A normal, uneventful work week, although it did involve several outdoor errands in the evening, such as an unsuccessful trek to Queens to look at a bike, a Friday evening cycle back to Downtown Brooklyn to return keys and Verizon hardware. Towards the end of the week I was happy to stay home, which also called for banana muffins on Thursday.
Enjoying the sun in the afternoon on our balcony. Our new apartment faces west, thus we are entrenched with sunlight around lunch time. I finished the leftover salad and admired the evening sun filter through our kitchen and dining table.
Weekend was a quiet one. I went for a morning walk around Prospect Park, explored a new brunch spot with the husband and walked around the neighbourhood. There are Halloween decorations spotted around now! How time flies. Once Halloween goes by, it’s Thanksgiving, then Christmas – and before you know it, you’ve entered the new year.
Husband was out during Sunday and I enjoyed having the apartment to myself for several hours. With both us working from home since April, it did feel like a treat to have the place to myself, alone. I whipped up some kimchi fried rice for brunch, then for dessert I made a cup of tea, sliced an apple and had a portion of the walnut cake.
I finally got around to washing and scrubbing the balcony to install the wooden tiles, read my book in the sun and cooked a hearty curry chicken rice for dinner. I ensconced myself in the apartment for the day, so content and immersed in the moment that I did not take any photographs.
We are moving next weekend! Our last weekend in Downtown Brooklyn – our home of three years – was spent walking around the neighbourhood.
Actually, on Sunday we were in lower Manhattan most of the time, frantically visiting home furniture stores to look for a sofa but to no avail. We’ll have to stick with our IKEA sofa couch for now. There are no photos from Sunday. Our apartment is in a complete mess with boxes everywhere. We sold a few items such as our bed frame, N’s desk and chair and my white shelf.
With my family unable to fly over due to Australia’s strict quarantine rules (they need government approval to fly overseas, as well as quarantine for 14 days in a designated hotel upon return), we decided to keep our original wedding date and get married virtually. It was all last minute in terms of deciding on a Zoom wedding, albeit with many changes in between.
Overall, there were elements of regret and relief which I guess you’d inevitably have with an under prepared virtual Zoom wedding. I attempted to brush off the feeling of regret by reminding myself that all of this is a novel experience for everyone and nobody really has any expectations, hopefully.
In the end, the most important thing is that we got to share the very moment we became husband and wife with our loved ones live online.
The great thing was that when the ceremony was over, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Our staycation honeymoon was at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge where we spent the next two days eating, lounging and swimming in the rooftop pool and treating ourselves at the River Cafe nearby for dinner.
We were back home on Friday night. We continued the staycation honeymoon by going out for brunch at Sonny Boy on Saturday and then dinner at Oxalis in Prospect Heights on Sunday.
I booked an appointment at the hairdressers now that they’re open and, um, we also decided to get married on our original wedding date last-minute. This week has been frantic. I walked from Union Square to SoHo then Canal St trying to shop for a dress, but no luck.
I walked around the city so much that on Sunday all I wanted to do was stay home.
On Friday night, we ventured out to Midtown, specifically K-Town, and was pleasantly surprised by the outdoor dining scene. No cars, cleaner streets, music on the streets and the smell of Korean food. I kept telling N how I felt like I was in the streets of Seoul!
We had dinner plans on Saturday night at my friend A and J’s place for, at least we thought, was A’s last dinner before she goes to Sydney for two months. We arrived at their door and it turned out to be a surprise dinner for us! I had mentioned in passing to A that we might just get married on our original wedding date and apply for a marriage license to do so. Knowing that she won’t be here for the ceremony and that I won’t have family or friends in Sydney coming, nor a bachelorette party, A, J and S had prepared a surprise wollamssam dinner for us! I was so shocked – my friend said they saw tears, momentarily, glistening :’) I got to wear a bride-to-be sash thanks to them.
Sunday was spent enjoying the flower bouquet they had made for us. Always grateful.
