iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/10/2026

Came home from work on this very rainy Spring day to find this little one curled up in my (still) half unpacked suitcase 🥹

A small, leggy Jack Russell curled up in a suitcase still half full with clothes.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/10/2026

Unlocked new chair balance at 2am because jetlag. 🤷

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/10/2026

My dog. But actually me. This sweetheart kept me company the entire time I was in bed🥹 Took her out on an extra long walk today.

A jack Russell terrier curled up into a ball on a pile of clean sheets stacked on a black leather sofa.
She is peeking through her hind legs and staring directly at the camera, as if to say 'go away'.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

Cachorrinho at a tiny local joint. A Porto staple, served here with fries.

A long bread roll filled with sausage and ham, covered in melted cheese and drenched in a punchy port wine and tomato gravy.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

This very local bar in Porto, Portugal. Limited tables and standing room. Cold beer.

Two frosty glasses of beer on a laminate table in the foreground and a man standing at a long bar in the background.
The wall behind the bar is adorned with beautiful blue and white patterned tiles and framed photos of Porto's football club players over the years.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026

When in Porto, francesinha. Toasted sandwich filled with steak and cured meats. Smothered in melted cheese served with a tomato-based white wine sauce. Topped with an egg. 🔥

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026

This very jammy fig. And some hand-cut cured local black pig.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026

Bought this from a stall with a very grumpy stallholder. Although tbf, I'd be grumpy too if I had to deal with tourists all day. 😬

A square plate piled with different cheeses.
Clockwise from the top: A gooey gorgonzola with cognac, Stilton with port, A Blue Shropshire, aged orange Gouda, truffled gorgonzola and a pile of toast-shaped croutons.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026

Died and gone to cheese heaven. Yes. Those are bottles of liquor in the cheeses 🤯

A whole wheel of Blue Shropshire with an overturned bottle of beer upturned into it, and a whole wheel of blue stilton with an upturned bottle of port in it.

Two large wheels of gorgonzola with their tops cut off. One has an open bottle of cognac in it and the other is mixed through with fresh bits of black truffle.
They are surrounded by smaller metal baskets of broken up stilton and Roquefort.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026

Warning. Lots of food photos incoming. Location: Bolhão Market (Porto, Portugal) Some fantastic oysters and very pretty and fresh local sea urchins with their dark purple spindles😍

Piles of whole oysters and sea urchin sitting on crushed ice

Halved sea urchins showcasing their plump, dark orange insides.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026

How cute is this big top? They also had a restaurant attached to the circus.

A large pointed roof with a red and White circus tent painted on.
In front of the building are a few tables with people dining. Patches of red awning are stretched out over the dining area.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026

This was yesterday, but we found the localo circus. Not-for-profit, community led.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026

My husband is a Guinness tragic. As is my brother. I am a sucker for Kilkenny 🤷

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026

Mural to commemorate 50 years after the Carnation revolution.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026

During the day these streets are bustling... But at 730 in the morning, you can catch the soft light and early-risers heading off to work.

An (almost) empty street with a beautiful old building at the end.
The sun rises in the background

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026

One of our favourite things to do when travelling is to watch a city slowly wake up. Location: Lisbon, Portugal

A quiet cobblestone street next to tram lines.
Stone buildings line the walkway to the left and there is a lone, bright red neon light that reads 'BAR'.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

Leave me alone in an empty apartment long enough... 🤣

Me doing an arm balance on a black stool in the middle of a small open plan living room .

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

Obligatory Sg Hokkien mee. Extra pork lard 😬

White oblong melamine plate with fried yellow noodles, a dollop of dark red sambal on one side, topped with crispy cubes of brown pork lard.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

More offal. And very silky kway (rice noodles sheets) Sorry @kauer 😅

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

Then I did a bit of compression practice. Had a few funny looks from passers-by. I guess adults don't play around much in this atas (highclass/snooty) condo 😬 What's the point of having outdoor equipment like this if you're not gonna use it? 😔

