My View on Friendship at 28

Happy International Friendship Day, everyone! Did you know it was today? I thought today I would talk a little bit about my thoughts and feelings around friendship. Recently, I realised that my view on friendship has shifted dramatically. I used to be so pragmatic on friendship, which has stressed me out on more than one occasions. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I was exposed to several views on this topic like I had never known before—and it opened my mind. You see, friendship has always eluded me—I never really quite know what to do about it. Friends often make me feel greatly insecure and doubt myself in more ways than one—whether they realise it or not. I daresay I feel much more secure in romantic relationships than I do in friendships. Lately, though, I feel immensely different about it. No, I'm not cured of my insecurities or suddenly flooded with thousands of friends. I just feel a little more relaxed about being friends with people. Well, here are ten of my top thoughts on friendship. Enjoy!

Airing Out Grievances

Zero Waste 3 Ways: Menstrual Products

 

When it comes to the zero waste lifestyle, I think a lot of people have their reservations, particularly women with their menstrual periods. If I have a nickel for every time someone asks me about the menstrual cup—which, by the way, I had actually gone into full detail here. The thing is, it's a deeply personal process, in which there shouldn't be any right or wrong, just personal preference. The good news is, however, there are a few other options to go for, when it comes to menstrual products. If one isn't to your liking, you can always pick a different method—anything that would keep as much trash out of the landfills would be nice. Unlike something extra like straws or deodorant, menstrual products are practically essential to women's lives—so trial and error may be more frustrating than you think. Lucky for you, I've got your back 😉 I've tried three zero-waste menstrual products, so you don't have to. Let me walk you through my review of them so far.

3 WAYS: Sapodilla Soy Dessert Jar

If you don't know, sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) is a fruit native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbeans. It got introduced to the Philippines during the Spanish colonisation and has since spread all across South and Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, specifically, you might know it better as sawo. It is best known in the phrase 'sawo matang' that compares the fruit's colour to the deeply-tanned skin colour of typical Indonesian. It shapes like a kiwi—minus the hairy peel—and the flesh is similar to that of figs. And—guess what?—it tastes like chocolate! No, not cocoa, but actual fully processed chocolate. Not going to lie: this recipe didn't actually pan out the way I wanted it to—it was supposed to be a mousse. However, the taste—in my opinion—is still pretty good and I don't see why I should scrape this recipe. Also, mousse is a European dessert, which is no way to treat a tropical fruit. So dessert jar it is! Here are 3 ways how you may customise it to your own taste.

TBR: Midyear Never-Forget Pile

Uh-oh, guys, I've got a real problem here: I've gone crazy with the book purchasing for the first half of the year! 😱 My TBR pile is stocking up, yet I couldn't keep my eyes and hands off books at bookstores—used and new. Today I thought I'd pile up books that I haven't flip through yet, so I'll remember exactly how many books are waiting for me at home. These are books I bought recently—I've gone on a crazy binge, y'all!—and one from last year. But they exclude the ones from this post—a few of which I have yet to touch as well. Although there's no theme to the books I pick, most of these books have been sitting on my TBR for years, and I'm glad to be able to finally find them—secondhand too! Without further ado, here are the books in my TBR for the rest of the year.