I started this blog to, not only take more photos, but try and improve my writing skills and practice more. There’s a part of me that feels embarrassed, the “I’m not good enough” thought, the chronic feelings associated with imposter syndrome. I read that to improve your writing, you need to read more (which I already do) and to write. Another tip was to write down sentences or paragraphs that make you wonder how the author can come up with such an expression. Back in the day as a university student, I used to work as a part-time court monitor and typist. After weeks of listening and transcribing judgments, I found myself writing in the judge’s vernacular for my own law assignments. It may have been my first assignment to receive a Distinction.
This lock-down period has allowed me to read voraciously. Maybe I should start underlining parts of the book that I like and post it on this blog. Perhaps for my 2019 book list post (in draft), I’ll go back through these books and quote at least three sentences or paragraphs that stood out to me. Another 2020 project on this list? The other reason for not writing as much on this blog is the fear of being judged, as well as being disingenuous with what I write. I have no idea who reads this blog so it may be a laughable, self-inflicted, self-absorbed conundrum, but there is the sense of vulnerability in writing out my personal thoughts and opinions on this microscopic public space I’ve carved out for myself on the World Wide Web. Am I writing to cater for whoever may read this and, therefore, write in a way I wish to project myself unto strangers? Am I going to regret this later on? Perhaps I am just over-thinking all this. I’ll think of it as an exercise to giving less, and eventually, no f*cks.
Back to the Weekend Stories theme, here are some photos of our walk over Brooklyn Bridge and then being struck by an ominous rain cloud that appeared, then disappeared by the time we walked over it. Talk about timing.
As an Asian born and raised in Australia, who now has lived in the United States for four years, I can tell you, just hearing and witnessing the corruption, greed and the culture of self-interest has made me an angry person. My friends in Australia tell me I’ve become an angry or angrier person. It’s true. The administration, obviously, infuriates me; the greed and self-preservation of the 1% at the top, the insidious corporate power over this country’s political system, the systemic and oppressive racism entrenched in the in the American livelihood is conniving, tragic and disturbing. What happened to altruism? I can’t imagine what life is like as a black man or woman in America but I feel as though the only thing I can do is try and walk in their shoes, engage with others, as well as educate myself to be aware of the atrocities and inequities that exist. Yes, I have experienced racism directed towards me as an Asian, but have I ever feared for my brother or father or fiance’s life when they head out the door, to worry whether they’ll be back home safe with no encounters with the police? That’s the difference isn’t it? Our privilege to feel safe when the police is around, when a group of our community do not feel that same way.
I’ve seen a relative of mine post on Instagram about her experience on “racism”, which really, in turn, was a reflection of her own lack of self-awareness and introspection. She then continued to say how she wished for her half-Asian boys to never feel “less” for not being fully white. I rolled my eyes at it at first and then it made me angry. See? I’m angry. Again. She not only trivializes the ongoing protests against police brutality and institutional racism to her own revelations of “self-identity” and so called “struggles”, she then tries to “enlighten” her other self-absorbed Christian friends living in the Nordic bubble and followers to “pray for wisdom” and let the “holy spirit reveal the truth” about racism. What in the actual eff? I’m not a specialist in education, but I’m pretty certain this is not how you educate yourself! How about go read a book, maybe multiple books, and yes, non-goddamn-christian books because you won’t go to hell for it, OK? Seek various sources such as documentaries, articles and interviews to educate yourself. Read and listen with an open heart and a critical eye. I’m no expert either, but please stop with your incoherent sermons and get off your imaginary moral high horse.
Am I angry? Yes. Do I feel better writing it here? Yes. Do I sound vindictive? I hope not. This is just my opinion.
Let’s wind down with some peaceful Sunday morning moments below from the weekend.
Half-way through the year and what a start to the new decade.
Finished ‘When All is Said’ by Anne Griffin over the weekend and I took a moment to bid farewell to Maurice (the protagonist). I teared up a couple of times, a heart-breaking and sentimental novel.
We had helicopters and sirens blasting in the evening over the weekend. The frustration and anger, the helplessness and desperation, is palpable. Enough is enough. Justice must be served.
There needs to be awareness and education of ongoing and generational institutional and systemic racism in this country.
November is critical to rid the incompetent demagogue residing in the White House right now.
