a place to store my reflections, favourite quotes, and everything in between...
so i just read finish city of others and boy do i have some Thoughts (spoilers ahead): i've been on a workplace novel reading kick, i'm especially curious about books that take place in singapore's public service. i like reading other people's take on bureaucracy and work/labour. city of others fulfills those curiosities, with the book written by a former civil servant and it sounds like he was in…
was reading a IG post about the white gaze when it comes to traveling i felt this most while navigating the public bus system (DAMRI) in jakarta airport to bogor and again when i bought a private bus ticket from bogor to yogyakarta. the anxiety of not knowing where to go next, i bought my ticket and then what? the bus isn't here at the time it said it would be, should i continue to wait or do i…
so i went for a five day water fast in bali. and the water fasting itself wasnt as challenging as i thought it would be. yes sometimes my stomach growls and im fantasizing about all the food i could be eating instead of beng here. as long as i don't pay too much attention to it, the hunger goes away. what was driving me crazy was all the other things that were part of the package: colonic and salt…
was looking at my old 2025 tbr and initially felt some shame over not completing it then realised hey actually i read 6 out of the 10 books listed there. that's a 60% completion rate! which is better than never starting, so i'm making a new list for 2026 with some tweaks. first a progress update, i've striked out the books i've read: 1. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes Complex PTSD: From…
11/11 just passed, and i succumbed to the consumerism drive and spent over $1,000 in a day. which made me think about my spending habits, i've been budgeting and tracking my expenses more consistently since the start of the year. looking back at each month's income/expenditure breakdown has been illuminating. i've learnt that if i'm not mindful of money i tend to spend more than i earn. lifestyle…
i recently read finish burnout society by byung-chul han, and it made me think about: achievement society, self-exploitation, different types of tiredness, and what it would take to change the way things are. the ending was not too optimistic with the author arguing that the internal logics of the achievement society will naturally evolve it to become a doping society. where life is reduced to its…
when will i learn? i keep betting on losing dogs and they lose! they always fucking lose! and i get my own feelings hurt. its a cage of my own making and i can't find my way out. i should know better and yet everyday i wake up wondering maybe today would be different. is that insanity? i do feel insane. i would like to stop remembering, to stop thinking about all the ways i failed as a daughter.…
was watching ismatu's blueprints, junelikethemonth's live stream, and wild geese podcast episode about convenience culture which made me think about my own desire for freedom. in ismatu's video they talked about getting to know your neighbours (yes even if they are politically opposite to your own beliefs cause in a emergency/disaster they are the ones that are physically closest to you. if there…
funny story, i slipped and fractured a bone in my left foot and was given 3 weeks hospitalisation leave. i can't help feeling guilty for not working because i'm not completely incapable of work, it feels like im cheating the system. to be specific i feel like i'm letting down people i'm in the project team with, especially now that its peak season. also i just hate being sick/ill/injured - in any…
Let me talk about "Giddy Barber Explodes in 11", this post is not spoiler free so if you’re looking for a general summary you can scroll to the end. I spent most of the book alternating between cringing at the main character's choices and wanting to shake some sense into her entire family. The story starts with Giddy going about her "normal" routine - and I use that term loosely because there's…