This was supposed to be a January 2026 R.E.P.O.R.T., but January felt kind of brutal, as I was working a lot of 12-hour days and on weekends and I just didn’t have time to sit down and get this out. It’s been taking me way too long to figure out my new routine now that I have to be in the office 3 days a week after 6 years of fully remote work. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to blog more, and I definitely have not been doing that, but I will try to write more this month to make up for it! It’s not the lack of ideas, I have so many WIP posts in my Notes app and on Google Drive that I just need to finish.
Check out my previous R.E.P.O.R.T.S. here, I copied this format from Ella Henry’s Substack, Gut Feelings.
R is for Reading
January has always served as a reset for me, creating new resolutions and planning out my year in terms of trips and things that I want to do. To get me in the right mindset, I decided to start the year reading Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg on the airplane back to LA on January 4th, and I still haven’t finished it. I am liking it a lot so far. It was actually published around the same time as Atomic Habits by James Clear (one of my 5 star reads from 2021), so I am interested in how this book is different and wonder how it got overshadowed by Atomic Habits. So far, it seems to take more of a science/psychology approach compared to Atomic Habits, which I remember being mostly anecdotal, but it’s been a few years. Which might be why it’s not as popular since it feels more like a textbook and is not as fun.
E is for Eating
I started making granola at home last year, and it’s so easy! I haven’t bought granola from the grocery store in so long! I most recently made this granola that I am calling chocolate-covered strawberry granola, since that was kind of the inspiration, but I didn’t follow a recipe. It has oats, coconut oil, slivered almonds, flaxseed, hemp seed, vanilla extract, cacao nibs, freeze-dried strawberries, milk chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. I baked it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 22 minutes, stirring halfway. Photos don’t do it justice, it looks even better in person and is super cute and festive for Valentine’s Day!
P is for Prioritizing
I’m on a hair journey. I was 27 years old when I learned that wavy/curly hair tends to be dryer, and therefore I need to use extra hair products to lock in moisture. Why does a 100% Chinese (my 23andMe verified) gal like me have 2b wavy hair? Me and every hairdresser I go to would love to know! I bought the Amika Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Leave-In Conditioner, my first-ever leave-in conditioner, and I immediately saw a difference in how my hair felt and looked. When I use leave-in conditioner, scrunch with mousse, then use hair oil on my ends, I get the best wavy results. I’m also trying to not wash my hair every day, but it’s hard when I’m working out 5 days a week so that’s a WIP.
O is for Obsessing Over
I saw this jacket at the Aerie Offline store at Bellevue Square during Black Friday and my mom got it for me for Christmas! And now it is my entire personality. It’s been 75 degrees and sunny in LA, but my office can be cold, so I’ve been wearing it at least once a week. Outfit repeating for days! Hopefully people know me as the red jacket girl. It was the called the OFFLINE By Aerie Fluff Love Full Zip Jacket, but it looks like it’s unavailable now on their website :(.
R is for Recommending
I got a 40-ounce Stanley Cup from work in 2024, and I have been used it basically every single day since. I’ve been so hydrated!! However, now that I have to go to the office, it’s a little hard to carry since the straw is exposed and it can leak, so I can’t just throw it in my work bag. I got my sister an Owala for Christmas and decided to look into one for myself. There’s actually a ton of Instagram reels comparing all of the different water bottle styles, which are super helpful. On one of my #lit Friday nights after working late, I went to Target and bought the 30oz Owala FreeSip Sway bottle since this style fits in car cupholders (the classic FreeSip models don’t). There were so many cute colors, it was hard to choose! I went with this pale purple one called Periwinkle Twinkle. She’s perfect, doesn’t leak, and I’m obsessed with her. There was a 40oz bottle, which is the same capacity as my Stanley Cup, but I decided to get the 30oz so that it’s less heavy and more portable. So now, my Stanley Cup permanently lives at home, and I basically keep my Owala in my car.
T is for Treating
It’s Super Bowl weekend and the Seahawks are playing, so I loaded up on allll the snacks even though it’s just going to be me, my roommate, and my boyfriend. You will not catch me dead at the grocery store on Super Bowl Sunday (I try to avoid Sunday crowds on normal weekends too), so I got everything on Thursday/Friday.
- Trader Joe’s: hummus, carrots, cucumbers, celery, snap peas, hot honey popcorn, frozen cheese pizza, cookies, furikake snack mix, chili & lime rolled tortilla chips, grapes, blood orange soda, Mango Cart, 2 Towns Cider, mango juice
- Ralph’s: Cheez-its, frozen chicken nuggets, frozen fries, Poppi rootbeer
