Last Week’s RoundUp

To my new readers, Welcome! or as Albus Dumbledore would say ‘Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! It’s post #3 and we are slowly getting familiar, I hope. What better way to get to know me and all the things I’ve been up to if it isn’t from a weekly roundup. This one is a blog series that I plan to continue on every week as a platform for me to very quickly share some of my favourites – whether it’s a a new meal I’m loving, TV shows I’ve binged on, or fun purchases I’ve made – whether it’s outfits, jewellery or home decor pieces. All this in hopes that you will better get to know the face behind the blog, and also find something you love and can relate to.

The week of 11 November (I’m starting the week with Saturday as I didn’t get a chance to do a weekend roundup) was one for the books in the year of twenty-twenty-three. I spent the first half of the year buried in corporate presentations, but above all planning our four-event wedding, that although brought me such joy that I am so grateful for, also came with its own set of hiccups, emotional breakdowns, and my version of the four-letter-word: STRESS (ok, maybe six-letter-word is more apt).

Thankfully, I had Sweet Magnolias and Firefly Lane to keep me company (and sane) and a comfy couch to sink into…and maybe, a mocktail (or cocktail) at reach? The other half of the year (now), although not as stressful, does not escape scot-free. While I have been enjoying life in my little bubble of gratitude, blessings and happiness – being a newlywed who’s busy planning her honeymoon and redecorating her home, as well as taking care of the many paperwork & appointments that come with the wife/ house manager territory, all of which posed very small amounts of stress and no (apparent) emotional breakdowns.

Last week, however, needle-popped my bubble and found me going down a very deep, dark rabbit hole. I will not dive into why this Alyia in Wonderland fell into the hole, however, it has a lot to do with the various characters of people, especially those close to you, and how jealousy is truly a disease – one that the sooner is cured, the better. Should I write a blogpost about this? I know so many empaths will be able to relate to the disappointment that is – how you treat others, is never an indication of how they will in turn treat you.

On a lighter note, and now that I am slowly coming up for air, here is my first Weekly Roundup of things I loved last week, with links and resources that I hope you’ll enjoy:

What’s In My Cart

I am such a depressive shopper that thrives off retail therapy. So, you best believe I added an abundance of clothes, home decor pieces and jewellery into my cart…and checked out! I can’t wait to share my new purchases in my next Get Ready With Me (GRWM) videos on Instagram, but for now, here are my top picks that I think will come in handy for so many of you now that it’s the year end holiday season:

Workout of the Week

When I decided to start blogging, I knew I wanted to be honest and real about my journey. There are a few things that I enjoy, some of which I have mastered, and then there are things that I struggle with – like cooking and working out. Over the last few years, I have tried and tested the many forms of workouts out there from running – whether at the park or on a treadmill, pilates, high intensity interval training (HIIT) which I puked right after and almost died – dramatic much?.. and the list goes on.

The workout that I truly enjoy are a combination of Yoga (a Vinyasa flow to be exact) and a series of abs and arms workout using my two favourite equipments – the ab wheel/ roller and my 2kg dumbbells, followed by a thirty-minute run on the treadmill. Of course, what I’ve just described is a weekly-three-times best case scenario.

As I wasn’t in the best shape last week, both mentally and physically as I caught a cold and sneezed every ounce of motivation out of me, I instead attended a group Yoga class which I am proud of and ran a thirty-minute treadmill, once. You will soon come to know that I am not one to practice tough love. Instead, when my body shows me that she needs rest, that’s exactly what I give her, to an extent obviously.

In other (sports) news, we recently invested in a golf putter that sits in our foyer, and it has been the one thing I looked forward to all morning this week. Watch out, Nelly Korda!

What I Watched on Netflix

I am currently at the end of Volume 2 and despite the show’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ theme, what I enjoy is watching all the different characters and personalities come together in Armstrong-Parker Hall. The main character, Sam, however, rubs me the wrong way and is the ultimate stereotype of impulsive Gen-Z’s who find shouting and protesting to be their best form of advocating, instead of quietly working around the issue – not sure if it’s intended by the Gen X directors to prove a point, however I’m hoping its all part of her character growth. So far, a fun show to binge on.

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For some reason (and by some reason I mean E was hoarding the TV most nights last week), I ended up watching one too many thriller movies, but no complains as they were all exceptionally good. My favourites were:

Fair Play – I went in thinking the movie was a thriller and with that, obviously expecting murder, however this gem actually turned out to be a tragic love story set in the backdrop of the vicious US stock market scene. The directorial and cinematography gives me Adam Driver’s Marriage Story vibes and I quite positively loved it. It focused on feminism and domestic violence themes, however done is a less ‘in your face’ way making it easy to watch and digest for both me and E.

Reptile – Justin Timberlake. Need I say more? I chose this movie only to see if JT was ageing like fine wine, and yes, he is. The movie starts out slow despite already having a woman bludgeoned to death – you know the kind of movie where you find yourself being distracted by every little thing? However, once the plot thickened, I was hooked. We all know that the husband is always the first suspect in most murder mysteries, however the twist and turns it took to get us there was why I really enjoyed it.

