29.june.2025

Dear reader, 

It has taken about 2 years for us to begin infiltrating ourselves into the community here. And our awkward, slightly apprehensive, nonetheless eager selves, are approaching this by holding a tanabata festival. Well, our version of it. 

So for the past two weeks, we have been in full production mode. Right now, we have 3 residents here, each contributing in their own way. Lynette tucking herself in the pottery studio. Jawn, suiting up and battling the mosquitoes as he tinkers about with woodwork in the workshop. Stacy, travelling in from Tokyo to produce some screen prints, hand sewn trinkets because we are all about cute = good. I picked up embroidery as a form of destress, so if I’m able to quieten that voice of insecurity in my head, it might be up for sale too. 

That’s when the realisation hits that for the first time, we’re taking a pause on working on the house. Instead, the space now being what holds us and what we want to utilise it for - to live in and to make things we’re excited about. That from here on now, the magic experienced will be different. A new type of fairy dust sprinkled. Stories no longer feel like a log, tracking the progress as we work towards a goal. Instead, it’ll be tales of us simply existing and creating for ourselves.  

I’m not sure if it’s something you’ll continue being interested in, but I am excited to see what happens. If that sounds up your alley, I’m just going to put it out there that you’re welcome to join us in person so that you’ll be a part of it too. 

The next entry will probably be the last for this chapter. Countdown to Singapore has begun but for now, we’re hoping to set aside the usual melancholy we hold at this point of the trip. Instead, re-channeling that energy into the next weekend where it’ll be full summer mode activated. 

Bring on the kakigori in this sweltering heat of 35 degree celsius.

ash