Before I went to Yakushima, I went online to look for some itineraries for inspiration. I quickly realised that most of the online itineraries were based around hiking, which is great if you’re a hiker but not so great if you’re me and only planning some beginner-level hikes/walks. In the end, I decided to just… Read More My 2D1N Itinerary for Yakushima
I’m finally back with my World of Genji project research! This isn’t strictly about Heian Japan, but it is about the relationship between Japanese and Chinese culture, which is one of the things that I want to look at. Although the title specifically mentions China and Japan, the history of these creatures covers a few… Read More Creatures Real and Imaginary in Chinese and Japanese Art by Walther G. Von Krenner
I bought this tea for a very shallow reason: I liked the name. In my defence, I really do love books and it is so hard to resist anything that combines two of my favourite hobbies (see also: books about tea. I’m definitely going to be A Thirst for Empire sometime in the future). I’ve… Read More Tea Review: Book Lover by Karel Capek
After reading Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession, I decided that I should read one of Alison Weir’s nonfiction books ASAP, before I forget that I wanted to do so (so many books on my TBR list are languishing there because I did not read them ASAP). Katherine Swynford sounded interesting, especially since I know nothing… Read More Katherine Swynford by Alison Weir
Since I’ve started learning about tea, I’ve been focusing mostly on the tea leaves. But I’ve recently started on a tea-adjacent path: teaware. Teaware has been something that I’ve been wanting to get into for some time, but never dared to take the first step because there were just too. many. choices. Let me introduce… Read More Start of Something New
I saw this in the Heathrow bookstore, but since I was running low on pounds, I decided to just note it down and read it later. Well, it’s later and I’ve read the book. The Stranger Diaries is a crime novel set in the English countryside. Clare Cassidy lives a fairly uneventful life as a… Read More The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
Because I’ve started writing about the libraries I frequent, I’ve started wondering about some of the changes that I’ve seen – for example, why are the information desks gone? The Remaking of Singapore’s Public Libraries provides an answer to that, and many other, questions as it tells the “story of how “Singapore’s public libraries have… Read More SingLib: The Remaking of Singapore’s Public Libraries by Hong Xingyi
Before we got to Yakushima, we had to make a pretty big decision: were we going to drive, or were we going to take the bus? My friends, who previously visited, had taken a private tour and that was something that wasn’t in our budget. It was pretty close, but since we wanted some flexibility… Read More Driving around Yakushima
I heard about this book from Tim Harford’s blog and was immediately intrigued because… I like rest but I also like creativity. And now that I’ve got a bit more time thanks to the fact that I’m lowering my handphone use, I’m also looking to see if there any changes I can make to have… Read More Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
When I saw this book, I thought the author’s names looked familiar. As it turns out, I actually read another book by them – The Story of Tea – last year. I’ve definitely learnt a lot since then, so I decided to read this and see if my opinions on their opinions of tea would… Read More The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss
