I’m not going to sugarcoat it, though I know these type of announcements, the ‘look far how I’ve come’ have an unspoken prerequisite of being joyful and positive; the feel good, teetering on the edge of boast-y, but just enough humility.
I get why milestone announcements are necessary.
And perhaps I should be embracing it, but the ‘not good enoughness’ ingrained over the decades do chip away at one’s being. Perhaps I can be grateful I am now more self-aware of it, its perpetrators, and the healthier people I can now choose to surround myself with instead.
I get why milestone announcements are necessary. Especially when it seems like you’re the only horn blower in this one-person operation.
I get why milestone announcements are necessary. Because it’s a reminder to myself, ‘Okay, but really, look how far you’ve come with an idea conjured under the trees, at a mamak shop (a 23-hour eatery) near midnight.’
And in writing this, this pat-on-the-back announcement, which I didn’t realise would be reflective, I believe Plates, this independent food culture magazine based out of Malaysia, has come full circle. An idea conjured under the trees, just over four year ago, in the company of some of my biggest cheerleaders to date, who don’t really get the technicalities of what I do, but support what I do.
This idea, in a week and a half, will be presented—publicly, for the first time, at its very own in-person event—under the trees.
The newest edition of Plates, Vol.4: Seeds will be having its a micro launch at Rimbun Dahan. A space that answered the “What else?” question as we entered the country’s second year of lockdown. A space where it is safe to create, experiment and simply just be. A space that I hope will be filled with like-hearted persons, who strive for “better” in their own way; in the smallest of actions that they take with the realisation that inaction is also an action. And that not making a choice to consciously choose past the curation of gatekeepers, who are set in their own perceived boundaries of what “fits” the wants of the “masses”, is also a choice.
On Sunday, October 17, for Plates’ very first time, be it online or offline, this independent food culture publication will be having its very own micro event to celebrate Plates, Vol.4: Seeds. It’ll be a day of serendipitous and spontaneous exchanges over the creation process throughout the day. Plus, a moderated discussion about the magazine in the afternoon.
If you’re one of the early ones at the table, you would’ve received your personalised invite last week. If you’re not on the mailing list, you can sign up here, so you don’t miss out on future updates.
And if you happen to be one of earliest ones at the table, but cannot attend the event for obvious travel and logistical reasons, here’s a video that carries selected moments from my memory bank of the event space, a private arts centre, who hosted and invested in me for six months under their residency programme, set in a Southeast Asian dipterocarp forest.
Sunday, October 17 at Rimbun Dahan for Plates, Vol.4: Seeds. I hope to see you under the trees.
