Stacey Nguyen 
I recently watched a Vogue video with Alexa Chung talking about quietly slipping into the Met Gala last minute in a modest Christian Siriano gown and no longer needing to be the person who creates the loudest noise. In the winter years of my 20s, that’s been my prevailing mentality: not needing to center myself … Read more
I’m telling everyone that I’m in my Vietnamese grandpa era. These days, I’ve been into flannel shirts, clogs, multi-pocketed cargo pants, and wide-brimmed fishing hats—things that made up my late grandpa’s go-to outfit on his flea market ventures. Fact: These also happen to be the perfect clothes for gardening because they’re as protective as they … Read more
Do you ever think about the patriarchy and get your fists balled up a little? My past two reads, Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Bodies and Other Parties and Linda Holmes Flying Solo, couldn’t be more different in concept, but I’d say that both of them push against the cishetero-patriarchal notion of womanhood. I’ve been familiar … Read more
Hey, guess who just got *rooted*? I’m a thrifty gal, and I don’t usually seek out uncommon plants. Most of my plant collection comes from pure serendipity as I encounter cool picks from nurseries, flea markets, and grocery stores. BUT, I’ll occasionally do a little bit of fancy foliage shopping online, especially when I’m feeling … Read more
Ross and Rachel. Sam and Diane. J.D. and Elliot. Me and prayer plants. Prayer plants and I have the most on-and-off relationship ever because I cannot resist their gorgeous patterned leaves no matter how much pain they cause me down the line. They get crispy leaves. They can’t handle direct light. They need a boatload … Read more
Plant Kween, AKA Christopher Griffin, is easily one of my favorite plant personalities. They’re so joyful and warm and playful; their personality pops off the screen and instantly brightens up my Instagram feed with each post. Not only do they bring plant care back to self and community care, but they’re also a creative and … Read more
I’m back again with a fragrance recommendation list because my vanilla perfumes post was surprisingly a hit! Anyway, I first got into perfumes the first summer of the pandemic. Because no one was actively smelling me up, it was truly a hobby for my own pleasure to freshen up my personal bubble. The sweats and … Read more
Hi, it’s been a long time since I’ve properly updated this blog (other than the Junji Ito blog post!) — I’ve been reading a ton of great books lately, and I think you should check them out. Outside of work, I’ve been taking things slow but devouring books like a little Junji Ito nematode demon. … Read more
Despite being a huge Junji Ito fan, I put off reading Tomie because I wasn’t quite sure if I’d like it. Would it just be a concrete block’s worth of gratuitous gendered violence and a tired femme fatale trope? (It’s a giant book.) After working through this collection, I think that might be a limited … Read more
I have a confession: I am downright terrible with calatheas and ferns. Abysmal. Give me a calathea, and it will be a crispy, dried-up mess in about one month’s time. But perhaps the darker confession is that I’ve been finding myself drawn to calatheas more and more lately. And so because I live in an … Read more
