hot girls have allergies

climate change, astronauts in prada, and more space tech.

Hiiii! It’s my third week in Chiang Mai, Thailand and I’ve settled into a routine of coffee and som tum. How are you my dear reader? x

Lately, I’ve found myself drawn to musicians who write and sing their own music. There’s a lot of music I listen to purely for their musicality, but it hits differently when rawness and truth infuse the work. This week, I’ve played “Birds of a Feather” on repeat, along with beabadoobee’s two albums, “Beatopia” and “This is How Tomorrow Moves.”

I’m almost finished with the online course I promised to make nearly nine months ago. So many little edits, and it will be birthed to a bunch of embedded engineers soon (twiddles thumbs).

Also, you may or may not have noticed the identity crisis my newsletter is having. It’s closely mirroring my life at the moment:

“who am I now? a writer? a founder? a course creator? does it count if I’m not paid for it…yet?”

I thought I was done self-actualizing in my 20s, but it never ends, and that’s the fun in it right?…RIGHT? :D

This week, I’ve gone down a rabbit hole thinking about how we’re all connected, to everything, to each other, to this planet.

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I’m hot and itchy

One of the bigger reasons I’m traveling is to escape the horrid hay fever season in Australia. If you don’t have allergies, you may not understand how dreadful pollen can be—I didn’t either until a few years ago. I was blissfully unaware of how our bodies are constantly working to keep us alive and healthy, just doing the “right” thing.

I never had seasonal allergies until I moved to Melbourne in 2020. At first, I blamed the mood swings and fatigue on getting older, moving countries, changing jobs, and lockdowns. But even after all that settled, I still felt like crap. Then, in spring 2023, Rosie (my dog) started aggressively licking her paws raw. The vet diagnosed her with depression. But noo… it was the grass seeds. They were getting into her cute tiny paws and making her itch. One anti-itch spray later, and she’s back to her bouncy, happy self.

That’s when it hit me… “ maybe I’m allergic too… could this really be what’s going on?!”

A doctor’s visit and a blood test later, it was confirmed. I’m severely allergic to ryegrass, which is used everywhere—in playgrounds, sports fields, backyards, and nearly anywhere grass can grow. It’s wind-pollinated, which makes it literally impossible to avoid. It floats through the air, getting into your mouth, eyes, hair, clothes, everything.