4th May, 2026

What am I working on?

Made a doodle of the back of disk called 'The Sounds of Earth' that is kept in Voyager 1. This was a surprise for my partner :)

What am I reading?

Reading A Map to the Sun was a whole experience—it’s the first comic I’ve encountered that builds itself around sports while delving into the relationships within a team. The story follows five girls whose lives intertwine on and off the basketball court. Each carries her own emotional burden: the loss of a parent, the weight of a sibling’s addiction, or the struggle against rigid beauty standards. Through the game, they attempt to confront these challenges, even if not every problem is resolved.

And perhaps that’s the point Sloan Leong wants us to take away—life doesn’t neatly tie itself up, but it keeps moving forward. What struck me most, though, was the use of color. The vibrant palette breathes character into the book, amplifying the emotions and giving it a distinctive feel.

What am I watching/watched recently?

I watched Little Amelie this weekend, and what a delight it was! Every scene feels was thoughtfully crafted—the composition, the colors, and the characters all work together to draw us into Amelie’s little world. She is a newly born girl who believes she is God, convinced the universe revolves around her. Unhinged, curious, moody and eager to explore.

Her relationship with Nishiko-san, the family’s help, becomes the emotional core of the film; how it evolves and comes to a point where they have to part ways.

One moment that stayed with me was when Nishiko-san narrates the story of war stealing her family, all while cooking. The scene conveys something so tragic without resorting to graphic imagery—it’s a masterclass in how to depict horror through subtlety.

New thing I learnt lately?

When I read about Ube being the next matcha, I got reminded of my recent vacation to Philippines where I first tasted the ube coffee and ube ice cream! What tells us if an ingredient has become viral?

The food industry often tracks ingredient trends using the Menu Adoption Cycle (MAC), which measures two key factors:

• Penetration analysis: how widely an ingredient appears across restaurant menus; usually follows this journey - Inception>Adoption>Proliferation>Ubiquity

• Trend growth: the rate of increase in menu mentions over time.

Ube’s trajectory

• In the US, ube has grown 230% on menus in the past four years.

• As of April 2026, ube is officially in the Adoption stage of MAC. This means it has moved beyond experimental use in boutique restaurants and is now embraced by major chains like Starbucks. It’s becoming a recognizable flavor in everyday dining, much like matcha did before it.