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Home sweet home.
I’m sitting on my bed, listening to the constant ring of the trams passing by which complement a gentle Studio Ghibli soundtrack playing in the background. My sheets are disheveled and my cushions disorganised. Printed shirts hang on the right side of my wardrobe; work attire, jumpers and jackets hang on the left. Bunting and lights sit along the top, whilst photos, mementos and books sit underneath.
A steaming Earl Grey tea sits on the table with a tea-light. I’ve always liked having precious gifts and objects sit on my desk as a friendly reminder of the beautiful people and moments in my life. People ridicule me for them gathering dust but I would rather have them present than sitting in an old box.
I have no plans today. I might go for a walk around North Melbourne and sit in a cafe reading my latest magazine or book but I think I will sit here for quite a while longer. It is enormously comforting about being surrounded by your own space which you have curated, with every piece having its place to reflect a special moment or thought or person, because there are few places where your mind is part of the space. My room is a place for me and my thoughts, where they come and are set free.
Photos arch above as my housemates Marina & Courtney lounge on the satisfyingly soft sofa. We are not often home together but we’ll catch each other for a chat over tea, wine or a meal every now and then. We each have our little quirks but we are seemingly on the same brainwaves on a lot of issues. Each of us come from different backgrounds and different disciplines and for all of us, it is our first time living in a big share-house.
The CD player is the main gathering point of the house. I really enjoy listening to music endlessly at home, as I find it relaxing and not too distracting which lets my mind wander around.
Not having a TV has been strangely wonderful; I love watching television but not having one means that the whole house has been able to just connect more. There is always someone you can reach out to but there is plenty of quiet space and time to rest.
Sitting upstairs in the house is perfect for a weekend afternoon as the light floods the room through the skylight. Succulents are spread throughout the carpet floor, providing some urban greenery for what sometimes feels like an inner city concrete, brick jungle.
I will often sit here for an hour or two reading a magazine whilst listening to some quiet, slow beats. I feel as though this is a change from living in my family home. I used to always feel like I had to go out and find something great to do, but more and more since living here I have learned to appreciate the quiet times; the times which appear to society as mundane but are a personal paradise.
In my first few weeks here, I rode around Royal Park’s Native Grass circle for an hour during sunset. I remember setting my eyes on a particular spot and trying to maintain my vision of the spot as I rode around and around. The grass and the trees sat still whilst the sky and the high-rise buildings spun until they were shooting stars. I sat for a moment to take it all in and I wonder if all the other locals could see what I saw. I came back and felt it for the first time. I felt that I was home.
I have now been here for almost seven months and I feel like a local: I buy my favourite coffee from the local cafe, I have my haircut every couple of months from my local barber and I eat take-out from the local Thai joint 200m down the road. This place is now well and truly home.
© 2026 Thomas Feng
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