Field Notes

Notes

Short thoughts, shared on Substack.

• 11 August 2026

  🩶 Touchpoint: Judge a Co-working Space by its Bookshelf Lately, I’ve been working in between multiple co-working spaces. While I always find the irony of the books in those spaces—usually advocating a slow kinfolk kind of lifestyle—which is exactly the opposite of what we’re doing in the co-working spaces. Still, I tend to flip through those beautiful books when I try to take a breather in between thoughts and writing. Yesterday, I went to a new co-working space and noticed something odd about the books on the shelf. FAKE BOOKS—first time seeing those! I didn’t know how to react to this discovery but only to feel a sense of sadness for some reason. It is a cost-saving measure for this particular space but it makes me wonder what roles do books play in our modern life? I still love the physical touch of books. I still read whenever I can. And I hope we don’t lose the love for reading in our modern society, especially our little ones.

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• 31 July 2026

  💛 Touchpoint: Sip & Slow Down on a Wednesday I didn’t personally experience this but my partner came home one day and told me the remarkable experience he’s had at a local Starbucks on a typical Wednesday. Around 3pm in the afternoon, the barista walked around and handed out a small notecard to prompt patrons to take a break from their busy day. The front of the card says “take a moment for yourself, however you like. Just this hour, the same time every week”, and the back is a invitation for you to journal — “Your moment starts here. Sometimes, the most meaningful thing you can do is pause. Take a break to breathe, rest, and simply be. What are you looking forward to? Even something far away.” What a beautiful initiative! I’m putting this down on my calendar. Every Wednesday at 3pm. Let’s pause together!

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• 9 June 2026

  🩶 Touchpoint: 5 Star Reviews on Google for a Freebie Ever landed at a 5-star-rated restaurant but only realizing their rating is artificially inflated because they have been giving out freebies in exchange for 5-star reviews? We just had another one of those experiences last night. Yes, another—definitely not our first time feeling cheated once we arrived at the restaurant. Is it legal? Yes. Is it ethical? Perhaps not. What do you think of such practice? How can we screen for authentic and ethical reviews?

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• 18 May 2026

  🩶 Touchpoint: Only Cash Card Allowed People tend to write reviews when they’re most frustrated. I’d say this note serves the same purpose. This past weekend, we rented a car to have a little excursion of the little red dot on our own. Aside from the disappointing quality of the car from GetGo, we were determined to make the most out of our experience. But it turned out…many places requires Cash Card to pass the toll or exit parking garage. As a foreigner, I had no clue what that even means. I had to run around the mall to find a 7-11 where I could purchase a Cash Card but only to learn at the parking exit gate that the balance was insufficient. Though I was able to topup the card later on, I’ve never felt this trapped in a parking garage.

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• 2 May 2026

  💛 Touchpoint: Sally the Cashier Anyone ever collects supermarket stamps to redeem exclusive merchandise? These programs aren’t exactly straight forward sometimes. Recently we had a bad experience where we thought we had accumulated points in the app but turns out the points were in the physical receipts given which we never kept. Though frustrated, we met a wonderful cashier named Sally—who gave us receipts customers never took and helped us get the little SMEG container that was both sentimental and a cute addition to our kitchen counter. This isn’t in her job scope but it was a kind thing for her to do. Can machines do the same? Unless you build humanity into the rules engine. Possible? Maybe. But it won’t happen in the foreseeable future. Human touch is still the best touch 😘

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• 21 April 2026

  🩶 Touchpoint: Super App or Super Blah I’ve been feeling super annoyed and overwhelmed by the super apps in Asia. The overload of information and constant ad interruption make me feel very nauseous. The only silverlining to this is I probably shop a lot less than in the U.S. 🙈

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