5th October, 2026

What am I working on?

Made more flowers using pipe cleaners :)

I'm currently working on a packaging design commission. In between that, I wanted to declutter my mind and I ended by making this quick sketch

What am I reading?

I read Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët. This book is unsettling to its core. And do not be fooled by its fairy tale-esque start - a prince courting a princess. For a fleeting moment you will feel like stepping into a beautiful world. The gruesomeness starts from that very scene. I am finding it difficult to put into words what I just read because it is less about plot and more about the unease it creates. It is a story about thumbelina like creatures that come out of a dead girl’s body and are left in the wilderness to survive. I have so many questions that were left unanswered - who was the girl, how did she die, who were these creatures, why were they living inside her? Maybe the author wanted us to piece the story together ourselves and sit with the discomfort of never knowing.

Aurora, the protagonist, takes the lead in trying to help everyone come together. She arranges food and accommodation, unites everyone, tries to befriend the neighboring animals. All seems to be under control but as cruelty in the community comes to surface, Aurora’s kindness is taken for granted. Her generosity is exploited until she is forced to adapt in order to survive. Death, people betray and kill others - it is horrific but life goes on as if nothing happened.

What makes this graphic disturbing is the contrast between form and content. The watercolor illustrations are gorgeous, filled with beautifully designed foliage, soft colours, and pretty character designs. Visually, it resembles a children’s storybook. But, it is a story of survival, power, revenge and the death of innocence. My partner always tells me not everyone is sweet and soft like you are - you need to toughen up in this world. Aurora’s journey felt like a dark embodiment of that idea - she is changed not because she wanted to but because she had to.

Gruesome, unsettling and left me disturbed.

What am I watching/watched recently?

I started watching this anime series called The Spy Family. It has 3 seasons, I am only midway through the 1st one and I am so hooked.

The story follows a secret agent who is tasked with a mission to preserve world peace. He has to do the most difficult thing he has done in his career - not to infiltrate the enemy territory, not to undergo an arduous training to fight, but to pretend to be a family man. He ends up adopting a little girl Anya (who can read minds) and fakes marriage with Lor (who is an assassin). Best part? None of them know the true identities of each other. Funny, quick 20-25 mins episodes, with a bonus of many wholesome moments. Oh dear, how I love Anya.

New thing I learnt lately?

Between February '23 and January '24, global temperatures surpassed 1.5°C across the full year for the first time. Despite years of warnings, the world's largest emitters are still not cutting emissions fast enough to alter the trajectory of warming and there are island nations facing the consequences. Tuvalu is a small country in the Pacific Ocean made up of nine coral islands and is facing a crisis where it may no longer be habitable. Sea level rise caused by climate change is eating away at its shores. Faced with an existential crisis, they are

• Relocating: In 2023, a treaty between Tuvalu and Australia was signed to allow for the migration of 280 Tuvaluans each year. They will be given new visas which will allow them to live, work and study in Australia.

• Reclaiming: The government is also spending millions of dollars on land reclamation through a coastal adaptation project.

• And the most interesting one, reimagining: what will the world look like after? As the physical reality of the nation is gradually vanishing, the government is building a digital copy of the country. It is backing up everything from its houses to its beaches to its trees to its culture (by asking its citizens to contribute). A complete country on the cloud? Current international law is not suited to countries facing loss of territory and habitat due to climate change. This was the step take to preserve its statehood and maritime boundaries.

  See this video by Tuvalu's Foreign Affairs Minister, Simon Kofe.

Does this mean we have accepted the fate of Tuvalu or is it a warning to the world of what is at stake if we fail to act together on climate change?