summer notes // jan 2026

fireworks, bike lanes, djo, and sautéing onions

hello friends! welcome to my substack, where I plan to share things I've learnt, discovered, or found interesting.

This publication is titled notes.txt because I want it to feel like an extension of my notes app, which looks something like this:

• buy fabric glue

• live a little more courageously

• jeremy zucker breaking down the production of ‘lakehouse’ - youtube.com/watch?v=sdZsL1qKAVk

• half slept from 11:30-12:30, was awake at 3am, don’t know if I slept, stayed awake till 4am then fell back asleep until 8am

• write and share more in 2026?

I’m sure a format will take shape over time.

follow along…

NYE fireworks in Sydney

Unlike most of the world, it’s summer in Australia! I’m convinced this is the main reason why so many Sydney-siders camp out on New Year’s Eve to see the fireworks. I can’t imagine waiting 6+ hours dead in the winter for the NYC Times Square ball to drop, but I’ll happily spend a summer’s evening hanging out by the water with friends.

This year, I went to Clarke’s Point Reserve, north-west of the CBD. Shout-out to all the families that left after the 9PM fireworks to bless us with front-row seats for midnight.

notice that lil boat on the bottom left

The new Oxford St cycleway

I’m terrified of riding on the road and am a big fan of dedicated bike lanes. The NSW Government recently opened up a new cycleway alongside Oxford St and it neatly connects the Sydney CBD to Taylor Square, and also to the Bourke St cycleway which goes to Waterloo.

smooth, safe, and speedy

Now, head towards Museum Station and compare that with this older bike lane: a thinly painted strip of green to the left of a highly frequented bus lane, where buses need to cross over it to get to the bus stop.

what even is this

I love speeding through the city, but it’s only enjoyable when I’m not a moment of inattention away from serious injury or death.

The Crux by Djo (album)

I discovered this album after finishing season five of Stranger Things and learning that Joe Keery, who I knew as Steve Harrington, was also Djo, who I knew as the artist behind ‘and when I’m bACk in chiCAGOoooo.’

I listened to The Crux in one sitting and dang is Joe Keery talented. I don’t have the musical vocabulary to offer a sophisticated review, but I love noticing connections between songs I’ve heard before. Like, listen to the start of Charlie’s Garden and then listen to the middle of The Beatles’ A Day in the Life (the repeated piano chords right before similar ‘woke/waking up’ sequences). I’m also a sucker for songs with interesting textures: random sound effects + headphones… omgbeautiful.

cooking and recipes

A year ago, I sucked at cooking. I’d put rice in a rice cooker and it’d come out soggy :(

But learning to cook has been really fun. I started with trusty Recipe Tin Eats and have made many tasty meals for myself and for family and friends over this past year, like this cumin lamb stir fry dish.

Recently, a friend introduced me to cookwell.com. The website is beautiful and the recipes also embed explanations on the art and science of cooking. I’m obsessed.

Before, I’d see ‘sauté some onions’ and I’d just chuck a bunch on the pan with some oil till it burns. Now, I know that sautéing involves using high heat to unlock flavour and tossing the ingredients around so it cooks evenly.

that’s all :)

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think! If you have anything that I might find interesting - music, movies, recipes, blog posts, or anything else - send ‘em over to me.