VOLUME 2 - ISSUE 25: December 30, 2024

MUSIC

Before we get to my favorite album this year, here are the songs I had consistently on repeat while at home, in the car, etc. Songs range from every major category ie Rock, Rap, and Pop. They are in languages other than English and songs with no words too.

FYI — there are explicit lyrics in some of the songs as well.

Listen on Spotify or Apple Music

**As the year isn’t over yet, and I could only ‘shift’ 200 songs, the Apple Music playlist will be the most accurate 

My favorite album this year was a hard one to pick. There were so many albums I truly enjoyed from Cowboy Carter (Beyoncé), Please Don’t Cry (Rapsody) to Eternal Sunshine (Ariana Grande).

There can only be one winner and that is….

I lied there are two because it’s a TIE between Hit Me Hard and Soft (Billie Ellish) and Timeless (Kaytranada).

Why? The short story of it is Kaytranada’s album had me dancing from start to finish. With Billie’s album, I wanted the album to continue for another 45 mins to an hour because I was so in the groove of it. 

HEALTH & WELLNESS

For me, my favorite wellness practice this year is acupuncture and cupping.

I started my acupuncture journey due to work related stress. Now it’s become something that I look forward to because I get amazing naps due to my body being so relaxed now.

It’s one of the few things I recommend to so many people to try out a few times before making a decision.

For myself, I now get acupuncture to help with muscle tension in my body due to workouts and spending so many days in a chair working.

If you Google you can find out about the overall health benefits etc. and most decent insurances cover the entire cost or you’ll have to pay a deductible first then just a co-pay fee.

TRAVEL

This year, I learned a lot about how I like to travel which led me to my favorite travel related thing for 2024.

For me, it’s using a travel agent. 

I think that people may assume I’m good at planning which I am but not really. TDLR - I just know what I do and don’t want to do. I would rather someone else deal with the details.

I used a travel agent for a small part of my Japan trip and it was a great experience. Through the travel agent, I found out about the kyo yuzen course I did in Kyoto. And with a great travel agent you will feel extra cared for which is great for a pampered princess like me. Can’t wait to work with them in 2025 and beyond!

I’m gatekeeping mine but I will tell you I found this person by lurking on the travel threads within Reddit so I encourage you to do the same. 

FUN

It’s a tie between two experiences I did during my time in Japan.

NARA - Cool Nara Secret Walk Tour & TOKYO - Unlimited Local Night - Finding Shinjuku Gems

Whenever I travel, I want to do touristy things but also discover that city in a different way as well. With both of these experiences, I didn’t know what to expect. People leave reviews but you just never know. I was able to get to know both ‘hosts’ for the experiences; and could tell they really cared about the experience and wanted to make sure everyone was comfortable and okay to do the planned items.

With the experience in Nara, towards the end I learned how to make origami baskets so if you see me ask and I’ll try to make one if I can (sorry, I don’t carry origami paper with me lol)! My experience with the Shinjuku Gems left me with a few funny stories and new friends.

Both experiences I highly recommend if you find yourself in Japan. I’m sure I will always talk about them both when I think back to my first trip to Japan or any future ones.

SHOPPING

Because LAX saw me A LOT this year, TBH I shopped in my closet 99.9% of the time. I did not do as much shopping as many of you expect. I think at most, I purchased like seven items overall.

I’ve been on the hunt for the ‘perfect’ leather jacket. With the All Saints Leather Jacket I purchased, I found it! It is a phenomenal replacement for the faux leather one I had from Topshop. It was a great starter piece to see if I liked wearing a leather jacket but it started to peel after a bit of time.

This All Saints jacket is phenomenal quality at a price that is truly great for what you pay. It’s not cheap but some of their jackets do go on sale. I definitely have gotten my CPW (cost per wear) with this jacket and I only purchased it in November.

FOOD

I ate some amazing meals all year from Osaka, Tallinn, Barcelona, Tampa and of course in LA. I’m always eating well (😂!) but this year elevated it to a new level. I have chosen my favorite meal of the year and it is drum roll please… 

TAKAYAMA in Kyoto, Japan

From my interactions with three members of the staff to the meal itself. I believe not only was this the best meal of of the year but potentially my number one meal I’ve had overall for non-casual restaurants.

From the beginning of the meal to the end, it was completely memorable as I can recall the entire experience like it happened yesterday. I truly appreciate a restaurant that not only has delightful food but exceptional service and TAKAYAMA provided that plus so much more.

Honorable mentions — Shinchi Sushi Yujiro (Osaka, JP), Broad Street Oyster Co. (Los Angeles, CA), Sushi Saint (Orlando, FL) and Røst (Tallinn, EE)

BEAUTY

My favorite beauty product this year is a skincare product. Ole Henriksen’s Banana Bright+ Vitamin CC Eye Stick was a game changer for me.

In comparison to last year, I barely wore make up. And it was due to this one product, that I could get away with doing less. I personally used it on it’s own when I could or in combination with concealer.

I actually found out about this product because I attended a virtual Sephora Event with Ole and this was one of the products mentioned. Very glad I did because this product might be up there with the vinoperfect from Caudalie for me.

READING

I read a lot more books in comparison to last year and plan on getting a kindle at some point next year to really up the ante. I’ll always buy physical books as well. This year the genres varied but the one book that stuck with me was…

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

For me this book was something that I could personally relate to due to personal experiences I have had. Belle da Costa Greene is a woman who should be more celebrated due to the great accomplishments she made despite the world she was navigating.

Honorable Mention — ACTOAR series because they were enjoyable books that I devoured but didn’t stick with me the same way that ‘The Personal Liberian’ did!