#20 Mid-week Quickie: Romanticising your own life and finding excellent matcha along the way
+ Heaven Mayhem in Sydney, a long suede jacket and more Cool Girls in Real Life
Welcome to the Mid-week Quickie: a mid-week check-in with personal updates and thoughts + things I’ve seen and enjoyed of late in a (usually) quick, snappy format!
Last night, Heaven Mayhem and its founder, Pia Mance hosted an intimate evening of drinks and snacks at MyFlowerMan in Tamarama. It was chic and sweet. Their vintage inspired products (mostly accessories) strikes a balance of being timeless but of the moment. Their marketing and world building has been quite flawless and driven the rapid trajectory of the young brand’s success.
While at the event, I was talking to a new friend who is currently visiting Australia from London. She didn’t know anyone except Pia at the event and admitted if this was London, she may have skipped the event altogether due to the idea of turning up solo. We talked about how when we’re travelling, we’re understandably more adventurous, more in the mood to just say yes and see where it takes us. That’s where magic happens and memories are made.
I told her I always fall into the trap of doing the same thing at home in Sydney but whenever I travel, I am in full explorer mode, making the most of the time in a new place. But expanding my horizons shouldn’t only be reserved for holidays and travelling. Now I’m trying, at least once a week, to venture out in my own city and visit an area, cafe, store etc that I’ve been wanting to look at.
I did that on Monday. After an appointment in the city, I visited two places I’d had on my list for a while. First stop was Parami. I wanted to try their onigiri and coffee. I ate and did some work - and the change of scenery really helped with my productivity. After about 2 hours there, I completed a job I needed to submit and set about locating the next location. This is exactly what I’d do if I was travelling in a different city.
Chubby Cubby was my next stop of the day. I’m always hunting for great matcha. I ordered their strawberry matcha; it was one of the best matchas I’ve ever had and it made my day.
This outing was so nice and refreshing. I found some new places I loved and can’t wait to return to. I also got work done in the process. I came home feeling so fulfilled and thrilled; a great outcome for any day, but especially a Monday.
Ultimately, I’m sharing this because 1) I plan to keep doing things like this and 2) it’s very important to romanticise your own life. It’s up to you and no one else.
It’s also made me realise I need to do a guide on my favourite places in Sydney - let me know if you’re interested in that?
And if you missed it, I made an updated Melbourne guide for paid subscribers:
Gems of Melbourne - an updated guide
Fresh off an 8 day trip in Melbourne, I thought it would be fun to share some of the highlights across food, shopping, must do’s from this visit (and a few others in the last year). I’m sharing my favourite vintage/secondhand offerings (and what I bought!), concept stores, pastry spots, must-have matcha, delicious lunches, dinners, burgers, sandwiches.
FASHION/STYLE
Cool Girls in Real Life
This is becoming a habit that I’m really into - but this past week I spotted some more very cool, well dressed ladies in the real world.
A very cool girl I discovered on social media is Atiya Walcott. She starts every video she posts saying, “I’m Atiya Walcott. I’m incredibly fashionable and let’s get dressed together,” and the girl does not LIE. Her style is 10/10 and her video production is unique and eye-catching.
I follow her across TikTok and Instagram but only recently found her YouTube. In her most recent video she details her approach to uniform dressing (very helpful) and she also explains she has a degree in film production - which explains why her videos are so well-made! Atiya is well worth a follow.
Speaking of YouTube - has anyone else noticed Emma Chamberlain has posted a video the last three Sunday’s in a row? After years of either ghosting us, or sporadic posting at best on the platform that made her famous, Emma is feeding us again! I love her approach to video creation. Her editing has always been epic and while her video style is a bit more subtle these days, it’s still funny, interesting and quirky.
Emma has also just been cast in a movie called Forbidden Fruits alongside, Lola Tung (I keep forgetting we’re getting season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), Lili Reinhart and Victoria Pedretti. I am not surprised Emma has made this career move. She’s a gem. I’m excited to see how this pans out for her.
Clothes
I fear I may have found the perfect long suede coat! It’s from Ena Pelly and it’s in a perfect toffee shade. I sized up so it would be extra roomy for a layer or two when the temperature drops (can this happen soon please!?).
New Zealand brand, Commonplace Essentials sent me some pieces from their new collection. I wore the polo as soon as I opened the package. Given my very casual personal style, I can tell these pieces will be what I reach for on the regular.
I’ve previously shared hunt for the perfect blue shirt. COS seemed to deliver quickest on this front so I visited their Sydney Martin Place store to explore their offering (I ended up purchasing this one). While there I simply had to investigate some of the new collection. Here are some highlights:
More Smooth Brain Thoughts soon.
Ali xx
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Love this! Reminds me of the Misugaru Korean multigrain latte recipe I adapted from tranquil NYC café DAE for easy home brewing!
check it out:
https://thesecretingredient.substack.com/p/get-dae-cafes-recipe-misugaru-latte
Yes to feeling comfortable adventuring in your own city!!!