We sat and chatted through sunset until the chill was long past comfortable.
I watched Spider-Man: Far From Home on the plane, finally. I thought it was really funny.
Yup, you heard that right–on the plane! I’m home early for the holidays. The decision was last-minute and I had to scramble to catch up with friends, give out Christmas gifts (half of which I’ve sorted, the other half of which I’ve resolved to curate throughout my holiday travels), and stock up on bookstagram content (priorities amiright) my last week in Philly.
For now, I’m relaxing with family in Beijing. We’re still planning our itinerary, so I couldn’t tell you where we’ll be, but you’ll hear soon enough!
What was your highlight of November? How was your Thanksgiving, or are you well into your Christmas celebrations?