a mini-holiday
2015 was supposed to the year I worked on photography and learnt calligraphy and watercolours.
Instead, it became the year I wrote. A LOT.
800 words for Eat This Poem. 1,400 words for Scissors Paper Pen. 5,400 words for BMA.
TOTAL published* = 11,400 words
*not including drafts, notes, words deleted or my working draft of a memoir...
All this is to say that I didn't read or write for a whole week in Melbourne.
(Ok, I lie. I wrote in my diary.)
.....
Here's what I mostly did instead.
30 December: Read a year's worth of Good Weekend and Benjamin Law columns.
(I have the best parents. THANK YOU for saving me copies.)
31 December: New Year's Eve with blood-related and adopted family. Same as previous year.
(Oh, look. It's my favourite dress. Again.)
2 January: Celebrated Mum's birthday with one of my favourite dishes yee sang, a traditional raw fish salad eaten during Chinese New Year as a symbol of abundance and prosperity.
The dish is mixed together with chopsticks by everyone at the table. The higher you lift your chopstick-ful of salad, the more luck you'll have. A little early practice for CNY on 8 February.
You can find a recipe on the SBS website.
5 January: Made char siu bao (pork buns). Mum made the good-looking ones (i.e. most of them).
(Really got in touch with my heritage this visit...)
6 January: Oh my GOSH. Jamie xx is pure genius. Going down as one of the best gigs of my lifetime. 'In Colour' was close to being my fav album but was pipped at the post by 'Art Angels'.
(The Forum Theatre was also where I went to my first ever gig. Kate Miller-Heidke, 2009.)
8 January: Made a belated birthday cake for my sunflower of a mum xoxo
I also caught up with friends I hadn't seen for close to year or in one case, in over two years!
And met two gorgeous babies for the first time xo
It was sooo lovely to not have to rush. Like I normally do.
Won't be long until I'm back for Laneway.
