Weekend links

Here are a few weekend treats :) I am loving this cooler weather - it makes me want to be outside and go for long walks. Tony is going to work this weekend (he has an exhibition coming up in Melbourne!) so we're going to see Ghost in the Shell tonight and go out for banoffee pie afterwards. Here's to a fun and restful weekend:

The alphabet of Australian legends (V is for Victor Chang).

Pantone eggs!

It's definitely mac and cheese weather - this version uses smoky gouda.

Spring cleaning in autumn (the mug trick works a treat!).

Slightly obsessed with this ice cream decorating kit.

This film, captured over a long period of time, looks awesome.

Invented by women.

And... I am hooked on the S-Town podcast. I'm on the second last episode and avoiding all the articles/spoilers.

Three everyday reads

I would love to read everyday but most weeks, time gets away from me. For ages, reading meant always having a novel on the go but lately I've been enjoying books that are easy to dip in and out of. Here are three that fit the bill:

How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

I read a page of How to Love each morning as I'm climbing out of bed. It takes me two minutes. Each entry touches on a practical aspect of love from a Buddhist perspective - from how to communicate in an argument to ways to be more comfortable in your own skin. While I don't agree with all of the entries, I find myself mulling over the great ones over the course of the day.

Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups

This was a Christmas present from my sister Carla. It's an anthology that's meant to put you to sleep. It's filled with short stories and poems from greats like Roald Dahl and Haruki Murakami as well as more contemporary writers like B.J Novak. It's a thoughtful compilation that makes it possible to read something satisfying even if 10 minutes is all you can manage.

In the Company of Women

Do you read Design*Sponge? My friend Sophie introduced me to it when I was living in Wagga Wagga (her kitchen was featured!). This book comes from the blog's founder, Grace Bonney, and every time I flick through it, I end up scribbling quotes in my journal. It profiles over a hundred creative women who share their approaches to life, work and creativity. The photography is beautiful, the interviews are illuminating and most profiles are just a couple of pages long.

What are you reading at the moment? I started Pond the other day and it's unlike anything I've ever read.

Sydney notes

How was your weekend? I worked a half day on Friday so we could drive to Sydney and see my cousin in a play. We're still talking about it days later! There was also time to check out a fun burger joint and join a family reunion. Here are some pics:

By the time we reached Sydney, we had just enough time to deliver one of Tony's paintings and order a spicy pizza before the play. My cousin Max joined us to see Chimerica, which imagines the life of the man from this iconic image, taken a day after the Tiananmen Square massacre. Our cousin Monica was in the play and it was a profoundly moving production that I am still processing. This week I'm going to check out this documentary.

We were up early the next morning so we could take a yoga class with Tony's mum on her birthday. We also caught up with Tony's friends James and Kate for breakfast at the Camperdown Commons. Sydney is changing so quickly!

I've been wanting to try Ume burgers for ages (after seeing Lee Tran Lam's visits) and we made it to Bar Ume in Surry Hills for lunch on Saturday. It had a cosy atmosphere, great tunes and hot chips with umami salt! Next time I want to try the spin-off at Barangaroo so I can try the fish burger and sample the soft serve :)

And on Sunday we joined a massive family reunion in Centennial Park. The picnic used to be an annual affair (Kylie Kwong showed up one year!) but there hasn't been a gathering for close to a decade.

I brought a pile of sweets from Black Star Pastry but the real hero was my aunt Elaine who shared glazed drumsticks and my favourite chicken noodles. It was crazy to see so many relatives - there were more than 80 of us all up. We stayed for lunch, a few games of badminton and the family photo before driving back to Canberra. We made it home in record time and we think that's the last of our crazy weekends for a little while :)

Weekend links

I had a cold this week and am feeling better just in time for the weekend :) While I was home sick, I liked a lot of things on Facebook, listened to the final episode of Missing Richard Simmons and ordered a bunch of  new books! We're heading to Sydney this weekend to see a play and wish my brother and his wife the best of luck before they move to London. Here's this week in links:

How to survive the modern office.

Sourdough FAQ.

A new online journal about "Asian-Australians doing good things".

An incredible episode of Death, Sex & Money - "I was your father until I wasn't".

How to host a simple dinner party.

Hi Stranger (weird but worth it!).

Ask a grown up (you can watch the addictive videos here. Beth Ditto is the best).

P.S The cover image of Julie Koh's Portable Curiosities is currently in Canberra as neon lights!

Wardrobe update

A funny thing happens when I move to a new place - I get confused about my personal style. When I arrived in Wagga Wagga, I traded dresses with giant cat faces on them for t-shirts and jeans, just so I wouldn't stand out. Then when we moved to Canberra, I was on a mission to find a pencil skirt to suit my new (and much dressier) office.

It usually takes a good year to work out the climate and come back to clothes that I genuinely love to wear. That moment in Canberra was the purchase of this chihuahua shirt from Zara. I wear it to work with these secretly stretchy blank pants and pink flats. And on the weekends, I wear it with jeans and white sneakers. I make so many friends when I'm wearing it :)

My new aim is to have a wardrobe full of clothes I'd be happy to wear anywhere, instead of a separate work wardrobe that isn't quite me.

Here's my latest purchase, a linen top that I've been eyeballing for ages from Canberra brand Hunter. Inspired by my friend Angie, I went along to a sample sale and picked it up for less than half price. It was the last one and I wore it out to dinner that night.

P.S - I'm still buying a new dress every second season. I love this one for autumn/winter but may be a little short for it :)

Little things

What's on your mind these days? I've been thinking about how few cards there are for same-sex couples. Here's a great round up of wedding cards, this one's from Hello Lucky. Also on my mind:

I'm really good at reaching for fruit throughout the day but I am terrible at eating my greens. I've started adding three different types of veggies to my work lunches. Lately I've been throwing chopped avocado, tomato and rocket into leftover tomato pasta. It becomes salad pasta!

I'm listening to Pregnant Pause with Zak and Shira, a podcast about a couple deciding whether or not to have kids. Pretty soon after Tony and I were married, people started asking us if we were going to have kids (and when). The jury's still out but being in our thirties, it's something talk about often.

And I've been thinking about the importance of the handshake. Seeing Angela Merkel be ignored by Donald Trump reminded me of all the times I've seen men only offer their hand to other male colleagues. These days I will always initiate a handshake if I'm overlooked.

Weekend links

We're prepping for another busy weekend - both sets of parents will be in town to see Tony's exhibition and attend an artist talk that I'm moderating :) We'll also be celebrating two birthdays and going to XO for dinner. Have a fun weekend:

A tiny book of tiny pleasures.

Going to get into this reading list.

A Japanese beauty trick.

Can't wait to make these noodles next week.

A first radio story that's touching and mind boggling too.

Save the date!

"I got the job because I'm Asian".

In a grumpy mood?

Powerful words about suicide and growing up.

And the secret plan for the days after the Queen's death via Siobhan.