4:08 am saturday april 11
Well, I guess I need to stop giving up on my camera. I randomly decided to give it one last try after I was convinced that it was finally dead over a month ago. I think it will never die, so next time it breaks I'll just give it a couple days. Anyway, I got a few great pictures in Naha after realizing. These are all from my last 24 hours before leaving, in fact a 24 hours that wasn't supposed to exist, but off of a thunderstorm and a vague lower back pain I shelled out a change fee to push my flight. I was immediately rewarded by meeting this sweet cat that ran up to us meowing and asking to be pet.
After good food, drink, and karaoke, I used my extra morning to run around all of the nearby parks taking pictures of flowers, trees, butterflies, and- yes, birds. Although the only bird picture that turned out was this idyllic view of pigeons bathing in a puddle. Pigeons aren't exciting to identify- at all! But they're my favorite birds still.
I think I really moved the flight just in hopes of getting some pictures of Naha with my camera. I however did not bring it on our brief trip to Tokyo, to save room for an extra pair of tights. Roppongi was very cold! Our hotel had this fantastic view of the Tokyo tower, which actually looked kind of small (I realized that because I last got a good look at it nearly 20 years ago, it might be my fault for getting big.)
I didn't realize all the restaurants in Roppongi were like high dining so I was worried we'd end up at Wendy's but we found a very nice and only kinda pricy Chinese restaurant that was completely empty. The unnervingly serious waiter was wearing a full tailored suit, checked his watch every few minutes, and then I found him asleep when I went to pay the bill, so I think we ruined his nap time. The cashew chicken and lamb fennel dumplings were to die for though.
Anyway, after our little adventure we ended up with a head cold and in this dreary, last dregs of winter, rainy cold snap, it's pretty miserable.
To make up for it I've been consuming massive amounts of toast. It's one of those things that you forget about for a really long time because it's nothing special and then one day you see a good looking loaf of bread at the store and suddenly remember that toast is pretty yummy and really really easy to make. I bought 5 thick slices of toast today and we ate ALL OF IT! I'm switching between butter, chocolate, and fig jam (ooh la la) as toppings, but I want to try red beans next. I'm going to go to sleep and buy more bread tomorrow!!
...
reading: still the gospel according to jesus christ, which i'm consuming in little morsels because it's just so beautiful i don't want it to end
listening: drao by gilberto gil over and over again on repeat
watching: ER, at breakneck pace, despite my lifelong aversion to hospital dramas and general fear/repulsion at anything medical in nature
...
P.S. related to both the gospel according to Jesus Christ and ER, I'm finding that at any given time- not worryingly often but just very unexpectedly, I feel myself come close to tears. At sappy moments on tv or even- several times inexplicably- at the winter Olympics (like when the figure skaters finish their routine and drop to the ice in tears). Is this something that just happens in your late twenties, you become an old lady who has to carry a hankie to cry into when you see a puppy or a child on a swing?
P.P.S. I've become addicted to solitaire and it's really embarassing because I've played for hours and my win rate is only 3%
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3:17 AM Saturday march 28
Although readers of previous posts may assume that because I said back in November that if I didn't hurry up and buy binoculars then I would lose all steam on my birding ambitions, I'm in fact proving myself wrong and launching headfirst into ornithological delights in March. I did in fact forget about birds for several months- until a few weeks ago I discovered a very brown, mottled copy of a field guide Japanese birds from 1984. It actually looks like its secreting some kind of shiny ooze out of the inside cover but I'm assured by a Google search that this is merely "foxing" due to age and by all odds it actually smells *good* so I'm put at ease. I read it cover to cover, which against all intuition is I think what you're supposed to do with field guides, like studying for an exam on differentiating minute bird characteristics to tell between a Chinese heron and a little heron.
Anyway, after a fruitless search for brick and mortar binocular purveyors (before I cared about birding, I couldve sworn binoculars were always hilariously popping up at random stores), my generic hot pink pair arrived today.
We first tested them at the beach, I guess because we wanted to maximize the opportunity to look like pervert lookyloos. I also swam in the water even though it's been pretty chilly, so I had the ocean mostly to myself.
Anyway, it's hard to look at trees through binoculars! I suppose with time I wont lose my place instantly but I did assume that I would retain some sort of binocular instinct from playing with them as a child. My grandparents were members of the audobon society and received little gifts like a totally spies style PDA-type bird sound machine and lots of bird photobooks. I had my own pair of binoculars but I think I probably just used them to look at weird bugs. I was always more of a ground focused kid who preferred hunting for bugs and rocks as opposed to searching the sky for birds.
All this to say that I'm going to add a birdwatching page to this site to post all of the cool new birds I identify! I tried making a lifelist on ebird (the definitive bird database) but I found the amount of context I had to provide on when where and how I spotted each bird down to how many meters I moved my person while looking at the birds to feel a little fascist at first brush. I'm sure it's all in the name of greater community bird knowledge!! But I think I'll just keep track on my own terms for now. Plus I've heard intimidating stories about bird liar accusations and the idea of being labelled a bird poser looking for bird clout is just nightmare inducing for me. So a bird finding page will be under construction!
