Saving the Memories

Hi,

Another midnight brain dump from me, mostly because I want to capture these memories before they quietly slip away. Honestly, I just think it’s so fun to record my days so I can read them back later. Imagine scrolling through all of this when I’m fifty years old? At least I’ll still remember who my real friends were, what my absolute favorite snacks were at this age, and how I managed to squeeze in a little joy between adulting.

It’s wild looking back at older entries and seeing how much I've changed, physically, emotionally, and every way in between. I started out as a carefree twenty-something writing about literally everything under the sun, and now I’m a mom of two trying to balance a full-blown career. These days, I’m a lot more selective about what I share. Sometimes a whole lot happens in a week, but I prefer to keep the private moments just for me and my inner circle, only sharing the cozy highlights here.

There you go. Even my little life update took two whole paragraphs to get started. 😂

Anyway, the real reason I wanted to write today is to talk about my ultimate weakness: food adventures while traveling.

Here’s a fun fact about me: I am notoriously careful with my money. I’m not a luxury handbag person, I don’t wear makeup, I don't buy fancy designer clothes, and I don't collect expensive things. There are genuinely only two things in this world I will happily spend my hard-earned money on: travels and really good food.

So, if you ever wonder where all my extra money goes (after paying all the boring adult bills we all share), it's right there. Someone says, "Hey, let's fly to Jakarta next month?" I will say yes before I even open my calendar app to check if I’m free. Someone says, "Let's try that new restaurant in town!" My shoes are already on.

When I’m traveling or catching up with friends who share this exact same obsession, we always order a mountain of food just so we can try everything on the menu. That’s the best part of dining out with a group, you get to taste a little bit of everything!

Take my recent food stops, for example. I’ve been dying to try Din by Din Tai Fung. Back home in Penang, the local version is non-halal, so finding the halal version felt like hitting the jackpot. We had an absolute feast. Since I am a massive fan of Chinese comfort food, I loved every single thing we ordered: the smoky, wok-hei fried rice, the juicy soupy dumplings, the crisp sesame greens, name it, and I loved it.

Then, I tried some proper traditional Korean food. Not the instant cup ramen or generic chain-store kimchi you get everywhere, but the real, soulful, deep-flavored kind. You can honestly taste the difference when it's made the traditional way.

And of course, Japanese food is always a safe bet when you want to treat yourself. I tried Lucky Kong for the first time, and their street-food-style menu was incredible. It only made me want to visit Japan even more to eat my way through every street market they have. I am putting that out into the universe right now, manifesting it hard. One day!

Okay, I'll stop rambling before this turns into a full cookbook. Just a random, happy brain dump for today. I hope reading this gave you a smile (or at least made you hungry).😉

Till the next update. Have a fantastic weekend. Bye! 💕