Suuuuuper long update ahead. Writing about an entire month does that, but I'm hesitant to return to weeknotes because of how little there was to write sometimes. So I'll stick to this for now. Okay, so:

I've been going to grocery stores more often because I think I’m losing sight of how good we have it, and how much fun it is to while away a couple of hours in a giant supermarket. I was telling a friend the other day that I’ve been trying to reduce my dependence on hyperlocal delivery apps. I felt like they made me spend more impulsively, and they’ve definitely weakened my ability to manage delayed gratification. If you think about it, there are very few things you actually need in under 10 minutes… I am willingly inviting that natural purchase friction of having to walk to a nearby store and lug all the goods back—its definitely been helping me spend lesser and only on necessities.

Speaking of friction, my little pocketbook experiment has been going splendidly. I love how diverse my notes are: sometimes fleeting thoughts, sometimes deeply researched notes on something that’s caught my attention. It’s feeding into my larger urge to document my life more on platforms that belong to me as much as possible. So my website, my newsletter, and all my journals (I have, like, 4). I got rid of Instagram, but I’m thinking of experimenting with vlogging…? Jury’s out—it feels like a lot of effort.

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I read three books this month and I’m very happy about that. My first was The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng. When I heard it involved Somerset Maugham, I had no idea I was in for a story as expansive and revealing as this one. Absolutely loved it. Second, The Garden of Evening Mists again by Tan Twan Eng, which I didn’t like as much as THOD. I think its strengths were also its weaknesses, in a way: there was a lot of historical and specialist information, reminiscent of a history lesson more than anything else. An interesting lesson, but a lesson just the same. Third, Butter by Asako Yuzuki (which, delightfully, I got signed by the author when she was at The Bookworm on Church Street. My love for independent bookstores forever abounds for these reasons, among others). Sadly, I didn’t like the novel as much as I hoped I would. It baldly asked a lot of questions I often think about concerning the patriarchy, weight and food—which I appreciated. But the descriptions and style became repetitive, and most of the characters felt like they existed only to drive a point home at the perfect time. I don’t know, I was hoping for something with a bit more bite. but perhaps the book was intended for a Japanese audience, whose culture is drastically different.

Tangentially, I’ve been thinking about the homogeneity of books lately. It feels like the influence of trends on books is stronger than ever now, and publishers are just racing to capitalise on trending themes. Like when Gone Girl was published, there was a wave of domestic thrillers with "Girl" in the title. Or after A Court of Thorns and Roses, the fantasy genre was pretty much inundated with fae-focused romances. It’s like the Netflix-ification of books: if you liked this book, here are ten more just like it. I start to see the same type of books everywhere I go—bookstores, online stores, book clubs, bookstagram—and I don’t know if I want to read them because I want to or because everyone else is. It’s become so much harder to find lesser-known books or mid-list authors because you have to scrape through the slop and hype first.

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I’ve rediscovered cookbooks. I picked up the Julia Child classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking first. I don’t know much about French cuisine—it has always felt too pinky-finger-up, too inaccessible to me. But I’m hoping to build more confidence. On that note, I also picked up Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook, so I can build up my skills and feel bold enough to experiment. I have been trying to find cookbooks on Udupi and Kodava cuisine so I can try out a few dishes connected to my roots, but there just don’t seem to be any (or any that aren’t obscure and therefore over 4,000 rupees). A gap in the market, maybe?

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I joined a run club and generally started running again! it’s been so nice to get out every weekend for fresh air and socialising. i’ve been hoping to make running a habit this year because of immediately it positively impacts my mood on that day. i realised that i haven’t done much “sports” because i’ve never thought of myself as someone who does that. i also thought that, to be someone who “does that”, you had to know how to do everything right: pacing, tempo, picking the right footwear, the whole shebang. i’m trying very hard to relearn how to be a beginner, think of this as play, and start doing things without researching the shit out of it in advance.