Sometimes one needs a change. You’ve got to switch things up and move things around. Start afresh. Doing the same thing over and over again gets repetitive. You feel like you’re stuck, that you’re stagnating, and that you’ve lost the momentum to move forward.

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPIH) in the US. It’s been a month of reflection for me in the recent years – taking stock of the strides made, the steps backwards, taking a look at the past, what’s next, and taking an in-depth look at myself.

For a while, I’ve felt this stuck – stagnant, especially when it comes to my blog. Creatively, I’ve felt stuck. I’ve pretty much been putting out the same content month after month and it’s left me feeling like I don’t really have anything to bring to the table, that I’m not creating anything of worth. It’s not a great feeling, to be honest, and it’s something that I want to move past and be creative again.

So this month I won’t be musing about the books I’ve read, but reflecting on everything that’s happened during this month – the books I read, the TV shows and movies I’ve watched, the podcasts I listened to, and anything else that comes to mind.

I hope you’ll continue on this journey with me as I try to figure all this (a.k.a. life) out.

Books

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang – This romance novel had been on my radar even before its debut last year, and I had been holding off from reading it for a while because I was nervous. I really wanted to love this book, and after finally reading it, I can say that it surpassed all my expectations. I loved this book. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, I loved the care and attention that Helen Hoang put into creating this book. I really identified with the hero Michael and the struggles he goes through throughout the book. I think a lot of people of East Asian descent – especially Chinese/Vietnamese descent can relate to the family dynamic that Helen perfectly portrayed in this novel. This book now sits in my top 10 favourite romance novels. (Also I’m really excited to see Michael’s five sisters get their own individual novels in the future. YAY Helen and Berkley!!)

All You Can Never Know by Nicole Chung – I could not put this book down once I started reading it. Not only is Nicole a brilliant writer, but I was also completely enraptured by this story – a story of discovery, identity, of reconciling with ones past, ones present, and one’s future, and one of family. The movement between Nicole’s past and present weaved this tapestry throughout the book and one that created this fevered hope that her story would turn out okay, that she would discover what she was looking for or a part of it. This is a beautiful book and one that I think everyone should read.

For the Dukes Eyes Only by Lenora Bell – This was arguably the most fun book I read this month. Think The Mummy meets Lara Croft meets MI5 meets historical romance and this book is its baby. Indy and Daniel are really memorable characters. Honestly, the chemistry between these two leaps right off the page. If you’re looking for a fun, exciting historical romance, this is the book for you.

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian – This was my first Cat Sebastian novel and I was blown away by it. The mastery that Cat intertwined the characters, the storyline, and the setting were just amazing. I’m trying to read more LGBTQ+ romance novels and this book just really opened my eyes to the world of LGBTQ+ historical romances. I can’t wait to read more of Cat’s novel and more LGBTQ+ romances. (Give me your recs if you’ve got any!)

TV & Movies

Lucifer returned for its fourth season on Netflix and I’ve loved every episode I’ve seen so far. This show is such a delight and I’m so glad that it got picked up for a fourth season. I hope it gets a fifth. (PS: they totally cast the character of Eve perfectly!!!)

RIP Whiskey Cavalier. You were my midweek show of choice. The show that got me through the rest of the week. You were fun, trope-y as hell, and just such a brilliant little nugget of a show. You took us all around Europe, had a cool bar safehouse, and some pretty great characters. You created a dynamic little show that I will greatly miss.

Always Be My Maybe comes out on Netflix today (Friday, May 31, 2019). GO WATCH IT!!!

Podcasts

The perennial favourite, Call Your Girlfriend continues to reign supreme in my podcast listening. I’ve been listening to Ann, Amina, and Gina since this podcast first started so many years ago. They’ve consistently created content that I love to listen to and learn from. I look forward to every Friday when a new episode drops and this month has been no different.

A new addition to my podcast line-up is Show Your Work from gossip extraordinaire Lainey Liu and Duana Taha. I just love listening to these ladies breakdown what it means to show your work, especially when it comes to celebrities and pop culture. Check it out if you haven’t already.

Special mention goes to NPR’s Code Switch episode featuring Samin Nostrat – the mind behind the cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat and the Netflix TV show of the same name. This was a really great episode.

Anything Else

I’ve recently gotten into enamel pins. I’ve gotten quite a few over the past month, starting off with Jen Bartel’s newest pins on her shop and a number that I picked up after visiting a few cons. I’m currently debating getting a new bag so I can display my pins on. I love pins.

Purple hair. I recently cut my hair short again and dyed it purple. Purple is really the last colour on the colour wheel that I haven’t explored when it comes to hair colour and something I’d been contemplating for a while. It’s been a fun change and I’m looking forward to seeing my purple change tonally over the next few weeks.

That’s it, that’s all for the month of May.

Thanks for reading!