Open-hearted joys 開開心心 54

It’s been a rainy ol’ fortnight in England, and thus most of my personal gratitude lists read as though they’re straight from autumn. But the sun will shine again and I’m always ready for cosy days indoors, especially after some busier weeks. I also had a bit of an impromptu break from the blog – and social media – after our Berlin trip. This tends to happen when I have any sort of offline time: I don’t want to return, quite frankly. But the blog-writing inspiration should hit me again soon. Until then, my book manuscript is getting plenty of love.

There’s a lot to be said for appreciating the smaller, not necessarily finer, details of the everyday mundane. Here’s to another list of petite, open-hearted joys, the moments that’ve brought and woven poetry to my days, this fortnight:

一. Seeing new flowers grow on my tomato and courgette plants!

二. Cosy evenings indoors, reading and listening to my & Chai candle crackle away while the rain hammers down outside.

三. Returning to my beloved long-form journal. It feels good to be in (and out) of my head.

四. The Barbie movie! I went to see it at the cinema with my sister and we absolutely LOVED it, despite the lack of East Asian Barbie representation. America Ferrera’s speech though.

五. The roasted vegetables with lemon-and-coriander couscous lunch I’ve made all week. So delicious, simple and filling!

六. Continuing to support my favourite creators via Twitch, Patreon and Ko-fi! Original creativity means more than ever these days and a little goes a long way when it comes to supporting one another.

七. Welcoming a new dog to the family! My brother and his fiancée adopted a rescue last weekend and it has been incredibly exciting around these parts for the Chai family.

八. A mid-week dinner catch-up with a friend.

九. Date night with my boyfriend after busy, stressful weeks.

十. Finishing up a feature at work that I’m particularly proud of. I think that’s a big part of why the blog has been quiet lately: I’m pouring all of my best work and creative juices into my day job and I have little extra to give (for once). If you’re interested, I manage all of our editorial and essential copy at Stella McCartney. Welcome to Stella’s World!


What are some small joys from your life lately?

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