August was a month filled with food and socials. They included a meetup with an old classmate for Hokkien Mee @ Uptown Damansara and desserts at Shugatori, a surprise birthday @ Whup Whup in SS13, a neighbour’s aqiqah baby shower and an after-dinner fruit party. I also discovered a co-working space called Nomad in SS18, attended a book launch for “Life After Miscarriage” which I co-wrote, and bought some stuff at a Baby Fair for my little sister’s little one.
In August I finally changed to a new phone, the Google Pixel 3, after five years of being on the Huawei Honor 6! What a difference it’s making. August was a month of spring cleaning, decluttering and giving away material things to the local thrift store, because less is more. The month was also Billy Howle month, as I watched “On Chesil Beach”, “The Seagull” and “Outlaw King”. And on the first-timer front, I twisted my ankle at touch rugby like a fool.
In the writing world, I embarked on the first of my three Moleskin notebooks, and in the publication world, I have many good news to share. My story “A Star Has Landed” was accepted by Nutmag Vol. 4, a local Penang zine due for launch on 13 October 2019 @ Hin Bus Depot, Penang. Come join us for readings and goodies if you’re in town! My sushi boat story “Confessions of a Sushi Boat” also went live on Kyoto Journal after many many months of waiting.
My other story “The Apparition” was also accepted by Asian-Canadian magazine Ricepaper, which published my story “The Roof Walker” a couple of years ago. I also submitted a collection of short stories to Pan Macmillan Australia for consideration, so fingers crossed on that one, and submitted “Gumball” to the National Arts Council (NAC)’s Golden Point Award 2019 based in Singapore.
In August I read four books, one fiction, one Christian non-fiction and two amazing plays! They were “Elephants Can Remember” by Agatha Christie, “Dangerous Territory: My Misguided Quest to Save the World” by Amy Peterson, “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller and “The Seagull” by Anton Chekhov.
I also embarked on a once every two days 500-word writing challenge together with a friend. We used prompts following designers who participate in Inktober, and our stories can be read on this Tumblr blog. Together with the same friend we went to see Tash Aw @ Lit Books, who came to promote his latest book “We, The Survivors”.
My August ended with a trip to Colombo, Sri Lanka with my sister and cousins. It was a trip that I wasn’t particularly looking forward to, as I’ve been busy with various commitments. However, I did not regret it one bit! With its fair share of sun, sea, surf, art history, colonial heritage and delicious food, I will be back to Sri Lanka for sure – and this time to Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella, Galle, Mirissa, Yala and more. Here’s to a great September!
Wan Phing Lim 
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