I met Emma last year in the first semester of university. We never actively pursued getting to know one another until the end of the year, when we were put together for a group project in a film class. She lived on the coast and I lived in student accommodation in the city at the time (about a 50 minute drive away from each other) so we both led completely different lives. After being in halls for the entirety of 2020, I had no plans on where or who to live with this year. I knew that it would all work out in the end regardless and it wasn’t something that I needed to stress about. Around the end of January, Emma agreed that moving out of home and in with me would be a beneficial next step for her and everything thereafter happened so fast and spontaneously. By mid-February, we had already secured an apartment and were getting ready to move out. For me, moving in with someone I barely know is exciting and most of the time works out better than moving in with someone you’ve known forever. You don’t have any preconceived expectations and it can be so rewarding getting to know and become closer with someone you wouldn’t have normally had as deep of a relationship with. I think what makes it worthwhile is that it’s only Emma and myself in this apartment. Last year I lived with a lot of different people, at one point I had four flatmates. When there’s just the two of you it gives you time to focus on each other. It gets rid of any opportunity for stronger relationships with other flatmates and really opens you up to what makes each other tick, what we enjoy, how we relax, and how we both handle similar situations differently. Heck, we’ve only lived together for just over a month and it’s already been a crazy ride. I don’t think we will ever stop learning new things about each other and I’m so excited for this relationship to progress and grow.
Initially I had some reservations about moving to the city. Growing up on the Hibiscus Coast is a very beach focussed lifestyle that is absolutely an integral part of my identity. I spend my days playing amongst the waves no matter the weather. I asked myself how I could possibly feel whole in a city when I’d never lived more than 10 minutes from the beach. I wasn’t just geographically concerned, I was worried that emotionally I would be out of my depth. From my understanding of movies and books, I viewed the city as a beautifully cruel beast. Exuding energy from every pore, she feasts on a diet of cold hard cash and lost souls seeking independence. Twinkling fluorescent eyes light up skyscrapers. Winding streets form veins spread intricately across concrete skin, distributing people like blood where they need to go. Many people would try to conquer this beast, eventually bending to its uncompromising will. If I was not careful, I would be one of these lost souls, swallowed up by the beast of the city. Thankfully, this has not been the case. While I make regular trips back to the coast, my apartment finally feels like home. Perhaps I’ve been seduced by the beast, the alluring promise of chaos only a city can cater. A life of excitement in a young person’s concrete playground. With my rose-tinted glasses on, the beast is a harmless kitten and I walk down the streets with my head held high. An untouchable force to be reckoned with. I feel confident, but never complacent. I see things everyday that remind me of how this beast can degrade and belittle those without wealth. I do not want to be blissfully ignorant of these city problems, but I also know that for the moment, whilst I am settling in and finding my feet, I am free.
You will need: Main ingredients: 1 can of Chickpeas (drained) 1 Kumara (cut in chunks) Around 5 Carrots (cut up) Salad Leaves of choice Sesame Seeds Sesame Oil Spices: (any spices of choice but these are the ones I use) Cinnamon Chilli Flakes Paprika Mixed Herbs
An Airfryer has been one of the best investments we have made for the flat! They are so good for roasting veggies and also Emma’s 5am hashbrowns. I cook all of my veggies for my salad in the Airfryer one at a time for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celsius, but an oven also works! I like to dose the vegetables in sesame oil and then add my spices of choice. It’s super easy and quick! And I usually prep this earlier when I have time so that when I get home for dinner they are already cooked and I can just assemble the salad. To assemble I mix in my roast veggies with my salad leaves of choice (i’m a spinach and kale gal) then chuck in some sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds in the mix also walnuts if weve got any! Then I drizzle some maple syrup as a dressing as it complements the walnuts really nicely, but Aioli or a Satay dressing would also work well.
First, prepare the tofu by taking it out of the packet and pressing out all the moisture into a tea towel/ paper towel. You want to get all the excess water out of it so it really crisps up. Put a heavy item on top and press firmly.
For the sauce: 3 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter 3.5 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 1 Tbsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground garlic 1 tsp sweet chili sauce/ chili flakes For the rest: 2 packets Udon Noodles Veggies of your choosing (sliced thin for best result) 1 whole thing of firm tofu
Cut this into cubes and throw some salt and pepper on top. Paprika too if you’re feeling a bit spicy. Chuck into the air fryer/oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Second, boil up some water with a pinch of salt and oil and throw your noodles in. While they cook, mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Stir and drain the noodles with another splash of sesame oil then put them back in the pot. For the veggies you can either pan fry them a little or add them fresh for an extra crunch against the soft noodle. Mix the sauce in and boom, that’s a flavoursome ass meal.
When Mila suggested I read one of her favourite books entitled “Women Don’t Owe You Pretty” I didn’t know how to feel. I’d never identified as a feminist because of the perceived reputation of women who did. Who were vocal about their pursuit for equality and a change in the whole damn system. Author of the book Florence Given is one capable, bad-ass lady who wasn’t willing to back down from the challenge of presenting feminism as a palatable yet confronting topic. Reading this book and recognizing that my toxic mentality is part of the problem has been an eye opening experience. She explains my own thoughts around gender far better than I could have and allows room for more questions. For example, I knew a little about queerness and non-binary ideas but wasn’t invested in expanding my mindset. Now, I’m more determined than ever that these conversations need to be had. I have a lot of room to grow in this area and I know it will take time, so why not bring other people along on my learning journey? Opening up the dialogue about gender expectations with my family, my friends and my boyfriend seems so hauntingly necessary that I’m surprised it took my internalized misogynistic ass this long to figure it out. This life-changing book is absolutely for everyone and I’m so grateful to Mila for introducing me to it. Inviting me in, rather than calling me out for the shit I didn’t know I had to change.
Man honestly fuck pigeons. I’m trying to write this on the couch and all I can see are pigeons that could shit anywhere, however they actively choose to shit on our awesome balcony. Now we’ll have to clean it. Anyway, the conclusion goes like this. Did you know that the average attention span for a member of generation Z is only 8 seconds? That’s 8 seconds of reading something before they’re looking for the next source of entertainment. This can seem confronting, particularly for two girls who have started a new online zine trying to strike the right balance between writing and art. So congratulations if you’ve made it this far. You’ve surpassed the expectations of an entire generation for the sake of reading about our vulnerabilities. Our hopes, fears and aspirations scrawled across these pages like a surgeon dissecting our brains and hearts on an open table. Was it worth it? Probably. In the coming issues, we plan to hone our skills and become even better. Writing about things that matter to us and to our target audience- you guys. Thanks for coming on the journey so far, we’ll see you for the next issue of 1308.
xx Mila & Emma