ONE // Settling into our new place

I dream about the day I’ll finally settle into my forever home and be able to live out my interior decor dreams. Currently I’m splitting rent for a two-bedroom apartment with my roomie, and although I’ve settled into my own room (mini tour here), the living room is furnished to the bare minimum and I don’t really have any inclination to take it further. After all, it’s only a rental and I’ll probably move out in a year or a few. But Carrie x Wish Wish Wish is doing such a good job with her rental. I love how she worked with the gorgeous period architecture of her apartment with a great mix and match of vintage and modern pieces. I’m also loving her getaway to Gstaad, a charming town with a perfect balance of wholesome, active activities and luxurious indulgences.

TWO // The bonus Harry Potter books reviewed

I started rereading the Harry Potter series for the first time October of last year. I finished the fifth book in January, am taking a pause this month to catch up with my library checkouts and egalley reviews, and am planning to pick up the sixth book next month. As I’ve been rereading the series for the first time, I’ve also been listening along with the Potterless podcast, in which the twenty-something host reads the series for the first time and makes commentaries chapter by chapter. My Harry Potter obsession has been rekindled and I’m all about Michelle x Daisybutter’s review on the bonus Harry Potter books she’s read. At the top of my list is Harry Potter: Film Wizardry. I’d love to flip through that one after I finish rereading the series, though it’s a film companion book complete with replicas of Harry Potter paraphernalia, so I don’t think it’s the kind of book you can find in a public library, which means I might have to storm a Barnes & Noble. And kinda unrelated but my friend Kat recently visited Harry Potter World in Orlando and came back with a chocolate frog for me!! I’m keeping the box for forever. The card in mine was Bertie Bott. I haven’t eaten the frog yet but I probably should eventually.

THREE // Bubble tea neighbourhood

Bubble tea + Chanel + Paris. If that isn’t goalz!!!! I’ve got the bubble tea part down pat. Still working on the rest (throwback to my two days in Paris in summer 2017). My style is probably more up the street of DIY raw hemming for jeans — for short people and thrifty. I actually have a pair of jeans I’ve been meaning to cut shorter. I bought it on sale off Abercrombie (all my jeans are from Abercrombie — so soft, good quality, great sales), but I got it in the regular length because they were out of short. I figured I could cut them short myself because they have raw hems anyway, but I haven’t found the courage to do it yet.

FOUR // Master list of low light indoor plants

This master list especially comes in handy in the winter. Now, will I actually go out to get a low light plant and attempt to keep it alive? Probably not. The fake plant and the air plant in my room are enough for me. (I have a feeling I’m slowly killing off the air plant, but I can’t even tell for sure.) But here’s the master list for those of you who are a little more motivated and a little less murderous than I am. And unrelated except for both relating to water in general, this article I stumbled upon about fancy water bottles as a 21st century status symbol was interesting. I can’t relate; I’ve been using my beloved Rubbermaid water bottle since the beginning of high school. For hot drinks I use my Yeti tumbler. What about you?

I’d love for you to plug a post you’ve written recently in the comments! Always looking for new reads (:

PS: more friday favourites

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ONE // Coconut mochi cake muffins

I’ve never considered making mochi before, but ever since I saw my friend share her homemade coconut matcha mochi on her Insta Story, which I requested she save to her highlights (you’re welcome), I thought, hey, maybe I can make this too. If you’re looking for a traditional recipe that’s all typed out, you can follow the recipe for coconut mochi cake muffins that I linked from I Am A Food Blog. Earlier this week I popped by Chinatown to buy glutinous rice flour (that’s the same thing as mochiko/sweet rice flour right??), so I really do plan on trying this recipe myself, eventually! Another thing I’m planning to bake is chocolate lava cakes, which I already have all the ingredients for, except for espresso powder, but I can skip that or use instant coffee powder… or just go and buy espresso powder. If you want to get even more indulgent, you can try chocolate peanut butter lava cakes. Also on my to-bake list is my best friend’s mom’s cheese ball recipe, which she typed out and emailed to me, old fashioned :’) Now if you’re looking for something hearty, here are 13 chili recipes, perfect for winter, and perfect to make a ton of to store for lazier days.

TWO // How to prove yourself as a new freelance writer

If you caught up with my January updates, you’ll know that I’m currently doing freelance photography to hold me over but am pursuing graphic design in book publishing, for which the main thing I need to work on is building my graphic design portfolio. Although the article I linked is targeted toward freelance writers, it provides some tips that any creative can adapt for themself. My favourite tip is about creating work samples targeting your ideal client; if it’s not already there in your portfolio, make it. If you’re curious about what a design process from inquiry to launch looks like, have a peek at Lauren x Elle & Co.’s brand and website design process. For more v/blogging and biz behind-the-scenes, Lucy Moon breaks down how Youtubers actually make money. Speaking of money, here are five small changes you can do to improve your finances. I really like the tip about spotting your large spending buckets. That really gave me something to think about because my method of budgeting has been targeting the small but frequent spendings, i.e. coffee and bubble tea. But maybe that’s not where my attention needs to lie. After all, only 2% and 1% of my monthly spendings went toward coffee and bubble tea respectively (albeit 54% went toward monthlies like rent, internet, and utilities, which makes all my other spendings look insignificant from the get-go). On the other hand, maybe those stats are only so low because I have been targeting them. But the article makes a good point suggesting, “Maybe the joy of a creamy mug of goodness justifies the $5 price tag. Instead of trimming the expenses that truly make you happy, focus on bigger-ticket items.” If you caught up with my January recap, you’ll know that I’ve started tracking my spendings, and it’s been interesting to reflect on (I made a pretty chart).

THREE // The weekly scrapbook

I’ve only discovered Lizzy x Shot from the Street in the last few months even though she seems to be big online, which I think is why I am even more charmed by her old school blogging vibes, unlike many large influencers who have had to adapt their content to the changing industry. Her content is so refreshing, and I’m loving her recent scrapbooking project, in which she’ll scan pages from her scrapbook — a real, physical scrapbook! not a scrapbook aesthetic produced digitally! — and share them on her blog. Oh that we live in a time where doing things non-digitally is considered a novelty, at least for me. (My non-digital project has been knitting.) But I’ve got nothing against scrapbooking digitally either; I love Jasmine x Studio Jasmine’s digital scrapbooking for her monthly recaps. I don’t think she made one for January, but you can peep the one she made for December. I particularly love the end of that recap where she shared thoughts on doing things for fun and not turning them into work. Y’all know that I’m totally hopping onto the movement of taking up hobbies just for the fun of it, or even taking up hobbies that you’re bad at!

FOUR // Instagram DMs are an antidote to the difficulties of adult friendships

I stumbled upon this article right after I had caught up with a friend that I hadn’t talked to in awhile via DMing a reply to his Insta Story, so I definitely felt like this article was speaking to me. The gist of it is that texting can be “fraught” or overwhelming because it’s more difficult to do out of the blue and also more commitment, whereas “Instagram Stories provide points of entry from which conversation can more naturally unfold.” This gave me a new appreciation for Insta Stories, which I used to be vigorously against (remember back in the day when all of us were comparing Snapchat and Insta Stories? I was team Snapchat lol). In an attempt to have a healthier relationship with Instagram, I’ve been working on using Instagram as a social platform and pushing myself to make conversation — as suggested by Rebecca x From Roses on how to fall in love with Instagram and craft your own community — rather than using Instagram as a portfolio.

I’d love for you to plug a post you’ve written recently in the comments! Always looking for new reads (:

PS: more friday favourites

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