☕ Volume 1: Pages, Places, and New Beginnings
Welcome to the very first monthly digest! If you’ve been here a while, you know this space started as a cozy corner purely for book reviews. But as a journalist and visual storyteller, I’ve been craving a place to share the rest of my world with you, too.
Going forward, this monthly letter will be a digital scrapbook of everything inspiring me right now: the books I can’t put down, Films I have seen, the moments I’ve captured through my lens, and the places I'm wandering. Grab something warm to drink, and let's dive in.
📖 The Reading Nook
some of my new book!
My top recommendations from this month's reading stack.
1. A midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwowldang by Lee Onhwa
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Vibe: Cozy Night Owl
Thoughts: I Picked this book as my first march read, As soon as I started I felt, a deep empathy for the main character and that feeling only grew for the rest of the characters that were introduced. Even though this is a short book, it has a very moving deeper meaning and at the right moment can also become a tear jerker! There’s nothing like a book that makes you travel into a warm cozy bakery and by the end of it you feel just a little bit more grateful for everything you have in your life. The best way I can describe this book is “Lo-Fi Hip Hop .. Type of book” Smooth, and comforting.
2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Vibe: High Stakes, Must safe the world, Interstellar vibe!
Thoughts: I Have a full book review up so go check that out instead! I just highly recommend this book!!
Currently Reading: We’ll Prescribe you a cat by Syou Ishida
🎥The Screening Room
My favorite cinematic escape from this month.
Project Hail Mary (Directed by Phil Lord, Chris Miller) The Vibe: [High stakes, Intersellar, forever friendship] Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why I Loved It: This was the first time I had gone to the movies by myself. Even though i was completely out of my comfort zone, this film was worth every second! I wont spoil it, but one of the key things about this film is that you get to feel every emotion, you go through a roller coaster of unknowns and get the warmest hugs with the characters interactions that will leave you wanting for more!
The Perfect Pairing: Of course I got my usual, small popcorn, Jet chocolate bar, some fries with mayo and ketchup and a big coke zero! Extra sodium for me plz!!
Also Watched This Month: This month I watched a lot of animated films, Shrek 2 and 3, cars 2 and Whispers of the heart
TV Series: Love story, The Pitt, Phantom Lawyer, Sakamoto Days and Pursuit of Jade!
So far I recommend: The Pitt to everyone! Phantom Lawyer for some heartwarming mystery style K-drama!
📷 Through the Viewfinder
A mini photo-essay from this month's camera roll.
A little bit of my life lately: Sunday mornings with Shiro! 🐾 I also included some highlights from a birthday brunch with friends and a sweet update on Casper, the stray I’ve been looking after! He is already gaining some weight and is less skittish around me!!
🗺️ Out of Bounds
Travel diaries, local explorations, and lifestyle thoughts.
Orlando Florida: This is how I prep for a trip that involves a lot of walking.
Even though Temprie does most of the actual trip planning, I plan our necessities. It is important for me to make a detailed list of things we might need, from the smallest headache pill to obnoxious amounts of hand sanitizer. No matter how many times I have done this exact trip, there is always something new we can get to make it a tad easier on us. So here is a list of my essentials and Temprie's (even if he doesn’t say he needs them, he always ends up using them).
☀️ The Survival Essentials
Sun Protection: High-SPF sunscreen and UV-protection hats.
Rash Cream: A non-negotiable. Even if it stays in the bag, it’s a trip-saver. Walking 30k steps with a rash is a nightmare!!
Mini Fan: Even if Temprie says he doesn’t need it, He’ll be thanking me when we are in a never ending line, surrounded by people in 90 degree weather!
Purell Hand Sanitizer: We carry obnoxious amounts of this! I used to only use the scented ones but Temprie taught me that clean hands are better than pretty-smelling ones!
🎒 Bag & Organization
The Main Carry: A comfortable crossbody or a small, lightweight backpack.
The "Quick-Access" Hook: A small coin purse clipped to the outside of the bag for high-frequency items:
Chapstick, meds, and Band-Aids.
Liquid Stevia and sunscreen.
Mini Bags: cloth pouches to keep the main compartment organized:
Tech: Chargers and AirPods.
Personal Care: Feminine necessities and a minimal makeup touch-up kit.
🧴 Skincare Strategy
The Overnight Hydration Trick: Skip the sticky feeling of daytime lotion. Instead, slather on body lotion right before bed. Your skin drinks it up overnight, leaving you moisturized and ready for the next day!
Toiletries: All the daily basics in travel sizes.
For me, it is super important having a stable bag, not a droopy one (like Temprie likes), because this way I can easily hook my water bottle to it or hook shopping bags and other things, and it won't pull down.
I got this cross body bag from amazon, it fit all my essentials and even my camera and phone. It has a good strap in which i can hang my water bottle too!
This last trip, I got some foot masks for the pain, and even though I only used it once, it truly made such a difference!! It wasn’t cheap, tbh, but it has some cooling creams that numb up your feet and get them ready for the next day. This is a great solution if you are staying in a room that doesn’t have a bathtub that you can soak your swollen feet in.
I have so many travel tips. I feel like I am a seasoned traveler at this point of my life, having traveled into multiple countries and continents, and also traveling every weekend for 3 months straight. I have the order of everything set in stone, haha. I like to make my packing as efficient as possible to make it easier on me while solo traveling!
Where I'm wandering next month: Next month, I am probably wandering to a couple of book shops and hopefully coffee shops too! I want to push myself to go out on solo dates more often.
Thank you for being here and for embracing this new chapter of the blog with me. I would love to hear what you are reading this month or if you have any adventures planned! Drop a comment below and let's chat.
Until next time, Pawxpi
