January at a glance...

There are a few more days left of January but I am ready to see it go.

The first month of this year has been a whirlwind, and not exactly the good kind. It’s only one month, so I’m not writing 2023 off by any means but I sure hope it “corrects itself” — I’m in serious need of some good news and things, and a break.

Though I don’t really pay attention or follow it anymore, at the beginning of the new year, I read the horoscope predictions. The year I met my husband, it was accurate, and I remember laughing at it thinking that there was no way. Well… Anyway, according to it, this year will be a good one, eventually, and all I have to say is… umm, bring it on already??!!!

Here’s how January looked over here…

What I bought

I haven’t been in a shopping mood this month, in spite of the amazing sales. However, since I had an Amazon gift card, I decided to buy two ultra-hyped items to try, among other things.

This translucent loose face powder that I’ve heard a lot about. Since I’ve been so busy with life stuff, I haven’t had a chance to test it yet.

This false lash effect mascara that’s downright famous and almost embarrassingly cheap. I have seen so many people obsess about it for years, and I decided (well, more like remembered) to finally buy it. Just like with the above, I haven’t opened it yet, so the verdict is still out if it lives up to the hype.

What I/we watched

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. This is a TV series I initially got into because of my husband, obviously, but I ended up enjoying it also. We watched season 3 which came out recently, so we’re all caught up. It started and felt slow for most of the season, but it was good overall.

Little Women. I watched the entire series, and even if the acting and cast are great, it left me neutral — maybe I just wasn’t in the right headspace when watching it, but for me, there wasn’t much to enjoy about it.

Downton Abbey. I finally got around to watching this series, and I have to admit I couldn’t understand the hype in the first two episodes. Several episodes later, it has quite grown on me to the point that I was looking forward to it all day and ended up watching nothing else for the rest of the month. I loved the cast, and I have to say that I enjoyed the servants’ life and bickering much more than what was happening “upstairs”. My least favorite character most of the time was Mary for her cold attitude, and cruel actions towards her sister Edith. As for favorites, the list is long, and it includes Tom Branson (who has grown on me after initially disliking him), Ms. Hughes, Mrs. Patmore, Daisy Mason, Violet Crawley (who, again, has grown on me a lot), and more. Now that I’ve watched it all, I have to say that I miss it, haha. I can’t wait to watch the movies.

What I read

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I started reading this book last year, (which was only last month, haha) and finished it pretty quickly. In all honesty, I didn’t love it as much as everyone else seemed to, I’m not sure why. I liked this book much more which is somewhat similar, plus, it’s based on a real person and even events.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. While perhaps, there are many books out there depicting domestic abuse and violence, I’m glad this one is so popular as it explains just how difficult it truly is to escape that environment. I felt immensely proud of our heroine for making the incredibly difficult decision and choice for herself, and consequently, her daughter. Definitely a book worth reading.

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover. The sequel to the above-mentioned book, I looked forward to reading, and well, it did not disappoint.