Exploring ideas

Rachel writes stories that explores themes of relationships, identity, and feminism with sharp observation, relatable characters and humour. Her writing draws from her experience of growing up Indian in Australia and includes stories that challenge the perceptions of cultural and generational norms.

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A south Asian female wearing black tights, light pink top and boots and a magenta and blue scarf stands in front of a white stone wall

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I read so many good books this month, its difficult for me to pick favourites so I'll summarise them below 🤖 🤍 White Ivy @susieyyang - a young Chinese American who is more interested in boys than studies. I loved that the familial interactions and relationships were so relatable 💙 The Songbirds @lefterichristy - when a beloved Sri Lankan maid disappears in Cyprus the people who love her start searching. Beautiful and enlightening about not just Cypriot culture but also treatment of Asian maids. 💛 Palace of Enchantments @chitrabanerjeedivyakaruni A female re-telling of the Mahabharata. As magical as the Palace was, it makes me angry that women were treated like objects and had no agency. 💔 Fakes @stephaniewoodsydney The lived experience of dating a fantascist. Incredibly heartbreaking, but a good warning signs for singles to spot dates who lie. 🤎 The Fireground @dervlamctiernan Two orphans investigate the disappearance of one of their sisters. Suspensful, sad and I loved that this was set in WA. More books need to be set in WA! (Just saying...) 💚 Watermelon @mariankeyes Funny, insightful observations of families and lovers. Can't wait for the TV series! 🖤 Homo Deus @yuval_noah_harari Predicting the future based on the past. This book was written 10 years ago and somethings have already come to pass 🤯 If you've made it this far down the post, I hope you've got some book recommendations for your next read 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Any excuse to wear a pretty dress and twirl 💃🏾 For those who are curious: - Dress @camillawithlove - Slip in almond keeping me warm and preventing flashing @boody -Location @shangrilasydney #birthdayvibes🎉 #sydney #australia #twirling #happyindependenceday🇮🇳

The original story of The Little Mermaid, along with other classic fairytales, really annoy me because their message seems to be 'if you leave home or be different, you will be unsuccessful / heartbroken / die' I thoroughly enjoyed this interpretation of The Little Mermaid, not just because of the singing, costumes🤩, reflective staging😍 or hilarious dialogue, but because the ending was relatable and positive. Highly recommend! #opera #sydneyoperahouseaustralia #rusałka #sydney

July 📚🤓

When I read Wuthering Heights, I was too young to recognise the domestic violence in the story. Watching the Kate Bush video is entrancing but I never fully listened to the lyrics until a colleague asked me to join this performance. (One of the tricks to dance is to time your moves to the lyrics 😉) Every time someone shares their stories of DV (physical or coercive control) I get mad. There's very little I can do but remain supportive of whatever decision they make. I can't even fathom the strength it takes to step away from or stay in a DV situation and keep sane. Especially when kids are involved. My small contribution is to raise money to help charities provide resources for individuals to help them in whichever way they need. If you enjoyed the dance please consider making a donation to @dvcsact (Link in their bio). Thank you! 🌹

Telling a story in an entertaining and emotional way is incredibly difficult. To do it while singing and dancing in heels and holding the audience captivated is something only insanely talented people like @seannmileymoore can blitz 🤩 I'm in awe! I went in not knowing much about @hedwigaus and came out being deeply moved with catchy rock songs stuck in my head. 🎵🎸 A fun night out 💃 #hedwigandtheangryinch #musicaltheatre #sydneymusicals #sydney #australia

This year I've said 'No' a lot - to working 5 days a week, to overseas trips, to socialising when I'm run down. This has translated into my reading life 🤓 I've said no to books that people raved about but weren't connecting with me. As a result, I seemed to have read more books than ever before. (My @audible_au subscription probably had something to do with it too 😅) Stand outs for this month: 🌟 The Burrow by @cheng_melanie - A simply beautiful short book about a grieving family in lockdown that buys a rabbit 🌟 The Year of Yes by @shondarhimes - How the creator of Grey's Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder, Bridgerton and many other great tv shows learnt to take risks and set boundaries. Inspirational. 🌟 Model Minority Gone Rogue by @qinqin_writer - An autobiographical tale of the courage to step way from mould of a model Asian migrant to search for joy in life. I felt the heartbreak, the frustration and the feeling that something was mot quite right. Very relatable. #bookworm #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #readingtime

Before AI, humans learnt from each other. This facinating exhibition @nationalgalleryaus lent from the @museumberggruen, shows how artists copied each others techniques starting from Cezanne. I loved becoming aware of the similarities in the paintings and seeing how artist's work evolved and grew. The variety of paintings on display from plaster, oil, lines and shapes made me feel like I could be an artist too 😂 #cezannetogiacometti #art #artgallery #picasso #braque #klee #giacometti #painting

May 2025 - Re-reads and audiobooks I spent a bit of time travelling then getting sick in May so I consumed more audiobooks than physical books. It could be why I re-'read' / listen to: 🤍A Touch of Darkeness' by Scarlett St Clair - a retelling of the Hades and Persephone story 💛 'Chain of Gold' by @cassieclare1 - the first book in sequel series to the prequel series (The Infernal Devices) of The Mortal Instruments series #ireadfantasyformysanity @audible_au had included these as part of my membership and reminded me that I loved them. Naturally now I need to buy and listen to them all again. Sneaky @audible for getting me addicted to consuming more 😅 Ironically my two favourite reads for the month were both physical books. 💚Hunger Games prequel 'A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' by Suzanne Collins - after watching the movie four times and stumbling across this at a street library, I couldnot not read it. A brilliant story of President Snow's humble beginnings and the choices he made to get to the top. 🖤 'Memorial Days' by @ozbrooks100 - I am not comfortable talking, addressing or reading about death, however after listening to Ms Brooks recount how she was informed about her husband's death in the US made me mad and I had to find out more. Beautiful written and I was in tears for the most part. Last but not least, because this seemed like a podcast with story I could not say it was a favourite but I loved it anyway 🩷 'Live your best life' by @karanjohar - I don't know if it's because winter is coming down under (whoops it's 1 June, it's already here 😑) but I needed some serious motivation and this audio book did it for me! There were short interviews with Karan and actors, business owners, social media influencers etc about various life topics such as family, love, wealth, health and main character energy 😎 I highly recommend if you are in need inspiration 🙌🏼 🌹

A weekend in Melbourne - @melbwritersfest @lotronstage @hadestownau #melbourne #melbwritersfest #lotronstage #hadestownmusical #melbourneweekend

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