This is my first blog post typed on my new mechanical keyboard by the way! It's very beautiful but I'm really bad at typing on it especially with a new manicuerew so I"m worried it maybe wasn't the most practical purchase. I'm also thinking about including more content about my little tech projects and collection here, I really want to expand the site this year as well as update the blog more. I'll cut this off here because I want to go and find a birdwatching hut that I apparently frequently passed for years without knowing it's true birding potential.
Update 3/29: The birdwatching mudflat was closed :( but we still saw some great egrets from the highway bridge! And I think I saw a plover sitting in a mangrove from a really far distance. Still a success in my book!
(re)reading: American Psycho
watching: lots of Anthony Bourdain and Two Fat Ladies
listening: Clube Da Esquina - Lo Borges & Milton Nascimento (I'm obsessed with this at the moment!)
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Feb 5 3:07 am
Today I want to share some photos I took while visiting the city of Hue in central Vietnam. I (seemingly) completely bricked my camera on new years eve, but maybe it was just my drunken fumbling because I discovered a couple of days ago that it in fact is still marginally usable (pretty much can just press the shutter button, but hey, what else do you need?). Anyway, I didn't know this on my trip. So these are just from my phone.
Speaking of phones, I've done a pretty shit job on resolutions so far this year. After the aforementioned new years eve shenanigans (probably my first and last time going out in public on the night itself) I obviously got immediately terribly sick and my screen time surged. Since then I'm still really struggling to limit screen time but I have higher hopes this month.
Foolishly, I guess, another resolution of mine was to "have a better time at work", for which I was karmically punished for so blatantly asking the universe. After a couple of big mistakes at the beginning of the year, I can't help but feel more pressure during a busy time of year. I'm now trapped in a cycle of avoiding, letting work pile up, and then becoming completely overwhelmed and freaked out. Regardless, I'm not paid enough to think about work so much in my off hours so I might have to subject myself to interviews again soon (gag).
I also don't think I've particularly exemplified my theme of the year ("thrifty") yet. To cope with my recent work stress I've developed a fascination with booking hotel rooms nearby- for sport, kind of? I don't think it's a completely unusual weekend activity (is this what staycation means?) but I find it kind of alien because I've only ever considered hotel rooms in an extremely pragmatic way for transient, usually kind of stressful (looming airport dread) way. But I've also my whole life gotten a little thrill out of the hotel experience, partially because of the transient, out-of-time-and-space feeling itself but also the Eloise in the Plaza, let's be bad, indulgent excitement of ordering room service or raiding the mini bar. And almost every great movie of the last 100 years has a hotel bar scene, whether it's lonely and sad or seductive and mysterious. Hotels just as a concept are almost kind of dated and the best ones feel especially dated- hello bathroom business phone.
And despite being a completely unnecessary expenditure, I've come to the conclusion that it's thrifty, too. I just load up on 5 or 6 plates of continental breakfast.
I have managed to read more this year already, finishing 5 books this month. I've been thrifty again by purchasing Infinite Jest, which I may well be reading for the rest of my life, but seriously probably at least 6 months. That's a good value!
Anyway, here's a picture of the moon tonight, reflecting on the water. I've spent a lot of time looking at the moon but I haven't seen it quite like this reflecting on so much of the ocean. The best moon I've ever seen was in college, where by some miracle of perspective it looked like the moon, huge, was right next to the earth, bigger than a building, about to swallow us up. We spent a good hour or two trying to find the right spot to see it again but it only lasted a few seconds.
reading: infinite jest/reading the first few pages of a bunch of other books that i can't decide on
watching: mad men season 2
listening: violator - depeche mode
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12/27 9:49 PM
After a lot of brainstorming and soul searching, I finally came up with a theme for 2026......
*drumroll*
....
THRIFTY!
Yeah, it's a but more abstract as a theme compared to Rococo. But it's not necessarily about coupon clipping, it's more of the creative, clever, DIY lifestyle of a THRIFTY gal. Where rococo was opulent, flamboyant, and naive, thrifty is crafty, thoughtful, and self assured.
Of course, it's also a literal directive. I DO wanna save some money this year. Replacing indulgent imported snacks with cheap little treats. Shopping more at the thrift(y) store than the mall. Simple but effective drugstore products. I really want to reduce my expenses on things that are overpriced, like unnecessary subscriptions, blind boxes or new skincare steps. you can't keep pulling things over on me!! I'm thrifty now!
Although it's way more prescriptive/actionable than rococo, I immediately encountered my first roadblock. What is "thrifty music" or "thrifty film"?