Maddoff: The Monster of Wall Street – Who doesn’t love a good white-collar crime? After all, why do we watch TV shows like Billions or House of Cards? Well, last night I binged on this limited series, and my jaw dropped. If you have some foundation of the stock market or at the very least enjoyed The Wolf Of Wall Street, then this one’s for you.

As an International Business graduate who loves all things economics and finance, some takeaway from this series is to always have due diligence done when investing your money because a well-qualified fund manager may not necessarily have the best intentions, diversify your portfolios to minimise risks because you never know just when the stock market might plunge, and above all that karma does exist, but sadly, sometimes the sins we make, cause our dear spouse and children to be collateral damage.

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A Quote I Resonated With

A recurring theme for me in the last month has been Gratitude. I would like to think that I am a grateful person, or at least made the effort to be conscious and mindful over life’s greatest gifts whether its time, a family, shelter, being able to walk, a comfortable life etc. Having said that, the last few days of our honeymoon have lent me many reminders that life is indeed, short. I witnessed so many elderly men and women, in their 80’s, sitting at the park all alone with a sorrow expression – I may be wrong.

I came across a memorial bench in Mount Street Gardens which said something along the lines of ‘In memory of my husband…Who loved English gardens’ and it was such a beautiful reminder, one that was much needed before we flew back to reality with the message to cherish our loved ones and other half, even ourselves, because life is simply borrowed time.

Last week, I came across an excerpt from author Nikki Banas that resonated with me and has kept me grounded since then. The combination of these two reminders just signified how short life is, and that for every minute we spend being sad, we lose sixty seconds of joy.

A Book I’m Reading

I am such a fan of dystopian, mystery, gothic novels and so when I came across this book, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden in the Mayfair Public Library, I just knew I had to get my hands on a copy back home. I purchased it from Kinokuniya Bookstore in KLCC which is my go-to for all books, regardless of genres.

I consider myself an avid reader but one that’s slow to catch on. Hence, the early chapters of reading a novel are usually spread across a few weeks as I find myself easily distracted. However, once the momentum catches on, I could be done reading in either a day or at best, seven hours. I just started reading this book yesterday night and will keep you updated.

For now, the only update I’m able to share is that:

a) it is a pretty book, with front-covers alike a wallpaper you’d see at a fancy English hotel, and

b) if you like judging a book by its cover (like me) then by all means, buy this book!

Favourite Purchase of the Week

If you have been watching some of my recent GRWM videos on Instagram, you would notice I film at a corner of our bedroom where we spend every morning getting ready. I spent last year decorating and furnishing the common areas of our home so it’s perfect to host family and friends. The latest project on my horizon is our master bedroom, starting with my ‘getting ready/ wardrobe’ area. I temporarily have an old brown rug, which I had from my days renting, but I’ve been wanting to introduce some colour starting with a Persian distressed rug that will hopefully be arriving to my doorstep soon.

As for now, my favourite purchase is this Velvet Puff Ottoman in the shade of Emerald Green (It looks turquoise here but its actually a beautiful forest-like green!) from Dilas Home, and it’s the perfect addition to the space. I’ll keep you updated on the makeover.

Favourite Outfit of the Week

If I had started this blog just a few months back, you would have been entertained with a mix of multiple corporate and casual attires. Until I return to the corporate workforce sometime early next year, we’ll have to make do with my casual outfits as I head out for errands and the occasional dressy looks for when we head out for date nights and parties.

Nevertheless, I am taking this time to elevate my ‘basics’ wardrobe. Should I do a weekly outfit roundup too? As for now, this is the outfit I loved last week which unfortunately I don’t have photos of – because it was an epic night (haha)

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A Meal I Enjoyed

Aplenty of eating happened last week including a very appetising meal at the newly-opened Burger & Lobster at Suria KLCC shopping center. It was an unplanned dinner as both me and E were tired, however we decided to head out for a walk and it very quickly became a spontaneous (dressed-down) date night. To share, we had the Lobster Bisque & Pumpkin Soup served with garlic toast, chives, and fresh cream. It was the perfect marriage between a lobster bisque and pumpkin – not one flavour overpowering the other. (Just like our marriage, haha!)

For the mains, I had The Original Lobster Roll, which would you believe is my first ever lobster roll? The chilled lobster was served in lemon mayo and served in their signature brioche roll (delish!) and garnished with chives and their signature lemon and garlic butter. Whereas, E, being a fan of claws – both crab and lobster, ordered the B&L Beast Burger which is similar to their classic Mayfair Burger, except topped with truffle mayo, lobster claw and melted brie cheese (His favourite kind of cheese).

“As Ross once said to Rachel on Friends, I too ended the night by telling E ‘You’re my lobster’ as we walked home, hand in hand, just like lobsters.“

A Song That’s On Repeat

I love a good art-rock (these days better known as indie rock) song which is especially fit for slow, lazy drives around town, and found myself replaying Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) over and over….and over again. Now, I’ve never gotten high and don’t look forward to, but if I did, I’d say this would be the perfect song to listen to.

Hope you enjoyed this weekly roundup. Let me know if there are other topics & favourites you’d like me to include in the series. See you next week!

xx, alyia