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2026年11月1日

Things I obsessed with in October 2026

learning how to get better at cooking and adding baby corn to any kind of dish because now I can and why not
making animations on Procreate
solo thrifting at Second Street
playing Studio Ghibli music on my new piano
mango boom smoothie from Heytea
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (I know I’m late here but whatever)
wearing headbands
playing New York Times games before bed (specifically Strands, Letter Boxed and Wordle)
ebi miso tsukemen from Mensho Tokyo
having dinner at 5pm like a retired grandma, which honestly sounds like a pretty good life
singing You’re So Vain on my guitar
Carrie by Mike Flanagan

Apart from the pumpkin carving tradition Pat and I are doing for the second year in a row, I haven’t really done much to welcome the spooky and cozy vibes of October

I remember in October 2023, I was in London for work and became obsessed with ordering pumpkin spice lattes. Do I actually like the taste? Not that much. I don’t even like latte coffee, I’m a black coffee girlie (that’s the one thing I naturally got right while pursuing my mysterious woman persona, which obviously I fell for)

Anyway, the point is I just love the idea of having a drink that’s only available for one specific month of the year. I remember running to Starbucks at night to order one because it was the last day of the seasonal menu

People on the internet kept talking about the October theory, where they believe October is the pivot point of the year and people experience this wave of transformation. That year, my wave was kinda huge. It changed the way I looked at the global art community and where I wanted to position myself in it (but we may talk about this more closely next time)

Looking back now, almost every October something new, weird or abnormal kinda happens to me, someway somehow. Even my menstrual cycle acts weird only in October! Like what! It’s giving witchy vibes (which I don’t hate)

I feel more cozy and less spooky in October this year. I feel like since last year, I’ve been entering this new weird climate of my life where things are calmer and less of a roller coaster. It took me a while to learn that life can offer me a different kind of ride, like I jumped off that roller coaster and now I’m on a grandpa’s yellow Beetle, moving slowly, quite steadily and surprisingly not getting bored at all!

I’m getting more used to being a lady in her 30s, and I feel confident and refreshed by it. I feel like I’m slowly becoming a person I can live with, which is nice because we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.

I make art quite a lot, but somehow it feels like I’m working less. I feel no guilt when I’m not working, which is rare in this capitalist world where most of my artist friends are juggling making art that means something to them with finding creative ways to feed the TikTok and Instagram Reels machine.

It’s a strange job, being an artist. You spend hours alone making things up, then occasionally have to explain what you’ve been doing to the world.

I’m privileged and super lucky, and I know it. I just finished my biggest solo exhibition and whoa.. one of the journalists asked how many solo shows I’ve had by now, and I genuinely couldn’t remember. I guess this is what getting old feels like, when even your own career has been going on long enough for you to lose count.

Still, every time I show my work, I feel a little insecure, anxious, excited, grateful and proud, just like the first time. I don’t know how long I’ll get to keep doing this, but I hope it’s for a very long time.

This month we went to China, Guangzhou and Yangshuo, for 10 days. It was my third time in China and I finally managed to use Alipay and got used to ordering food and almost everything thru my phone

Every time I go to China, it feels different. What impressed me most this time was the Chinese people’s sense of belonging in public spaces. I was surprised by how much greenery there was, all the public parks and spaces, and how you could literally see all kinds of locals finding their own ways to enjoy their time in the park

I saw cats playing around, kids playing, teenagers doing serious photoshoots for TikTok or whatever Chinese social media platforms they use (the photoshoot culture there is on a whole different level compared to anything I’ve experienced anywhere else), aunties dancing in groups and, my absolute favorite, grandpas and grandmas singing karaoke loudly in small groups all over the parks.

It all felt so normal and natural, such a simple way to enjoy the day

Though if you know me, you know I’m not a fan of Chinese politics (actually the opposite) but for a moment right there, damn, China was truly serving cozy vibes

Yangshuo was also very unique. The hiking routes were beautiful, and I’d never seen so many unique mountains like that before. There were a few Instagrammable attractions intentionally created for tourists, but we still managed to find some quiet areas close to nature to explore and stroll around

One of my favorite spots was a quiet pier close to a temple, where there was a small old shelter that we climbed into to get a view of the river. It’s always such a magical feeling to experience the culture, sky and sunlight from another corner of the world

I painted this inspired by that specific spot hopefully I could finish the piece by November