I've decided that the music that best translates the thrifty spirit is female singer songwriters. My 2026 playlist includes many such artists with beloved singles whose full albums I've never taken the time to listen to. Alanis Morisette, Lisa Loeb, Tracy Chapman, Lily Allen, Macy Grey, Michelle Branch, Natalie Merchant. The ladies are doing it for themselves, etc etc. Even more important is the mode of consumption. The rising cost of intangible music subscriptions (also maybe full of fake AI music?!) is sooo 2025. Mp3s are my path forward this year.
In terms of fashion, I'm picturing statement jewelry- chunky necklaces & bangles, bold glasses, big boho bags. Knitwear, layers. It's hopefully not a buy-heavy year but the hunting for a perfect little addition is exactly the thrifty ideology.
I'm turning up the arch on my eyebrows and drawing them to look PISSED OFF and sexy. I've moved the front of the brows- which I usually start a little higher for a cute, innocent look- like a full centimeter or two lower for my confident PO'd look.
Also the mascot for thrifty 2026 is monokuro boo. This one just feels right.
Watching: weeds (just started season 2)
Reading: in between books!
Listening: alanis morisette - under rug swept
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11/14 6:28 am
I think I identified a bird the other day. This is a picture from my phone (no time to grab the camera). I'm pretty sure it's a black drongo based on the head shape and the long tail feathers, plus it's a very common bird in this area. It's pretty exciting for a first bird, I think.
When I order food late at night, I count the lizards on our apartment building. Last night I hit a new record of 10 lizards, all within one minute. That's a lizard less than every ten seconds, which is exciting in the moment but makes the rest of the day kind of a letdown. The food I'm ordering a lot is Lebanese food, which I actually want to order every day because it tastes so good. My favorites are their dolma and eggplant baladi.
Watching: x files (season 4)
Reading: the fox wife
Listening: cocteau twins serpentskirt
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2025/09/12 friday 3:32 AM
today we visited this amazing italian restaurant polipo for the second time. isn't polipo an adorable name? we first ate there sunday night- which is when i got these pics. it's small but deceptively big inside with lots of tables. sunday night there were lots of big families, even a birthday dinner with candles. i'd probably describe it as bustling, the staff are really running around to check on everyone and carry really yummy smelling dishes by me so my mouth is watering the whole time. there's also lots of italian on the wall saying "grazie" and stuff from real-deal italians. and lots of soccer jerseys which feels very italian to me. anyway when we went on sunday we started with campari and limoncello sodas and homemade bread. i'm still getting used to this camera so i couldn't get any good pics of the bread, but it was really fresh with a nice char on it. then we got margherita pizza as our main dish and OMG
the pizza was SO GOOD! it was better than probably half the pizzas i tried when i was actually in italy. which were mostly hit or miss because i can't tell where is gonna have a good pizza when there's so many options. the sauce was really flavorful, with lots of garlic and i feel like high quality tomatoes. and there wasn't too much cheese which is my big pizza pet peeve! the best thing in italy was the plain sauce pizzas, which i forget the word for. then we had to get dessert, which seems like their specialty as they had a lot of options.
i felt awkward asking about the dessert menu even though i was memorizing it the whole time, but luckily the hostess (owner?) cheerily asked if we wanted any dessert and proceeded to explain everything. i still wanna try the tiramisu and pistachio brulee. i was too full of bread though so i got the pistachio gelato which WAS better than any gelato i had in italy, unequivocally.
we also tried the homemade limoncello with local lemons which was also the best limoncello i've ever had for sure. i think the owner (hostess?) made it herself with god knows how many lemons. it was definitely the highlight of the entire experience and she was really excited for us to try it. sooo good.
the owner/hostess was so friendly, and even though her voice is sweet and cheerful it's kind of booming, which makes it a more authentic italian experience i think. i was trying out my new digital camera taking pictures of all the food, so i wonder if she thought i was a food blogger or something. anyway, we came back today and she recognized us, it was so nice! she looked at me and said "pistachio gelato?", which is not a bad nickname. i forgot to bring the camera this time, so no pics. :( but we tried the seafood pasta that we were jealous of last time, with mussels, shrimp, squid, and thick homemade noodles. it was also, unsurprisingly, delicious, but the pizza is probably the best. on a weeknight there were mostly couples and it was quieter but still pretty full.
also i tripped on the stair leaving both times
i don't think i'll usually write this much, but i guess i just had a lot to say about this yummy food. i should probably be working, on which i am behind, or read, on which i am also behind. i'm 75% of the way through thomas pynchon's vineland, which i am enjoying and also assigned for the book club myself, so it's a little embarassing i'm lagging behind...but i think i just hate being beholden even if its by myself, lol. and i've been pretty busy. i wanted to visit the art museum tomorrow but here's huge thunder and lightning bursts coming from the window behind me so maybe i'll read when i wake up if it's raining. i read all day yesterday when it rained but then i kept falling asleep suddenly and taking little sneaky naps by accident- even though the book is really funny! i'm just a sleepy reader who hates being told to read, even though it's the only way i read.
reading: vineland - thomas pynchon
listening to: promise - sade (plus a thunderstorm!)
watching: poker face