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

Went for a swim this morning... And then monkeyed around for a bit 🤭

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026

Afternoon snacks. Fun story about these appam. They were made by a Vietnamese lady at a hawker centre in Chinatown. She was in such a hurry to sign the lease for this shop that she didn't realise that it was licensed as an Indian stall. So she learnt how to make appam. 🤷

Two bowl-shaped appam sitting on a brown paper lined tray in the background.
In the foreground is a corner of appam torn off in my hand topped with shaved jaggery and fresh shredded coconut.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026

First lunch was hainanese chicken rice (with extra gizzards) at china town complex. It was perfect. No frills. No Michelin bib gourmand nonsense. Just really flavourful rice and silky smooth poached chicken. Chilli and ginger with just the right amount of kick.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026

Second breakfast involved these vada, several thosai, rasam idli and masala tea. I only took a photo of the vada because I was too busy eating the rest of it. 🤣 These are the only 'doughnuts' that I ever crave. Fluffy, fragrant, savoury, spiced.

Two vada (savoury Indian doughnuts) on a white plate served with two metal ramekins. One containing a green coriander/mint chutney and the other a light orange sambar.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026

I'm in Singapore for three days and two nights before we set off to Portugal, so we are trying to cram in as much food as we can 😬 It started off with economy noodles, because that's how a day should start. Why have eggs on toast, when you can have breakfast noodles?

A white melamine plate with brown fried 'economy' noodles, topped with a fried egg and a piece of fried spam.
The plate is flanked by two plastic cups of iced kopi.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 29/09/2026

Just started this one yesterday and I'm already obsessed with the song and the choreography. Can't wait to see how it unfurls 💜

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 26/09/2026

Things I do to combat the anxiety of running a small business.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/09/2026

His main business is in lobsters. He supplies restaurants mostly, and some retail businesses. He's been working on some products lately, mainly frozen dumplings and pasta. He always drops of testers, which I appreciate 😊

3 Lobster tortelloni sitting in a bowl plate in a lemon cream and butter sauce with fresh dill, studded with diced tomato

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/09/2026

I will never not be excited about eating at this place where there is no menu and the tea flasks are probably older than I am. HK BBQ in Footscray.

Two large plates of dry egg noodles topped with roast duck and roast pork with a small side serve of blanched bak choy.

A large plastic thermos next to a full Chinese tea cup.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026

Working on a transition from gazelle into an ouchy split hip hang situation 😬 Not very smooth yet, but progressing!

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

Why do shoulder stands on the ground when you can get more adrenaline up in the air? 🤣 *Crash mats and attentive trainers ftw

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

This is what the traditional ones look like! Pre and post steaming. These are from Lunar New year a couple of years back.

Two bamboo steamer baskets of tortoise shell shaped red ku kueh with bright green banana leaf squares underneath each Kueh.

Basket on the left are a light pink pre-steaming, and basket on the left are a deep red post-steaming.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

This is what they look like inside after they've been steamed. 🩵

Cross-section of a steamed blue ku kueh with a brown, jammy centre.

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

I get the colour from steeping the dried flowers with coconut milk and then incorporating the milk into the dough.

Top down shot of blue pea flowers steeping in a small pot of coconut milk that is now a pastel blue/violet colour

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

These pale blue ku kueh are coloured with bunga telang (blue pea flowers) and stuffed with inti (toasted coconut and palm sugar). The dough is made with steamed sweet potato, coconut milk, glutinous rice and tapioca flour. 🩵

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/09/2026

So my local council has a wonderful youth centre that does things like music producing workshops, dance workshops etc for young people. They recently posted a video featuring two young people, one of African descent and one of East Asian descent. It was an […] [Original post on aus.social]

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026

He's sleeping now. Go gently into the night, our bestest boy. 💜

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026

Who else is going to help untangle my aprons from the dryer?

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Deb Ong (she/her)翁诗美 @nihilistnomya.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026

He was so tiny when we first brought him home. Small but incredibly spunky. He's been with us since our first rental together.

Tiny, scruffy jack Russell puppy sitting on a tiled floor, staring straight at the camera. He has one ear cocked and one ear down.

Tiny scruffy jack Russell pup sitting on a grey rug with a long plushie chew toy in front of him.

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